Okay you SR fans, I know this won't hold you, but consider it part one of the prelude.

Sammie Rae: Rae versus The Girlfriend

"Why not, Dean?" Sam demanded. "If Julie is even asking to meet her, you should introduce them."

Dean groaned and rolled his eyes. "Dude, do you pay attention at all when we're out? Rae isn't jealous, she's super-freaking-jealous. She might stop talking to me."

Sam gave his brother an incredulous glare. "Dean. There is no way Rae will stop talking to you. Get real. Besides, she's good with Sarah now. Why not Julie?"

Dean sighed and shrugged, studying Sam. "Why risk it?"

Sam looked at him like a moron. "Just introduce them, Dean. You've been dating Julie for over a month. That's like a record for you. If you're serious about her, they're going to have to meet."

His face soured. "They don't have to meet," Dean insisted. "I can just keep going the way we have been, and if it isn't good enough for Julie, she can tell me to go jump off a bridge."

"What are you afraid of?" Sam asked.

Dean glared again. "Didn't we just cover that?"

Sam's face dropped into the palm of his hand and his head shook gently from side to side. "Just do it and get it over with." His head lifted so Dean could see how serious little brother was. "Then you'll know for sure."

Dean sighed, already feeling uptight and anxious about the whole damn thing. "I dunno, Sam. This sounds like a really bad idea."

"If you don't, Julie will probably break up with you anyway," Sam argued. "She'll believe you don't think she's good enough for your kid. Besides, Rae needs to learn how to share you. It's healthy."

Dean let out a frustrated grunt since Susan, Rae's therapist, had already told him basically the same thing. "Fine," he mumbled. "I'll have her meet me here tonight."

Rae led Amy to Uncle Sam's car after school. "Uncle Sam! You do remember Amy is spending the weekend with us, right?"

Uncle Sam rolled his eyes at her. "Yes, Rae," he said slowly. "It's not like you'll let me forget about it."

Rae beamed at him before opening the door. She slid in next to Uncle Sam, letting Amy sit by the door. "Her mom is going to drop off her stuff later, after work."

Uncle Sam nodded as he pulled away from the curb. "Any homework this weekend?"

"Not really," Rae replied. "We finished most of it during lunch. Hey, can we go bowling tonight? I'd love to see Dad try to bowl." She shared a giggle with Amy.

"Uh, actually, your dad has a date tonight," Uncle Sam announced.

Rae groaned. "Again?" She threw her head back against the seat. "But he knew Amy was coming. I know I reminded him. Dad promised to watch scary movies with us."

"It's just tonight, your dad is supposed to be home tomorrow night, all night," Uncle Sam promised.

Rae grunted, sliding down in her seat. Not good enough, she thought to herself. He was supposed to be home all frigging weekend.

"Don't pout, Sunshine," Uncle Sam admonished as he patted her leg. "Besides, De-uh, your dad, has a surprise for you."

Rae glance over hopefully. "New shotgun?"

Uncle Sam's head just shook from side to side, his only answer. She exchanged a shrug with Amy as they drove towards the apartment.

At home, they found Dad cleaning. The man was cleaning? The dishwasher was going and Dad was vacuuming the den. Suspicious, Rae stood right in front of him.

"There you are!" Dad shut off the vacuum to give first her and then Amy big hugs. "What kept you?"

Rae gave him a funny look. "This is the time we always come home."

"Oh." Dad glanced at his watch. "Huh. Okay. Well move. I gotta finish this up."

Rae stepped out of the way slowly as Dad resumed vacuuming. Amy motioned to her room at the end of the hall. Rae shrugged before following her friend.

"What is up with your dad?" Amy demanded once they were in the privacy of her bedroom. They dumped their backpacks in the middle of the floor. "Since when does he vacuum?"

Rae shrugged. "No idea. I didn't know he knew how to turn it on. Something weird is going on."

"I'll say," Amy agreed before one of those looks which usually meant trouble came over her face. "Unless..."

Rae groaned. "Unless what? Spit it out so I can tell you no already."

Amy's face went all serious and Rae had to bite back another groan. "Unless your dad has a new girlfriend."

Rae laughed at her friend. "Only every damn day. Get real, Amy."

