you were the shadow to my light

"I knew it," Sam joked lightly, shaking his head, "Predictable." With the mention of Cas, though, Sam's amusement grew. "His reaction to two dogs would be priceless. Him interrogating a cat was hilarious enough, but imagine him trying to interrogate two huge dogs." In his mind, he could imagine it, and it caused him to laugh, imagining all the ridiculous questions Cas would have for the dogs. "Those dogs would never forgive us." He shook his head, grinning over at Rosie.

"Oh, come on, you wouldn't actually take them to the shelter, especially if all of us fell in love with them," Alice said with a small smile, though she reached for her drink, and opened the straw to put it in to take a sip of it, happy for the taste. While she didn't mind drinking beers and water in the bunker, that was usually their only options, so having a coke was just as nice of a change as she was sure the dinner for the night would be.

Rosie smiled back at Sam, shaking her head in amusement. Poor old Castiel. She took a moment to think of Castiel, face to face with such a large dog, asking it about life, was just fantastic. She gladly accepted her drink and took a sip, enjoying the ice cold freshness of the Cola. Drinking beer wasn't really within her taste, so she was quite limited to juice and water back at the bunker, but this particular Cola was cold and refreshing and very appreciated after a long car ride.

"I totally would take them to a shelter!" Dean grinned. "Actually, wait, no. We could keep the dogs and trade them for Sam and Cas. Everyone wins." Dean smirked at his brother just as the food was brought over. A large plate, heaped with fries, onion rings, and everything remotely unhealthy, was placed down in front of him. The burger was dripping with grease, and he licked his lips as everyone else was handed their food and the waitress told them to enjoy their meal. "Oh, I will," Dean grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Where do I start?"

Sam pulled his salad close to himself and set to work on setting it up properly with the dressing and everything else. "Since we'll be getting straight to work in the morning, we should enjoy this meal while we could," he said honestly, looking to Rosie for a moment, "Well, and the drinks." He smiled, sure she'd enjoy having the chance to drink something other than what was in the bunker, and he was glad for her, since he wanted them to enjoy the time they could before they had to get to work. Shrugging, he started eating.

"That's not going to end well," Alice joked, making a face as she stared at the large plate in front of Dean for a moment. "Start with the burger, in case it fills you up. I'd say go with the fries and onion rings first, but if those fill you up, you don't get to enjoy the burger, and we all know how much you love your burgers." She watched him warily for a moment, but reached for one of her own fries to pop it into her mouth as she focused on eating.

Rosie looked at Dean's large, greasy meal. The nerves of the case suddenly kicked in, and she felt herself picking at her fries. "So, what's the plan for tomorrow morning?" She asked, dipping her fries in a small serving of mayo which came with her burger. "Gotta make sure everything goes to plan if we wanna nip this in the bud, you know?" She looked to Sam, smiling as she saw him tucking into his salad.

"You know your burgers, I knew I loved you for a reason," Dean joked, grabbing the burger. "Aw man, I'm excited. If I die, do not perform CPR, I would have died, very, very happy." He took a large bite from his burger, grease dripping onto the plate. Dean started moaning, the sound muffled by the food in his mouth. "Oh sweet Jesus." He paused for a moment, swallowing his mouthful. "Plan for tomorrow, you and Alice are gonna look through the crime scenes, Sam and I are gonna talk to the cops, see what's up."

Sam nodded with the mention of it. "We might be able to get a look at the newest body in the morgue, too," he admitted, looking to Dean, "Or any of the others, if they haven't sent them all off to be buried yet." He doubted that it was necessary - hopefully they'd get enough from talking to the cops and from the girls getting a look at the crime scenes to figure out what was going on. The sooner they figured this out, though, the better, especially if hunters were going missing. He hoped nothing like that happened for them and his gaze went to Rosie, worried in that moment that something could go wrong. It was always a possibility on any case, of course, but he didn't generally like acknowledging it.

Alice made a face slightly. "No promises, because I'm not all that eager for you to go out any time soon," she told him honestly, though she kept her tone as light as possible. Still, she reached for her own burger and took a bite out of it as she listened to the others and nodded slightly. "So, none of us should forget the badges in the morning," she admitted, because Dean and Sam would definitely need their badges to talk to the cops, and she and Rosie would need to have theirs just to be on the safe side, in case anybody approached them at the crime scenes. "We'll have to be as prepared as possible, maybe call the other hunters we know who know the hunters who dropped off the case, see if they heard anything or if the others told them anything that might be important to know."

