"So how much is this gonna hurt," Sophie stared at the rental car Sam had brought back. It was a safer bet to take that than trust they'd be able to get the Impala across the border without incident again.
It was just after ten o'clock. Dean had gotten up early to pack and let her sleep as late as he possibly could. If they left now they could get nine hours covered today. Which meant only one night on the road. Sophie leaned against their front door, wearing a pair of Dean's sweatpants, and one of his undershirts with an old sweater they'd found in the bottom of his duffle. Dean was pretty sure it was Bobby's. But Sophie said it was soft and Dean didn't need any more convincing.
"A lot," Dean admitted, "I am more than happy to give you a couple more sleeping pills if you want. And that offer stands for any point in the drive. I've got Advil and Codeine and Vicodin too if you need it. Okay?"
He knew from personal experience how much this was going to suck. Then again, he thought, maybe he didn't. John had roughed him up often, but never like that.
A couple of swats with a wooden spoon or a hairbrush. A hard slap on the face. A shove up against a wall. But never this.
Dean put a third layer of blanket on the passenger seat and checked his bag for what must have been the tenth time. All of Sophie's meds were there. So was his wallet - with $800 in cash, four fake credit cards, his actual license and two fake IDs - plus his phone.
Sophie hadn't let go of Louie the lamb since she woke up. Dean held out a hand to her and nodded towards the car.
"Sooner we start the sooner you'll be happy and warm and comfortable at Bobby's," he tried to sound encouraging as he led her to the car.
She sat down gingerly, hissing when the cuts on her butt and thighs hit the seat.
"I tried to make it a little softer for you," Dean rubbed the back of his neck. This was a cluster, and they all knew it.
"I'll be fine," Sophie managed through gritted teeth. The stitches on her lower lip had bruised overnight. Her hair was still up in a bun and she had awful dark circles beneath her eyes. He'd need to be cautious about where they stopped, because with her looking like this - and in this absurdly nondescript grey minivan - someone was liable to think he was trafficking her.
"Alright," Sam said, "You guys are all packed and ready to go."
"You'll be down in four days right?" Dean confirmed, clasping his brothers shoulder in lieu of a goodbye.
"Four days," Sam said.
—
Dean pulled over about ten miles from the border.
He dug around in the back seat until he found what he was looking for. One of Sam's old beanies.
"I'm very glad you have short hair," he muttered as he twisted Sophie's curls up under the hat and pulled it down over her ears, "That'll do."
"That'll do for what?" Sophie asked, moving to pull off the hat.
"No, no, no! Don't touch that!" Dean insisted.
"Why?"
"You have cancer," Dean said.
"Excuse me?"
"I want to get across the border without incident. You look like you've been hit by a truck. We're also not relatives and we're not married. I'm a US national and you're Canadian. We need a convincing story to explain all this. Or there's a decent chance they try to arrest me," Dean said.
"And so…" Sophie gestured for him to continue.
"We tell them you have a rare form of leukemia. You want to get onto a clinical trial for a new drug that might help. To apply you need a US address. We're good friends and so you're going to come stay while you apply. Got it?" Dean asked.
"Got it," Sophie nodded.
"Now try not to look too much like someone is stabbing you with a grapefruit knife," Dean squeezed her hand.
"No grapefruit knife," Sophie repeated.
"Alright. Two hundred miles down. Five hundred and something to go," Dean pulled off the highway in a town called Kenmare, North Dakota, which appeared to have exactly one traffic light. He parked at the singular gas station in the parking lot of maybe shadiest motel he had ever seen. And he'd seen a lot.
They'd made it across the border without incident. Sophie looked like a convincing enough cancer patient that the agent had more or less just waved them through.
"I need coffee," Dean said, "And I am guessing that giving the amount of water I've been pushing on you, you probably want a bathroom."
Sophie nodded. Her posture was tight with pain. It had been the whole drive.
"Listen, Sophie," Dean began for what felt like the hundredth time.
"I. Don't. Want. To. Hear. It." Sophie said through gritted teeth.
"Why not?"
"Because if I have learned one thing in the last few months with you and Sam it's that hunting isn't about taking the easy way out. It's about being tough. Your dad made that abundantly clear," she said, "And taking a bunch of pain killers is the easy way out. So I'm going to be tough."
"Sophie," Dean took her shoulder and made her look at him, "That's bull crap."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I don't care what my asshat father said. You're a fantastic researcher and you terrify me with that bat," Dean said, "You don't have anything to prove to anyone. And yeah - my dad's a bit weird and old school with the corporal punishment thing - but in no world are hunting and getting whipped with a belt two things that have to be inextricably linked. In fact I'm pretty sure that when I tell Bobby what happened he's going to try and murder my father on your behalf."