"Why else would he be out there cleaning the apartment? And Uncle Sam said your dad had a surprise for you," Amy pointed out.

Rae's mouth tugged down into a frown. "Well, maybe cleaning the apartment was my surprise."

"Now who needs to get real?" Amy demanded.

Rae rolled her eyes as she dropped down on to her bed. "So what are you planning on doing for your English project?"

Amy giggled. "Love." She placed one hand over her heart. "Unrequited love." Her eyes darted to the closed bedroom door through which they could still hear Dad vacuuming.

"What's that?" Rae asked, though she had a pretty good idea.

"That's where your best friend has a dad who's gorgeous and way too old for you," Amy said with a grin.

Rae grabbed her pillow and popped Amy right in the face with it.

Dean shoved the vacuum in the front closet, shoving their winter coats aside to make room for it. "Well?" he demanded in a hushed voice. "You didn't tell her, did you?"

A decidedly guilty look crossed Sam's face. "Not exactly. I just said you had a surprise for her."

"And?" Dean glanced back at Rae's door.

"And she wanted to know if you bought her a new shotgun," Sam said sheepishly.

Dean rolled his eyes as he pulled out his cell. "This is a really bad idea. I'm calling it off."

"No, Dean," his brother insisted as one of Sam's hands clamped down on his cell. "It's a good idea, even Susan thought so. Just follow it through. Don't wimp out now."

"Wimp out?" Dean yanked his phone out of Sam's hand to shove back in his pocket. "Who's wimping out?"

Sam grinned, checking his watch. "So what time?"

Dean sighed as he looked at his own watch. "I asked her to come over at five-thirty."

"Half an hour." Sam shrugged. "So. Cards with the girls until then?"

Dean sighed again. "Great. Start the evening off with two fifteen year olds cleaning my clock at poker. Doesn't sound like a great beginning, Sam."

Sam laughed at him. "Hey! Who wants to play cards!" he shouted at the back room.

Amy and Rae practically tumbled over each other in their haste to run out of Rae's room. Amy went straight for the kitchen cabinet, no doubt to fill a bowl with chips, while Rae headed for the fridge to take out four root beers. Thanks to her health class in school, she had been riding him and Sammy pretty hard about cutting back on the beer.

Dean took his seat opposite Sam at the table. Sam plunked down a well used set of playing cards which Dean shuffled nervously, his eyes darting to the front door. A gentle nudge on his shin brought his attention back to the table. Sam frowned at him, his head nodding in Rae's direction. Rae had an odd look on her face.

Dean flashed a grin as he accepted his bottle of root beer. "Thanks, Beautiful."

"Mister Dean?" Amy shoved the large bowl full of chips in his direction.

"You too, cutie." Dean winked at her. Amy sighed and slumped in her seat. Maybe he shouldn't take so much pleasure in making an underaged girl melt like this, but it was awesome. He had a real soft spot when it came to Amy.

Sam snorted softly as he made a grab for the card deck. Dean pushed it over for Sam to have the first deal. After the first few hands, Dean figured Rae and Amy had a system worked out between them. Rae could always tell when he was bluffing, though Dean intentionally gave false tells and did anything he could think of to throw her off. Now Amy seemed to know too. Each time Rae or Amy won a hand, Sam laughed lightly and threw him pointed looks.

"Yeah, yeah," Dean grumbled as he swept up the cards. It was his deal. Concentrating on his hand, and how to fool two teens into thinking he had nothing, Dean missed the knock on the front door.

"Dean!" Sam hissed.

"Just a sec," Dean snapped back, laying his cards face-down on the table. He pushed five candies into the pile. "Call or fold," he challenged Rae.

Rae studied him for a long uncomfortable moment, then Dean heard a loud knock. His attention shot to the kitchen clock. Shit! It was five forty-five?

"Dean," Sam hissed again.

"Uh, be right back." He stood and pointed at both girls. "Nobody touches my cards." Dean backed away from the table while Rae rolled her eyes and laughed at him. The knocking grew louder.

