This is the first real outsider POV I've written, a result of trying to work through some other writer's block and also wanting to write the brothers as being a bit more everyday heroes. Hence, this story. Set sometime after season 8, but it doesn't get into specifics. Thanks for reading!

Nope, I don't own Supernatural.

The graveyard shift totally blew. Normal shifts, even filled (filled generally constituted about ten or so) with customers, some pissed at the machines, some about whatever drive they had been on, some coming in like they owned the place, were better than the seemingly never ending quiet that sunk into the walls around her. Lena didn't even know why Mackey insisted on staying open 24/7, the station was pretty much in the middle of nowhere Kansas, not many people stopped by. Sure, it was right off the interstate and about five minutes out of the nearest town, but when the interstate was deserted and the town was small, it didn't mean much.

But on the off chance someone did come in at whatever time it was in the morning before the sun was up and the pump declined the credit card, someone would be there inside to assist. Yeah, like that ever happened.

Lena glanced at her watch and blew out a breath at seeing it was just past two in the morning. Just four more hours, then Maggie would come in to relieve her and take over for the day's crowd.

Lucky for her, there was always tidying to be done around the small mini-mart next to the gas pumps outside. Gum packs needed restocking, things could be pushed around to look more orderly, there was a spider web in the corner…maybe she'd leave that for Maggie.

It was far from the best job in the world, but it was summer and she was quite literally a broke college student, so she would take what she could get.

The radio's low tones in the background were the only sound in the shop, along with her movements around the store and occasional hums along to the tunes. She didn't mind being alone, it was calming and she was armed to a degree, of course, but the hours ticked by so slowly and the only thing past the white lights above the pumps was darkness and eventual fields.

The restocking took half an hour or so, and then she moved behind the counter to wipe down. Shapes moving by the windows in front had her head immediately snapping up from the work station. Lena watched closely as two men in sweatshirts entered the store, which was strange, since they didn't seem to have a car out front by one of the pumps and there wasn't much in walking distance.

"Evening," she greeted calmly, even though it was technically morning, she didn't really care. She got a slight smirk in return from both of them, which totally wasn't unsettling at all. They were both pretty decently sized guys and she kept one eye on them until they moved to the back of the store towards the drink refrigerators.

Lena tried to go back to cleaning and organizing, but something about the men was definitely off. There was hushed conversation she couldn't quite make out, and once or twice they glanced to look at her and then at the cameras in the corners of the shop. If they were trying to be inconspicuous, they weren't doing a good job, and very slowly it began to settle in that she was quite possibly getting robbed.

One guy she could go up against, maybe, but she also didn't know what they were holding in their sweatshirt pockets, and didn't particularly want to find out.

They were in the middle of nowhere, which meant there wasn't much cash on the premises, but it also meant that Mackey hadn't swung for the latest and greatest in terms of security upgrades. The cameras were a definite bonus, but they hadn't gotten around to a panic button, which Lena was really itching for at the moment.

Another glance over at her at the register, and she quickly picked up the spray bottle and went about her business wiping down the counter. Maybe from that distance they couldn't see her hands shaking.

A thousand thoughts were flying through her mind at that very minute. What if she made a run for it? Could she get her phone out and call someone without them noticing? What if they were armed, much more that her pocket knife could handle?

Lena reached for another paper towel and looked outside just in time to hear the rumble of a deep engine before she even saw it. The guys in the back seemed too caught up in their own conversation to notice, but Lena kept her eyes on the outside as a hulking black muscle car pulled up to one of the pumps. She couldn't place the year, but it had to be classic and a few decades old. They just didn't make beautiful cars like that anymore.

That was it, if she could just get whoever's attention was in the car, maybe they could help. Except the guy that stepped out was big, probably taller than the ones currently in the store. He looked worn down, even from far away, and blinked a few times as to clear tiredness from his eyes before he went around to get the pump working. Was it worth it to try and get his attention and hope he could help?

She didn't even have to look back at the guys in the store to have made up her mind. She'd rather chance it with some possible help than be stuck with two guys who were almost definitely about to do some harm. Thankfully, the guy put the pump on automatic and came back around to lean against the driver's side door, aimed right towards the store's windows. He had moved slowly and tiredly, probably stiff from a long drive she wouldn't doubt.

Lena's hands stilled on the spray bottle and towel in her hands as the man looked through and made eye contact with her, though he was seemingly disinterested. She leveled her eyes with his and jerked her head ever so slightly, praying that he could even see it. Hell, maybe he was too tired from driving at three in the morning to even notice, she had no idea.

She pursed her lips and moved her eyes to the right where the men were hidden from the other guy's view. It was akin to screaming for help, and was the most she could do in the situation. The guys could turn around to look at her any moment, she couldn't risk doing much more.

The man was still looking at her, slightly more quizzical as the seconds passed. But then there was a click from the gas meter signaling that the tank had been filled. He looked as she tried to get across that there was really something wrong, but then moved back around to the rear end of the car.

