WHEN LOLA'S PHONE RINGS in the middle of the night, she doesn't know yet what's going to happen. Then again, how could she? To her, everything is perfectly normal. Terrence is asleep next to her, Bobbi is in her room, safe and sound, and she's meant to be sleeping herself, if it wasn't for that damn ringtone. She's received late night calls, it's not the first. She knows exactly who it's from too.

Dean Winchester, Lola Ramirez's best friend for what, 18 years? They met in school when they were kids, forever ago, and Lola was too stubborn to let go. Called his father's phone every night until he would give him the number to whatever motel they were staying in. Of course, it was easier once Dean had his own phone. And when Sam and her started to be friends, she barely slept at all. Late night calls are a Ramirez and Winchester thing.

So Lola carefully swinging her tanned legs out of bed, and tip toeing to her kitchen, where her phone is? It's not out of the ordinary. Her missing the call isn't either. At least she woke up, okay?

Dean left a message. That's good, that means it isn't a matter of life or death – in those cases, he just immediately calls back.

"Hey, Lola!" his voice starts. "So, dad's been on a hunting trip... and he hasn't been home in a few days. Think you could help?"

She scoffs to herself. "Sure Dean, wouldn't be the first time I cleaned up a Winchester's mess."

She sighs, makes herself some coffee, and goes to sit in the adjacent living room. Her house isn't big, but it's functional. She can't complain.

Once she's ready, she calls Dean back.

He answers by the second ringtone, meaning he probably was waiting for her to call back.

"Hey, Lola!" Even though he hasn't seen her in months, maybe years, he can picture her all too well. The roll of her big brown eyes, the way her small nose would wrinkle up in irritation, mouth pressed in a tight line.

She may have changed a bit since the last time he saw her, but he knows the face of 'Dean, I am about to punch you in the face' will never change.

"I don't like you, you know that?" she asks him, knowing exactly that he's wearing that shit-eating grin he always has when he's messing with her. It makes his bright green eyes twinkle with amusement, and it makes her mad.

"You love me."

"Do you remember, I have a kid at home? And it was Halloween?" Bobbi and sugar were a deadly mix, that's for sure. Lola spent two whole hours trying to calm her down enough for her to be at least remotely sleepy. "What do you want from me?"

In a sketchy motel all the way in California, Dean props his feet up on the table and leans down in his chair. "Eh, do I need an excuse to call you?"

She looks at the clock. "At 2 o'clock? Yeah you better before I hang up on your ass."

He snorts. "Well aren't you a ray of sunshine, sunshine?"

"Cupcake, you have no idea." The nicknames started a few years into their friendship. At first, it was ironic. Then again, doesn't every inside joke start that way? "No but seriously, Dean, how am I supposed to help with John disappearing?" She scratches the wood of the dining table. "It's not like it's the first time."

"This time it's different, okay?" He sounds completely stressed, and she can practically feel worry and stress through the phone.

She's heard him stressed. Hell, she's heard him straight up panicking, screaming and kicking sometimes. More often than she'd like. This is different. This is anxiety gnawing on his bones, relentless.

She figures that the only reason she can pick up on it, is because of how long she's known him. She's positive that not many people would know that much with only a sort of slightly wavering voice.

"I believe you," she says, a bit softer. "Doesn't tell me what you want me to do? I'm not exactly a hunter."

She's really not. She's got a toe in the life, and that's how far she wants to keep it, especially with Bobbi. She's very good at lore, though. She can defend herself, if needed, but definitely not to a Winchester's level. She's been on the occasional hunt with Dean, once his father let him hunt alone, but that's how far it goes.

"Actually, I just wanted to update you." Weird. "I'm getting Sam in the morning." There it is.

Lola, unlike both of these idiots, is actually keeping up with her friends. She calls Sam every so often, to check up on him. She knows about his girl, Jessica, and the score he just got on his LSATs. Which, by the way, is stellar and she's never been so proud.

"Haaa," she hums. "So you want me to buffer between you guys."

