how long should i wait

"When Balthazar gets us home, I'm gonna kill him." Dean Winchester grouched as he walked down a familiar street under different circumstances - he knew that angels were dicks, he knew, and yet here he was, with Sam, blasted into a completely new reality - thanks to a fucking angel. Staring down at his work overalls, Dean frowned. "A mechanic of all things." He murmured, shooting Sam a glare once he realised his younger brother was faintly amused by his annoyance. "Watch it." He warned. Despite this version of reality not being his own, Dean could tell Sam where the garage he worked was located, and that, well, that was just weird. "Just play our part and get out of here, right?" He scrubbed a hand over his face as he walked down the street, approaching a garage that was, according to Balthazar, co-owned by John Winchester and Bobby Singer.

Niamh tightened her cardigan around herself as she walked into the usual cafe on the corner of Fifth Street. She was due to meet Aveline in ten minutes, but still, she couldn't resist being early. The children's clinic was having a slow day and she was given an additional half an hour lunch break, and what better place to spend it than with her best friend, in her favourite place, drinking her favourite coffee? Choosing a table by the window, she took a seat, grabbing the menu to occupy her hands while she waited, deciding on her usual order of black coffee and a croissant.

Sam couldn't help the amused grin that spread across his face, dressed in a nice, pressed suit, as he was apparently a lawyer in this universe. Somehow, he still had the knowledge this world's Sam had - the familiar paths to Dean's garage, the path to the law firm he worked at, even the path to the cafe that he apparently spent his lunch breaks at. "Hey, we can at least enjoy it while we can," he offered with a small shrug, "It's not every day that we get to experience what our lives could have been like if we'd been in a normal family, and without all the drama that comes with us being Winchesters." Seeing the garage up ahead, he watched it for a moment before he looked to Dean. "Technically, I'm on my lunch break, so I think I'll go grab a bite. Want me to bring you anything?"

Aveline knew she was going to run late to meeting Niamh the moment she started her car up. Or, well, tried to, anyways. It wouldn't work at all and she figured it had to be the starter but, since she couldn't take it to a car garage herself, since it wouldn't even start, she figured she'd have to go get a starter herself and have somebody help her out with setting it up. Or she could at least ask one of the local mechanics for a second opinion, maybe. Sighing, she texted Niamh. "I'm gonna be late. The car's not starting, so I'm gonna head to a mechanic, see if I can get some help with it. I'll try to make it, though!" After sending the text, she quickly made her way out of her house, looking up the nearest mechanic on her phone before following the path the app led her on.

Dean groaned at Sam's words. "Enjoy it?" He looked at Sam with an arched brow. "I mean, I guess, but." He sighed. "Fine, fine. Enjoy it while it lasts, but remind me that the angel blade is in the trunk of the Impala." He warned, turning to look at Sam. "Uh, can you grab me a sandwich or something?" He asked, cleaning his hands with the rag in his pocket without thinking, not knowing how he knew his alternate self's routine. "Go and have your food." Patting Sam's shoulder, Dean went and unlocked the door to that led to the office of the garage, feeling at home already. "Man, this is weird." He murmured to himself.

Niamh fished her phone out of the pocket of her scrubs as it beeped, grinning as she read Aveline's text. 'I swear, that car hates you. I've got an extra long lunch break today - I'll save your seat.' Running her hand through her hair, Niamh approached the cashier to put in her order, smiling at the teenage girl that served her every Wednesday and Friday. Handing her the usual amount of money, Niamh returned to her seat, pulling out her work schedule for the next week.

Sam laughed with the mention of it. "Right, angel blade is in the trunk of the Impala. Just don't lose the Impala," he said, smirking teasingly to his brother, but nodded. "Got it. I'll be back when I can." Turning, he made his way out of the shop and headed to the cafe, finding the path natural, even the surroundings were familiar to him. He wasn't sure how exactly this was all possible, but he figured there wasn't much of a point in thinking too much into it. For now, he'd just enjoy the downtime, though he did worry about the potential dangers in the other world, in his world. Coming to the cafe, he made his way inside, moving to look for a seat.

