"Oh fuck that, dude," Lizzy nearly shouts as she unlocks the front door of her apartment. "Johnny is as straight as a fucking arrow!" She stumbles a little over the step up through the doorway as she tries to avoid breaking the salt line laid there and laughs. "You're out of your mind."
"L, I'm telling you, that dude loves the cock," Dean rebuts while shutting the door behind him as Lizzy takes off her leather jacket and hangs it on one of the hooks on the wall, missing it the first time in her inebriated state. "You saw the way he was staring at me."
"Holy shit, could you love yourself anymore?"
"Not more than Johnny does," Dean laughs. "He was looking at me like he was starving and I was a fucking cheeseburger."
"And I've worked with him for, like, three months now," Lizzy explains while holding a hand out to take Dean's jacket and hang it up with hers. "I think I would have gotten a vibe from him at this point."
"Oh, right," Dean starts. "Like you're the leading authority on knowing if someone is gay?"
"Absolutely! My gaydar is spot fucking on!" Lizzy proclaims when she reaches the top of the stairs and turns to look down at him still in the foyer, pointing her index finger his way. "Like for example, I knew you were a huge homo from the second we met."
"Really!" Dean smiles brightly at her accusation. He sprints up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and quickly follows her down the hall to the living room.
"Oh yeah!" she says back while plopping onto her oversized couch. "You were acting like so much of a tough guy that I knew you were totally overcompensating. And anyone who uses product to style their hair before hunting down a monster is clearly gay."
"Huh," Dean smirks as he drops down onto the couch next to her. He pops his feet up onto the coffee table and drapes an arm around Lizzy's shoulders, pulling her into a playful headlock as he does. "So you just get off on banging gay guys with awesome hair then?"
"Oh no, you're straight now," Lizzy informs him seriously as she pries herself free from his hold. She sits right up next to him with her legs tucked underneath her. "I'm so damn good in the sack that I turned you right around."
"That must be it, then," Dean responds sarcastically while leaning forward and kissing her. Lizzy, turning toward him and deepening their kiss, groans with disappointment when she hears her cell phone beep.
"Shit," she says, breaking them apart. "I have a message."
Dean, knowing it could be important as a message on any hunter's phone has the potential to be urgent, lets her back off and check. He drops his head backwards onto the top of the couch and closes his eyes, yawning as his exhaustion takes hold through the haze of liquor. Lizzy reaches into her back pocket, retrieves her phone, and takes a listen.
"Jesus," she says after a few minutes. "I have seven messages, all from Sam."
"That's not good," Dean says, perking up when he hears this. He looks to her with a concerned expression. "What did he say?"
"Pretty much that we need to be careful because of what Castiel said and that there's a storm coming," Lizzy says while listening to the fourth message of almost identical information. "Keeps saying the same thing. Watch our asses and be ready for the snow storm. Over kill there, Sam."
"Why's he so worried?" Dean asks with another yawn.
"I don't know," she responds. "But it sounds like he's just that; he's worried about us." She deletes the next three unheard messages, assuming they are all the same. "I'll call him tomorrow on my way to training, tell him to relax and that we've got this."
"Five bucks says Castiel flew straight to him after we National Geographic-ed his ass right outta here."
Lizzy huffs a small laugh and drops a hand on his chest. "Ten bucks says he freaked Sam out wicked bad with his warning and that's why he's calling so much."
"I won't be taking that bet…. All the shit still in place around the apartment?" Dean asks, making sure they are well protected before ending their night.
"Salt on every door and window. Devil's trap still painted on the floor in front of the entrance. Holy water and shotguns under the bed. Sigils hidden around the place everywhere," she tells him while reaching into his pocket. "We're all set, Hot Shot. You can relax."
Dean smiles when he feels her hand in his pants pocket but his face drops when she pulls out his phone and hands it over. She clearly wants him to check his phone too. He takes it from her and checks the screen, seeing that he has several unheard voicemails of his own, all from Sam. "God damn."
"Same thing I assume?"
"Yup," Dean tells her while tossing the phone back onto the coffee table with a third yawn. "I'll deal with it tomorrow." He'll avoid his brother for as long as he can. He loves Sam, he always will, but that doesn't mean the kid always makes the right decisions. And it doesn't mean Dean has to like it.
"You look done for," Lizzy says while standing up and offering her hand to him. "Let's just get you to bed."
"Yes please," he smiles while taking her hand and standing up. She pulls him into the bedroom and immediately begins undressing him. "I can do that, you know?" Dean informs her, looking down at her as she lets his jeans drop to the floor.
"Oh, I know," Lizzy says with a smile as she lifts his shirt over his head and slides her hands along his now bare skin. "But it's way more fun for me this way."
"Horseshit. I think you just like taking care of me," Dean says sleepily, circling his arms around her shoulders as she works. She cranes her neck up to him and balances on her tiptoes, kissing him quickly.
