9. Lizardo's Porterhouse

"You know, we do have a place that has actual food," I say.

My brothers and I have found ourselves in a restaurant. Since Dean drove, Sam and I kind of had no choice but to agree to eat here. Not that the food is bad or anything, it just makes me wonder why we did a trip out here.

Dean's scrolling through his phone, stabbing French fries with his fork before popping them into his mouth. I'm messing with my food, not really hungry. Sam's got himself enveloped in a newspaper.

So far, being a demon hasn't been so bad. In fact, I don't feel like I'm one at all. I feel like I've got a handle on this. I don't know what Dean was so worried about.

"What? This?" asks Sam. His eyes are still in the paper. "Um, cattle deaths a few towns over? A demon possibility or something?"

"No, it says right there," says Dean. "It's probably just 'cause of the drought."

"So, what are we doing here?" I ask.

Dean looks at Sam's plate and points to it. "Uh, reason's right on his plate. Lizardo's porterhouse—U.S.D.A. prime. It's the only place between Connecticut and the bunker you can get a decent steak under ten bucks."

I peek at Dean's phone. "Dude, you're blowing up. Who is that?"

"Ah, it's just, you know, these alert thingies."

"For what?"

"You know, monster...stuff."

"All right then." Quick as a whip, I snatch Dean's phone out of his hands. I keep it out of his reach.

"Hey, hey. Uh-uh. Give it back."

"What?" I give Sam a smirk. "Why?"

"Because privacy...And stuff."

"Oh, priv—Sammy, look at this!" I share the sight with Sam. Dean looks like he's about ready to kill me, but I don't care. I snort out laughter. "You're on a dating app? Seriously?"

"Yeah, and you know what? Don't knock it until you try it."

"Nice screen name, Dean," says Sam. "Impala-sixty-seven."

Dean reaches for the phone, which I keep out of his reach. "All right, give it back. Come on."

"Such an original screen name. Shaylene, huh?" I ask curiously, scrolling. "Dean, there are like a million messages here."

"Yeah, uh, check out her pic."

I tilt my head, giving an approving nod. "Um, okay. She's pretty. But..."

"'But,' what?"

"But she seems, um...Kind of...available," Sam chimes in. "Like too available."

"'Oh, baby, whatever you want. I'm burning up just thinking about you,'" I say overdramatically.

"They get raunchier," says Dean.

I clear my throat. "Yeah. Yeah, I—we see that. It's like a, uh—"

"Like a Penthouse letter," Sam finishes for me.

"Yeah. Is that bad?" asks Dean.

"No, it's not bad, Dean," I say. "It's too good to be true."

"I'm sorry, is it—is it so hard to believe that an attractive, red-blooded, American female could be interested in someone like me?"

"You realize there's no guarantee 'Shaylene' is even Shaylene. I mean, for all you know, it could be some...Canadian trucker named Bruce."

Sam nudges me, and my jaw drops. I look at Dean's phone, then at the woman in a purple dress behind Dean. I look at him warily. Dean notices our gazes, looking over his shoulder, waving at Shaylene.

"That look like a Bruce to you?" he says.

"We—we detoured eight hours so you could get laid?" I ask, a bit peeved.

"Yeah. Yeah. Oh, and, uh, you know what? Lunch is on me." Dean pulls out a few bills and puts them on the table. "And, uh...don't wait up."

"Asshat," I hiss after him as Dean goes up to Shaylene, putting an arm around her waist. I pinch the bridge of my nose. "I say we take Baby and leave his ass to hitchhike back to the bunker." I roll my eyes. "Un-freaking believable."

"Should it really surprise you that much, Jo?"

"Some things have yet to not surprise me." I pop a salty fry into my mouth. "Now I hope he doesn't get laid." I look at Sam, who's watching Dean and Shaylene pointedly. "You don't like it either."

"Oh, I'm as pissed as you are, but..."

"'But' what?"

Sam sighs. "It's been a while since Dean's seen someone. Like, actually been with somebody."

"You sure? I'm sure he went a little wild with his demon side." I wince.

"Who knows? And I honestly don't care about that. My thing is..."

"'Is' what, Sam?"

"Just before you came back, we had someone in the bunker with us. A woman. Dean...well...He loved her. And he lost her."

I look at my older brother. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. He was pretty torn up over her. He really loved her. I did too, but she was like a sister to me, you know?"

I nod in understanding. "The life got her, didn't it?"

"Yeah." Sam rubs his face tiredly. "So, whenever he's with someone, it makes me wonder if he's really moved on from her. Or if he's trying to get his feelings to disappear by being in bed with other women."

