Right Place, Wrong Time

[real_funky_town]

Title: Right Place, Wrong Time

Summary: Dean can't do anything easy - even if it's just getting a burger.

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Brief attempted sexual assault of an OFC, but nothing explicit.

Spoilers: None

Word Count: 4,947

Author's Note: Written for a hoodie_time Dean focused hurt/comfort meme #3 prompt requesting that Dean walk into trouble while in the search of a burger. Full prompt here.

~~~

Poltergeist hunts were supposed to be the easy ones. Sure they were a pain in the ass, but they were straight forward, clean jobs. Usually. Of course he and Sam had a knack for finding the exceptions to the rule. They'd been going at this thing for four days straight and they were nowhere near to nailing it.

Sam had been up researching all night. Again. His usually early bird brother had still been dead to the world when Dean had snuck out of the room just before noon. Sleep might be what Sam's body was craving, but for Dean it was red meat, at least a quarter pound of it.

The poltergeist activity was centered two blocks from their motel so they had been staying tight to the area. That wasn't usually a problem, but their motel was sandwiched in between Happy Teriyaki and Pam's Salad Bar. Sam was in heaven while Dean's stomach was ready to stage a full out rebellion. His only choice was a mini road trip.

It wasn't like he was asking for too much, just a thick patty of half bloody beef gooey with cheese and mounded with onions. As his fingers tapped against the steering wheel to the beat of 'Back in Black', his tongue unconsciously ran over his lips. Maybe he should go for two patties. First he had to find a restaurant that served actual food.

He hit the highway out of town and kept his eyes peeled until he saw it. The sign to Kelly's Burger House beaconed him like a moth to a flame. Finally something was going his way. The corner of his lips upturned as he merged onto the off ramp.

Once he parked outside the restaurant he pushed up his sleeve and glanced to his watch. Sam would have to be waking up soon and the last thing he needed was his exhausted brother flipping into mother bear mode. He climbed out of the car and pulled out his cell phone.

Leaning back against his baby he tipped his head back to drink in the warmth of the summer sun while he listened to Sam's phone ring. He wasn't surprised when it went to voice message.

"Hey Sammy," he said after the generic blurb, "I'm just on a burger run so if you ever get your lazy ass out of bed don't freak out and get yourself something to eat, okay?"

Dean flipped the phone closed and stuffed it into his pocket. The wafting scent of burger and greasy fries was already calling him as he shoved open the glass door to the diner. It was a nice place by his standards, an actual sit down joint with tablecloths and everything. Everything except for people, which wouldn't be weird if the parking lot wasn't full.

Even before the door swung closed behind him his nerves were raw. His eyes didn't even finish a full scan of the restaurant before the shout sounded.

"On the ground!"

The order came from the cash register where a terrified girl with trembling hands was dropping cash into a briefcase. Physically she didn't look much over sixteen and she looked half that when her teary eyes locked pleadingly with his. An armed man hovered too close to her while two other ski mask wearing men held pistols trained at either end of the restaurant.

Now he could see that the restaurant was full, the customers were just all huddled on the floor. It was lunchtime on a popular tourist route in the middle of the summer. The place was full of families. Parents protectively clutched their children to their chest and Dean found himself hating that damned poltergeist a hell of a lot less.

His eyes returned to the man at the register that had an unsteady gun trained on him. "Son of a bitch," Dean muttered beneath his breath. "You've gotta be kidding me."

"No joke. On the ground now!"

With an impatient glare, Dean relented. He held his hands out in surrender as he lowered himself to the tiled floor. Lying on his stomach, he looked up to the girl at the cash register. "You're gonna be okay," he promised her.
"Shut your mouth," the man beside her warned.

Defiantly the man threw an arm around the startled girl's waist, pulling a cry from her as he smashed her body against his. Dean's jaw clenched, his trigger finger getting twitchy as his eyes narrowed on the bastard.

