Cait was silent and sitting bolt upright in the passenger seat rather than her usual knees drawn to her chest or her legs thrown across the whole front seat. Neither said a word and the only noise was the hum of baby and the faint sound of music. Cait couldn't tell what was playing, it sounded like nothing more than a murmur. Dean's eyes never strayed from the road, not even to glance over at Cait like he normally would. She felt sick.

John never told them what danger Sam was in, just that he was in danger and they needed to get to California. Between Dean's need to always please is father and his instinctual need to protect his brother, they'd left the house immediately and had been driving for sixteen hours straight. Dean was driving nearly fifty miles over the speed limit and they'd gotten stopped by a policeman. Cait whipped out her FBI badge and the officer waved them on, apologising for stopping them.

Gradually Dean's driving ability started to fade. He was running red lights and trying to pass cars when there was oncoming traffic.

"I'll drive for a while. Get some rest" Cait said softly. He looked like he was about to doze off at the wheel and that wasn't how Cait wanted to go. If she was gonna die it was gonna be of a heart attack, she'd decided that last year. She wanted to die of a heart attack and anything else was unacceptable. Well maybe she'd be willing to die with a gun in her hands because that was kinda acceptable but a car accident was a no go.

"Have to get to Sammy," Dean mumbled as if it was his mantra.

"Dean, pull over right now and let me drive. I'm not gonna die in this car because you're too stubborn to just admit you need sleep. I wont stop unless we need gas, promise." She stared at him until he pulled over into the hard shoulder. She didn't bother getting out and going around the car, she just climbed over Dean and shoved him out of the driver's seat. She reached back behind herself and fumbled around looking for a blanket. She wrapped it around Dean and gave his forehead a quick kiss before returning to the driver's seat.

Cait's driving was what one could only describe as fast and furious style. She was one for weaving through traffic and often drove in the middle of the road when they were on old back roads. But she was good at driving. Cait loved driving, it gave her a sense of freedom. She got to choose which road she took and it wasn't often she'd gotten to choose anything. Then of course there's the whole philosophy about it not being about the destination but rather the journey. Cait quite liked that philosophy. Perhaps that was the cause of her love for the open road.

When she saw the sign for Palo Alto, she glanced over at Dean who was shockingly still asleep. She could hear his soft breathing and see the fog patch on the window where his breath kept hitting the glass. He started to toss and turn and Cait was certain that if he kept going he was going to roll off the seat and do some serious damage to himself and probably cause her to crash. God help the person who crashed the impala. Cait pulled over at the first motel she spotted and shook Dean awake. He snapped his eyes open and went for his knife but stopped when he saw Cait hovering over him.

"S'only me." She wiped the sweat from his brow and brushed her thumb over his jaw. It was rough from three days of no shaving but it suited him. He shivered under her touch and found himself wrapping his arms around her and pulling her down so she lay on top of his chest.

"What if he doesn't want to see me?" Dean asked, almost shyly. Cait peered up at him through her eyelashes. She shook her head before speaking.

"Dean, he's gonna want to see you. You're his big brother, he loves you," she assured him and pressed her lips to his jaw.

"What would I do without you?"

"Crash and burn, sweetheart." She gave him a little smile and captured his lips with hers. She kissed him gently, slowly working his mouth open with hers and nipping lightly on his bottom lip. Dean relaxed under her ministrations and held the back of her head with one hand and let the other rest on the small of her back.

"Let's go find Sammy," she said when she pulled away. She pushed against his chest to get herself up. Dean opened the door and swung his legs around so they were on the road while he sat on the seat.

"I'll go check us in, alright." Cait's bare legs looked more golden in the Californian sun and her hair gleamed in the sunlight. She was clad in a plum camisole with dark grey denim shorts and her usual combat boots. She had a certain bounce to her step for some reason that Dean couldn't fathom but he liked seeing her happy. Her happiness rubbed off on him most of the time. Cait returned with two keys swinging on her forefinger and a yellow pages in her other hand.

"Room three. Let's get canvasing."

Cait was sat at a bar conversing with the bartender and waiting for the right time to ask if he happened to know Sam. The bar had a homely atmosphere with it's mismatched chairs and cutlery and the band playing over in the corner on a tiny stage only added to the atmosphere.

