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Author's Note: Another edited chapter. Reviews Please!

The Red Caress

Chapter 2

She had already opened the door and was standing tensely against its frame by the time Sam had made it up the flight of stairs and down the hall to her apartment. Automatically sizing the woman up, Sam found no immediate problems with her tall and slender frame. He was also pleased to note that she wasn't even unattractive, with thick dark brown hair brushing her shoulders, fair skin, and large blue eyes. A little young for him maybe, but nothing he couldn't work with. Although he knew that all these factors that made her more appealing to him were likely working against him as well, she may not be a virgin. Sam still shuddered at the thought of Trina, the middle aged mother on his list. She had been about twenty pounds overweight, with frizzy red hair and a buck toothed lisp. He had been very glad when he looked down and saw her pregnant belly and the children hanging off her legs. That was a bullet dodged. He could vividly imagine the dumbfounded and disgusted expression that would be Dean's reaction had he been forced to make due with her. It had made him smile, until he remembered that Dean was still in Hell, and then he had only hurt.

She straightened up at the sight of Sam, and he shook himself out of the memory and slowed down as he took uncertain steps closer. He saw her eyes widen as she took in his full height, and she gave a quick glance down the hall, clenching her fists discretely when she saw that they were alone.

Deciding that a straightforward address would be best, Sam extended his hand to introduce himself. "Hi Rae, I'm Sam Winchester. Thanks for agreeing to talk with me."

Hesitantly shaking his hand, Rae stepped back into her apartment and gestured for Sam to enter. "Come on in, I've got some water on, you want tea or coffee?" She said this in a voice that betrayed her uncertainty in meeting with him, making him think that it was only good manners that resulted in her offer.

Sam followed her in and made his way over to the small kitchen table, turning back to face Rae, "Coffee would be great, thanks." he accepted, if only to have something to occupy his hands with. He glanced around the room and noted the pictures hanging on the walls, sitting on shelved and taped to the fridge. He could distinguish group photos with her friends and a few family ones as well, but to his relief, none that looked to be of her and a boyfriend.

Rae had moved the kettle off the flame, pouring the steaming water into two mugs.. "Have a seat." she said, motioning to the chair, giving him a sideways glance. Leaning back onto the counter as she stirred the coffee she finally met his eyes, "You're not a cop.", she stated without question. Sam merely gave her a surprised look that she thought he might be and shook his head. "I've dealt with enough of those idiots, who either think I'm batshit crazy, guilty of killing my own sister myself, or both. As if they didn't all see her body themselves, as if a person could do that." The venom in her voice made Sam very glad that he had decided against using his fake FBI ID to talk to her.

"And you're not a reporter either, you don't have the look, and they're not half as polite as you either." She added with a smirk. Sam couldn't help but give her a small smile of his own in return. There was something about this girl he liked. Tapping the spoon in her hand against the rim of the cup she finally slid Sam his coffee. "So the way I see it you're either crazy, and you really do believe what you're trying to sell me, or you're another doctor my parents have sent to cure me of my delusions. Although I must say, you would certainly be the cruelest one I've met so far if that's the case, pretending to believe me and all. So what's it going to be then?" she concluded, looking at him expectantly, daring him with her hard yet tired eyes to deny the truth.

Sam couldn't say he was surprised by her reaction, he hadn't been expecting her to just trust him, but he hadn't been prepared for what he had seen behind her eyes. She had obviously been through more than he could imagine and he knew he needed to handle her carefully, he only had one shot. "Then why did you let me up here? Why talk to me if you believe I'm any of those people?" he questioned.

"Because you're not the fist, or even the twentieth, person to come knocking on my door. I've learned that the easiest way to get rid of them is to let them in. Ignoring them only makes them try harder." Sam could hear the truth in this statement, but he could tell that there was more. She wouldn't look him in the eyes, instead she fiddled with her tea, a frown on her face.

Taking a chance, Sam leaned in closer to her across the table. "I think it's more than that, I think that you know what you saw, and you're waiting for the person who will finally, really and truly believe you to come." Putting a pleading look onto his face, Sam prepared himself to tell the truth. "I'm being totally honest with you, I'm not a reporter, and I'm definitely not a cop or a doctor or anything like any of those other people who have come before. I lost my brother Dean nine months ago, the same way you lost Ruth. You're not crazy, I know the truth. That's why you let me in, some part of you wants to trust me."

Sniffling, and wiping at her damp eyes, Rae picked up her own mug of tea and sat down across from Sam. Fiddling with the string on the tea bag, she spoke in a trembling voice, "I want to believe you, I don't want to be crazy. And you're right, for some inexplicable reason I want to trust you, because I know what I saw, and I don't want to be alone with this weighing on my shoulders forever." She paused for a moment, and taking a deep breath began again, "But I'm not stupid or naive either. Why should I believe you? If you really are telling the truth, why do you think you know what happened? And for that matter, how would you know?" At this she glared at him, willing him with her eyes to even try and lie to her.

Giving Rae a steadying look, Sam replied, "What I'm about to tell you is going to sound unbelievable, but I'm desperate, and you're my last chance." At that statement Rae gained a thoughtful yet quizzical expression, but she didn't interrupt him, and so Sam took that as a signal to continue.

"What I do, what Dean and I did, before he died, we call ourselves Hunters. Those 'invisible creatures' that killed Ruth and Dean are Hell Hounds. They were killed by them because they made a deal with a demon, and their contract was up. I know all this because hunters kill monsters; ghosts, werewolves, vampires, well you name it and we've probably killed it." Here he paused, studying Rae's face to see how she was dealing with the information thus far.

Rae, for the most part, looked rather calm. The only clue that she had understood the outrageous tale Sam had been telling her was her eyes, which had gone round with surprise. Slowly, her lips parted. At first no sound emerged, but after clearing her throat she finally managed to speak, "Tell me more about the Hell Hounds, and about the part where she made a deal with a demon." Her voice was shaking and soft, but the set to her shoulders and the expression on her face left no doubt that she expected an answer.

Sam was stunned at how calmly she seemed to be taking it all in, he had expected a little more resistance before she accepted his story as the truth. He had no doubts now, she was the one. "Uh, well I don't know about your sister, but Dean made a deal to save my life. Well, bring me back to life is more like it. I was killed, and Dean was desperate. So he went to the cross roads and summoned a demon." Here Sam had to pause, emotion threatening to choke him off. Pulling himself back together, he continued, "Most of the time, when a person makes a deal, they get ten years. But my family doesn't have a great history with them, so Dean only got one. They came to collect him, and I've been searching for a way to save him ever since."

It was at the word 'save' that he saw Rae react like she had been shocked. For the first time since he began, he was interrupted. Rae had gotten up and was now pacing the small kitchen, back and forth, back and forth. He could see tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Sam let her pace, and a few minutes later she finally stopped. Leaning her arms on the table, her face was brought directly in front of Sam's. "Are you telling me that these Hellhounds killed my sister, ripped her to shreds in front of my eyes, because she had sold her soul? That she, they're in Hell? Is what you're saying, do you mean, did they die for us?" Her eyes begged him to disagree, to tell her she had it all wrong, that it was all a gross misunderstanding.

At this, even Sam couldn't keep his own tears from overflowing as he nodded. "Yes, that's exactly what they did."

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