Wasting Them

McKenly had a hard time even facing him in the car. She kept her distance, keeping to her side of the car, leaning against the door. They didn’t speak much, except when he asked if she was hungry. They’d stop at a taco join or a diner, eat in silence, and be on their way. They didn’t talk, but it seemed like Dean would occasionally look over her way and start to say something. Only after a moment, he would change his mind, sigh, and return back to his food. McKenly wasn’t sure if she wanted him to say anything or not. Part of her thought the talk would just make things worse. The other part missed the fun, sarcastic banter with her best friend.

In just about a day, the two had arrived just outside of Sunny California in a town called Ehrenberg. The two stopped to pick up burgers and take them to a motel where they would stay for the night.

McKenly groaned internally, not wanting to stop and spend another night alone with Dean. As much as she didn’t want to, McKenly thought that getting Sam might ease the tension and put another person between them. “I could drive for a bit. If you wanted to keep going. I could get us there by morning.”

Dean hesitated.

“Do you not trust me with your car?”

“I trust you just fine. We need to talk before we have Sam. Have an actual conversation about what happened instead of grunting at each other.”

McKenly scoffed. “I’m not really a fan of chick flicks.”

Dean laughed, understanding.

“Besides, there really isn’t anything that we need to talk about.”

“You haven’t talked to me all day and I’m pretty sure it’s not laryngitis.”

McKenly opened her door and pushed herself out of the car. She walked towards the lobby to get a room.

“Are you gonna ignore me forever?” Dean yelled after his friend.

McKenly turned around, walking backwards, and throwing her hands up to the side. “You wouldn’t be able to stay away from me for that long!” she shouted back, smirking. She turned back around and walked into the small, undecorated lobby.

An old man sat on a stool behind a tall desk. He looked up from his papers, barely noticing her, but did a double take and smiled.

“Hey, there, Miss.” He said, his smile turning into something creepy.

McKenly smiled back, tightly. On the inside, she was disgusted, but she showed a flirty smile. McKenly walked up to the table and leaned her elbows on it, being sure to flash a little bit of cleavage. She certainly hated doing this, but it was the easiest way to get a discounted motel room. “Hi,” She said, breathily. “I need a room. Only, my car broke down a bit up the road and I don’t have much cash. Do you think I can get a room for…” McKenly reached into her back pocket and pulled out a few twenties. “...this?”

The man laughed. “Well, lucky for you, we’ve got a special goin’ on for pretty ladies like yourself. Room’ll cost just that.” He said.

McKenly rolled her eyes internally, but kept her smile. “Thank you.” She said. When she realized that the man wasn’t moving for a key, she leaned down on the desk and grabbed one. When McKenly stood up again, she stuffed a twenty into his shirt pocket. She winked and walked out of the lobby being sure to sway her hips a little more than usual. McKenly sighed as she pushed herself out of the door, going back to the car.

“How much?” Dean asked.

McKenly smirked at him, opening the truck to retrieve their bags. “Twenty.” She bragged, before realizing. “Not that I’m talking to you, of course.”

Dean laughed. “Well, I’m proud of ya.”

“Proud?”

“Yeah. You’ve got that whole...sexy thing to you,”

“I’m not sexy.” She said shaking her head and gesturing to her jeans, old tank top, and military jacket.

“If you were to turn it on for a few minutes, I’m sure you could get more. For free even.” Dean suggested.

McKenly bit her lip and turned her head to hide her blush. She walked towards the room she grabbed and unlocked the door. As soon as McKenly got into the room, she dropped her bag on the ground and dove for the bed, closing her eyes.

Dean walked around the room and sighed. “Ken, get up.”

“I’m trying to sleep.” She pointed out, muffled by the pillow.

“No, you’re not.”

“How would you know?”

“I know you. I know that you would never sleep in your jeans, and I know that you’d never let a cheeseburger go cold.”

McKenly turned her head and opened her eyes to glare at Dean.

“Glare at me all you want, sweetheart, but you’re going to talk to me about what’s bugging you.”

McKenly sat up and crossed her legs. She reached her hand out for Dean to give her a cheeseburger.

Dean handed her the bag and leaned against the dresser, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I’m not good at awkward. Really, really not. It wigs me out and then i start sweating, which we both know isn’t pretty.”

Dean raised a brow. “Ken, the point.”