"You wouldn't know a Sam Winchester by any chance?"

"Gigantor Sam Winchester?"

"That's the moose." She grinned and let out a sigh of relief. Someone knew him which meant he had to be around here somewhere.

"Comes in here most nights with his girlfriend. That's him there now." The bartender nodded towards the door and Cait turned around to see the familiar giant enter the bar. Cait thought about calling Dean but something in her told her to wait.

She felt horrible about being there. She was about to bring back the life Sam worked so hard to get out of. She wished at some stage she had the will to get out but she was something like Dean, she always felt it was her responsibility to save everyone. She wouldn't leave without Dean either.

"C-Cait?" Sam stuttered and stared at her, mouth slightly agape. She gave him a wobbly smile.

"Hey Sam."

"W-What are you doing here?"

"Uhm, making sure you're okay," she tried.

"Dean here too?" Sam sat up beside her, no girlfriend in towe.

"He's out looking for you"

"Guess you're going to call him and tell him I'm here?" Sam sighed.

"I have to, he's been going out of his mind worrying."

"Worrying about what? Cait, I'm not in the game anymore. I got out and I plan on staying out."

"I'd never expect you to get back into it. I'd never want you to get back into it. You've got something going for yourself here, who am I to take that away?" It was true, she never wanted Sam to get back into hunting. She was proud of him for getting out. She knew him when he was just a chubby twelve year old who spent his days in libraries. She didn't think Sam was cut out for the life, he deserved the picket fence, a wife to come home to and 2.5 kids. Dean was cut out for the life, he mightn't have deserved the life but he could hack it.

"Why are you making sure I'm okay?"

"We don't know. John called us and said you were in danger, we came straight away."

"You're hunting with Dean?"

"For about two years now."

"Can't say I'm surprised. He was smitten from day one"

Day one was about ten years prior. John Winchester arrived in town to take down a wendigo and Cait's father,David happened to arrive too. They'd ended up teaming up together, two of the best hunters in the world.

Cait strolled into the library, blonde hair a tangled mess from the wind outside. She grumbled something under her breath when she caught her reflection in the glass before heading towards the lore section. She loved libraries, always had and vowed to one day have her own personal library.

Cait saw the book she was looking for and stretched up to get it, ignoring her shirt that was riding up her stomach and the twelve year old who stood beside her. Sam gasped when he saw the anti-possession tattoo peeking out over her jeans. She'd gotten it when she was fifteen on her left hipbone.

"You're a hunter," Sam mumbled. Cait looked down at the boy and felt a pang of anguish. He was so young, too young to know anything about the horrible things that lurked in the dark.

"You too?" Cait asked, her words laced with sympathy.

"My dad and brother, I just do research."

"I think the research is the best part." She gave him a soft smile and held out her hand to shake his. He timidly shook it and blushed when she smiled at him. She was gorgeous and here she was talking to him. Dean was going to be jealous, he thought to himself.

"So what are you researching, kiddo?"

"Wendigos"

"Really? Me too. Fancy a research buddy?"

"S-S-Sure"

Cait sat down at one of the tables and Sam sat nervously across from her. She whipped out a chunky notebook that was overflowing with old scraps of paper stuck in here, there and everywhere. Sam involuntarily raised an eyebrow but she caught it.

"I'm not the most organised with my notes," she chuckled and slung her messenger bag over the back of the chair. Cait eased Sam into a steady conversation but tried to avoid hunting as a topic. She could already tell it was something he hated and she hated it once too. Until she'd saved a little girl from a vampire nest and realised how necessary it was.

About two hours into their research some guy walked in with a leather jacket and smirk that could melt panties from miles away. Sam grumbled under his breath and Cait cocked an eyebrow.

"My brother."

"I see." Cait could certainly see because Dean had locked eyes with hers and was making his way towards them with something that could only be described as bedroom eyes. Cait smirked right back at him.

"Sammy, what is this fine lady doing here with you?"

"Helping me with research, she's a hunter."

"Hottest hunter I've ever seen. Name's Dean." He held out his hand and she slipped her petite hand into his larger one. Dean raised it to his lips and kissed her knuckles with a wink.

