A/N: Okay, here we go, guys...the first chapter. Hope you like this. I'm aiming at something a little lighter, a little different but still in keeping with the whole series. Heavy on the boys for once...cause they are so much fun together as you know. Feedback is love as you know...and as always, I can't thank LovinJackson enough for her help with this. Enjoy!!

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Six Months after the events of Amen….

What the hell was taking so long? Everything had been done right. The box had been filled with everything that was required, it had been buried at the crossroads….the very crossroads he was waiting on right now. He fidgeted nervously, looking around, wondering if he had forgotten something? Since when were demons shy? Especially when it came to deals….or in this case, breaking them.

"I know you're out there, let's get this over with."

The woman appeared, a soft jade green evening dress on that accentuated her curves and brought out the red of her demonic eyes as she flashed them with a wolfish smile. "Well, well, well….Sam Winchester. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm not here for small talk and you know it." Sam snapped coldly, his gazed locked onto the demon before him.

The woman pouted her bottom lip out before she smiled flirtingly at Sam. "No small talk? No friendly banter while I try to convince you I'm not as evil as you think I am? Honestly Sam, you're no fun anymore since your powers came into being. I think I liked you better before."

"And I think I'd like to rip you out of that body and tear you apart with my bare hands….but we don't always get what we want. You know why I'm here."

"Dean…" The name was sighed out through ruby red lips as though it was a chore to speak it. "I was hoping you'd be a little less predictable. Perhaps say you'd come to see me? We could go out for drinks…maybe a little more?" She fluttered her eyelashes and giggled at the revulsion she saw on Sam's face at the thought. "I could give you so much more than that grating little stick figure you've taken a shine t--"

Sam's eyes were swirling with golden flecks now, dancing like flames within his eyes as he unleashed his mind on the Crossroad Demon. She gasped and clawed at her throat as she felt herself being drawn out of the body she had claimed. Her eyes were wide with fear, before Sam released her, watching as she dropped to the ground and scrambled back away from him. The raw power she had felt tearing at her had scared the Demon. It was true death Sam was offering and it was promising to be pain-filled.

"You don't talk about Elise. Ever. You understand me?" Sam threatened. His eyes had returned to normal but there was no light within them. They were cold and devoid of any emotion. A deadman's eyes. "I'm here to make a deal. You take me and you let my brother go."

The demon laughed softly as she got to her feet again. "You think it's that simple? Your life for his? Oh, honey….I hate to break it to you, but you have nothing I want. You're worthless, Sam."

"What?" Sam hadn't been expecting that. Not when he was among the last of the Special Children left alive, not when he full access to his powers. How the hell could he be worthless? What about the plans Yellow Eyes had apparently had for him and all the children like him? The demon blood that he had in his veins. Why else had the Demon forced Sam to flip the switch inside his head? "You're lying…"

"I wish I was, honey." The demon said softly, as though she truly regretted her position. "But you bit the hand that fed you. You turned against Azazel. You could have been someone special, could have been the one to lead the armies and restore balance in Hell. But you turned your back on all that….which made you worthless to us. Sorry, Sam. The deal stands. Dean is going to Hell and there's nothing you can do about it."

"I could kill you."

" So you keep saying…" The demon smiled pleasantly, growing bored with the conversation now. "Go ahead…it's not going to save him. I'm not the one that holds his contract, Sam. I'm just a messenger, a bureaucrat. Kill me? And someone else will take my place. But this meat suit I'm wearing? She'll be dead too. Would you like to know about her, Sam? How she worked as a childcare worker before the Hell Gate opened? That she has three children and a husband that all survived? Seems kind of a shame to leave them without a wife and mother now because you can't get your own way, doesn't it? What would your girl think of that?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot for a moment, torn by what the demon was saying. He could kill her so easy, without even raising a sweat. It was what she deserved. What they all deserved. Dean was going to die, was going to go to Hell in a few months and they were no closer to saving him. How was it fair that he would die while this bitch of a demon would continue to live? Continue to laugh about it? By his side, Sam's hands slowly clenched into fists, his nails digging into the flesh of his palms. How could he face Elise if he killed this girl?

Without saying another word, Sam turned and walked back to the Chevelle, pausing beside it long enough to punch the driver's door hard enough to dent it deeply. He felt a knuckle crack from the blow, pain sparking through his hand before he opened the door and slid behind the wheel. Bobby would be pissed about the damage to his car, but Sam would deal. A few hours of panel beating wasn't much of a problem.