"Yeah, okay," Dean replied through grit teeth. "But I already called the cops so you better hurry the hell up before they get here."

While the man behind the counter just stared stupidly at Dean, one of his taller, lankier partners started shifting anxiously. "We gotta get out of here, Charlie."

Charlie's gun swerved to point at the man who had spoken. "Don't say my name, Kevin!"

The girl was spun around with him as he turned, still squeezed tightly against Charlie's dirty, sweat soaked t-shirt. Her large hazel eyes screamed of silent panic as she looked past Charlie's shoulder to Dean. The sunlight spilling in through the diner's windows illuminated the freckles dusting her tear stained cheeks. She really was just a kid.

Here she was working what had to be her first job, just trying to live the normal life Sam was so obsessed with. All these poor suckers were. This was why normal sucked ass.

Dean knew that at any second of any day some evil mother might jump out of the shadows and try to take him out. He was ready for it. Physically he was trained and mentally it was hard to be disappointed when he knew that trying to get a cheeseburger fix could leave him pumped full of lead. While he'd come to expect it, that didn't make him any less pissed off when it happened.

Subtly Dean gave the girl a nod. Despite his own uncertainty he flashed her a hint of his world-class smile and a wink of assurance. The men continued to shout at each other, but she didn't have to worry. Everyone not holding a gun was walking out of here. It was his job to make sure of that.

His heart pounded in his chest, the adrenaline racing through his veins. He would be the one to screw up or save this situation. If anyone got hurt here it would be because he had made a bad call. It was a damn good thing he had no intention of making the wrong move.

"Both you shut the hell up," the third man yelled. "Kev's right. We got the cash, let's just go."

"We're not skipping the fun stuff."

Charlie's twisted tone screamed loud and clear just what kind of fun the man liked to have. These guys were high, drunk or just too stupid to be breathing. Probably all of the above. This wasn't just some punks looking for spending cash. They were here to hurt people and that fact gave Dean an open license to use any amount of force necessary to stop them.

"The guy said the cops are coming and I ain't going back to jail."

Dean raised his brow as he realized that all three of the deranged rocket scientists were gesticulating with their guns pointed at each other. Awesome. At this rate they were going to take themselves out. That was all good and well by Dean, they just needed to take it outside. There were too many bystanders in the line of fire here.

"No one's going to jail," Charlie shot back. "That prick didn't call the cops then walk in here with that dumb look on his face."

"Hey!" Dean objected, his glare narrowing on Charlie. "I'm not the moron robbing a burger joint in broad daylight. Dude, that till doesn't have enough money to buy you a decent tequila let alone gas to get to Mexico."

Charlie ignored him. The fingers of man's left hand moved on to try to unbutton the girl's shirt. He was too uncoordinated to manage it and skipped straight to clutching the fabric of her white blouse in his fist. Dean's own fist clenched as he forced himself not to leap to his feet and tackle the son of a bitch.

Without Sam here, Dean had to play his brother's role too. He would give logic one more shot before he started emptying clips. At the girl's panicked pleas for the man to stop, Dean hoped these guys were too stupid to listen to reason.

"Just wait and see for yourself," Dean said. "But don't come crying to me when..."

"I told you to shut up!" Charlie shouted.

The intensity of the rage pulled gasps from parents and worried whispers from the kids they held. Dean was far less worried about the man's tone and a hell of a lot more concerned by how freely he kept swinging that pistol around. As he stormed around the counter, Charlie's finger tensed on the trigger, the barrel of the gun pointed down at Dean's head.

It didn't matter whether or not Charlie believed him. There weren't any cops coming, not yet, but the threat had gotten Dean what he wanted. Charlie's attention had turned to him, leaving the softly crying girl forgotten behind the counter.

After a moment of staring indignantly at Charlie's worn sneakers, Dean glared up at him. With his eyes away from the shoes he didn't see the kick coming at his temple, but he sure as hell felt the impact that sent a burst of white light over his eyes.

