standing in your flame

Eva climbed back into the car, buckling up as she listened to her sister's words and nodded slightly. "A little help can go a long way," she added carefully, "We're just glad it worked." She offered a small smile before she settled back into the seat, though she blinked to his question and she looked to Callie. "Did he seriously just ask that?" She arched a brow, mildly amused. "As if twins can divulge that kind of secret."

Sam nodded to Callie's question. "We kind of... Grew up with it," he admitted, "You kind of have to get used to it in situations like that." He felt bad that, now, these girls had to get used to the fact that the world was full of monsters, but it couldn't be changed, especially when they'd been in so much danger. But, when he heard Dean, he almost groaned in anguish, rubbing at his face. "You're going to creep them out more than the God did," he joked lightly.

Listening to Sam, Callie nodded, taking it all in carefully, knowing that Sam and Dean must of seen some horrible things to come face to face with an ancient God and not bat an eyelid. However, hearing Eva's response to Dean, Callie giggled. "Basically, Dean, if you knew about the secret of the twins, we'd have to kill you." She said with a straight face, trying to contain her amusement as she raised her eyebrows.

Dean laughed. "Hey, I'm just trying to figure it out!" Dean defended his stupid question as he drove to the diner he and Sam were at less than three hours ago. Dean found the food served was excellent quality and a cold Coke wouldn't go unnoticed now, either. "Anyway, let's go eat. Birthday meal for the birthday shining twins." Dean teased, exiting Baby and shutting his door with a light slam.

"Give him any sort of satisfaction with his questions and I guarantee he'll probably ask you two to make out," Sam joked lightly to Callie, though he wouldn't really put it past his brother at all. Still, he climbed out of the car and opened the back door for the girls, offering a hand out to help Callie out. "But, Dean is right. A birthday meal might be just what you girls need right now."

"No birthday alcohol?" Eva joked lightly, mostly to her sister in reference to their conversation earlier, before all of this happened. It was strange how a day could go from so normal to so terrifying, how their lives could have been normal, only for them now to be aware of the fact that the world was... Complicated. "Are we as creepy as the shining twins?"

Callie giggled at Sam's comment, accepting his hand in gratitude, squeezing gently to thank him. "Thank you guys for being so sweet," she smiled, linking her arm around her sister's. "We definitely are as creepy as the shining twins." She nodded in false agreement. "I mean, remember when you scraped your knee after falling off your bike and I couldn't stop crying?" She asked, wanting to egg Dean on, ignoring the fact, for the moment, that the girls could never go back home.

Dean's eyes widened as he chose a quiet booth at the back. "You feel each other's pain?" He asked, clearly curious as Sam slid in next to him. "That must be so weird." Dean didn't realise how gullible he sounded in the moment, and Callie nudged Eva with her foot underneath the table, wanting her to play along. "You two must be close as hell."

Sam arched an amused brow as he watched Callie, wondering what exactly she was up to. But, seeing how curious Dean sounded, there was no way he was going to ruin it. It'd be a fun thing to hold over his brother later, he was sure. "You don't have to thank us," he assured Callie, "We're just glad we got there in time."

"Oh, we're not supposed to tell, Callie," Eva murmured quietly, going along with it, though she let herself chew on her lip as if nervous, wanting to push this as far as she could and be as convincing as possible. "Yeah, we're closer than anybody we know. I mean, how many people can do this -" She pinched herself, then. "And have somebody who physically feels it, too?"

Callie grimaced, rubbing her arm. "Ouch, Eva!" she frowned in her twin's direction, being as convincing as she can be.

Dean's eyes widened. "Woah." He whispered under his breath, looking between the girls, seeing no sign of inconsistencies. "That's amazing." Dean nodded, despite the logical part of himself telling himself it couldn't be true - but there had been so many stories about twins, there was no way so many witness accounts could be wrong. Looking to Sam, Dean asked if Sam saw that.

Callie tried to disguise her smile as she looked through the menu. "Dean, we're not supposed to tell anyone." She lifted her head. "So, you know, just... keep it hushed for now." She instructed, smiling sweetly as Dean nodded along to her words. She shot a grin to Eva, going back to reading the menu.

"Sorry," Eva apologized quickly, offering an apologetic smile to her sister. "It's not like you haven't done the same when I played with your dolls." She smiled, looking to Dean, mildly amused that he was so amazed by the lie, but it was kind of adorable, too. Shaking her head, she ducked her head to look through the menu to pick something to eat.

Sam, upon seeing Dean's look, immediately put on the most convincing surprised and amazed look he could manage and nodded, staring at his brother as if bewildered. "I definitely never thought that could be true," he said for good measure but nodded to Callie's words. "Our lips are sealed, promise." He smiled, amused as he watched her but started looking through the menu. "I wonder if they do any birthday specials."

Callie feigned innocence. "That's why you shouldn't steal dolls." She said in a warning tone. "You deserved that." Callie looked at Sam as he played along, winking at him when Dean wasn't looking. "Anyway, I'm starving, and that huge burger is calling my name." Callie smiled. "A Coke too, definitely. We can have the whiskey later." Callie said in a lame attempt to make Eva laugh.