The Chevelle pealed away furiously as Sam planted his foot and left the Crossroads behind him.

Once the tail-lights had faded out of sight, another figure stepped out of the shadows and approached the Crossroads. The demon turned slowly, her hands on her hips as she eyed the man before her. "He's so human still. So weak."

"Nice little speech there, Sarina. Making Sam think twice about killing you? You deserve an Oscar for that little performance. We both know that woman's been dead for days…you enjoy playing with your toys too much." John Winchester growled, his wings tucked in tightly behind him, like snakes coiled, ready to lash out.

"You know me well, John. Although I wasn't lying about the family…the pain of her being missing was much more fun than killing them all. But what can I say? I just can't resist you Winchesters. Those boys of yours are such delicious fun when they're hurting.…and that boy of yours really is hurting, isn't he? All torn up about his big brother facing the Hellfire…" Sarina gave John a sad little pout that quickly curled up into a evil smirk. "So sweet to see."

John moved slowly and smoothly until he was face to face with Sarina. His eyes were cold, reflecting nothing of the grim smile on his face as he held her gaze. John regretted not killing this bitch back in Colby when she had attacked Dean. He'd let Sarina slip through his fingers, because he had been more concerned for Dean at the time…and now she was laughing about the fate his son was facing. All the rage, the fear, the frustration John had been carrying these past few months was boiling within him, yet he was perfectly still and contained.

"So….are you here to offer your soul next, John? Because it's a little late for that, don't you think? Or did you miss our time together below when I had you screaming for your family? For that dead wife of yours?"

With the speed of a snake striking, John slid a knife from behind his back and rammed it right to the hilt in the demon's stomach. Sarina gasped in shock, her eyes flying open wide as blood pooled in her mouth and ran down her chin. Her face lit up with supernatural power as the demon inside the body was destroyed.

"It's amazing what you can stumble across in the Key of Solomon…weapons that mankind hasn't seen in centuries…." John snarled as he twisted the blade in his hand, pushing it up deeper, feeling it catch bone before he yanked it free and watched Sarina slide bonelessly to the floor.

"Sam's not a killer, not like us." John said quietly, before he pulled out his cellphone and dialled the police, informing them anonymously of the body of Robin Matheson. It would give her family some closure at least.

The world was now functioning on almost a completely normal level again. Cities were rebuilding, global communication was restored, economies were recovering. Mankind was bouncing back, showing it's resilience as always in the face of adversity. But this was a new world now…one where supernatural activity was widespread and people lived with the constant threat of demons and other creatures who called the dark their own.

Tucking the knife back into his belt, John launched himself into the sky and banked to the left, flying low, his massive black wings beating fast to help him up with Sam and the Chevelle. John would feel happier once he saw Sam drive through the gates of Singer's Auto Yard.

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Kyle, South Dakota. 3 Days later….

The church was small and quaint, probably built over a hundred years ago or more. It was the sort of little wooden church you expected to see in the old westerns, but this was no relic from the past. It still had sermons every Sunday and counted most of the Kyle and the surrounding area as it's amongst it's parishioners.

It had started out innocently enough. Skye had gotten the urge to seek out a priest and ask him about blessing the baby. But from the first visit, something had felt wrong. Skye had been coming here for the past few months now, at staggered intervals, whenever she was able to get to town without Dean. Partly because she knew how he felt about religion -- Skye wasn't exactly religious herself -- and partly because she didn't want him to know about the fear that she had been carrying for the last couple of months. It had been quietly growing throughout the pregnancy, but Skye had kept it to herself, not even telling Elise about it.

Now as she stood alone outside the church, Skye let out a shaky breath, then headed inside. Sam and Elise were supposed to be picking her up shortly, so Skye wouldn't be here too long…just long enough to find out.

As soon as she crossed the threshold of the church, it started. The nausea, the blinding headaches. Skye kept trying to tell herself that it was just morning sickness, but it was more than just that….and it was scaring the hell out of her.

She sat down on a pew at the back, massaging her temples and feeling like she was going to pass out , the room spinning dizzily. It was the same thing each time she entered the church. What was causing this? The baby? Every doctor that Skye had seen, told her the baby was fine and looking healthy as an ox….so what was wrong with her?

Leaning forward as best she could around her huge, swollen belly, Skye grabbed hold of the pew in front of her, breathing calmly to keep her stomach from rolling. There was the touch of a hand on her shoulder. Skye turned her head, expecting to see Father Atherton standing beside her….but instead, she found Sam. He crouched down beside her, concern etched into his face. "Hey….hey you okay, Skye?"

