With a key to the latest motel room in his hand, Dean crossed the cramped lobby to a spot by a magazine rack where Jaye and Ellen were talking in hushed voices. "We got room 8," he reported to his daughter, "Sammy and your mom snagged room 9."
Jaydin looked up at him and flashed a quick, innocent smile. "Actually, dad," she said slowly, "um, I was thinking that maybe I could room with mom. You know, just to get a chance to catch up and everything. She's totally cool with it."
"Oh," he muttered, glancing at Ellen, "well, yeah, I guess. That's… yeah, ok." He handed his daughter the key, which she snatched out of his hand with a smile.
"See you tomorrow," she called as she took her mother's hand and headed out of the lobby.
Dean shoved his hands in his pockets and watched mother and daughter walk off into the night.
"Jealous?"
Dean started and turned to see Sam standing behind him with their room key in his hand. "What? Of Ellen? No way."
"You sure? Because you look kind of jealous. That, or constipated."
"Well I'm neither, smartass. Come on, let's see what kind of grimy hellhole you've checked us into this time."
Sam grinned and followed him out of the lobby and into the darkness. "You are so jealous."
"I am not jealous."
"Jealous."
"At least I'm not a liar."
"I never lied to you," Sam defended as they approached their room, "I just neglected to tell the truth. There is a difference."
"Not in my book."
Sammy swiped the key in the lock and pushed the door open. "I didn't want you guys getting caught up. Oh, and that was a really good way to change the focus of the conversation, by the way."
"What?" Dean asked innocently, tossing his bag onto the first bed and plopping down beside it, "why, Sam, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"I know you. You don't want to talk about it. It's got to be, what, the first time in thirteen years you and Ellen have been in the same room together? First time Jaye's ever seen her mom, and you're jealous of the quality time, aren't you?"
"Would you just drop it already?"
Sam sighed, leaning up against the room's small dresser. "She looks older than you remember, right?"
"Dude, you look older than I remember."
"Yeah, but-"
"And is that some grey I see?"
Sam turned and stared into the mirror that hung on the wall behind him, running his hands through his long hair. "Very funny, Dean," he muttered, turning back to his brother, "but I'm not gonna let you avoid this. Now spill."
Dean sighed and looked down at his shoes, which were caked with drying mud that was making a very interesting pattern on the black material as it cracked and fell off. "It was supposed to be an even trade," he said quietly, "I got Jaye and Ellen got her life, just the way it was, without my interference or the problem of having to explain the reasoning of sleeping with someone young enough to be her son to Jo."
Sam nodded. "And now she's going back on that unspoken deal."
"Just because she found the kid doesn't mean she gets to keep her."
"You do realize that you've started talking about your daughter like she's some kind of baseball card, right?"
"Black, black, no trades back," the elder shrugged.
Sammy shook his head. "If it were that simple, we wouldn't be talking about it. Come on, you know how much she's always wanted a mom."
"Yeah. And if anyone deserves to get what she wants, it's her. Besides, it's not like she's talking about moving away or anything. Yeah, it's probably all right."
"See, now that's the way to think," Sam grinned, flopping lazily down on his own bed. "So, you want to rent some porn or something?" Dean chucked a pillow at him.
o0o0o0o
"You and dad don't really get along, do you?' Jaydin asked through a mouthful of toothpaste.
"We did. Once. It's just that something happened and we had a little disagreement."
"Oh," the girl nodded, pointing at herself, "I get it."
Ellen sighed. "It wasn't you."
"Was it dad?"
"No. It was me. I wasn't ready for another relationship. Guess I still hadn't gotten over my husband's death."
Jaye ducked back into the bathroom and spit. "So, I was definitely an unexpected surprise, huh?"
"Exactly how much did your father tell you?"
She shrugged. "Just what I told you back at the bar. The moral of the story is to never have a one-night stand with someone you know because if she ends up pregnant you'll probably end up a freak of nature."
"He tell you why I wasn't around?"
"You had another family to take care of and a saloon to run. You were really busy, and he wasn't. You didn't want to have to tell people what had happened. He said you asked about me, though, all the time. Why? Think he lied or something?"
Ellen shook her head. "No. Your dad's a good guy. He wouldn't lie to you."
"That's what I thought," the girl smiled, walking from the bathroom to her bed and curling up under the covers. "'Night, mom."
"Good night."
"Love you."
Ellen flipped off the light, hoping Jaye hadn't caught the look on her face, couldn't see the fear, the knowledge that things could only go downhill from that simple sentence. "You, too, hon."