Rosie studied the brothers sat in front of her and Alice. How they kept so calm before a case was just beyond her. No anxiety, no bumps in the plan, everything was running smoothly so far. Keeping herself quiet by eating a few of her onion rings, she nodded along with Alice's plan. Swallowing her mouthful, she opened her mouth to speak, she looked between the three other hunters. "Make sure that you're thorough with the bodies," she smiled. "I know it's gross, but just, yeah, keep that in mind." She pulled a bit of a face.

"Alright, we're out of the motel by nine am. Sam and I will drop you two off at one of the victims' houses, the crime scenes aren't that far apart anyway, so it'll be good for you to ask family members and neighbours questions, get as much out of them as you can. Sam and I will get to the police station, ask questions there, get to the morgue and do some investigating. We meet up by one pm, see if we've found anything relevant. Sound good?" Dean asked, offering a comforting smile to Alice. "Just a typical, run of the mill, case. Once we've ganked the son of the bitch doing all of this, we find the missing hunters, they can't be too far. Abandoned buildings are something to search," Dean took another bite from his burger, licking his lips to rid them of the grease. "Sound good?" He asked with his mouth full.

"Standard questions, too," Sam added with a nod, "Did they seem off lately, like something was wrong? Were they acting differently? Did they have enemies? Anything to get us somewhere." He was sure that, if the bodies and cops didn't get them anywhere on the case, then the girls checking out the crime scenes and asking questions that would help them would do much more. "We'll all meet back at the motel," he added before looking to Dean, nodding to his decision on time as he ate his salad, "At one."

Alice nodded with all of the information, though she wasn't so sure that it was just any run of the mill case. If it was, she was sure it would have already been solved by the other hunters who'd come there, after all. "So... We'll all keep an eye out for abandoned buildings," she mentioned with a shrug as she ate, "Maybe, when we all meet up, if we've got any idea what we're dealing with at that point, we can go check out the buildings, give them a thorough look, see what we find."

Rosie nodded, showing she understood the instructions. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach, Rosie took a sip of her Cola. She had a strange feeling that this case was something more than they were expecting. Pushing her plate away, the adrenaline starting pulsing through her, but this case was different, it just didn't feel right. "Okay, cool. We'll need our fed suits on too, then." She forced a smile. "When we meet up, we can put pieces of the puzzle together, see if we've come across this somewhere before."

Dean nodded. "When I was captured by a Djinn, we were kept in an abandoned warehouse. So keep your eyes on anything remote, abandoned, out of the way." He shrugged. "But for tonight, we eat, we be merry." He grinned. "And we put on about five pounds, because this burger is too good." He took another large bite with a grin. "And tomorrow? We kick ass."

"Right. Hopefully, it will all click together and give us the picture we need," Sam agreed with Rosie, nodding to her words, though he looked to Dean. "Let's hope it's nothing like the Djinn. I wouldn't look forward to having to go through that kind of case again." Dean had been on the harder end of that, but Sam had been left to wonder what the hell had happened to his brother, and neither of them did well in situations like that, where they were left to worry about each other or those they care about.

Alice nodded with everybody's words, listening quietly, though she had little else to say in regards to the case, since they weren't sure what they were up against just yet. She just hoped everything went okay and that nothing happened to any of them. She didn't want to know what her life would be like without any of the others in it again. "Right, well, let's get all the food in us we can, then," she decided before she focused on eating, though she finished her burger before long and focused on her fries.

Sorry for putting Dean first! I wanted Dean's little speech to be said before I forgot it

"Don't worry Sammy, there's one thing different on this case," Dean grinned, trying to lift the girls' spirits. "We've got these two to save our asses if something does happen." He nodded towards Alice and Rosie. "We'll be just fine, and we'll be stuck in that bunker again in no time," he smirked, knowing that was the last thing any of them wanted. He finished his burger, before looking at Rosie's. "You going to eat that?"

Rosie chuckled and pushed her plate towards Dean. "Go for it." She finished her Coke, looking at Alice, giving her a subtle thumbs up to ask if she was alright. With the boys there all the time, sometimes it was difficult for the girls to communicate together, considering they were such close friends. "Anyway, it's just another Wednesday." She smiled, stealing a tomato from Sam's salad. "But we need to rest up as much as we can tonight, too." The waitress brought over the three slices of pie Dean had requested, and his eyes widened in joy as they were placed on the table. "That is, if Dean doesn't become comatose before then." She chuckled.

(Don't worry about it! I sometimes switch up the parts when it feels better for flow, so I totally get it, lol)

Sam smiled, nodding his agreement with his brother. "Right," he agreed as he drank some of his water, "We couldn't ask for better girls at our sides or better girls watching our backs." He grinned at the pair himself, his gaze mostly on Rosie, as he knew that, if anybody had his back as much as or possibly more than his own brother, it was definitely Rosie - and it was the same for the girls, he and Dean would do anything to protect them. "We'll make it through this just fine, I promise," he said, mostly to Rosie, and nodded as he ate. After a bit, he finished off his salad and pushed it away before focusing on his drink. "And, if we manage to find the other hunters, we can always celebrate once this case is done, too - I think we deserve it."