"Sam?" Skye could feel a cold sweat breaking out. "I….I need to get out of here…."

"Let me help." Sam gently took Skye by the arm and helped her to stand, sliding an arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong? What is it?"

"I don't know what it is. Every time I enter a church….I feel sick and dizzy. What if it's the baby, Sam? What if something's wrong with the baby? Because of what Dean did?" Skye couldn't keep the fearful tremble out of her voice as she looked at Sam.

Sam cupped his hands to either side of Skye's face and made sure she was focussed on him. "Hey, listen to me. This doesn't mean anything. Okay? It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you or the baby."

"How can you be so sure, Sam? It'd break Dean's heart if he thought anything was wrong…"

"Listen. There's nothing wrong…and the reason I know? Is because nothing is affecting me being here with you. Now if it was something Dean had done, if there was anything wrong with the baby because of Dean's blood or the deal he made….don't you think I'd be affected too by being in here?"

Skye frowned slightly, taking in what Sam was saying and finding hope in those words. "You're not feeling anything? You feel okay? Maybe it takes time to take affect….maybe--"

"Skye, stop!" Sam's tone was sharp, instantly catching Skye's attention and stilling her. "I understand why you're doing this. I've been praying every day for years, I even come into churches sometimes…..for more than just some holy water…and trust me. I've never felt anything but welcome. Whatever is causing this to happen to you? It's not because there's anything wrong with the baby."

Skye slid her arms around Sam and hugged him tightly, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "I'm just so scared that something will go wrong, Sam."

" I know…I know you are. Dean has no idea you've been doing this, does he?" The shake of Skye's head confirmed Sam's suspicions. " Well, I'm not going to say anything to him. It's our secret, okay?"

"Thanks." Skye smiled gratefully. Dean already had enough to worry about, he didn't need to know about this. "I guess we should get home, huh?"

" Yeah."

" Hey….Sam?" Skye paused as she headed for the door with him. "How come you came inside to get me? You weren't supposed to pick me up for a little while yet."

"Elise was worried about you….she sent me in."

"Elise huh?" Skye realised how well the girls had begun to know each other now. It was comforting. " Guess I owe her a drink then…"

Sam laughed and held the door open for Skye, ever the gentlemen.

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Singer's Auto Yard…

"You're sure that's right, Bobby?"

"'Course it's right! What? You pick now to start doubting my skills, boy?" Bobby Singer looked up from his crouched position, paintbrush still in hand. Beneath him was an intricately painted Devil's Trap. It covered most of the floor of the room he was in.

"I just need to be sure it's going to work, Bobby. It's not exactly something I want done half assed." Dean Winchester replied, looking at the crib that was sitting near the trap. The whole room was painted in soft neutral colours with a mixture of cartoon zoo and farm animals decorating the walls. Intermixed with them, were protective runes and symbols that Bobby and John had found to keep out all manner of supernatural beings.

The Devil's Trap was placed to trap anything demonic before it reached the crib. And rubbed into the wooden frame of the crib itself, were oils and crushed herbs that would offer various protections.

Everything was hidden, discreet. Designed to offer as much protection for the baby as was possible, without alerting Skye to it all. There was no need to worry her. A bright, cartoon cityscape played out across the rug that Dean had picked to hide the Devil's Trap. It had roads crisscrossing it in all directions, perfectly made for Connor and his little brother or sister to drive toy cars on.

To the untrained eye, all they would see was a normal nursery and that was the way Dean wanted it. Hopefully there would never be a need for this protection. Dean wanted to believe that history wouldn't repeat and the Yellow Eyed Demon would leave his baby alone. The memory of that dream, of Skye burning and bleeding on the ceiling while Connor carried his baby brother out of the house had never left Dean and now he was determined it would never come true.

With the deal looming closer and closer, Dean wanted nothing more than to know his family would be safe when he was gone. He knew Dad, Sam and Bobby would watch over them…but that didn't make it any easier.

Dean was getting tired. Tired of reading for hours and hours, only to come up empty handed. Tired of chasing one lead after another, talking to demons, witches, all sorts of shady characters….and always walking away with the same answer. He was going to Hell.

As each day ticked by, he became more scared of what was waiting for him, of what life would be like for Skye, left with two children to raise and the questions she would have to answer one day.

Everything he ever wanted was right in front of him now. His father and brother, a family of his own….and he was going to lose it all.