That was it. He'd drive off, probably none the wiser, and she was left to deal with whatever the inevitable fallout of this was going to be. After this, she was forcing Mackey to get an alert button, for sure, no question about it.

Her hand began shaking again and she clenched it around the towel, trying to figure out what her next move should be. But more movement from the car kept her mind from getting too far in that process.

Before she knew it, the man that had filled up the car was walking in (with maybe a slight limp? She couldn't completely tell) through the door with an even taller man by his side. They had to be a foot taller than her, at least, but the sight of some other people that didn't seem to have any ill intentions was such a relief that she could have collapsed on the spot.

"Morning," the gas guy said in a low tone. He stopped in front of the counter as his buddy stayed more in the middle of the store and looked around. He looked even more tired then his counterpart, if that was possible, but she'd take any help they may be able to offer. Lena noticed immediately that the hushed conversation from the two probable would-be robbers had stopped.

"Evening," she replied shakily, not even trying to hide the tremors in her hands anymore.

The guy, the one with shorter hair than his companion, kept looking at her, but she again didn't sense anything off, more of that he was trying to figure out what the hell she had been doing staring at him through a glass window. "Things alright?" his voice dipped down to almost below a whisper that only the two of them would be able to hear.

"I think I'm being robbed. Two guys, probably weapons, soda wall," Lena said, matching his volume, and tilted her head towards the right where the men had been.

The guy nodded ever so slowly, apparently taking her seriously. "Get down, stay down, you hear?"

Lena nodded back, not sure what he was about to do, and stayed up long enough to see him gesture to his buddy, who also apparently got the message. She got down behind the counter and flipped open her pocket knife, just in case, and held it tightly. Some rustling and two clicks followed, and if she didn't know better she'd say it was the hammers being pulled back on additional guns. Four armed guys? What had she done?

"Listen up!" The shout, from the man she had been talking to, made her jump, and based on the sounds of something falling to the floor, made the other guys jump too. "It has been a long, long day. Now how's about you leave the nice fill up joint alone and go on your merry ways?"

She hadn't heard anything from the second guy, and was waiting for a response from the robbers. Her fingers were almost literally crossed that they would in fact go on their merry way and she could call Mackey before dawn demanding better safety.

"How's 'bout ya don't get involved where ya don't belong?" came the reply.

There was a sigh from the man by the counter. "I warned you," was all he said.

A single moment passed before there was more movement and a "hands up! Don't move!" from the soda wall and quick boot steps of the man from the counter moving to the back of the store.

"What are ya gonna do? Shoot us?"

If Lena had to guess, the guys from the car had the robbers cornered, or at least she hoped so.

"This can end peacefully, just walk away." It was the same voice, so the super tall guy then. A beat of silence followed before something, probably a person, hit something else, and a shot went off. Lena reflexively let out a short scream and curled further behind the counter. There were obvious sounds of a struggle, grunting, rustling, and at one point what was probably the chip rack fell over and added a menagerie of crunching to the mix.

There were a few heavy hits, some adjusting and heavy breathing, and then the rustling stopped.

"Hey kid, you okay?"

Lena's shoulders sagged in relief at the counter man's voice, slightly out of breath, but victorious from what it sounded like.

"Yeah," she said tentatively and began peeking up from the counter. The chip rack was indeed in shambles, with bags spread out across the floor. The men each had a gun out, a pistol by the look of it, and their chests were heaving, with the taller one sporting a red mark on his cheek and the other kneeling next to the body of one of the would-be robbers. "Oh gosh, they're not…"

"Dead?" The counter man stood up and winced ever so slightly before he nudged the guy with his boot. "Nah, just unconscious. Made a leap for Sam's gun and it went off," he tilted his head towards the taller man.

"Sorry." The guy, Sam, actually apologized and shot her a small smile before his hand ghosted over the mark on his face. Sorry? For scaring her?

"Sorry? You guys just…saved me," she said, to which the guy smirked back at Sam. "Thank you."

He waved it off as if it was nothing. "You should probably call the cops," he added.

Lena's mouth half fell open. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, right, I should," she shook her head, her heart still pounding wildly in her chest as her fingers fumbled with her phone, putting her knife back into her jeans pocket. As she made the report, the men tied up the robbers with some duct tape around their wrists and rather unceremoniously dragged them across the tile floor and leaned them up against the outside of the building.

When the dispatcher informed her that units were on the way and that it was okay to hang up since the threat had been dealt with, she did so and braced her hands against the counter. Lena took a few breaths to steady herself just in time for the man to come back in, leaving Sam outside to watch over the robbers.

"Help coming down?" he asked, almost nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just literally saved the world.

"Yeah, they said, um, a few minutes tops. We are kind of in the middle of nowhere," Lena nodded. "But, I mean, I've already been helped. Sorry for the, you know, weird staring and all that, and thank you."

