Six

Sam Winchester stood leaning against the wall, watching as his brother conned yet another person in a game of pool. He was still nursing his second bottle of beer, unlike Dean, who downed another glass of whiskey before taking his last shot. The shiny black eight ball shot into the corner pocket, just as Dean had called, and the man his brother had been playing slammed his stick onto the table.

"Pay up, buddy," Dean said as he held out his hand.

The guy pulled out his money and tossed it onto the pool table, before storming off into the crowd. Dean chuckled and shook his head.

"What a sore loser," he muttered as he walked over to Sam, adding the winnings to a growing wad of money, before stuffing it back in his pocket.

"You don't have to look so smug about taking his money, Dean," Sam said.

Dean looked at him, appalled.

"I can't help the fact that I'm fantastic looking AND exceptionally talented. And I'm not going to pretend I don't enjoy taking his money."

Sam groaned and took a sip of his beer.

"I think I'm going to go get another drink. Need anything?" Dean asked.

He glanced at the beer in Sam's hand and shook his head.

"Never mind. I see you're playing Sober Sally tonight."

Dean disappeared into the throng of people swaying to the music blasting from hidden speakers. Sam scanned the bar, mostly out of habit, before turning his attention back to the pool tables. He watched a group of four burly men, all dressed in flannel shirts and dirty pants, set up for a game.

When several minutes passed and Dean still hadn't returned, Sam went looking for him. He found his brother at the bar, surrounded by a group of blonde women, all of whom looked barely older than twenty-one. One of the girls, who was dressed in tight fitting, cut-off shorts and a tube top, was stroking the top of her glass and staring intensely at Dean. Sam came up behind Dean and waited for his brother to realize he was there.

"Sammy! Hey, ladies, this is my partner Sam. Sammy, these are the ladies," Dean shouted, beaming from ear to ear.

"Hi Sammy," a slender girl dressed in a skin tight black dress purred, stroking her hand up and down Sam's arm.

"It's Sam, actually," Sam grimaced, and pulled her hand away.

The woman glared at him for a second, hurt by his obvious rejection, then returned her attention to Dean. There were several empty glasses already in front of Dean and his cheeks were beginning to develop a rosy hue.

"Maybe you should slow down a little," Sam leaned in and whispered in his brother's ear.

"Don't be such a buzz kill," Dean grumbled as he knocked back another glass of liquor.

Sam gave up and went back to the pool tables. A few minutes later, Dean came sauntering over, his groupies behind him.

"Who wants to play?" he yelled.

"I'll give it a try," called a voice.

Adrianne came striding over and Sam's heart skipped a beat. The woman looked amazing, dressed in a pale blue satin scoop neck top over black slacks. Her blonde hair was pulled back from her face into an elegant twist and her eyes sparkled when she spotted Sam. She grinned at him and he returned the smile.

"Hey. Sam, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Hi again." He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. "Are you sure you want to play him?" Sam asked.

Adrianne glanced at Dean and shrugged. "Sure. Why not?" She grabbed a pool stick and started chalking the tip. Sam looked over at Dean and saw that his fan club had retreated to a corner to watch.

Dean finished setting up the balls and motioned to Adrianne.

"Ladies first."

Adrianne took aim and hit the cue ball, sending it streaking down the table. Her break was almost as good as an expert's, impressing Sam and flooring Dean. She took a few more shots until, finally, she missed. Dean smiled and cracked his knuckles, before grabbing his pool stick. He cleared the table quickly, never missing a shot.

"You're good," Adrianne commented as she put down her pool stick and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small wad of cash. "How much?" she asked, counting out a few bills.

Sam watched, shocked, as Dean held up his hand and shook his head. "I don't want your money."

"Thanks, but I was the one who wanted to play you and I lost."

"It's okay, really. It was just for fun."

"At least let me buy you a drink or something," Adrianne offered.

"All right, you twisted my arm," Dean relented with a sly smile. "I'll take a double of whiskey."

"I'll go with you," Sam offered, quickly downing the rest of his beer. He followed Adrianne back to the bar. She got the attention of the bartender, the same guy from the night before, and waited for him to come over.

"Is there anything your partner isn't good at," Adrianne called over the pounding music.

"I can think of a few things," Sam called back. He smiled down at her and she smiled back, her blue eyes lighting up. The bartended appeared, halting their conversation while Adrianne ordered.

"So how long have you lived in Bridgewater?" Sam asked as they began making their way back to the pool tables after getting their drinks.

"Only a few months. I moved from New York after a bad break-up with my fiancé. I decided I need a change of scenery," Adrianne called over her shoulder as they walked.

"How'd you end up in Bridgewater?"

"It seemed like a nice, quiet place. At least, until people started disappearing a couple of weeks ago, that is."

That uneasy feeling from the night before hit Sam and he stopped.

Adrianne, sensing that he was no longer behind her, stopped too, and turned to him.

"Sam? What's wrong?"