Bobby made sure the rug was properly positioned on the floor before he stepped back. "So what do you think? Is it going to work? You feeling anything?"

Dean raised an eyebrow at the question. "How the hell would I know? I'm going to Hell, Bobby…I'm not there yet, dammit."

"Don't go getting your shorts in a bunch, boy. I was talking about that demon blood in you….it having any effect at all?"

"I feel a little itchy?" Dean shrugged casually, his face screwing up into a thoughtful expression.

Connor suddenly rushed into the room, naked and dripping water everywhere as he ran around, trying to avoid being caught. John was only a few steps behind him and the instant he crossed the Devil's Trap, he was unable to move out of it. Connor froze for an instant, surprised by the fact his "Poppy" had seemingly given up the chance and was now standing in the middle of the room with his arms folded across his chest, clearly unimpressed.

"I guess it works…." Dean grinned, swallowing back his laughter but still managing a sound somewhere near a snort.

"You want to let me out now?" John demanded, tapping his foot impatiently. He watched as Connor squealed with laughter again, then ran from the room, sliding around the corner with ease on his wet feet. "And while you're at it? You can get him back into the bath…."

Dean was laughing quietly to himself as he jogged out the door after Connor. All he could see was wet, puddly, footprints leading down the hallway, then down the stairs. He followed the trail, spotting a naked little 3 year old standing near the front door with the cheekiest grin Dean had ever seen. As soon as he took a step towards Connor, the front door opened. Skye, Sam and Elise entered the house with their arms full of groceries and supplies, which meant Connor was able to fly out between their legs like a naked pink streak of lightning, his devilish giggling echoing back inside from the yard as he disappeared.

Skye paused long enough in front of Dean to grab a quick kiss from him, before she headed towards the kitchen with a smile on her face. "Bath time?"

"Nah, I was reading the Emperor's New Clothes to him and he got ideas…" Dean quipped with a smirk. He laughed as Skye put the box down she had been holding and flipped him a middle finger salute.

"Less sarcasm and more kid catching, mister….you wouldn't want him to climb inside the Impala all muddy and wet, would you?" Skye asked, smiling knowingly.

Dean locked eyes with Skye, horror filling his face. "No…he wouldn't…we've talked about it…he knows the rules….he…" Bolting out the door, Dean didn't hear the laughter that exploded from everyone in the kitchen.

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Elise was busy packing the walk in pantry full of canned goods, when a shadow fell over her. Turning, she found herself face to face with Sam's chest and had to look up to see the mischievous grin plastered across his face. "Just what are you up to?"

"Me? Nothing…" Sam's grin grew impossibly wider and more wicked as he leaned in and captured Elise's lips with his own. Reaching behind him, he began to close the pantry door, giving them more privacy.

"Uhhhh, Sam? What are you doing? What about Skye? The others? Someone's gonna bloody well see us!" Elise tried to explain as he was kissing her along her jaw line and down her throat. It was enough to send Elise's knees to jelly as she tipped her head back more, closing her eyes and sighing softly.

"Skye's gone upstairs….we're alone down here…" Sam whispered, suckling gently on the soft skin at the base of her neck. His hands caressed her breasts through the soft material of her blouse, his own body already reacting to what he had here, to his need to have Elise. In the past, Sam had never understood Dean's insatiable appetite for women or his lack of inhibition….but Elise was a different story. There were no secrets here, no double life, no lies….Sam could be who he was without judgement and to have that with Elise brought out a more primal side of Sam that had only ever been touched upon with Madison.

Sam was unbuttoning Elise's shirt slowly, trailing searing hot kisses along her collarbone and down into the apex of her cleavage, when his cell phone began to ring in his back pocket. The soft, yet distinct chords of Staind's Outside, started to fill the enclosed space of the pantry. Sam tried to ignore it at first, still letting his lips leave hot, wet kisses across Elise's skin….but the phone continued to ring and ring.

"Ignore it…" Elise growled huskily.

Sam tried…but it was hard when no one ever called his phone other than Dad or Dean….and neither of them were likely to be calling him right now. The number was new, thanks to the re-establishment of the phone networks globally and Sam had been careful about who he gave it to.

Finally, the phone went to voicemail…and then began to ring again. This time, Sam couldn't ignore it. He sighed in resignation, stepped back from Elise with an apologetic smile and pulled the phone out of his pocket. His eyes widened with surprise at the caller ID and he quickly answered the call. " Sarah? Hey….how are you? Everything okay?"

