A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long. I like to get two chapeters a week up, but it just didn't happen this week. This one is a little shorter than usual, but I will be updating this week end. Thank you so much for all the reviews. I still own nothing. Enjoy!
MJ woke early the next morning, still entwined in Dean's arms. She was glad he was still sleeping, knew things would be kind of awkward between them this morning. There was something about the harsh light of day that made things seem strange and uncomfortable. She knew part of the reason she had confessed as much as she did was the alcohol. She wasn't comfortable divulging her feelings to anyone, especially Dean, who squirmed at the sight of a tear. She didn't regret confronting him or later on, telling him that she wanted to trust him, but that didn't mean she was planning to bring it up again. Ever again. She knew without a doubt Dean would be more than pleased to pretend it never happened.
She wiggled herself free from Dean's grasp and grabbed her bag, heading to the bathroom to shower. She noticed Sam was not in his bed, and figured he had gone out for coffee. Man, did he ever sleep?
When MJ reappeared in the room half an hour later, Sam was back and he and Dean stopped talking abruptly when she emerged from the steamy bathroom.
"Morning." She said, curious about their conversation.
Sam smiled back at her. "Morning, Kid. Coffee?" he asked, holding the cup out to her.
She grinned taking it. "You have to ask?"
Dean was retrieving his knife from beneath the pillow. "Let's get breakfast." It wasn't a question.
"Dean, what about the two doughnuts you just inhaled?" Sam asked, and at MJ's raised eyebrows, added "Hey, one was supposed to be for you, but I couldn't stop him without losing a hand."
MJ crossed her arms. "Guess you're buying, Dean." She said heading to the door.
"What else is new?" Dean asked jokingly, following her out.
MJ breathed a sigh of relief as she headed toward the Impala. Things were blissfully back to normal between the three of them. Well, normal for us, she thought, with a grin on her face.
"So that's two specials and a sausage, cheese and onion omelette, side of hashbrowns, bacon and pancakes. Is that everything?" the waitress asked, grinning at Dean.
"You better add a side of gravy to mine." Dean said with a wink. The waitress shook her head with a smile as she gathered up their menus and walked away.
"Ew." MJ said, adding sugar to her coffee. "Just order one of everything, Dean."
He shrugged, scanning the restaurant. "I'm hungry."
Sam returned to the table with the morning paper tucked under his arm. He slid into the booth next to MJ.
"I ordered for you, Sammy."
Sam smiled at her. "Thanks, Kid." He said before unfolding the paper and browsing the front page.
MJ turned back toward Dean, knowing Sammy would soon be too absorbed in the crappy small town paper to have a conversation. "So. Where to next?" She asked, sipping her coffee.
"I don't know yet, but I'll tell you one thing," he pointed a finger at her, "You need to get going on your school work. This home schooling thing only works if you actually crack a book from time to time. Jenna's gonna be checking up on it, so you need to get caught up."
"Okay, I get it. But we can still find a hunt. I can multi-task ya know."
"Oh, multi-tasking? Is that what we call it? Ganking demons and then writing a book report on Huckleberry Finn?"
"I'll fit it in, Dean."
"Starting..." Dean prompted.
"Starting today. As soon as we get on the road." MJ agreed. She didn't mind doing school work, really. It was just kind of...dull. She supposed most "normal" things would seem dull when you compared them to hunting. Right now, though, she would take any distration that came her way. Anything to keep her mind off of what happened in Tupper Lake.
Their breakfasts arrived, effectively haulting Dean and MJ's conversation.
They ate in silence for a few moments, Sam pulling out his laptop, a curious expression on his face.
"Hey, guys, listen to this." he said referring back to the paper. "Two days ago, a student at Valley View High School was found unconscious in the locker rooms. His hands had been cut off at the wrists."
Dean shoveled eggs into his mouth. "Guess it was a tough game of Ultimate Frisbee in phys ed that day." He said, barely coherent, around his mouth full of food, earning him scornful looks from both siblings.
"He couldn't describe his assailant," Sam continued, "saying that his hands simply fell off." Sam went back to the laptop. "This is the third incident like this at Valley View in the past two weeks. A girl collapsed in a hallway, her eyes were gouged out, but no one touched her. Another kid's tongue was ripped from his mouth, while he was sitting at his desk."
