Road Trip, Chapter Three
Author’s Note: I’m sure I’m bending all kinds of rules and fudging all sorts of canon to bring these two worlds together. Any mistakes are my own. Calendar wise, it’s July/August. Timing-wise for FNL, it’s the summer after Julie’s graduation from high school. Timing-wise for SPN, it’s some time during the middle of the first season.
Disclaimer: SPN and FNL are copyright of their respective copyright holders. I don't own anything here and am just doing this for fun.
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Chapter Three
By design, the first day of the road trip was a short one, only a few hundred miles of driving. As anxious as she was to get to the good parts of the trip, Julie didn’t want to get burned out on driving. At least Tim would share the driving responsibilities, a chore that Lois had flatly insisted that she wanted no part of.
Julie and Tim left in the mid-morning, carefully timing their journey to miss the worst of the traffic in Dallas. They arrived at Aunt Shelley’s house in Plano in the late afternoon. Aunt Shelley was happy to see them, Tim, especially it seemed. Or maybe Julie was just being jealous.
Over a leisurely dinner, Aunt Shelley plied them both with red wine, which Julie privately thought tasted like vinegar mixed with bleach. After dinner, they’d retired to the family room to see what was on television. When Julie felt like she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer, she’d excused herself and gone to her room.
Even with the door shut, she could hear the low rumble of Tim’s voice and the tinkling sounds of Shelley’s laughter. Julie drifted in and out of sleep, sure that she’d heard talking and laughing well into the night.
In the morning, Tim was slow and grumpy, bleakly blaming the wine for his headache. Aunt Shelley cooked them breakfast and Julie couldn’t help feeling the tiniest bit judgmental, watching her aunt flit around in a sheer robe and nightdress combination that didn’t leave much to the imagination.
It had been a relief to hit the road. They’d gotten an early enough start, since Julie didn’t want to get to New Orleans too late and Tim still wanted to stop in Shreveport. The minutes stretched into hours as the miles flew past without any conversation.
Julie glanced over at Tim, who was sprawled in the passenger seat, his head against the window. She couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or not.
“Tim, are you awake?” asked Julie, feeling silly. She glanced over again and saw the corner of his mouth curling up into a grin.
“More or less. Are we there yet?”
“Nearly. Another half-hour or so, I think.”
Tim stretched as much as was possible in the little car, throwing his arm out behind Julie’s seat and leaning forward until his shoulder popped.
“Was that your shoulder?” asked Julie.
“Yep,” he yawned.
“Does it hurt?”
“Only when the weather changes. Or when it’s been in one position for too long.”
“You should’ve told me. We can stop whenever you need to. Or maybe you want to drive?”
“It’s fine, Taylor. No worries. I was too tired to drive this morning anyway.”
“Yeah, you and Aunt Shelley seemed to stay up pretty late last night,” said Julie, aware that it sounded like she was fishing for details.
Tim shrugged and looked out the window. Julie bit her lip as she considered how to ask the next question.
“Does Aunt Shelley always look at you like that?”
“Look at me like what?”
“Like it’s a million degrees out and you’re the last popsicle in the world.”
“I guess so,” said Tim with a small smile.
“Oh my god, you didn’t....”
“No, Taylor. I didn’t. Never even thought about it.”
“Never?” asked Julie, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.
Tim grinned at her, one of those slow-burning smiles that bordered on indecent. “Okay, maybe I thought about it, a little.”
“Tim! She’s practically old enough to be your mother.”
Tim shrugged. “What can I say? The women in your family are hot. This shouldn’t be news to you.”
Julie shifted uncomfortably, not sure if Tim included her in that group. She tried to make a joke. “Even Gracie Belle?”
“Don’t be sick. I’m sure she’ll grow up to be as pretty as her mom and sister. Although right now, she’s kinda weird looking.”
“I know! It’s like her eyes are growing faster than the rest of her. I’ve never seen a kid with such bug eyes.”
