sparks fly, sam winchester [ 2 ]

010. shapeshifters

Miranda is sitting in the backseat of the Impala and doodling while Sam is on his phone and Dean is getting gas.

"Alright, I figure we'd hit Tucumcari by lunch, then head south, hit Bisbee by midnight." Dean says. Sam doesn't respond, still looking at his phone. "Sam wears women's underwear."

"I've been listenin', I'm just busy." Sam says.

"Busy doin' what?" Dean asks.

"Reading emails." Sam says.

"Emails from who?" Dean asks.

"From my friends at Stanford." Sam says.

"You're kidding. You still keep in touch with your college buddies?" Dean asks.

"Why not?" Sam shrugs.

"Well, what exactly do you tell them? You know, about where you've been, what you've been doin'?"

"I tell 'em Miranda and I are on a road trip with my big brother. I tell 'em we both needed some time after Bella."

"So, what, you not only don't tell me stuff, but you talk for me to our friends without me knowing? Nice." Miranda remarks.

Sam quietly sighs, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Oh, so you lie to 'em." Dean sums up.

"No. I just don't tell them... everything." Sam says.

"Yeah, that's called lying. I mean, hey, man, I get it, tellin' the truth is far worse." Dean says.

"So, what am I supposed to do, just cut everybody out of my life?" Sam asks and Dean shrugs. "You're serious?"

"Look, it sucks, but in a job like this, you can't get close to people, period." Dean says.

"You're kind of anti-social, you know that?" Sam asks. "God..." He mutters, reading an email. Miranda glances at him, but focuses on the doodling.

"What?" Dean asks.

"In this email from this girl, Rebecca Warren, one of those friends of mine." Sam says, Miranda looking up at her friend's name.

"Is she hot?" Dean asks. Miranda rolls her eyes.

"We went to school with her and her brother, Zack. She says Zack's been charged with murder." Sam informs.

"What?" Miranda sits up, leaning over the seat to read the email.

"He's been arrested for killing his girlfriend. Rebecca says he didn't do it, but it sounds like the cops have a pretty good case." Sam says.

"Dude, what kind of people are you hangin' out with?" Dean asks.

"No, man, I know Zack. He's no killer." Sam says.

"Yeah, the only thing I've ever seen a bit of harm to is a fly." Miranda says.

"Well, maybe you two know Zack as well as he knows you." Dean says.

"They're in St. Louis. We're goin'." Sam states.

"Look, sorry 'bout your buddy, okay? But this does not sound like our kind of problem." Dean says.

"It is our problem. They're my friends." Sam says.

"St. Louis is 400 miles behind us, Sam." Dean looks in the car, Sam giving him puppy dog eyes. "Fine." He grumbles.

+++

They get to Rebecca's house and knock on the door, her soon answering.

"Oh, my God, Sam, Miranda!" She exclaims, seeing him.