Running From Insanity

11. Stood Up

Many excruciating hours later, we'd made it to the restaurant this Annie wanted us to meet her at. She wasn't here yet. The pier view was pretty cool, but I was more focussed on leaning over Sam's shoulder to look at the menu. Dean was looking at a newspaper, trying to find anything on the sonsofbitches known as Leviathans.

I pointed to a burger on the menu. "That one looks really good," I stated, my mouth practically drooling. One thing about a Mental Facility was that we hardly ever got fried food. This was heaven!

"Do you see how many calories that is?" he murmured. "Over a thousand, Melinda." I frowned at the use of my name. I thought he acquired a nickname for me. I kind of liked that nickname, too.

"Yeah, but remember where I've been?" I asked. "We can worry about calories later!" I feel like that's gonna come back and bite me in the butt...

Sam rolled his eyes and flipped the one-page menu over. "We need to start training you."

"Training me? For what?"

"So that you won't get any more of those," he answered, motioning to my arms. They were currently hidden under my flannel shirt I changed in to. Blood had started to seep through the bandages and I didn't want to raise alarm. "We've had years of experience. If you wanna stick around, y-you've gotta know how to fight."

"I thought I handled my own pretty well out there," I joked. "Got some nice reminders." I motioned to my arms with a plastered smile.

"Yeah, passing out is handl—"

"If I remember correctly," Dean cut in, his eyes jarring into Sam's chest while a smile danced on his lips. "You were down for the count, too."

"Before I was!"

"Anyway, cut the chit-chat," Dean ordered, gazing seriously at the newspaper. "Get this, Dick Roman is funding another archaeological dig. Guy moves more dirt than 'The Drudge Report.'"

"Isn't that the head levia-whatever?" I asked. The name rang a bell, I believe they had mentioned him in the car.

"Yeah, well, any-anything on what he's digging for?" Sam answered, then put his attention back on Dean. His eyes slid to me. "And it's Leviathan."

"Don't you think I would have led with that?" Dean deadpanned.

"Yeah, Sam, gosh," I teased, slightly nudging his side. Sam just sighed and looked at his watch. I caught his drift; she still wasn't here. She was starting to get aggravating, and I didn't even know her yet.

"Annie's not usually this late, is she?" I asked, raising a brow.

"No, never," Dean replied worriedly. "She's totally compulsive. I'll try her cell." Dean pulled out his phone and started dialing.

"You know, uh, you know she and Bobby had a thing, right," Sam stated, looking away from the menu and at his brother. He was trying to make useless banter.

"Yeah. Yeah, I knew that," Dean muttered. "Really?"

"Yeah. Kind of a foxhole thing—very Hemingway," Sam replied.

"Huh. She and I kind of went Hemingway this one time, too," Dean stated.

"Gross," I squealed. "Not needed, or wanted information!" Then I smirked. "That's why you wanna meet up with Annie? Let me guess, flowy, red hair? Eyes you'd kill for?" My laughter was contagious, Sam started to join in. Before Dean could give me a snarky reply, Sam replied to his statement.

"All right, well... That happens," Sam said, making a guilty looking face. My jaw physically dropped.

"You, too!?" JInx.