Count the Headlights on the Highway
7
Vivian spent a few hours cleaning. The boys had a lot of clutter around since they’d been holed up in the motel for a few weeks, working the two cases. Sam had arranged his dirty laundry in a neat, separate pile. Dean, however, had managed to mix every piece of clothing he owned in a jumbled, wrinkly mess. In fact, it appeared to Vivian that none of his clothes were necessarily clean so much as clean enough.
She tried to take educated guesses, giving up, and ended toting all of his clothes down to the laundry room the motel provided. She folded everything nicely at the end of their beds when she returned. When that was done, she crawled around, picking up sandwich and candy bar wrappers. When everything was spotless, she found herself with nothing to do but wait.
She tried to watch TV. She even tried to get off on some cheap, soft-core porn Dean had left out. She was too restless. By the time three a.m. rolled around, she was in the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face to try and calm her nervous stomach.
When the front door slammed close in the other room, Vivian didn’t have time to poke her head out to greet Dean and Sam. Dean rushed into the bathroom, eyes red. His eyelashes were stuck together, salty wet.
“Honey, what’s wro-”
He grabbed her by the back of the neck and pressed his lips hard onto hers. His nose pushed almost painfully against her face. His breath came out of his nostrils in a whimpering burst. She closed her eyes, massaging his temples, then rubbing his back. He was resisting the signals to calm down. A few tears rolled down the length of his nose onto hers. She pulled away to better rock him. “Shhhh.”
He silently let her coddle him. His breathing didn’t make a sound.
Knowing he didn’t have it in him to tell her, Viv looked into the hotel room from the threshold. She half-feared the problem was a lack of Sam. To her great relief, he was sitting in one piece on the bed.
What she didn’t expect though was the pair of blond twin girls, no more than four-years-old. He was rocking one to sleep while the other one sat next to him with her head on his shoulder, already dozed off.
“What the hell is going on,” Vivian hissed. Sam shushed her, trying to lay both of the girls down. The one he was holding clung to the front of his shirt, whining pitifully. Sam’s bottom lip quivered. “Go see Uncle Dean, okay,” he tried to soothe in a shaking voice. The girl reluctantly slid from Sam. As she flew past Vivian at a breakneck speed, Viv just barely caught the little girl’s look of terrified distrust.
Before turning around, Viv watched as Sam sat at the feet of the other little girl who was already passed out, and began to cry. She turned her attention to Dean again, who quickly wiped his puffy eyes and tried to smile, collecting the tiny creature in his arms. She pressed her entire face into Dean’s cheek, scared of Vivian.
“Are you Lydia or Cladia, honey?”
“I’m Liddy,” she whispered.
“Well, Liddy, why don’t you crawl into bed with your sister?”
Liddy wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, shaking her head.
“Hey, hey hey- that big goofy lug out there, you remember his name?”
“Tsaaamy,” she lisped, yawning.
Dean attempted to chuckle. “That’s right. That’s Sammy. And… and Sam’s not gonna let anything hurt you or Claudia,” Dean was nearly growling by the end of his sentence.
Dean gave her a good squeeze before setting the child down to sprint back to Sam.
“Dean, what happened back there?”
“Outside,” he said, standing up and leading her out the door. As they passed by Sam, they heard Lydia begging him to sleep between her and Claudia. Before Dean and Viv had left the hotel, Sam gave in, clumsily worming his huge body between the girls on the tiny bed.
Vivian’s stomach was turning in an sickening, continuous flip. Whatever had the Winchesters this torn up, this spooked, had to be awful.
She tried to take educated guesses, giving up, and ended toting all of his clothes down to the laundry room the motel provided. She folded everything nicely at the end of their beds when she returned. When that was done, she crawled around, picking up sandwich and candy bar wrappers. When everything was spotless, she found herself with nothing to do but wait.
She tried to watch TV. She even tried to get off on some cheap, soft-core porn Dean had left out. She was too restless. By the time three a.m. rolled around, she was in the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face to try and calm her nervous stomach.
When the front door slammed close in the other room, Vivian didn’t have time to poke her head out to greet Dean and Sam. Dean rushed into the bathroom, eyes red. His eyelashes were stuck together, salty wet.
“Honey, what’s wro-”
He grabbed her by the back of the neck and pressed his lips hard onto hers. His nose pushed almost painfully against her face. His breath came out of his nostrils in a whimpering burst. She closed her eyes, massaging his temples, then rubbing his back. He was resisting the signals to calm down. A few tears rolled down the length of his nose onto hers. She pulled away to better rock him. “Shhhh.”
He silently let her coddle him. His breathing didn’t make a sound.
Knowing he didn’t have it in him to tell her, Viv looked into the hotel room from the threshold. She half-feared the problem was a lack of Sam. To her great relief, he was sitting in one piece on the bed.
What she didn’t expect though was the pair of blond twin girls, no more than four-years-old. He was rocking one to sleep while the other one sat next to him with her head on his shoulder, already dozed off.
“What the hell is going on,” Vivian hissed. Sam shushed her, trying to lay both of the girls down. The one he was holding clung to the front of his shirt, whining pitifully. Sam’s bottom lip quivered. “Go see Uncle Dean, okay,” he tried to soothe in a shaking voice. The girl reluctantly slid from Sam. As she flew past Vivian at a breakneck speed, Viv just barely caught the little girl’s look of terrified distrust.
Before turning around, Viv watched as Sam sat at the feet of the other little girl who was already passed out, and began to cry. She turned her attention to Dean again, who quickly wiped his puffy eyes and tried to smile, collecting the tiny creature in his arms. She pressed her entire face into Dean’s cheek, scared of Vivian.
“Are you Lydia or Cladia, honey?”
“I’m Liddy,” she whispered.
“Well, Liddy, why don’t you crawl into bed with your sister?”
Liddy wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, shaking her head.
“Hey, hey hey- that big goofy lug out there, you remember his name?”
“Tsaaamy,” she lisped, yawning.
Dean attempted to chuckle. “That’s right. That’s Sammy. And… and Sam’s not gonna let anything hurt you or Claudia,” Dean was nearly growling by the end of his sentence.
Dean gave her a good squeeze before setting the child down to sprint back to Sam.
“Dean, what happened back there?”
“Outside,” he said, standing up and leading her out the door. As they passed by Sam, they heard Lydia begging him to sleep between her and Claudia. Before Dean and Viv had left the hotel, Sam gave in, clumsily worming his huge body between the girls on the tiny bed.
Vivian’s stomach was turning in an sickening, continuous flip. Whatever had the Winchesters this torn up, this spooked, had to be awful.