1.1 Mother Knows Best: A Supernatural Fan Fiction

Chapter II: That Awkward Moment When

Knock knock knock.

There was a moment of pause in which Sam and Dean fidgeted on the porch of the house, hunch-backed against the cold, adjusting the cuffs of their crisp black suits, taking a moment to clear their voices into a business-like tone. After another moment of muffled rustling, the door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with mousy brown hair and a tired smile, leaning against the frame, a grimy toddler perched on her hip. She squinted into the morning light at the two men standing before her, tightening her grip around the little boy.

Dean flashed her a smile, going rigid to avoid shivering. "Hello, Miss Madeline Prinzler, I presume?"

"Yeah, that's me." She nodded, looking confused. "Who are you? What can I help you with?"

"I'm Agent Johnson, this is Agent Young. We're from an agency that deals with post-divorce practicals," Sam explained. Madeline seemed to perk up, straightening and blinking at them with renewed interest. Her little boy promptly stuck a finger up his nose. "We understand you were legally divorced a couple of days ago?"

"Yeah, that's right." She confirmed. She suddenly gestured over her shoulder with her free hand. "One of your agents is actually here already."

Dean felt his stomach drop. He and Sam shared a look of pure dread. "Oh, well, sorry to bother you, we'll just be going, then --" he blurted out, giving a strained smile and beginning to turn away.

"No, no, come on in," Madeline urged. "It's no issue, I insist. You look cold." She beckoned them in, pushing the door open wider. The two Winchesters exchanged another look as Madeline turned, waking back into the house. Sam made an intense face, and Dean simply shrugged; he was at as much of a loss as his brother was. Fearing that they were about to be found out, Dean ducked into the house with a mounting sense of dread.

"A couple more of the agents from your company stopped by," Madeline called down the hall as she deposited her son on the floor and led them into the dining room. The agent was a girl, sitting at the table, legs crossed and back straight, long dark hair pulled back into a tight bun. She turned at the sound of their footsteps, revealing her face. It took Dean a moment to recognize her, as her hair was styled so simply and her makeup was so different: she wore only mascara, light eyeshadow and a sophisticated plum-colored lipstick, but when she smiled, flashing him that one crooked tooth, he knew it couldn't have been anyone else.

It was Jay.

Dean felt a strange collision of relief, confusion, and realization take place in his head as Madeline pulled out a couple of chairs before settling herself in one of her own.

"Please, sit," she gestured at the chairs. Dean was still staring at Jay, two scenarios dancing through his mind. If she was surprised by their presence, she didn't show it. Her face was completely calm as she said, "my apologies. The agency must not have told you they'd sent someone out already. I'm sorry for any inconvenience."

"Likewise." Dean said, stiffly climbing into the chair. He squinted at her for a moment, trying not to make his suspicions seem obvious. He smiled curtly. "Pardon me, Agent, but could you remind me of your name? It seems to have slipped my mind."

"Sierra Hansen," Jay replied equally as crassly, her lips pulling back from her teeth. Her eyes glinted with an odd sort of knowing. "And you? I don't believe we've met. They're new," she informed Madeline with a reassuring glance. The woman smiled understandingly.

"Johnson and Young." Dean told her. Sam nodded in affirmation, not seeming to have come to the same groundbreaking conclusion that Dean had about her. Maybe he didn't realize that it was Jay.

"Oh, right, I remember seeing your names on the roster." Jay said, and her smile of comprehension or remembrance or whatever it was seemed genuine. She could play the part. "Well, anyway, Miss Prinzler and I were just finishing up." Standing and gesturing discreetly for Sam and Dean to do the same, she straightened out her plain brown coat and politely pushed in her chair.

"Thank you so much for your time, Miss Prinzler. Just... Call if you need anything." With that, Jay slipped her a card and headed for the door.

"Thank you!" Madeline said sincerely, taking the card and looking vaguely at it. "I'll do that."

Once they were outside and heading down the drive, Dean had managed to pluck up the courage to talk to her. After all, it was painfully awkward standing next to her, silent, without confirming what he thought he knew.

"So, you headed back to the motel?" Dean asked boldly, looking over at her with a critical glance. She returned the look with one of suspicion.

"Dean..." Sam cautioned, giving a panicked little head-shake in his brother's direction.

"C'mon, Sammy, she's no -- no divorce agent. Don't you recognize her from last night?" Dean sputtered, pointing at her.

"Oh," Sam gasped softly. "Oh."

Jay scoffed, and there was a look of real offense on her face. "How do you know I'm not a divorce agent? I could have you two arrested for impersonation of officials."

Dean felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He swallowed, stopping, and staring hard at her, trying to decide if she was lying or not. If she was, she was a damn good liar. And if she wasn't, they were screwed.

She seemed amused, smiling that somehow sweet and sinister little smile. "Lucky for you I'm not, but I totally had you going. And yes, I'm headed back to the motel. Care to join me? We can work out this odd little scuffle of ours."

Sam nodded, his brow drawn in confusion; but Dean walked faster to the car, embarrassed and annoyed.

Jay turned at the sidewalk, leaving the two behind. They'd catch up. She'd parked around the corner, out of sight. After all, what kind of divorce agent drove a cherry red El Camino? She smirked at the thought as the car came into view, taking the keys out of the pocket of her coat. As she was unlocking the driver's side, the impala pulled up beside her, the tires crunching on the snowy, gravelly pavement. Dean rolled down the window.

"I'll meet you back there. Then we talk." He said darkly, giving her one last, long look before taking off. Chuckling to herself, Jay slipped into her own car and started the engine.

Back in the impala, Sam was staring blankly out the window, not speaking. Dean noticed this, and pursed his lips.

"Whatcha thinkin, Sammy?" He asked, mostly to break the solemn silence that had settled over them.

"Just... Who is she?" He said, looking over at his brother. He let out a dry laugh, "divorce agent by day, blues rocker by night, I mean the two profiles don't exactly add up."

"She's a hunter, Sam," Dean burst out, looking incredulously at his brother before returning his eyes to the road. "I mean, think about it, dude. Staying in town for a few days. Staying in a skizy motel instead of with friends or something. Faking being an -- an official! No one but us does that. We met her here not on purpose, and she acts totally cool about it. Doesn't that seem pretty hunter-ish to you?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Sam scoffed. There was silence again. Finally, Sam let out a chuckle. "Dude, but what if she really was a 'divorce agent' or whatever? We would be totally screwed."

"Yeah, I know." Dean had to laugh at that, if only a little bit. Not cause it was funny, but because of how painfully true it was. How many times had they come so close to that without getting caught? Dean shook his head. Once they talked it'd all make sense, though. And he'd find out what was really going on here, and whether or not it was as sinister as his thoughts suggested.