Distantly he heard the girl scream but was too stunned to acknowledge anything aside from the excruciating ache in his skull. His eyes clenched shut and he instinctively curled into himself to defend against a follow-up kick that he momentarily wouldn't see coming. He curled too far, pulling his shirt up to reveal the bare skin of his lower back.

"He's got a gun!" one of the men shouted.

In the half a second he had to react, there was no time for Dean to weigh the pros or cons of surrendering or fighting, only to go with his gut. His gut told him that in that half second he had to haul ass or die.

In the next moment a bullet shattered through the blood smeared black and white tiles where his head had been a moment earlier. Dean rolled the rest of the way to his feet. On the way he pulled the ivory handled pistol from his waistband, but stumbled as he stood.

"Are you crazy?" someone yelled. "We agreed no killing!"

The quick movement had sent a wave of dizziness through Dean, slowing him down long enough to acknowledge the hot liquid seeping down the side of his head. It was all Dean could do to keep his gun steady on Charlie.

Slowly the room came back into focus, the men were yelling at each other again, probably yelling at him too. To his throbbing head it sounded like everyone in the damn diner was hollering at the top of their lungs. His head was still spinning too fast to put the voices to faces.

"Enough!" Dean demanded.

A hushed silence fell over the restaurant long enough for Dean to get his bearings on the three jittery men with guns leveled on him. Dean forced his eyes to focus enough to confirm that all the bystanders were tucked on either side of the restaurant.

Even if all three men pulled their triggers, Dean and the girl were the only two in the line of fire. He wasn't letting the girl get shot and he sure as hell wasn't getting himself shot. Sam would kill him.

"In thirty seconds I'm shooting anyone who didn't come here for a burger," Dean warned.

With the safety clicked off, his gun darted between the men. Kevin and the other guy looked to each other and started backing towards the door. With a firm nod, Dean met what he could see of their masked eyes to confirm that he would let them go, even if it was killing him to do it. He really wanted to shoot them, but even without his brother here Sam's voice was still nagging in his head like a freaking angel on his shoulder.

The whole 'just humans' theory was crap. If he got to waste some poor bastard that accidentally got himself bit by a werewolf he ought to be able to take out sons of bitches that made a conscious decision to terrorize innocent people. Ought to, but didn't, and he had enough problems with the law coming down on him already.

Up to this point he could still honestly say he'd never ganked anyone that was acting as a human. He didn't want to change that unless he had to and couldn't risk sticking around to hold them for the police to pickup. If he changed his mind, he could always hunt their asses down later and feed them to that damn poltergeist.

"How about I just shoot you now?" Charlie asked. It took a moment, but the man caught on that his sidekicks were hitting the road. "Where are you cowards going? I got this one taken care of."

Charlie's finger again tensed around the trigger that Dean knew the man would pull. Dean pulled his first. He sent a clean shot tearing through the Charlie's shoulder. It was way more than the bastard deserved.

The gun clamored from Charlie's hand. Dean surged forward to swipe the revolver and happily land a solid blow to the man's head. A moment later Charlie slumped to the floor in front of the counter.

Another wave of nausea flowed over Dean as he swayed, but he swallowed it down as he scanned the restaurant. The two other men had vanished leaving the hushed whispers from the terrified families.

"Hey, is everyone okay?" Dean asked. "Is anyone's hurt?"

"Just you."

Dean turned to see the girl from the cash register tentatively walking out from behind the counter. She wiped the tears from her cheek, pulling her slightly torn blouse tighter over her chest. Nervously she peered around the corner to see if Charlie was really down.

"He's not gonna hurt anyone else," Dean confirmed. "Are you alright...?" His eyes struggled to read the name off her nametag, but no joy. The fact that she seemed to be wearing three of them and none of them would hold still wasn't helping.

"My name's Julie, I'm...I'll be okay." Despite her insistence her soft eyes were full of worry. "You saved me."