I purse my lips. "I wish I met this girl. Must've taken a lot to get Dean whipped."

"Oh, she had him whipped. He let her drive Baby."

"Even you and I don't get that chance that often." My mouth parts a little. I whistle lowly. "Now I really wish I met her."

"You would've liked her."

"What about you, Sam?"

"What about me?"

"Met any girls that stole your heart?"

And cue the silence that clouds my younger brother. The topic is clearly striking a nerve with him. "I've met a few, but one..."

"You know I want to know about her now." I lean in eagerly.

"She got pulled in when Dean and I were trying to stop Lucifer from destroying the world. It messed her up pretty bad, what she went through. I, uh, we fell for each other. Crappy timing, right? According to Dean, s-she got out."

"As in, she's still alive?"

"Yeah."

"Wait, you didn't see her leave the life?"

"I was saving the world from Lucifer, so no. Dean saw her off, and when it came to her, I know he wasn't lying."

"Why haven't you gone after her? Found her and made up for lost time?" I don't know why I'm prying into my little brother's love life. Must be boredom.

"Oh, I found her. But, she'd moved on. Which is what I wanted for her. A life without hunting. A life without...without me." My brother shuts down after that, and though the temptation to poke further into Sam's love life comes up, I don't push it.

Dean and Shaylene leave Sam and me at the restaurant, on our own. So, I'm assuming Dean drives Baby, leaving us even more stranded. Makes me wish I'd taken my truck.

My eyes roam around, bored. I feel my insides grow cold when I see a familiar face watching me at the bar. I swallow uneasily. Sam isn't really watching me. I make eye contact with the guy at the bar.

Has he been tracking me? I know he's not a hallucination. I get out of my chair.

"Hey, where you going?" Sam asks me.

"Bathroom," I say quickly, but I don't think Sam buys it. I slink over to the bar, where Franco greets me with a smirk.

"Hey, Aves," he greets me with a smile. He takes a sip from his bottle. "Small world, finding you here."

"Cut the crap. You followed me, didn't you?"

His eyes darken. "You disappeared and didn't come back."

I raise an eyebrow. "So you felt the need to come after me? How sweet." My voice drips with sarcasm. "Get out of here."

"I can see you've found yourself." He nods towards Sam, who's watching us both curiously. I turn back to Franco. "Guess 'Aves' doesn't suit you anymore, huh, Jo?"

"Piss off." I lick my lips. "Yeah, I got my memories back."

"But yet, you're not human. Couldn't part with the darkness, huh?" He smirks. "I figured as much. Once you get a taste, there's no going back."

"What do you want?" I ask impatiently.

"Where'd you go?" he asks calmly. "You missed a hell of a time in that fight."

"Sorry I missed out. Got caught up in other things." I shrug.

"My gut's telling me you either know the Winchesters, or you're related. I'm banking on the latter."

"So what if I am?"

Franco chuckles. "The irony. How a Winchester is a demon, and you've become one of the things you've had to hunt."

"I'm in control."

He cocks his head. "Really? I see the will power fading in your eyes. You're trying so hard. Why hold it back? You know how good it felt to embrace the darkness."

I shake my head. "If there weren't witnesses, I'd gank you right here."

"Oh, really? Because I think that's where you're wrong. If you don't want to part from your darkness, you're gonna need me."

I snort. "For what?"

"To harness it. Better it."

I cross my arms. "I'm handling it just fine."

"When we meet again, we'll see. You better go back before your brother starts asking questions. Wait...He must not know. Does he?"

"None of your business."

"Well, damn. What a secret to keep from family! Did you also keep your Hell tour hushed up too?"

I don't say anything. Franco is digging under my skin, and I'm tempted to rip his throat out. I'm ready to take him on, demon-to-demon.

He lets out a low whistle. "That's cold, Jo. Real cold." He swallows the last of his bottle.

"I'll prove you wrong. This'll be the last time you see me."

"Oh, actually, I think you'll prove me right."

On that annoying note, I leave Franco just as Sam leaves the table.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Dean."

"What'd he do now?"

"Just come on, Jo."

"But we don't have a car!" I should've taken my truck.

"It's not that far of a walk, we'll be fine."

"He give you the location?"

"Of course. Come on."

Franco lingers in the back of my mind, so does his smirk, as I follow my younger brother out of the restaurant in the hunt for our older brother and his "date."

**Sam's face kills me in the gif every time.

And, yes, our good ole pal Franco is back temporarily.**