This is my second fic, I just love Sam and Ruby too much to resist writing another one. Of course I don't own either of these characters. They belong to Master Kripke.

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Heaven and Hell had just collided and I was definitely feeling the collateral damage. What was I thinking sacrificing myself for an Angel? Oh I know what I was thinking, I was thinking of Sam. I wasn't thinking of much else these days. This is unbelievable, I've said it before but I think I'm in way over my head.

Each and every day spent with the Winchesters I'm becoming more attached. Even short bus Dean was making a grand entrance into my non-existent heart. He was infuriating, pompous, and everything still remained black and white to him. I was a demon, he is a hunter. Sadly, I don't see the gap in that bridge mending any time soon but sometimes I can see bits of his kindness peaking through and that was enough for me.

We were still standing in the barn trying to decide what had become of Anna when I started to sway with weakness. I received a concerned look from Sam but he didn't move towards me until he received his permission from Dean. "Take care of her" Dean commanded as he exited the barn heading for the Impala not looking back.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked me.

All I could manage was a weak smile before everything went dark. Sam must have caught me because when I woke up I was laying on a not so soft bed with an eye full of some putrid wall paper. Apparently I was in a Motel, man these guys sure can pick 'em. Can't they just once find a motel that has wall paper that didn't make you want to you lose your lunch? I felt the light weight of a sheet over me, and I raised a hand to touch my forehead. It was covered in sweat, this made me wrinkle my nose in disgust.

I tried sitting up. Wow, okay not such a great idea these cuts hurt like a bitch. Bang up job Alistair did. "Just lay back Ruby" I heard spoken softly by Sam whose voice came from surprisingly close to my bed.

What did I hear in his voice, concern? It couldn't possibly be for me. I did as I was told, I was beginning to do that a lot lately, but mostly when the commands came from Sam. I turned my head to look at him. To say he looked horrible would be an understatement. Not that I could blame him looking at that chair it appeared that he had been sitting in most of the night.

He smiled at me tiredly, his expression conveying relief, apparently he found no need to speak. His lack of conversation gave me a chance to let my eyes rake over his appearance. Sam was slouched down in the chair looking like it might be the millionth position he had tried in an effort to find comfort. Dark shadows were once again present under his eyes, I hadn't seen any like that since before Dean came back. His hair was beginning to look greasy from having run his hands through it so many times. This was something I have learned he does when he is under any sort of stress. Again only one adjective came to my mind when looking at him. Horrible. How could I have been the one that caused this look?

"Have you been sitting there all night?" I asked.

"Maybe." he said looking away. Wow mono-syllabic man strikes again. This was so unlike him.

"Why?" I pushed.

I received no response, Sam just shook his head dismissing my question. "Sam!" I demanded trying to sit up. My hand immediately went to my midsection where to my amazement I felt the bulky gauze square there. This indicating that I had already been patched up. I must have been really out of it to not feel Sam working over my wounds. I looked around, where was Dean through all of this?

"He has his own room" Sam said almost like reading my mind.

" And what, you're sharing with me? I bet he is loving that." I stated rolling my eyes.

"He's just going to have to get over it this time" he said. "this was important."

His tired tone mixed with my curiosity immediately brought the question to my lips "What happened Sam?" I asked.

This question was followed by a huge sigh from his large frame that was sitting next to my bed. But after his sigh finally came the answer to my question.

"Well we were standing in the barn, deciding what was next when Dean and I saw you starting to look a little wobbly. I would say that it was because of blood loss, but since we both know that doesn't affect demons my best guess it was because of the knife. After Dean left the barn I had about 2 seconds to catch you or you would have bounced your head off the floor.

I had no choice but to load you into the Impala and bring you here. I couldn't just leave you there. Not when you were vulnerable like that. So I brought you here and I patched you up. End of story." he said dismissively topping it off with a shrug.

" Then why do you keep looking at me like I just kicked your puppy?" I asked.

"Ruby…"

"No Sam, just tell me."