Elise frowned slightly, buttoning her shirt up again before she pushed past Sam, not wanting to get caught in here if nothing was going to happen now. Was this the same Sarah that Sam had spoken of before? The one he had fallen for, but left behind? Why was she ringing Sam? Why had Sam given her his number for that matter?

"What? When was the last one? And you're sure it was the same painting? No…no, I didn't mean that. I know this is your area of expertise. Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It just seems a little strange, that's all." Sam said, as he stepped out of the pantry, still talking into his phone. "So where's the painting supposed to be now? Okay…wait a minute, I just need to grab a pen and paper."

Elise pulled the notepad and small stub of a pencil off the wall beside Bobby's phone and handed them to Sam. She couldn't help but smile slightly as he mouthed thank you and gave her a smile in return. Maybe the phone call was innocent, but Elise couldn't help but be a little curious as to why Sam had given his number to Sarah?

"Yeah…yeah, you too. I'll call you when I know more, okay? Thanks, Sarah…bye." Sam ended the call and slid the phone away into his pocket again.

Dean entered the house at last, with a dirty and dishevelled naked Connor tucked under his arm, still giggling at the trouble he had caused. "Where's Skye? I think we might need to tag team this guy to get him clean again."

"She went upstairs." Sam told him, calling out to Dean as he turned to go upstairs with Connor. " Hey, Dean…Sarah just called me."

"Sarah? Wait a minute….Sarah Blake? Art dealer Sarah? That chick you had the hots for back in Upstate New York?"

"Yeah, Dean. That Sarah." Sam was going to kill Dean. Slowly…with as much pain as possible.

"Wow….feisty little Sarah huh? What's she doing calling you, Sammy?" Dean asked with an evil grin, watching the nerve in Sam's jaw jumping now. It was all too amusing and Sam was just too easy to bait sometimes.

"She was calling about a hunt, Dean."

"Is that some sort of code there, Sam?" Dean teased, struggling to hold onto Connor as the kid squirmed like an eel in his arms.

"Dean…" Sam growled, well past finding any of this even remotely funny now. He knew Dean would always take any opportunity to stir him, finding amusement in Sam's discomfort. But this was beyond a joke. Elise was listening and Sam didn't want her feeling threatened by Sarah.

"Alright, aright." Dean conceded, still grinning. " What sort of a hunt?"

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"A hunt? Now? You're kidding me, right? You and Sam haven't hunted in months." Skye looked up at Dean as she rinsed the last of the shampoo from Connor's hair. " Dean, you don't have time to be hunting right now. Not with the baby due soon and….well…the other thing." She glanced at Connor for a moment, careful not to let Connor know anything was wrong. Her son had no idea what Dean was facing and she never wanted him to know either.

Connor was calmly sailing his toy sailboat through the bathwater as Skye sat on the edge of the bath,. He finally looked clean again, giving Dean a cheeky grin and trying to flick water towards the hunter as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Connor! Stop that! You're getting water all over the floor." Skye admonished quietly.

"Okay, Mommy." Connor looked at her with wide blue eyes, trying on his most innocent, angelic look.

"Oh no, don't you try pulling that look on me, mister." Skye told her son, before she turned back to Dean.

"I'll be gone a few days, maybe a week or two, tops. This is what I do, Skye, you know that. I can't sit around if there are people out there in trouble. People that need me and Sam. I have to do this."

Skye stood and approached Dean, resting her hands on his waist as he placed one his hands on her belly. He was rewarded with a kick that brought a beaming smile to his face. It seemed that lately, whenever Skye curled up behind Dean in bed, the baby would take that as a signal to start kicking the hell out of him. It was the strangest feeling ever and one that Dean loved to experience. He wondered if he had done that to his father? If Sam had? Feeling his baby moving inside of Skye just brought it home all the more, that this was really happening.

"I know you need this, Dean. I never wanted you to change who you are for me. I'm just scared that's all. Scared that we're running out of time here."

Dean knew that it was an issue. It was a big reason why he needed this hunt. Dean needed to forget about the deal for just a minute, turn his focus to something else before it drove him insane. A hunt was the perfect solution. "Dad and Bobby will keep looking for ways to break the deal, babe. I just need to get out of here for a while. I need to do what I'm good at."

"You'll keep in touch, though, right? You won't leave your phone set to voicemail? Or have it switched off?"

"You know me better than that, Skye."

"I know….I'm sorry. I'm just nervous, that's all."

