Title: Come What May
Fandom: One Tree Hill/Supernatural
Genres: Angst, Romance, Crossover
Pairing: Dean/Peyton
Spoilers: One Tree Hill, "The Leaver's Dance"; Pre-Supernatural
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't 'em. Wouldn't be able to keep my hands to myself if I did. The title comes from the Air Supply song of the same name. Air Supply, Cynthia Weil and Tom Snow own the song.
Summary: This is how Dean and Peyton's love affair began. Prequel to Split Second. It isn't imperative that you read that to understand this, though.
Author's Notes: Takes place before the Supernatural pilot and at the beginning of the summer following One Tree Hill's The Leaver's Dance. In this realm Cassie never existed and Jake never came back. Plus, Sam's still at Stanford and Brooke's off in California.
Come What May: Chapter One
Dean Winchester was on the road to nowhere. That seemed to always be his destination, though. For as long as he could remember the roads were endless, the journey laid out before him in blood and tears.
After his mother's death, he had never expected this to become his life. A life on the road with nowhere to call home. Sure, it was exciting and he was good at what he did, but sometimes he wanted more.
Sometimes he wanted… roots.
On his road trips he would pass houses with kids playing in the yard and parts of him yearned for that. Part of him wanted the wife and the kids and hell even the picket fence. It was all very Leave It to Beaver, sure, but his parents had had it. Why couldn't he have it?
Why did traipsing all over the United States have to be the be all and end all of who he was? There was more to him than this vendetta that had blinded and imprisoned him all his life.
More importantly he wanted there to be more.
He couldn't remember the last time he had remained in one place longer than two weeks. Hell, he could barely remember the last time he was in the same room with his father and brother.
It had been over a month since he'd seen his father, even longer since he'd seen Sam. His car was like his family, the only reliable thing that he had in his wasteful existence.
And then that was blown to holy hell!
"No, no, no," Dean shouted as the car's engine began to sputter and steam leaked from beneath the hood.
He pulled over to the side of the road as the car slowly died. Dean quickly turned off the ignition and hopped out of the car, circling to the front to assess the situation. He lifted the hood, waving the smoke away as he tried to locate the problem.
Dropping to his knees, he peeked under the car and sighed. Just what he needed. A cracked radiator. Perfect! "Well… shit," Dean cursed as he stared at his car, kicking the bumper in frustration.
This was not what he needed, especially not…
Where the fuck was he?
He flipped open his cell phone only to find that his battery had died. "Well, can my day possibly get any worse?" he wondered aloud as a passing car full of teenagers threw a milkshake at his car. Vanilla milkshake spilled over the windshield as Dean stood idly by, staring helplessly as the contents leaked down his windshield.
After twenty minutes of walking up and down the road trying desperately to get a signal on his phone, Dean gave up. He couldn't even hitch a ride into town because his car seemed to have died out on a deserted stretch of road.
Huffing and muttering curses under his breath, he grabbed his duffel bag out of his backseat, locked up his car and headed up the road towards the town that he had passed not more than a half-hour before.
Dean walked into Karen's Café, making a beeline for the counter, desperately in need of something to drink. He fell onto a stool as he dropped his bag at his feet.
"Hey, what can I getcha?" the blonde waitress asked, looking at him perturbed.
"Uh… a coffee and oh a phonebook if you have it," he said, smiling cordially at the young waitress as she set a coffee mug in front of him, then filled it.
Dean watched as she reached under the counter, brandishing a thick yellow phone book. "What are you looking for?" she asked as she flipped it open.
"A tow truck. My car died out on me a few miles from here."
She clucked her tongue as she lifted her eyes to meet his. "River Road?"
Dean shrugged. "I have no idea what it's called but it's more or less deserted out there."
She nodded her head with a smile. "Yeah, that's River Road. No one goes out there in the daylight hours. If you were a local, you'd know that."
"Yeah… I'm not a local," he said with a shake of his head.
"I figured," she said, leafing through the phone book pages for the towing services. Finding it, she turned the book over to him. "So where are you from?"
"Kansas."
She whistled. "What the hell are you doing in Tree Hill?"
"Just passing through." He was about to ask her for the phone when she handed the cordless handset to him.
"Try not to clog up the line for too long."
Before Dean could reply with something witty, she had gone off to tend to her the tables as he returned to the task at hand.
He had left sometime later, making his way across town to Kirby's Garage. He had accompanied Kirby back to River Road for the retrieval of his car.
It was only after a twenty minute inspection from Kirby back at the garage that Dean found out that he indeed was in need of a new radiator and unfortunately for him Kirby didn't work on weekends.
Besides that fact, his radiator wouldn't make it's way to Tree Hill before Tuesday.
After leaving Kirby's Garage, Dean had made his way back to Karen's Café. Lucky for him the pretty waitress was still working. "You're back," she said astonished as he slid back onto the stool that he had occupied earlier that afternoon. "I figured I'd seen the last of you."
"Afraid not," he said as she fixed him a fresh cup of coffee. "Kirby can't fix it until the part gets here and it's not gonna be here before Tuesday."
"Aww, I'm sorry."