Tim laughed and sat up straighter, shifting around like he was trying to get comfortable. Julie knew that his legs must be cramped after sitting still for so long, but he’d have a chance to walk around in Shreveport.
“What’s this crap we’re listening to now?” asked Tim as he grabbed Julie’s iPod and squinted at the display.
“Oh no, you’re not going to complain about my music again, Tim. This is only the second day of the trip and you already spent most of yesterday afternoon complaining about it.”
“That’s because your music sucks, Taylor,” said Tim, in an annoying matter-of-fact tone.
“My music is just fine. It’s your taste that sucks.”
“You have no idea how to pick music for a road trip. When me and Six went to Mexico, we found one of Herc’s old tapes in the truck. AC/DC. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Creedence, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Metallica .... that was music. This is just whining with guitars in the background.”
“Why didn’t you bring your own iPod?”
“Because it kinda broke.”
“Really? You didn’t have it for that long, did you? Did you check if it was still under warranty?”
“I don’t think the warranty woulda applied,” said Tim, looking down with a rueful half-smile.
“But did you check?”
“Do warranties usually cover the thing getting thrown at a wall and breaking in forty-seven pieces?”
“Oh,” said Julie, flustered. “Probably not. How did that happen?”
Tim sighed and rolled his eyes. “I don’t really want to talk about it, Taylor.”
Julie shrugged and turned up the volume on the stereo. Tim leaned over and turned it down.
“This song, Taylor, this song is exactly what I’m talking about.”
“What do you mean?”
They were both quiet for a moment. Listening to the words of the Sea Wolf song.
Well my heart is beating hard
And I'm off with a shot at the start
And my legs tremble from strain
But by the finish line I am drained
So won't you run to me tonight?
Tonight let's not talk about next summer
Cause I'll only ever be a middle distance runner
“So what’s wrong with that, Tim?” asked Julie, not even bothering to keep the annoyance out of her voice.
“If the guy really wants to be a better runner, there are ways to do it. Weight training. Wind sprints. Hill work. Seriously, all it takes is the right training program.”
Julie laughed and looked over at Tim, who looked at her with a serious expression.
“Oh my god.....Are you serious?”
“Sure, I’m serious. Maybe the guy needs to find a new coach.”
Julie bit her lip. She felt bad for laughing at him. She’d really thought he was joking.
“It’s a metaphor, Tim. The song isn’t about running at all. It’s about the guy’s shortcomings as a boyfriend. He’s more Mr. Right Now than he is Mr. Right and he knows that’s all he’s ever going to be. He’s the guy you have fun with. He’s not the guy you marry.”
“Oh,” said Tim who seemed to deflate as he slumped against the car door.
Julie saw the exit for Shreveport. Not a minute too soon, she thought. The atmosphere in the car wasn’t tense, exactly, but she could tell that she’d sort of hurt Tim’s feelings and she felt bad.
“I didn’t mean to laugh at you, Tim.”
“It’s okay, Taylor. Don’t worry about it.”
“So, where are we going?”
“Pull up over there,” said Tim, pointing toward a low-slung diner.
Julie did as he instructed and then looked over at him expectantly. He got out of the car, so she got out and walked up onto the sidewalk.
“Give me your license,” said Tim.
“My license?” Julie wanted to ask more questions but Tim cut her off with an impatient look. She sighed and opened her purse, unzipped an inner pocket and fished it out. She handed it over with a questioning look.
Tim took the license and then plucked the car keys out of her other hand. “Go wait for me in the diner. I should be back in an hour or so.”
“I’m going with you, Tim.”
“You can’t. Herc told me to go alone. He was really clear about that.”
Julie opened her mouth to argue, but then realized it was pointless. “Just don’t crash my car.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” said Tim. Julie shook her head and walked over toward the diner. She was annoyed that Tim had waited until the last minute to tell her that he’d be dumping her at the side of the road. But she supposed that she should count her blessings.
