Faith slipped her sunglasses on top of her head as she walked into the dimly lit motel office. She approached the counter, lazily leaning against it as she dinged the bell.
Minutes later, a short middle aged man came out of his office, doing a slight doubletake at the woman at the counter. He tried not to stare at the ugly bruise on her cheek and the scratches on her neck.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
Faith glanced back at the car, where Dean and Sam were. The man noticed, and frowned slightly.
"Need a room, two queens," she replied.
"Alright, let me see..." the man clicked his tongue while he went over his books.
After ten minutes of him pfaffing around and mulling over his suspicions, Faith sighed, knowing Dean was going to come in if this took any longer, complaining about wanting pie.
"Sorry," she said, sounding a little rushed. "Could we speed this up a bit? It's just that we're in a little bit of a hurry."
The man looked up at her again, his eyes fixated on her bruise. "Oh yes, yes, I'm very sorry."
"It's ok," she assured him.
"Don't be sorry, be faster," she thought.
Dean & Sam
"What the hell is taking so long? I'm freaking starving," Dean rolled his eyes, staring into the office.
"He's just looking through his books," Sam shrugged.
"Thanks for stating the obvious," Dean grunted.
Another moment of silence, and Dean opened the car door. p>"Dean-!"
"Come on man, I wasn't kidding!"
Dean closed the door and headed for the office, pulling his leather jacket firmly onto his shoulders as he walked. He glanced down the road as he opened the door.
"Faith!" he said in a demanding tone, "what's taking so long? Come on!"
Faith
Faith jumped in surprise, having expected Sam to be sent in to whinge on behalf of Dean, rather than Dean himself.
"It's almost done," she said, turning to look at him.
"Are you ok, miss?" the older man asked, touching her arm.
Faith recoiled from the touch instinctively. "I'm fine."
Dean
"Yeah she's fine, let's get this show on the road!" Dean insisted, indicating his wanting to leave.
He put a hand on his stomach as he felt it growl.
Faith
"I can call the police," the old man offered to Faith.
"Because he's hungry?" Faith asked, looking confused. "It's ok, he gets like that a lot."
The man's eyes strayed to the bruising on Faith's cheek and the redness of Dean's knuckles.
Dean
"Maybe we should just go somewhere else," Dean grunted.
Faith
"It's ok," Faith said, taking the key from the old man.
"We have a room."
Dean
"Great!"
Dean marched forward and grabbed it off her.
"Meet you there, I'm heading to the restaurant."
Faith
"Stop right there, young man!" the manager said, reaching underneath his counter for a gun if he needed it.
"You're not going to harm this young lady again."
Faith glanced at Dean.
Dean
"...Excuse me?" Dean frowned, staring the guy down.
Faith
"You can explain this to the police," the man said, reaching for the phone.
"Explain what?" Faith asked.
"It's ok, love, you don't have to be afraid of him."
"Oh believe me, I'm not."
Dean
Dean reached over the counter and slammed the phone back into the cradle just as the man picked it up.
"You seriously think that woman would be afraid of me?" Dean raised an eyebrow.
"Take a swing at her yourself and see what happens. I dare you."
Faith
"That's assault!" the man protested. "She's just a girl."
"Yes," Faith said, nodding. "I am just a girl, but - "
"I won't let you hurt her again."
Faith looked around Dean at Sam, who was still in the car.
Dean & Sam
"Hey, if you think I did that, then who did this?" Dean pointed to his black eye and gouged jawline.
Sam looked up from where he'd been playing with his phone. Seeing the scene, his eyes widened and he jumped out of the car.
Faith
"She couldn't do that!" the manager argued with Dean. "You won't lay another hand on her."
"He doesn't hit me - "
"It's assault!"
Sam & Dean
Sam barged through the door that second.
"Dean! What are you doing?!"
"This guy's gonna call the cops on us."
"Why?" Sam frowned, looking to the motel owner.
He was sporting his own purple bruises on his throat and chest.
Faith
"He hits you too?" the manager asked, either Faith or Sam, she wasn't quite sure.
"No one hits anyone," Faith tried.
Sam & Dean
"What is he talking about?" Sam frowned.
"He thinks we've got a domestic dispute thing going on, and that's why we're bruised up," Dean grunted, still leaning over the counter awkwardly.
"You're kidding."
"Does it look like it?!" Dean's voice rose.
"Let's just settle this misunderstanding humanely," Sam put his hands up defensively.
Faith
"Explain her bruises then!" the manager said, indicating Faith's face.
"I suppose she fell down the stairs?"
Faith glanced at Sam and shrugged.
Sam & Dean
Sam returned Faith's look, then his eyes turned to the ground.
"Someone wanna speak up?!" Dean exclaimed.
"It was a demon," Sam shrugged, "we were all fighting it."
"Oh great, the truth," Dean rolled his eyes.
Faith
"Don't be ridiculous!" the manager argued.
Faith sighed.
"Look, honestly... just hit me. It won't hurt, trust me."
The manager stared at her in horror.
Dean
"Or hit me if it'll make you feel better," Dean grunted.
Faith
"It's fine," Faith said to the man. "We were in a car accident, no one is hitting anyone, there's no domestic violence."
She stopped herself from adding 'unless you count what I have done to both of those boys in bed'.
Dean & Sam
"Thankyou," Dean hit his head on the counter.
Sam looked awkwardly between them.
"Maybe we should stay elsewhere...?" he suggested to Faith.
Faith
"Oh, I... no no," the manager stammered. "My mistake. Please, the room is free. I apologise."
Faith glanced at Sam and raised an eyebrow.
Dean & Sam
Dean finally stood up again, arching his back painfully.
"Thank God for that. Or, Castiel, or whoever," he mused.
"Are you sure?" Sam frowned a little.
Faith
"Hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Faith said, taking Sam's hand.
"Let's go."
The manager was looking very embarrassed still.
"Hey, thanks though," she said, turning back to him. "For being concerned."
Dean & Sam
"Yeah, for everyone but me," Dean rolled his eyes.
"I need to go get laid."
He left without another word, and Sam blushed a little from embarrassment.
"Sorry," he apologised to the tender, before looking to Faith.
"Did you get a key?"
Faith
"Indeed I did," Faith said, taking Sam's hand as they left the office.
"That was kinda funny. In a way."