Eat The Rich

"And then I pulled his pants down," Annie smiled as she took another sip from her grape flavored Big Gulp.

Sam was doubled over in the front seat, laughing his ass off while Dean gripped the steering wheel, quietly fuming.

"That's what happened when one touched the barbie. I think Dean learned his lesson," Annie said smugly from the backseat.

"Too old for birthdays. I knew there was another reason." Sam rolled down the window but the warm muggy night air offered no relief. "Dude, you might want to consider loosening the purse strings a little. Air conditioning would be nice."

"How about when we get to the motel, I stick you in the fridge?" Dean scowled.

"That would require you paying for a room that had one," Annie said. She leaned over and offered Sam a sip from her drink.

She looked over at Dean and noticed the fine sheen of sweat on the column of his neck. "Here." Feeling sorry for him, Annie offered his some too.

He grunted his thanks and then proceeded to empty the cup.

"Oh you're welcome," Annie said sarcastically, shaking her head.

They pulled into the parking lot of the first motel they came to after they passed the road sign welcoming them to Santa Barbara.

Dean went on in to the front desk to get them a room while Sam and Annie waited by the Impala.

"So how you doing?" Sam asked her, his brown eyes warm with compassion.

"You mean because I should be on my honeymoon right now?" She asked sadly. "I'd really rather not talk about it. Wallowing isn't exactly my thing, you know? How about you? I bet you could use some wallow time," Annie reached over and rubbed Sam's back as they sat on the hood of the car.

"I've wallowed enough for a lifetime," Sam replied fiercely. "Now it's time for action,"

"I'm with you," Annie nodded, feeling a shiver of dread trickle down her back. They'd be fine, she told herself. As long as the three of them stuck together, they'd be able to fight whatever was out there.

"I have bad news and bad news some more," Dean replied coming towards them. "First, get off my car."

Annie rolled her eyes and slid off the hood.

"They only had one room left," Dean informed them, sticking his wallet in his back pocket.

"You're kidding," Annie said with a groan. Then she stiffened and narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion. "That's all they had or that's all you're willing to pay for?".

"Sure, Annie because there's nothing I'd like more than being stuck in one room with the foghorn and the trumpet. Not quite what springs to mind when I imagine me in a threesome."

"Dude!" Sam screwed up his face in disgust.

"You're a pig." Annie spat pushing past him towards the building.

"Well, I never," Dean mocked dramatically.

"Hey, man. Come on," Sam said.

"What?" Dean asked blankly turning away so Sam had to follow him towards the motel.

"Cut her some slack. Her fiance was just murdered by what may or may not be the spirit of her dead mother. The butting heads thing was funny when you two were kids but haven't we all grown past that?"

Dean stopped and turned to his younger brother, appearing to be considering the wisdom of his words. "She started it."

When Dean unlocked the door to their room, Annie saw what his second bit of bad news was. There were only two beds.

"Man..." Annie groaned dragging her feet across the questionably grimy carpet. She dropped onto the bed closest to the bathroom, tossing her gym bag containing her few possessions on the floor.

"Ha. I don't think so," Dean pulled her by the arm to her feet. "Seeing as I paid for the room--"

"With a stolen credit card!" Annie replied pulling her arm back and sitting back on the mattress.

"Oh for the love of--Look Dean, here, take my bed. Jesus!" Sam got up and gestured to the single bed with a violet bedspread.

"Well, I hope you're happy," Annie sneered at Dean as Sam grabbed his sleeping bag from his bag and spread it out on the carpet.

"What I am is tired so shut your yap." Dean turned and went to check out the bathroom.

Annie listened to John Winchester's voice in his outgoing message. That same strong, soothing voice had calmed her fears when she was young. As she grew older, the voice was more often then not, barking orders at her and inspiring her own fury. Now his voice taunted her with its simple detached message. Annie wondered if John was on the other end listening to her plea to call them back. Listening and once again, not deeming her worthy of his attention, ignoring her. She nearly gave in to the urge to throw the phone on the gravel of the parking lot and stomp it to pieces.

