[buccleuch park] In which Anna makes a decision.
[Set in Livin’ on a Prayer. ramblinmann, jstliketherifle, totallydid_it and likes_zeppelin are used with permission and love. Everyone else is an NPC.]
Anna hadn’t been herself since they left New York.
She knew they could tell, too which just frustrated her even more. They could tell just by the fact that Anna actually came home to sleep instead of staying at Randall’s and hooking up with them later. She tried to play it off, and say that nothing was wrong, but she knew that Dean knew. If anyone knew the look of someone running when they saw it, it was Dean Winchester. But he didn’t push the issue, which Anna appreciated. He just gave her a look when she dropped her bag in the trunk, and didn’t ask her what she needed it for, but she could see on his face that he knew.
She had stretched the truth with Randall a little when she told him that the whole family was staying out of town. The party was just in the Bronx, so she easily could have made it home, in time to spend it with Randall tonight, but she didn’t want to be with him. She didn’t want him to be there and have her knowing that something was wrong and also knowing that he didn’t feel the need to talk to her about it. He was just going to let it be wrong, and brush her off as though she didn’t deserve an explanation. It was one thing for there to be something wrong but to acknowledge that and not want to talk about it. It was another thing entirely for there to be something wrong, for her to know, irrefutably, that there’s something wrong, and to have him dismiss it and her with no explanation at all.
Maybe she had stayed for too long. She had never spent so long in one place consistently, traveling for emergencies and holidays aside. Every instinct in her body was telling her to run, to get away and forget about him and not look back. He pushed her away. He didn’t want her to help. Why would he need her there?
Jeremy being there wasn’t helping. Jeremy Catton who had been her first ride out of Avon, Jeremy who had gotten her started on this road to begin with, Jeremy who spent the entire night talking about how much he missed having her on the road with him. She was sure that he missed more about her than just her company on the road, but that was what he was talking about. And to be honest, she missed it too. She missed having the road spread out for her, with no idea where she was going, but knowing that something would be there for her to find or explore. She missed the feeling of asphalt beneath her feet and the heat of the highway, and everything else about the world that was hidden in the little nooks and cranies. She wanted to have the world again. And the more Jeremy talked, the more the idea was looking better and better.
She told Maddie first. She found her huddled off in some corner with Blake away from Dean’s line of sight, and she gave the poor boy an apologetic look, before she pulled Maddie off into a corner. “Gotta talk to you for a sec,” she said, taking the girl’s hand in hers.
“Everything okay with you?” Maddie asked, looking concerned. “You’ve been acting weird.”
“I’m gonna take off for a while,” she said softly, giving her hand a squeeze. “And I don’t know when I’m gonna be back.”
“Oh,” Maddie frowned, looking even more worried. “What about Randall?”
“I’m gonna call him,” she said with a shrug. “But I need a little room to breathe, that’s all.”
“I get it,” Maddie nodded, and Anna just watched her for a minute, before pulling her into a hug.
“You ever need me, all you have to do is call. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, Anna. I know,” she gave Anna a smile as she pulled back. “Be careful, okay?”
“I will,” she nodded, before pulling away and going back out to find Dean. It wasn’t all that hard to do-Dean didn’t go all that far from the grill at these things. She didn’t have to say anything. He just told Gina to watch his plate before heading over to her and leading the way back to the Impala.
“When’re you gonna be back?”
“I dunno yet,” she said with a sigh. “Jeremy said he was heading for something in Seattle, so a few weeks at least.”
Dean nodded, unlocking the trunk and letting her grab the back to sling over her shoulder before turning back to her. “You sure about this?”
The honest answer was probably no. She was never ever sure about anything, really, but her gut was telling her that this was the right thing to do. So she was gonna do it. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
“Okay,” he sighed, before pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her. “Be careful. And if you need me-”
“I know,” she nodded. “I’ll call.”
“Good,” he said, before letting her go. “Drive safe.”
“We will.” She pulled out her phone as she headed towards Jeremy’s car, dialing Randall’s number and breathing a sigh of relief when she got his voicemail. “Hey, Randall, it’s me. I’m not coming home tomorrow. Actually, I’m not gonna come home for a while. I think I stayed too long, and I-I need some perspective. So I’m taking a break, and I’m gonna travel a bit.” She paused, trying to figure out if she was saying everything that she needed to say, even if she knew she wasn’t. It was too complicated that way. She took a breath and let it out slowly before continuing. “I’m sorry.”
