Brad sat next to me at the bar. The smell of cigarettes coming from his beat-up jacket made me want to gag, as did the way he was shoveling wings into his mouth. He slurped the foam off his beer as I nervously tapped the side of my Coke bottle. The bartender had given me a strange glance when I ordered it, but I saw the knowing look on her face as my date had staggered in, already looking drunk. I had to have my wits around me in a place like this.

I glanced around at the dinky joint. Dim lighting, smoky, low ceilings, and the less than pleasurable sounds of pool balls clinking over bad covers of already bad country music. I didn't know why I had agreed to meet here. I'd never been one to enjoy a bar scene, especially one as scummy as this. I didn't even want to think about what kinds of things were going on in the dark recesses of this place.

Brad's thin, reedy voice brought me back to the present. "How's yer food?" He asked, slurring his words slightly. I sighed inwardly, looking down at my untouched plate of greasy fries.

Plastering on a smile, I said, "Great, just great."

"Good." Brad sucked the sauce off his fingers then wiped them on his jeans, ignoring the napkin dispenser right in front of him. "You gonna get somethin' to drink? Beer's good." He said as he scratched his shaggy hair.

"Uh, no thanks." I took one more sip of my coke and glanced at the clock. Nearly 11:00. I would be able to get out of this rat hole of a restaurant soon. "I'm gonna head to the bathroom, 'k?" I tried my sweetest voice.

"Oh yeah. Go pretty yourself up." Brad laughed and then belched. I repressed a shudder and headed to the restroom.

********

The bathroom was as bad as the rest of the place. Dim lighting failed to hide the grimy tiles and yellowed sink. I tried to ignore my surroundings as I checked my appearance in the mirror. I smiled at my reflection. Despite the circumstances, I was happy with my appearance.

My friend Quinn had insisted on doing my hair, which now hung in a complicated braid down my back. I had actually put on some makeup, practicing my eyeliner until it was perfect and choosing a bright lipstick. I felt that if nothing else went well tonight, at least I looked good.

I was most proud of my outfit. My new white top was tighter than I was used to, so I had covered it with my favorite plaid shirt. (On his dating profile, Brad had said he was a cowboy. I guess we had different ideas of what being a cowboy entailed.) My favorite jeans and boots were comfortably worn, while my silver jewelry tied the outfit together.

After pacing the bathroom for a few minutes, I emerged with a plan of action. I would tell Brad that I was leaving. He would probably be too drunk to care, anyway. Once I was outside and safely on the road, I would call my friend and tell her that I was deleting all my online dating profiles.

As I walked up to the bar, I noticed two men walking in the door. Nothing about them was special, really - plaid shirts, worn out jeans, boots – but something about them made me take a double take. It seemed as though they were trying to keep a low profile and failing miserably. The shorter one – I say shorter, though he was still at least 6 feet – caught my eye and winked at me before looking me over. I blushed and walked away. All men are the same. They all want the same thing, and that's why I hadn't given it to any of them. It's the principle of the thing, not any religious obligation, that had kept me a virgin all these years. I wanted to find a man who didn't just want that one thing, who actually cared about me for me.

As I made my way over to my date, I pushed the two men from my mind. Brad looked up as I stopped next to him.

"Aww there ya are sweetheart," He slurred, barely able to keep eye contact with me.

"Brad, I'm leaving..." I begin before he interrupts me.

"Perfect, now we're finally getting to the good stuff," he laughs and tries to stand.

"No, Brad." I try again, keeping my voice even. "I'm leaving alone and going home to my house, by myself."

Faster than I thought possible Brad was on his feet. "Whaddaya mean you're going home alone? I waited all night with you moping over there, not appreciating the food I bought you, not wanting to drink with me. Now, you're going to repay me."

I tried once more. "No, Brad, you are going to leave me alone..."

"You don't tell me what to do, girl!" He spat as he stepped menacingly closer. "I do what I want with trash like you." He was shouting now. I raised my hand to slap him, but he grabbed my wrist mid-swing, bringing it to a jarring halt. He brought up his fist to hit me but missed in his drunken state.

I twisted out of his grasp with a shriek and backed up, running into someone behind me and tripping. I looked up to see the taller man who I had seen walk in a few minutes ago. He caught me as I fell, carefully setting me back on my feet. His eyes, dark and compassionate, turned to me.

"What's going on here?" He asked in a warm, husky voice.

"None of your business!" Brad shot at the stranger, his hate-filled eyes focused on me.

"We were on a date," I began slowly, noticing the second man come up from my other side. The two of them flanking me gave me the courage to stare down Brad. "I wasn't having a good time, and I want to leave."

"You hear that? She didn't have a good time." The taller man began, his eyes turning steely as he looked to my date.

The shorter man finished his thought. "We're gonna be nice and give you 'til the count of three to pay for this lovely lady's meal. Then scram."

"I don't know who you think you are- " Brad began, stumbling as he tried to come toward the men.

"One."

"You've got no right- "

"Two."

"Ok! Ok fine." The louse of a man dug some crumpled bills out of his pocket and slammed them on the table.

"Three." The shorter man finished counting. "Sammy, I don't think I liked the way he paid for his date's food."

Sam responded, "I don't think I liked either, Dean. Why don't you teach him the right way to get out of here?"

With an expressionless face Dean picked up Brad by his collar and carried him outside. Sam turned to me, concern in his eyes.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

Now that the ordeal was over, reality started to kick in. My vision tunneled and my knees gave out.

"Whoa there!" Sam caught me easily and helped me sit down, then sat next to me. "Do you want something?" When I nodded, he turned to the bartender. "Two shots, please." She nodded and slid them over.

"I don't really drink," I said, eyeing the glass.

"That's alright. It'll burn a little, but it'll help you with the shock. And I'll drink with you." He gave me a small, reassuring smile. "Ready?"

I nodded and downed the drink. My ears buzzed and my throat burned, but after it cleared, I felt better. "Thank you," I told him. "I mean it. I don't know how I would have gotten out of that one." I shook my head. "I've had bad blind dates, but this was by far the worst. And he was so drunk..." I trailed off, shaking my head at the whole thing. "Anyway, how can I repay you?"

"Really, there's no need-" Sam begins to say, but stops as Dean walks up.

"Hey Sammy. Took care of that guy. He won't be coming around here for a long time." He laughed and turned to me. "How're you feeling?"

"Better," I tell him as I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Sam got me a shot to clear my head. What can I do to repay you both?" I ask again.

"You don't need to do anything, Ms..." Sam trails off when he realizes I haven't even told them my name.

"My name's Grace," I tell him.

"Well, Grace, I say you only need to repay us by coming and having a real dinner with us." Dean gave me a smile and leaned in as if to tell me a secret. "I personally think the food in here looks fine, but my little brother here is a bit of a health nut." Sam rolled his eyes then asked me,

"Would you like one of us to ride with you? And you don't have to come if you don't want to."

My stomach growled loudly and I laughed, a little embarrassed. Maybe that shot was kicking in faster than I thought it would. "Yeah, I want to come. I haven't eaten since lunch. Actually, I know a cute little 24/7 diner up the way. Sam, why don't you ride with me? Dean, you can follow us."

"Sounds good," Dean agreed, and as we walked out I pretended not to see Dean's obvious glances from Sam to me, and Sam looking at him as if he was going to strangle his brother.