Alice listened to the brothers for a moment, a small amused smiled forming on her lips. "Well, we're also here to talk some sense into you guys, too, don't forget that," she joked lightly, though she nodded to Rosie, her smile growing a bit as she gave her friend a thumbs up in return to assure that she was okay. With how odd the case was, she was just worried, and she was sure Rosie was, too - it was often like that for them. The guys were so used to going through so much and even dying but always coming back, she knew that, but it didn't mean she wasn't going to worry about them and about Rosie. "Oh, Dean's definitely going to fall into a food coma," she said with a laugh.

Dean looked up as the girls chuckled about him falling into a coma, an onion dangling from his mouth. "Huh?" Dean looked between Sam and the girls, having missed nearly everything Sam had said because he was too busy eating. "Anyone want any pie?"

Rosie smiled at Alice and nodded subtly at her. Focusing her attention back on the boys, Rosie smiled at Sam, taking his hand from across the table, trying to hide the worry from her face. She and Alice joined the boys further along in their journey, and they had heard all of the stories. The boys dying, sometimes repeatedly, and coming back. The boys coming back with no souls. Both boys doing time in Hell. Both boys being subject to torture and all sorts of pain. Rosie cleared her throat, trying to ease herself of the anxiety.

"We ready to go?" Rosie asked. "Dean can get the pie to go." She chuckled.

Sam watched Rosie for a few moments, trying to gauge her. He could tell she was worried, he was used to examining her for any signs of it, worried about her himself, but he didn't want her to worry about him. Smiling, he gave her hand a squeeze and nodded, running his thumb over the back of her hand gently, over her knuckles, doing whatever he could to try to comfort her without attracting attention to her concern. "Right, yeah, let's go," he said, raising his hand to call for some to-go boxes. When the waitress came over, he asked for them and she went to go get them.

Alice laughed at the sight of the onion, reaching over to push it into his mouth because it was such a childlike sight, and it didn't surprise her one bit. "You miss out on everything when you're so distracted by the sound of your own chewing," she teased lightly before she ate her last fry and gathered up her trash to make it easier to deal with. She nodded to Rosie's suggestion, though. "I'm totally up for leaving. We could even leave Dean here and let him walk to the motel, he probably needs to burn all that food off anyways," she joked, grinning over at Dean as the waitress brought the boxes over.

Rosie offered a silent smile to Sam, grateful for his attempts of comfort. She brought his hand to her lips before she let go completely. As the food was shoved into the boxes, Rosie stood up, finishing her drink and leaving her glass on her table, along with a $5 tip. "I'll see you guys out at the car," she smiled, squeezing past Alice to exit the diner.

"I just like my food, it's not my fault." He joked. Dean shoved the pie into the to-go boxes, going to pay with one of their forged credit cards. He stayed at the check out while their total was added up. He thought of what monster could possibly be behind the disappearances of some good hunters. He fowned at the thought, trying not to worry too much about it. Handing the credit card over and signing for the bill with his rockstar alias, he offered the waitress a smile before joining Alice, once again, offering her his hand. "What Sam said was right though, probably."

Sam climbed out of the booth and followed after Rosie, worried. "Are you okay?" he asked her quietly once they were out of the diner, reaching to place his hand on her shoulder, mostly to assure her that she wasn't alone. He wasn't sure what exactly was on her mind, but he had a pretty good idea of it overall and he wanted to do whatever he could to get her mind off of all the concerns she had.

Alice offered an amused look as she placed her hand in his, giving his hand a small squeeze. "You agree with him, even though you have absolutely no clue what he said," she said with amusement, shaking her head. "Anyways, how was that burger?" She arched a brow, grinning, because anybody could have seen how much he had enjoyed it.

Rosie didn't react to Sam at first, deep in thought. "Sam, I've got a really bad feeling. I don't know, I'm just..." She shrugged. "Probably being dumb." She offered Sam a reassuring smile, pulling him closer by the front of his jacket and pulling him into a hug, just taking a moment to appreciate him. "I'm being silly, that's all."

"Well, he's my brother. Sometimes I disagree with him, sometimes I agree," Dean chuckled. "Either way, he's still my brother." He shrugged, kissing Alice's hand. "My burger was amazing." He grinned. "I already can't wait for tomorrow's dinner though. And I got my pie for later, which is the best part! I put dibs on the cherry though, you can have the pecan." Dean leaned down and kissed Alice's cheek. "But mostly, I can't wait to just relax for the night. So, where's this motel?" He looked down at her with a smitten smile.