"Cait." She smiled and leaned back in her chair. Sam swore that one day his eyes would roll into the back if his head and never come back out.

"Cait Stone?" Dean's jaw hung open slightly and Cait nodded.

"That's the one."

"Well I'll be damned. Your reputation certainly doesn't do you any justice sweetheart"

"Wasn't aware I had a reputation," she shrugged.

"Now you are. Quite a good one though." He winked.

"Always a bonus I guess. Sam told me you guys are hunting a wendigo"

"Yep, you too?"

"Mhmm, we're heading out tomorrow morning I think"

"Sounds like fun"

"Why don't you join us? Could always do with another hunter"

"I was planning on heading out with my dad actually but from what I can gather our dads will probably end up teaming up for this one."

"David Stone's in town too? Is this a hunting convention or something"

"Definitely. We're just short of Bobby and Rufus." Cait started packing up her notes and tucked a pen into her bun.

"Hey, you busy tonight?" Dean caught her wrist and turned her around to face him. She looked up at him and fumbled with the strap of her bag.

"No exorcisms or anything in my schedule so no"

"Whadya say to grabbing a bite to eat later?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'll meet you at the diner down the road at about eight?"

"See you there"

"Nice meeting you Sam and best of luck with that essay" She ruffled Sam's hair affectionately and headed out the door.

"She's gorgeous" Cait let her eyes rake over baby and Dean smirked. She had good taste in cars, preferring muscle cars over European sports cars and such. Dean slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled Cait to his side. She wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned against him.

It was late August and the air was still warm even at ten o'clock and there was still light outside. Cait didn't make any effort to stop Dean when he pushed her back gently so she was lying on the hood of baby. Cait wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her. He groaned and rested his elbows at either side of her head to prop himself up. She was warm and soft against him but she wasn't weak. Dean knew that she could launch him off of her and that she could kill him in seconds, something of a turn on in his opinion. She wasn't another cheerleader that he made out with in some janitor's closet. She was one of the most dangerous women in the country and she wasn't even eighteen yet.

Dean ferociously kissed her back, nipping on her bottom lip and even drawing some blood. She groaned and pulled him flush against her. Cait kissed him back with just as much fervour, both battling for a little dominance but Cait gave in and let him have his way. Dean ran his hand over her thigh and up over her side, leaving a trail of goosebumps on her skin.

He heard a tree rustle and he pulled away, eyes darting around. Cait shoved him off and pulled out her knife from her boot instinctually. Dean's eyes widened.

"Got anything with fire in it?" Cait whispered. She looked like she was ready to pounce on anything that appeared.

"In the trunk." Dean pulled her against his back and started shuffling around towards the back of the car, ignoring her almost silent protests. She didn't need a man to protect her.

"Open the trunk, I'll keep an eye out," he whispered. Cait gingerly opened it and pushed up the fake bottom of the trunk. Beneath it lay weapons of almost every description and she had to try not to get too distracted. She found what she was looking for and slammed the trunk shut. Dean snapped his head around and glared at her. Oh how the atmosphere can change in the space of two minutes. Cait was in hunting mode now and any feelings she had for Dean were pushed to the side. If she wanted to make it out alive she had to think clearly and thinking about him would only cloud her judgement.

They heard another rustling and Cait took off into a sprint towards the woods. Dean shouted at her to come back but she ignored him, continuing on her journey. Dean heard something and took off after her. She had the flame thrower after all.

"Duck!" Cait screamed and Dean did as she told him just in time because he could feel the whoosh of air as the wendigo ran past him. He looked up to see Cait's face illuminated by the fire that was burning the wendigo. She looked fierce, her face stone cold as she watched the creature burn up in front of her.

"We need to find it's lair, might be some people still alive" Cait threw the flame thrower at Dean and started walking with a bit of a bounce to her step.

"What the hell was that?" Dean demanded and she shrugged.

"That was getting the job done and keeping you alive at the same time. You're welcome." She gave him an affectionate smile and laced her fingers with his when he reached out for her hand.

"You're nine kinds of crazy, you know that?"

"We search out things that want to kill us for a living. I think that makes you crazy too."