"Well, yeah," Dean replied with a shrug. "Told you I would."

It took him a moment to realize that the concern in her eyes was aimed at him. "Did he shoot you?"

"I look that good, huh?" Dean asked with a forced smirk that she wasn't buying. His hand reached up to wipe along the line of blood that oozed down his chin. Damn head wounds could bleed like a sieve. "Nah, he's the only one that got his ass shot. Here, this is yours."

Reaching down, Dean grabbed the case Charlie had put the money in off the floor. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but with the adrenaline leaving his system gravity seemed to be getting way too powerful. His step faltered as he moved forward to hand the money to Julie. She reached out to grab him and he would have pulled her down to the ground with him if someone else hadn't rushed forward.

Dean's first instinct was to fight whoever was holding him, but when he turned his head to the side he saw that it was just one of the hostages. He furrowed his brow at the man's support and the others that rushed forward to help. They lowered him to the ground before he could fall, his head swimming at the shift in angle.

"Someone call an ambulance!"

"No," Dean quickly said. "I'm fine. Just give me a minute."

They would have to call the cops before Charlie came to, which meant it was time for Dean to get the hell out of dodge. He didn't usually have a problem with exits. Typically he and Sam slipped in through the backdoor, did what they needed to and slipped back out with no more than a couple of people ever being there to take notice. More often there wasn't anyone else there at all.

If he got hurt, Sam dragged him out. Roles reversed, he did the same for Sam. Whether or not there were others there, he and Sam just killed the monster and moved on. Bystanders were almost always just that, bystanders, unless they were really hot and available for the evening...or afternoon.

Now these strangers were trying to help him and he didn't know what to make of it. That was his job. Julie was supporting his head as someone else kneeled beside him.

He didn't realize that he'd nodded off until he felt a moist towel being dabbed against the side of his head. His eyes again blinked open to look up at another person he only recognized as one of the hostages.
"You need a doctor," the woman told him.

"Seriously, I'm okay," Dean mumbled. "I just need my brother."

Dean turned on his side to get up, but hands held him down. He struggled against the grip until he met the eyes of a girl helping to hold him. His muddled brain told him she was Julie even though he couldn't remember who Julie was.

"Sam?"

His eyes searched the area to try to find his brother, but people were standing around him and he couldn't see past them. Where the hell had all these people come from anyway? It was something about hamburgers and guns. Things couldn't be all bad.

"His pupils are dilated and the wound is still bleeding." The woman holding the cloth to the side of his face was staring into his eyes. "I'm only a part time nurse. Sweetie, you need have a doctor look at you."

"His medical insurance card says he's Boyer Spangenberg, but he's got a bunch of fake IDs in here," some guy said. It took Dean a minute to realize the son of a bitch was flipping through his wallet. "I'm calling the police."

Before Dean could stop the guy, Julie grabbed the man's arm. "He saved all our lives. If anyone has a problem with having not seen him you need to leave before the police show up."

"You're right," the man agreed a few moments later. The next thing Dean knew, the man was crouching at his side. "Hey buddy, is Sam your brother?"

"Is he okay?" Dean asked.

"He's not here, but I'm sure he's fine. You got his number on you?"

"Phone...only number on it."

Dean started to reach for his jacket pocket and Julie slid her hand in to pull out his cell. "I'm going to call him, alright?" She dialed the phone before he could decide if that was a good idea. "Hi...Sam? Uh...my name's Julie. I'm a waitress at Kelly's Burger House. Yeah, he is hurt. How did you...? No, he's alive, but he won't let us call an ambulance..."

"Because I'm fine!"

The girl ignored him and kept talking to Sam. "There were these guys...they were trying to...one of them kicked him in the head really hard."

"He has a concussion," the older woman cut in.

"No I don't," Dean said as he again tried to sit up, ignoring the fresh wave of dizziness.

