Chapter Three – The Fishbowl
Well, so much for a good night's sleep, Leila thought to herself, rubbing her eyes and dragging herself toward the shower. It was nine in the morning, and she had managed less than two hours of fitful sleep. The fact that there were real live Winchesters sleeping under the same roof as her stole any possibility of her getting to actually rest. She almost fell asleep in the shower, but the water managed to rouse her enough that she could get dressed and stumble into the kitchen in search of caffeine. Ellen, thank God, was already up and about, and the smell of strong, hot coffee filled the Roadhouse. By the time she had downed the first cup, Leila was starting to feel human again.
"So," Ellen began, seating herself beside Leila at the table. The younger woman groaned internally. She knew what was coming. Ellen had that let's-gossip look on her face. Dude, why don't you call Jo sometimes and bug her about her damn love life? But she knew that Ellen meant well, and the two loved each other like mother and daughter, even if their entire relationship did happen to be based on an intricate foundation of omissions, half-truths, and outright lies. "What do you think of Sam?"
"Oh, he seems nice enough, I suppose. So does Dean," she replied, deliberately keeping her voice noncommittal.
"Well, I happen to think that you and Sam will get along very well. I mean, with you both being so book-smart and all, I'm sure you've got lots of things in common."
"Maybe. Like I said, he seems nice enough. I'm sure we'll all get along fine for as long as they're here."
"Oh, Leila, why do you have to be so difficult? Sam is smart and funny and sweet and polite, and he's pretty damn easy on the eyes, too. I would have shoved my Jo in his direction a long time ago if it weren't for the fact that the silly girl's only got eyes for Dean." Leila's head shot up in surprise at that last bit, but Ellen didn't notice. She continued, "I really think that you and Sam would make a perfect couple. You should give him a chance, honey!"
Leila raised an eyebrow. "Ellen, has Sam given you any indication whatsoever that he's interested in me? Or in any sort of relationship with anyone, for that matter? I mean, you're the one that told me about Madison. That was only six months ago. If I'd gotten at all involved with anyone, even just for a couple of days, and then I had to kill them like that? I don't know that I'd be able to ever let anyone get close again. Combine that with the whole Jessica issue, and I wouldn't be surprised if the poor guy's sworn off women for life."
Ellen just shrugged. "Kid's gotta get back in the saddle. And if anybody can help him get past all his issues, it's you."
"Okay, first of all, I'm nobody's saddle. And second, I didn't sign on to solve anybody's personal problems. I like the guy, Ellen, I'll give you that much. But if a relationship's in the cards, it'll happen, and if it's not, then it won't. You're right, we do have a lot in common, and I think we'll be friends either way. But more than that? I don't know. I'm just not feeling any chemistry there."
Ellen shrugged again. "Like you said, things will turn out just as they're supposed to. Nothing we can do about that."
After a few minutes of companionable silence, Leila casually asked, "So, you mentioned that Jo's got a thing for Dean? That's the first I've heard you talk about anything between the two of them."
"That's because there isn't anything between the two of them. It's all on her side. He flirts with her, just like he flirts with everybody else. But that boy knows I would cut his pecker off and beat him with it if he ever so much as laid a finger on my child. I wouldn't let Dean Winchester get involved with my cocker spaniel if I had one. He's got bad news written all over him."
Leila swallowed hard. Well, Jeez, I knew she thought him a bit…roguish. But this is ridiculous. Definitely not part of The Plan. If she wouldn't let him be with Jo, maybe she won't let him be with me either! "What do you mean, Ellen? He seems harmless enough to me. I mean, after all, he and Sam do a lot of good in the world, and he was perfectly nice to me last night."
"Oh, don't get me wrong, I love him like a son, I feel that way about both of those boys. But Dean Winchester is jut a little too damn charming for his own good, and believe me, he knows it. He runs through women faster than he runs through socks, left behind a string of broken hearts that'd stretch from here clear to Cheyenne."
"Hmm," Leila murmured. Well, that much she'd gathered already, and it hadn't deterred her yet.
The women's conversation was cut short when Sam walked into the kitchen in search of coffee. Leila poured him a cup, and he joined the women at the table. "What's up?" he asked. Leila gave Ellen a warning look and replied, "Oh, nothing. We were just chatting about girl stuff." Ellen gave a half-smile and stood saying, "Well, I've gotta go run some errands in town. You kids can hang out here, I'll be back in a couple of hours." With a wink in Leila's direction, she fairly skipped out the door.
Sam groaned. "Subtlety has never been Ellen's strong suit."
"Yeah, I'm learning that," Leila replied with a sigh.
