Disclaimer: Don't own 'em or the show, if you haven't figured that out yet then you're stupid. Only own Stephanie.

A/N: This chapter is slightly shorter, because that's how I want it. lol. I haven't had the time to write lately so I'm shortening my stash of chapters. lol

Deal with it.

SciFiRN, love you, you help so much. Thanks for not making me feel bad that I slipped. (you know what I mean)

Stephanie sat on the open lip of the trunk, staring into the field as light started to filter into the sky. She could see Dean moving around the still smoldering fire of the old tree as he scattered salt and she couldn't help leaning into Sam's shoulder when he picked up her left arm and wiped at the blood.

"Shit I'm tired." She snuggled her head against him and sighed. "You smell good."

The chuckle vibrated in his chest. "Yeah, well you smell like frankincense and myrrh." He slathered a thick layer of antibiotic cream over the cut. "You didn't have to cut so deep. I think it might scar."

She snorted and rubbed at her inner thigh. "Then I might end up with a matching set. That bastard branded me."

Sam pressed a gauze pad over the ointment and then taped it down. He pulled back. "I'm sorry, Steph. Want me to take a look?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'd have to remove what's left of my jeans." She looked down at her pants. "Damn, these were my favorite too."

"Anything else hurt?"

"Just sore as hell." She pulled her shirt up to expose the bandage on her side. "This bleeding?"

Sam bent to look and then straitened with a nod. "A little, but I don't think you tore any of the stitches." He pulled the shirt back down and caught her eyes. "You know I found the ritual in the journal."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah and know what?"

She slipped from the trunk and stood, leaning against it. She looked up at him. "What?" She asked innocently.

"Well, two things. First, it was where it had always been, you know bound into the journal."

"Hmm. I must've skipped that page or something." She crossed her arms over her chest, letting her eyes wander back into the field, watching the sun paint the sky in glorious reds and golds.

"I'm sure. The second thing is that I'm pretty sure we needed a virgin for the ritual."

"Really? Well, I'm not sure about that Sam." She pointed to the tree. "Ritual worked."

"Yeah, I see that. Just makes you wonder about a few things…"

"What are you getting at Sam?"

Sam let out a small laugh, and then he held his hands up, "Nothing, Steph...absolutely nothing..." He reached into the trunk and pulled out a bottle of water. He twisted off the cap, took a long sip and handed it to the girl beside him. He watched her take the bottle, though she still refused to look at him. "Steph?" He nudged her lightly, playfully.

She sighed tiredly, "Yeah, Sam?" Her shoulders drooped slightly as she leaned more heavily against the car.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of..."

She pushed away from the trunk with a huff. "Let it go, Sasquatch…just let it go." She grabbed her pack from where it was leaning against the tire and yanked open the back door. "I'm laying down, wake me for breakfast."

********************************************************

A warm hand brushed her forehead and she smiled in her sleep as she nuzzled into it.

"Steph…come on."

Her eyes blinked open to see Sam leaning over her. "Huh?" She wiped at her mouth as she lifted her head. "What, Sam? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Breakfast, we're at the diner." He pulled from the car and stretched.

She sat up, and saw Dean leaning against the hood, arms crossed as he waited for them. She glanced down at herself and frowned. There was no way she was going in there looking like she'd just tumbled down a mountain. She moved to the open door and pulled herself out. "Let me borrow the keys." She called to Dean.

He turned. "What?"

She pointed to the rear of the car. "I need my other bag. I have a change of clothes." She motioned to herself. "I'd rather be wearing jeans than rags."

He smiled and moved to the trunk, he opened it and pulled the duffle out. "You want us to wait?"

Her head shook as she grabbed the bag. "No. I'll be in as soon as I'm decent."

Sam nodded and then moved toward the diner.

Dean watched her. "You alright?"

"Tired and hungry, but I'm fine. Yeah."

"Coffee and sugar?"

"Please."

He nodded and followed his brother.

