Two.
The night passed in a lull and before they knew it, morning was creeping its way between the curtains. Haley had slept fitfully, waking up sporadically with perspiration pouring down her back and her body tense. Rolling over she slammed her hand on the snooze button of her alarm, the luminous yellow letters reading seven fifteen. She could already sense the heat of outside seeping through into the room so she threw off the bed sheets and began to wind her hair up into a loose top knot. Pausing, she caught the sound of hushed voices outside the door to the room. Creasing her eyebrows, she walked closer.
"I just can't believe he finally freaking-"
"You just need to keep your mouth-"
She only caught snatches of the conversation before the door swung open and Dean, Sam and bright sunlight streamed through into the space.
"Get dressed, we need to get moving," Dean barked but Haley wasn't in the mood for following orders.
"What were you talking about?" both boys exchanged uneasy glances "Before, I heard you."
"It's nothing-" Sam started toward her but she waved him off.
"Don't try and cover up whatever it is," Haley narrowed her eyes at them "I want the truth, don't feed me something else to keep my quiet."
Dean sighed, even in his current angry state of mind, he didn't like lying to her. "It's Dad, he called me late last night."
Just the mention of John Winchester's name knocked the wind right out of Haley's sails and she sat back on the bed, stunned into silence. "He says he's found the demon, the one that killed our Mom," Dean was honest and emotionless and Haley was surprised. She'd never heard him speak so impassively about the death of Mary.
"And he really thinks this is the one?"
"He's as sure as he can be," Sam responded, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against a chest of drawers by the far wall.
Haley nodded, and bit her bottom lip. "So when's he coming back to us?" she asked, raising the question that seemed to be hanging unspoken in the air.
Dean shook his head slowly "He isn't. He's better off without us, we'd only slow him down," he paused, expecting some kind of up roar from Haley, but surprisingly he got none. "We'll help him when he needs it but for right now, we're to carry on as we have been."
"Saving people, hunting things," Haley said flatly, echoing part of Dean's own speech he'd used to attempt to convince Sam to accompany them after Jessica's death. It was hard not to feel wounded by John's obvious rejection of them, especially being that he was the only person she really wanted to be around right now, with all of the drama going on between Sam and Dean. Standing up, she retreated to the bathroom to change.
Ten minutes later they were on the road again and for some unknown reason, the tension had lifted. Just slightly though. Enough for Dean to allow Sam to navigate again, at least.
"I don't blame you, you know," Dean said a couple of hours later when they'd ground to a halt at a gas station "It's understandable that it happened, that's all I'm saying."
"That what happened?" she asked, tilted her head curiously.
"You and Sam," he paused and for the first time in a long time, she heard vulnerability in his voice "I always knew you had a crush on me, when we were kids, I just had no idea that Sam… and you."
"I think I always had a little thing for both of you," she admitted "But it was different. With Sam. And with you," resting her head against the window she stared out at the barren ground below "You always scared me."
With Dean it had been all about the danger, the promise of adventure, the glint in his eye when he told her he had a plan. The way he'd teach her to hold a pistol, perfect her shot, how he never went easy on her when they fought. She'd loved feeling like his equal, and he'd enjoyed finally having someone who never backed down. Haley was stubborn and determined and could always see things from a new angle, and she challenged him to be tenacious. And even with a smudge of dirt on her cheek she was still more beautiful than any random girl in a bar could ever be.
"I guess I just thought that if anything was ever going to happen, it'd be you and me," he smirked at her in the rear view mirror.
"You're just a little full of yourself, you know that Dean Winchester?" Haley couldn't help but smile at his own self confidence. Mostly because she knew all too well that it masked something much more complex hidden beneath.
"All too well Haley James, all too well."
Author's Note; So with this chapter I wanted to introduce the other half of the love triangle, Dean and Haley. Plus I wanted to give all those Daley fans out there something to enjoy (: As always, reviews are loveeee.
