AN: I know. I didnt quite make it to the end of this before the New Year arrived.

Want and Need

Sliding down my back a blade , Spread her open to betray , Lying in the bed you've made

Davis Ranch…

Junior watches as Max runs his toy truck around Delilah. He thinks of Kris and what she's missing … where ever she is that seems to be more important –

Its not fair. Because maybe Kris wasn't 'ok'. Hell, she'd been in a coma and then declared dead and to just up and walk out of the hospital…? He'd Sue the God damn hospital if it would get him Kris back but it won't and Junior just can't find the energy to start that kind of fight.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy," Max quickly yet clumsily scurries over to Junior on hands and knees, the toy truck left behind where Delilah makes a grab for it.

"Slow down, cowboy." Junior finds a smile somewhere and then Max climbs on his lap.

"Story." He orders, the big brown eyes turned up to his. "Tells about Momma and Wildfire. For Lilah's." Max points out and Junior sort of snorts because he can see his little girl is more interested in chewing the paint from Max' toy.

"A story…" he thinks and it's so easy to remember the first day he saw Kris and how both Matt and he made a bet. Who would have thought Kris would marry him years later? "Your Mom saved Wildfire…"

spn

Iowa…

Its Magictown USA and the fruitless conversation with Sam has left Ruby with an almighty fucking headache now that coma-bitch is up and screaming constantly about her current predicament.

"I wonder if there isn't one hack in this frickin place that can shut you up." Ruby growls at the mirror. Her reflection would scare anyone, the fact that Kris is actually staring back from it but then, no one aside from Ruby can see Kris.

"Please, just please!" Kris slaps her hands on the mirror, pushing on it while tears stream down her face and Ruby laughs.

"This isn't Alice in Wonderland. You're not getting out through the glass. So be a good little soul and shut the fuck up!" Ruby snarls with a fist to the mirror. "Let's make this perfectly clear; shut up. Or I go, smile and pretend to be you then when all of them are sleeping I take your squalling little leech and drown her in the sink."

"No! no, no, please no!"

"And that brat? He likes horses right… what if he gets trampled? Oh, tisk, tisk. And that hubby of yours… I'll do things with him you've barely even -."

"Stop! Stop!" Kris shouts. "You're disgusting. Both of you, how- how can he-."

Ruby laughs, she likes the stammering breathless soul completely incapable of accepting what's been done. That its her body, even if she has no control of it, that feels everything they do together, Ruby and Sam.

"Explain that to your Junior." Ruby laughs. She flops back onto the bed and for once it's blessedly quiet in her head and all she had to do was exert just a tiny bit of threatening violence to get it. She frowns and maybe Ruby's just getting soft because normally the soul gets squeezed so tight it can't make a peep. Yet with Kris…

But its Sam that worries Ruby. Because he's denying what he knows has to be done and it's like he doesn't care that the whole world is milliseconds from being engulfed in hellfire. He didn't even seem overly concerned to find out there were 34 seals already broken, that the angels are loosing… She needs him to stop dicking around, for Sam to want to go after Lilith again and believing that only he can kill her. Because it has to be Sam to break the last seal.

Ruby knows Sam likes that feeling he gets from drinking her blood. He can deny it 'till he's blue in the face but it's the truth and maybe it scares him a little, that feeling, because its changing him and Sam has to know it is, has to feel it happening.

It really is as simple as she told him just before walking out of his hotel room. When Lucifer rises the Apocalypse will begin. Oceans of people will die and demons will have free reign on the earth…

But she needs Sam to break the last seal. So Ruby's going to wait around a few days because Sammy is definitely going to come find her before they leave town. She'll make sure of it.

spn

New York …

Junior looks up at the brick face building where Kris' Dad lives. The faded bricks have been painted over but there's fresh tags all over the front and side. He wonders what Kris was thinking of coming here, why didn't she tell him? It's not like Junior would've denied her a chance to visit with her old man. Hell, Junior would've gone with her … but then, maybe that's why Kris didn't say anything to him.

The inside is no better, probably worse since he can smell piss and rotting food- the elevator doesn't work. Junior heads up the six flights of stairs to the door with a crooked 'H' about to fall off and knocks. He can hear the faint sound of a TV inside but nothing else and almost knocks again when the floor creaks.

"Mr. Furillo…" Junior doesn't know what else to say pr what to expect when the door finally opens and Kris' Dad is standing right there.

spn

Cheyenne, Wyoming…

Ruby walks in and complains about the smell.

"Seriously, Sam, I'm not exactly dying to tangle with angels again." This is no lie but he's called her and its been weeks since he jumped in her car all gung ho, rarin to get after Lilith.

Now Sam needs her to find Dean and Ruby would rather leave him to the angels and have Sam all to herself, like it had been.

"They have Alastair strung up six ways from Sunday. Dean cuts himself a slice, Al's a quivering heap, and the good guys get the goods. What's wrong with that?"
"He can't do it."
Ruby has been waiting to hear just that. Now that Sam has said it and she can see he believes it, not that Dean hasn't been giving off that whipped dog vibe …

"I get it. You don't want him going all torture master again."

"No. I mean, he can't do it. He can't get the job done. Something happened to him downstairs, Ruby. He's not what he used to be. He's not strong enough."

Right…. Dean isn't but…

"And you are?" the fact Sam hesitates to give her the answer she's been waiting to hear for months now isn't such a bad sign considering Sam is back on track and pushing forward.

Ruby doesn't say anything else. She sets up her tools and starts to chant while holding the lit candle to the corner of the map. Sam watches the fire spread around the edges. He's tense and Ruby has to assure them the fire is their friend as the paper curls up and turns black.

"The only part of the map we need is the 'where's Dean?' part."
The flames vanish and the map is charred beyond anyone's ability to read though a small circle in the middle is untouched.
"There. Your brother's there." Ruby hands over the little bit and dusts her hands. "It's a good thing angels aren't concerned with hiding their dirty business. Not used to being spied on. I mean, who'd be stupid enough to try?" she almost laughs because Sam is edging near her and she knows what he wants.
Sam sets the map piece aside, head ducked but he needs to. "Ruby, it's been weeks. I need it."
"You don't seem too happy about it." Ruby pouts and he finally looks at her.
"You think I wanna do this? This is the last thing I—." he sits on the bed sort of defeated because he's breaking his promise to Dean but its for Dean anyway…"But I need to be strong enough."
Sam leans back enough to give Ruby room to straddle his lap. The warmth from her body is tempting and his hands rest on her thighs, fingers lightly stroking.

"It's okay. It's okay, Sammy. You can have it." Ruby whispers. She leans into him, her lips easily finding his and there's not even a pretense of him not wanting the kiss. But what he really wants… Ruby pulls a knife from the ankle sheath and cuts her arm and drawing blood. Sam only briefly hesitates before latching onto her arm and drinking while Ruby strokes his hair. "Its okay, Sam. It's okay."

She smirks.

Because this is working out much better than she had anticipated and everything really is going to be okay.

For Ruby, at least.

spn

AN: yes this is short compared to my other chapters but I wont have much time this coming week to write. Then again, there's only 2more chapters coming.