Note: Sorry for the longer than usual wait. It's not for lack of effort on my part! I have re-written this chapter so many times I've lost count! I'm still not sure this is the best option, but I have other stuff to think about too so I give up!

Also: I give in to your high demand of more smexy times. ;)

-:-

Chapter 10.

'That tickles,' Sam said, his laugh turning to a gasp as Eric's teasing kisses turned into a teasing scraping of teeth. 'Hey, are vampires ticklish?' Sam looked down at the vampire currently working his way across Sam's taunt chest. Sam had gone to sleep in the middle of the day, as usual, and been woken up by a nice blow-job. Eric hadn't gotten off yet, though, so they weren't nearly done.

'I'm not,' Eric answered rather curtly as if he thought the question was stupid. Sam grinned.

'I bet you are.' Eric bit down almost hard enough to break the skin and Sam groaned as Eric started teasing him with his long, cold fingers as well. Sam had come to love those cold fingers. They made everything that much more exhilarating. Not to mention the fact that Eric was cold inside, as well as out.

The phone rang, making Sam groan out of frustration. Eric withdrew his fingers quickly, propping his head up with one hand. Sam reached for his phone on the nightstand and flipped it open.

'Hey, Bobby,' he said with strained enthusiasm. He gave Eric a look as if to say "get off me, I don't want to be naked and talking to Bobby." Eric just smiled serenely back, making Sam roll his eyes. 'No, we haven't got another case yet.' Eric reached out with his other hand and traced a finger across Sam's stomach. Sam batted him away, trying to concentrate on what Bobby was saying. 'Well, maybe a day and half's drive, but-' He closed his eyes. 'Sure, no, yeah, of course.' He batted at Eric's wandering hand again. 'Yeah, see you.' He hung up and tossed the phone back to the nightstand, and sighed back into the bed.

'You knew taking the last case would bring us close enough for him to insist on us coming,' Eric murmured. Sam threw an arm over his eyes. The vampire contemplated the wide expanse of skin in front of him, so much darker than his own skin.

'I know,' Sam sighed. 'You don't have to. I can make up an excuse.' Eric traced the lines of the stomach muscles, which twitched nicely in response.

'I don't mind,' he answered. Sam removed his arm and tilted his head down to stare at his pale lover. Eric easily read the look. 'I don't,' he insisted. 'It's not like I've never heard an insulting word from mortals about what I am. If you want to tell him, then I can easily withstand the abuse... and any attempts to kill me,' he added, only half-jokingly. Sam snorted, his head falling back down onto the pillow.

'Yeah, I'm betting about three attempts before I get him to hear me out, and then another one after he's listened to my explanation. Then he'll just tell us both to get the hell out.' Eric shifted a bit further down. This meant his lower half had to move off the bed, but he didn't mind. He grabbed Sam's hips and pulled the hunter to a good position so he could reach his prize. Sam made an appreciative noise as Eric went back to their original goal from before Bobby interrupted.

'I'll head out tomorrow morning. You can follow, if you want,' Sam decided with a pleasurable sigh as Eric expertly prepared him. Their familiarity was just as delicious, Sam had concluded, as their original excitement at the unknown. Eric bit a hip while he made Sam spread his legs.

Sam liked everything they did together, even when they were both banged up and too tired for much activity. He liked their rough sex perhaps most of all. Nothing quite turned him on like when Eric let him throw the vamp against the wall or onto the bed, far harder than a normal human could handle.

Eric kissed and licked his way up Sam's torso, grabbing the long legs as he went to urge them into position. Sam obliged instantly, wrapping his legs around that slim waist. Their lips met, hot meeting cold, as Eric sank in gratefully. Sam gave a deep moan of satisfaction. He'd already come only a few minutes ago, but he knew Eric could last just as long as Sam needed, and he never needed long when Eric decided to speed things up. There were definite advantages to having a supernatural boyfriend, though Sam's Winchester-gene made him shy away from the word "boyfriend." The loud-mouthed macho man inside him that sounded suspiciously like his brother would always shout obscenities when he thought it.

Then again, the voice never complained when Eric used the slow and steady build-up technique, driving Sam mental before the end. Sam suspected the vampire did it just because Sam always banged Eric like a piston-engine by comparison.

Sam was sweaty already, it was just the way he was, but Eric didn't seem to mind that. His hands slid over Sam's shining chest, his tongue lapped at Sam's throat, licking up to suck at an earlobe. Sam bucked with a gasp, and then soon after that they were lost. Eric sped up and let go, and they both forgot who was in control or how long they were suppose to last. It didn't last long at all.

As Sam caught his breath afterwards, Eric sat up against the headboard. Sam always thought Eric looked like an old movie star in those moments, and thought the only thing missing was a cigarette. He never said this, though.

'Remember to eat before you leave,' Eric said. Being on a rather odd schedule, Sam sometimes forgot when to eat. He smiled at Eric's comment.

'Yes, Mom.' Eric rewarded his sarcasm with a bite to the shoulder, not breaking the skin. Sam pushed the vampire away with a laugh and got up to shower. His nervousness over the phone call was gone from his system.

