Meeting Up (Sam, Dean, Greg, Layla)

[layla]

The arguing didn't bother Layla in the least. She thought that the subject matter was a bit cryptic and strange but she wasn't about to intervene. She hadn't known the brothers very long and she wasn't going to try to make their family argument her business. She did wonder why Dean was complaining about Sam not bringing him breakfast when Sam had left him the car and the diner had clearly been within walking distance. Was Dean on bed rest or something that day?

"So Layla... what do you do?"

Her attention was caught when the brown-haired girl actually spoke up, and then Dean followed with questions of his own. Layla smiled at Annali, deciding to ignore the suspicion in Dean's voice. "I'm a clothing designer. I've actually been travelling for a few weeks now selling my clothes to different little boutiques here and there. Hopefully I'll get myself a big label one day but for now, it's decent money and I love to travel... plus I meet some very... very interesting people." She slid her gaze to Sam and gave him a flirtatious smirk before looking over to Dean.

"We actually met at the diner," she answered him. "I thought Sam might have been a local and asked him what was good there. Of course, nothing he suggested tasted nearly as good as he did later," she said, a completely nonchalant look on her face as she idly looked over the diner menu. She hoped that she was upping the shock factor on poor Dean with her bold innuendos regarding Sam. It might annoy him now but it sure as hell amused her... and he would realize eventually that she was harmless.

[Sam Winchester (NPC)]

Sam

Sam picked up the other menu that Annali had set down and started reviewing it while they talked. He stopped suddenly and looked up with a sheepish grin on his face as Layla boldly mentioned the night they had spent together. He peered up at Dean to see what his reaction would be. Not that it really mattered. Sam just wasn't used to flaunting his sex life, not even to Dean. Even though he endured many a story from his older brother on that topic.

As a brief reprieve that Sam was ever so grateful for the waitress appeared and asked if she could take their order. Sam looked up at her and smiled, happy for the distraction.

"Uh,we're waiting for one more, but I'm starving and I think we should go ahead and order."

Sam gave a cursory look around the table at the others. Not seeing any major dissension he carried on with ordering.

"I'll take a Denver omelet with home fries, sausage, a short stack of pancakes, coffee and some orange juice. The largest glass you have for the juice please."

He set the menu back down on the table then set back in the seat. Looking across the table at his brother he lifted his arm up and put it around Layla's shoulders. Giving Dean a little smirk.

[Wil Marsh]

Greg wasn’t in the best mood when he arrived in Toledo. He’d been trying to track something – what it was exactly he didn’t know yet. He’d followed its trail to Ohio, but so far there was no sign of it. It was like it just disappeared. Ordinarily he would’ve spent the night drinking in his motel room until he passed out and dealt with the hangover in the morning.

But this trip to Ohio wasn’t just about tracking something nasty. He had something much more important to do.

Instead, he’d gone back to his motel room and called Annali, and she’d told him where and when to meet them the next day.

Greg pulled into the parking lot a little after three o’clock. Annali had always been a punctual person when he’d known her. He doubted she and her new friends would be happy with him for being late. But, he didn’t really care what her friends thought and he was more concerned with how Annali was doing than with what her reaction would be to his tardiness.

He shut off the ignition and grabbed his laptop bag, which not only had his computer inside but also the provenance for the Cupid’s Promise necklace cursing Annali and this Dean guy. He got the provenance and tucked it in one of the inner pockets of his denim jacket. He also had a bottle of holy water and his knife concealed inside – just in case. Annali would have no way of knowing if these guys were something evil. He took a deep breath.

“Okay. Here we go,” he muttered.

He got out of the car and walked inside, wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a worn Jim Morrison t-shirt under his jacket. His hair was shaggy and needed to be cut and he’d accumulated a bit of facial hair over the past few weeks. He paused in the doorway, looking around the diner like a prison escapee checking for cops. He spotted Annali sitting at a corner booth in the back. At least, it looked a lot like Annali. It was hard to see around the group of people sitting at the table with her. Two guys, one in a leather jacket sitting beside Annali and one with dark hair sitting across from them beside a blond woman.

