A/N: The Demon, the Hunter, and The Queen is a ongoing storyline written between me (Ruby 1.0) and Sam Winchester on . We both thought it would be cool to share our work with other Supernatural fans out there.

Sam

The Road So Far...

Pretty cliche for the beginning, well the new beginning of Sam Winchesters "new" life. It was time, time for him and his controlling but means well brother to take their own paths. Alone. Dean had become harder and harder to deal with. Sam just needed time, space and to be on his own. Make his own way without his brother constantly picking up the pieces of his broken life. Some of which he never wanted him to pick up in the first place.

He reflected on Ruby Yes, in the end it was very bad. She was every bit what Dean warned him about but Sam loved every minute of it, he craved Ruby. Like Dean never made mistakes with women. Sam just wasn't allowed, Dean was. He also never viewed Ruby as a mistake. He cared for her, he lived, he learned. They'd had a good thing until, well, until she helped them jump start the apocalypse. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Yes, he did really mess things up but still. Doesn't mean it's right for Dean to never let it rest. Which is what brings us to...

Now...

The bar was old, a place where the locals came out to listen to classic rock and play darts. Johns Bar and Grill. How original...owner was about 85 years old. Sophie. A Russian woman who still after all these years barely spoke a lick of English. But it didn't stop her from making money in this old rustic saloon that was a blast from the past. Straight out of The Deer Hunter. It was classic. Pink Floyd was playing on the jukebox. Wish You Were Here. The entire bar singing pretty badly as if they were all on some of a commiserating bender. There was a dart board in the corner and a bowling game played with what looked very much like a hockey puck. Yes it was retro heaven. Sam couldn't help but think how Dean would love it here. Did he miss him? Yes. Would he call him and tell him that? Hell no.

The food was actually good too. Standard bar grub but the best Sliders this side of the mason Dixie line, so the sign on the wall said. And the patrons that lined the stools were just as classic as Sophie. Sam got to know everyone and their stories. And everyone had a story they felt was unique unto themselves. They enjoyed topping each other's stories like it was a game show and whomever was the most hard done by, well they got a special prize. Door number 2 went to Cletus Lawrence tonight though. See, Sam knew everyone's story at this point. He'd been here going on 3 months now and drunks, they repeat. Sam could almost say it verbatim as Cletus babbled on about his 19th nervous breakdown. He caught his wife on Plenty of Fish chatting up some man...and she's old enough to be his Mother. Poor Cletus. And then like clockwork,Molly the town drunk, bought him a drink to console him. Poor old gal hasn't gotten lucky in a while. Sam felt kind of bad for her. He felt bad for all of them...to sit here night after night nothing changing, not even the bar stool.

Sam wiped down the bar and smiled wide. He did make good tips with that boyish smile, his pearly whites and damn, he sure could mask the tortured soul that laid beneath. He bought the bar a round and they all marveled how he knew all of their drinks, didn't even have to tell him ever again. Sam got them all their fill and then noticed a new one. There was someone new here. Odd and that pretty much never happened but okay.,.all he saw was blonde hair, her back turned to him, she seemed to be fixated on whatever was behind her. It was weird, she was weird...not very social.

He called out to her, after all it was his job. Bartender. Yup.

'Come on, let me buy you a drink. Bartenders round, must be your lucky day"

The girl turned around. Slowly. What he saw caught him completely off guard and he almost lost his balance. His blood turned cold, his nostrils flared of course, as they always did in times such as these, fists starting to clinch. Just no matter what, he softened because he still cared for her and he couldn't believe his eyes...could it be true?

'Ruby...is it really you, but how? I saw you, well other you, you died!"

Sam dropped his hands to his side and waited, patiently for her answer. And it wasn't that unfathomable the blonde Ruby was back alive and in color. After all, pretty much everyone that died around the Winchesters had a magical way of coming back in some way, shape or form. With the exception of John and Mary Winchester. Which given time, who knows... Still, this one, it was epic. He didn't know what to do. She didn't look alright either. And he cared, why? Who knows, But he did, and he stayed right there waiting for answers, waiting to see just what the hell was going on.

Ruby

With a start, Ruby sat bolt upright, gasping for breath. Her eyes grew wide as she slowly came back to reality. The blonde's hazel hues darted around frantically as they soaked in her surroundings. Ruby was in her car; a camero. Yeah, maybe a bit cliche, but she loved that car. It was her pride and joy. Call her a Transformer fan. BumbleBee was her favorite. She reached up and ran her fingers through her hair, combing out the slight knots that had formed from her rough night in the car. Shifted her gaze to the rear view mirror, the blonde soaked in her appearance. A shutter ran down her spine. "Nothing I can do about it now." She sighed before clicking her seat belt into place and starting her car. It roared to life as she pulled out of the little grove she had been hiding in and onto the main road.

For a very long time, Ruby had been on the run. Okay, maybe not that long, but long enough. Constantly she was on the go and hardly ever got a nights sleep. Deep bags rested under her eyes. At one glance you would think she was the walking dead. A complete zombie state. But in truth, her body was going a million miles a minute, with her senses always on the look out for danger. Due to unanticipated events, the blonde demon had something of a bounty on her head. Her entire race, and then some, were after her head. She was an embarrassment to the demon community and needed to be taken care of. They even considered her worse then those who failed Alastair, or Lucifer. Why? All because she made a deal with a witch to save her ass.

Ruby had been on a hunt with a fellow demon, Liam, when it happened. She couldn't pull the trigger to kill the woman they were interrogating. Liam did the dirty work for her. Ruby was shamed from that moment on. She had lost her balls of steal. She didn't know why at the time. Now she did.