“We, uh, we cuddled.”

Dean laughed. “So?”

“It’s not funny, Dean.” McKenly scolded.

Dean quickly wiped the smile off of his face, trying to keep a straight look with her. It was hard for him though because he did find the situation funny.

“You are my best friend. I just think it’s weird, is all.” McKenly clarified. “Best friends, or at least us, anyway, we aren’t supposed to cuddle. And we especially aren’t allowed to like it.” She stressed. “It shouldn’t be ‘the best sleep you’ve had in a long time’.”

“If I said it wasn’t, I’d be lyin’.” Dean joked. “‘Sides, you’re making a big deal outta nothing.”

“Am I?”

“Yeah. You are. You had a bad dream. I stopped you from freaking out. It worked.”

“So, you thought that you’d just stay in my bed? Fall asleep with me? Just like one of your stupid one night stands?”

“Hey, you were the one who fell asleep first. I just didn’t want to wake you up.”

McKenly groaned. As much as she tried, she probably wasn’t going to win this fight. She did feel uncomfortable about the situation, but she also knew that Dean was just trying to comfort her. She sighed. “Is there beer in the car? I’d really like a beer.” she asked, standing from her bed.

Dean smiled and nodded. “I’d love a beer.” He said.

“‘Course you would.” McKenly held out her hand for his car key that he passed over. She walked out of the room to grab the cooler out of the trunk of the car. McKenly mentally kicked herself along the way thinking how stupid she had been. As she opened the trunk, she thought she saw a shadow in the corner of her eye and quickly turned her head. Squinting through the darkness, McKenly tried to make out the shape of the shadow. A yellow glow soon showed across the lot. McKenly walked around the car, hand reaching around her back to grab the grip of her gun. The more that she walked forward, the more the glow faded away. McKenly stopped halfway to where she thought the glow was and stood there for a minute.

“Ken!” Dean shouted from inside the room.

McKenly jumped at the sound of his voice.

“‘Dr. Sexy, M.D.’ is on!” He called.

McKenly turned around, slowly, to see him leaning on the door frame.

“Everything okay?” Dean noticed her defensive stance and her hand’s position on her gun. He took a few more steps out of the room

“Yeah.” McKenly turned back to where she saw the glow, seeing nothing anymore. “We’re good. I just thought I saw something.” She walked back to the car to grab the cooler. “It’s nothing.”

Dean nodded and gently pushed her back to the room with a hand on her back. Once Dean had McKenly safe inside, he leaned out the door so he could get a look around outside. Once he thought that the coast was clear, he closed the door, locking every bit that he could, not that it would stop anything that they ever dealt with.

The two sat up against the headboard of the bed that was directly in front of the television, with their burgers, watching their guilty pleasure show.

After the show was over, Dean looked over at the clock on the nightstand. It was just around one in the morning. Dean looked back to his friend. “Alright, just so we’re clear, even though you probably slept just as good as I did last night, we’re sleeping in different beds?”

McKenly nodded. “I think how we’re doing things is working.”

“Alright then.” He said, getting up off of the bed to get his duffel bag.

McKenly did the same, reaching for her sweatpants and a different t-shirt to sleep in. She quickly changed in the main room while Dean entered the bathroom. McKenly had only just pulled down her shirt when Dean entered the main room again. The two laid down on their separate beds and turned out the lights.

McKenly laid on her side, facing away from Dean’s bed. She thought about the glow she saw in the parking lot. The strange glowing yellow seemed all too familiar but she couldn’t place where she’d seen it. She turned over the other way, a yellow glow coming from the digits on the clock. McKenly scoffed, grabbing a pillow and placing it on top of the clock to block out the light.

McKenly laid down on her back, facing the ceiling, but all she could think about was her dream. Her parents stuck on the ceiling. Screaming. Burning. She spent the next hour trying to force herself to fall asleep, switching from one side to the next. Finally, McKenly gave up, leaning over towards Dean’s bed, squinting to see if she could tell if he was awake. “Dean?” She whispered a little loudly.

Dean’s bed squeaked as he shifted.

“Dean, you awake?”

“Yeah,” He answered groggily, having not really been awake. “What’s up?”

McKenly contemplated how to answer his question. “I can’t sleep.” She said, sighing, wishing that she didn’t have to say it. McKenly waited a second, listening for the sound of his covers moving again.

