Firefly – Chapter 2
By: Suz Mc
Two days was a long time to be in the car. Sam was glad to finally be in the home stretch of the trip, winding through Nebraska back roads. Dean had called Ellen twice and both times she'd refused to discuss his summons to the roadhouse. Patience wasn't his brother's strong suit so Sam hadn't bothered to argue over the nonstop driving, fast food eaten at seventy miles per hour, and Dean pounding on bathroom doors telling him to get his ass back to the car.
Sam glanced over at a snoring Dean as the Impala turned on to the bumpy county road that led to Harvelle's Roadhouse. The car bounced roughly over the poorly maintained asphalt and Dean's head vibrated against the leather seat.
"Dean," Sam called, reaching out to shake Dean's shoulder. "Get up, man. We'll be there in ten."
Opening his eyes, Dean shook his head back and forth. "Damn," he groaned. "Where are we?" He sat up, trying to peel off the sleep, then looked down at his watch. "I told you to wake me up in two hours, not three."
"God, you're such a control freak in the car."
"No, you drive like an idiot when you're sleepy and I don't want to die again." Reaching into his pocket, Dean retrieved a piece of gum and popped it into his mouth. "I need a beer and a shower, in that order."
"No kidding."
Twisting the air conditioner vent to blow on his face, Dean said, "It's going to be good to see Ellen and the new place. It's been too long."
Sam turned the car onto the long, dry gravel road that wound toward Ellen's place. "How long has it been since we saw her in Minnesota? Two years?"
"'Bout that," Dean answered, reaching out to turn on the radio. "It's gonna be weird to see another Roadhouse where the other one used to be."
Sam never saw the ruins of the original Roadhouse but he'd listened to Dean talk about the horror he and Bobby had found in the smoldering wreckage after it had burned to the ground.
The long, dry road made its last curve into the open field that held the Roadhouse. "Damn, would you look at that?" Dean said, as Sam stopped the car in a cloud of August dust.
The new building rose up into two stories in the center of the lot. An electric sign reading "Harvelle's Roadhouse" hung beside the large front door. The building was easily twice the size of the old one and had freshly minted look of brand new wood that would soon be weathered and welcoming. A long porch wrapped around the entire building and bright, clean windows looked out from the upper level onto the landscape. Another sign hung from the porch, reading "Vacancy."
"So she's in the hotel business now," Sam said, exiting the car, and trying to straighten his wrinkled shirt. "Awesome." He could almost feel the bed he'd be falling into as soon as they finished with Ellen's mysterious business.
"Roadhouse girls won't have far to go to visit Dean's Den of Sin," Dean said, slamming his door behind him. "If she doesn't have two rooms, you're sleepin' in the car, Little Brother."
Sam was already on the porch and reaching for the door when Dean caught up to him. Ellen had kept the feel of the old place with a screen door that creaked and slammed behind them. The inside of the barroom had the same fresh-from-the-lumberyard feel of the exterior. The faint smell of smoke and spilled beer was beginning to seep into the brand new wood but it had a long way to go before it smelled or felt like the watering hole it once was before demons destroyed it.
"Ellen!" Dean called out, walking around the bar to grab a beer. He twisted off the top, handed it to Sam, and pulled another for himself from the cooler. "Anybody home?!"
"You stealing my beer, Boy?" Ellen stepped through a door off the side of the main room, drying her hands on a towel.
"We're in good with the owner," Sam said, walking over to hug Ellen. "It's good to see you, Ellen."
"You, too, Sweetie," Ellen said, squeezing him tightly.
"Hey, what about me?" Dean had joined them on the other side of the bar. Opening his arms, he took his welcome hug.
"Glad to see you, too, Dean," she said against his ear. Ellen hugged him tightly and held on for a few extra seconds before letting go and stepping back to give them both a good long look. "You boys look great. Are you doing okay?"
"Life's one big Mardi Gras, like always." Dean took a long draw from his beer bottle.
"This place is amazing," Sam said, backing on to a barstool. "How long have you been open?"
Ellen looked around the room proudly. "About a month. It took me a while before I could get my head in the right place to start over but life had to go on and why shouldn't it go on here?"
"It's good you did that." Dean said, leaning against the bar. "I like it here."
"I'm glad you boys feel at home here." Ellen stood in the center of the room, looking at both of them intently. "Everyone needs a haven from time to time and I want this place to be like that. A place you can come to regroup. People like us need that, don't we?"
Sam watched Dean wait for Ellen to change the subject to their reason for coming. Ellen seemed to be nervously waiting him out, waiting for him to ask. Finally, Dean set his down his beer and pushed off the bar.
"Okay, Ellen," he started, "spill the big secret so I can get a shower and get ready for the ladies I hope will be here tonight to marvel at my pool playing and romancing skills."
Ellen stood silently for a moment and Sam watched the hesitation play across her features. She was still a nice looking woman, but there were a few more lines on her face than when they'd first met. The past few years had been rough. The fire, the Devil's Gate, the demon war, and her estrangement from her daughter had taken a toll on Ellen and it was easy to read.
"Come on, Ellen. I'm here. What's the big mystery?" Dean's voice had a slight edge of annoyance to it.
Taking in a deep breath, Ellen grabbed a seat at the bar. "You'd better sit down, Dean."
Refusing to obey, Dean rested his elbow on the edge of the counter, but didn't sit. "Why all the drama, Ellen? You're starting to make me nervous."
Ellen looked over her shoulder toward the door then back to Dean. "You should be."
TBC