Fic: Wild By Skye (20/27)
Sam! miss you! gr8t news! just had a baby! wud luv 2 c u! Becky
Sam stared sullenly at the text message on his cell phone. He'd heard his phone beep with an incoming message while he was sitting at a fast food joint table waiting for his brother. Dean had gone to the bathroom a few minutes ago, leaving Sam to ponder his new text message that had arrived shortly after Dean announced his imminent bodily functions (to the chagrin of the mother of two at the next table).
They'd stopped for lunch in Arvin, California, outside of Bakersfield. Dean still seemed to be wandering aimlessly in a general westward direction with no destination in mind. Sam wondered if Dean would only change course when he hit the ocean and couldn't keep driving. But Sam wasn't picky. They didn't have a job to do, and it was nice to be back in California.
It was as though Becky had known he was close and sent him the message just to torment him. He knew she hadn't, but it still felt that way.
It was surreal. He remembered Becky, the college girl. She still had two years left toward her degree, but apparently her plans had changed since Sam had left Stanford. Now she was a mother. She'd fallen so effortlessly into that normal life Sam had fought tooth and nail to have… and lost. He was happy for her, but it hurt, too.
Sam stared at the text message a long time, tapping the fingers of his free hand idly against the table. They were so close to Palo Alto, and it would be nice to see some of his old friends again.
But it was a different world, a different life, and one that he now knew had no place for him. A Winchester need not even coming knocking, and there'd be hell to pay if they did.
He was just wondering if he could get away with a text message reply or if he should graciously decline the invitation to visit in an actual conversation when his brother's voice came from over his shoulder. "Who's Becky?"
Sam started and glanced back at Dean. He felt the foolish need to hide the message. "Ah… friend from Stanford."
Dean narrowed his eyes at the text. "And she's telling you about her popping out a kid?" He looked down scornfully at Sam. "There's not something you need to tell me, is there, little brother?"
"What? No!" Sam scowled indignantly. "Dean, it isn't mine."
Dean held up his hands. "Dude, just checking."
Sam continued to give him at dirty look.
Dean reclaimed his seat across from Sam and lifted his eyebrows expectantly. "So?"
Sam sighed. "Becky and her brother Zach were friends of mine… and Jess's." Sam closed his phone with heavy resignation and put it aside on the table. Though he tried to put it out of his mind, his eyes kept going back to the phone, as if it were a snake that might up and bite him if he turned his attention away from it.
Sam could feel Dean's eyes on him, but he didn't want to deal with what his older brother's gaze might say. So he didn't look.
"You want to stop by and do the whole social thing?" Dean asked. From his tone, Sam could tell Dean couldn't fathom why anyone would want to do something like that (at least, not to visit a chick that he knew going in he had no chance of sleeping with), but he was asking just the same.
Sam didn't answer immediately, then he shook his head. "Nah… it's fine. I mean, would probably be weird anyway." And it probably would be weird, but still… Sam tried to tell himself it would be too weird and he had to forget about it. It would be better for everyone that way.
Dean studied Sam quietly a moment. Then he nodded to himself. His eyes cut to his own phone sitting on the table next to the wrapper of his decimated burger. His expression darkened for half a second. Before Sam could question it, Dean said, "Call her. Tell her you'll stop by."
Sam blinked, surprised at Dean's sudden capitulation. "What? Look, it doesn't matter."
"No, we're here. Might as well. I can tell you want to."
Sam chewed on his lip. He did want to see his old friends again. Being his friends aside, it had a strange voyeuristic appeal. He might never have a family, children of his own, so seeing his friends celebrate the birth of a child might be the closest he would ever get to knowing what it was like.
"They'll ask questions…" Sam resisted lamely.
Dean shrugged. "So? If there's one thing a Winchester is good at, it's lying."
"You say that like it's something to be proud of," Sam grumbled.
"Whatever works. Call her."
Sam looked longingly at his phone, trying to imagine how the conversation would play out, what the visit would be like.
One of the children sitting at the next table began to screech in the throes of a temper tantrum.
Dean grimaced. "There's my cue. I'll meet you outside. Get what's her face's address."
"Becky's… you sure about this?" Sam asked one last time.
Dean was already standing and gathering his jacket in one hand. "Totally." Dean paused for half a second, then he reached over and picked up his phone. Again, there was a hint of something unreadable and strained in his face. Sam squinted at his big brother. What was going on in that head of his? Dean had been so closed off lately, in 'batten down the hatches' mode, that Sam was hard-pressed to get past the wall. At least he knew the wall was about Skye, but what about her was troubling him now? That detail Dean had not disclosed, and Sam didn't know how to ask the right questions to get an actual answer.
Then Dean was gone, fled the restaurant, and Sam picked up his cell phone and hesitated another second before dialing Becky's number.