"Nah, that's just my cover. I'm only using you for your body," she laughs as she gives him a quick swat on the ass. "And you look like you could pass out on your feet right now. I'm gonna go grab some water. I expect you to be sound asleep by the time I get back." She wags her finger at him and leaves the room.
Dean flops onto her bed, crawling under the covers and pressing his face into one of the pillows. He inhales the smell of cherries and vanilla and smiles to himself, feeling safe and warm. She's so good to him that he once again wonders what he did to deserve her. In a life that never ceased to hurt and disappoint him, he found a huge silver lining. It still felt out of place, like it was never supposed to be this way, but he certainly wasn't about to complain.
He begins dozing off when he feels the dip in the mattress next to him. Without looking, he reaches out and hooks an arm around her waist, pulling her into him tightly with her back against him and sighing.
"Hey," Lizzy calls quietly out while turning her head a little toward him.
"Mm?" Dean sleepily asks.
"I love you," she whispers to him, settling into his embrace and melting with having him close.
"You too," Dean says sleepily in return. "So much."
And with that, he was dead to world.
"I'm not sure she can handle the weather you're about to head into, Sam," Bobby warns as they look over the old Volvo station wagon he had sitting around his yard. He knew it worked and that it wouldn't die on Sam's trip, but that didn't mean it could get through the treacherous weather that lie ahead by any means.
"It'll have to," Sam says with determination as he drops a weapon-packed duffel into the spacious trunk. He decided that he was going to make the drive out when he still didn't hear from Lizzy or Dean at all. It's now four in the morning and he can't stop the dread in his chest from growing. He just knows something is wrong and shaking that feeling has been impossible. He needs to leave and make sure they're ok.
"Sam, you better be careful, son," Bobby tells him while dropping a hand on his shoulder. "And I'm not just talkin' about demons here. That storm is gonna be bad."
"I know it is," Sam responds, closing the trunk and walking around to get into the driver's seat. "But I can't sit here and not know. I need to go."
Bobby just nods, knowing that trying to stop a Winchester once he's determined is an impossible feat, especially when it was one brother being concerned for the other.
"If you hear from them, you'll call right away?" Sam asks.
"Of course," Bobby responds. "You'll be the first to know. You sure got everythin' you need?"
"Yeah," Sam says, knowing that in reality there is one more weapon for him to pick up.
"Alright," Bobby returns in a worried and saddened tone. "Call when you get there so I don't have a stroke waitin' to hear if you made it or not, huh?"
"I will," Sam answers as he gets into the car. Of course he'll call. He knows for certain how frustrating not hearing from someone is and right now he'd never do that to another person. He waves quickly out the driver's side window as he begins to drive off and Bobby waves back while standing in the driveway and watching Sam leave. His own anxiety begins to build at the sight. He hopes Sam knows what he is doing.
Once on the road and away from Bobby's sights, Sam pulls out his cell phone and dials yet another familiar number. The line only rings once before it's answered.
"Sam?" he hears her voice on the other end.
"Ruby," he simply responds. "Do you know what's going on where Lizzy lives?"
"Not exactly, but I know whatever it is, it's pretty big," she tells him. "There's definitely a demon out there causing some massive trouble. It's no small fry either with what it's cooking up, I can promise you that."
"I'm headed that way now," Sam answers. "Dean and Lizzy are there and not answering their phones."
"Great," Ruby sarcastically says.
"I have to check on them," Sam tells her. "Make sure everything's ok."
"You people are always putting yourselves in the line of fire for each other, you know that? Someone really needs to put leashes on all of you."
"Not funny," Sam says flatly though he knows she's somewhat right. They run head first into terrible and dangerous situations constantly in order to save the other.
"Whatever. I think you've got a screw loose if you're gonna head into that weather."
"What choice do I have here?" Sam asks loudly. "I can't just sit on my ass when they could be in serious trouble." Sam sighs loudly, frustration building even more. "You should come with me."
"No," Ruby answers simply.
"What?" Sam questions quickly, unsure of why she won't help. "Why not?"
"Because, this isn't my problem, Sam. Not sure if you noticed, but you've gotten me into a lot of shit before and I'm sure you'll do it again so for now I'm done volunteering for the rescue team."
"Then you have to meet up with me," Sam tells her. "I need more."
"I have to, huh?" Now it's Ruby's turn to sigh loudly.
"You know I need your help here," Sam admits begrudgingly and waits while she quietly mulls over his request.
"Fine," Ruby says. "But not yet. If you want to be strong enough to handle the unknown, I'm holding you off until you get there. Not gonna let you re-up and have the potency wear off through the drive. You'll be stronger when you need to be if you wait."
"Works for me," Sam says. "I'll call when I get close." He hangs up and pulls into a gas station to fuel up the car with gas and himself with coffee. It's going to be a hard twenty-four hours or more of straight driving if he's going to get there as soon as he can.