Dean burst through the doors of the bar and quite lot of people stared when they saw the flushed man standing in the doorway. Cait excused herself and made her way through the crowd towards Dean, muttering sorry and excuse me as she weaved through people.

"You alright?"

"Is he okay?" Dean stammered and Cait cupped his face in her hands.

"Dean, he's fine. Calm down," she soothed and took his hand in hers, leading him through the crowd towards where Sam was sitting.

"Hey Dean," Sam said impishly and Dean threw his arms around his younger brother. He couldn't really call him his little brother anymore, Sam was 6"4.

"S'good to see you Sammy." Dean released his brother and looked at him from arm's length. Cait ordered a beer for Dean and sat down one seat away from Sam so Dean could sit beside him.

"You too. Cait filled me in on what's going on."

"We uh don't want to screw up everything you've got going, just making sure you're okay," Dean said quickly and Cait slipped her hand into his, brushing her thumb over his knuckles. Always calmed him down for some reason.

"I get it."

"I'm gonna head back to the motel, give you guys a chance to catch up. Call me if anything happens." She finished her beer, downing the remainders of it in one go. Dean pulled her into a brief kiss before she pulled on her black leather jacket. She gave Sam a smile and headed out, leaving the two brothers to reminisce.

"So you and Cait?" Sam waggled his eyebrows and Dean chuckled. It was good to be back with his brother, even if he was just there on a protection detail. He hadn't spoken to Sam since he left for Stanford a few years ago.

"You should come visit some time. We've got a place up in New York."

"You two have a place together?" Sam spluttered.

"Dude you should see it. S'huge and there's a pool."

"Where the hell would you guys get the money for a place?"

"I'll tell you about it some time. How've things been with you?"

"Great actually. I uh found someone and everything."

"Oh yeah? What's she like?"

"She's pretty amazing. Thinking of popping the question some time soon," Sam said with a fond smile.

"Woah, you're gonna ask this chick to marry you?"

"She's not some chick Dean. Her name's Jess"

"Does she know about you hunting?"

"No and she's not gonna either" Sam said the second part like it was a warning. Dean understood. Of course he'd have never understood it properly until he and Cait started their unorthodox relationship. You want to protect the one's you love. It's only natural.

"Like I said, you should come visit."

"Dean, you think it would be a good idea to bring Jess to a hunter's house? C'mon, be realistic," Sam snorted.

"Cait doesn't like having anything to do with hunting outside certain rooms. She keeps the guns and stuff in the basement and the devil's traps are all glow in the dark shit."

"Sounds like Cait runs the show," Sam teased.

"Shut up. She just gets her way with the house is all," Dean grumbled.

"Mhmm whatever helps you sleep at night"

"It might be safer for you and Jess to stay with us for a while is all. S'one of the safest places you could be." Sam was quiet for a minute, mulling things over by the looks of it.

"I'll talk to Jess about it but how long are we talking here? Summer vacation only lasts so long"

"You'll be back in time for school, Sammy," Dean said with a grin. Sammy was coming to visit.

Cait felt the mattress dip and she snapped her eyes open to see Dean slipping under the sheets beside her.

"Hey." Dean lifted his arms so she could rest her head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and wrapped the other around her waist. She had one of her legs draped over him as usual. They nearly always slept like that, a tangle of limbs, neither knowing where one stopped and the other began.

"How'd it go?" Cait mumbled against his chest, her lips brushing against his skin as she spoke.

"Good. He's gonna try and convince his girlfriend to come stay with us in New York for a bit"

"Sounds like a good idea."

"How you holding up?" Dean asked, running his fingers through her hair. He loved the feeling of her silky hair between his fingers. She never put anything in her hair except for certain cases when elaborate hairstyles were required.

"I'm fine, trying to figure this out but I'm fine. You?" That was a lie, she was sick with worry but she'd never tell Dean that. She didn't want to seem weak.

"Pretty good." He pulled the duvet up over her shoulders and traced circles with his thumb on her waist where her shirt had rode up.

"You're warm," Cait murmured and snuggled up closer to Dean. He chuckled softly and Cait could feel the rumbling in his chest. Her eyelids started getting heavier and heavier until she gave in to sleep. She didn't get to hear Dean utter those all important three words.