At least she had a place to wait for him that wasn’t a dive bar or a sleazy motel and they were still well on schedule to be in New Orleans at a decent hour. She was right about this not being the same trip that it would have been with Lois. And she was also right about that not necessarily being a bad thing.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Disclaimer: SPN and FNL are copyright of their respective copyright holders. I don't own anything here and am just doing this for fun.
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Chapter Three
By design, the first day of the road trip was a short one, only a few hundred miles of driving. As anxious as she was to get to the good parts of the trip, Julie didn’t want to get burned out on driving. At least Tim would share the driving responsibilities, a chore that Lois had flatly insisted that she wanted no part of.
Julie and Tim left in the mid-morning, carefully timing their journey to miss the worst of the traffic in Dallas. They arrived at Aunt Shelley’s house in Plano in the late afternoon. Aunt Shelley was happy to see them, Tim, especially it seemed. Or maybe Julie was just being jealous.
Over a leisurely dinner, Aunt Shelley plied them both with red wine, which Julie privately thought tasted like vinegar mixed with bleach. After dinner, they’d retired to the family room to see what was on television. When Julie felt like she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer, she’d excused herself and gone to her room.
Even with the door shut, she could hear the low rumble of Tim’s voice and the tinkling sounds of Shelley’s laughter. Julie drifted in and out of sleep, sure that she’d heard talking and laughing well into the night.
In the morning, Tim was slow and grumpy, bleakly blaming the wine for his headache. Aunt Shelley cooked them breakfast and Julie couldn’t help feeling the tiniest bit judgmental, watching her aunt flit around in a sheer robe and nightdress combination that didn’t leave much to the imagination.
It had been a relief to hit the road. They’d gotten an early enough start, since Julie didn’t want to get to New Orleans too late and Tim still wanted to stop in Shreveport. The minutes stretched into hours as the miles flew past without any conversation.
Julie glanced over at Tim, who was sprawled in the passenger seat, his head against the window. She couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or not.
“Tim, are you awake?” asked Julie, feeling silly. She glanced over again and saw the corner of his mouth curling up into a grin.
“More or less. Are we there yet?”
“Nearly. Another half-hour or so, I think.”
Tim stretched as much as was possible in the little car, throwing his arm out behind Julie’s seat and leaning forward until his shoulder popped.
“Was that your shoulder?” asked Julie.
“Yep,” he yawned.
“Does it hurt?”
“Only when the weather changes. Or when it’s been in one position for too long.”
“You should’ve told me. We can stop whenever you need to. Or maybe you want to drive?”
“It’s fine, Taylor. No worries. I was too tired to drive this morning anyway.”
“Yeah, you and Aunt Shelley seemed to stay up pretty late last night,” said Julie, aware that it sounded like she was fishing for details.
Tim shrugged and looked out the window. Julie bit her lip as she considered how to ask the next question.
“Does Aunt Shelley always look at you like that?”
“Look at me like what?”
“Like it’s a million degrees out and you’re the last popsicle in the world.”
“I guess so,” said Tim with a small smile.
“Oh my god, you didn’t....”
“No, Taylor. I didn’t. Never even thought about it.”
“Never?” asked Julie, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.
Tim grinned at her, one of those slow-burning smiles that bordered on indecent. “Okay, maybe I thought about it, a little.”
“Tim! She’s practically old enough to be your mother.”
Tim shrugged. “What can I say? The women in your family are hot. This shouldn’t be news to you.”
Julie shifted uncomfortably, not sure if Tim included her in that group. She tried to make a joke. “Even Gracie Belle?”
“Don’t be sick. I’m sure she’ll grow up to be as pretty as her mom and sister. Although right now, she’s kinda weird looking.”
“I know! It’s like her eyes are growing faster than the rest of her. I’ve never seen a kid with such bug eyes.”
Tim laughed and sat up straighter, shifting around like he was trying to get comfortable. Julie knew that his legs must be cramped after sitting still for so long, but he’d have a chance to walk around in Shreveport.