In reality he knew he did, he couldn't even remember what had happened, but sneaking a peek through the small crowd around him, revealed the Impala sitting outside. If Sam wasn't already here then there was no way for Sam to get here and no reason to get his brother all worked up over nothing.

He sloppily snapped his fingers has he held his hand out to Julie. "Give me the phone."

A gentle smile came to Julie's lips as she shook her head. "Sam says not to listen to you." Julie stood up, taking the phone out of reach.

"Oh come on," Dean groaned. "I'm okay...just need someone to turn off the Magic Fingers."

"Are you sure?" Julie asked into the phone. "Okay..." She walked over to the window and looked out over the parking lot. "Um...with a Kansas plate?" she asked into the phone. "Yeah, it's here. Yep. I know where it is. We'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"The bleeding is slowing down," the woman with the towel said.

"Damn right it is," Dean replied. "I just got smacked in the head. No big deal."

He jumped slightly as Julie again appeared at his side and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Okay tough guy, let's get you out of here. Can you help me get him up?"

Dean wasn't sure who the girl was asking for help, but it wasn't going to take a committee to get him back on his feet. He could damn well do it himself.

"I'm not sure we should move him," the older woman objected.

"We just need to get him to his car. He's in some trouble, but his brother is a doctor. He's gonna take care of him."

At first Dean thought Julie had called the wrong person, but then a ghost of a smirk came to his lips. Sam could be a scary good liar when he needed to be. The smile vanished as a couple of guys grabbed hold of him. It wasn't that he didn't have the strength to stand, he just couldn't keep track of which way was up.

With their help he managed to stay steady as they walked out to the car. He squinted against the intense light of the sun. When he again focused his eyes he realized the men had led him to the wrong side of the car.

"Dude, thanks, but the steering wheel is on the other side." When he looked up he saw that Julie was holding her hand out to him. "You want a tip?"

Again she smiled softly and shook her head. "I just need the keys."

Confusion flashed over his eyes as he stared at the outstretched hand. "To what?"

"Your car."

Dean reached into his pocket and clutched the keys protectively in his hand. "No way."

"We need to get you to your brother, but he said you wouldn't leave your car."

"And nobody drives her but me."

Stubbornly Dean leaned back against the car. He wasn't clear on a lot of things at the moment, but his eyes were working well enough to tell him that he didn't know this girl and she didn't even look old enough to drive. While he knew she was just trying to help, he wasn't letting her take his car for a joyride.

"Well you can't drive right now and someone needs to keep pressure on that wound."

He couldn't quite remember why he needed to get out of here, just that he did. "I'll just drive down the road a few blocks and pull over until I feel better."

"Give me the keys or I call an ambulance. That's the deal."

Dean's eyes narrowed on the girl, not because of anything she had done, but he could tell by the guilty look in her eyes that this sweet girl wasn't actually that manipulative. "Sam put you up to this. I'm gonna kick his ass," Dean muttered under his breath. With a sigh he dropped the keys into her hand. "Fine."

One of the men helped Dean ease into the passenger seat before opening the back door. "I got it," Julie said before the man climbed in.

"I'm not leaving you alone with this guy," the man replied.

"It's okay. He didn't stop that creep just so he could hurt me. Please, someone needs to be here to talk to the police and I don't wanna wait in there with..."

Dean's jaw clenched as the memory of Charlie resurfaced and he saw the shudder the thought of the man sent through Julie. Maybe he should have aimed higher.

"Sure thing, Julie. Just be careful and take care of this guy." The man clasped Dean's shoulder. "Thank you."

The intensity of appreciation in the man's eyes threw Dean off. It didn't help that everything was fuzzy. All he remembered were a few human robbers and doing something anyone else would have done given half a chance.

"Don't mention it."

After the man closed the car door, Julie handed him a towel and fired up the engine. "Just keep the pressure on the wound."

