That Ship Has Sailed

Dean & Loki I

"So how's the job hunt going?"

Dean cleared his throat to answer his brother, "Not so good."

"Have you read the paper recently? There's an opening in a garage downtown."

Dean shrugged.

Sam sighed, "Dean, you have to get out of the house at some point. Maybe getting out there will help distract you and give you a new outlook on life."

"What's the point of life anymore, Sammy? Cas is gone. I can't go back and save him from that drunk driver. All I can do is sit here and stare at the bottle of wine I bought to share with him and remember that alcohol is what killed him."

"A car killed him," Sam corrected.

"Dammit, you know what I mean!" Dean said, slamming his hand against the table.

"I know. I'm sorry," Sam replied, "I just think you should get out into the world. Meet new people and give life another chance."

Dean sighed, rubbing his face with one hand as if to wipe the anger off of it, "I'm sorry I shouted," he said after a pause, "I'm just not ready, Sammy. I'm not ready."

"Well, when you are, I've secured you a job at the garage. I told them you've had years of experience and have rebuilt the Impala several times for fun and they said they could use the help right now, whether you're schooled or not."

Dean nodded, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Sam said, taking another bite of the food Dean had prepared, "I hope you still have time to cook, though, because this is amazing."

Dean cracked a grin and nodded, "Marinated it for three days and added a spice the lady at the grocery store recommended."

"It's amazing," Sam chuckled, "You'll make someone very happy someday with cooking like this."

"Cas always loved my food..."

Sam paused and looked at Dean, who stared at his plate, barely eating. He flicked his hand as it rested on the table and Dean looked up. He sighed and nodded, apologizing again before taking another bite. Sam watched him for a minute, then said, "Take the job."

Dean nodded, "I will," he paused, "I will..."

Within the week, Dean was the favorite of all the employees at the small, car repair shop in town. Everyone who came wanted him to work on their car and he enjoyed tinkering with all the different makes and models, getting his hands on many different kinds of engines.

The girls all tried to flirt with him as he fixed their car, pretending they knew what they were talking about. Dean didn't mind. He enjoyed listening to them and got a kick out of telling his co-workers stories. For a while, things began to look up. Then, one day, not two weeks after he'd started working there, Dean encountered something he hadn't before.

A tow truck pulled up with a car in tow that Dean immediately envied. It was an old, custom built car that could put the impala to shame. When the truck stopped, a young man, no older than twenty-five, got out of the passenger seat, already cursing and shouting.

"I want this damn car fixed as fast as humanly possible! I don't care what you charge, I need to get out of this hic town and back on the interstate so I can make it to my show on time!"

"We'll put our best man on it," Dean's boss said, motioning for him to come over to look at the car.

Dean hurried over and waited as it was brought inside. He then opened the hood and began examining, pausing for a moment to take in the beauty of the dual engines.