A/N: This chapter was a lot of fun to write. I hope you like it. Thank you for the faves. Please let me know what you think! You can find me on tumblr at asirensrage. I post moodboards, answer questions and more. Thanks again and enjoy!

Chapter 48: What's The Difference Between a Goose and a Canadian Goose?

Another turning point
A fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist
Directs you where to go
So make the best of this test
And don't ask why
It's not a question
But a lesson learned in time
- Good Riddance by Green Day

"Is there something on my face?" Sam asked, looking around the coffee shop.

"What?"

"People keep glaring at me."

I looked around as I took a sip of the hot chocolate. People kept glancing at us, and I saw more than a few glares being shot at Sam. That was weird. I expected people to be checking him out, not this. "Oh. Weird." I put the cup down and missed the saucer. Hot chocolate spilled across the table. "Damn it."

"I'll grab napkins," Sam said. He got up and headed for the counter.

"Excuse me?" Someone tapped on my shoulder. I turned quickly. There was an older woman sitting at the table behind me. I let my hand relax out of the fist.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry to intrude, but I…" she glanced over in the direction Sam left. "You don't need to stay with him."

"What?" I asked, totally confused.

"I know it seems like he's the only one, but honey, if he's hurting you…" She looked genuinely concerned which made me more confused.

"He's not hurting me."

She pointed to her face. "You're covered in bruises, and I know those aren't accidental."

"Oh!" I smiled at her as I realized what she was getting at. "No, these aren't from him. The small ones are from paintball. The games have been getting aggressive lately but we're going to win the championship," I rattled off the first excuse that came to mind. "The larger ones are from fighting. I'm training to be...a boxer." It was the only thing I could think of.

"Oh, are you sure? There's no shame in needing help." She reached out to touch me and I tried to make sure I didn't flinch. That would not help her suspicion.

"Trust me. I'm pretty sure I could take him down if I needed to. Besides, my trainers are way more scary than he is. Thank you for the concern, but I don't need it. I do appreciate it though." I smiled at her again and turned back to Sam as he stepped up to the table. "Hey, babe," I used the endearment to drive the point home to the woman behind me. I knew she was probably listening. Sam blinked at me in surprise. "Thanks." I took the napkins from him and cleaned up the mess. He sat down across from me, still looking a little suspicious. "Want to go for a walk when we're done?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah, sure."

I drank the remaining hot chocolate and flipped through the book he found me as I waited for him. It was some adventure romance that I wouldn't have picked out for myself, but I would give it a try. It would definitely be a break from the other things I had been reading.

"Ready?" Sam asked, putting down the cup.

I nodded and we both got up. He left a couple of bills on the table and I smiled at the woman again as Sam led me out of the coffee shop. I waited until we were a little further away before I spoke. "So, I figured out the reason they were glaring."

He looked down at me. "Oh?" He took my hand and laced our fingers together as we walked.

"They think you're beating me."

He stopped walking. "What?"

"The bruises," I motioned to my face. "I totally forgot about them, I mean, I'm used to it. Apparently quite alarming to the general public, especially when I walk around with a giant." Sam's jaw clenched and he looked troubled about it. "It's fine, Sam. You and I both know the truth. The bruises will fade and I'll ask Jane to try not to hit me in the face anymore, okay? Besides, I told the woman back there I was training to be a boxer and going to win a paintball championship. Small town like this, it'll probably go around like wildfire and the next thing we know, someone will be asking when my boxing championship match is."

"Your boxing championship?" he asked, his lips twitching upwards.

"Yeah, what? You think I can't take you?" I reached over and playfully punched him in the chest.

"I'm sure you can."

"Don't patronize me. Just wait. I'll show you tomorrow." I stuck out my tongue. "I'll take you down."

"Oh really?"

"You know what they say, the bigger they are the harder they fall. Just don't leave a crater in the lawn." I grinned at him. He reached forward, aiming for my ribs. I yelped, trying not to laugh and darted back. As far as I could go holding his hand. "No fair! No tickling!"

"You didn't say there were rules."

"Yeah, the rules say that I win because you cheated."

"Where's the rulebook?" Sam asked. He was smiling again, looking a little more relaxed now.

"Right here," I pointed to my head. "They say anyone six-four and up is disqualified."

"Why?"

"For...reasons."

He pulled me into him. "What reasons are those?" he asked softly.

"You're distracting," I admitted. "Just a bit."

"I think we can do better than a bit." He leaned down and I pushed myself up on my toes to kiss him. My arm went around his neck, trying to keep him close. I broke the kiss and ran my teeth over my bottom lip.

"Come on," I said. "Not really the place." Sam nodded in agreement and we continued walking. I felt myself blush as I caught sight of a couple people passing by. Definitely not the place.