She didn't respond.
"You are the toughest person I know Sophie," Dean said earnestly, "I've watched you survive how many migraines and two grand mal seizures and get up the next day and keep going. I couldn't do that. My dad couldn't do that. Sam's knocked out for days when he gets migraines like that. So don't let my dad get to you. He's done enough damage. So go take a leak and accept the dang pain meds."
Sophie took a deep breath and let out a shaky exhale.
"Okay," she said.
"Okay?" Dean was overjoyed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Yeah," Sophie agreed, "I would like to not feel like I am sitting on hot lava. Please and thank you."
Dean got out of the car and came around to help her.
"You good in the bathroom by yourself?" He asked, putting his arm around her shoulders for support.
Sophie fell silent and avoided his gaze.
"No," she admitted.
"Okay," he said calmly, "We might get weird questions. Cancer patient story still stands. Good?"
"Good," Sophie agreed.
He kissed her head and Sophie nuzzled into his chest.
"I love you," he murmured, shocking himself with the words coming out of his mouth.
"I love you too," Sophie looked up at him with that gorgeous smile.
The gas station owner tried to give Dean a hard time about going into the bathroom with Sophie. But when Dean took the old man aside and talked about how his girlfriend had cancer the interaction changed fundamentally. He got the tank of gas, three bottles of gatorade, a case of water, a cup of coffee, and two donuts for free.
"Advil or codeine?" Dean asked as he got into the car. He handed Sophie a donut and a bottle of water.
"Advil," Sophie said, "I don't want to try and sleep right now."
"Coming right up," Dean sorted through his bag and handed her the pills.
"Sophie there's something I need you to know," Dean said as she downed the medicine.
"Yeah?" She asked, relaxing a bit already.
"My dad never beat us," Dean said.
"What?" Sophie fixed her gaze on his.
"He'd rough me up a bit. Swat at me with a hairbrush, push me around. That kinda stuff. Never touched Sammy. Screamed a lot though. He was…more drill sergeant than dad when it came to actually taking care of us. But what happened last night, I've never seen him like that before," Dean said.
"Why are you telling me this?" Sophie asked.
"I don't say this as an excuse or to explain what he did," Dean said, "But I needed you to know that the monster you saw last night isn't the guy I learned to hunt with."
Sophie just nodded.
"How you holding up?" Dean asked after a time.
"Everything hurts," Sophie said, fixing her gaze out the windshield, "Literally everything. But I'm excited to go see Bobby. And given the universe has decided I have to go through all this shit, I'm at least glad to have you with me."
He squeezed her hand and started the engine.
Dean pulled off the highway for the night in Jamestown, North Dakota. Sophie was fading and no matter how much coffee he drank, Dean had to admit he was too.
"Okay," Dean said, shutting off the engine and turning to Sophie, "It's gonna be a short drive in the morning - only three hours or so - but we're both beat and I don't want to show up at Bobby's in the middle of the night. It'll just make him worry."
"Luekemia?" Sophie asked as he helped her out of the car.
"Yep," Dean agreed, "Ain't broke. Don't fix it."
The receptionist reached immediately for the phone when Dean and Sophie walked in. Dean couldn't say he blamed her. The woman probably had to call border patrol on legitimate predators at least once a week. Sophie smiled as best she could with the stitches in her lip and Dean kissed her head. The receptionist put down the phone, but kept up her guard.
"King or two queens?" She asked, staring them both down.
"Handicap accessible king," Dean said automatically, tucking an arm around Sophie's waist and pulling her closer.
"Oh," the receptionist paused, "Of course."
"Chemo's really knocked me on my ass," Sophie said, "I'm here in the states for a new drug trial. Hoping this one will be better."
The woman's whole demeanor softened immediately.
"I'm so sorry darling," she said, "Here. This is our only handicap accessible suite. Half price for you two. And there's free breakfast in the morning. And hot tea and coffee any time. I'll have the maintenance guy drop off some extra towels and blankets while you get your things. Just call down if you need anything."
"Imagine if we told her what actually happened," Sophie said once they were alone in the elevator.
Dean rubbed the back of his neck, "I'd really rather not."
"That's fair."
"How are you holding up?" He asked as the doors opened.
"Hurts a lot. And I'm so cold. It's like there's no energy left to stay warm," Sophie said.
"Long hot shower can fix that," Dean said, "Then we'll get you some sleeping pills and tomorrow this will all be just a bad memory."
"Dean no," Sophie protested.
"Hey," he turned to face her, "As soon as we get to Bobby's we'll take you off of them again. We can try melatonin for a while like after the werewolf. But tonight I really need you to sleep baby. I'm sorry."
"But this is the last time?" Sophie asked.
"For the time being, yeah," Dean replied, "I promise."