"Voicemail?" Dean asked with grim resignation.

"Voicemail," Annie confirmed. "Did you tell him I was coming along with you guys?"

"I left him a message, yeah. Called me back and gave me what for."

"But not where he was, right?" Annie asked

sticking her phone in her pocket.

Dean stiffened. "He wants to take care of business on his own. I respect that."

Annie opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it. What was the point, really? Dean's devotion to their father was an immovable point and he rivaled Annie herself for stubbornness. "Well, I'm off to bed. 'Night, Dean." She placed a hand on his shoulder in dismissal and then moved back towards the door to their room. He caught her wrist with his fingers, startling her.

"Annie, I..." Dean cleared his throat, his adams apple moving sharply.

"Yeah?" She asked, looking down at his fingers and trying to shake the surge of...something, through her blood at the feel of his fingers on her skin.

"I just...well, about Jack, I wanted to say I'm..."

Annie pulled her hand back quickly. "Don't,"

Dean blinked in surprise and in the darkness his eyes looked almost sad as they regarded her.

"Please. I don't really want to talk about or think about that night so...please."

"Okay," Dean nodded taking a step back.

Annie tamped down the biting pain of guilt and focused on the fact that Dean had tried to do a good thing. Though she knew there was no need. A taunting voice reminded her that she was the reason Jack was dead, not Dean. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek, feeling her stomach tighten at the taste and memory of his skin against her lips. "As much as you enjoy pissing me off, I think you just might be one of the good guys."

Dean smiled at her, his eyes lighting up at her words but he quickly veiled the pleasure at her words under his common nonchalance. "Who told you that? I'll kick his ass."

"I'm going to sleep, Winchester. You could use some beauty sleep yourself."

"Such a charmer," Dean joked following her inside.

Annie woke to the sounds of clicking and the shower in the background. She stirred, grumbling at the scratchy sheets beneath her and opened her eyes. The off white paint was bubbled in places on the ceiling and cracked in a few others. Looking over to Dean's bed, she noticed it was empty and guessed that it was him in the shower. She lifted her head and saw Sam sitting at the small tray table in the center, intensely focused on his computer screen, his shaggy brown hair falling into his eyes as it constantly did. She made a mental note to offer to trim it for him later.

"If I ask you what you're looking at and it's porn, just lie to me, okay?" Annie joked, raising herself up onto her elbows. The shower on the other side of the door stopped running.

"Very funny. Good morning. Want some coffee?" Sam picked up one of the styrofoam cups of the tray and handed it to her.

She gave him a sleepy smile and scrambled quickly towards his outstretched hand. "You were always my favorite brother."

"I heard that, you little brat!" Dean shouted through the bathroom door.

"Mmm, and it's still warm too." Annive shivered pleasurably after taking a sip.

"Dean, hurry up and get out here. I think I found something," Sam called out.

Dean came out, rubbing a towel through his dark, short hair. He wore jeans and nothing else, his chest still slightly damp and flushed from his shower.

Annie averted her eyes quickly, not liking how quickly the sight of his tight muscled body familiarly affected her. It had been years, and his body, if anything, had grown more beautiful. Annie swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. He'd probably be one of those men who were still strong and distinguished in what should be their dotage.

"Listen to this. Three people in their early twenties found dead in the gated community of Highbrook. Two men, one woman."

"Some freak ass love triangle gone bad?" Dean offered, taking a seat next to Annie at the foot of the bed.

"Maybe, but I've never heard of a murder/suicide where the victims bleed each other to death," Sam explained. "Not to mention how the third guy would have drained his own blood from his body."

"Okay, ew," Annie exclaimed with a shudder.

"The blood was drained from their bodies? And where did it go?" Dean asked.

"There's one possibility," Sam suggested, swallowing down a surge of bile.

"Vampires?" Dean and Annie asked at the same time.

"Vampires," Sam agreed.

"Looks like we've found ourselves a job, boys and girls," Dean announced.