XXX

Eric had called when night had fallen and asked where Sam had gotten to. Sam had made good time and so they drove the rest of the way together. They would arrive late, but that wasn't unusual for hunters. It wasn't an attempt to trick Bobby or anything, Sam insisted. Bobby was too good not to spot what Eric was before the vampire had climbed the porch steps. In the end, Sam realised the only way to do this was out in the open.

So they were both in the car when they drove into Bobby's salvage yard. The lights were on and the man himself came out onto the porch just as Sam killed the engine. He glanced over at Eric, and was pretty sure he had the exact same expression on him, though the vampire was better at hiding it. Sam could see it, though: apprehension.

Sam got out first and went straight for Bobby, meeting the guy at the bottom of the steps.

'It's good to see you Sam,' Bobby said sincerely as they hugged. Sam found himself relieved to see the old hunter again. For a moment all the nervousness drained away and he was just glad.

'You too, Bobby,' he said, patting the man on the back as they parted, both smiling. Sam watched as Bobby looked towards the Impala and knew the exact moment Eric was spotted. Bobby was curious, but Sam saw he hadn't pegged Eric for a vampire, yet.

'This is Eric Northman,' Sam decided the only way to play it was normal. He gestured towards his hunting partner. 'He's turning out to be a great hunter.' Eric rounded the car and came towards them, and closer to the light from the lamp by the door. 'He's saved my ass more than once now.'

'So you said,' Bobby commented with an odd tone, assessing the newcomer with a hunter's eyes. They narrowed slightly as Eric stepped up to them, hand outstretched.

'A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Singer,' Eric said with the suaveness that Sam usually kinda envied. He didn't now, though. It sounded out of place in Bobby's yard. 'Sam's told me all about you.'

'He has, has he?' Bobby said dubiously. He took the hand and shook it. Sam had wanted Eric to drink from him in the car before they arrived, so the vampire wouldn't be so noticeably cold, but Eric had refused. Bobby didn't comment on it, though. The two stared at each other for a moment, before Bobby turned abruptly and stalked back inside. 'Sam, a word in private,' he almost growled. Sam send Eric a look of slight panic, but Eric just turned back to the Impala and leaned against it.

Bobby rounded on him the moment Sam closed the door behind them.

'Are you fucking stupid, kid?' Sam sighed at Bobby's tone. He had known this wouldn't be easy.

'I know what you're going to say,' Sam began, lifting his hands in a placating manner, and putting on his best "please trust me" look.

'Oh, I've got all kinds of stuff I wanna say,' Bobby half-yelled. 'First is: are you fucking stupid?'

'He saved my life, he's not like-'

'So help me God, if you say he's really some misunderstood Dracula-character, I'll shoot you myself!'

'If you could just hear me out,' Sam pleaded. Bobby suddenly rushed forward, grabbed Sam's collar and tugged him forward. Sam was confused for a moment before he realised Bobby was looking at his throat. He pushed the old hunter away, a little more violently than intended.

'He is not feeding on me,' Sam growled. 'It's not like that.' I'm not a fangbanger, was what he really said, but clearly neither of them wanted to use that term.

'Then what the hell is it like, Sam?' Bobby shook his head in shocked confusion. 'Why the hell would you hunt with what you're suppose to be hunting?'

'We don't hunt vampire anymore,' Sam pointed out.

'Don't feed me that equal-rights bullshit!'

'It's not bullshit!' They were in full-scale yelling mode now. 'We let vampires go long before the Great Revelation if we knew they fed on animals. Even Dean-'

'Dean might let a few vegan-vamps walk away, but he sure as hell wouldn't consider-' Bobby seemed so angry he was at a loss for words. 'THIS!'

'You don't know what Dean would say about this,' Sam said, his voice quiet again as he controlled his emotions. He hated thinking about Dean, much less say the name out loud.

'If your brother could see you now, he'd be-'

'What?' Sam demanded, advancing instinctively to intimidate with his height. Bobby just gave him a disgusted look that pierced Sam's heart. 'You don't know what he'd say, and you know why? Because Dean is dead.' Jesus Christ, Sam hadn't known it would hurt that much to say it. He felt stinging behind his eyes.

'So you replace him with a vampire?' Bobby asked in appalled wonder.

'Eric is nothing like Dean, and what we have together is nothing like what me and Dean had,' Sam said through clenched teeth.

'What you have together?' Bobby's eyes widened. 'Jesus Christ, Sam, what the hell is wrong with you?' Sam let his head fall, hiding the tears that he knew would fall at any moment. A part of him had hoped Bobby was more open-minded, but maybe it had nothing to do with open-mindedness. Maybe it was all about hitting too close to home. Lots of people could be open-minded enough to let people do what they wanted behind closed doors, but if it turned up in the family, the tune changed.

