Chapter 1

Katelyn Singer took another swig of whiskey and stared at the small stone angel she had placed in the ground, under a pine tree, with the word "daddy" etched on it. She sniffled for the hundredth time that evening and took another drink. Her head was starting to spin just a bit but she ignored it. She was about a half a mile away from the bunker in the middle of the woods. She had created this special place for herself when she was alone. Buried underneath the stone angel, was a small box with some of Bobby's things. A watch his grandfather gave him, a bottle cap, and the last note he ever wrote her. It was written in pencil and faded.

Went to see the boys. See you soon, baby girl. Behave.

-Daddy

Tears streamed down her face as she remembered that night. She was supposed to be away for the weekend. She had just finished her senior year of high school and had been accepted to the nursing program and the University of South Dakota. Her dad was so proud of her. He agreed to let her camp for the weekend with her best girlfriends up in the mountains. They were going to stay at an old hunters cabin, per his request, but he had agreed to let her go alone. She had just come in from hiking when she checked her phone and had 20 missed calls from Dean. The rest is a blur. She remembered bits and pieces of Dean sobbing on the phone, tearing ass down the highway to get to her dad and finally seeing him hooked up to all those wires. She asked for Sam and Dean to give her a minute alone with him. She held his cold, lifeless hand and sobbed. The man that raised her on his own after her mother had died, the man that was tough on the outside but so gentle with his baby girl, the man that encouraged her to live a life outside of hunting, the man who taught her everything she knew about cars, her protector, her hero, was gone. Her dad was gone. When the crying finally subsided she leaned down and whispered in his ear,

"I love you daddy. I'll take care of the boys don't you worry."

Katelyn shook her head at the memory. She tried to block it out most of the time, but on this day every year she let herself feel it. Really feel it. Really feeling it usually meant getting blackout drunk and Sam or Dean carrying her to the bathroom where she passed out. It had been several years since her dad died but it still felt like yesterday. Every year she came to this spot, drank his favorite whiskey, and talked to him. Sam and Dean usually left her alone. Although she knew it was a hard day for them too, she preferred to be alone with her thoughts and memories and they respected that. They knew how hard it was to lose him. After her father died, she decided not to go to nursing school and moved in with the boys full time. She started hunting. Her father would've hated it but she didn't know what else to do after losing him. Sam and Dean were against it at first, but had no other choice but to give in. She had nowhere else to go and they were the closest thing to family that she had. So they shut up and let her hunt. It seemed to help and made her feel closer to Bobby.

Katelyn was suddenly roused from her thoughts by a buzzing in her back pocket. She quickly took it out and saw a text from Sam

Hey, I know you want to be alone but Dean is out for

the evening and I know deep down you could use

some company. Can I make you some food?

Katelyn smiled at herself. Sam and Dean had always been family to her. But Sam was something special. They had always been close as they had so much in common. They both enjoyed the same movies, shows, and books. She basically grew up with him and always saw him as a brother, until recently. Having lived with the Winchesters for some time now, she got to see them in a different way. Many times she had seen the boys half naked, but when she saw Sam standing in the kitchen wearing only sweatpants on her twenty fifth birthday, she felt something bloom inside her. It had been several months since the incident and she pushed it down. However, she could feel her attraction slowly growing inside her with each passing day.

Thanks, Sammy. Be there soon!

She took one last swig of whiskey and dropped the bottle on the ground.
"Love you daddy." She whispered. Turning on her heels, she made her way back to the bunker.

Once she made it inside, Sam was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with a concerned look on his face. He knew she had been drinking and was worried. She shot him a smile.

"Before you ask, I'm fine." She grasped the railing to make sure she didn't lose her balance.

Sam grinned. "I could've walked you back you know?" He reached out his hand to help her down the last step. She stumbled into him.

"See? Totally fine." Katelyn giggled.

Sam chuckled and led her to the kitchen. She was suddenly aware of his large hand on the small of her back. The protective gesture made her stomach coil. She cleared her throat and squashed it down.