"What?" he tries, and he knows she'd give him the look again. "Yeah, that's exactly it."

Truth be told, she's been doing that for quite some time now. 18 years to be precise. Being best friends with brothers with that much issues? Let's just say becoming a therapist was a good career choice.

She rubs the last remaining of her distant hour of sleep from her eyes. "Alright, where are you?"

"California. Making a stop before picking Sam up."

"If he wants to come," she quietly tells him. "Hold up, California? That's like, a 30 hours drive from my place, how the hell do you want me to get there?"

He chuckles a bit. "Woah, claws in dude. We can manage on the phone, that's what it's here for."

"Phones aren't here for therapy sessions for you and Sam."

"Yeah, and choccy milk isn't for grown-ups, yet here we are."

"I'll kill you, Winchester."

"Aw, Ramirez," he coos. "I get all tingly when you talk like that."

She shivers. "So not my intent."

She hears some shuffling behind his laughter, which she interprets as him moving to his bed and dropping on it. He always threw himself on anything that looked comfy enough.

"Anyway, I figure you were busy with Bobbi and everything, I wasn't expecting you to come." She's not busy at all. She reaches over for her laptop, checks on her time table. Not a single session for the week coming. "How's Terry, by the way?"

Lola isn't sure Dean likes Terrence. She doesn't know why, but she figures he has his reasons. But he's not the one living with him. Well, for the most part. Terrence still has his own apartment, but he spends most of his time here. Mostly when Bobbi is over at Manuela's, her grandma. They're still awkward around each other, and Lola doesn't want to force Bobbi to hang around him if she doesn't want to. And she doesn't seem to exactly like him. Guess that makes two of them, at least.

But as far as Lola's concerned – and she is concerned – Terrence is a nice guy. A cool guy. She's not sure she's in love, but she likes him. He gives her a semblance of stability, and it's most welcome, especially for Bobbi. After having her at 17 and struggling for a while, it's the only thing she wants for her daughter. Sure, she had her mom helping her as best as she could, but it was still hard. With Terrence, most of it is easy.

If only she loved him back.

"It's Terrence," she says, defensive. "And he's fine. Whatever do you have against him?"

He shrugs on one side of the country. "Meh, it's like a gut feeling."

"A gut feeling," she repeats, giving him the face from the other side of the country.

"His face gives me the creeps."

"Dean, you never even saw him."

"Well I know he would."

"He has a nice face," she persists. Because he does. "Are you sure getting Sam is a good idea?"

"No," he says, honest with her. No point in lying. She always seemed to know what he was thinking anyways. "But it's still his dad, he should know about it."

She nods, even though he can't see it. He pictures it. "True." She takes a sip of her coffee. "How long has it been since you last saw him anyway?"

"Uh..." He pretends to think about it, as if he didn't know the precise date. "I mean I've been checking up on him every now and then."

"I mean with an actual conversation."

"The night he left?"

"What?" Lola can't help but exclaim, before shutting her mouth, afraid to wake someone up. Both of the brothers are shy about telling her about the other, but she really didn't expect this. "That was like, a year and forever and a half ago, what the hell, Dean?"

Dean makes a face. "See, that's exactly why I didn't want to tell you."

"Because I would yell at you and I'd be right to do so?"

"Because you'd make a big deal out of it!"

"It should be a big deal, Dean," she reasons. "You haven't talked to him in that long, and you're just going to show up and spring the news on him?" She scoffs. "You bet your sweet ass you need me."

There's silence. Then,

"You think I have a sweet ass?"

"I'm hanging up the phone."

"No, wait, hey, Lola." He waits, making sure that she hasn't hung up yet. "For real, you don't have to come here. I just wanted to keep you up to date, but I have the situation under control."

He waits again for her to answer, staring up at the ceiling of his motel room.

"Yeah, I trust that."

The second they got off the phone, Lola had booked a plane ticket for Sacramento. Come on, letting those two be alone after everything that happened? She trusts them, but she's not an idiot.

She sealed her fate without even realizing it.

author's note: i love dean and lola... so much already