"Look, Leila, I, uh…I don't know what your situation is, but I'm not really… I mean, I know Ellen means well, but, like… I'm not looking to get involved with anyone right now, so…"
"Oh, thank God!" she exclaimed before she could edit herself, then stopped short at the look on Sam's face. "Oh my gosh, Sam, I didn't mean it like that," she hurried to add, blushing furiously. "I just…I mean, I'm not looking to get into a relationship right now either."
"Oh. Well. Good…that's good. I'm glad we, uh…cleared that up."
She nodded for a moment. "Hmmm. Well, that was awkward."
"Yeah." He laughed. "Oh, well, now that's out of the way…"
Her laughter joined his as she commented, "Ellen will be so displeased. Does she try to set you up often?"
"Nope, she's never done that before. She must think pretty well of you."
"Oh? She's never tried to set me up with anyone either, so she must think pretty highly of you, too. But then, I already knew that from the way she's talked about you and Dean. She thinks of you two like her own children."
"Yeah, I know. And we feel the same way about her."
They sat in companionable silence until Dean staggered in, searching for his morning infusion of caffeine. Leila poured him a cup, and Sam excused himself to shower. Dean settled himself beside her. "So," he began. "About last night…" His voice trailed off.
"What about last night? You planning on beating me up again?" she teased.
"I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about –"
"Don't sweat it, Dean. There's nothing to talk about."
"Well, it's just, you know…I thought you hit it off pretty well with Sammy, and God knows that kid could use a little companionship, so –"
"Neither Sam nor I is interested in getting involved, with each other or with anyone else."
He thought for a moment about the implications of that statement. "Oh. Well. Okay, then. In that case, I thought I'd go out and take a look around Ellen's new place. You wanna show me around?"
"I'm sure you can find your own way around the Roadhouse, Dean," she said dryly. "But I could use a little fresh air, so, sure, I'll walk with you. Why not?"
As they walked, the conversation flowed more naturally than she would have expected. It was considerably cooler than the days had been in previous weeks, an airy breeze freshening the early October mid-morning, and she pulled her light sweater more tightly around her shoulders. Eventually, the pair stopped and sat on a large tree stump out behind the Roadhouse. As they sat and talked, the beauty of the day took effect, and a sense of well-being came over them. She smiled blindingly up at him for no reason at all, the light catching her eyes and the highlights in her hair. He stopped mid-sentence and stared.
"What is it?" she asked, a bit concerned.
"Nothing." He paused. "It's just that you're incredibly beautiful when you smile. You should do it more often."
"Oh," she breathed quietly. She looked across the field and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "You're blushing again," he noted. Punching him on the arm, she giggled and told him to shut up. He punched her back, then they both laughed as a lusty male pigeon nearby strutted back and forth before a female that he apparently wanted to court.
"So, are you planning on working for Ellen indefinitely?"
"I don't know, I hadn't really thought about it. I mean, I'm happy here and everything. But honestly? Sometimes working at the Roadhouse is like living in a damn fishbowl. Everybody knows everything about everybody. For such secretive people, hunters sure are nosy. It's nice, though. Being part of a community. Just being out here, period. I hear it snows pretty hard out here in the winters, though. And I hate snow with a passion. I mean, I guess it's probably nice when you get snowed in with someone you really care about. But I've never had that experience, so I don't know."
Dean shrugged. "If you want to spend time with someone special, a good solid rain shower is just as good as a blizzard, I think." He looked up at the clouds before continuing. "Speaking of rain showers, I think we should probably head in."
"What are you talking about? It's supposed to be seventy degrees and sunny all week long," she informed him. "There's no way it's going to…"
She stopped short as a fat raindrop landed on the bridge of her nose. He laughed at her expression of surprise, just before the sky opened up and a freezing cold downpour proceeded to soak them both to the skin. Squealing and grabbing his hand, she bolted across the lawn back into the Roadhouse. Once inside, she wrung out her hair and shivered. "Well, that was unpleasant," she commented.
"Oh, not so unpleasant. Gives me a chance to see you in wet clothes."
She rolled her eyes at him and noted, "I'm probably gonna catch pneumonia and die, and then who'll serve up your beers?"
"Well, we'd better get you dried off, then." He grabbed a dry dishrag from behind the bar and started running it over her bare arms. She laughed, but stepped away. "Somehow, I don't think that's gonna do the job. I'm gonna go change into something dry. And then, I think I'll take a nap. If I recall correctly, you kept me up pretty late, and I've gotta work tonight."
"Oh. Well, I guess I'll see ya later, then."
She nodded and went to her room. Once inside, with the door closed, she let out a sigh. The Roadhouse had just become a fishbowl in earnest, and it was time for the show to truly begin.