Comfortably Numb –Pink Floyd

There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move
But I can't hear what you're saying

Several hours later, Jo was just putting the finishing touches to her makeup. After hours of looking through her closet, she had almost passed out with elation when she found her long-forgotten little black dress. It was her favourite and she felt her sexiest when she wore it. She took great pains to apply her makeup to perfection. Her long blond hair cascaded around her shoulders in soft curls, her lids were coated with smoky black eye shadow and liner, and she had carefully layered several applications of deep back mascara, effectively making her brown eyes pop. She had to admit that it felt really great to get dressed up.

"You are going to make his eyes pop right out of his head." Meg told her as she took in Jo's handiwork from the mirror.

Jo was surprised to find the girl watching her but easily pushed it aside. If Dean could pretend it was normal to have Meg around for Castiel's sake, the least Jo could do was follow suit. "You think?" she asked as she replaced the applicator back into the mascara tube.

She focused on her date and immediately felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. Even her stomach was doing flip-flops. She couldn't remember the last time she had been on a real date. As far as she could tell, Rick was nothing like how Dean had described him. He had even called an hour before to confirm their plans, which were dinner and then drinks afterward. So far, he had been nothing but a gentleman to her and she knew that deep down, Dean was just being Dean. If he was unhappy, then he did whatever he could to make everyone else unhappy. And she was positive that he had no reason to be happy with his life.

"Alright, time to knock 'em dead, killer." she told her reflection before walked out of the bathroom to wait for Rick to arrive. Jo should have known they'd all try to show up to get a good look at her and her date before the big event. At the sound of the bathroom door shutting behind them, the three boys, who had been engrossed in the football game on TV, turned around.

"Hey," Ruby smiled. "You look great, Jo!"

"Yeah," Meg chimed in just keeping her presence felt"I hope Castiel gets back before you leave. He'll never believe me that you were this dressed up."

Jo tried not to look as annoyed as she felt "Let's hope he doesn't. I don't need any more of an audience than I already have."

Sam's eyes widened slightly when he finally caught sight of her. "Wow, Jo…you look fantastic…Are you sure you're going to be ok with this guy?"

"Aww Rubes, look at Sam, he's in big brother mode. Trust me, I know what I'm doing," she assured him.

Ruby nodded proudly at Sam for his compliments and looked expectantly at Dean, who had yet to say anything. His eyes flickered over Jo's frame then he turned back around, his attention back on the game as if nothing had happened.

"Dean," Ruby said through clenched teeth. "Everyone else said something nice to Jo; don't you have something nice to say?"

He sighed in frustration and turned back around to face her. His eyes swept over her one more time before he offered: "You look…taller."

Ruby was about to say something when a knock came swiftly from the front door. She squealed and leapt in front of Jo, almost knocking her over, to get to the door first.

"Geez Ruby," Meg drawled slowly "This is Jo's first date not yours."

Ruby gave Meg a scathing glare before she threw open the door to reveal a waiting Rick, who was dressed in a white button-down shirt with a few of the top buttons undone and dark pants. Much to Jo's surprise, he was much better-looking than she had given him credit for. She hadn't really trusted her alcohol-hazed memory and was glad to see that she had had nothing to worry about.

Rick dutifully shook Sam and Ruby's outstretched hands. He grinned at Meg and offered his hand which Meg took but with a tense look on her face that Jo didn't quite understand. But Dean had remained seated on the couch, his attention completely centered on the TV.

"Have fun, Jo!" Ruby waved excitedly from the door as she gently pushed them outside.

Rick grinned good-naturedly, extending his arm out to her. Jo laughed nervously and hooked her arm in his.

"Ready to go to dinner?" He asked smoothly.

She nodded and allowed him to lead her downstairs and into the waiting cab.

Fifteen minutes later, they were already sitting at their table in the restaurant, which Rick had reserved for them hours before. Jo was nervously scanning the menu, trying to desperately to find something that was under thirty dollars.

Rick closed his menu and took a drink from his wineglass. "So, where are you from Jo?"

She looked up quickly, surprised. "Uh…I'm from Lawrence, Kansas, actually. How about you?"

He smiled and bit his lip. "Kansas City. So…I'm sorry, but I have to ask…how did you end up with two guys for roommates?"

Jo laughed and shook her head. "It's ok…you're definitely not the first one to ask that. It's simple. I shared an apartment with my best friend Ruby and her boyfriend lived with his brother and their best friend. When they decided to live together, we just swapped places."

"So you moved in with two strange guys?" he asked her with a lovely grin on his face.

"Oh no, we're not strangers. I basically grew up with all of them. Anyway, we all ended coming here to Kansas State. They are really great guys. I love living with them." Ok Jo, don't lay it on too thick.

Rick laughed heartily as she came to the end of her story. "Hmm, sounds like it. So do you mind if I grill you a little? You know...just get the awkward, first date, getting to know you questions out of the way so we can just move right past that…"

She shrugged, feeling a blush redden her cheeks. Good thing it was dark in the restaurant. "Yeah, sure. Only if I can ask you questions too though…"

He nodded. "Of course…alright, first things first…what were you like in high school?"

She smiled…of course that question would come up first. "It's funny you should ask that…I don't actually think I've changed much. I've had the same group of friends for years. Sam and Gabriel, you haven't met him yet, are like my best friends in the world. We weren't super popular but we weren't outcasts either. I'm kind of the chatter box of the group, definitely a tomboy but definitely studious."

"Did that carry into college?"

"Well not so much of a tomboy anymore..well maybe alittle , yeah."

He laughed again. "Alright…fair enough. Well, I'll be completely honest with you…I tended to focus more on music. I'm a guitar player and song writer. I didn't study much. I was lucky to even be accepted into college."