The young hunter slid back into the car and sighed. She wiped at her eyes and tried not to remember the things the preacher had said while he was attacking. She'd been right. She yawned, stretched and pulled clothes from the bag.

*************************

They slid into a booth, both groaning and then smiling at each other. Sam grabbed a menu and opened it even as the waitress came to their table.

"What can I get for you boys?" She smiled politely.

Dean smiled. "Can we get a pot of coffee? Three mugs and cream?"

She nodded, "You need time with the menus?"

"We're waiting on someone else, so yeah." Sam smiled and nodded up at the forty-something woman. She was still fit, though not particularly attractive. "She should be here soon."

"Just call for me. Name's Annie." She slid her pad into her apron pocket. "Be right back with the coffee." Then she was gone.

Sam watched his brother. Dean's head was laying on the brown vinyl of the booth, his eyes half closed. "Tired?"

"You think Sammy?" He didn't move or look at his brother.

"So, how do you think things went?" Sam asked, moving into the corner of the booth and leaning against the wall, one knee bent, leg half covering the rest of the seat.

Dean snorted. "He's dead, we aren't, no major injuries, so I guess that means good."

Sam wiped a hand over his face. "That was quick thinking on Stephanie's part. I mean she held up under the pressure. He was attacking her pretty strong and she managed to pull that lighter of hers out." He smiled. "She did a great job."

"Yeah, guess so."

Annie brought their coffee and poured each of them a cup. They smiled and thanked her.

"I told her I found the journal and read the ritual."

Dean's eyes shot up and he leaned his elbows onto the table as he drank his coffee. This he was interested in. There was no way she was a virgin and fuck, if she was; it changed everything. He didn't want that responsibility and he sure as hell didn't want that drama. "What she say?" He tried to sound only half interested.

"She laughed me off. Told me I was obviously wrong since the ritual worked. Then she told me to drop it."

"Well, the ritual DID work." Dean sipped at his coffee and watched his brother.

"Yeah, but it doesn't prove anything, now does it?" Sam eyed Dean.

He laughed and shook his head. "There's no way she's a virgin."

"You know that how?"

"Shit Sammy, look at her. The way she carries herself, the things she says, the way she flirts and looks at us? She's too comfortable with the whole boy/girl thing." He sipped and shook his head. "You could be wrong. Told you sneaky witch-speak."

"I don't think I am and really, not that it matters, because it doesn't. I just don't want you teasing her about it. I think she's embarrassed by it."

He glared at his brother. "I wouldn't tease her about it."

Stephanie was suddenly there and shoving Sam's leg from the seat so she could slide in beside him. "Tease about what?"

"Nothing." Sam muttered as he poured her a mug of coffee and moved the sugar toward her.

She picked up the coffee, added a little sugar and shrugged. "Fine, leave the girl out of the convo. I get it." She smirked and sipped the coffee. "No testosterone, no secret Winchester breakfast meetings, that it?"

Dean laughed. "Sam was just telling me his stupid theory about the virgin sacrifice." He smiled and nudged her foot with his boot. "I was just telling him, that he was wrong."

The glare that Sam sent him would have stopped most brothers in their tracks. It would have ensured that they would shut it and keep it shut, but this was Dean. Dean was an idiot. Sam winced when he continued.

"There's no way you could be a virgin."

Sam kicked Dean, hard, under the table. "Annie?" He waved a hand to the waitress.

She smiled and acknowledged him with her index finger. She watched Sam nod then went back to her customer.

Stephanie sank into the booth and sipped her coffee. "I told you to drop it, Sam."

Dean started to say something, but stopped when he glanced at Stephanie, his coffee cup halfway to his lips when the confusion hit him. Shit. She wasn't telling Sam he was crazy, she wasn't telling him he was stupid. She was just attempting to disappear under the table. His eyes shot to Sam.

He watched as Sam glared, eyebrows raised and nostrils flaring as he exhaled, his head slightly tilted to the side. That nostril thing made it serious. He swallowed.

"Alright then, what can I get y'all for breakfast?"

