Straightjacket Feeling

Dislcaimer: I do not own Supernatural nor the characters within this story. The only character of my own creation is Abbi Murphy.

Notes: This takes place between the episodes "Bugs" and "Home" though it may eventually overlap with "Home".

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"Try this on,
Straightjacket feeling,
So maybe I won't be alone
Take back now
My life you're stealing."
~"Straightjacket Feeling" (The All-American Rejects)


Dean Winchester sat in the driver’s seat of his baby, his dearest ’67 Chevrolet Impala. He looked over at Sam who, as usual, was sitting in silence staring out the window. “What could possibly be that interesting,” he asked. “All we’ve seen for the past eight hours is corn, corn, and more corn.”

Sam turned his head toward his older brother and gave him a small laugh. He knew Dean knew what he was thinking so he didn’t bother to answer. “How long,” he asked simply.

“Another hour or so,” Dean answered turning his head back to the road. His mind was elsewhere as well. That was, until Sam spoke again.

“Dean,” Sam said quickly. Dean turned to his brother and saw what Sam was looking at. There was a car pulled off to the side of the road, smoke emanating from underneath the hood. It wasn’t something unnatural but Dean felt the need to stop and help. That need mostly came when he saw the driver. He pulled up behind the car. Standing and leaning against the driver’s side door was a young woman. She had long brown hair that was pulled back. She wore a black tank top and blue jeans with an old pair of tennis shoes. Nothing too extraordinary, Sam wondered why Dean was so willing to help.

“Can we offer you a hand,” he asked getting out of the car. Sam got out of the car still confused, and a little worried. Dean never stopped unless he had a reason. What was his reason? She wasn’t exceptionally “hot”, not in Sam’s opinion anyway.

The woman turned toward them and smiled. “Well, well stranger,” she said with a smile walking up to him and throwing her arms around his neck. She stopped when she saw Sam. She stared at him. Sam looked around a little uncomfortable. “Oh my God,” she said walking up to him. “Sammy Winchester,” she asked. “Holy crap.”

“Hey,” Dean said sounding insulted. She turned to him and gave him some look that made him smirk, but Sam couldn’t see it.

“You’ve gotten… tall,” she said still amazed. “He’s taller than you Dean.”

Sam gave Dean a look telling him he had no idea what was going on. “Sammy, you remember Abbi right.”

Sam looked down and stared. He hadn’t seen her since he was little. How could he forget her? Dean and she were inseparable as children. Their dad said that they had been best friends since their mom took Dean to the park one day when he was around two and they started playing together. Her parents died in a car accident not long after their mom died. Their dad took her in for a while before the government finally caught up with him and but her in foster care when she was fifteen. Sam remembered Dean being devastated. It was the only time he had seen his brother cry. She looked so different now. “Wow,” he said quietly. He looked over at Dean.

“She found Dad and me until just after you left for school.” He nodded with a small smile. Then he walked over to the car and opened the hood, the smoke had faded by then. “What did you do to this thing Abbi,” he whined. “It’s ok,” he said to the car. “I’m gonna fix you up.”

She rolled her eyes and sat down on the hood of Dean’s car. He looked around her car and saw her. He opened his mouth to say something but she interrupted him. “You want to come over here and make me,” she snapped. With that he went back to what he was doing. Sam laughed. Dean never was able to fight her. They fought a lot but she always managed to win. It was actually rather amusing. “So how’s college life been treating you Sammy?”

“Sam,” he corrected her quietly.

“Wow, we’ve finally graduated from first grade,” she said with a laugh. “All right then, Sam.”

“It’s been good.” His voice was distant as he spoke. She could tell his mind was elsewhere. She had seen that look so often with Dean. He really missed his brother when Sam left for college.

“Why aren’t you there,” she asked. She knew it had something to do with Dean. She remembered hearing about the fight they had before Sam left. He swore he’d have nothing to do with hunting. When Dean told her that, she broke out laughing. She knew it was part of who Sam Winchester was, just like it was a part of who Dean Winchester was. He’d never get away from it and she told Dean that. Those words have haunted Dean for the past few months, since he pulled Sam back into this.

“Long story,” Sam said simply.

Then she looked around and noticed they were missing a Winchester. “Dean,” she shouted. “Where’s you dad?” There was a short pause. “Dean watch i”

“Damn,” Dean shouted as the hood of the car fell and hit his head. “What,” he said looking at her as he closed the hood of her car. He walked back to her rubbing the top of his head to ease the pain.

“Where’s your dad,” she asked. She looked around and inside the car there was only two when there should be three.

