Dean found himself pulling into a parking space along the main square of the quaint downtown area. He got out of the car, scanning for a neon sign advertising breakfast, finding none. In fact, besides a few local businesses, there weren't many signs advertising anything. He called out to Naomi, who had parked in the space in front of him, "We don't eat souls for breakfast, Ginger. We need real food and I'm not smelling any."
Naomi rolled her eyes at the nickname, grinning. "Wow, aren't you original." She gestured to an old brick building a few feet away from the group. "We're eating here. They're pretty good about offering a wide variety." She looked up to the sky as she counted on her fingers. "Blood sacrifices, firstborns, and for the really picky eaters, eggs and bacon."
Dean returned the eye roll as he walked over to the building. He mumbled, "She's a comedian too. Perfect." Sam smirked behind him as he followed.
A small bell rang above the door frame, welcoming the trio into a small café. An eclectic collection of tables and chairs dotted the room, some under various small rugs while others rested on the dark hardwood floor. Soft jazz music played softly over the intercom, temporarily interrupted by an order being called.
Dean grabbed Naomi's arm, spinning her around to face him. "What about this place did you think tailors to us?" He gestured between him and Sam, garbed in dirty jackets and worn jeans, then at the restaurant. "This looks like a hippie commune rest stop."
Naomi playfully shoved his arm off of her. "C'mon, it isn't that bad. I've heard talk that this is one of America's best kept secrets." She pointed to the chalkboard menu hanging on the wall. "See, they have all sorts of stuff: muffins, crepes and pancakes."
Dean whined, "Whole wheat pancakes! That's not even real pancakes! What's wrong with white flour?"
Sam elbowed Dean in the ribs. He whispered, "C'mon, Dean. She's paying, so she's allowed to pick the place. We're eating here."
Dean glared at his brother, then shot a mock smile to Naomi, who smugly had her hands resting on her hips. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
Naomi smiled coyly before patting his arm as she walked up to the counter to order. "Don't worry, Dean. Stranger things have happened than whole wheat pancakes."
Dean exchanged a look with Sam. He murmured under his breath, "You have no idea."
After they had ordered their food, they sat at the corner table farthest from the door. Dean flopped into the chair where he could best see the front door while Sam found the seat where the back was most visible. Naomi looked between the two's seating arrangement, then snuggled into the armchair next to Sam.
The three were silent. Neither Dean nor Sam knew how to address their presence at the church nor the fact that Naomi was the key to stopping the oncoming apocalypse. After a few minutes of looking for a conversation starter, Naomi said, twirling her drink straw, "So, you guys are accustomed to demons, huh?"
The two boys started at her abruptness. Sam stuttered, "I-I guess you could say that."
She asked, "Are you two missionaries?"
Dean nearly choked on his coffee. "Do we look like missionaries to you?"
She bit her lip. "Evangelists?"
A corner of Sam's mouth turned up as he shook his head.
Naomi threw her hands up in the air. "All right, I have no idea then. I have never seen two people more calm in a possession situation before and trust me, I have seen my share of them."
Sam asked, "Wait. How many possessions have you dealt with?"
Naomi shrugged as she sipped her milk. "At least a hundred."
Dean stared at her, shocked. "How old are you?"
Naomi stiffened a little. "Twenty-five. Why does that matter?"
Dean shook his head, ignoring the question. "You must have been doing this since you were in diapers. Is this your job? Exorcising demons?"
Naomi shrugged again. "Not really. I'm usually invited to speak at different churches on what the Bible says about the supernatural. I usually talk about the different situations that I've encountered too, but that's more for bringing the point home. Pastors want their congregations to be aware that there is a war going on that we can't see. That's why I was at the church tonight; for their evening service." She smiled. "It's usually rare for the supernatural to meet me at the door."
Dean could feel his mouth hanging slightly open. He closed it. This chick knows more about what's going on than most of the world. Dean leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees. "Do you think we're in the apocalypse?"
Naomi thoughtfully bit her lip before answering. "I think that there is a lot of evidence of the End Times being closer than we want it to be. Revelation talks a lot about natural disasters, wars, the death toll rising. A lot of that is happening now, so I guess we could be in the middle of it. However, while we may think this is bad, there could be a 'worse' coming down the road. Jesus is supposed to come back after the End Times and the Bible says we won't know when that will be. Short answer long, I don't know."
Dean looked to his brother. Sam was nodding, agreeing with every word. He is into the whole religious thing. I guess it isn't too shocking he's on the same page as her. Dean shook his head. "You really believe in God and the whole Jesus-is-coming-back stuff?"
Sam shot Dean a glare, but waited to hear Naomi's reply.
Naomi smiled softly. "I do. I get it, it's a lot to swallow." She placed her cup down on the table, then leaned towards Dean. "Look, I won't claim that I know all the answers. In fact, the more I grow in my faith, the less I realize I know. However, that's the whole point of faith. To trust that Someone is taking care of everything and has a good plan for me, even when I don't understand the whys and hows."
Dean opened his mouth to reply, but the food's arrival silenced him. As the waiter placed the plate in front of him, Dean tried to not drool. The pancakes were covered in chocolate chips and drenched in maple syrup. They smelled delicious and it took everything in him to put on a grimace for show. He poked at the stack with a fork, ignoring the steam that floated from the food. He wasn't about to let Sam get the satisfaction of proving him wrong.
Sam rolled his eyes, picking up a half of his breakfast burrito. "Will you just give it a try?"
Dean gave one more sneer before cutting a wedge of pancakes and stuffing it into his mouth. He suppressed a groan. It tasted even better than it looked.
After the three had eaten quietly for a few minutes, Naomi stated, "You know, you guys still never answered my question."
Dean met his brother's eyes over the coffee mug he was drinking out of. He replied, around a mouthful of pancake, "I don't remember a question."
"Why were you guys so unfazed by the demon?"
Dean chewed, concocting a lie to tell her. He met her eyes, ready to let it loose, when he stopped. Something about her eyes made him pause. After a moment, he realized they were full of innocence. Despite all that she had seen, there still remained ignorance to the ugly truth of the real world that Dean lived his entire life. It seemed like he was always the one to put that light out of others' eyes, out of all the people they came across, and he was tired of it. It made him angry.
He found himself answering. "It's our job to kill them."