Dean pressed a kiss to her the top of her head and pulled Skye close, wrapping his arms around her. Looking over her shoulder, he could see Connor watching them both. "Hey…a little privacy here?"

Connor laughed, kicking his feet in the bath and sending more water over the floor. "You silly, Daddy."

"So when are you leaving?"

"First thing in the morning." Dean told her, still holding Skye close. He was excited to finally be hunting again, doing something that came naturally to him. But as excited as he was, Dean also knew he was going to be missing Skye and Connor, plus constantly worrying about the pregnancy. It was all new territory for him….

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"Sammy, you make sure we have those extra salt rounds packed?" Dean called as he stepped out onto the front porch of Bobby's house with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Skye was only a few steps behind him, still dressed in one of Dean's over sized white t-shirts and sweat pants. Connor was still asleep and that was for the best, because she didn't know how he would handle Dean going away hunting again.

"Yeah, we're good to go, dude." Sam had already double checked the trunk for everything they might need, before he closed the hidden floor and threw his duffel bag inside. Elise was standing nearby, chewing on her lip and trying to look less worried about this trip than she was. Sam left the trunk open for Dean and went to Elise, sliding his arms around her waist and leaning down to kiss her deeply. " You gonna be okay?"

"No, I'm going to fall apart in your absence." Elise retorted with slow, easy sarcasm, grinning as she saw the smile it drew out of Sam. It was a better look than the concerned one he'd had all morning. "You just watch yourself….come back in one piece, mate…or I'll kick your arse."

"I think I need to watch out for you more than what's out there…" Sam quipped, kissing her again. They'd lain awake half the night, discussing Sarah. Sam had assured Elise that she had nothing to worry about. The only reason he had given her the number, was due to her knowledge of artwork and the fact she was an excellent resource.

It hadn't completely eased Elise's fears, but she trusted Sam. She held his hand until he climbed into the passenger side of the Impala, then leaned in to give him one last kiss before she began to walk back to the porch.

Dean caught Elise near the front step and gently pulled her aside. "Hey, what I was saying last night. You know I was kidding right? Sam might have picked up a lot of things off me over the years, but having a girl in every port was definitely not one of them. He's only got eyes for you, dude."

"I know…" Elise smiled for a moment before she became more serious. "Thanks, Dean. I appreciate you saying that."

Dean winked at Elise and continued to the Impala, throwing his bag in the trunk and slamming it shut. He walked back to the steps, where Skye was waiting for him, placing a hand on her belly again and feeling the baby wriggle against his palm. Dean looked up and locked eyes with Skye for a moment, before she leaned down, allowing Dean to capture her lips in a kiss and draw her close. After a moment, he hugged her tight, burying his face against her neck and inhaling her scent deeply.

Skye felt tears prickling her eyes as he stood up at last and backed away a step or two, still holding her hands. With a shaky, embarrassed laugh, Skye let him go and wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands. "Damn hormones…making me look stupid."

"I'll be back before you know it." Dean told her, seeing his father and Bobby emerging from the house. Bobby gave Dean a curt nod before he went back to sipping his coffee. The man was never sociable until he'd had at least three of those heart starting brews in the morning.

John followed Dean to the car, closing the door for him as Dean slid behind the wheel, then crouching down to talk to his boys. "You watch your backs, boys. If things get rough? You get out of there and call me and Bobby for back up, you hear me?"

"Yes sir." Sam and Dean answered in unison. It took them back to the days when they had all hunted as a family. Both Sam and Dean felt better with the knowledge that not only Bobby…but their father was there to back them up if needed. It was something Dean had missed every minute of every day after John's death.

"Dad, watch out for Skye for me, okay?" Dean asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, Dean, you know I will."

John stepped back as the Impala fired up, heading back to the house where the girls were watching the muscle car drive away.

"Dean, what did you say to Elise before?" Sam looked at his brother, last night conversation still playing on his mind.

Dean glanced in the rear view mirror briefly, catching a glimpse of Skye as they pulled out the gate. He shot a sideways look at Sam. "I told her not to worry about you…."

"You did?" Sam hadn't expected that answer.

"Yeah…" Dean answered easily before a smirk appeared. "I mean, with all those hot women looking at me? There's no way any of them are ever catching your eye."

"Oh ha ha, Dean."

"Hey, it's not my fault I got all the looks, dude." Dean grinned, reaching over the crank the stereo and drown out his brother as he watched Sam begin to laugh.

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