Chapter Ten
"Are you humming 'Some kind of Monster' ?"
Dean immediately stopped and looked sheepishly up at Nicki.
"Calms me down"
"Man, at least pick a classic"
"That is a classic" Ok Dean, maybe when you argue try to not sound like a five year old.
Nicki smirked and laughed at him, shaking her head in disappointment and tsk tsking. If he could have done he would have shuffled over there and shook her for being so disrespectful to the Metallica.
"Deany Deany Deany, that Is sooo not a classic"
"Is so"
"No song from that album is what I would class a 'classic', or a good song for that matter"
"What? What the hell do you know?"
"I know their best album has to be 'Master of Puppets', followed by 'And Justice for All' with the 'Black' album and 'Ride the lightening' bringing up the rear. I guess 'Load' is pretty good but in no way a classic and don't even get me started on 'Re-Load'"
"I can't believe I'm hearing this"
Dean turned his head to the side.
"Are my ears bleeding? There's no way words that harsh wouldn't cut all the way to the bone"
Nicki smiled over to him and shook her own head.
"You telling me that you weren't disappointed when you first heard 'St Anger' ?"
"NO" Answered five year old Dean.
"Not just a little bit?"
A pause, she knew she had him.
"It wasn't quite what I expected I admit, but that's not to say it's a bad album"
"Just not a good one"
"That's not what I said"
"But if you were brave enough to admit it, it's what you think"
"Shut up"
"Oh not that again"
Dean sighed but gave her a tired smile. His entire body was one big world of hurt but the easy banter with this girl was easing his being. Although she'd really hurt him with the Metallica comments.
"So , you drive a mustang?"
"Did do, can't imagine after kissing that tree that it's ever gonna want to drive again."
"You like classic cars?"
"Yeah, I do. There's something so comforting in being behind the wheel of something that was made to be on the road, made to be loved."
Dean smiled appreciatively at her and nodded, instantly regretting the movement as his head began to throb again, he moved to get comfortable and the pain spread throughout his side and his thigh, he couldn't help but suck in a breath.
"Is it bad?"
All he could do was shake his head. He looked up into her eyes and gave in, just a little.
Nodding slowly he raised his eyebrows and flashed her his best smile.
"I'll be fine"
"Sure you will"
Dean attempted to hide his grimace but knew he'd failed miserably, he felt crap, he felt worse than crap, he felt like crap that had been crapped on, tossed out a window and then run over by a semi. He needed a distraction.
"So you live around here?"
"No, Austin. I'm visiting my Aunt Grace"
"Motel lady?"
"Yeah that's her"
"She's nice"
"That she is, she's going to be going out of her mind with worry right about now though"
"She'll raise the alarm?"
"No"
Nicki looked down sadly and played with the soil by her foot, moving it from the left to the right. Dean let his head fall to the side as her sorrow reached across the room and engulfed him.
"Why not?" He asked quietly.
"I kinda take off a lot, my Mum, she died, a year ago. Sometimes I need to get away so I hop in my car and I drive. I've never done it to my Aunt but she knows from my Dad that I can be gone a few days sometimes"
"Just to get away?"
Nicki nodded slowly.
"Yeah I know how you feel, My Mum died when I was little, and our family, we've kinda been through hell. I've felt like just jumping in my car and driving, just seeing where the road takes me."
"Why don't you?"
"My geek brother. I can't leave him. He needs me. I guess I kinda need him to. We make a hell of a team ya know"
"Is he older or younger?"
"Younger. You got any brothers or sisters?"
"Brother, Connor. Younger, don't get to see him much though, he tends to stay with his girlfriends family a lot. Makes the pain easier to bear I guess, being in the middle of a real family"
"You guys aren't close?"
"Used to be, but I think he blames me for our Mum's death, I think my Dad does to"
"I'm sure that's not true"
"I was driving the car when we were hit, I didn't get her out in time. I failed her"
Nicki hung her head as gentle sobs took over her body. Dean lowered his head out of respect and stayed silent, allowing her time to collect herself.