Sam stared at her and blinked, trying to get rid of the stone in the pit of his stomach. "Nothing," he said, forcing a smile on his face. The look must have been convincing because Adrianne smiled at him and started walking again. Sam rolled his shoulders and followed behind her.

By the time they had gotten back to the pool tables, Dean was already playing another game with a short man in stained coveralls. He purposely missed a shot and the man grinned confidently, falling for Dean's con. He took three shots before missing the nine ball and stepped back to let Dean shoot. Sam watched as Dean lined up his shot and cleared the table in record time. The man cursed and slammed his money onto the table in front of Dean before storming off.

"So, what'd I miss?" Reggie asked as she pushed through the crowd and emerged beside Adrianne.

"Dean here seems to also be a pro at billiards," Adrianne stated, nodding at Dean. Dean grinned at them.

"Really?" Reggie said, taking the bottle of beer Adrianne offered her. "This I gotta see."

Dean was already setting up the table for his next game against one of the burly men Sam had been watching play earlier.

Adrianne, Reggie, and Sam stood watching as Dean played three more games, winning all of them. An hour passed until finally, it seemed, that people had caught on to Dean's game. He held up his hands and turned in a slow circle.

"Who wants to play me now?" he called.

No one stepped forward. Sam looked around at all the disgruntled faces watching his brother and shook his head, thinking that if they made it out of the parking lot alive tonight, it would be a miracle.

"I guess I could try," Reggie said hesitantly. She handed her half drank beer to Sam and pushed up the sleeves of her shirt. Dean handed her a pool stick and she held it awkwardly.

"Here, let me show you how to shoot," Dean offered, taking Reggie's hands in his own and leaning with her onto the table. He pulled her arm back a few times as he whispered instructions in her ear, then stood up and stepped away.

Dean glanced at his groupies and beamed confidently at them. All four smiled widely back and waved. "Why don't you break," he suggested to Reggie without looking at her.

Reggie bent down, aimed, and hit the cue ball hard. It slammed into the other balls and sent them spinning in different directions. One ball rolled to the edge of a corner pocket and hung for a second before dropping in. Adrianne clapped and cheered Reggie. Reggie looked to Dean who nodded at her.

"It's still your turn," Dean said.

Reggie took aim at the seven ball and shot for it. The cue ball hit it too hard and it bounced off the bumper, rolling past the side pocket she had been aiming for.

"Damn," she said, disappointment puckering her face.

Dean shook his head and rolled his neck before lining up his own shot. He fired two balls in then paused in the middle of his third, staring over the top of the table. Sam followed his gaze and saw that Reggie was talking to a young guy with spiky blonde hair. She had her hand on his shoulder and was giggling at something he had just whispered in her ear. Sam looked from Dean to Reggie and back again, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I guess I should have mentioned that Reggie doesn't like to play fair," Adrianne whispered to Sam.

Sam watched as Dean stood up, rolled his shoulders once more, before trying for his shot again. Just as he pushed his pool stick forward, Reggie laughed out loud. Dean's shot went wild, the cue ball completely missing the thirteen ball he'd been shooting for.

Reggie strolled back to the table.

"Is it my turn again?" she asked innocently and Dean grunted at her.

She moved around the table and took aim. Reggie pointed at the corner pocket and shot. The five ball she aimed for shot into the pocket easily. Adrianne cheered again. Reggie tried for another shot and missed, her lip coming up in a small pout as she looked at the spiky-haired guy she'd been flirting with.

"I can't believe I missed that," she whined.

Dean took his next shot, glancing up at Reggie and the guy every few seconds, and missed. "Your turn," he growled when Reggie failed to notice. She was staring at the guy, apparently completely entranced in what the man was saying.

"Oops, sorry." Reggie hurried over and stared at the table. That was when Sam saw it.

One moment, Reggie was looking at the table like she was trying to choose which pretty color she wanted to try for and the next, she was looking at Adrianne. She winked one emerald eye at her friend and bent over the table, a fierce look of concentration set on her face. She pointed at one of the side pockets.

"Two ball in the left side pocket," she said and took her shot.

The ball shot across the table in a blur and landed in the pocket. She moved quickly around the table, nailing every one of her shots. Finally, she took aim at the eight ball.

"Front corner pocket," she called, pointing at the pocket beside her left hand.

She hit the cue ball and Dean watched in horror as the ball rolled steadily up the table and dropped into the pocket.

Sam couldn't help it; he began to laugh as he watched Dean's face crumble in shocked disbelief. Reggie held her hand out, wiggling her fingers at Dean.

"I believe that'll be two hundred bucks?"

Around them, people were cheering loudly.

"You've played before," Dean accused, pulling out his wad of winnings from his back pants pocket.

"I never said I hadn't," Reggie quipped.

She took the bills from Dean's outstretched fingers and turned back to the blonde guy, fanning herself with the cash.

