The past week was the most quiet the Impala had ever been. Today was no exception. A few hours into the drive, the silence was driving the occupants of the car crazy. Stealing a peek at the teenager in the mirror, Dean took in her features. "She really is mine," the new father thought, "The eyes are a dead giveaway."
Alexis caught him staring, "So, what am I supposed to call you? Daddy… Dean… Mr. Winchester?"
Dean visibly shuddered at the last, "Dean. Dean's fine…," he trailed off.
Sam picked up the conversation, "Alexis, when's your birthday?"
"April 27. I just turned 16 a few weeks ago."
"So you're a sophomore. Do you like school?"
"It's alright. I get good grades, but it's not my thing… ya know?"
Dean chuckled, "I understand. College Boy on the other hand, he LOVES school." Sam made a face as Dean rattled on, "more importantly, what music do you listen too?"
Alexis' hand went to her necklace, "All types. Mom told me you were into classic rock. She was too. That's really all that was played. I dig it." Dean couldn't suppress his smile. Alexis continued on, "She talked about this car… a lot. Mom said that when you pulled this car up to the school and got out, you were like walking sex." Her cheeks turned a deep crimson. "Forget that I just said that."
Sam laughed as Dean looked pleased with the comment, and then mortified when he realized his 16 year old daughter said it.
"So, where do we live?"
Sam cleared his throat, "Uhh, we don't have one…"
"We're homeless?"
"Sam and I are traveling salesmen. So we move around… a bunch."
She stared at her father and uncle. Alexis knew they were hiding something. "So what am I supposed to do about school?"
"Well Sammy here can put that Stanford education to good use. He'll home school you."
"Fine with me," Sam agreed.
Alexis nodded her head, "Sure."
****
Later that evening, Dean pulled the Impala into the Blue Goose motel. Sam ran in to book a room. 15 minutes later, he came out with a room key. "Two doubles and a couch…. Room 34 C."
Dean swallowed the joke that almost spewed from his mouth. Sam caught the mischievous glint in his brother's eye. "Last room, third floor," he said climbing into the passenger's seat.
* * **
Alexis threw her bag onto the couch, and started rummaging through it. Pulling out a pair of sweat shorts, t- shirt and shower supplies, she called, "Dibs on the shower."
"Yeah, fine. I'll go get us something to eat. Orders?" Dean questioned.
"Um, Italian sub; baked with mozzarella cheese and a coke please." She hurried into the dingy bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Moments later the shower started.
Sam turned to his brother, "how you holding up?"
"Good. Fine…… I dunno man! I have a kid, a 16 year old, who I just met and I'm already lying to her! Don't parents wait like a week before doing that?!" Dean started pacing nervously, "Dude… I'm going to go get food," he finished lamely. Grabbing the Impala's keys, he rushed out the door.
Sam grabbed his laptop and sat at the small table. Booting it up, he started going over his e-mail. Ten minutes later the bathroom door opened and Alexis came out, clad in gray shorts and a black Aerosmith tee, Sam smiled at his niece. "Hey… Dean's going to like your shirt."
She glanced down, "yeah, mom took me to see them on my fifteenth birthday. Freakin' epic." Alexis sat on the bed near Sam, "I really miss her." She said it so quiet, that Sam almost missed it.
He looked at her sympathetically, "you wanna tell me about her?"
The door to the motel room opened, "Forgot my wallet…" Dean saw Sam's concerned puppy dog eyes and his daughter, sitting with her back to the headboard, knees drawn up to her chest. Tears were making salty trails down her cheeks. "What's going on?" He was answered with silence. "Anyone who knows the answer to that, please answer."
"We were just talking about mom."
Dean sat in the chair opposite his brother, "We'll order pizza."
****
45 minutes later, the trio sat around eating there dinner, quietly waiting for the topic of Andrea to come back up.
"We weren't all Lorelei and Rory or anything. We had our problems, but she was my best friend," Alexis began.
"Lorelei and Rory?" Dean asked bewildered.
"Gilmore Girls," Sam answered and instantly regretting.
"Seriously? Could you be more gay? Why the hell do you know that?"
"Jess liked the show. Besides, the mom and daughter were hot," Sam chattered on quickly, "Continue Alexis, please."
The smile that had settled on her lips from the brother's banter vanished quickly. "The police called my cell. Ironically enough I was only a few blocks away from the accident. I was walking home from a friend's house. They said that there had been an accident… and that's all it took. I ran, following an ambulance that sped by," Alexis swallowed hard, "When I saw her car, I froze. A cop tried pulling me away, but I wouldn't let him. I couldn't breathe, or see or even stand. I remember thinking that my life is over. I must have blacked out, because the next thing that I remember is waking up in a hospital. I opened my eyes, and aunt and uncle dickhead were there." She turned her gaze to her new family. "The rest is a slow blur, like trying to run through water. Next was the funeral. Mom was cremated, because of the fire. There wasn't enough to bury. We scattered her ashes over a lake. Dean, what do you remember about my mom?"
Dean sat his pizza onto his paper plate. "To quote Andrea, 'she was walking sex.'" Alexis giggled. "When she smiled at me and flashed those baby blues, I knew I was in trouble. This might weird you out, but that lake you scattered her ashes… was it Jackson Lake?"
"Yeah."
"I'm pretty sure you were conceived by that lake. It was a summer night, and we drove out there, built a fire and watched the stars," an embarrassed look crossed Dean's face, realizing how chick flicky the moment was.
Alexis saw this and quickly said," she told me about that… not all the details… but she's pretty sure that's when I was created. But the thought of my parents having sex freaks me out." The boys laughed. Pushing a stray hair out of her face she asked," So, what are you guys hiding?"