Title: Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds
Rating: PG maybe slight PG13 for mild swearing
Author: Nat It was the beginning of October, a bright, crisp day when the leaves were just starting to turn gold and red that he saw that beauty drive by. Polished and gleaming, it was love at first site.
Characters: The Impala is really all that matters
Disclaimer: Not mine. Sadly.
Cars were his thing.
All the inner workings that kept a car purring like a kitten, John knew like the back of his hand. He didn't have glory dreams like being a war hero like Jim Davis back in basic training. Service was to pay for college and nothing more. John had plans. Head back home when he was done. Pick up his old job that Mr. Miller promised to hold for him when he finally returned.
The six years went by real fast and Lawrence never looked better. True to his word, Miller let go of John's replacement right before hand and there he was, right back home with the smell of oil and gasoline comforting him (or making him a little loopy, he really didn't know).
It was the beginning of October, a bright, crisp day when the leaves were just starting to turn gold and red that he saw that beauty drive by. Polished and gleaming, it was love at first site. Sure it sounded kind of loud, the muffler needed replacing but it seemed oddly right.
Every day John kept his eyes open for that black beauty and every day he was disappointed. Sometimes he heard that familiar rumble and looked up quickly but he just caught the taillights turning the corner and he almost wanted to run after it. Touch the shiny black exterior, smell the leather interior.
He found ads for used Impalas but whenever he went to look at them, they just didn't compare. He couldn't explain why, just that the shining Impala was what he wanted, not these sad, tired looking ones. None of them clicked.
And then when he was about to loose hope, the tides turned.
It was the beginning of November; a chill creeping into the air as evening crept closer. He was driving home when he saw her pulled to the side of the road, hood propped open, glowing even more splendidly in the setting sun. Poor Impala had car trouble and like the good Samaritan he was, John pulled his LeBaron over and got out. "Need any help?"
The guy under the hood was younger than him, dark messy hair with a little bit of engine grease across his nose. "I'd appreciate it," he said. "It's been having problems for awhile now and didn't have time to get it fixed," he smiles lamely. "And look what happens.
John didn't like the fact that he referred to that beauty as 'it', but it wasn't his car… sadly.
"Well I'm a mechanic. Could take a look if you want." To touch that beautiful car… He gave a friendly smile.
The guy hesitated, glancing towards the car as if he could see through the hood to windshield. "Uh, sure. Go ahead." He looked nervous as John peered at the engine. Maybe this wasn't his car. Probably his dad's. Or brother's.
"So, what seems to be the problem?" John asked, almost gleeful to take a good look at the inner workings of perfection.
"Got the oil changed the other day," the guy says after a pause. "Seemed just fine then."
John feels that there's something else. "Mechanic say anything else? Notice strange sounds?"
"Uh… well, my friend took a look at it actually. Said that it could probably use a good examination but just hasn't found the time to do that. If that means anything-"
"No, it was because I didn't have the money, moron." A voice scolds, a hand coming from nowhere to smack the guy upside the head. "Shouldn't have let you drive but you insist on being 'the man' and all."
A slim blonde materializes next to the dark haired guy dressed in faded jeans and a Pink Floyd shirt. Her blonde hair, glimmering gold in the sunlight was pulled back in a tight ponytail and she looked relatively annoyed.
Really pretty hazel eyes though.
The guy sighed, rolling his eyes. "Reynolds, I told you I could take care of it-"
"Not it," Reynolds bit out, scowling darkly. "How many times do I have to tell you it's Lucy?"
John blinked. "Lucy?" He asked incredulously, surprised that he had said it out loud.
Reynolds sighed, shoving him away from the engine. "You know? Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds? God," she looked reverently at the insides of the Impala – no, John corrected himself. Lucy. "Thanks but I really don't need your help," her smile was obviously fake.
John was a little taken aback by that and gave her a look. "Well I happen to be a mechanic down at Miller Auto and - "
The look on her face made it obvious that he said something he shouldn't have.
"I got fired because of you?" She said lowly, thin lipped and those pretty – no – those I angry I looking eyes glaring darkly. "I definitely don't need your help so get lost."
"He's just trying to help - "
"Shut up, Caleb."
John tried again. "I'd really like to help."
She continued to glower. "Sorry, but if you think you're getting into the backseat of my car by wanting to help out, think again." She suddenly smirked. "My mother told me never to let strangers mess with my engine."
The guy – er – Caleb spoke up then, clearly annoyed and had enough. "Reynolds, just let him help. I have a plane to catch, remember?"
"Well then you should've lent me the money to give my baby the work she needed and stopped pretending you knew what you were doing trying to fix her. I find out you screwed up my car, I'll kill you."
John looked amused. Reynolds, if that was really her name because it was pretty strange, was obviously angrier with herself than with Caleb and gathering his courage, he leaned over the engine next to her. She visibly stiffened, her scowl deepening. "Maybe together we could get Lucy here up and running?"
She doesn't say anything, ponytail over her shoulder and she runs one hand tenderly across the parts, oil and grease gathering on her fingertips. So this was the mechanic who got fired because of him.
He suddenly felt extremely guilty.
"I'm John Winchester," he said quietly, gently, waiting to see if she would take him up on his peace offering.