After that she hung up, and came up on where Jeremy was packing his car. He took her bag from her and tossed it in the back, before giving her a smile. “Ready to go?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
1000 words
Anna hadn’t been herself since they left New York.
She knew they could tell, too which just frustrated her even more. They could tell just by the fact that Anna actually came home to sleep instead of staying at Randall’s and hooking up with them later. She tried to play it off, and say that nothing was wrong, but she knew that Dean knew. If anyone knew the look of someone running when they saw it, it was Dean Winchester. But he didn’t push the issue, which Anna appreciated. He just gave her a look when she dropped her bag in the trunk, and didn’t ask her what she needed it for, but she could see on his face that he knew.
She had stretched the truth with Randall a little when she told him that the whole family was staying out of town. The party was just in the Bronx, so she easily could have made it home, in time to spend it with Randall tonight, but she didn’t want to be with him. She didn’t want him to be there and have her knowing that something was wrong and also knowing that he didn’t feel the need to talk to her about it. He was just going to let it be wrong, and brush her off as though she didn’t deserve an explanation. It was one thing for there to be something wrong but to acknowledge that and not want to talk about it. It was another thing entirely for there to be something wrong, for her to know, irrefutably, that there’s something wrong, and to have him dismiss it and her with no explanation at all.
Maybe she had stayed for too long. She had never spent so long in one place consistently, traveling for emergencies and holidays aside. Every instinct in her body was telling her to run, to get away and forget about him and not look back. He pushed her away. He didn’t want her to help. Why would he need her there?
Jeremy being there wasn’t helping. Jeremy Catton who had been her first ride out of Avon, Jeremy who had gotten her started on this road to begin with, Jeremy who spent the entire night talking about how much he missed having her on the road with him. She was sure that he missed more about her than just her company on the road, but that was what he was talking about. And to be honest, she missed it too. She missed having the road spread out for her, with no idea where she was going, but knowing that something would be there for her to find or explore. She missed the feeling of asphalt beneath her feet and the heat of the highway, and everything else about the world that was hidden in the little nooks and cranies. She wanted to have the world again. And the more Jeremy talked, the more the idea was looking better and better.
She told Maddie first. She found her huddled off in some corner with Blake away from Dean’s line of sight, and she gave the poor boy an apologetic look, before she pulled Maddie off into a corner. “Gotta talk to you for a sec,” she said, taking the girl’s hand in hers.
“Everything okay with you?” Maddie asked, looking concerned. “You’ve been acting weird.”
“I’m gonna take off for a while,” she said softly, giving her hand a squeeze. “And I don’t know when I’m gonna be back.”
“Oh,” Maddie frowned, looking even more worried. “What about Randall?”
“I’m gonna call him,” she said with a shrug. “But I need a little room to breathe, that’s all.”
“I get it,” Maddie nodded, and Anna just watched her for a minute, before pulling her into a hug.
“You ever need me, all you have to do is call. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, Anna. I know,” she gave Anna a smile as she pulled back. “Be careful, okay?”
“I will,” she nodded, before pulling away and going back out to find Dean. It wasn’t all that hard to do-Dean didn’t go all that far from the grill at these things. She didn’t have to say anything. He just told Gina to watch his plate before heading over to her and leading the way back to the Impala.
“When’re you gonna be back?”
“I dunno yet,” she said with a sigh. “Jeremy said he was heading for something in Seattle, so a few weeks at least.”
Dean nodded, unlocking the trunk and letting her grab the back to sling over her shoulder before turning back to her. “You sure about this?”
The honest answer was probably no. She was never ever sure about anything, really, but her gut was telling her that this was the right thing to do. So she was gonna do it. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
“Okay,” he sighed, before pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her. “Be careful. And if you need me-”
“I know,” she nodded. “I’ll call.”
“Good,” he said, before letting her go. “Drive safe.”
“We will.” She pulled out her phone as she headed towards Jeremy’s car, dialing Randall’s number and breathing a sigh of relief when she got his voicemail. “Hey, Randall, it’s me. I’m not coming home tomorrow. Actually, I’m not gonna come home for a while. I think I stayed too long, and I-I need some perspective. So I’m taking a break, and I’m gonna travel a bit.” She paused, trying to figure out if she was saying everything that she needed to say, even if she knew she wasn’t. It was too complicated that way. She took a breath and let it out slowly before continuing. “I’m sorry.”
After that she hung up, and came up on where Jeremy was packing his car. He took her bag from her and tossed it in the back, before giving her a smile. “Ready to go?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
1000 words