She smirked at that. "Well, you know what they say, opposites attract."

He nodded, returning her grin. She felt her cheeks redden again and couldn't believe how well this was going.

"Alright, next question. Who was your…date for your senior prom?"

Jo bit her lip. "Uh…it was Dean actually."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? Wow, I wasn't expecting that."

"Yeah, well, I had kind of broken up with my boyfriend a day before…so he kind of stepped in, He borrowed a tux, and he took me to the dance."

"Wow…I never thought the guy had it in him. I'd say I was impressed but then I think we both know Dean a little better than that…" He trailed off, a sly smile crossing his face.

"Do you know Dean very well?" Jo asked curiously

Rick gave a quick laugh "Just what I hear from the female population. He's quite a ladies man."

She huffed. "You can say that again…anyway, so what's your major?"

"Business with a Music minor. And you?"

"English…I'll probably end up teaching."

He nodded. "I can see that."

The waiter brought them their food and poured them both another glass of wine. They started eating and Jo was relieved that she was feeling relaxed and calm. So far so good.

After Rick paid their bill, he escorted her out and led her to a bar next door. The music was pumping loudly and she was glad that she had had some wine before. She would feel a lot less awkward out on the dance floor with him now. And even if she looked like a complete spazz, at least he had been drinking already too…maybe she would get lucky and he wouldn't notice how hopeless she was on the dance floor.

He led her up to the bar and gestured to the bartender.

"So what'll it be, miss?" He said with glinting eyes.

She laughed. "Uh…get me a tequila sunrise…"

His eyebrows rose quickly. "Tequila? My kinda girl…"

She smiled and found herself laughing again. It had been a long time since she had laughed this much…especially on a date. "I'm just going to find the bathroom…I'll be right back."

He nodded and waved to her as she walked away, the same smile on his face that she was starting to find very attractive.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she was pleased to see that her makeup job had, for the most part, stayed put. She only needed to reapply a little of the lip gloss.

Her heart fluttered a little when she remembered she needed to get back to Rick. He was waiting for her. She smiled at her reflection at that thought. It was nice to have someone waiting for her. Especially someone that seemed to be genuinely interested in her, in getting to know her, in making an effort to make her feel special and wanted. When was the last time that had happened?

Taking one last look in the mirror, she quickly left the bathroom and weaved through the now crowded bar to find him sitting at the bar. As she sat down, he grinned and pushed her tequila sunrise gently towards her.

He leaned into her and she could feel his warm breath on her ear. "There you go…as promised."

She released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and closed her eyes a little. He was…definitely something. He really knew just want to do to get a girl going. Maybe, just maybe, he was someone worth keeping around for a little while, if even for the night. Quickly pushing away what she had told Dean earlier that day, she was quickly beginning to change her mind…calculating the last time she had been intimate with a guy. It had been…much too long and the number of her partners were definitely few and far between. And here Rick was, smiling at her like she was the only person in the entire place, like she was the only person he wanted to be with…and that was a good feeling. Maybe, just maybe, she could break her rule just for tonight. Even if she never saw him again after tonight, she never did anything impulsive. Never did anything scandalous. She was always the good girl. Well, it was time for the bad girl to come out and play. She downed the rest of her drink.

After letting Rick buy her another tequila sunrise, this time ordering a double, she let him lead her out onto the dance floor. She felt his hands skim up the sides of her hips and she felt her body lean into him. It felt good dancing with him, even as her mind was swimming with the wine and now two mixed drinks she had had, it felt good to be dancing with him like that. Another song started playing and she felt him pull her even closer into his body. His hands rested firmly on her hips and soon, his hands were around her back and tangled in her hair. Good Jo had all kinds of alarms going off in her head, but bad Jo didn't mind one bit.

They kept moving on the dance floor, neither one really paying attention to anyone else on the dance floor. Another song came on, then another, and then another…and Jo had lost count of how many drinks she had. When Rick moved a hand carefully to the side of her breast and she didn't even try to stop him. If that was where this night was going then…that's where it was going. She didn't care anymore.

It was then that something started to feel off. Her head was started to pound and her vision was so blurry she was seeing two of everything. Her head tipped back as her eyes rolled in the back of her head. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. This was different than just feeling drunk. This was…something else. Her body started to tingle and she felt like she was going to pass out.

Something snapped in her head and she immediately pushed away from Rick. He started to pull her closer but she pushed her hands fiercely against his chest.

"No…get off me…I don't feel well…I'm just going to the bathroom…I'll be right back, ok?"

"Come on, Jo…you look alright to me…you're fine, just trust me…"

Trust me. In the fog, she vaguely remembered someone else saying that to her and she felt like she was going to be sick. "What did you give me?"

"What?" he asked feigning innocence "What are you talking about, baby? You're fine."

"Oh my fucking God, you drugged me," she slurred a bit as she staggered forward, trying to determine if she could land a decent punch. "I should kick your ass."

"Come on, Jo, don't make a scene." He pulled her into him again and she pushed him off again this time a little rougher, this time, getting a few worried reactions from the other dancers around them. Rick seemed to immediately recognize this and he let her go without a fight. Probably didn't want to make a scene.

Jo stumbled into the bathroom and leaned on the sink. The room felt like it was turning upside down right before her eyes and the colors splattered on the floor were swimming together at an alarming speed.

With shaky fingers, she fumbled in her purse for her phone and hit the speed dial. "Ruby," she slurred.

"Jo…what's wrong?" Ruby answered worriedly.

She winced and fought desperately to stay awake long enough. "God damn it, I think this douchebag drugged me…"