“Come here.” Dean said.

McKenly scoffed, hearing the smirk in Dean’s voice. She climbed out from under her own covers and moved into his bed. McKenly curled herself into Dean’s side and his arms tightened around her.

“I knew you couldn’t resist me.” Dean joked.

“Shut up.” McKenly said, closing her eyes, and instantly relaxing with her head on his chest, which was covered this time with a shirt.

“Good night, Ken.” He said with a truly caring tone in his voice. He earned a grumble in response from McKenly, and drifted off to sleep quickly.

!@#$#@!

The two of them decided to sleep in the next morning to get as much sleep as they could. McKenly would never admit it out loud, but she did think sleeping with Dean was doing her some good. Since she would never admit it aloud, she also wouldn’t want Sam to know about it. If Dean was set on Sam going back to the hunting life with them, it meant they couldn’t sleep together after that night.

McKenly was not at all excited about Sam coming back to work with them. He was so set on going to college, she knew he wouldn’t come back. In McKenly’s eyes, Sam had made his decision to leave a long time ago and he left with a fight. There was no way that he would go back to hunting even if Dean got on his knees and begged.

While Dean was in the shower, his phone beeped from the night stand.

McKenly furrowed her brow and walked to it. She picked it up and flipped it open, noticing that he had a voicemail from John. McKenly put his password in his phone and put the voicemail on speaker and listened to it. “Dean!” She called. When he didn’t answer, she called a second time, louder.

The sound of the shower quickly stopped and Dean pushed open the bathroom door. He had a towel wrapped around his waist. “What?”

McKenly replayed the voicemail, this time on speaker.

“Dean, something is starting to happen. I think it’s serious. I need to try to figure out what’s going on.”

“Is that Dad?” Dean asked.

McKenly nodded.

“Be very careful, Dean. Especially with Ken. We’re all in danger.”

“That’s all?” Dean asked, earning a nod from McKenly. “How did I not hear this last night?” He asked, moving forward to grab the phone from her and listen to the message again.

“Maybe the sleep was way too good.” McKenly said with an eyebrow raised.

Dean narrowed his eyes at her. “We need to leave. Now.”

McKenly laughed. “You should, uh, probably get dressed first.” She looked him up and down with a smirk on her face.

“Right.” Dean pushed the phone back into McKenly’s hand. “There’s EVP on that and some words I can’t quite make out. Figure it out. I’m getting dressed and we’re out.”

McKenly nodded, replaying the message. She listened to it over and over, until she was finally able to make out the words Dean couldn’t quite hear. Something about the case he’d found in Jericho, California. This information would help Dean get Sam to go with them. There was no way that Sam could resist getting his dad out of serious trouble.

When Dean was dressed, the two loaded up the Impala, returned the key, and hit the road. It was less awkward for McKenly this time, having felt bad about their spat and realizing they were just sleeping. There was no relationship forming between the two and she had overdramatized the situation. In the end, McKenly really did like sharing a bed with Dean. She felt safer with him and got more sleep knowing that he was right next to her.

Granted, McKenly didn’t want to get Sam to go with them, but she knew that Dean did. Sam was his brother and there was no going around that. Plus, him being around would make things easier on her because he knew a lot about the lore and was sometimes even better at figuring things out. Sam always seemed to prove that to her while he and McKenly stayed back at the hotel and John and Dean would go out on the hunts.

It was dark by the time the two reached Stanford. The Impala was stopped in front of an apartment building. Dean leaned an arm out his window and examined the building.

McKenly leaned over in the seat to do the same. “Are you sure that this is it?” She asked, unsure about it being the place.

Dean nodded. “This is exactly what he would have wanted. Something different.”

McKenly shrugged, relenting. She glanced to the clock on the center console. “Dean, it’s pretty late. Are you just gonna knock on the door and expect him to answer or come with us? He’s the one that left, remember?”

“I know that.” Dean defended. “That is why I don’t plan on knocking.” He reached into the glove compartment, grabbing a lock pick kit. Dean pushed himself out of the Impala, McKenly quickly followed him. The two climbed a few sets of stairs until he came to his brother’s apartment. Dean got to his knees and started to pick the lock.

“Dean, you know he was a hunter, right? There’s a very good chance that he could kill us before we get to say hi. Let’s just wait until tomorrow.”