"It would be my luck for my car to hate me! Thank you, though. I'll try not to take too long." After Aveline sent the text, she lifted her gaze, spotting the garage up ahead, relieved that it wasn't too long of a walk from her home, because she definitely wasn't looking forward to the idea of having to walk all the way somewhere further and all the way back. As she entered the shop, she peered around. "Hello?" she called out.

Dean looked up as he heard someone call out from the entrace to the shop. "Hi." He called back, going to the source of the voice and pausing in surprise as he saw the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on stood in front of him. Maybe this universe wasn't that bad, and he'd completely overreacted. "Hi there." He smiled. "I'm Dean, how can I help you?"

Niamh chuckled quietly as she read Aveline's reply, putting her phone back into her pocket and directing her attention back to her work schedule, memorising her hours. Looking up as the bell above the door tinkled happily, she saw a man dressed in a smart, pressed suit, and offered him a smile as he walked past, unsure of where her confidence came from.

Aveline paused when she saw a man step out and she tried so, so hard not to eye him up and down a thousand times or get lost in his eyes. Clearing her throat, she shifted a bit. "I'm Aveline," she introduced, offering a smile as she took him in, not wanting to admit to herself just how attractive this man was. "Ah, well... Question, can a car hate a person? Because there is seriously something wrong with my car every week and I'm pretty sure it's the starter again this week, so I came to see if you guys have any around or if it'd be best to just get a second opinion."

Sam had still been scanning the cafe for a spot to sit, though it was pretty full, but his eyes got caught by a woman who smiled at him, and he felt himself stop in his tracks, because dammit, he'd never thought he'd think of somebody as perfect, but this woman definitely was. And, her attention seemed to already be on him, causing a part of him to begin to thank his lucky stars for even that. Deciding to take it as a chance to really see what this world had to offer, he offered a smile as he made his way over. "Hi, sorry, is this seat taken?" he asked, motioning, "Or, well, do you mind if I join you?"

Dean smiled, feeling this rush of excitement spread through him as his eyes met Aveline's. "Nice to meet you, Aveline." He greeted politely, studying her carefully, the way she was dressed to the way she stood and spoke, Dean couldn't deny he was attracted to every aspect of her. "I think a car can definitely hate a person." Dean laughed, nodding. "Trust me, I think my car hates me worst of all." He joked. "It might be better to get a second opinion, I can give it a once over, if you want." He smiled. "What's the model?" And just at the thought of spending time with Aveline, even if it was just business, Dean couldn't help but feel excited.

Niamh blinked in surprise, but smiled either way, wanting him to know she was approachable, desperate to make a good impression already. "I don't mind at all." She reassured, watching him carefully as he sat down. "I'm Niamh," she introduced herself, fighting the urge to meet this handsome strangers eyes again, afraid she'd get lost in them and make a fool of herself, deciding instead to busy herself with keeping her schedule in her bag. "Let me guess," she grinned. "Lunch break?"

"It's nice to meet you, too, Dean," Aveline told him with a smile, nodding as she watched him. It was honestly hard to believe that a man as attractive as him existed, and a part of her was honestly hoping that her car would keep messing up, if only to give her chances to see this man more. "At least I'm not the only one." She grinned slightly, shrugging. "Um, it's an '05 Malibu." She cringed slightly, because the name sounded pretentious, even though the car itself was really simple and nice... When it wasn't messing up all the time. "I would have brought it, but it doesn't want to start, so it's kind of just hanging out in my driveway."

Sam grinned despite himself and shifted, sitting down as he nodded. "I'm Sam," he introduced with a nod, hoping to avoid coming off as too eager, though a part of him wasn't sure that he could help it. This woman had just completely overwhelmed him and he definitely hadn't been expecting to run into somebody like her so soon after arriving in this world. "Correct." Grinning still, he leaned back in his seat, letting himself relax so that he could enjoy Niamh's presence more. "I have a little over an hour to enjoy the break." He was sure she didn't need to know that, but he figured letting her know that he was free for a while would mean that she wouldn't feel like she was taking up his time. "Are you on break, too?"

