APOLOGIES, BACK-STORIES AND VANILLA MILKSHAKES
Ebony wandered to Dean's room, scuffing her foot on the floor. She wasn't in the mood for apologising, and for making some bullshit 'I'm broken' or 'I'm your friend' kind of excuse. At times she wished she'd just get this vengeance thing over with, blurt it out to them and see how they react. Then kill them.
Yet she needed him on her good side, mainly because she needed a ride to her date. She knew there wasn't any point in asking Dean if she could take the car, as she already knew the answer. This was the best thing she could get.
Swallowing her pride, she tapped on the door. "Dean?"
The music from inside lowered, and she suddenly thought if this was what he was like as a teenager, listening to eighties rock and being moody. Imagining him as a child was difficult for her; she couldn't see him as being innocent. Her thoughts were cut off when the door opened a crack, and Dean's face appeared in it. "What do you want?"
"To apologise." His eyebrows rose. "Yes, I'm sacrificing my bad ass reputation to come here and tell you," she choked on the words, the two words refusing to come out of her throat. She cleared her throat, trying again. "I'm so sorry that you can't understand me."
Dean opened the door fully, the creak breaking the tense silence. He leaned on the doorway, smirking. "That was the crappiest apology I've ever heard. In fact, that wasn't even an apology."
"Give me a break, I'm trying here!" She whined, building up her confidence. In a hurry, she rushed the painful words out. "I'msorrythatIwasanass."
Dean's eyebrows folded in on each other, and he cupped his hand around his ear, as though he couldn't hear anything. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
"You're such an ass," she playfully hissed. Taking a deep breath, she forced the words out. "I'm sorry that I was an ass, you didn't deserve it. I was kind of cranky."
"Is there a reason for this said crankiness?"
"I'll tell you, but can I come in? I feel extremely awkward in this hallway, as though I'm your one night stand trying to break it to you that I'm pregnant."
His stony expression broke, and he let a small smile pass over his face. "Sure." He stepped aside, allowing Ebony to get in. "Welcome to my man cave."
She pretended to goggle at everything, as though it was her first time drinking in his room. She'd remembered all of the small details of his room, and nothing had changed since the time she came in last. Even the beer bottle was in the same place. Nodding towards the bed, he shrugged, "Knock yourself out, it doesn't have bed bugs. That I know of."
"Thanks for telling me that, I think I'll just stick to standing." She crossed her arms, her feet going numb. She hoped it wouldn't take long, she wanted as much time as possible to get ready for her date.
"So what's your excuse for being cranky?" Dean abandoned the door, leaving it open for a quick exit. She thought that it was more for his benefit than hers. He walked over to his desk, pushing aside books about ancient curses and perching himself on the edge.
"Normally in this type of situation, I'd say that my little friend had arrived and I was bleeding more than a murder victim but I want to be truthful. It's not often that I am, sometimes it's refreshing to be," she tucked some of her hair behind her ear, nervously flattening the wild locks. "When someone says to me, 'you're not trust worthy', I always think of my mom. When I was fifteen, I was meant to be looking after Ruby. My parents had left to go hunt a nest of vampires, and I don't know how they found out where we were but they did, and at the time I was making scrambled egg. These vamps crash through the window, and before I can react one of them is chowing down on my sister." Ebony's eyes gleamed, and she dug her nails into her palms, hoping the pain will make her stop. "By the time I can kill them my sister is nearly dead, and my parents come home. They screamed blue murder when they saw her, and my dad cradled her dying body as my mom turned to me. 'We can't trust you. You can't protect even your sister, how can you protect the world? You're not trust worthy.' That's what she said, and was the last thing she said to me before she drove down to a crossroads and reserved herself a place in hell."
Dean stayed silent, taking all the information in. "Couldn't they have tried to heal her the normal way?"
Her voice was thick, and Dean realised he felt empathy for this girl. "They couldn't exactly stitch up half a ripped throat and pump her full of blood. We needed a miracle, and with no God to save her, we turned to his rebellious son."
He tucked his hands into his pockets, turning to Ebony. "Why are you telling me this?"
"I want you to know that I'm not just some girl with psychotic thoughts who throws the occasional anger fit. That I'm one of the worlds most complex creations, with so many layers I've lost count. I want you to know that what I do, I do because I have a reason that makes sense to me, not because I'm some ruthless killer. I want you to know that even the worst sins I've committed, and will commit, are not random acts. And I'd like you to understand that."
"Is your speech over?" Dean remarked, rolling his shoulders back.
"I think," she commented, cracking a tiny smile.
"Good, because I forgave your apology about ten minutes ago. I wanted to see how long you'd natter on for."
"Wow, you're such a jester, you should get employed by the king for entertainment."
"This is what I keep telling people!" He exclaimed, and they laugh together. It almost seemed as though this was something they'd been doing for years, arguing, making jokes and being friends. To any outsider it'd seem that they were just friends, and not unspoken enemies.
Time flew by, and when she asked Dean for the time she felt her heart contract. She said she'd meet her date in two hours and she didn't even have a ride yet. "I have a favour to ask Dean."
"Great, where's the body I need to bury?"
"Hilarious," she shoved his shoulder. "In all seriousness, I need your help."
"Okay, ask away." He rose his arms behind his head, leaning back in that 'cool guy' manner.
