I hope you are liking the girls, but somehow, you all being SPN fans, I doubt it.
Songs used in this chapter; Aqualung - It's Easier to Lie (Thank you brothers & sisters for this one) and Boston - More Than A Feeling
Chapter 3: Fifteen hours
Lena came to join the ensemble at the dinner table, while everyone was relaxing and Dean was just finishing his last egg.
'Come on spill it Sammy, who was she?'
'Ehm,' Sam paused, the memory wasn't all too painful for him but it was for his brother. He didn't know whether he should tell or not, but he decided better to be honest, Dean would find out anyway, 'remember the Djinn in Illinois?'
'Yeah,' Dean said loosing his appetite and getting uncomfortable. Lena knew the deal and just put her hand next to his, her pinkie barely touching his, without a word he knew what she meant.
'The girl in the warehouse, I think that was Allie Lipton.'
'Yeah I remember now, she had daddy issues.'
'Oh god,' Lena said.
'What?' Dean asked.
'I was so rude to her, I should apologize. I am such an asshole, poor girl and now she's probably facing something else and then she had to deal with me and now the poor thing is out of her wits...'
'Hunny, hunny, you're rambling again, you're not an asshole, just a little overprotective maybe.'
'Call her, call her now.' She demanded.
'Alright, calm down, I'll go get my phone.'
Sam and Julie waited patiently but they both felt the same anxiety that was radiating from Lena.
Julie was a bit out of the loop she had heard the story once by some campfire when their little group was out together but she didn't know what to expect now, she wondered if Lena knew much more than she, if Dean had told her in detail what had happened that night. Julie had always been curious, just as she had been curious about Sam being possessed but again she hadn't dared to go into detail. She once tried to ask her friend about it but decided not too, maybe the memories were too painful, but the truth was that Lena didn't know more about the djinn, about everything else Dean had talked and made colourful and moving stories about their adventures except that one, that one was put in a box and opening it, like they were doing now, could release a lot of worms.
The phone rang, once, twice, three times and switched to voicemail.
'You have reached the phone of Allie Lipton, please leave a message and I'll ring you as soon as possible.'
'My God, her voice, it sounds so flat, a standard robot message shows more life than that,' Julie said taken aback by the lifeless voice she had just heard.
'Yeah I know, it creeps me out.'
The boys were ignoring their partners as they looked at each other, there were just some things the girls couldn't understand, they weren't there, they weren't even in their lives yet and Dean knew he had to go back and face the girl that had haunted him in his perfect little world, looking at Sam he now did appreciate his brother. She had haunted Dean in his dreams and he was too proud to admit it but the memories alone were painful enough, luckily he had Sam, the kick-ass brother, by his side this time.
'How soon?' Sam asked.
'15 hours, if we leave now.'
Both girls had just started being happy again but now their little world was falling and crashing again, it didn't matter how many times they had said goodbye, they didn't get used to it and were absolutely devastated that they had only spent about 15 hours with their beloved.
'I am sorry babe,' Sam was already on his feet looking down at his girl, who couldn't hide her feelings from him.
'Yeah me too hun,' Dean said, but he was smiling. Lena and Dean had never had an emotional goodbye, most of the times they would even pick a fight when he was about to leave, just to make it easier. The fact that she would then sit there alone and cry for two hours straight, Dean didn't know. The fact that Dean would let Sam drive as he sat silently for the whole drive with his shades on, she didn't know.
'No actually I am sorry hun,' Lena got on her feet.
'For what?'
'I don't know about Julie, well actually I do, but I am coming with.'
'What!' Dean screamed.
'Yep, I am so in.' Julie smiled, happy that her friend was so intone with her, and knew exactly what she wanted. Julie had set her mind before Lena even spoke but this was going to make the verbal battle ten times more effective. It might even just be easy.
'You heard us, there's no argument that will get you what you want so you'll just have to deal.' Lena said.
'Julz, please hunny, don't do this to me,' Sam tried with his puppy-eyes, which was a dirty trick, the only thing Julie could not say no to.
'Be strong Julz, don't let him get away with this.' Lena whispered under her breath.
'Look there's just no way, Sam can do whatever he wants but you are not coming with. I will strap you to that chair until I come back.'
'Yeah right, like you'd have a home to come back to,' she threatened.
'Look Sam, we talked about this, it's not that I want to fight or hunt, I just want to be around you more. I don't understand why we can't help with the research and when you find the thing and know how to kill it, we'll just have a cold beer waiting for you when you come back.' Julie said so adamant, she had avoided his look to sound so strong because no way she could have mastered the strength against Sam's I-lost-my-shoe look. Just not possible.
