Allene was a simple girl. Quiet, a bit on the shy side, and librarian at the local college. She was sipping coffee one morning, when a roar sounded from outside. She had expected it to be a quiet morning, seeing as it was a Sunday. Moments later, a tall, built man approached her desk.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"I certainly hope so," he said in a deep, velvety voice as he eyed her appreciatively. "I'm doing some research and I noticed that your computers aren't working."

"You're in luck," she breathed. "I know research." She stood, pulling at her skirt, which, although cute, now seemed too short. She blushed when she noticed him checking out her legs.

"I'm Sam," he said, extending a hand and tossing his long brown hair from his hazel eyes. She wanted to melt but kept her composure and shook his offered hand.

"Allene," she introduced herself. "Nice to meet you." He seemed reluctant to let go of her hand, but relented and followed her to the card catalog. "So, what exactly are you looking for, Sam?"

"Um, well…what do you know about Okami?"

"They're legendary monsters from Japan," she said, leaning against the catalog.

"That's right," he said with a tone of surprise. "What else do you know?"

"They're usually in the form of a woman and prefer to feed on women. The only way to kill them is by stabbing them seven times with a bamboo dagger that's been blessed by a Shinto priest." Sam blinked, unsure what to make of this stunning woman who knew so much about monsters. Allene mistook his stare, worried that he thought she was odd.

"I've never met someone who knew so much about mythology."

"Are you kidding? I love it!" She knew she was getting a little excited, but discussing lore usually made her fangirl.

"You know," Sam whispered, leaning in close as if sharing a huge secret. "The line of work my brother and I are in…it requires a lot of research. Now, I sometimes enjoy it, but I don't think he appreciates it quite as much." He was now inches from her face.

"I've never kissed a guy before," Allene blurted. As soon as the words left her, she regretted them. At his bewildered expression, her brain told her to shut it, but her mouth had ideas of its own. "I've never really kissed anyone, it's just-"

"It's not that hard," he interrupted her with a boyish half-grin. He closed the space between them. His lips brushed softly over hers, ghosting over the skin and making her own lips tingle. Allene's first instinct was to pull away and run. But, Sam was so comforting, so inviting.

She allowed herself to get lost, her eyelids fluttering shut as she leaned into him. He snaked one muscle-bound arm around her waist, reaching up to trace her jaw line with his other hand. His lips were firmly set against hers but the kiss was sweet and gentle. He parted those lips and deepened the kiss further still. Then, from the other side of the room, someone cleared their throat.

Sam pulled back hesitantly, as though he didn't want to let what was going on between them go. Quite honestly, Allene didn't, either. Another guy in a suit stood staring at them, his hands in his pockets, his expression a mix of annoyed and amused. He was a tad shorter than Sam, with bright green eyes and short, styled hair a light brown color. He was a beautiful man, but not quite like Sam.

"Am I interrupting something here?" he asked in a gruff voice. "As hard as you two seem to be working, I hope you've come up with some answers by now." He smirked at them, apparently very proud of himself.

"One second," Sam said to Allene, crossing the room to speak with the other man. It took a second for the others' words to sink in. She'd never been one for stealth, but she snuck through the winding bookshelves, bringing herself closer to the men.

"This thing is out there draining folks, and you're here making out with the hot librarian!" the smaller guy hissed.

"You've done more in worse situations," Sam countered.

"Yeah, me! That's me, Sam!"

"Well, this isn't just some random fling, Dean. I…I like her."

"Like her?!"

"I knew everything we needed already." Sam sighed and shook his head at the man he called Dean. "It's all in Bobby's journal. I only said I didn't so I could come and see her." Sam's voice was rising in pitch with each word. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself. "Just go to a bar, find a girl and take her back to the hotel."

"I don't get it, Sam. What is it about this girl?" Dean asked.

"She's like me. She knows research." A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "She knew about Okami. She knows about monsters in general."

"Sounds like you're made for each other," Dean said sarcastically.

"Butt out, Dean. I mean it."

"Is this like Amelia?"

"I can't believe you brought that up." Sam's face was a mask of anger. "No. This is different. This is someone who understands. This is someone we could bring into our world without worrying about a lifetime of therapy ahead of them."

"As long as you know what you're doing, I trust you. Did you find out how to kill it?" Sam went on to relay the information to Dean while Allene crept back to the card catalog, pretending to straighten out a few of the cards. Dean left without saying a goodbye. Sam returned to where Allene was.

"Sorry about that," Sam apologized. "He doesn't really have any manners."

"Who are you, Sam?" she asked sassily. She surprised both herself and Sam with her tone.

"Oh, um…sorry. I'm Special Agent Ripley…" he trailed off and reached into an inside pocket of his sports coat, fumbling with a badge.

"Save it," she snapped. "The FBI doesn't stalk librarians and they certainly don't care about myths. Who are you really?"

"I'd tell you, but I doubt you'd believe me." He exhaled slowly.

"Try me." With that, Sam sat her down at a nearby desk. Then, he proceeded to tell her everything. Dean being his brother, their life on the road, their monster hunts, everything. "So, it's all real?" she asked when he was done. He nodded. She considered this for a second. A huge grin split her face. "This is awesome!"

"W-What?" Sam looked shocked, but pleased.

"This is like a dream come true!"

"So, um, I don't suppose you'd be interested in joining us?" He looked at the floor to hide his smile. "In joining me?" Allene normally frowned upon women throwing themselves at gorgeous men, but that's exactly what she did. Literally. Her arms locked around his neck and she kissed him with a fervor she didn't know she possessed. He tangled his fingers in her hair as he returned the kiss, allowing his other hand to trail up and down her spine.

"Uh, Allene?" They were interrupted once again by her supervisor, Mr. Johns. She knew how that must've looked but, right then, it didn't really matter.

"I quit!" she yelled at her boss before kissing Sam one more time. "Let me grab my bag," she whispered. As she was slipping the handles over her shoulder, a plastic container fell from the large, brown purse. Sam chuckled before picking it up and handing it to her. She accepted the box of pie. "I'm not really hungry," she said. "Do you want this?"

"No," he answered with a laugh. "But, I know someone who will."