"I need a ride to a dinner in two hours, and I was wondering if you'd like to do the honours of being the taxi driver."
"No, do I look like I have time to drive you to your play date?" Ebony comically looked around her, searching for anything Dean could be doing. Once her search was over, she stared him in the eyes.
"Yes."
"You're a cheeky observant shit," Dean muttered. "Do I have to?"
"I made you eggs and toast, you owe me."
"I didn't even eat it!"
"I still went to the effort to cook it with love."
"Screw it," he exclaimed. "It'll be the only exciting thing about tonight anyway."
She grinned, running up to Dean and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, squealing. "Thank you!"
He was taken aback, shocked at her enthusiastic reaction. This didn't stop him from wrapping his arms around her too, resting his chin on the top of her head. "You're welcome kiddo."
*
They were sitting outside the dinner, the car still running. Ebony was biting her nails at a rapid pace, all of the perfectly polished nails none existent. Her leg was jumping up and down, and she couldn't stop the panicky thoughts racing through her head. In her nervousness, she didn't see Rebecca stride to the entrance of the dinner, phone out ready to message Ebony.
"Ebony, you're meeting up with Rebecca?" Dean had been suspicious, especially with the fact that she made Sam and Dean go out and find perfume. That'd been an experience in itself, and Dean wished to never re live it.
Sam turned around from the front passenger seat, repeating Dean's question. "Ebony why didn't you tell us?"
"Maybe because I was already crapping myself! I don't need the added pressure of 'so are you going to kiss' and 'do you want to practise your moves on me?' And, how the hell did you think I was meeting up with a friend? I've already told you they're dead, so if you actually thought that, I may be going on a winding path down to crazy town." Her words got faster, until Sam and Dean could no longer hear what they were. They just nodded, not wanting to aggravate the woman.
"Well, good luck." Sam offered, sticking a thumbs up.
"Wait, she's here?" Ebony popped her head over the seats, spotting her date. In disbelief, she whispered to herself, "She actually came."
Dean heard this, and spun around to face her. "Of course she came! She'd be a fool not to." He smiled at her, and she shakily grinned back. "This is the point where I'd tell you to wear protection, but..."
"We get it Dean, she's lesbian, stop with the jokes." Sam commented, unable to fight a grin.
Dean brushed off what Sam said. "Okay then, you can do this Ebony. Give us a call when you're finished, and if you call us tomorrow, well you'll never hear the end of it."
Sucking in as much oxygen as possible to calm her erratic heartbeat, she spoke. "Thanks guys, this means a lot."
With that, she got out of the car, walking to where her date was waiting. She could hear the cars continuous rumble behind her, and she knew that she wasn't alone. They were waiting for her to go inside, she realised suddenly. Again, she was conflicted as to who the bad guys were.
She shook her head, begging herself not to talk or think about these things tonight. She refused to think of Celeste as she was with Rebecca, and she banned herself from even thinking of anything but the beautiful girl in front of her.
After what felt like years, she was standing before her. "Hey." She breathed out, the warm night chill not being excuse enough for her shaking.
"Hey," Rebecca replied, in awe. "You look great."
"So do you," Ebony complimented. "Do you want to go in?"
"Yeah sure."
They walked through the chiming dinner doors as one, quickly being able to slide into a chair. The cool leather made Ebony shiver even more than she was before, and Rebecca felt an urge to ask her about it but she felt the crippling nerves prevent her. They sat there awkwardly, Ebony tapping her fingers on the desk and Rebecca sitting straight, her boredom obvious.
Ebony didn't want it to be this way. She had to think of something, fast.
She grabbed the menu, placing it on the table for Rebecca to see. "What do you want?"
"Um," Rebecca thought, eyes scouring the list of food and drink. "I'd kill for a milkshake."
"Flavour?"
"Vanilla, of course." Rebecca said it as though it was fact, and Ebony liked that.
"Personally, I prefer a nice, sweet strawberry one, but I'm feeling adventurous tonight." Ebony scraped some money out of her pocket. "Excuse me, I'll be a minute."
"What are you doing?" Rebecca's question fell on deaf ears as Ebony was already at the counter, ordering a single vanilla milkshake. It was ready in a matter of minutes, that seemed to pass by in years. The waitress passed her the drink, and with one hand Ebony grabbed two straws, bringing it back to the table.
"Why two straws?" Rebecca asked as Ebony placed them in the drink.
"Well, I thought that this cliché seems to work in the movies, that and I'm cheap." Rebecca snorted, and she covered her mouth self consciously. Ebony laughed.
"The movies have finally got something right then," she flirted, picking a straw and taking a large gulp.
Ebony agreed, "At last."
Silence again fell between the two, and Ebony was more than a little disappointed. She loved chatting to her, and it seemed so easy. Ebony searched her brain for ideas but came up with nothing.
Rebecca pipped up, "How about we play a game of twenty questions?"
"I'd love that."
Ebony stared into her chocolate eyes, admiring her dark skin that she couldn't draw her eyes from. Rebecca was talking animatedly about her special effects make up course, something Ebony had asked about, waving her free hand around wildly, her face full of childish delight. She nodded along, drinking up every word and drowning herself in the sweet melody that was her voice.
They stayed there talking, sharing a milkshake, for hours. As the night grew on, their hands grew closer to each other, until finally they were intertwined over the table exposed for the whole world to see.