"Ruby. What Alistair did to you… I'm so sorry. If I had known, I'm just sorry." he sighed again. "I never would have made you go through with the plan if I had known that this is what was going to happen to you."

"Sam. You had no idea what he was going to do. Hell, I didn't know what he was going to do. And its not like I haven't experienced his torture before." I explained with a shrug of my own.

"Yeah, but when he did this to you before he knew he could do anything he wanted and it wouldn't stay, but you don't have that luxury this time." he said. I watched him as he stood up from that awful chair, his face still apologetic, and sat on the side of my bed. I held my breath as he reached over and gently lifted my shirt and began to remove the long strips of gauze. He wanted me to see the extent of Alistair's damage.

I read the word upside down DEMON carved in jagged, capital letters. I fought the urge to be sick, I knew what I was but this was just too much. My mind immediately cut back to when I was strapped to that table. I had been stripped naked of course. I had been through this game before, there was no preservation of dignity in hell. Any pride that I ever had had been torn away in the depths of hell, where everyone and no one could hear my screams.

Alistair was a ruthless bastard, centuries as the named "Picasso with a Razor" ensured there was not a single fraction of humanity left in his body. I was strapped to that table with nowhere to go and Alistair knew exactly which personal demons to bring into his sick mind games . Somehow he knew how much I remembered humanity, he knew how I was beginning to cherish each human-like feeling that was returning to me because of Sam. He was sickened by me and he believed me to be weak.

This is why he couldn't let me forget what I was. He knew the nature of my and Sam's relationship and he branded me in a way that neither of us could ever forget. That's when Sam brought me out of my reverie.

"Ruby!" he yelled as he shook me "what's wrong!?" his voice shook with panic. He looked like he had been trying to get my attention for some time now by the way his chest was heaving in effort.

I quickly shook my own head "I'm fine Sam. It's okay." My hand moved to my wounds and all I could do was close my eyes. I had found my perfect body. I felt like it had fit me, and this body seemed to fit Sam too. He would never touch me again now that this body was tainted. I should have known never to underestimate Sam.

Suddenly I felt his feather light touch against my hand that still rested over that discriminating word. "Ruby." he said in a whisper, he had been saying my name like that a lot lately, "it doesn't matter to me." I looked at his hand over mine and then looked away. I couldn't stand this.

I began to move off the bed laughing, " It doesn't matter to you Sam? Of all of the things to lie about Sam. Why did you choose this? You think I don't know how you have to pretend I'm human Sam? Do you think I'm stupid? You think I didn't watch you try to justify what we did all of those months that your brother was gone? Come on Sam." Just then the room started to tilt. I do not like this feeling. I grabbed for something, anything to keep me upright.

Sam Winchester, Mr. Knight in Shining Armor, once again caught me right as my face was about to meet the lovely green shag carpet that adorned the room. I felt his strong arms move carefully under the back of my knees. I was lifted off the ground in an instant and was gently placed back on the bed from which I had recently escaped. He once again claimed his spot on the edge of my bed. I continued to stare up at him from the flat of my back.

At least I was conscious this time, I sighed. He began to pull the large comforter up and tuck it around me. I must have been really disoriented, I hadn't even realized I was shivering until I heard Sam ask me "Is that better?"

Speechless I just nodded my head dumbly.

In a rare moment of tenderness from Sam I felt him snake his hand up and place it on my forehead, he was feeling for a temperature. How many times had he done this through the night?

It must not have been as bad as he had thought because his hand continued to slide down to rest on the side of my face. His thumb was rubbing soothing circles on my cheek this was rapidly bringing on the urge to sleep. I didn't know demons ever had a need to sleep this much. Maybe this was because I felt safe for the first time in centuries. With Sam watching over me I knew I could rest without worry. What an amazing feeling that was.

I felt myself starting to drift off and I think Sam got the same idea. I felt the bed dip with the rest of his weight as he quietly laid down beside me. When I opened my eyes for a short second I saw that Sam was leaning up on his elbow his hand gently running through my hair. I wanted to succumb to sleep so badly but something was saving me from the brink of unconsciousness, but I let my eyes slide shut anyway thinking it would pass. Just then Sam started to speak and I knew this was what was holding me back. I kept my eyes closed not wanting to ruin this private moment. The once again quiet baritone of Sam's voice broke through the silence.