"Coming!" Dean rushed to the front door. He reached for the doorknob and wondered if he looked presentable. Dean yanked his hand back to smooth down his t-shirt, tucking it tighter into his jeans. Then he straightened the collar of his overshirt. Clearing his throat, his hand closed around the doorknob as the knocking resumed.

Julie stood in the doorway wearing tight jeans and a white blouse. Her long dark hair hung forward over one shoulder, shiny silver earrings striking against the dark backdrop. Dean felt the wide grin spread as he took her all in.

"Am I early?" Julie asked, leaning over to peer inside their apartment.

"Huh? Oh, uh, no." Dean stepped back to invite her in. "We were just playing poker. Come on in. I'm about to win back my candy."

Julie followed him back to the table. "Everybody, this is Julie," Dean announced as he pulled out his chair. His cards appeared untouched. "Julie, everybody. Hang on."

Dean stared at Rae. "So? You calling or what?"

Rae glared at Julie for a moment before her eyes dropped back to her cards. Her lips pursed before she shoved five matching candies into the pot. "Call."

Yes!

Dean shifted his gaze to Sam. Sam tapped his cards on the table as he stared at each of them in turn.

"So I am early?" Julie asked from behind Dean. He felt her rest a hand on the back of his neck.

"Actually, I think you're late," Sam replied as he shoved candy into the pile. "Call."

"Amy?" Dean turned to watch her.

Amy shrugged as she shoved candy into the center of the table. "Okay, I call." She slapped her cards down. "Pair of Kings."

"Beats me," Sam sighed. "Pair of Jacks."

"Ha!" Rae slammed her cards down hard enough to shake the table. "Full house! Jacks and nines! I win."

Dean grabbed her hand reaching for the pot. "Not so fast there, slim." With a grin, he tossed his cards on top of the pot. "Aces over fours. Aces beat Jacks."

"Da-a-amn," Rae breathed. "Didn't see that one coming."

The hand on his neck tightened. Dean glanced back to see clear disapproval on Julie's face. What was wrong with her? He shrugged off her hand.

"Sam? We probably ought to be going. Will you protect my winnings from these greedy girls?" Dean asked as he stood. "Hugs?"

Rae and Amy crashed into him from both sides. Both girls hung on to him as he tried to walk to the front door, Julie trailing behind them. "This one is Rae," Dean informed Julie as he rubbed the top of her head, "and this other one is Amy."

"Hey, Sam?" Dean called over his shoulder. "Will you take the girls by the video store? I promised to watch whatever they picked out."

"Sure, Dean," Sam assured him.

"Anything we pick out?" Amy asked.

Dean chuckled as he ran a hand over her head. "Sure, cutie."

Amy let out a light sigh as she released him. Dean turned all of his attention on Rae, who sported a rather disturbed expression.

"Just dating?" she asked. Dean nodded. Rae's arms wound around his neck as she reached up to kiss his cheek. Then she hugged him tight. "You better break up," she whispered in his ear.

Dean chuckled as he released her. He gave her a kiss to her forehead. "I won't be late tonight," he assured Rae.

"Promise?" Rae demanded with a nasty glare at Julie.

Dean gently turned her chin so she was looking at him. "Promise." He grinned at her sour face. "How much trouble am I in?" he whispered.

Rae rolled her eyes as she released him. "We'll talk later."

Crap. It'd probably be all touchy-feely too. After another kiss to her cheek, Dean held open the front door for Julie.

"It was, uh, nice meeting all of you," Julie called out as she brushed past him.

Dean looked over to Sam as he pulled the door closed. Sam shrugged, he didn't have any idea how to take Rae's reaction either. Frigging great. He was in so much trouble.

Following Julie down the stairs, his mind drifted until they reached the outer doors.

"I can't believe you allow her to curse like that," Julie said. "I mean, I understand you're a single father and all, but you really should know better."

"Huh?" His attention snapped to Julie. "What're you talking about?"

"Da-a-amn," Julie said in a fair imitation of Rae.

"Yeah, awesome, right? I hardly ever take her in poker," Dean replied feeling rather proud of himself.

Julie stared at him in disbelief. "That's another thing. Oh, and we're taking my car tonight."

Dean glanced over at her Buick Regal. "No, I don't think so. Besides, you still need to have your transmission checked out."