"Michelle…why are you looking at pregnancy tests?"

I looked up at Sam and tried to think quickly. I couldn't tell him it was for Kelly and we both knew it wasn't for me. "Uh, it's for Jane."

"What?" He looked confused, and weirdly almost like a puppy.

"Yeah, for Jane. You know she's been sleeping with Remy, right? Well, we figured we'd buy some and test her. Just in case."

"Okay," he glanced down at the basket in my hands. "But, uh, why are you buying five?" I knew it was overboard, but I also knew that they could show false positives or negatives. It had been drilled into me by my sister that it was always best to buy more than one.

"Well, I don't know her body chemistry," I said quickly. "She's...not from around here. I mean, I know I'm human but I'm not a hundred percent sure about her. She's crazy strong."

He looked like he was trying to process that. "How strong?"

"Dude, she could open that iron door at Bobby's with one hand." His eyebrows rose and I nodded. "Yeah, crazy strong. Come on, let's get the rest of this list Kelly texted."

The list was a mix of toiletries and groceries. We had split up to search for what we needed. The day had passed quicker than I expected. Outside of the complication of people thinking Sam abused me, it was a good day. We didn't do much outside of eating, reading and talking. The only problem was that I kept feeling like someone was watching me. I assumed it was Sam but the feeling lingered even when he was with me. It was starting to stress me out.

"Ready?"

I looked up at Sam and nodded. We headed for the cash register. The woman started scanning automatically. Her eyes lit up when she caught sight of Sam...until she saw me. I watched her eyes narrow and Sam's shoulders slumped slightly. I nudged him.

"I think I'm going to win my next boxing match," I said, going back to the same excuse I used before.

"Yeah?" Sam asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I've been training hard and...I think I know a weakness."

"You do, do you?" He asked, his voice going slightly lower.

I grinned up at him. "Maybe." I turned away from him, looking at the cashier. She was watching us with interest. "Do you like paintball?" I asked her.

"What?" she looked surprised that I was talking to her. "Um, I don't know. I've never played."

"Oh, you should. It's crazy fun. I mean, as long as you wear proper protection gear you won't get bruises like I have, but you should try it. It's a great workout and not as scary as it looks." I tried to stop myself from rambling further. I was just trying to drive in the point that it wasn't Sam who did this to me. My anxiousness was bleeding through.

"Michelle," Sam touched my shoulder and drew me out of it.

"Right, sorry," I forced a smile at the poor woman who looked a little stunned. "What's the total?"

"Are you okay?" Sam asked once we were out of the store.

"Yeah," I looked around, still feeling like something was crawling up my back. One of the trucks looked vaguely familiar. "Sorry, I just…"

"Come on," Sam put a hand on my hand. "Let's go back."

"What?" I looked up at Sam. "Sam, we don't have to."

"No, uh, it's fine. We spent all day out. We can go back now." He paused. "Why don't we go back and sit by the fire. Let's just go home."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, come on." He opened the trunk and we dropped the two bags we had in there. We got into the car and Sam drove off. I couldn't stop myself from looking back. "What are you looking at?"

"What?"

Sam frowned as he glanced at me. "You've been antsy the last couple hours. Now you're looking like you're expecting someone to follow us."

"Sorry," I said. "I don't know, I just...I keep feeling like someone's watching us. I know it's stupid. I'm just probably stressing because this is the longest I've been out of the house."

Sam grabbed my hand. "Michelle, you've been amazing today and of course you're going to be anxious about it. It'll take time, okay?"

"I know," I frowned. "I just...want to be normal. I don't want to be like this."

"Just keep doing this, okay? Keep going out."

"Well, I'm going to have to. I'm working for Eric now. He wants me to bartend."

"Bartend? Have you ever been a bartender?"

"Nope. I'm also in charge of security."

Sam smiled at me. "Now that I can believe."

I left Sam while I ran upstairs with the bag of toiletries, and more importantly, the tests. Kelly came up after me once she realized we were back. "We need Jane," I said as soon as we were both in the bathroom.

"What? Why?" Kelly asked.

"Because I told Sam they were for her. So if we're up here and Jane walks in, he's going to know."

Kelly stared at me for a moment. "...Michelle, they probably think we're just talking. Girl talk. We don't have to get Jane. You can tell him we tested her after they're gone."

"Oh. Right."

"Well, get out so I can pee on a stupid stick." Kelly waved at me to leave. I handed her the bag and left the room. I waited outside.

"What are you doing?" Chloe asked as she got to the top of the stairs.

"Waiting," I said.

"For the bathroom?" Chloe looked confused. "You know Hermione made another one, right? There's another bathroom downstairs."

