Far Away Places #TeamFreeWill

Far Away Places

A pair of eyes found Sam as he entered the restaurant, taking in his stride and the way his hands were tucked into his pockets. They were blue and soft, belonging to a girl who's wavy hair framed her face. When their gazes met, she smiled and he did the same. Instead of finding a booth as he normally would, he felt comfortable enough to walk to the bar where she sat.

Mystic Grill was the first eatery the Winchester's passed as they rode into the heart of Mystic Falls. It's exterior was a forest green and it sat on a corner demanding to be seen. A group of teenage girls had been seated outside laughing and taking bites from their burgers, while the boys, just tables away, tried to get their attention.

Sam watched them until they exceeded his field of vision, and old houses began to line both sides of the street. He told himself he'd go there before their trip was over. If not later that evening, the next day. Being with Dean so much gave him all the reason to want time to himself. He was doing a lot more thinking lately, possibly too much, but it was the only thing keeping him sane.

Seeing those kids reminded him of how different his and Dean's lives had been. Their entire lives were shaped around a responsibility they never asked for, and it forced them to view life like clockwork: you go where you're called and you don't ask questions.

"Nice car," the girl said as he got closer. "My dad's friend used to drive one like it."

"Oh, really?" He said as he sat one stool down from her, pulling out his dad's journal.

A few loose pages were on the verge of slipping out, so he opened it to readjust them along the bind. The girl caught a glimpse of a peculiar drawing and was curious until he looked at her with a smile. There was a certain warmness in his eyes that made her feel at ease.

"But the car isn't mine, mine," he then said. "It's more my brother's but since we're together all the time it's also mine in a way. If that makes any sense. Sorry." He chuckled and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind his ear.

She smiled. "No, you're good. If I had a sister, I honestly feel like sharing wouldn't be a thing. It's nice to have stuff that nobody else can mess with."

He rose a brow. "That sounds like a variation of selfishness."

She laughed. "It's not. Be quiet."

"Alright." He turned his attention to his dad's journal and angled it out of her line of vision.

He could feel her gaze on his face but he kept turning through the pages as if he was alone. The illusion that he focused made her all the more frustrated.

"Hey." She eventually poked his side and he jumped a bit. "Ignoring people is rude."

"You told me to be quiet, so I followed your request." He was trying not to smile.

Her mouth fell open and she let out a surprised laugh. "Rude. What's your name, by the way?"

"Sam."

"I'm Caroline. And I know you're not from around here, so welcome to Mystic Falls."

When Sam made it back to their motel, Dean was sitting on the bed while Castiel stood in the corner. Neither of them spoke as he took off his jacket and tossed the car keys and room card onto the scratched desk.

A creased formed between his brows. "Uh, hey."

"Hello, Sam. Dean does not appreciate that you left without notifying him. I informed him of your location when he asked, and he requested my presence so he wouldn't 'hurt' you."

He scoffed. "Wow. Real mature, Dean. You were asleep. If I woke you up you would've said no, or decided to come with me, and I wanted neither of those things. I just needed some time to breathe. I was only gone an hour."