"I have air conditioning," she argued. Again.

"So do I," Dean replied stiffly. "It's called windows."

"We deserve a night out," Amy announced. "I don't know if I'll ever recover from this tragedy."

Sam nearly rolled his eyes over it, but Rae did appear a bit shaken up. "All right."

"And we're going to dress up." Amy took Rae by the arm to force her into the back bedroom. "You might want to put on something a little fancier, Uncle Sam," Amy called out.

Sam looked down at his tan slacks and dress shirt. He looked fine. With a suspicious look at Rae's closed door, he wondered what exactly Amy had in mind. He figured he had a little bit of a wait, so Sam sat on the couch and turned on the history channel. Halfway through a segment on Hitler's bodyguards Rae's door opened. Sam shut off the television as the girls-turned-jailbait walked out.

Amy had on a simple black dress with about three different belts slung at an angle from above her left hip to below her right, one belt was covered with buckles and another littered with rhinestones. The belts were Rae's but he had to wonder where the dress came from. Rae wore the denim mini-skirt Dean absolutely hated and a tight fitting plain blue t-shirt which showed off the fact (to excess in Sam's opinion) she was no longer just a little girl. Sam hated the shirt and had been looking for an excuse to throw it out. Last laundry day he had very nearly been successful in tossing it in with the whites to bleach, but Rae had caught his 'mistake' in the nick of time. Damn it.

"Why don't you wear another top?" he suggested. "Or an over-shirt?"

Rae gave him a nasty look. "Because I don't want to," she replied sternly.

Ah, so the outfit was their punishment, even though Dean wasn't here to see it. Great. Perfect. Well, at least he would be there to keep an eye on them. Wherever 'there' would be.

"So where are we going all dressed up?" Sam asked as he stood. Oh, great. They were both wearing a ton of make-up too. He should snag one of the guns Dean kept in the sock drawer before they left.

"The steak house in the mall," Amy announced.

Oh, crap. "You mean the place next to the arcade and bowling alley?" he demanded. It was next to the biggest teen draw in town. There would be a ton of boys, older boys, coming and going right next door to the steak place all damn night.

Amy flashed him a bright smile. That was exactly what she meant. Amy planned on them being seen tonight.

"Just let me grab something from my room, then we can go." Sam hurried to check the sock drawer.

"What's up with him?" Amy's demanding voice carried clearly into his room.

Rae's dark chuckle made him feel just a bit uneasy. "Don't worry about it."

Oh, God. He really hated the teen years.

Dean sat at an outdoor table in the steak place at the mall, where Julie wanted to eat. They rode in his car, so she got to pick the place. This place always made him think of the girls, it was one of Amy's favorite places to boy-watch. He usually needed a loopy pill to just sit here with the two of them for over forty-five minutes and listen to them talk about boys. Having a teenage girl sucked.

"Dean?"

His attention drifted back to this table and his date. Julie's pretty face frowned at him and her perfectly penciled eyebrows were drawn together. Crap. It looked like his wasn't just in trouble at home.

"Yeah?"

"I asked you where Rae's mother is. Why weren't you listening?" Julie demanded.

Dean began twisting his napkin between his fingers. "I'm pretty sure we already talked about this. Rae is adopted. The closest thing she has to a mother is my brother, Sam."

Her frown deepened for a moment. "I don't think that's very healthy for a teen girl." Suddenly her face brightened, confusing Dean. "I have an idea!"

"What?" he asked slowly, pretty sure he was not going to like it.

"I'll help," she told him brightly.

"Help," Dean repeated. "With what?"

"Your daughter, silly. It's obvious she needs a woman around," Julie replied, grinning. "We'll need to find you a larger apartment, though. That place you're living in..." She shook her head with a sour face.

"We," Dean parroted slowly as those invisible bands around his chest tightened. Holy crap, was Julie suggesting what it kind of sounded like she was suggesting?

"Sure." Julie's grin broadened as their meals were served. When the waiter left, she stabbed a steamed carrot with her fork. "You need a bigger place. I'll bet the three of you are falling over each other in that tiny apartment. Plus that neighborhood." She sighed and shook her head.

