"Let me see if I understand this correctly, Sabine," sighed David Harvey, taking his glasses off and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "You have called in monster hunters to help us with our werewolf problem?"
"Yes."
"And we know we have a werewolf problem because Madeline saw it in a prophetic dream last night."
"Exactly."
David let out another sigh. While his wife was a very intelligent woman, he sometimes wondered if she was entirely sane. Still, despite being convinced that this was all complete and utter foolishness, he knew better than to try and argue that point to the headstrong Irishwoman he'd married.
"God in Heaven, Sabine, what am I going to do with you?"
"You're going to accept that I'll always be weird, and love and cherish me until the day you die," his wife answered, seating herself in his lap and winding her arms around his neck. "Same as I intend to do with you."
"Are you suggesting that I'm anywhere near as weird as you?"
"David, you recite the laws of physics in your sleep."
"Touché."
As it turned out, Dean managed to get away with an impressive amount of speeding on the way to Oakvale. He'd been pulled over once, but as it had been in a very rural area – and by a very female police officer – he'd gotten off with a warning.
Being devilishly handsome had its perks.
"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Sam asked. They had been on the same gravel road for what seemed like a half hour, and as far as Sam could tell, there was no sign of civilization apart from the road itself.
"Hence, 'middle of nowhere,'" Dean reminded. "We'll be at the house in a couple minutes, relax."
Bored beyond all reason, Sam stared out the window, even though there was nothing to look at besides trees. He had to admit, it did look like a perfect place for a pack of werewolves; plenty of places to hide, and probably plenty of cute, furry little animals to rip to bloody shreds with their big, nasty, pointy teeth.
Sam, it should be noted, was not a dog person.
He was also getting really sick of being in the car, and was playing with the idea of finding something to whine about just to piss his brother off, when the Impala rounded a corner, bringing into view a huge plantation house.
"See? Told you it wasn't too much further."
"This is the place?"
"Hard to believe something like this is hidden way out in the boondocks, huh?" Dean replied, pulling into the driveway and parking next to a Rolls-Royce. They got out of the car and headed toward the house. Sam couldn't shake the growing suspicion that Dean's eagerness to jump to Sabine's aid was based less on his heroic and chivalrous nature and more on the fact that he thought he might get paid for this.
Sam had to agree that getting paid once in a while wouldn't hurt. He'd feel bad accepting money for something like that, but at least it would be more honorable than Dean's methods.
"Man, that brings back memories," Dean said fondly, stopping in front of a large tree. Sam could see marks on the tree where it looked like someone had been carving with a knife.
"It says 'DV,'" Sam stated, wondering why this would have any significance.
"I was physically assaulted before I could finish the 'W,'" Dean explained. He momentarily considered whipping out his pocketknife and completing the deed, but he quickly reminded himself that he was much too old do something like that.
Well, too old to get away with it, anyway.
Thus, leaving Sabine Harvey's beloved cypress unmolested, the brothers Winchester went up and knocked on the front door like the civilized human beings Sam was, and Dean fooled people into believing he could one day be trained to become.
Several sets of running footsteps later, the door opened to reveal three beautiful blonde children, the youngest of whom immediately shouting,
"Hi, you were in my dream last night!"
"That was the night before last, Maddy."
"I know that, Katie-sillyhead, but I dreamed about them last night, too," Maddy explained.
"You can't keep going around telling strangers you saw them in dreams, Maddy," the third girl said. "It makes people nervous."
"And it makes them think we're weird," Katie added.
As the Harvey girls continued to chatter about what was, and was not appropriate conversation on a first meeting, the brothers agreed silently on a very important fact.
Had they been female, their father would have lost his mind.
"Kathleen, Bryce, and Madeline, things like this are what make people think I've taught you no manners." For a woman with three children, Sabine looked no worse for wear; if anything, she was even prettier than Dean remembered.
All the good ones are taken, gay, or unattainable, he thought, unknowingly echoing the plight of single women everywhere as Sabine surveyed him, hands on her hips.
"Well, look at you, little boy. You finally got taller than me!"
Sam snorted, and Dean elbowed him in the ribs. Sam shut up, but didn't stop smirking.
Why was it, Dean wondered ruefully, that no matter what happened, his most defining characteristic seemed to be the fact that he'd spent the better part of his adolescence at five-foot-five?