Dean woke to see her blonde hair splayed out across his chest and covering her face. He brushed it out of the way so he could see her face. Her features seemed softer when she slept but she had become so accustomed to sleeping with Dean she could only get a good night's sleep when she was wrapped up in his arms. Cait was a cuddler, not that she'd ever admit it and neither would Dean. Closet cuddlers, the both of them.

Cait's eyes fluttered open and she grumbled something before wiping the sleep out of her eyes. She made no effort to get up nor did Dean.

"Morning," she mumbled. Dean didnt reply, he simply pressed his lips to her forehead. Dean rolled Cait over so she was lying on top of him.

"We're alright aren't we?" Dean asked and she raised her brows.

"Course we are, why wouldn't we be?" She was becoming more soft spoken with Dean. Normally she'd be snappy and sassy but since her father started hunting them down she'd been more gentle towards him.

"What are we?" He asked shyly. He was genuinely confused about what they were. They weren't just friends, that part was certain but were they just a bit of fun or were they more than that? After ten years, he was kinda hoping they were more than that.

"We're us," she replied. She sat up so she was straddling him.

"C'mon Cait, be serious with me"

"What do you want me to say?" Cait huffed. "I'm not gonna put myself out there and say those words if you're not gonna say em' back."

"I've said them plenty of times," Dean countered.

"Yeah, in the middle of sex, that doesn't count!" She started raising her voice. She hated this conversation. They'd had it once before and it ended in Cait walking out for two weeks.

"I love you," he shouted, sitting up. He gripped her waist and pulled her flush against him.

"Yeah well I love you too, you stubborn pain in the ass!" She'd never said it to Dean. It didn't matter that she'd loved him since she was fifteen, she wasn't going to say it to him unless she knew he loved her back. She'd been afraid of him saying he never loved her and that they were only having sex and hunting together. She didn't want to hear that.

"Yeah?" Dean breathed, a shit eating grin plastered on his face. Dean rolled them over so he was hovering over her.

"Yeah," she said as if it was obvious. Dean kissed her with everything he had, hands tangling her in hair, tongue battling her's and pulling her as close as he could get her. What made it even better was that he could feel her smiling into the kiss, her legs wrapping around him to stop him moving, not that he would've dreamed of it. Of course the phone had to ring.

"Every fricken time," Dean grumbled and answered the call. It was Sam.

"Hey, Jess is packing up now, are we going in the impala or do you want us to take our car?"

"We'll take the impala, safer if we're all together." Cait wiggled out from under Dean and headed into the bathroom. "Seriously Sam? I was just about to get laid," Dean hissed down the phone. Sam burst out laughing. "Dude I'm serious, any idea how long it's been since I've gotten laid?"

"Hmm a week?" Sam's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Yeah! A goddamn week, I'm suffering from Cait depravation here man."

"Dean, please don't," Sam groaned. He didn't want to hear about Dean and Cait's sex life.

"Pick you up at that bar in an hour?" Dean ran his fingers through his hair and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"See you then."

"So you're Dean's girlfriend?" Jess asked as Cait loaded up the car. Cait shut the trunk and turned around.

"I guess you could call it that." Cait smiled and leaned against the car. Cait liked Jess, she had a certain something that made you like her. Perhaps it was the smile or the way she'd greeted Cait like a long lost best friend. Cait never had many friends.

"Complicated?" Jess leaned against baby beside Cait.

"Understatement," Cait chuckled. She glanced around to see Dean and Sam heading into the gas station across the street.

"Sam never mentioned either of you until last night. Kinda shocked when he said we were gonna take a vacation up to your place"

"I haven't seen Sam in about six years, not sure what happened with him and Dean but they seem fine now." Cait lied about the last part, she had no idea what she was supposed to say. What if Sam had given some sort of explanation already and she said something completely different?

"It's nice to see him with his brother. They're like big kids together," Jess chuckled when Sam walked out of the gas station with Dean up on his back. Dean was wrapped around Sam like a spider monkey and Sam shuffled towards the car.

"Looks like we're babysitting huh?" Jess folded her arms across her chest.

"Sure does." Cait smiled at the sight in front of her. The two Winchester brothers, together again.