Dean shrugged as he reached for the sugar packets. "It ain't like I'm needed anywhere."
"Well, you know, since you're going to be in town you should come to Tric."
"Okay and that is…?"
"The local nightclub. Karen who owns the café, she opened the club last year for us younglings," she smirked. "And you picked a hell of a weekend to get stranded here. Fall Out Boy is playing tonight and tomorrow for the Summer Kick Off Party."
Oh, to be seventeen again… but then again, when was he ever seventeen?
"Sounds like fun." Dean stuck out his hand. "I'm Dean, by the way."
She shook his hand cordially. "Nice to meet you, Dean. I'm Haley." Then, "Where the hell have you been?"
Dean looked at her quizzically for a few seconds, then realized as a guy sidled up beside him that she was talking to him.
"Sorry, sorry," the guy told her as he slipped into the chair beside Dean. "I was with Peyton."
"That should surprise me but for some reason it doesn't."
"She needed me, Hales."
"I needed your butt here. Your mom's away for the entire summer and I can't handle this place by myself, you know."
"I know. I'm sorry." He looked around. "Where's Deb?"
"Heck if I know," she said, grabbing the coffee pot to do her rounds. She peeked into Dean's cup. "Another refill?"
"Uh… nah. I have to be going," he said, pushing himself to his feet. He reached into his pocket, throwing a couple of bills down onto the counter.
"Where are you going to be staying?"
"I have no idea, yet." He had yet to look into the lodging of Tree Hill.
"Try the River Walk Inn," the boy from beside him suggested.
"Lucas, he doesn't know where that is," Haley snapped at her best friend.
"I'll take him there. I mean… unless you need me here."
Haley shot him an evil glare, then softened, saying, "Well since you're helping out poor old Dean here, I guess it's okay."
Poor old Dean?
He was already being pitied by the lady folk. That was never a good sign. Dean slung his duffel over his shoulder as he and Lucas made their way out of the café. "You know you don't have to do this," Dean told Lucas once they were outside. "You could point me in the direction and I could find this inn myself."
"Nah, it's cool. I don't mind. Besides, Haley would never let me live it down if I bailed out on you. Plus, I'm headed out to the River Walk anyhow."
"Well thank you. I appreciate it… Lucas, right?"
Lucas nodded his head. "Lucas Scott."
"Dean Winchester."
"So, Dean… I don't know if Haley mentioned this to you or not, but Fall Out Boy is performing tonight at Tric."
"Haley may have mentioned it."
"So what do ya say?"
Nightclub and concert or sitting in his hotel room watching porn? It was no contest.
Tric, it was!
The band had yet to grace the stage, Dean mused as he walked into Tric brandishing his bright pink bracelet.
Why were they always pink? Were there no manly colors? Black? It was a nice, bold--not to mention manly--color. What was wrong with that color?
But pink? He felt so… so… so girly!
Dean made his way toward the bar as he looked around for Lucas and Haley. "Of course. The only two people I know and they stand me up. Figures."
"What?"
Dean's head snapped up to stare into a pair of bright green eyes from the opposite side of the bar. His eyes slid upward, taking in her curly locks of blonde hair. God… how tall was she? She must have legs for days. Bad thoughts, Dean, he scolded himself.
He smiled sheepishly at her as she disappeared from his sight to pick up a box off the floor. "Oh, uh… talking to myself. Sorry. I didn't think anyone was listening." She was back at eye level a second later, pulling napkins out of the box. "You the bartender?" Dean asked, watching her with wild-eyed fascination.
"Yeah… why?"
Dean shrugged. "No reason. You just look a little young to be working here." He instantly regretted the words the moment they flew out of his mouth.
Peyton barely took notice of them, though. "Thanks… I think."
"I didn't mean it like it came out. My head and tongue don't work in sync."
"I'm sure your girlfriend takes quite a displeasure in that," she teased.
Dean's eyes widened at her bravado. She had rendered him speechless and not many females were capable of such a feat.
As he waged his internal battle of male ego, she told him, "I usually just manage the entertainment here but since I'm in charge throughout the summer while the owner's out of town I have to make sure everything's running smoothly."
She began transferring the napkin packs to underneath the counter, then all of a sudden, her eyes snapped up at him, her hands flying to the sides of her head. "Did you want something to drink? I'm so sorry," she said, resting her hands on top of his. "You were there flirting and talking and I just…"
She caught that he was flirting with her despite being so consumed by her job. Interesting. "It's okay. I was enjoying watching you work."
Dean watched as a blush reddened her cheeks. He'd flustered her! She didn't exude calmness as she tried to make him believe.
"So how about that drink?" she offered. "The first one's on me."
The thoughts that flashed through Dean's dirty little mind. He leered at her, giggling at his thoughts as he said, "Just a beer, please. Miller Lite."
"Coming right up." She disappeared for a moment, returning seconds later with his beer, setting it on a napkin in front of him. He mumbled a thank you as she said, "I don't recall seeing you around here before. You must be new around town."
Dean took a sip from his beer, shaking his head as he swallowed. "Afraid so. I'm just passing through… well, I would've been just passing through if car trouble hadn't landed me in town for a few days."