"I don't care about your scars Ruby. Honestly. Of all the things that should make me not want to touch you like this anymore, that isn't it. All of those reasons why I shouldn't want to…I don't care anymore. Ruby, you are a demon and I know Alistair never wanted you to forget that fact. That's why he did this to you. But in my opinion, the things that I've witnessed you do since we've met…all of the things that you have accomplished… They make you more human than most of the actual humans that I know. I can understand if you decide to choose another host, but know this," he said placing his hand back over my stomach "doesn't matter to me. You should know better than anyone that we all have scars, the only difference between your scars and mine is that mine just aren't as visible as yours."

I have been alive for centuries and lived in hell longer than that, but in all that time I have never been rendered speechless like I have been when I am around Sam. I finally opened my eyes and looked deep into his, he didn't seem surprised that I wasn't asleep. I must not be as good of an actress as I thought I was. Damn. So he knew I was awake when he said those things? Just when I thought I couldn't be any more amazed by this man, he goes and does that.

What could I possibly say to that? I have never been good with words that didn't have to do with manipulation. But tonight, after what he said and after the way he had just made me feel he deserved more than a sarcastic comment followed by an eye roll. He was caring for me, a demon. A demon with a now tainted host, but I didn't want to change hosts. Sam fit with this body and so did I. And I believed his words when he said he didn't care. I decided to go against centuries of life and death experience and let him prove that to me.

Jarred from my thoughts I realized that he was still looking at me. He was searching my face for some sign, or some sort of acknowledgement that I had heard what he said.

I tried rolling towards my side so I could face him, but I discovered that not such a great idea. I bore down on the pain, this was important. Just like he said it was. I winced in horribly as I moved and I felt when he gripped my shoulder, his eyes darkening with concern. I ran my hand up his muscular chest and brought it to rest in his wonderfully thick head of hair.

I grabbed a handful of that beautiful hair and gave it a small tug, for once there was nothing sexual about it. I wanted him to get my point. I wasn't good with words but I knew I could show him what I meant. "Thank you" I said looking deeply in his hazel eyes again. I gave his hair one final tug then buried my face in the crook of his neck. Just catching my breath, the one he seemed to keep taking away. He enveloped his large body around mine, being mindful of my injury yet still making me feel wanted.

I felt him smile against the top of my head he let out a huge sigh, seemingly in relief. " You're welcome."

We remained that way for a long time, it could have been minutes it could have been hours, but I didn't care. I felt tired before but now I felt rejuvenated, and I was beginning to feel a little silly for letting myself get sucked into this girly, emotional situation. I pulled back to look at him, I stroked the side of his face "You better get back to Dean" I said " Wouldn't want to be causing any more trouble between you. I'm sure you've had enough of that to last a lifetime" I chuckled.

"I've missed this" was all he said in reply. I tried to push him away, honestly not wanting to be the cause for another split in his beautiful lips.

"Sam you need to go." I said to him pushing again.

He only held me tighter. He didn't say anything more he just held me to him until his breathing began to slow. I realized he was asleep and that we may both have to deal with the wrath of Dean when we awoke but I didn't care. I wasn't scared of Short Bus and in this moment I couldn't find the strength or a reason to care about anything but Sam's arms around me. I could feel the truthfulness in his words a little more with every passing second.

I knew without a doubt that Sam would protect me and stay with me through anything. Well unless it came down to me or his brother and in that case I knew I would always take a backseat. But I was okay with that. Seeing what Dean's death had done to him before, I knew this time if something happened to Dean that Sam would soon follow and I wouldn't be able to prevent it no matter how hard I tried.

Sam viewed the fact that demon blood ran through his veins as a curse, but laying here in his arms in the middle of the day I knew that it was the best thing that had ever happened to me. And the way he looked at me tonight made me believe that I have a right to be selfish. See Sam, look at what you've done, you've made a spoiled demon out of me.