Lena and Julie were standing side by side with their arms crossed, so certain of their victory. Though they still had this stare contest to win, minutes passed by without anyone moving an inch. Thousand thoughts went through the brothers' minds, they had seen so much and the least they wanted to do is show the girls what they did for a living and more importantly both their nightmares were about Lena or Julie getting hurt by what they do, by what they were trained to do, by their destiny.
'Fine,' Dean finally broke the silence, he knew no other option. Reasoning when she was being so stern had absolutely no effect.
Both girls smiled and almost high-fived each other but they didn't want to break their stern faces and accepted their victory with grace.
'What?!' Sam was now furious and turned to his brother. He wouldn't have it, he couldn't. The only two women he had ever loved had been killed by himself and by the supernatural. He wouldn't have the third one, the best one, the one he had loved more than all the others combined, the one that truly opened his eyes to what love really was and felt like, by his side in danger.
Though Sam was mad as hell and most of all scared, he knew there was no other way. She had made her decision and if Sam was anything he was proud that his woman had a strong mind and stood up for what she believed in, he only wished her mind was otherwise set.
'Sammy, now we've got two women in the car, please man up,' Dean said with a smile hitting his brother on the shoulder.
'Hunny, don't you think we should take two cars,'
'What? Why? The Impala is pretty spacious in the back, you should know that,' he said winking.
'Dean get your head out of the gutter. Look all I am saying is that we can cover more ground with two teams. We don't know what we're going to find. Just thinking ahead babe, that's all.'
'Fine,' he huffed; 'we'll take the Impala and Sam you drive Lena's mustang.'
'Yeah right,' Lena snorted.
'Fine! Are you ever going to keep your thoughts to yourself?' He said annoyed.
Lena answered her man in silence but smiled deviously.
'Good now, we're going to follow you two to your house so you can get some stuff and we leave in ten.'
Lena was already on the stairs when she realized Dean wasn't following. He was waiting by the door.
'What do you think you're doing?'
Julie smiled as she sensed what was going to happen. Sam didn't understand the objection.
'I'll wait here, I am packed.'
'Oh my god!' Both girls cringed.
'What?' Dean said, he looked at Sam, he just shook his head, he didn't see the problem either.
'That's not packing some luggage that's...' Lena was trying to find a fitting word,
'Toxic waste!' Both girls said in unison.
'Just leave the bag there, I'll deal with it when we get back, just give me a minute and I'll pack for you too.'
The odd foursome was now at Sam's and Julie's but Dean and Lena stayed outside waiting in their cars.
As soon as they walked to the door, Sam could no longer keep his mouth shut.
'Julie! Please stop we have to talk.'
'No Sam, we don't, we have to leave, there's a young woman out there who needs your help and I haven't seen my fiancé in almost two weeks. So no Sam we don't have to talk.' Julie remained calm as she said the words but the undertone very clear to Sam. Though her initial reaction was to see the girl and learn more about the brothers' past but now she, herself realized that she just wanted to spend more time with Sam, whether here in her comfy home or on the road in a smelly motel, she didn't care.
'Okay hunny, alright. Just promise me that you'll listen and stay away from where you don't belong.' This might have sounded hard to any other but Julie understood very well and she knew about Jessica and Madison, she thought he was right and complied easily.
Sam hugged her and gave her a kiss on top of her head. While Sam took his bag Julie was on the stairs.
Without turning around she said; 'No hun, don't even think about.'
Sam smirked, she still surprised him about how well she knew him. He put the bag back down and just waited for her.
'So are we all finally ready?' Dean said annoyed, he already felt the burden of two wives trailing along.
Dean leaned through the window, while Sam and Julie were kissing each other good bye.
'Okay hun, we're going to drive for 7 hours, you can handle that right?' he said patronizing her, 'stop, stretch our legs and go another 7 until we both run out of gas,' he said winking.
'Sure, I am up for it, are you old man?' she said smiling confidently. Though secretly she was scared that she wouldn't be up for it and neither was her 1965 car.
Dean smiled and kissed her before going back to the Impala.
Julie got into the mustang as Sam and Dean manoeuvred the Impala of the lot.
'Are you nervous,' Lena said practically out of breath, starting the car.
'Deadly.' Julie said staring through the window.
'Good,' she replied starting her engine.
They left the lot in silence while Julie put the iPod in the jacket. Aqualung filled the air and took away some of their anxiousness, they didn't speak they were just listening to the music and mulling over their own thoughts and expectations.