Dean blinked, pinching himself to see if Sam felt it, or if it was just a twin thing. When Sam didn't react, Dean shrugged and looked at his menu. "I wonder," Dean murmured back to Sam, realising that it wasn't every day you turned 21. Grabbing his phone from his pocket, he chose Sam out from his contacts, writing out a text. We need to get them a gift. He looked at Sam until his phone vibrated. "Yeah, the burger looks good, but I want something huge." Dean smiled at Eva. "What're you having?"

"It was a cute doll!" Eva defended with amusement, though she dropped her gaze to the menu to scan through the items. She laughed, though, with the mention of whiskey, and grinned. "Maybe tomorrow," she joked lightly, shaking her head, though she blinked to Dean's words. "Oh, uh... Definitely a ton of fries. Maybe a bacon burger. Oh, I'd kill for bacon right now." She grinned slightly just with the thought.

Sam smiled when he saw that Callie realized he was just playing along and not actually as gullible as Dean. He nodded encouragingly. "If everybody's ready to order, I can call the waitress over," he offered before blinking when he felt his phone vibrate. Dropping his gaze to his pants, he pulled his phone out to check it, seeing the text from Dean, and he honestly couldn't agree more. I'm with you there. They've had one hell of a birthday, they deserve something nice. I call dibs on getting Callie a gift. Lifting his gaze back from his phone, he smiled to Callie. "So, uh, before all of this, how were you two celebrating your birthday?"

Dean grinned. "Finally, someone who appreciates bacon! Sam's a friggin vegetarian wannabe." Dean rolled his eyes. Hearing Sam's question, Dean paid more attention, lifting his head from the menu to study the girls. He took a moment to read Sam's reply, and he typed out a quick fine with me, I want to pick something amazing for Eva. "Yeah, how did you celebrate? Not every day you turn 21." He smiled, collecting the menus together for the waitress to collect.

"Oh, uh," Callie looked at Eva. "We actually went to help out in the town hall for something they were holding tomorrow." She shrugged. "We didn't have plans because our Mom told us that she and our Dad had organised something, and, well, you know how that turned out." She shrugged. "So, we were making jokes about getting a bottle of whiskey, weren't we Eva?" Callie smiled at her twin, holding her hand for comfort.

Eva couldn't help but to laugh to Dean's words, feeling a little more at ease as the conversation continued. She blinked, though, and nodded along to Callie's words. "Yeah, the whiskey was Callie's idea," she joked lightly, offering a smile to Callie as she squeezed her hand. "I feel like the whiskey's going to turn into a running joke at this point."

Sam listened quietly to the girls talk while he read through Dean's text, though he left the text conversation at that. "Well, if you're that interested in whiskey, we could pick you two up a bottle," he offered up, smiling to Callie. Seeing the girls holding hands again, it was pretty easy to see how close they were, wanting to comfort each other. "I mean, it's no 21st birthday without at least a little alcohol." And that would give him and Dean the perfect excuse to try to find gifts, too.

Dean nodded along to Sam’s words. “I agree, let it be mine and Sammy’s treat. You two can relax here after we’ve eaten, we shouldn’t take too long to find some booze.” Dean smiled, waving over the waitress as he ordered everyone’s preference, ordering four large Cokes. Killing God’s was thirsty work. Glancing back over at Eva, Dean smiled wider, finding himself curious about her.

Callie looked between the brothers with a grateful smile. “Thanks guys, but we better not. The fact we’re not dead will probably piss our parents off. Better not fuel the fire. But if you need to get something for yourselves, we don’t mind waiting.” Callie smiled, directing it to Sam. She couldn’t figure out why she seemed to gravitate towards him.

"No, trust us, you two are probably going to need some alcohol in your systems to process tonight and to even be able to sleep without freaking out every five minutes," Sam told Callie gently, "Besides, it's an important milestone." He offered a small smile, not wanting to seem like he was pressuring her, but he didn't want her to just give up on her plans with her sister to drink whiskey just because of everything that had happened. They deserved to end the night on a normal note, he was sure.

"Does that mean we're going home after this?" Eva asked Callie quietly, looking to her sister. She was worried about that, really, about seeing their parents. What if their parents tried to kill them, despite the God being dead? How were they even meant to look their parents in the eye after everything? Swallowing her thoughts away, she offered a smile to the others. "Are you two alcoholics?"

"I think we have to," Callie exhaled heavily. "I... I don't want to." She thought for a second, an idea coming to her head. With the God gone, it made sense that the crops would die too, there was nothing left in the town worth staying for. "We can run." Callie suggested quietly. "Grab the Bug, drive until we hit a dead end." She whispered, exhaling and rubbing her face. "I don't know." She spoke louder.

"Alcoholics?" Dean put on his best 'I'm offended' look. "Only a little." He teased. "No, really, we want you to have some normality, and what do a lot of normal 21 year olds do on their birthday? They get drunk." Dean grinned, waiting patiently for his food as his stomach rumbled greedily. "Man, I'm wasting away over here."