"What's wrong with our neighborhood?" Dean demanded as the bands around his chest relaxed. At least she wasn't expecting to move in with them. "You wouldn't believe what I had to go through before we picked that apartment out."

Her nose wrinkled as she laughed at him. "You're right. I wouldn't. I'd have to say, being men, you and your brother grabbed the first place that was available."

Dean picked up his burger as he glared at Julie. "Well we didn't. Sam had a freaking list." He took a large bite. Around the food in his mouth, he informed her, "It was over twenty pages."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh," she murmured.

Oh, whatever. Why should he care if she believed him? They had only been dating a month. Regularly. Three or four times a week. He swallowed the mass in his mouth.

"You don't believe me?" Dean asked, locking his gaze with hers. "Seriously?"

Julie gave him an odd look as she cut into her steak. "Do you honestly expect me to believe your brother had a list twenty pages long and the end result was that crappy apartment?"

Dean lowered his burger to his plate. "That crappy apartment is where I live."

Julie nodded. "And you could live someplace better." She tossed her hair over one shoulder. "Nicer area of town, larger apartment." One of her gorgeous green eyes winked at him. "Closer to me."

Dean shook his head. "Sorry, darlin', no can do. We're in the perfect spot. The school is halfway between the apartment and my work, and Sam works between the apartment and school."

"So you're saying you won't move to a nicer area because it isn't convenient?" Julie demanded.

"There is nothing wrong with the area," Dean argued. "Just because nobody drives a Beamer doesn't mean it's a bad area. There's almost no crime."

"Oh, please." Julie waved away his arguments. "Living next door to a thief doesn't make you immune to being robbed."

His burger froze in its track on the way to his mouth. Was she freaking serious? Did that really just come out of her mouth?

Movement of two girls dressed as jailbait caught his attention, distracting Dean from his date. Then he realized the girls looked familiar and then Sam walked up behind them with a sour expression. Shit. He really hated that mini-skirt Rae was wearing, it showed entirely too much leg. As they were seated in the far corner, Dean noticed a few men leaning out of their booths for a better look. He dropped his burger in favor of shielding his eyes with one hand. There were those bands again, tightening around his chest until he couldn't draw in air.

Okay, the way Dean saw it, he had exactly two choices: one, beat the crap out of every guy over the age of twelve looking at his little girl in any freaking way, or two, pop a loopy pill. The fact he couldn't breathe actually made the decision for him.

Keeping his eyes covered, Dean used his free hand to fumble in his pocket until he was able to pull out the pills. He closed his eyes as he twisted the top off.

"What are you doing?" Julie's voice barely penetrated his single-minded determination.

Dean ignored her until after the little pill had time to start working its magic. When he could pull in a deep breath, he opened his eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" Julie hissed, eyes wide.

Dean nodded at the far corner. "Sam brought the girls."

Julie spun around in her seat to look. "What does that have to do with taking some pill?"

Ignoring her, Dean pulled out his cell. He hit a well used number on his speed dial.

"Dean?" Karen, Amy's mom, asked. "What is it?"

"They're dressing like jailbait in public again," he informed her with a snarl.

Karen clucked her tongue. "I take it this is about the girlfriend? I knew Amy wouldn't take it too well, considering how In Love she is with you."

Dean would have rolled his eyes, but that would mean taking his gaze off of the girls. "So what do I do?"

"First, take a loopy pill," Karen told him.

"Already done," Dean assured her.

Karen's laugh was almost enough to bring a smile to his face. "In that case, ignore them."

"Ignore them?" he asked, incredulous. "Are you serious? How the hell can I do that with every guy in the place watching them?"

"They're trying to get attention, Dean," Karen told him. "If you get all upset, you're giving them what they want and they'll know it works."

"Dean, who are you talking to?" Julie demanded in a hiss. "Do not tell me you're calling another woman!"

"Uh, Dean?" Karen asked. "You didn't say your date was sitting right there."

"Well you didn't honestly expect me to sneak off where I can't see the girls, did you?" he demanded of Karen while waving off Julie's protests.

"Dean," Karen said slowly, "if you want to continue to have a girlfriend, you should hang up."

"Yeah, well, I'm rethinking that," Dean admitted. "Especially if it causes this."