"Don't worry about it." Still, Dean took the towel and set it against the side of his head to humor her. As the car lurched, his stomach did the same. He so wasn't going to be the one to trash the upholstery. "If I look like I'm going to hurl, just push me out, alright?"

"I don't think so," Julie replied with a nervous laugh.

"You really okay?"

"Probably about as good as you." She meticulously checked the mirrors as she merged onto the highway before glancing back to Dean. "You don't even know me and that jerk could've killed you. He almost did. Why would you risk your life me?"

"Why are you driving an armed fugitive to meet his brother at a piece of crap motel?"

"Because he saved my life and I'm pretty sure I can take him right now," she replied with an expression gentle enough not to do serious damage to his ego.

Concussion or no concussion, if it came down to it, he could still take down anything that needed putting down. There was no reason for her to know that though. He wanted her to feel safe, even if there was no such thing.

Sam must have told her where they were staying because it wasn't until the engine cut off that Dean realized he had dozed off. He blinked awake in time to see the door to their room fly open.

"Oh here we go..." Dean muttered as he saw Sam rushing towards the car.

While he wanted to skip the fuss, he was no less relieved to see his brother in one piece. He still wasn't clear on why they weren't together.

"Dean!"

"Stop yelling," he replied as his brother threw open the car door.

"Oh God, Dean," Sam mumbled as he tilted Dean's head. He took the bloodied towel that was clutched in Dean's hand and carefully wiped at the side of Dean's face. "What happened?"

"Dude, relax." Dean squeezed his eyes closed and tried to turn his head away from Sam's attention. "I just wanted a hamburger. I can't take another bowl of stupid freakin' teriyaki..."

Sam sighed as his eyes moved from Dean to Julie. "He walked in on a robbery," Julie explained. "He saved me, he saved everyone."

"He does that." Dean glared at the stupid ass sappy look in Sam's eyes before his brother reached down to help him to his feet.

"I can walk," Dean grumbled.

"Good, because I'm not carrying you," Sam replied.

His brother's mucho words were a load of crap. Dean knew Sam would carry him in a heartbeat. Sam just knew if he tried that he would get his ass beat once Dean could stand.

Julie stepped out of the car and watched them. "Is he really going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine, thanks for bringing him here. Do you need me to take you anywhere?"

"No. I live just down the road. Thanks again," Julie said to Dean.

Dean just nodded, gritting his teeth at the unsteadiness the motion caused. "I swear, if one more person thanks me..."

"Exactly how hard did you hit your head?" Sam asked as he helped Dean into the room.

Carefully Sam eased him down onto the creaky bed. Dean sat at the edge, bleary eyes following Sam while his brother went for the bandages.

"Hard enough that I got twin brothers." Sam knelt beside him and Dean shrugged. "At least I'm not hungry anymore."

Dean hissed at the sting of alcohol being brushed over the gash. "Sorry," Sam said as he went on to gently clean the wound. "Was it a good burger?"

"If I'd had one it would be all over your shoes." Dean rubbed a frustrated hand over his face. While he still couldn't remember the semi truck colliding with his skull, he was slowly starting to remember the rest. "I shot one of them."

Sam looked slightly startled before concern washed over his face. "One of the robbers?" Dean gave a subtle nod as he stared off at the far wall. "You did what you had to, Dean."

"I didn't kill him...but I wish I did."

Dean looked back to his brother to gauge the reaction in Sam's eyes. The condemnation he had expected wasn't there, but the confusion was.

"This wasn't some hole in the wall, Sam. The place was full of kids and that girl that dropped me off...those sons of bitches were gonna rape her in front of all of them." Dean again looked away. "I guess I need to let you pick the restaurants after all."

Sam pressed the gauze to the side of Dean's head. "No, Dean. It sounds like you picked the right one. I'm just sorry you were there alone."

"I wasn't...but you still so owe me a burger and pie."