What is this, some twisted double date? he thought. He’d expected the two guys, but the girl threw him a bit.

Greg approached the booth with his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched slightly. He wasn’t unconfident or sheepish, but he wasn’t the type to bust into a place with his chest puffed out and his shoulders squared.

He met Annali’s gaze and side-smiled before looking around at the other three.

“Uh… hey,” he said with a casual shrug. “I’m Greg.”

[The Preceptor]

Annali smiled at Layla, actually finding her line of work quite interesting. She was ready to hear much more about it when the blonde gave her lewd response to Dean's inquiry. Annali's blue eyes widened, her mouth falling open slightly as her gaze flickered over to Sam. She noticed that he looked a bit shy about the subject but there was a hint of pride in his smile as he looked over at Layla. Annali just hoped Dean didn't go all crazy and would brush it off... he was such a grouch today.

The waitress stepped up to the table and she was very grateful for the momentary distraction. Dean probably wouldn't start an argument with an outsider standing there, so hopefully during the time it took them to order their meals, he would calm down a bit. She tucked her ponytail behind her shoulder and gave the waitress a polite smile. "Um... chicken salad on croissant for me please. And... maybe a bowl of the homestyle chicken noodle soup? Oh, and... raspberry iced tea, thank you."

Annali was folding her menu and preparing to hand it to the waitress when a familiar, handsome (though disheveled) face stepped into view. Her entire face lit up at the sight of Greg, her blue eyes sparkling with warmth as he caught her eye. "Greg!" she said enthusiastically. Her first instinct was to stand up and hug him but Dean was sitting in the booth seat with her and blocking her way. She would have to settle for properly greeting her friend later. "You made it," she said happily as he introduced himself, and then she gestured to everyone in turn as she made introductions. "This is Dean... his brother Sam... and Sam's friend Layla."

[ZZZ - Dean - RETIRED]

Dean wanted to mentally erase the image that sprung to mind at Layla's comment about his brother. Ideally he'd like his memory wiped of that particular snippet of information completely but too late now. He gave Sam a look when he proudly put his arm around Layla, almost certain now that she'd done something to his brother. He'd not seen him this happy since Madison, but then that had soured too. Sam's track record with women....well it left a lot to be desired.

The waitress appeared from no-where and everyone started giving their orders in, Dean not even bothering to look at a menu before he grunted his choice. Right now he really just wanted the waitress to leave them alone so he could go back to being suspicious and moody.

"Coffee. Black. Cheeseburger. Extra onions." He growled impolitely, distracted from the scowly look the woman gave him as she took down his order because he'd seen the scruffy guy who Li was now addressing as Greg walk in. As introductions were made, Dean stayed quiet and just stared appraisingly at Annali's old friend, unsure why he felt that he was increasingly becoming surrounded with people he didn't quite trust.

[layla]

Layla smirked to herself, satisfied that she had obviously gotten under Dean's skin the way she had intended. It wasn't that she was trying to pick a fight with the guy, she just wanted him to loosen up a little. In truth, she was a good-natured person, and she was just genuinely happy being there with Sam.

When Dean ordered his meal with extra onions, Layla gave Annali a sympathetic look and then pulled her purse toward her. She dug through it a moment and pulled out a pack of spearmint gum, slid a piece out, and put it on the table in front of Dean. She stared at him a moment, as if considering something, and then set the entire pack in front of him. "We don't want to offend your girlfriend with ogre breath," she said with a cheeky grin, just as Greg walked up and introductions were made.