"So what did you have in mind for dinner Sambo?" She slapped the table playfully.

Sam eyed her with a small smile as he rummaged through the fridge. "Yeah, you're totally fine."

Katelyn hiccuped in response then giggled at how drunk she was.

"I never said I was sober. Just fine."

Sam rolled his eyes as he pulled out the items to make grilled cheese sandwiches. Suddenly her heart swelled with gratitude at the youngest Winchester for remembering the one thing her dad would make her when she was sad. Tears sprung to her eyes but she quickly brushed them away. Sam had his back to her and she watched as his giant arms worked through his task. The sight of such a giant man handling such small items made her laugh out loud. Soon she was laughing so hard the tears that threatened earlier were rolling down her face as she choked on her laughter.

Sam looked at her confused. "What?"

"You're so giant! It's hilarious!" She continued to laugh.

"Looks like someone could use a glass or two of water." Sam stifled a laugh and handed her a glass of water and a sandwich. The look on his face showed that he was more concerned with her passing out on the floor than her observations on his height.

Katelyn graciously drank her water in one gulp and dove into her sandwich. Sam stared at her, his hazel eyes making her breath hitch.

"What?" She asked

Sam tilted his head and gave her a small smile. "Wanna talk about it?"

Katelyn stopped chewing.

"Thanks Sam but I'm fine." She was suddenly not hungry.

"Yeah, I can see that." He could see right through her and honestly it terrified her.

"Kate, I've known you for a long time…" He didn't need to finish. She knew what he was thinking. He worried about her passing out and feeling like shit. He was worried about the regret she would feel in the morning and the hours she would spend puking wishing she hadn't drank her grief away. She knew that she dealt with her father's death in an unhealthy way, even if it was once a year. Sam was too kind to watch her hurt. He wanted to help her. He reached his hand across the table but before he even touched her, she began to cry. Suddenly she couldn't stop. The mix of emotion, along with the whiskey, came pouring out of her.

"I miss him so much, Sam." She whispered.

Before she could even process what was happening Sam was out of his seat and pulling her into his arms. He smoothed her hair and rubbed her back soft and slow.

"It's ok." He said over and over.

It wasn't the first time she cried in the arms of Sam Winchester, but it was the first time she was aware of how right it felt being there. Like she was home. His strong arms cradled her against his chest making her feel safe and protected.

When she couldn't cry anymore she pulled herself away and looked up at him.
"Thanks." Was all she could manage to slur. Her head hurt and she started to feel dizzy. She tried to pull herself from his grasp but she started to sway.

"Woah. Hey, hey, hey. Let me help you." He scooped her up and held her close. Katelyn rested her head on his shoulder and took a deep breath in. The familiar scent of his cologne was comforting. It felt so good to be in the arms of Sam Winchester. She wanted to stay there forever. He carried her to her bedroom and placed her on her bed gently.

"Get some rest, Kate."

By this time she could barely focus her eyes on anything. The room was spinning and blurry. Without the warmth and protection of Sam, the sadness washed over her again like a cold dark blanket. She realized she didn't want to be alone.

"Sammy…" She whined.

He was standing at the edge of her bed and was just about to turn to leave. "Yeah?"

Katelyn reached her arm up in the air searching for him. "Will you lay with me? Just till I fall asleep?"

Sam laughed and pushed her arm back down to her waist. "Scoot over." He kicked off his shoes and took off his top layer of flannel so that he was just in his blue t-shirt and jeans. Too drunk to respond, Katelyn rolled over so that her back was facing Sam. The bed dipped as he climbed in and wrapped his arm around her. He nuzzled his nose into her curly black hair and sighed. She shivered and melted further into his body. He felt so good. Laying there with Sam felt natural, like they had been made to fit together. Her breath began to slow as she dipped in and out of consciousness. Before she fell asleep completely, she swore she felt the slightest gentlest kiss on the top of her head.