Dean smiled back at Aveline, still in awe that he completely lucked out, within his first hour of being in a completely different universe, he ran into his dream woman, and he wasn't sure if this was the work of fate or if he just got really, really lucky. "'05 Malibu? Good little runners." He grinned. "Hanging out in your driveway? If you ask me, it's being lazy." He teased, not even caring that he made a bad joke. "Alright, lead the way." He smiled, grabbing a few tools.

Niamh saw Sam relaxed, causing her, in turn, to relax as well. There was something about Sam that seemed so easy going, and being in his presence was almost like second nature to her, despite not knowing him. "Nice to meet you, Sam." She smiled, outwardly calm, despite internally checking him out. "Yes sir, slow day at work, figured caffeine would work wonders." She grinned, studying his face. "So, Sam, I haven't seen you around, so surprise me, tell me a bit about you." She grinned over at him.

Aveline couldn't help but to laugh. "If only it was that simple," she joked lightly, amused with the joke. "It just wants to be a pain. It's like a grumpy person when they don't get their way." Shaking her head, she smiled, nodding slightly before she turned to lead the way to her home. "At least it's not a long walk, or I'd feel pretty bad for you having to carry those tools the whole way."

Sam smiled, nodding as he watched her. "It's nice to meet you, too, Niamh," he told her honestly, surprised with how much he meant it. He was sure this would be the best thing to happen to him here and he wanted to enjoy every moment of it. "Oh? Where do you work?" By her scrubs, he assumed she was a nurse of some sort, or maybe a doctor. He grinned, though. "Oh, I'm a lawyer. I work at the law firm two blocks away, so it's a short walk here."

Dean grinned, feeling a swell of pride within his chest that he was able to make Aveline laugh with his lame attempt at a joke. "It might just need a hug." Dean laughed, falling into a comfortable stride beside Aveline, feeling completely at ease with her. "Hey, don't feel bad, I'm sure my manly muscles can handle it." He winked jokingly, wanting to make every moment and conversation between them last, unsure when Balthazar was going to bring them back to their own reality, his heart sinking at the thought of leaving Aveline.

"A lawyer," Niamh looked impressed, smiling at Sam. He seemed the type to be passionate about his job, and she wasn't sure how she could tell, but he just seemed like a person who would care in general, and that made her feel so much more attracted to him, if that was even possible. "I'm a nurse in a children's ward." She smiled, indicating to the Mickey Mouse character beside her name.

Aveline grinned with the mention of it. "The moment I hug it, it will probably combust," she joked lightly in return, watching him for a moment, admittedly enjoying how easily it was to just talk with him and joke with him. She'd never found something like that so easy with most people, outside of Niamh. "Oh, manly muscles, huh? Cute, nice." She nodded with approval, laughing as they got to her house and she motioned to her car. "There's the culprit. The jerk, such a heartbreaker."

"Yeah," Sam confirmed with a smile, nodding slightly, glad that Niamh seemed impressed with it. It'd been his dream job when he'd tried to be normal, so the fact that he would actually get the opportunity to indulge in that a bit while he was here made him fairly excited. But, he already knew that spending time with Niamh made him more excited than the fact that the job he'd always wanted back then was now his. He leaned forward, though, to get a peek at the Mickey Mouse character. "Oh, wow. Does that get emotional?" He peered over at her, blinking, though he knew that the job suited her well. She seemed like such a genuinely nice, caring person.

"Oh, that's right." Dean grinned. "I forgot, it hates you." Following Aveline to the driveway, Dean tutted at the car disapprovingly, shaking his head in false disappointment. "See, there's your issue - it hates it's colour." Dean joked as he popped the hood, loving how he could joke openly with Aveline, loving that there were no monsters he was aware of, knowing she was safe, out of danger. Dean looked to Aveline. "Alright, hop in, start her when I tell you to." He smiled.

"Okay, be honest with me, how many messy divorces have you seen?" Niamh laughed, shaking her head. "I promise I won't tell." She smiled sweetly, admiring Sam in his suit, just appreciating how handsome he was, how easy to talk to, and how, if she wasn't thinking so far ahead, how he seemed to be suited to her perfectly. "It can be, but the good heavily outweighs the bad." She smiled. "Love the job, love the kids I meet." She shrugged lightly, wrapping her hands around her warm cup of coffee, offering Sam some.