Layla looked curiously between Annali and the newcomer, noting how delighted she seemed to see him. Her eyebrows raised slightly in confusion, wondering if she had mistaken what she felt was obvious, intense chemistry between Annali and Dean. Of course, she was fairly certain that she hadn't hallucinated that near kiss that Sam had interrupted when they arrived. She also wasn't hallucinating Dean's increasingly sour, distrustful glare, but she just rolled her eyes and leaned across the table, offering to shake Greg's hand. "Nice to meet you," she said before turning to the waitress to place her order. "Chicken fingers and fries. And a Coke."

[Sam Winchester (NPC)]

Sam

Sam sat quietly as the others placed their orders. Seeing the look on Dean's face, knowing he was in a foul mood. Sam unconsciously gave Layla's shoulder a little squeeze. He couldn't help but chuckle when after Dean placed his order Layla dug in her purse and slide some gum over to him. Making a smart remark at offending ogre breath.

About the same time someone walked into the diner and approached their table. Sam raised his eyebrow and then saw Annali's face light up with recognition. The man stood at the end of the table and introduced himself as Greg. Annali made the introductions, Sam nodding his head when she mentioned his name.

"Hey Greg, nice to meet you. Pull up a seat."

Sam spoke in a polite tone. He still wasn't so sure what the deal was with Greg, but he saw no reason to be rude about it. Unlike his brother, Dean. Who seemed to be getting increasingly irritated.

[Wil Marsh]

Annali smiled brightly when Greg approached, introducing him to the others. He heard the blond say something to the guy beside Annali about offending his girlfriend with ogre breath. He hoped it was just a joke and Annali wasn't actually dating this guy. If he'd gotten her roped into some curse, there was a chance he could get her into more trouble than that.

The guy in the leather jacket sitting beside Annali was Dean. The other guy with the dark hair was Sam. The blond beside Sam was Layla. Layla leaned forward to shake Greg's hand while Sam nodded politely and told him to pull up a chair.

"Nice to meet you guys," Greg said, noticing that Dean remained quiet and didn't seem at all happy to be there.

The waitress asked if Greg wanted to order something to drink. He shook his head. "No, I'm all set, thanks," he said.

The waitress nodded pleasantly and offered a scowl to Dean before leaving. Greg grabbed a chair from a nearby table and dragged it over. As he sat down he saw a line of salt on the floor at the end of the booth. He glanced up to see if anyone had noticed him seeing it.

Alright, so at least one person sitting here has to be a hunter, he thought.

It wasn't Annali unless her dad had decided to let her in on the family secret. As far as the other three, he had no clue.

"So... where should we start?" Greg asked.

He could get right into talking about curse stones and voodoo curses, but he didn't want to start talking heavily until he knew who was a hunter and who wasn't.

[The Preceptor]

Annali frowned slightly at Dean's attitude toward the waitress, and she gave his ankle a sharp kick under the table that probably didn't have enough force in it for him to notice all that much. She managed to otherwise keep her expression calm enough, and wondered if he would even know who had done it. The waitress finished taking their orders and Greg pulled up a chair... Annali was pleased that Layla and Sam had been more receptive than Dean had been. She wondered why he was so skeptical of everyone... had he been that way about her? Was that why he had been so resistant to her touching him that first day?

"So... where should we start?" Greg asked.

Annali bit her lip and looked around at the others, not sure where to begin. For one, she wasn't sure how much Layla knew and if it was safe to be talking about things such as curses in front of her. She also didn't know how safe it was to bring up such topics in a public place. This time of day, the diner wasn't exactly bustling with activity but that didn't mean conversation couldn't be overheard by one of the staff. She decided to let someone else bring it up.

[ZZZ - Dean - RETIRED]

"Funny." Dean grumbled at Layla after her joke about the gum, ignoring the offered packet and giving her a vague look of contempt instead. It crossed his mind to point out that Annali wasn't his girlfriend but he kinda liked the impression it might give Greg, so he purposefully kept quiet.

Greg was an old flame of Annali's and, ex or not, there had been something between the two of them. Dean knew that feeling jealousy over that relationship was just silly, but there it was anyway, lurking at the back of his mind just waiting for the oppertune moment to rear it's ugly head.

