Pups: Ok, new chapter, standard disclaimer applies, its in chapter one. Hope you enjoy the emotional rollercoaster after Pyro has her say.

Pyro: Enjoy or die. I kid, I kid. =P

Chapter Three: What I've done…

Footsteps pounded on the pavement as Charis raced towards the hotel, ignoring the chilling bite of the wind. Her heart thudded in time with her feet as the church behind her disappeared from view. A buzzing static hid her thoughts from herself as the shock cemented itself further in her mind. Dean was supposedly back from hell, his body no longer ash. Her brother was back, alive and waiting for her. It was hard to stop the two sentences swirling through the thick cloud of her mind. The hotel loomed ahead and her pace quickened.

She passed the seedy looking desk clerk without any thought and thundered up the stairs. Pushing other guests out of the way, she ignored their startled cries and angry curses left in her wake. Sam and her hotel room door had her stopping in her tracks. What if it was all a hoax, nothing but a cruel joke by the chick she knew Sam was sleeping with? Did she really want to set herself up for that? Her Casper settled comfortingly on her shoulder like a guardian angel's guiding hand. Slowly her converse covered feet started moving once more until she found herself a hairs breath away from the door. Should she knock? Her craving for a cigarette took her by surprise.

Charis turned abruptly and walked slowly back down the stairs and out to the car park. Gleaming like sin personified was Dean's impala. Making her way over to it, she pulled out her packet of smokes and leaned against the cool black metal. Her face flared briefly in the dark with golden light as she lit up. The first inhalation of smoke was like sinking down onto a well endowed talented jock that let go of all control. Sin combined with guilty pleasure slithered down her spine. Clouds of smoke drifted out from her barely parted lips as her hazel green eyes focused on the hotel's doorway.

If it were truly Dean up in the room, then he would know of her reaction. He would have followed her down, leaned against the car next to her and bullshitted around until she hit him and vented or cried. So she waited for someone to come down as she continued to puff on the paper stick. The door opened, revealing a shorter and stockier man than who she was expecting.

"Bobby," she called out softly as he walked in the opposite direction. The older man looked back then changed his direction, not pausing until he was in front of her. "Is it true?"

Bobby gave her a tender look before nodding gruffly. "Did all the usual tests myself, it's him." Charis let out a shaky breath as the familiar sting in her eyes made itself known. "Think you can go up there and put the poor guy out of his misery? He's been waiting for you. Pacing a damned hole in the carpet since Sam rang you."

"I was at the church," She replied shakily, "praying for something Iike this to happen. Now it has happened and I can't get the fucking guts to walk into that room and see my brother." Bitterly she threw the charred cigarette to the ground and stepped on it hard. "Sorry for swearing, Bobby. I just don't know what to do."

"No need to apologize to me, half-pint, living with Ellen at the Roadhouse was bound to have given you a spectacular vocabulary." She offered him a sheepish smile and shifted lightly against the Impala. The older man looked up at the building, focusing on a particular window. "Dean's getting pretty anxious up there, Charis, don't you think its time to go up there and sock him one for giving me a heart attack?" Charis let out a choked laugh and grabbed her friend's hand.

"Only if you walk behind me to stop me from making a bolt for it," she negotiated.

"You got yourself a deal, short stuff."

"OW! What the hell?"

Dean rubbed his jaw mournfully and turned his attention to the short and scary auburn female in front of him. Eyes identical to his glared fiercely, green sparks of emerald catching the light. In tight jeans, a tank and his overly large jacket, Charis was the picture of righteous fury. He gave her a cocky smile.

"Let me guess, you want to break in the new body?" her look of disgust was priceless.

"If you mean beat the crap out of you for the hell I've gone through these past few months with Sam going on drunken benders and fucking things up more than succeeding, then, yes, I want my pound of flesh."

"Where did this attitude come from, kitten?" he asked softly. Dean watched as tears began to fill her eyes.

"It appeared when I realized you weren't coming back, when Sam would disappear for days to only God knows where, leaving me to deal with whatever job we were on at the time. Damn it, Dean, I don't like to fight, I'm a nurse for goodness sake." He pulled her into his arms and let her sob into his shoulder. Sam had disappeared with Bobby and left the two to catch up. A strangled sob pulled its way from her throat as she let go of her emotions in his arms. Guiding them to the bed, he sat down and let her cuddle into his side.

"Sam said that you've been going to church a lot," Dean said after a while.

"Sam wasn't in the right frame of mind to be there for me," Charis replied quietly. "I needed to find solace somewhere, so why not the house of God?"

"You going to be all churchy now?" he joked.

"Only occasionally, I got my hero back, so I have to give my thanks to the dude upstairs." His sister's reply was more serious.

"Maybe while you're there, you can ask them why I was brought back while I go to a bar." A swift rap on the head was his reply as the T.V started to flicker.