“What’s this crap we’re listening to now?” asked Tim as he grabbed Julie’s iPod and squinted at the display.
“Oh no, you’re not going to complain about my music again, Tim. This is only the second day of the trip and you already spent most of yesterday afternoon complaining about it.”
“That’s because your music sucks, Taylor,” said Tim, in an annoying matter-of-fact tone.
“My music is just fine. It’s your taste that sucks.”
“You have no idea how to pick music for a road trip. When me and Six went to Mexico, we found one of Herc’s old tapes in the truck. AC/DC. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Creedence, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Metallica .... that was music. This is just whining with guitars in the background.”
“Why didn’t you bring your own iPod?”
“Because it kinda broke.”
“Really? You didn’t have it for that long, did you? Did you check if it was still under warranty?”
“I don’t think the warranty woulda applied,” said Tim, looking down with a rueful half-smile.
“But did you check?”
“Do warranties usually cover the thing getting thrown at a wall and breaking in forty-seven pieces?”
“Oh,” said Julie, flustered. “Probably not. How did that happen?”
Tim sighed and rolled his eyes. “I don’t really want to talk about it, Taylor.”
Julie shrugged and turned up the volume on the stereo. Tim leaned over and turned it down.
“This song, Taylor, this song is exactly what I’m talking about.”
“What do you mean?”
They were both quiet for a moment. Listening to the words of the Sea Wolf song.
Well my heart is beating hard
And I'm off with a shot at the start
And my legs tremble from strain
But by the finish line I am drained
So won't you run to me tonight?
Tonight let's not talk about next summer
Cause I'll only ever be a middle distance runner
“So what’s wrong with that, Tim?” asked Julie, not even bothering to keep the annoyance out of her voice.
“If the guy really wants to be a better runner, there are ways to do it. Weight training. Wind sprints. Hill work. Seriously, all it takes is the right training program.”
Julie laughed and looked over at Tim, who looked at her with a serious expression.
“Oh my god.....Are you serious?”
“Sure, I’m serious. Maybe the guy needs to find a new coach.”
Julie bit her lip. She felt bad for laughing at him. She’d really thought he was joking.
“It’s a metaphor, Tim. The song isn’t about running at all. It’s about the guy’s shortcomings as a boyfriend. He’s more Mr. Right Now than he is Mr. Right and he knows that’s all he’s ever going to be. He’s the guy you have fun with. He’s not the guy you marry.”
“Oh,” said Tim who seemed to deflate as he slumped against the car door.
Julie saw the exit for Shreveport. Not a minute too soon, she thought. The atmosphere in the car wasn’t tense, exactly, but she could tell that she’d sort of hurt Tim’s feelings and she felt bad.
“I didn’t mean to laugh at you, Tim.”
“It’s okay, Taylor. Don’t worry about it.”
“So, where are we going?”
“Pull up over there,” said Tim, pointing toward a low-slung diner.
Julie did as he instructed and then looked over at him expectantly. He got out of the car, so she got out and walked up onto the sidewalk.
“Give me your license,” said Tim.
“My license?” Julie wanted to ask more questions but Tim cut her off with an impatient look. She sighed and opened her purse, unzipped an inner pocket and fished it out. She handed it over with a questioning look.
Tim took the license and then plucked the car keys out of her other hand. “Go wait for me in the diner. I should be back in an hour or so.”
“I’m going with you, Tim.”
“You can’t. Herc told me to go alone. He was really clear about that.”
Julie opened her mouth to argue, but then realized it was pointless. “Just don’t crash my car.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” said Tim. Julie shook her head and walked over toward the diner. She was annoyed that Tim had waited until the last minute to tell her that he’d be dumping her at the side of the road. But she supposed that she should count her blessings.
At least she had a place to wait for him that wasn’t a dive bar or a sleazy motel and they were still well on schedule to be in New Orleans at a decent hour. She was right about this not being the same trip that it would have been with Lois. And she was also right about that not necessarily being a bad thing.
Chapter One
Chapter Two