"What are they gonna do to us?"
Even with her head bowed Dean could tell her eyes were squeezed tightly against the panic that threatened to eat her whole.
"They'll keep us here, alive, until Kate comes"
"Is Kate their leader?"
"Yeah, my Dad killed her mate Luther, he used to be the leader. My brother and me, we killed a whole bunch of their pack. She's after revenge, against me and my brother"
"Not your Dad?"
"He's.." Dean paused to collect himself, to try to keep the anger from his voice. "He's not here, he's gone" He failed as he clenched his teeth to bite back the angry words that threatened to spill forth along with his dinner on the floor.
"Sounds like there's some issues there"
"Yeah, well, he's kinda good at walking out on us, so yeah, you could say there's some issues"
"My Dad, he stays in the house, waiting for us after work, he tries to talk but it's us, Connor and me who walk away from him. Yet there he is, every night, waiting for us"
"Because he loves you"
Dean looked away before the emotion threatened to break free. He could remember that morning so clearly, John, walking out of the front door, Sam picking Dean up from the floor and holding him, the pain, the loss, the grief, all assaulted him again and again as he cried into his brother's chest before the pain from his injuries and the abandonment became too much and he gave in, slumping into Sam's arms. He hadn't remembered much after that, except waking up in the hospital, waking up to Sam.
It was just the two of them. That was all that mattered wasn't it? If that was true then why inside did he long for his father? He wanted so badly to answer the phone, to speak to John but he couldn't, it was all too fresh in his mind. Left behind once again. Him needing them more than they needed him. Even though Sam had stuck by him he knew this wasn't the life he wanted, which meant that eventually Sam would leave again, and Dean would be alone, completely alone.
Why did he still care?
Because he loved them both.
"Tell me about your brother?"
Nicki's voice startled him from his reverie.
"Sam? Sam's this big lug of a goofy kid, great back up in a fight, a little dumb sometimes but then most kid brothers are" Dean smiled fondly but his heart ached to see Sam again.
"He's the best brother anyone could ever have, loyal to a fault, would die for me. I'd die for him too"
"You make it sound like that could happen"
"With what we do, yeah, it could"
"Do you ever want to do anything else?"
"Sometimes I do, but then , what we do, we're helping people"
"Your Dad, tell me about him"
"I'd rather not"
"My Dad, he tried all kinds of things to help me, therapy, tough love, silent treatment. One day he just threw his hands in the air and said he'd had enough. Told me I needed to get a grip and stop disappearing on him. We had such an argument that day, I jumped in my car and headed out, didn't know where I was going but then Aunt Grace's voice popped into my head. She always said that no matter what happened, no matter what bridges were burned or broken, family was family. You always found each other again. So I called him and told him where I was going and then headed out this way. Big mistake that was"
"Yeah, you probably should have waited another week for that trip. My Dad, it's his way or no way. You follow orders and you obey. He likes to do things his way and kinda works on a need to know basis. I just, I just can't stand him leaving me again. Haven't spoken to him in a while, Sam has. But I just can't"
"Why?"
"He left me, about a year and a half ago, he'd found a trail of the thing that killed our Mum, instead of telling me that though he just upped and left. We caught up with him a couple of times, then again about six months ago, but it all went a little south and I ended up injured. He walked out , I was laying on the floor bleeding and he walked out"
"If that was me I wouldn't talk to him again either"
"Miss him though"
"Family, can't live with them and it's hard to find a box big enough to hide them in"
"Yeah, you got that right"
"Maybe you should talk to him, tell him how you feel, maybe he needs to hear it"
"Maybe you should stop running away"
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Alot of dialogue in this chapter i know, but i hope you enjoyed it! Action to come i promise
Maybe some Levi's too . Once again thankyou all so much for your amazing reviews! You know how to keep a girl motivated! XXXXX