Stephanie sat up and shook her head. "I'm not feeling well, the coffee's fine, thanks." She looked to the brothers. "But you two, go right ahead."

She smiled coldly and drained her cup. "I'm waiting in the car."

Then she was gone.

*******************************************

Breakfast and the ride back to the motel, were somber, when normally they would have teased and joked, maybe discussed points of the hunt. Dean let Aerosmith play at a low volume while staring straight ahead to completely avoid Sam's glare of death.

Stephanie hadn't spoken since she left the diner. When they'd finished breakfast, which Sam made them drag out so she could have some 'space'; they found her curled into the backseat with her arm over her eyes and her earbuds firmly in place.

Sam tried to talk to her, but she either ignored him or didn't hear him. She didn't move until the car was parked and the brother's were removing things from the trunk.

She exited the car, dragging her pack and duffle with her and into the motel room where she dumped them on the floor and collapsed onto Sam's bed face first. She was tired and she didn't want to be bothered. She turned her face to the wall and closed her eyes.

The hunters moved into the room and watched her as they unloaded their things. Sam yawned.

"I'm tired. Gonna shower and crash." He looked to Dean and then moved to him. "I know that look. Just drop it Dean. I'm serious, she wants to be left alone."

"Yeah, fine. Thanks for the unsolicited advice, Dr. Phil. Now go shower."

Sam sighed and dug through his pack for clean underwear while glaring at Dean. "I mean it, Dean."

Dean waved his brother off as he pulled off his boots and settled onto his bed. He watched as Sam disappeared into the bathroom, he waited for the shower to run and then another minute on top of that before he sat up and looked at the girl in the other bed.

"Stephanie?"

She heard him, chose to ignore him and wished he would have taken his brother's advice. She wasn't in the mood.

"Stephanie. I know you're awake."

She lifted her head and turned it to face him then rolled to her side as she dragged a pillow under her head and bent her knees. "What?"

"I don't know what the problem is. I mean…well, it's not a big deal." He paused and shook his head, confused. "Okay, well it is a big deal, but Sam's right. It-"

"Sam's right, you should drop it and leave me be."

Dean stood and moved to the other bed. He sat on the edge and looked down at her. "Steph, I mean it's cool and all... and I'm flattered... seriously baby, you know how I feel, but…"

She sat up and rolled from the bed. She held up a hand. "I mean it, Dean. Drop it. Just stop, don't say anything else." She panted for breath, heard the squeak from the bathroom that indicated Sam had turned the shower off and the room fell quiet. "You don't know anything. You don't understand anything and you have no fucking clue what the hell you're talking about. So again, drop it."

Her voice had risen and while she wasn't quite yelling she was definitely making her anger known.

Sam cursed and hurried. He should have dragged Dean into the bathroom with him and cuffed him to the toilet. That or knocked his ass out and left him unconscious. He toweled his hair dry and snorted. Knocking Dean out actually sounded like a really good idea just about now.

Confusion and a little anger at being yelled at made him jumpy. He ran a hand through his hair and stared. He stood and moved to Stephanie. He bent over her and shook his head. "I don't know what the hell's gotten into you, but damn, is it that time of the month or something?" He watched the hurt on her face. "You're a virgin. So what, it's not a big fucking deal."

The bathroom door swung open and Sam stepped out, full glare on. His hazel eyes immediately condemning his brother. He didn't say anything, hoping his presence was enough.

Stephanie moved to the dresser and grabbed the whiskey. The cap was already off so she tipped it back and took a swallow. She turned to Dean, her own eyes glittering with anger. "What the hell is wrong with you? I asked you to let it go, drop it and leave me alone and you couldn't fucking do it." She glared at Dean and drank again as she turned on her heel to make her way to the bathroom. "Fuck off, Winchester." She slammed the door behind her.

Sam glared and shook his head with a sigh. "Damn it, Dean."

"What? Sam, seriously, what the hell did I do?"

A/N: So, what'cha guys think? Won't know unless you tell me.