"The color's not so bad!" Aveline said with a pout, though she smiled after a moment and shook her head. Nodding slightly, she retrieved her keys and made her way over to the car, climbing in, though she left the door open so she could hear Dean. "Five bucks says she starts up immediately because she's trying to be a flirt."

"Um, three," Sam told her as he thought about it, surprised that he could remember the amount and that he could even remember what happened in them. Smiling, though, he shook his head and looked to her. "I don't blame you there. It feels good to be helpful, and saving lives feels amazing, I'm sure." He knew it was, but he couldn't outright say it. He blinked to the offered coffee, though, and smiled, nodding as he accepted some of it.

Dean laughed. "I can't help it, Aveline, I'm just so incredibly handsome." He joked, fixing a few things under the hood. "Alright, give it a start, let's see how this kitten purrs." He grinned at his own lame joke, again, but he felt such good chemistry between himself and Aveline, he couldn't stop himself. Laughing as the car came to life on the first try, Dean grinned. "I think she's good!"

"Really?" Niamh looked genuinely interested. "Okay, well, I guess if I accidentally run over an old lady, I'll want you to be my lawyer." She offered him a more sincere grin, having gotten over her initial shyness, knowing that Sam would get her sense of humour. "It does." She nodded in confirmation to his words, watching as he sipped her coffee, smiling as he seemed so content, biting her lip.

"I told you she's a flirt!" Aveline whined, though she laughed as she climbed out of the car. "Treacherous thing, you just wanted a man's attention." Shaking her head at the car, she smiled over to Dean, grateful for his help despite her joking. "Thank you, Dean. This car drives me crazy, so I'm glad somebody got her to listen."

Sam blinked but laughed quietly. "I can't imagine you ever actually running over an old lady - or anybody, for that matter. You seem like too good of a person," he told her with a grin, "Accident or not." Smiling, he nodded as he offered her drink back to her. "I'm sure. Any hero stories you're willing to tell?" He arched a brow, genuinely curious about her, wanting to know as much as possible.

Dean laughed, closing the hood of the car and smiling over at Aveline. "I'm glad I could help." He smiled genuinely, and he meant it. "But uh, sometimes my garage gets cars in to be sold over to someone else, if something good comes along, should I let you know?" He asked with a smile. "Truth be told, I don't think this old girl has much life left in her."

Niamh laughed. "I don't think I'd run anyone over," She promised. "I actually hate driving. I walk everywhere." She sipped her coffee, not minding sharing it with Sam one bit, finding it came easily to her. "Uh, nothing to tell, really." She smiled. "I've met some really great kids though, makes you feel a little less bleak about the future." She smiled. "And kids are way better at holding conversations than a lot of adults." She laughed.

"I'm not surprised. She's had to deal with me commuting to college a town over and back every day for four years, plus driving to work every day," Aveline said, sighing dismally with the thought of losing her car, but she wondered if it would be best to give the car a retirement. "Yeah, I guess it'd be a big help to get a new car, so if it's not any trouble, I'd really appreciate if you let me know."

Sam listened to her quietly, watching her for a moment. "Is there any reason why?" he asked with curiosity, not trying to press her or convince her that it wasn't practical, but genuinely just curious about it, wanting to know more about her. He smiled, though, listening to her talk about the kids, and he enjoyed the way she looked when she spoke about them, and how amazing her laugh sounded. "You seem to really love them."

"Sure thing." Dean smiled. "Uh, do you have a number I can reach you on?" Dean didn't know why he was asking, he didn't know how long he was going to be in that version of reality, and yet, he'd already found a reason to stay in Aveline. "And for what it's worth, she's had a good run." Dean smiled, tapping the hood of the car gently.

Niamh smiled. "I just don't trust other drivers." She shrugged, sipping her coffee again. "Plus, walking's a great way to stay in shape." She pointed out with a laugh. "I'm a sucker for kids, I can't lie." She smiled. "We have a few regulars with us sometimes, and they're so incredibly amazing in their own way." She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, glancing at the clock to see their hour was almost up, and Niamh didn't want to say it out loud, but she wanted, more than anything, to stay in the moment with Sam, knowing that as soon as he was out of her line of sight, she'd miss him.