"Dean, if you give in now, you won't be able to have a steady girlfriend until after Rae moves out," Karen argued.

"I'll let you know," he replied as Julie gave him a nasty look and motioned for him to hang up. "Call you later?"

Karen giggled. "Looking forward to it."

Dean put his phone away slowly. "What?" he asked Julie.

"I can not believe you called another woman during our date," Julie said slowly. "If you need a woman's advice, you ask me."

"That was Amy's mother," Dean explained. "She's the first person I call when something concerns her daughter."

Julie rolled her eyes as she leaned forward on the table. "Well, I can promise you that what she told you to do was wrong. Ignoring this blatant disregard for authority can only lead to more problems in the future. What you need to do is go over there and set that girl straight."

Dean frowned at her as he shifted his gaze between Julie and Sam's table. "But my brother let them go out like that. I'll undermine him if I go over and pitch a fit like that."

"You won't be pitching a fit, Dean," Julie argued with a put-upon sigh. "You're her father, you should act like it. Even if you only adopted her."

Now Julie had his full attention. "What did you say?" Dean demanded.

She pointed at her full mouth. Yeah, that was convenient. Dean crossed his arms over his chest to wait her out. This had better be good.

Julie shrugged before opening her mouth again. "Now Dean, it's a well known fact that women are typically the primary caregiver for a reason. We're the natural parent. You shouldn't blame yourself for your lack of parenting skills, after all, you never had the benefit of learning from her mother since she's adopted. Really, I'm shocked any judge allowed a single man to adopt a little girl.

"But it's all right now, Dean." Julie smiled brightly at him. "You have me now. I'll help you out all I can."

"You. Don't. Have. Kids," he pointed out slowly, barely containing his irritation. The loopy pill wasn't working well enough.

Julie shrugged as she cut a perfectly sized chunk of steak. "Which means I'm not blinded by being too close to the problem. I can see things much more clearly."

"The problem," Dean repeated. "Meaning kids. Kids are the problem."

"Sure." She popped the chunk of steak in her mouth.

Dean looked at his watch and mentally totaled his and Sam's ages. Collectively, they were way too old to put up with this kind of crap. He pulled out his wallet and threw down enough cash to cover both of their meals. Another glance across the room assured him his family sat at a booth, so there was plenty of room for him.

"Then I think we should keep our problems separate," Dean announced as he stood. He picked up his drink and his plate. "You can call a cab."

"Dean!" Julie hissed at his back, which he ignored.

Dean strode across the large dining room, pausing only once to growl at a guy still staring at Rae and Amy. "Move over," he ordered Sam.

Sam looked up, startled. He frowned as he slid over in the bench seat to make room. Dean set his plate and drink down before sitting next to his brother. "So," he said conversationally as he looked across the table at the girls, "what are we talking about? And if it's boys, pick a new topic and I mean now."

Rae and Amy giggled.

"What about Julie?" Sam asked. "Where is she?"

"With any luck, halfway home by now," Dean snapped.

"Dad? Have I told you lately that I love you?" Rae asked with a broad grin.

"Prove it," Dean demanded with a growl. "When we get home, I'm burning that skirt."

Rae beamed at him and, as usual, his heart melted. "Yes, sir!"

"And I'm calling your mother about that dress," Dean informed Amy.

She beamed too. "Thanks, Mister Dean," she said on a sigh. It was nice to see someone melt for him on occasion too. Dean's bad mood broke a little more. He wasn't about to make the girlfriend mistake again. Next girlfriend he had would either be completely separate from his real life, or he would meet her after Rae was safely away at college. Huh. No trouble breathing when he thought that. Loopy pill must be working.

"Let's talk about driving lessons," Rae suggested with a malicious twinkle in her eye.

"No," Dean warned her. "If I have to take a second loopy pill, I won't be able to drive home."

Rae and Amy both laughed, the sound filling him. He already had a girlfriend. Two of 'em. Dean grinned back at them, the bad mood gone. "But we can talk cars. Amy, what kind of car are you hoping to have after you get your license?"

Sam groaned from beside him, no doubt over the car conversation. Tough. That's what happens when he lets Rae out of the house dressed like jailbait.