The guy just shrugged and smiled tiredly at her. "Happy to help. But you may want to look for other employment?"

"We'll see…is there anything I can do to repay you? Beef jerky for the road or waters…I don't know," she stopped herself before more words would spill out, which tended to happen when she got nervous.

He stretched his hands out in front of him and shook his head. "No repayment needed, seriously, we're glad we got here when we did." It was Lena's turn to look at him appraisingly, and she didn't see anything beyond the genuine desire to help behind his words.

She looked back outside to Sam, keeping guard over the unconscious nutcases, when she pointed a finger. "Ice, for his cheek, I can do that." She waited before moving, just in case it was met with a 'no', but the man nodded.

"Appreciate it…"

"Lena," she smiled a little, and would've stuck out her hand for him to shake if she was sure he wouldn't be able to feel the tremors.

"Lena," he finished with a small nod. "Dean," and tilted his head, "that's Sam."

She was glad to finally be able to put names to faces, especially for these guys, and busied herself pulling out a clean towel and some bags to fill with ice from the ice cream cooler by the door. "Do you guys drive around at two in the morning saving every woman you meet?" she asked jokingly, since her nervous mouth couldn't be stopped and she was definitely still running on adrenaline.

To her credit, Dean actually chuckled, as if it were a joke only he himself knew the real answer to. "Yeah, something like that," he smirked.

Lena filled two bags with ice, just in case the first melted too quickly, wrapped them each in a second bag, and handed them with the towel to Dean. He took them and looked at them almost appraisingly for a moment, shaking one lightly in his hand. "Mind if I ask a favor?"

She nodded quickly. "Of course, anything for you guys, shoot."

Dean hesitated just a second more. "Would you mind filling in the cops on what went down? They've got the tapes, the eyewitness, the fingerprints on the guys' weapons, everything they should need…" he started slowly, "we'll hang in the car until we see the lights, just to be sure, but I really need to get him home," he tilted a bag of ice towards Sam, who was standing outside, tiredly keeping an eye on the unconscious men.

Lena's first instinct was to say no, she'd like them to stay, she had no idea how to handle cops or what to say, but she very quickly realized that after all they'd done, probably following or still in the middle of a long drive, they were just asking for a break. And with the thugs out cold, she couldn't really ask for more than that, but also had the feeling that they'd stay if she wanted.

"I'll be good," she affirmed with a nod, set in her decision. If she hadn't already been looking at him, she would've missed the almost imperceptible way his shoulders seemed to sag a bit more forward.

"Well alright then." He rapped his knuckles on the counter and transferred the bags to one hand so he could open the door. Sam looked up as the two of them exited and Lena was happy to see that the men were leaning up against the side of the store, completely oblivious to the outside world. "Lena here offered some ice for your dashingly handsome mug, as she put it," Dean said, a slight glint in his eye as he tossed Sam a bag.

Lena opened her mouth because no, that was not what had happened, but Sam smiled, seemingly used to Dean's antics. Whether they were friends or brothers, she couldn't quite tell, but they were definitely close.

"Thank you guys, really," she reiterated, making sure to look between both of them, "I don't know how many people would do what you did."

The men cast a quick glance towards each other, and she didn't know them well enough to say what it meant. "Just glad we could help," Sam assured, giving her the same response that Dean had, completely praiseless, as if it were just another day on the job. Seriously, who were these guys?

Lena didn't know what else to say other than another thank you, so she opted with "have a safe ride home" and they both told her to have a safe rest of her night.

She kept one eye on the unconscious men and the other on Sam and Dean as they made their way back to the muscle car and got in. True to Dean's word, they stayed until she could make out red and blue lights coming towards them on the horizon. She caught a small wave from Dean out the window, which she returned.

They turned out of the station, the red taillights still barely in view as the police car pulled up. Thankfully, it was Jim from the station (perks of living in a small town in the middle of nowhere was most everyone knew everyone), who she would have no problem talking to and describing what had happened.

As Jim was getting the men, who had started to lazily rouse, into the car, Lena pulled out her phone and dialed Mackey.

He answered with a gruffer voice than usual. After the last hour, she just wasn't in the mood for it, and replied accordingly. "Yeah, Mackey, I'm aware of the time, but there's cops outside the store so you should probably think about getting over here." There was some muffled cursing on the other end of the line before it went dead.

With the men in the car, Jim came to collect her statement, and Lena found herself describing how two tall men had pulled into the gas station and saved the day before it had even begun.

So remember how I said this was an outsider POV? Well I started writing another chapter from the Dean's perspective (kinda defeats the purpose of an outsider story but oh well) complete with the hunt background, some minor injuries, and a few small brotherly moments. I'd be open to finishing it and posting it if anyone's interested? Thanks again! Any feedback, constructive criticism, anything, on this, if greatly appreciated since it's a bit out of my comfort zone :)