She didn't look at him, still running the fingers over the engine. "Reynolds," she replied. Her shoulders relaxed a little. "… Mary Reynolds."
John smiled. "Well it's nice to meet you, Mary." She rolled her eyes, giving him another annoyed look.
"If you start in on that touchy feely crap just because I told you my name, I'm not letting you stand within twenty feet of my car. I don't like exposing her to stuff like that."
His neck burned and he nodded, scratching the back of his head. "Uh, yeah. Well, I've got my tools in the trunk so…"
She smiled a little in an effort to be nice. "Yeah, uh, you should get them."
"Yeah. I'll uh… go and get them."
They both looked away from one another, blushing a little at Caleb's audible grumbling over love connections and cars at his expense.
— — —)
On their first date, Mary made it clear she'd be driving and no, he shouldn't even bother asking. Under no circumstances would he be allowed to drive the car.
The car – no, Lucy - was a real guy's car and Mary was delicate looking and John would never tell her any of this, but she had to be the most adorable thing, sitting in that car, bopping her head to Jimmy Hendrix and singing along off key to John Lennon and Elton John.
On their third date, they went to the drive in and John was too shy to lean over and hold her hand, which was actually a first. He'd never been like that with other girls but Mary… Mary was intense. A little spitfire with a sharp tongue that would make you bleed if you weren't careful.
On their tenth date (still hadn't gotten that kiss), she asked post—Princess Leia rescue and boring pep talks to Luke Skywalker. "So… if you weren't working for Miller, what would you be doing?"
John was a little thrown by the question and she laughed. "Oh, the look on your face. I'm serious! I wanna know."
John cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed. "I'd be a lawyer. Not really sure what kind but I'd like to be. I like researching stuff."
He expected her to laugh but she just smiled and kissed him instead.
— — —)
After four months, Mary still hadn't dragged him to the backseat but he was fine with her just sitting in his lap and nibbling his ear.
"Hey, John?" She asked, her voice a little muffled with her lips still around his ear lobe.
"Yeah?" his voice cracked a little as she moved around.
Mary pulled back, her arms wrapped loosely around her neck, looking thoughtful. "Wanna get married?" John stilled, staring at her and Mary shrugged, continuing. "And don't think that if we get married, you get to take Lucy out on her own. If, and this is a very big if, I let you drive, I will be sitting in this seat here, watching your every move. And if you think you'll ever get to drive on your own, ever, get that thought out of your head now." John nodded mutely and Mary smiled. "So… do we have an arrangement?"
John slowly nodded, then grinned, pulling her back to kiss her.
— — —)
"You're not driving the car! "
"I'm in labour, I'm not incapacitated. Give me my damn keys."
"Mary…"
" I John… /I "
"You'll be sitting there right next to me making sure I don't crash."
"Well instead of worrying about you damaging my baby, I'll end up focusing on the fact that I my other baby is going to come out of these teeny tiny hole in my body and it's going to hurt. Like. Hell. Now. Give me. The keys /I ."
— — —)
The first thing Mary did when they got home from the hospital was take the baby out of his car seat and sat in the driver's seat, cuddling him close to her chest. "Do you, Dean Winchester, take Lucy to be your sister—"
"Mary…"
"Shut up you," she smiled back at her gurgling baby boy. "To have and to hold from this day forward, through empty gas tanks and being stranded in the middle of nowhere, to love and to cherish until she can no longer go? To keep her well polished and taken care of in your garage the days after she retires, to keep her well oiled, her tires rotated, her engine purring like a kitten 'till death do you part? Pledge your faithfulness to take care of her after I'm long gone?"
Dean yawned; his little mouth opened wide and blinked, looking up at his parents. Mary smiled, stroking his cheek. "That's a definite yes."
Four years later, Mary sat in the driver's seat again with Dean looking over her shoulder at the little bundle of blankets while his Dad made himself comfortable in the passenger's seat.
"Do you, Samuel Winchester—"
"Here we go again…"
Mary ignored him this time. "Take Lucy to be your sister? To help your big brother take care of her? Wash and polish her and use the really expensive turtle wax? Pledge your faithfulness to take care of her, your sister, pick up the slack when Dean and I are no longer to take care of her, 'till death do you part?"
Sam's eyes roved over his mother's face and made a small whimper, shifting around in his blankets.
"Well that's good enough for me." Mary grinned.
— — —)
The first thing Dean said after Mary's death was, "I feel safe."
John was elated at first, Dean's small voice comforting, but then it gave way to slight confusion. "You feel safe, huh? Any particular reason?" Casual. Nothing unusual.
Dean shrugged his small shoulders, playing with the cassette tapes in the little box, Mary's slanting writing marking each tape with care. "The car makes me feel safe." Dean said quietly. "It feels…" Dean shrugged again, looking back down at the cassette tapes. "It feels like mommy. Like she's sitting here."
John was quiet, fingers drumming on the steering wheel; Sam's snoring too loud for a baby like him. "You know, Dean." He glanced over at his son, smiling slyly. "Bet your mom would yell real loud if she knew I was driving."
Dean laughed and John took a cassette from the box, popping it into the tape player and turned onto the freeway. He murmured along while Dean continued to sift through the tapes.
"Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly, a girl with kaleidoscope eyes. Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes, and she's gone. Lucy in the sky with diamonds…"