“That’s why Sam’s here really,” Dean answered. “Dad went missing a few months ago.” Dean stopped when he noticed Abbi’s face turn ghostly white. “What?”

“Do… do you remember what I told you the night your mom died,” she asked quietly. Dean nodded. How could he forget? “I heard them again a few months ago. They were there for about a week, the laughing the whispers. Then one night I heard the screaming.” She was terribly worried it was their dad. Dean’s response however confused her even more.

“Jess,” Sam and Dean said at the same time.

“Jess,” she asked. “Who’s Jess?”

“Jess is my girlfriend,” Sam answered quietly. “Wa… was my girlfriend.” She turned to him and realized that’s why he was there. She wasn’t going to make him retell the story.

“Oh Sammy,” she whispered placing her hand comfortingly on his face. “I’m so sorry.” She felt so bad for the poor boy. First his mother died and now his girlfriend. She looked back at Dean and decided to change the subject. “So how’s my car,” she asked. Dean just glared at her. She smiled innocently.

“Get in,” Dean said reluctantly. She flashed him a huge smile.

“What about your car?” Sam asked.

“Not mine,” she said honestly. Dean’s eyes widened in surprise. “It’s not stolen either Dean,” she snapped. “Someone in the last town was going to have it towed so I said I’d fix it up, you know how handy I am. Well, there’s really nothing you can do for a car that old and that crappy,” she said simply. Let me get my stuff. She ran back to the sorry excuse for a car and grabbed a bag from it. Then she ran back to Dean’s car. She walked around and got in the car, sitting behind Sam as the brother also got in the car.

“Where were you headed,” Sam asked.

“No where in particular. I tend to roam. I’m restless, I don’t like to stay in one spot too long, right Dean,” she said with a smile. Dean remained quiet. Both Abbi and Sam noticed. “Dean what’s wrong,” she asked leaning against the back of Sam’s seat.

“Nothing,” he said distantly. Sam and Abbi knew better though and they continued to glare at him. “Its nothing all right,” he snapped.

Abbi was surprised, she had rarely seen Dean snap. “Stop the car,” she said quickly.

“What,” Dean said turning to her.

“NOW DEAN WINCHESTER,” She yelled. Dean hated when she yelled at him. He slammed on the breaks, sending her forward a bit and hitting her head against Sam’s. “Sorry,” she said to Sam as she got out of the car. “Get out,” she said to Dean. “NOW.”

Dean stayed put. “No,” he said simply. “What the hell is wrong with you Abbi.” After hearing that Sam’s head was spinning with ideas. The Abbi Murphy he remembered as a child was terribly shy and hardly ever spoke.

“Dean Winchester you get out of that damn car right now,” she snapped.

Dean reluctantly got out of the car and follow Abbi to the side of the road. “What,” he snapped. He didn’t usually yell at her but his past was his past and she didn’t need to know any of it. What happened between him and Sam stayed that way. Secrets he kept from his brother would be kept from her as well.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” she asked. “What’s been going on? You’re distant. I know you better than that Dean Winchester.”

“Nothing’s wrong Abbi Murphy. I’m agreeing to take you with us because you’re probably a better hunter than Sam and you’ve been my best friend since I was two,” he hissed at her leaning forward in a threatening manor. “But if you keep pressing this I’ll leave you to walk.”

Sam watched from the car wondering what was going on. It was then he realized he had missed a lot when he went to college. He remembered the look on Dean’s face when Abbi was taken away, the tears in his brother’s eyes. What could possibly be so bad that he’d be yelling at her?

“Then I’ll walk,” she said coldly. She stormed back to the car and grabbed her bag. Then she slammed the door shut and began to walk down the road. Sam watched confused.

“Dean what are you doing,” Sam asked when Dean got back to the car. “What’s going on?”

“Stupid whore wants to walk let her,” he said coldly through gritted teeth.

“Dean,” Sam yelled. He knew his brother would never call her that. “What the hell is going on,” he yelled. He looked out the car as they passed her. He kept a watch on her through his rearview mirror as they drove away. The sun had set by then and it was dark. Sam didn’t feel right just leaving her on the side of the road like that. Hunter or not she could get hurt. “Dean you can’t just leave her there,” he said quickly.

“Watch me,” Dean muttered.

“Damn it Dean tell me what’s going on. What happened?”

“Nothing happened Sam,” he snapped.

Sam sighed and looked back into the mirror. He sat up straight worry and fear in his eyes. “Dean,” he said quickly. “Dean she’s gone.”