"Finally get out of this town?" Eva asked, blinking as she stared at her sister. "It sounds like a dream come true." If their parents weren't home yet, they could head in and get some essentials, some clothes and anything important. They were even on their parents' bank accounts, so they could withdraw some money to survive on for a little while. She looked to Dean, though, and offered a small smile. "Alright, fine, you guys can buy us some whiskey." With the thought of leaving, though, she was doubtful she or Callie would drink.

Sam listened to the girls talk quietly, not wanting to make it obvious. It seemed like a conversation they planned to keep private between them, but he didn't really blame them for wanting to leave. Even though he hadn't been on the best terms with his dad when he'd left for college, his dad had been nothing like their parents. "Right, okay, we'll get you two some of the best alcohol we can find," he assured with a smile, though it wasn't much longer before the food was brought to them. "Dig in." He smiled to Callie, hopeful that she'd be able to eat and that she'd have an appetite.

Callie looked over at Eva, squeezing her hand to let her know they were in this together as she offered her sister a small smile. "Thanks." Callie smiled at Sam, poking her food around the plate for a second before she took a few bites. She mapped out an escape route in her head; their parents would likely be at the town hall because of the death of the crops, and that gave Eva and Callie enough time to get clothes, one of their parents credit cards and things they might need to survive on the road. If they needed to, they could escape through the backyard and run to the front.

Dean watched Eva for a moment before tucking into his own food, looking at Sam quizzically, knowing he had eavesdropped on their conversation. Dean was still awestruck that the twins could feel each other's pain, and found it hard to focus on anything else. As Dean ate his food, he looked at the girls. "Is it good?" He smiled, wondering if their parents were kind, loving people, or if they were just using them for the benefit of the town's survival. He understood a bond between siblings, but the girls seemed to find comfort within each other.

Sam smiled slightly as he watched Callie, though his attention didn't move from her until she was finally eating, even if it was only a few bites. "As for the whiskey, when you girls try it, don't drink too much at first, especially if you've never had alcohol before," he mentioned, mostly just wanting to keep talking to Callie more than anything else.

Eva watched her sister for a few moments before she shifted to take a bite of her burger, giving a pleased, satisfied noise with the taste. "Oh, my God," she managed once she'd chewed and swallowed the bite. "I don't know if it's the fact that we almost died or if the burger is really just that good, but it's definitely the best meal I've had."

Callie looked up at Sam, swallowing her mouthful to avoid looking ridiculous. She nodded in agreement with Eva, before turning back to Sam. "We will." She promised. Callie cursed herself mentally for not being able to bring up more of a good conversation with Sam, but she just wanted to appreciate the meal, but Sam caught her interest and she just wanted to know more about him.

Dean frowned, the girls saying that this was the best meal they'd ever had answering his question. He pushed his empty plate away, having eaten quickly. "Alright, you two finish up here, once rabbit over here," he hinted to Sam in a teasing manner. "Finishes his salad, we'll go and grab that whiskey." Dean smiled over at Eva. "So, did you two go to school, get a good education?" He asked, using any excuse to know more about Eva.

"High school, yeah," Eva said with a nod, "I went to college for a bit, but, uh... I had this boyfriend and things got really rocky. He was constantly worried about my best friend instead of me, always putting her above all else. She was funnier to him, needed somebody more than I did, apparently, according to his behavior, he just seemed to focus in on her rather than giving a damn about me." She shrugged. "So I dropped out, because I couldn't deal with it. But, I had Callie to help me through it." She smiled to her sister, nudging her gently. "I can't imagine what everything would be like now, if I hadn't had her. I'm pretty damn lucky."

Sam listened to the girl's story as he ate, watching Callie as he smiled to himself. She sounded like such a genuinely sweet girl. He could see it being easy to fall for her - even in the short time he'd known her, he could already feel himself falling. But, to be there for her sister through all of that and to ask for nothing in return? It was admirable. "Well, Callie sure sounds special," he said as he ate, watching Callie still. "We have our own amount of relationship horror stories. But, when it comes to relationships or any sort of romantic interest, I can't imagine why anybody's attention would stray from the person who caught their interest in the first place. If somebody likes another person, nobody else should matter. I mean, family's important and all, but the levels of importance, the... Manner of importance, is way different." For a moment, he nodded as he finished his food.

Callie smiled, her cheeks reddening at Sam's remark, shooting him a small smile. "I hated him from the beginning." Callie shook her head, nodding in agreement to Sam. "Exactly. Like, c'mon, look at Eva, she's brilliant." Callie smiled at her sister. "And that douche went for someone who just... wasn't." Callie pulled a face at the thought of Eva's ex best friend. "As for me, I was in college for a little while. I studied law." She smiled, shrugging. "Our parents told us they couldn't afford to put us through college anymore, so I had to drop out, but I guess that makes sense now."

Dean nodded, listening to Eva's story, and he instantly thought about how stupid it was for someone to overlook her. Callie was right, she was brilliant, and despite only knowing her for a short period, Dean felt he could find his happiness within Eva. He bit his lip at the thought, turning to Sam. "You done? I wanna do a shot with these two lightweights before we have to take them home." Dean grinned, using the whiskey as an excuse to find a gift.