The waitress finally left and Dean almost missed seeing Greg spot the line of salt when someone kicked him under the table. His inital instinct was that it had been Sam, subtly scolding him for being a jerk, but from the direction the blow came from he guessed it was Annali. He turned breifly and gave her a 'what was that for?' look before returning his attention to Greg. Li probably didn't want him making a bad first impression or something, but he really didn't care right now. What he did care about was what kind of guy Greg was, whether or not he could be trusted and how exactly he thought he could help them.

From the way he narrowed his eyes at the line of salt, Dean assumed he really was a hunter, though the fact he'd not crossed said line also had him worrying about the possibilty he could be someting else. Either way, Dean's inital reaction was mistrust. In his experience, other hunters tended not to work well with Winchesters. Bobby Singer not included.

"So... where should we start?"

"You in town on business or pleasure, Greg?" Dean asked cooly, leaning a little further towards the edge of the table so he could - for want of a better word - interogate Greg in a more face to face manner.

"I mean, you don't strike me as the travelling salesman type, but there's not a lot in town for tourists, unless you're into, say...hunting." To a civilian it was a throwaway comment and surprisingly subtle for Dean but never the less a way to call Greg out on whether or not he was in the same line of business he and Sam were. If Layla hadn't been there, Dean's opening gambit might have been a little more bold, but if it turned out that Greg was a hunter and Layla was the spawn of Satan, it would have been unfair to 'out' him so obviously. Might as well just draw a bullseye on his forehead.

[layla]

Layla just rolled her eyes at the look Dean gave her. She couldn't imagine how Sam could possibly stand being cooped up with this guy day in and day out. He obviously had no sense of humor whatsoever. No wonder Sam had been so eager to spend an entire day with her doing nothing but having a great time. It was probably a very welcome break.

Greg sat down and immediately the poor guy started getting interrogated. The questions Dean was asking him might have been harmless enough on their own, but the way Dean was looking at him, and the tone of his voice absolutely reeked with suspicion. There was something going on here between those three and Layla hated feeling out of the loop. She looked across the table at Annali, wondering if she could use a more subtle method to get some information out of her.

'You and Greg... friends? More?' she said into Annali's mind. She waited until Annali looked in her direction before very subtly putting a finger to her lips. 'They can't hear me,' she added. 'And I can't hear you. So just... nod or shake your head if you want to answer.'

[Sam Winchester (NPC)]

Sam

Sam shook his head in dismay as Dean seemed to be getting more and more pissy with Greg. Dean had always been snarky, but he was in rare form at the moment. Sam looked across the table and tried to attract his attention with out being too obvious about it. Giving him a look that said, 'what the hell is up with you.'

He continued to hold Dean's gaze for a moment before breaking it off and turning his attention to Greg. Glad that at least someone wanted to get down to business.

"Uh... Well Greg, I think you had something you wanted to show us about a locket that might be cursed or something? I think we'd very much like to see that and any other information you might have on it. As you can see, my brother is a little cranky these days. Not that being linked to Annali is a bad thing, but not being able to go to the bathroom on your own I think is starting to take it's toll."

Sam gave a little smile. He was trying to lighten the mood. Waiting to see what Greg's response was, Sam leaned over and whispered to Layla.

"Sorry about Dean. He usually not so cranky. Well, he can be... But, this is pretty unusual even for him."

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek when he pulled away from her ear. Smiling across the table at Dean. Hoping that he would get a hold of himself and stop being such a jerk.

[Wil Marsh]

There was a short pause after Greg's question as Annali looked around at the rest of the group. Dean was the first to say something, surprising since he'd been so quiet up until then.

"You in town on business or pleasure, Greg?" Dean asked, leaning a bit closer to face Greg. His tone a bit less than welcoming. "I mean, you don't strike me as the travelling salesman type, but there's not a lot in town for tourists, unless you're into, say...hunting."

Greg stared at Dean for a moment and glanced around at everyone else before looking back to Dean.

