Anything But Normal

Part 22

A month had passed. Sam still didn't know about Liz and Dean.

"How can he not know?" Jo, who had very recently returned to the Roadhouse after a year away, asked Liz one day as they were getting ready for the slew of hunters that would come in tonight.

"We haven't told him." Liz shrugged.

"It isn't like you need to. He's always staring at your ass or flirting with you. He doesn't pay attention to any other girl in here."

Liz smiled, "Yeah, I know."

"You know that he's pretty well known for hooking up with any girl that walks in the door, right?" Jo asked cautiously.

"Yes, and I wish everyone would stop telling me about all his one night stands. I get it." Liz sighed.

"It's just kind of weird. You're both pretty well known for being the love 'em and leave 'em types."

"I'm going to ignore the fact that you just politely called me a whore. Dean is just different, as incredibly corny as that sounds...I met him when I was 15."

"You did?"

"Yeah, he and John and Sam were killing a werewolf. I've known him a long time. I figured out that he isn't exactly an awesome boyfriend from experience. I get it, alright? I haven't let my guard down yet. I'm not that naive." Lis said in frustration.

"It's not you that I'm worried about."

"I'm not going to leave Dean, Jo. I really like him."

"You really feel like he's different?"

"As lame as that sounds, yes. I always have."

"Then you're going to have to tell Sam at some point."

"Eventually we will, but for some reason Sam just doesn't want us together. He thinks it would be weird, his best friend dating his brother. Plus he has this thing where he is afraid of Dean hurting me. He's almost like my brother when it comes to me dating. Alex was always like that. Ready to kill every guy that I brought home." Liz smile reminiscently as she thought of her brother.

Jo was taken aback. Liz never talked about her family. Of course she and Liz talked a lot about things being that they were the only two really young girls at the Roadhouse. Jo could tell you everything about whole Liz is. She knew her thoughts and opinions on random things, her taste in food and cars, and about the hunts that she went on when she was in California and working at the Roadhouse. However, Jo knew next to nothing about Liz's family. All Jo knew was that they were dead. Ellen had shared with Jo some vague information about the death of her mother and boyfriend. It had something to do with the demon John had been hunting.

"Alex was your brother's name?" Jo asked. Jo was never aware that Liz even had a brother.

"Oh, um, yeah," Liz decided to quickly change the subject, "Sam actually hasn't been around much lately."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's been avoiding me."

"Why would he avoid you?" Liz was aware that Jo had a little crush on Dean months ago, but had never talked about her relationship with Sam.

"Probably because last time he saw me he almost raped and killed me." Jo said casually.

"I'm sorry, what?!?!" Liz exclaimed.

Dean was in some cheap motel in the middle of Arkansas. Sam walked into the room with burnt orange wallpaper peeling from the walls.

"Hey Dean?"

"Yeah?" Dean looked up from his car magazine.

"What's Liz's necklace doing in the car?" Sam held up a silver chain with a charm shaped like an 'L.'

"She was...uh...I guess it fell off when I took her home one night a couple weeks ago." Dean tried to cover up.

"So the panties near it belong to...?"

"Well...I...Sam, listen–" Dean started.

"I said don't get together with Liz. Any girl across the United States except Liz."

"Sam, I like her a lot." Dean sighed.

"So why do you want to hurt her?"

"I'm not trying to hurt her." Dean said firmly. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Well you're going to."

"I'm sorry not everyone is as celibate as you Sammy." Dean stood up from the bed in anger.

"Hey, you know what has happened before." Sam defended himself.

"Hurting someone will always be a chance, Sam. Why should we be alone our whole lives because of something that might happen? You should go to Bedford and see Sarah. See if you two can make it work out."

"I'm not going to risk someone's life so that I can be happy. Especially not Sarah's life."

"You don't know that it would be a risk! Yellow Eyes is dead. What if there is no risk?"

"There is always a risk with our job, Dean. There'll always be something bad that needs killing and people who need saving. You were the one who told me that. Don't you remember? You were the one who said that we can't get attached to people. Dad taught you that, Dean. He told us when we were in school not to get attached to anything or anyone."

"Dad also let us believe that there weren't many other hunters out there. Then we found Harvelle's. Now we tend to run into hunters right and left on hunts. Dad kept us isolated and cut off. You hated it, remember? Dad wasn't always right, Sammy."

"I'm leaving." Sam grabbed his duffle bag and stormed out.

Dean fell back onto the bed and sighed. He pulled out his cell phone and called Liz. "He knows." he told her.

About twelve hours later, Sam walked into the Roadhouse. It was almost closing. Only two or three hunters remained sitting at tables in the back.

"Hey, Sam." said Jo.

"Oh, uh, hi Jo." Sam said to the blonde girl behind the bar.

"Can I get you a beer?"

"Um, you know, I think I'll just come back tomorrow, actually. It's late and I–" Sam started awkwardly.

"Sam, I'm not going to kill you." Jo cut him off.

"Really?"

"Really. You were possessed. I get it. It wasn't like it was you." Jo reasoned.

Sam let out a breath, "Thank God."

Jo laughed. "Dean with you?"

"No, just me."

"So one beer?"

"Yeah, that would be great." Sam said graciously.

Sam and Jo began to talk. They continued chatting for most of the night until Sam finally told her why he wasn't here with Dean.

"I don't get what the big deal is. He seems to really like her, which is a big change for him."

"I know, but I just don't want her to get hurt. She lost a boyfriend a few years ago. She was pretty messed up about it."

"I know. She came here right after Gavin died. John had sent her. Said it might be good for her."

"Yeah, well I lost a girl the same way a few months later. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love. To watch when...it just isn't something I want to see her go through."

"Sam, you don't know that Dean is going to die."

"Well...it isn't like our job is the safest." Sam couldn't tell Jo that Dean had sold his soul.

"Neither is her's. Liz could die tomorrow, Sam. Don't worry about it. You can't save everyone."

"Yeah, I know."

"And I'm siding with Dean here. You should go see that Sarah girl."

"I can't just drop in on her."

"When was the last time you talked to her?"

"We exchange e-mails every once in a while."

"How often is once in a while?"

"Weekly." Sam said sheepishly.

"Sam! You're afraid to go see your internet girlfriend!"

"She isn't my internet girlfriend we just talk."

"Does she ever mention other guys?"

"No."

"Do you ever mention other girls?"

"No."

"Go. Get on the next bus to wherever this girl is and go." Jo shooed him out of the bar.

The next night, Dean came into the Roadhouse. "Hey, Jo."

"Hi Dean. Liz is in back getting another case of beer. She'll be out in a second." Jo informed him.

"Thanks, but that's not why I'm here. Sam hasn't come in here, has he? He took off yesterday and he won't pick up his damn phone." Dean said with worry in his voice.

"Yeah, last night."

"Did he mention anything about where he was going?"

"New York, I think."

A wave of relief hit Dean. "I'll be damned." Dean smiled.

A/N: Note to self: Don't make new years resolutions. They are cursed. I blame the resolution for this being late. I really am sorry. I give everyone permission to shoot me with rocksalt. Between applying for AP classes and midterms I just haven't been able to update. I swear I'm going to try to update more now that my schedule is a little less hectic. Again, incredibly sorry! So what about this chapter? I'm pretty happy with it. I had to bring in Jo. Liz needs a female girl to talk to her own age. Putting Ellen in that role didn't work for me. Ellen would be giving her wise, motherly advice on men and relationships while Jo would be more of a girlfriend just talking. And next chapter is the return of Sarah Blake!!! I'm excited to write that. So, as always, let me know what you think of everything and again, feel free to rip my head off for not updating.