To be the one
to be the only one
something has to give a lot
something has to give a lot
And who am I
to give you what you need
when I'm learning
just learning
Learning how to live and
to bear the weight...
and push into the sky
it's easier to lie
it's easier to lie
**********
After only five hours the Impala was signalling for the next turn off.
'That's odd,' Lena said, but she was damn glad that she could get out for a couple of minutes and stretch her legs, and she needed to pee.
'Maybe they're running low on fuel.'
'The car or the boys?' Lena grinned.
'All three of them.'
The Mustang found a spot next to the Impala. Lena couldn't leave well enough alone and just couldn't resist and got out of the car.
Dean was still in the car when he saw that smug smile.
'Man this is going to hurt, remind me why did I agree to this?' Dean said getting out himself.
'Well well well, we're going to drive 7 hours straight, you can handle that right?' Lena said in her Dean voice, while the brothers were just coming towards them.
'You can be such a child,'
'That's why you love me, I keep you young,' she said while kissing him in a playful matter.
'No woman, you are making me old and grey. We're going to take a break, we were running low on fuel anyway,'
'All three of us,' Sam added.
'Boy you guys are a match made in heaven,' Lena said looking at Sam and Julie. Sam just looked confused but Julie laughed.
'Yes we are.'
The foursome entered the diner, Jay Bird's diner. Dean had a funny feeling like he had been here before but he ignored it. The boys sat next to each other in a booth and the girls took their seats on opposite sides.
'This is weird isn't it or is it just me?' Dean said.
'Yeah it definitely is.' Sam replied.
'Let's order, I am starving.' Dean looked up at the specials.
'Aren't you a cute foursome, hi I am Darlene and I'll be your waitress,' a middle-aged woman with a perm declared.
'I'll have the special, Pig in a Poke. And a beer.'
'He'll have a coke, he's driving,' Lena interrupted without even looking up from the menu.
'Yeah I'll have the same,' Sam said.
'I'll have the Caesar salad and a diet coke, please.' Lena said.
'She's having the veggie burger, she's hunting,' Dean said looking at her with provoking eyes.
'I'd like the cheeseburger and a diet coke please.'
'Okay, coming right up.' Darlene said leaving the foursome.
'So now we have to do something about your car.' Dean remarked.
'What why?' Lena asked not even caring about the answer.
'Don't get me wrong, I love your car.'
'I love your car too.' She said with a smile.
'That's laymen's terms for I love you,' Sam explained to Julie.
'But it's just too conspicuous. A red '65 Mustang convertible?'
'Here are the drinks,' Darlene said.
'Thank you Darlene,' Julie said with an honest smile. Though the bantering was keeping her distracted from the task at hand, she didn't feel at ease yet. She loved to see her friends bickering but she was happy that Sam and her didn't need that sort of constant affirmation of their love. They just had to look into each other's eyes and they knew.
'Look Dean it's okay, it's not like they're going to go on a stake out or go hunting or something. They'll mostly be checking out the scenery and doing some shopping.'
'Yeah right, 'cause we're the average two shopping airheads.' Julie said sarcastically.
'No but you get my point.'
'See we'll be fine, and Jared will be fine too.' Lena said.
'Jared?' Sam asked confused.
'Her car,' Julie and Dean said in unison.
'That's a strange name,' Sam responded.
'Don't talk bad about my gorgeous wheels Sam, I'm warning you.'
'It's just, a car like that should have a girl's name. Sally or something.'
'Please, Mustang Sally? Like I haven't heard that before, besides I have my reasons.'
Sam looked at Dean in order to get more information on Lena's odd choice of names.
'Don't look at me, she never told me either. I am just really scared what names she'll come up with when we have children.'
The entire table went from laughing to silence in one heartbeat.
'Here's your food,' Darlene said picking up the strange vibe, 'can I get you anything else?'
'No thanks dear,' Dean said unaware of his companions being baffled.
'What? Like your thoughts never trail,' he said with his mouth full of food, looking at no one in particular.
**********
Julie decided to take it upon her to find the light-hearted conversation back from earlier and she succeeded, Lena stayed silent and shocked for the rest of the meal, but Dean didn't seem to mind it. Julie's guess was that Dean figured that Lena would get over her angst eventually.
'Okay so everyone ready? We still have a long drive ahead.' Sam said cheerful. He was getting around the idea that he was bringing the love of his life in a potentially dangerous situation.
'Yeah I am ready,' Dean glanced at Lena's plate once, 'hunny you hardly touched your food.' He said almost concerned about her appetite.
'I'm fine thanks, just not hungry,' she said distracted.
'Okay' he said not agreeing with her statement.