"Yeah, I do some hunting," he said, trying to sound as casual as possible. "I guess you could say I'm here on business."

So Dean was a hunter. He assumed that meant Sam was, too, but he wasn't positive, and he didn't know what to make of Layla.

Thankfully, Sam chimed in to answer Greg's question. Greg nodded. "Yeah.I have some stuff saved on my laptop you guys can take a look at. Might shed some light. Do you guys actually have the thing on you? I should probably take a look at it."

[The Preceptor]

Annali gave Dean an innocent look when he turned to her, but she didn't say anything. The conversation was already in play between the guys at the table. She frowned slightly at the way Dean was talking to Greg. She really liked Dean but she felt that he was being disrespectful to someone that she really cared about and it was stirring up an uncomfortable knot in her stomach. Still, she couldn't help being curious as to what Greg's response might be to the question about hunting.... but she didn't manage to hear Greg's answer because Layla had said something to her.

Annali turned her attention to the blonde, looking surprised by the question asked. She couldn't believe that she had the nerve to ask it in front of the others, and was even moreso by the fact that nobody else had even heard her, which she confirmed by looking at them and finding that no one else had even looked in their direction. She looked back to Layla and heard the other part of the statement, realizing with shock that the other woman's voice was in her head but that her lips weren't moving. Annali shot a quick glance to Dean and Greg and looked back to Layla, unsure how to communicate the answer... that her relationship with Greg was in the past. In the end she shook her head, and then nodded slightly before catching the tail end of the conversation.

"...Do you guys actually have the thing on you? I should probably take a look at it."

"I think I do," Annali said, pulling her purse onto the table and starting to look through it. She spotted the amulet at the bottom but realized that this might be a good chance to get Dean alone for a moment and find out just what in the world was going on in his mind regarding Greg. So she sighed and looked up at them. "I think I left it in the car," she said, looking to Dean. "Would you come with me to get it?" she asked him, giving him a meaningful look.

[ZZZ - Dean - RETIRED]

Proving Sam's point about Dean being cranky, Dean scowled across at his brother and grouchily growled a remark back.

"How about we curse you and Little Miss Smartass with a hexed pendant," he said, waving a hand vaguely in Layla's direction, "...so you can spend half the day feeling like someone's squeezing your heart through your ribs just because she gets more than five feet away from you. See how cranky it makes you."

He really hadn't meant to vent so publically but with one thing after another starting to stack up - getting cursed in the first place, not sleeping, Sam eloping for a day without explanation, then returning with a mystery woman he appeared to have fallen for who may or may not turn out to be trouble, topped off with the ex of the woman he was cursed with (and also getting quite attached too on a more romantic level) seemingly being the only choice for help that he had - well it would make a guy cranky. Especially if that guy was Dean Winchester and he already had a tendancy towards aggressive behaviour. Chances were good that Sam would take it with a pinch of salt (no hunting pun intended), he was used to Dean's temperament and unlike Dean, probably saw no sense in starting an arguement now they were getting down to business.

Venting over for now, Dean forced himself to keep his mouth shut so he could hear what Greg had to say, leaning back in his seat again to look at the man in a new light after the casual confirmation that he was indeed a hunter in town on business. He'd been about to ask what kind of business exactly but Annali stopped him when she announced she'd left the locket in the car and that they'd need to go outside and fetch it. The inevitable comeback that it would be easier to send Sam to go retrieve it rather than them both going outside (considering that Dean wanted to stay put and grill Greg some more about why he was here) died on Dean's lips when he caught the pointed look Annali was giving him.

What?

"Fine." He huffed, pausing to give Greg an 'I'm still watching you even though I won't be here' look before sliding out of the booth, waiting for Annali to get up too and then heading outside to his car.

"I don't remember seeing it in the car, you sure it's not in your bag?" He asked over his shoulder, hoping that he could distract her from whatever it was she wanted to say to him out here that she couldn't say in the diner.