"So you don't have family here?"
Dean shook his head. "No. No family, no friends. I know next to nothing about this town. Heck, I'd be in my hotel room right now staring at the cracked wallpaper if it hadn't been for Lucas and Haley."
Peyton stared at him blankly. He knew next to nothing about Tree Hill but he just casually assuaged to knowing two of her friends? "You know Lucas and Haley?"
"Oh we go way back," he smirked, lifting the beer bottle to his lips again. "You know them, too?"
Peyton nodded her head. "Luke's mom owns Tric, actually. Besides, I live here. Of course I'd know them. Which begs the question, how do you know Lucas and Haley?"
Dean eyed her skeptically for a moment as he said, "I met them this afternoon. I had to walk into town from River Road where my car decided to stall on me…."
Peyton couldn't stifle her laughter. "Ah, I've been in your place many times before. My car loves to break down out there." Her very first conversation with Lucas had been out on that road. He had made fun of her for being a cheerleader.
"Yeah did you ever have to walk back into town?"
"No," she answered quickly. "Dude… that's like a five mile walk!"
"You're telling me! Anyway, the first place I set eyes on when I entered town was Karen's Café."
"So that's where you met Luke and Haley. I should've known."
"So am I gonna have to call you 'The Hot Bartender' or are you gonna tell me your name?"
It had been a long time since a guy had openly flirted with her and it was catching Peyton a little off-guard. But this guy seemed harmless. Besides he'd be leaving town after a few days. No harm, no foul. "Peyton," she murmured. "My name's Peyton."
Dean held out his hand to her. "Nice to meet you, Peyton. I'm Dean."
Peyton eyed his hand cautiously for a few moments before she shook it, trying hard to ignore the shot of heat that coursed through her body the second her skin touched his.
Pulling her hand back quickly and a bit awkwardly, she asked, "So after your car's fixed, where are you headed?"
"Don't know, actually. My job takes me here and there and I don't know until the last minute on where the next there is." Note to self, he had to remember to find a newspaper stand in the morning to begin researching supernatural occurrences.
"And you've yet to find out your next destination?"
"Something like that."
Peyton nodded her head slowly. "Well, enjoy your time here. Who knows, maybe you'll meet someone and you won't want to leave," she joked, unaware of the nonplussed look that washed across Dean's face as she turned away to tend to another customer.
Dean had spent forty-five minutes sitting at the bar talking to Peyton, regaling her with stories of his time on the road and more recently of his exploits when he and Sam were kids. He boasted of his brother being a BMOC at Stanford, not letting it slip under his radar that it was the first time that he had openly told anyone that he was proud of his baby brother.
A part of him was always resentful to his younger brother for going off to college leaving Dean and his dad alone to avenge their mother's death.
But then there was the other part… the part that was proud and relieved that Sam was safe and sound at Stanford, that he was living out his dream.
Peyton had stared at him in wonderment for a moment or two, her eyes questioning. But she didn't voice a single one aloud to him.
"You seem envious of your brother."
"In a way I am, I guess. He went off to college, abandoned the family… I couldn't be that selfish."
She cocked her head to the side, studying him as she asked, "Why couldn't you? Why'd you have to be the one to stick around? Why couldn't you go off to college like your brother did? It may be none of my business, but you deserve the same things, the same opportunities as him, Dean. Family obligation or not."
Dean regarded her with a sly smile, wanting so desperately to tell her why he couldn't do the things that his brother did. Sam didn't feel the need to seek revenge on the demon that killed their mother like Dean did. He was just a baby when their mother was murdered. He barely knew her. But Dean had had years with her. He could still remember how her hair felt between his fingertips. Every now and then the familiar scent of her perfume hit his nostrils. Sam didn't have those memories. Sam only remembered what was told to him and what old family pictures represented.
No, he certainly couldn't tell Peyton the truth. Tell no one. It was the family motto.
Lying to people had become second nature to him so now he didn't think twice about it. So why did it bother him to lie to Peyton?
Finally, Dean made up some lame excuse about being on a road of self-discovery away from his father and brother to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He didn't want to make his life the "family business", an excuse that she had seemed content with, thankfully.
He had tried to change the subject, but the conversation only shifted and they wound up talking about their parents. They had talked about their abandonment issues with their fathers and the toll that being raised without a mother took on their lives.
He had never expected to bond so much with one person. And it scared the hell out of him, especially knowing that within a few days time he would be on the road again and Tree Hill would be a distant memory.
Dean was honestly grateful for Lucas and Haley interrupting his bonding session with Peyton to pull him onto the dance floor for the concert.
"You and Peyton seemed pretty cozy back there," Haley remarked once they had found a spot on the dance floor.
Dean feigned innocence, even as he glanced back at Peyton. "I don't know what you're talking about," he told her as the overhead lights began to flash, signaling that the band was about to take stage.
As Fall Out Boy began their performance, Dean stood in the crowd bobbing his head to the music even though his mind was elsewhere. Once again, he glanced behind him toward Peyton, preferring to be talking to her as opposed to being where he was.
And that in itself presented a problem.