The New Deal

What Do I Do?

                  

She'd driven through the night, making sure she kept a good distance between herself and the Winchesters before even considering stopping to rest. But much to her dismay the sleepless hours were beginning to catch up with her around noon and she knew she needed to find a place to catch up on some much needed and well deserved sleep. She considered finding a secluded spot to park her car and rest up for a few hours in her vehicle. She then thought about the many hours and miles she still had ahead of her before reaching her home in Mystic Falls and decided she wanted to rest up on an actual bed.

She could have stopped at a cheap motel, but a thought her in mind decided against it. She only had one year left, might as well make the best of it so she found herself in an overly expensive hotel lobby. Being on the road with Sam and Dean meant cheap motel rooms and candy bars for breakfast, so it was a nice almost alien feeling to know she could order room service if she liked.

She walked up to the concierge counter where a middle-aged woman typed relentlessly on the computer in front of her. A silent minute goes by before the woman finally lifts her head to regard Elena's presence.

"Welcome, how may I help you?" She asks with a beaming smile.

"Hi, I'd like to check into a room for a couple of days." Elena responds.

The woman eyes Elena up and down; taking in the obviously worn out clothes, lifeless hair, smudged make-up and the general exhaustion in her face. She looks as if she wants to say something, but ultimately decides against it. She asks for Elena's I.D and credit card which Elena without hesitation hands over. The concierge processes Elena's information into their database and is handing her, her room key within minutes.

"Have a nice stay," She calls out as Elena makes her way to the elevator.

-

She reaches the 5th floor, her limbs aching as she drags her feet down the hall towards her room. Once she reaches her door, she slides her keycard and quickly gains access into her room. Her eyes immediately landed on the queen sized mattress and almost instantly felt her body be pulled towards it. Dropping her duffle bag by the door she gives into the pull. Upon reaching the foot of the bed she runs her hand over the soft mattress, her lips upturning into a small smile at the feel of the great softness, much different than the stiff mattresses she had grown accustomed to. Not bothering to remove her coat nor shoes she lets herself fall face first onto the bed and within a couple of minutes she drifts off to a deep sleep.

-

"How do you do it?" She asks as she fumbles with a few stones she held in her hands.

"Do what?" He returns as he tosses one into the lake.

"How do you wake up every day and get yourself out of bed? Don't you ever feel like..." She pauses.

Her question piqued his interest. "Like what?" He pushes.

She takes in a deep breath, afraid to let the next few words escape from her mouth, afraid to let him see just how damaged she actually had been. "Like it'd be easier if you just stopped fighting?"

Sam's eyes widen for a moment. He had to admit, he was surprised to hear her talk like this, but not because he didn't understand the pain she must have been going through, but because she had the courage to speak to him about this. She trusted him enough to let him see another side of her, a deeper but darker side she held within.

She looks up at him, curious as to why he'd fallen silent. Panic sets in as she realizes she may have spoken too much.

"Nevermind..." She chuckles. "Forget I said anything." She adds as she tosses one of her stones into the lake.