"Becky? Hey, it's Sam."
Twenty-One
Sam stared sullenly at the text message on his cell phone. He'd heard his phone beep with an incoming message while he was sitting at a fast food joint table waiting for his brother. Dean had gone to the bathroom a few minutes ago, leaving Sam to ponder his new text message that had arrived shortly after Dean announced his imminent bodily functions (to the chagrin of the mother of two at the next table).
They'd stopped for lunch in Arvin, California, outside of Bakersfield. Dean still seemed to be wandering aimlessly in a general westward direction with no destination in mind. Sam wondered if Dean would only change course when he hit the ocean and couldn't keep driving. But Sam wasn't picky. They didn't have a job to do, and it was nice to be back in California.
It was as though Becky had known he was close and sent him the message just to torment him. He knew she hadn't, but it still felt that way.
It was surreal. He remembered Becky, the college girl. She still had two years left toward her degree, but apparently her plans had changed since Sam had left Stanford. Now she was a mother. She'd fallen so effortlessly into that normal life Sam had fought tooth and nail to have… and lost. He was happy for her, but it hurt, too.
Sam stared at the text message a long time, tapping the fingers of his free hand idly against the table. They were so close to Palo Alto, and it would be nice to see some of his old friends again.
But it was a different world, a different life, and one that he now knew had no place for him. A Winchester need not even coming knocking, and there'd be hell to pay if they did.
He was just wondering if he could get away with a text message reply or if he should graciously decline the invitation to visit in an actual conversation when his brother's voice came from over his shoulder. "Who's Becky?"
Sam started and glanced back at Dean. He felt the foolish need to hide the message. "Ah… friend from Stanford."
Dean narrowed his eyes at the text. "And she's telling you about her popping out a kid?" He looked down scornfully at Sam. "There's not something you need to tell me, is there, little brother?"
"What? No!" Sam scowled indignantly. "Dean, it isn't mine."
Dean held up his hands. "Dude, just checking."
Sam continued to give him at dirty look.
Dean reclaimed his seat across from Sam and lifted his eyebrows expectantly. "So?"
Sam sighed. "Becky and her brother Zach were friends of mine… and Jess's." Sam closed his phone with heavy resignation and put it aside on the table. Though he tried to put it out of his mind, his eyes kept going back to the phone, as if it were a snake that might up and bite him if he turned his attention away from it.
Sam could feel Dean's eyes on him, but he didn't want to deal with what his older brother's gaze might say. So he didn't look.
"You want to stop by and do the whole social thing?" Dean asked. From his tone, Sam could tell Dean couldn't fathom why anyone would want to do something like that (at least, not to visit a chick that he knew going in he had no chance of sleeping with), but he was asking just the same.
Sam didn't answer immediately, then he shook his head. "Nah… it's fine. I mean, would probably be weird anyway." And it probably would be weird, but still… Sam tried to tell himself it would be too weird and he had to forget about it. It would be better for everyone that way.
Dean studied Sam quietly a moment. Then he nodded to himself. His eyes cut to his own phone sitting on the table next to the wrapper of his decimated burger. His expression darkened for half a second. Before Sam could question it, Dean said, "Call her. Tell her you'll stop by."
Sam blinked, surprised at Dean's sudden capitulation. "What? Look, it doesn't matter."
"No, we're here. Might as well. I can tell you want to."
Sam chewed on his lip. He did want to see his old friends again. Being his friends aside, it had a strange voyeuristic appeal. He might never have a family, children of his own, so seeing his friends celebrate the birth of a child might be the closest he would ever get to knowing what it was like.
"They'll ask questions…" Sam resisted lamely.
Dean shrugged. "So? If there's one thing a Winchester is good at, it's lying."
"You say that like it's something to be proud of," Sam grumbled.
"Whatever works. Call her."
Sam looked longingly at his phone, trying to imagine how the conversation would play out, what the visit would be like.
One of the children sitting at the next table began to screech in the throes of a temper tantrum.
Dean grimaced. "There's my cue. I'll meet you outside. Get what's her face's address."
"Becky's… you sure about this?" Sam asked one last time.
Dean was already standing and gathering his jacket in one hand. "Totally." Dean paused for half a second, then he reached over and picked up his phone. Again, there was a hint of something unreadable and strained in his face. Sam squinted at his big brother. What was going on in that head of his? Dean had been so closed off lately, in 'batten down the hatches' mode, that Sam was hard-pressed to get past the wall. At least he knew the wall was about Skye, but what about her was troubling him now? That detail Dean had not disclosed, and Sam didn't know how to ask the right questions to get an actual answer.
Then Dean was gone, fled the restaurant, and Sam picked up his cell phone and hesitated another second before dialing Becky's number.
"Becky? Hey, it's Sam."
Twenty-One