The Best Policy 2/4
I figured since I said in my Sweet Charity description that you could find examples of my stories here, that I oughta actually, you know, put some of those stories here. So I'm making good on my threat of months back to move the rest of my stories over from ff.net. This isn't new. (And I have not abandoned An Ancient Pitch.)
Title: The Best Policy 2/4
Author: Deanish
Rating: PG13
Length: 1,340 / 5,450 words
Characters/Pairings: Dean/Cassie; Sam/Jess
Summary: Dean told the truth. Sam didn't. Neither will ever make that mistake again.
Chapter 2: Winchesters in Love
Dean
Here is what Dean knew about Cassie by the end of their first date:
First of all, she did not think it was a werewolf that attacked that girl. She laughed when he threw the word out casually, then looked at him askance when his answering chuckle fell short of genuine. Her theory was that it was an unusually skinny bear, driven out of nearby Strouds State Park in search of food. She suspected mismanagement by the park rangers and was planning to look into it, possibly do an investigative piece on it. Dean could see the Sunday 1A byline shining in her eyes when she talked about it. He almost wished that it was a malnourished grizzly, despite his enthusiasm for a good werewolf hunt.
Because, second of all, Cassie loved her job. Everything about it - the thrill of seeing her name in print, the way the words flowed and fit together in an almost physical way, the adrenaline rush that accompanied a good tip and, most of all, the way she could go home at night, satisfied that she really was making a difference. She was passionate and fearless; she could talk knowledgably about everything from corruption on the Athens City Council, to the civil war in Sudan, to the plight of the American poor. And she wanted to change it all through the power of the press.
Dean believed she could.
But not right now. The third thing Dean learned by the end of their first date was that, while Cassie dreamed of writing for The New York Times - or maybe for the Associated Press as a foreign correspondent - she couldn’t see leaving her family like that. New York was 1,013 miles from Cape Giradeau, Missouri, where her parents lived. She knew. She’d Googled it. More than once. More than 10 times, even. And Sudan was even farther. It was hard enough being just these 533 miles away; she was ready to go home for a little while. Which was why she planned to go work for her hometown’s weekly for awhile after graduation.
All the talk about family and college brought Sam forcibly to Dean’s mind. Cassie noticed the sudden change in his expression and asked, which was how she ended up seeing just a hint of the real Dean by the end of their first date - the one he never bothered showing to the many women he dated.
Almost involuntarily, Dean mentioned his little brother, Sam, in college, easily more than 1,013 miles away. He got a full scholarship to Stanford, and Dean was … proud of him. Though that was sometimes hard to admit. Dean understood her reluctance to leave. He’d foregone college altogether due to similar familial obligations.
"But," he said, more hesitantly than was his wont, "if you didn’t want to leave your parents, why come all the way here? There are colleges in Missouri. You could have stayed closer all along."
She didn’t seem to need to think about her answer. Perhaps she’d thought about it enough to have it pretty much down.
"A few years ago, about the time I started really thinking about journalism, this school was ranked in the top 10 journalism programs in the country. It’s named after one of the major figures in journalism history. Matt Laure, from NBC’s News Today, went there. I did my research and figured out this was where I needed to be." She shrugged. "My parents would have been disappointed if I’d given up on my dreams because I was scared to leave home."
Reluctantly, Dean had to admit that maybe he understood that, too.
Sam
Here is what Sam knew about Jessica by the end of their first date:
First of all, his status as a pre-law major made him an even better catch than she’d originally suspected based on his tall, dark, handsomeness. Her rebellion didn’t quite compare to Sam’s, but it turned out her parents weren’t exactly 100 percent behind her choice of major. They’d wanted to know their daughter would be able to support herself, if need be, and had pushed for business or, of course, law school. ‘Painting is a hobby, not a career,’ they said.
But second of all, unlike Sam, she’s not in the least bothered by their disapproval. Of course, her family hadn’t thrown her out of the house because she didn’t give in. She still went to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, not to mention Easter brunch and Fourth of July barbeques. But every time she went home, she had to endure more tongue clucking from her mother. Still, she was unapologetic.
"Daddy," she said, "should never have told me I could be anything I wanted to be if he didn’t mean it."
She wasn’t heartless, though, and presenting them with a pre-law son-in-law would make for a nice consolation prize.
She told Sam this playfully, but he suspected it wasn’t entirely in jest - the son-in-law part, not the wanting-a-husband-to-support-her part. She was exactly the kind of girl to give into magical thinking, believe in love at first sight. And he finds himself wanting to believe right along with her. Though he’s not quite as prepared as she seems to be to say so out loud.
The first time she fell in love at first sight was in Nice, at the Musee National Message Biblique Marc Chagall, with Cantiques IV - all that red and the beautiful idea of really riding off into the sunset with the man you loved. Even if he does have a green face.
Sam confessed that he had no idea what she was talking about. He’d heard of Chagall , of course, but he’d never been to the Chagall Museum or Nice, or even France. Or, for that matter, even Europe.
Jess was a little appalled - until he explained that he had been to every state in the lower 48. And seen the world’s largest ball of twine three times.
"If that’s not folk art installation at it’s best, I don’t know what is," he said, spouting off the statistics he’d memorized at age eight: 17,980 pounds, 144 miles, 40 feet around. He made a good case, and soon Jess was insisting he take her to Cawker City, Kansas, to see it. Sam said that might be a little far, and suggested the world’s largest thermometer in Baker, California, instead. Or perhaps the world’s largest compass rose at Edward’s Air Force Base, the world’s largest flag at Moffett Field or the world’s largest paper cup in Riverside. Jessica immediately began planning a spring break road trip.
All the talk about road trips and "world’s largests" brought Dean forcibly to Sam’s mind. Jessica noticed the sudden change in his expression and asked, which was how she ended up seeing just a hint of the real Sam by the end of their first date - the one he tried to keep completely separate from his Stanford life.
Almost involuntarily, he admitted that he hadn’t been on a road trip since he got to Stanford. Which might not sound like long, but really was for Sam. He and Dean, his older brother, used to keep a list of all the world’s largests they’d seen, but he hadn’t seen Dean since his last road trip. Although maybe that was a good thing since Dean would totally be trying to steal Jess away if he was here.
That turned the conversation to big brothers - Jess, it turned out, had two - and their general over protectiveness. Jess warned him that, despite his pre-law credentials, her brothers were not likely to find him suitable for her. Perhaps if he would consider becoming an astronaut or a rock star? One of the dwindling, non-playboy variety, of course. Or maybe if he were elected president … They fought a lot of the choices she made, but she knew it was just their way of showing they cared.
Reluctantly, Sam had to admit he knew that, too.
Chapter 3: The Dating Game