'I was in a bad place, Bobby,' Sam confessed. 'I was working with Ruby.' He didn't let Bobby get a word in, but he heard the sharp intake of breath. 'She convinced me I needed to be strong to kill Lilith, and I so wanted to kill her. It was the only thing I could think about, all the time.' He took a breath to steady his voice. 'But she was manipulating me. Hell, she was enslaving me, slowly, to her will. Eric showed up one day- I hadn't seen him in over a month- and he killed her. Just like that. I was pissed at him first. I wanted to kill him, but when she was gone...' Sam couldn't say he'd been drinking her blood. He couldn't confess that. One major confession was enough for one day. 'Eric helped me, more than you can imagine. And I've known him for a while now. He's saved me before. Hell, he saved Dean.'

'When?'

'We were down in a place called Bontemps,' Sam explained, closing his eyes to try to gather his thoughts. 'Dean got kidnapped by a group of vampires. Eric owned a local vamp-bar and I went to look for Dean there. Eric took me straight to them and distracted them while I got Dean out. Later that night he came to the motel to check on us. I guess that's when all of this really started...' Silence met this statement. Sam finally looked up and couldn't read the expression on Bobby's face. The hunter suddenly walked past Sam to the front door. The younger hunter followed with no small amount of trepidation.

Eric stood just were they had left him, leaning against the Impala. He looked up at them, his face betraying nothing. Bobby came down the steps and studied the vampire for a few moments.

'What the hell do you want?' he asked.

'Sam,' Eric answered, honestly. It made Sam cringe outwardly, though his heart gave a ridiculous little flutter. The honest, yet disturbing answer shocked Bobby into silence for a few moments.

'For what, exactly? What do you mean?'

'I love him.' Sam's eyes probably widened just as much as Bobby's at that statement. It was said so matter-of-factly, however, that neither hunter really knew what to do except to accept it. Bobby blinked slowly, twice.

'You love him? A vampire in love with a hunter?' It sounded like Bobby had heard Eric propose that up was down, so unlikely was this scenario.

'Even though I'm immortal, I don't wait around for that idealised perfect mate,' Eric explained calmly. 'Even a vampire can't afford to turn away such feelings when they come, no matter unlikely the match, or how much time we have.'

'That is... the stupidest thing I have ever heard,' Bobby pronounced. Sam's face fell. Eric's calm, yet strangely passionate speech sounded like it could have worked.

'If you want some sort of promise that I won't hurt him,' Eric replied. 'I don't feel like giving it. It's pointless anyway since you won't take a vampire's word. I have already told Sam I'm staying for as long as he wants me to stay. The question is, do you want him to stay?'

Sam held his breath in the silence, wishing he could see Bobby's face. Eric stared at the old hunter with a quiet, challenging look. Finally, Bobby turned once more and headed back inside. Sam took a few steps to start to follow, to ask what Bobby had decided, when the old hunter stopped just outside the door. Without turning, he told Sam gruffly:

'Come back in the morning. When it's light.' With that he went in and banged the door shut. Sam stared at it for a moment, unsure what the reaction meant. He looked over to Eric, who shrugged in response. Sam went back to the Impala and they both got in. He felt numb. On the drive to the nearest motel for a few hours sleep, Sam found he only had one question about the encounter.

'So... you love me?'

'Don't,' Eric said. 'I said it, you heard it, end of story.' A smile tugged at the corner of Sam's mouth, and he couldn't help but reply:

'No chick-flick moments, got it.'

'I told you, I'm not a romantic vampire.' Sam nodded, eyes on the road, but now he was grinning.

XXX

Some would think waking up in your own grave after a 40 year stay in hell would be a relief, but it wasn't. Oblivion would have been a relief.

In hell Dean was never alone. There was always either someone there- Alastair, a lower-ranking demon, or his own victims- or he could hear screams not far off. It was never silent in hell. In fact, Dean doubted most of the demons even knew the meaning of the word.

In the box, it was silent as, well, the grave.

It freaked him out more than he'd ever admit to anyone, but that same fear gave him the strength to push his way out.

Getting back to Bobby, to someone human and breathing and normal, still wasn't a relief. It meant he truly was out of hell. Strange that such a thought should scare him, but it did. Bobby did the tests, twice, and then Dean could finally ask what he wanted to know:

'Where's Sam?' Dean took the offered bottle Bobby handed him, and watched the old hunter carefully as he sat down opposite at the kitchen table.

'He's... well, he's pretty good.' Bobby looked almost surprised to say it, and Dean frowned. Somehow, that wasn't the answer he had been expecting. He didn't want his brother to still be grieving for him, but he had thought Sam would be a little worse off than... good.

'Good?' Dean asked for clarification. Bobby nodded, took a long swig of his beer and sighed.

'I admit, I was worried at first. He disappeared right after we buried you. Didn't call, didn't answer when I called. I got in touch with him once and he said to stay away from him. He sounded bad, and drunk. I thought he'd fallen into some deep shit and I was right, but then a few weeks later he called me out of the blue to apologise.' Dean thought that first part sounded a lot more like the destructive tendencies all Winchesters had whenever loss visited them. He was so engrossed in imagining what his stupid little brother had gotten himself into, he almost missed the next part.

'He's hunting with someone.'