"Yum. Thanks for that, Sam." MJ said pushing her plate away.
"Uh-uh" Dean said pushing her breakfast back in front of her. "You need to eat."
"Sorry, Dean, but scrambled eggs with ketchup no longer looks appetizing for some reason."
"Just suck it up and eat. Jeez, you've seen far worse than some basic dismemberment."
"I don't typically eat my breakfast while gutting monsters, Dean. And I don't like to talk about hunting while I'm eating." She gestured toward her barely touched food. "It's called etiquette."
"Etiquette, I see. Tell me, Princess, what does Emily Post have to say about hocking a loogie on a guy after you crack him in the head with the butt of a .45?" Dean asked with a smirk.
MJ didn't answer. Her face flushed and she looked down at the table, busying herself with the jelly.
Dean was immediately sorry he said it. He was trying to be funny, and instead had brought up the one thing his sister was probably trying like hell not to dwell on. Strong work, Asshole, he thought, clenching his jaw. He watched her reaction, not sure if he should just let it go or apologize.
"This is only like, half an hour from here." Sam interrupted Dean's internal struggle.
"What's the town called?" MJ asked, glad for the change in topic. She appeased Dean by picking at her toast.
"Farmersville, Ohio. Population: 947."
"Sounds awesome." MJ said sarcastically.
"Yeah, but I'm thinking we should talk to the victims first. They're at Kettering Medical Center in Dayton."
"Let's do it." Dean said, cramming the remains of his toast into his mouth. "I gotta take a leak. Meet you at the car." He clapped his hands together as he stood, heading toward the bathroom.
"God, he's disgusting." MJ said, spotting Dean's cell phone lying on the table.
"I'm gonna go pay this." Sam said, heading to the register.
"Meet you outside." MJ said, smirking, as she snatched up Dean's phone.
Sam and Dean, or rather Agents Plant and Page, talked to the three victims while MJ stayed in the car, getting started on her neglected school work. She wanted to join them, and used the argument that there were three victims and three of them, and they could save time by splitting up, but Dean shot that down right away saying she looked to young to pass as FBI. .
They'd been inside less than an hour when Sam and Dean returned to the car.
"Okay, Bobby, if you find anything, let me know. Thanks." Dean said snapping his phone shut as he got back behind the wheel.
"Anything?" MJ asked, putting her copy of Ordinary People back in her bag.
"None of them saw anything. No black smoke, no sulphur, cold spots. Nothing freaky at all." Dean said. "Well, except for their stories. I mean that one kid, 'I felt a pinch so I reached into my mouth and just pulled it out.'? What the hell is that?" Dean asked. "What makes someone's tongue just, detatch and fall out of their mouth?"
"We did get to look at their charts." Sam interrupted Dean's rambling. "In all three victims it was as if the tissue just decayed. Like their body parts just...rotted off. In a matter of seconds."
"Ugh. This case is freaking gross!" MJ whined.
"So now what?" Dean asked.
Sam shrugged. "Head to Farmersville? See if the witnesses can give us anything."
Before Dean could answer, loud music filled the car.
I loved you.
You didn't feel the same.
Though we're apart, you're in my heart.
Give me one more chance to make it real.
Dean looked around, bewildered by the sappy ballad.
"Whose phone is that?" He asked, mildy disgusted.
Sam nodded toward Dean's pocket.
Dean reached into his jacket pocket as the song started over again and stared at his phone as if it were diseased.
He flipped it open, glaring at both his siblings. MJ managed not to laugh, watching Dean as if she were simply curious about the phone call. Sam on the other hand, was grinning like a fool.
"Yeah, thanks, Bobby. We'l keep you posted."
"You're so dead, Sammy." Dean said, snapping the phone shut and tossing it onto the dash.
Sam burst into laughter. "Wait a minute, I had nothing to do with that." he pointed at the phone, still grinning.
"You know Dean, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's really a beautiful song. Heartbreaking, but beautiful." MJ teased, keeping a straight face.
Sam laughed even louder at this, much to Dean's annoyance. Dean retrieved the phone and attempted to change the ringtone while pulling out of the hospital parking lot.
"Smart ass." Dean mumbled twenty minutes later, finally resetting Back in Black as his ringtone.