Birthday Girl.

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie's out at the main bar today, enjoying a cup of coffee and making her way through receipts and supplies that needs to be restocked behind the serving area --

When a red flashing alarm light goes off above her head, and a banner unfurls across the bartop.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SALLIE REYNOLDS!

"Ugh. Who told?"

[ooc: Open to anyone, and flexible as hell.]

Comments

[realmrsreynolds]

"Everything okay? With you and him?"

[gavemea_45]

"Sure," he lies, immediately. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Beat.

"I mean, aside from the job, and stuff like that."

[realmrsreynolds]

"Anyone ever tell you you're not terribly convincing?"

[gavemea_45]

For some reason, this makes him grin a little.

"Only people who know me pretty well. Everyone else falls for it."

[realmrsreynolds]

Sallie saves room for one last note before another bite of cake.

"You don't have to tell me. But you can if you want."

[gavemea_45]

"Sallie..."

Sam ducks his head and sighs, then looks back at her, straight-on.

"... there's not much to tell."

Not much he can tell, anyway.

"And none of it's birthday stuff. There's just ... a lot that we're still cleaning up after what happened last year."

[realmrsreynolds]

"Fine. That's fine that that's what it is."

[gavemea_45]

"Please don't be mad," he says, after a second or two, barely audible. There's real worry in his eyes.

"I didn't mean --"

[realmrsreynolds]

"Oh, Sam - I ain't mad, sweetheart. Dong ma? And I'm sorry if I sounded that way.

"You're just one o' my favorites. So I ask too many questions."

[gavemea_45]

"... oh."

He ducks his head again, this time looking sheepish.

"You don't, just so you know. It's just -- there's not -- I'm not used to people asking, that's all."

A beat; and then, deliberately bright,

"We just had Christmas, not all that long ago -- I could tell you about that?"

[realmrsreynolds]

"I would love to hear about Christmas."

It's an effort, and it's an obvious distraction.

But it's Christmas stories over birthday cake. Sallie really can't complain.

[gavemea_45]

"Okay." Sam gives her a quick smile.

"... I guess first off I have to explain that the guy we ran into wasn't really Santa..."


* * * * * * *

A couple of days later, Sam ducks back into Milliways in order to leave a package with the bar.

The gas-station souvenir coffee mug's one of the more sturdy of its kind, and actually even somewhat appealing, printed with a colorful road map of the United States on one side and a picture of a sunflower on the other.

Attached to the handle with a piece of scotch tape is a plain white card with a picture of a balloon. Inside, in Sam's handwriting:

Happy birthday!

--Sam and Dean