"Next round's on me, Doug," she cried and grabbed his hand, pulling him after her. They disappeared into the crowd of clapping people, heading for the bar. Sam continued to laugh as Dean stood gaping after them.

Dean recovered a second later, a look of determination on his face, and turned, with a crooked smile, to the group of blondes still sitting at a table nearby. "I think I need another drink. Who's with me," he called. All four girls jumped up and scrambled after him.

"This is going to get ugly," Sam mumbled. Adrianne looked at him, confused. He shook his head and took her hand, noting the slight chill to her skin. "Are you cold?" he asked.

Adrianne shook her head and smiled at him. "No, not really. It's probably just cold from holding the beer."

Sam pulled her through the throng of people, noting that a band had set up on the stage and were about to begin playing. His hopes that they were better than the band the night before were quickly dashed as they began mangling Green Day's "American Idiot".

When they made it to the bar, Dean was at one end and Reggie the other. Reggie was surrounded by several of the men Dean had scammed earlier in the night and was laughing with them, a glass in her hand. Dean was downing yet another glass of whiskey. Although he was surrounded by the four blonde girls, he was glaring down the bar at Reggie and her group of admirers.

Dean ordered another drink and was raising it to his lips when Sam grabbed his arm. "I think you should slow down, man." Dean yanked his arm from Sam's grasp and glared at him.

"Since when are you my mother?" Dean snapped.

He gulped the drink down and waved for the occupied bartender. The guy nodded at Dean, but hurried over to where Reggie stood. Sam saw Reggie glance down at them and frown while she ordered. That uneasy feeling settled on him again, the hairs on the back of his neck raising up.

"I think I'm going to head out," Adrianne shouted, trying to be heard over the music. Sam looked down at her and saw that her pale skin seemed a shade lighter.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"I think I might be coming down with something. I'm sure I'll be fine once I get outside."

"Did you want me to walk you out?" Sam took a few steps into the crowd, holding her arm.

Adrianne shook her head and smiled weakly at him. "No, stay here. Have fun and keep an eye on your partner. He looks like he might get himself into some trouble tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, but thank you. Can you tell Reggie I said goodnight?"

Sam nodded at Adrianne. "Sure, no problem." She waved at Sam and disappeared into the crowd heading in the direction of the front door.

Sam turned back to Dean and saw that Reggie was standing beside him. They appeared to be arguing heatedly and Dean was pointing at Doug. Reggie shook her head at Dean who abruptly turned, ignoring her. Sam noticed that only one woman was standing beside his brother now.

She was tall and slender with light blonde hair that hung down to the middle of her back. She wore a dark blue dress that was cut low, showing off her ample chest. Dean leaned on the stool towards the woman who began whispering in his ear.

"Sam," Reggie called as she pushed through people, coming to a stop in front of him. "Can you do me a favor and take these?"

She handed him Dean's keys to the Impala. Sam raised an eyebrow questioningly at Reggie, but she just shook her head.

"He doesn't know I took them. I lifted them from his pocket because he's clearly in no condition to drive." She looked back to Dean and the blonde and shuddered. "Not that he's going anywhere at the moment," Reggie grumbled.

She turned back to Sam and frowned. "Where's Adrianne?"

"She said she wasn't feeling well so she took off. She wanted me to tell you she said goodnight," Sam yelled as the band began mangling Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me."

"God, this band sucks almost as bad as the last one," Reggie grumbled. Sam chuckled as he thought of Dean's comment the night before. Reggie glared back at Dean and the woman.

"Why don't you head back to the motel, Sam," Reggie blurted out.

Sam stared at her, confused. "I can't leave Dean here."

"I can give him a ride back," Reggie stated over her shoulder. She turned and looked back at Sam. "You look really tired, Sam, and I was planning on sticking around for a little while longer anyway. This way you won't have to fight with Dean to get him to leave."

Sam looked at Dean and realized Reggie was right. If he tried to get Dean to leave now, there was bound to be an argument and now that Adrianne had left, Sam no longer wanted to hang around the bar watching his brother get drunk. He also didn't want to have to spend another night sleeping on the backseat of the Impala while Dean added another name to his list of sexual conquests. If Reggie didn't bring him back to the motel tonight, the mystery woman would in the morning.

"All right. I think I will head out," Sam relented. He went back to the pool tables to get his jacket and was halfway across the floor when one of Dean's former groupies, the handsy girl in the black dress, stepped out in front of him.

"Sammy, right?" she asked. When she saw that he was pulling on his jacket, she began to pout. "Where you going?"

"It's Sam and I was leaving, actually."

"So soon? But it's only a little after midnight." She reached out and stroked his arm, taking a step closer to him as she tossed her hair back over her shoulder.

"Well, that's late enough for me," he said and pushed past her.

He squeezed through the door out into the brisk night air, relaxing. Sam zipped his jacket closed, jogged down the steps, and over to the Impala. After getting the heater running, pumping out tepid air, he backed out of his spot and drove off, heading for the motel.