Sam's expression softened with concern and he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back gently. He knew what it was like, having those awful feelings in the gut - and he knew that, most of the time, they should follow it. He didn't want to worry her, though, and they needed to find the hunters who'd gone missing. "No, no, it's not you being dumb or silly," he assured her quietly, resting his head above hers for a moment, "I'm sure we all have our own worries about this case, especially with everything we've looked into so far. We'll be okay, though, I'm sure of it. If something happens, we'll fix it, one way or another." But he hoped that nothing happened. He hoped the case went over smoothly and that they could finish this quickly and head back, without any problems.

"Sometimes, there's no way in hell either of you would agree on anything, other times, you'd fight anybody who questioned the other," Alice joked lightly in return, because she understood it - she and Rosie both knew how close the brothers were, what lengths they'd go to for each other. "Of course you're already thinking about tomorrow's dinner." She laughed quietly, shaking her head, though she grinned with the offer. "Oh, the big, tough Dean Winchester is going to share and give up one of his slices of pie? Who would have ever guessed?" Nudging him gently, she smiled with the affection and motioned down the road. "It should be about ten minutes down that road, on the left. Good thing we're close to this diner, huh?"

Rosie sighed into the material of Sam's shirt, clinging onto him slightly tighter than usual. "I hope so, Sam." She murmured. "Like, what if -" she stopped herself. "I don't know," she pulled away from Sam, looking up at him, cupping his face in her hands. "I trust you, Sam. I'm sure we'll be fine. I'm sure Dean and Alice will be fine. We'll be fine." Although she was reassuring herself more than Sam. She smiled up at him, kissing his cheek. "C'mon, let's go, I could do with a hot shower and some shitty motel TV."

Dean smiled "I'm kind of glad for the upbringing Sam and I had, it really made us close, you know? Or, as you and Rosie like to say, dream team." Dean jokingly rolled his eyes at that one. "I need to walk off that meal, we can pick Baby up in the morning...My lady, let me guide you down this dark, dangerous path!" Puffing his chest out with pride, Dean held onto Alice a little tighter, knowing Sam and Rosie wouldn't be far behind. "You know, I'd share my food with you any day." Dean softened for a moment. "Just as long as you don't take the good stuff." He walked with her by his side, excited to get back to the motel and get some rest after the long drive. "We're definitely coming back here for dinner tomorrow."

Sam understood her concern, probably more than he cared to admit. They'd lost so many people and he and Dean had lost each other more times than he wanted to openly accept. He couldn't imagine losing Rosie, too. She was the best thing in his life, the light that chased away so much darkness, and he wished there was a way to make sure that nothing ever happened to her. "We'll be fine," he agreed with a small nod, "We just have to have a little faith." And luck. And figure out what the hell was going on. But, he didn't want to add all the details. He just wanted her to be okay. "Right, let's go." He smiled, leaning to press a kiss to her forehead before he slid an arm around her and began the walk to the motel with her.

"You guys are the dream team!" Alice said with a broad grin, "And you know it. A part of me even thinks that you like it." She smiled teasingly, but arched an amused brow as she watched him. "My, oh my, chivalry is far from dead for you, huh?" Smiling, she watched him fondly but followed him. "Your soft side is adorable," she teased lightly, leaning to kiss his cheek before she settled her gaze ahead as they walked and nodded. "Let me guess, when we come back here tomorrow, you're going to want the same thing, huh?"

Rosie smiled. "You know, I really admire your faith, Sam." She smiled up at him, feeling better knowing he was there, beside her, a physical form she could touch, she could hold, she could feel. "It's so strong it even keeps me carrying on sometimes." She laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. She wrapped her arms around his middle, laughing. It was nearly 9pm by this point, it was quiet, and there was a rare opportunity for them to goof off and have a few hours of not worrying. And those were the times Rosie wanted to take advantage of.

Dean pouted slightly. "We are not the Dream Team." He grouched. "Although, if we were a Dream Team, could I be Superman?" He asked, obviously hopeful for a positive answer to his question. "I wanna be Superman." He avoided what she said about his soft side, although he couldn't help but smile. As he was growing up, Dean realised that being soft wasn't that much of a good thing in this line of work. But for Alice, he would always show his soft side, because he truly felt comfortable around her, enough to do so to show that side of him. "I want the Heart Attack, and some pancakes on top of that. With a lot of syrup." He kissed the top of her head, loving the scent of her shampoo. "And you can have those waffles you love so much."