Dean shook his head, working on the lock. An ‘aha’ came from him when he got the lock to click. He stood and turned the knob, but the door wouldn’t open. He groaned.

McKenly smiled, realizing that Sam was smart enough to have more than a pickable lock.

Dean moved to a nearby window. He pushed up on it and it opened.

McKenly groaned, “Kinda makes the multiple locks a little unnecessary if you’re just gonna leave the window open.”

“Ladies first.” Dean said, gesturing to the window.

McKenly threw Dean a fake smile and climbed through the open window.

Dean quickly followed after her, his feet hitting the floor with a loud thud, making McKenly turn around to glare at him.

“Smooth, slick.” she whispered. “Now we should really get out of here.”

Dean shook his head, putting a finger to his lips. He entered a new room, the door creaking as he pushed it to the side. A few steps in, a hand grabbed onto Dean’s shoulder. Dean quickly grabbed onto the arm and held it, turning his body so he could have the upper hand. He pushed the guy towards the next room and charged at him.

McKenly quickly followed after both men, sticking to the doorways so as not to get in the way. This room had more light in it and she was able to make out the guy’s face. “Sam, stop!” She called, but she only distracted Sam long enough for Dean to grab him and hold him on the ground.

“Whoa, easy, tiger.” Dean joked.

Sam took a few deep breaths. “Dean?” He questioned before his focus turned to McKenly in the doorway. “Ken?”

McKenly smiled and waved lightly. “Surprise.” She said, lamely, entering the room fully, standing at Dean’s head.

Dean earned Sam’s attention again and the older guy chuckled.

“You scared the crap out of me.” Sam claimed.

“That’s ‘cause you’re outta practice.” Dean retorted.

This caused Sam to press on Dean and quickly roll him over so that Dean was being held against the floor.

Dean laughed again. “Or not.” His voice was a little strained. “Get off me.” Dean said, pushing Sam up.

Sam got off his brother and reached a hand down to help him to his feet. “What the hell are you two doing here?”

McKenly grabbed Dean under his arm, being an extra help in support.

“Well, I was looking for a beer.” Dean said, speaking for himself. He stepped forward, grabbing onto his brother’s shoulders, taking him in, almost as if he couldn’t believe that he was really standing in front of him.

“Sam?” A small voice called and a light turned on. Everyone’s eyes moved to check out the new voice.

“Jess, hey.” Sam answered. He looked to Dean. “Dean, McKenly, this is my girlfriend, Jessica.”

“Wait, you’re brother Dean?” Jess said with a smile.

“And awesome friend, McKenly.” McKenly joked quietly from behind Dean.

Dean smiled. “I love the smurfs.” He regarded. “You know, I got to tell ya…”

“Here we go…” McKenly sighed.

“You are completely out of my brother’s league.”

McKenly walked forward, grabbed onto Dean’s jacket collar and pulled him back. “Did ‘girlfriend’ not register through your thick skull?” She whispered forcefully.

“Just, let me put something on.” Jess gestured back to where she came from.

“Oh, no, no. I wouldn’t dream of it. Seriously.”

“Sorry about him.” McKenly stepped in front of him. “I’m McKenly, not that you would know at all who I am.”

“Oh, I do. Sam talks about you all the time. You’re practically his sister.”

“Did he say that?” McKenly joked, looking back at Sam. “Anyway, we’ve kinda got to borrow your boyfriend here, just for a moment, if you don’t mind. Some private family stuff. It was awesome meeting you.”

“No.” Sam said, defiantly.

“No?” McKenly looked back to Sam. “When did you grow a pair?” She asked as Sam walked over to Jess, putting a protective arm around her.

“No,” Sam reiterated. “Whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of her.”

McKenly looked to Dean.

Dean raised his brow and shrugged. “Okay. Um, Dad hasn’t been home in a few days.”

Sam took a breath. “So, he’s working overtime on a ‘Miller Time’ shift. He’ll stumble back in sooner or later.”

Dean nodded.

McKenly sighed. “Sam, John’s been on a hunting trip.” She stressed. “And he hasn’t been home in a few days.

Sam tensed up slightly, but his expression didn’t change.

McKenly kept eye contact with him, but his eyes moved to Dean.

Jess was looking up at her boyfriend.

Sam swallowed. “Jess, excuse us.”