The foursome paid their bill and retreated to the parking lot. Lena excused herself and made a quick stop at the ladies' room, where she threw up everything she had eaten that morning. In the meanwhile Julie got a phone call, the caller ID said she didn't want to miss this.
'Hey hunny how are you,' she chirped into the phone, her hole face lit up like a Christmas tree. Sam saw it and knew immediately who she was talking to, his only competition for her heart. Dean looked at him mystified.
'Felix,' he mouthed to him.
Dean understood now and smiled, Felix was Julie's only and most perfect nephew. Julie had lost her family to evil demon spawn, the only reason why she was alive was Sam. Luckily her older brother and his little family had moved away a year before, else she would have lost everything ever dear to her, and even Sam wouldn't have been able to take her out that dark place she had been in back then.
'You want to talk to uncle Sam? Okay chérie, I'll put him on.' With some reluctance Julie passed the phone on to Felix' cool uncle Sam.
'Hey buddy, what are you doing?'
'You are? Seriously? That's great! You know what, I'll come and train with you when I get back.'
'Okay, say hi to your mum and dad for me, okay, yeah I will. Bye'
'What was it? He didn't say much he was all hyper and I didn't understand a thing.' Julie asked almost jumping Sam for more info.
'He made the hockey team! Apparently the try-outs went really good. And the coach said he saw some real talent.' He told her
Julie, being a big hockey fan, squealed in sheer pleasure.
'Wait? How can you see talent in a 7 year old?'
'When did you hold your first sawed off in your hands?' Sam reflected.
'Point taken.'
When Lena came back she looked relieved and they were all set to go.
'You look better,' Dean said.
'I am,' she said cheerful.
They got back into their cars as Dean looked his beloved's behind conspicuously. He shrugged and got into the Impala.
**********
'Are we being trailed?' Dean asked Sam
'Dean, you're going to make that joke again? You need new material, man.' Sam replied shaking his head.
'So,' Sam started
'So what?'
'You're thinking about having kids now? Last week you wanted Lena to shut up and get off your back.' Dean smiled at the memory of his own rant in the woods, which eventually lead him to being dragged like a ragged-doll through the trees.
'Sammy, we sit in the car for hours on end, there are many silences. Don't tell me it has never crossed your mind. You're getting married for Christ's sake.'
'Yeah, but that's just it, you've never talked about marriage, kids, settling down.'
'The truth Sam?'
'Yes please, we have come this far.'
'To be honest, I would like to be a dad someday and Lena would be a perfect mother. And then on the other hand it scares the crap out of me. I'd rather see three Liliths than becoming a father.'
'Why?'
'Procreating is kind of our biological goal on this planet.' Dean said.
'No, I mean why are you so scared? Three Liliths, that's a lot!'
'I don't know anything about being a father, the lives we live Sammy, how could I ever have children? For you it comes naturally, you have that sensitive emo-crap down to the letter.'
'Honesty?' Sam asked.
'Yes please,'
'You have always been a father, since the age of four you have had the constant responsibility to look after someone. You changed more nappies than dad, you cooked more meals and you made sure on numerous occasions that I didn't die or went darkside. You've always been more than just a brother,' Sammy said with more honesty in his voice than Dean had heard in a long time.
'I am not saying it wouldn't be difficult but if that's what you want...'
'Nice closing lawyer boy.' Dean said making a joke of it but Sam's words were gilded in his mind, looking in his rear-view mirror he saw Lena and Julie, both had put their shades on against the low sun, which was setting and the night made its entrance. Both were laughing and chatting lively.
'Aren't they amazing?' Sam remarked mostly noting his own fiancée, who had caught a glimpse of him staring and smiled, the low sun had made Julie's complexion into a golden brown and if Sam didn't knew better he thought he was seeing an old Grace Kelly movie.
'They definitely are a sight for sour eyes,' Dean said as he caught Lena laughing at something Julie said, it just pained him that he couldn't hear that laugh.
He turned up the tunes, letting Boston take away the Impala into the night, which no longer looked so ominous with the Mustang just a few feet behind.
I looked out this morning and the sun was gone
Turned on some music to start my day
I lost myself in a familiar song
I closed my eyes and I slipped away
Its more than a feeling, when I hear that old song they used to play (more than a feeling)
I begin dreaming (more than a feeling)
till I see marianne walk away
I see my marianne walkin away
So many people have come and gone
Their faces fade as the years go by
Yet I still recall as I wander on
As clear as the sun in the summer sky
Review and be surprised at how fast I can upload chapter 4, the story is already completed for your benefit ;-)