Day turned to night as the demon drove cross country, only stopping when she needed gas or a quick bite to eat. That had been her life since the Liam incident. Along with being marked for death, Ruby had developed a strange sense of guilt. Combine that with sleepless nights, it made for a very weak and broken demon. The blonde couldn't grapple with the facts. It would literally be the death of her. And it all pointed back to her because she was selfish and didn't want to die or leave her blonde host. Ruby shook her head. "You idiot. You damn idiot, Ruby." To be honest, she thought she was going to be Lucifer's right hand man, too. But she quickly found out that wasn't going to work out. Ruby was stuck in her own living hell. This was a whole lot worse then her time in the pit.

A rustic looking bar stood tall, casting the surrounding area in a soft yellow glow. It looked safe enough. Nothing hunters or demons would gravitate to, for sure. However, she still hesitated in her car. Along with her overwhelming sense of guilt for everything she had done, Sam Winchester always nagged at her the most. At the time it was just a job. She needed to train him for his coming destiny. She would be lying if she said she hadn't gotten attached. Though, she hid it well because she didn't want it to interfere with the mission. But there was something about that boyish grin of his. She envied the bond he had with Dean. Another reason she wanted to tare the brothers apart and have Sam all to herself. A soft smile lit her lips. An action that rarely occurred. Ruby felt very, very guilty for using him. This fact haunted her every moment of every day. It was something should couldn't escape.

Taking a breath, the blonde finally stepped out of her car. "Pull yourself together Ruby. Remember that you're the tough witch bitch that manipulates people." With a nod of her head, the demon strutted towards the door and slipped in quietly.

Finding a place at the bar, she leaned her back against it, and observed the fellow tenders. They were all harmless. People who all had rough stories and lives. Good. She would fit in there perfectly. A slight sense of calm washed over her. Something she hadn't felt in a long time. Ruby was completely enthralled with a fellow's stories when a voice caught her ear. With a skipping heart beat, Ruby paused before she slowly turned around. And when she did, Sam Winchester stood a stone's throw away. The thin wall she had put around herself and she had worked so hard to put up began to crumble. A horrified expression crossed her face. Was he going to kill her or let her live? It looked like the second option. For the moment at least. His mouth opened and a slue of questions tumbled out. The blonde tried to recompose herself. Her expression masking into one of a blank stare. However, her mind still reeled with possibilities. She couldn't do this. Not now. Though Sam was on her list of people to maybe make amends with, now was not the time. Ruby looked up at him slightly apologetic before she bolted out the door.

As soon as fresh air hit her face, she let out a long breath and tossed her hands up in the air before they came to rest on the back of her head. She paced around. "God, Ruby. You coward. What is wrong to you? Get a handle on your guilt situation. He's just a hunter." The blond laughed at herself. "Yeah, a hunter who you started to fall for and tried to destroy." She shook her head and snapped it to the left when the door open. Sam followed her outside. Ruby made sure to stand back slightly, wary that he had the ability to kill her at a second's notice. "Hi, Sam." She managed to choke out.Sam

Sam could feel the walls crashing down in his head as he came to grasp the fact she was here. Alive and well, scratch that. Maybe not well. She looked tired and like she hadn't slept in weeks. An all to familiar look for Sam. His bar patrons looked after him mouths wide open. Until now he was the quiet tall guy that just listened to their stories. He never seemed to have one himself. Obviously they were wrong. He could hear Cletus loud over them all as he leaped across the bar and ran after her, "I always knew there was something a little off about that guy". Sam didn't even look back, he just kept on. No way would she get away. Not again. Once, twice yeah but a third time, not happening.

He had trusted her and even took her side over his own brother. In the end she proved to be worse than any of their enemies prior. She broke his heart and mocked him, started the beginning of the apocalypse, in all of 5 minutes flat. So, of course he wasn't about to let her go. And there she stood. She seemed fragile. He shook that thought off because in no way was Ruby fragile. She was always a step ahead of the Brothers Grimm and really couldn't be trusted. Part of him wanted to kill her but that was quickly replaced with curiosity and what the fuck was rolling around in his head. He wanted answers.

"Stay right there Ruby. I still have your knife and I'll use it! Don't think for one minute I won't. I want answers. Why are you here Ruby and how the hell did you find me?"

The classic song, "Evil Woman" by ELO wafted out of the bar doors as Cletus and his pals came out to get a better look and tonight's theatrics starting Sam Winchester and Ruby. What was her last name anyway? Not sure if he ever got it. He glared back at his new fan club and waved them off.

"Nothing here to see guys. Just an old girlfriend that left me for a real evil prick"

His eyes fell back on to hers and if looks could kill, Ruby would be dead, again.

"So how's Lucifer been treating you Ruby. You don't look so good. Is he everything you ever hoped and dreamed of? You do know I loved you, I trusted you...answer me Ruby, did you ever love me, did you ever care? Or was it all just a job to you? "

He stood waiting, the urge to kiss her was raging through him which made him even more angry on the outside. Inside he was still broken. Ruby took a piece of his soul with her that day. She was the beginning of the fragments that eventually shattered his existence and nearly destroyed him. But even though that was the case, he had a soft spot even though his stance and his face wasn't revealing it in the least. He knew better. He didn't dare let his guard down and trust her completely again.

Still no answer so he took her by the arm and walked with her to his car. Nothing awesome like his brother's. Sam could barely fit in the 1996 Honda accord. He opened the passengers side of the car and put her in...she wasn't fighting back. What the hell...

"Stay!" He barked at her and slammed the door behind her. He got into the car and drove passed the patrons and tossed the keys to Cletus and drove away. He had a feeling he wouldn't be back to this safe haven of his, not for a long, long time.