"There is? Where?"

"Under the stairs?" Chloe made a face.

"Right, thanks." I smiled at her and waited until she went into her room. I turned back to the door and knocked lightly. "Are you done?" I whispered.

"Hold on!" I heard her hiss through the door. I kept my back to the door to keep an eye on where Chloe went and the stairs. The door opened behind me and I felt Kelly grab me and pull me in.

I caught my balance as she closed the door. "Well?"

"We gotta wait."

I leaned back against the door and she closed the lid on the toilet to sit on it. "What...what do you want it to say?" I asked, a little hesitant.

"No, obviously!"

I held up my hands in surrender. "Well, sometimes people change their minds. I don't know."

"Just...distract me. How was your day? What did you and Sam do?"

"We spent the day in town, mainly wandering bookstores and coffee shops. Pretty sure the town thinks I have an abusive boyfriend because of all the bruises."

"What?" She looked shocked.

"All these people kept glaring at Sam and one woman told me he wasn't my only option, that I didn't have to stay with him out of fear."

"Sam?"

I nodded at her expression. "Yeah, I ended up telling her I was part of a paintball team who was working to win a championship and that I was training to be a boxer."

Her face scrunched up in confusion. "Are there paintball championships?"

"I don't know! I panicked, it was the first thing I could think of. I also recommended paintball to the girl cashing us out at the store."

Kelly just stared at me in disbelief. "What is wrong with you?"

"I had to do something. I don't want them thinking Sam is hurting me. He's like...the last one I would expect."

"Unless you wanted him to," Kelly grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "Is it ready yet?"

"I don't know." Kelly looked up at me. "I'm nervous. I can't."

"Want me?" I asked. She nodded. I tried not to touch the stick as I leaned over and peered at it. "What means yes, and what means no?" I asked.

"Little obvious since a plus is yes and a minus is no."

"Well, unless I'm blind, you're in the clear. I only see a minus sign."

Kelly picked up the stick and looked at it. "Oh thank god."

There was a moment of silence as we both looked at each other. "Okay," I said. "No baby."

"No baby." Kelly grinned up at me. She stood up and hugged me tightly. "Thank you."

"Course," I said. As if there was any chance that I wouldn't help. "Come on, I'm hungry."

"Didn't you eat when you were out?" Kelly asked, wrapping the test in a bunch of toilet paper before throwing it out.

"Yeah, but like an hour or two ago. I'm still hungry."

"Oh my god."

"What is all this?" I followed the voice as I took a bite of an apple. Sam was standing in the entrance to the dining room.

"Research," I said. "I've been getting help from Giles and Hermione. Remember?"

"Yeah, I just didn't expect...this."

The table was half-covered in books. There was a pen writing by itself which meant Hermione was around somewhere. Giles was not though, which was odd. Unless he was sleeping or training with us, he was here.

"Oh, hello." I turned at the voice. Hermione was standing there, cup of tea in her hands. "How are you, Michelle?"

"I'm alright, you?"

"I'm well. Who is this?" She looked behind me. I moved over so I could see them both.

"I'm, uh, Sam, Sam Winchester." Sam came up to us and I caught sight of him wiping his hand on his jeans before he shook Hermione's hand. "It is, wow, a real honour, really, to meet you."

Hermione smiled widely at him. "Hermione Granger," she said. "But you knew that."

"Yeah," I couldn't contain my smile watching Sam try not to freak out about meeting Hermione. It was cute. I took another bite of my apple, eager to see how this was going to play out.

"I can't believe, I mean, Michelle told me but it's a whole different thing to actually meet you."

"Hermione," I asked, once my mouth wasn't full. "Would it be possible...could you show us some magic? I mean, it's not the same as it is here, but would you be willing?"

Sam's eyes lit up as he looked at me.

Hermione nodded. "Certainly. Shall we go outside? I could use a break." Hermione turned and led the way. Sam looked at me and grinned. I motioned for him to follow. I had yet to actually see her do any major magic since the tea kettle. I had no intention of missing this.

Apparently, no one else did either. Someone caught sight of Hermione showing off something simple like sparks and before we knew it, almost everyone had joined us. Jane got Derek, Chloe and Logan to gather wood and she built up the fire. Hermione showed off some transfiguration skills by turning a log into a pig. She also showed her Patronus. It was amazing to see. The otter looked lifelike, outside of being made up of silver and white wisps.

"I always wondered what my Patronus would be," I said as it darted around us.

"Probably a mole rat," Kelly said from next to me. I looked at her.

"A mole rat?" I made a face. "Why a mole rat?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "First thing that popped into my head."

"Well, yours would probably be a goose."

"A goose? Like farm goose or Canadian Goose?"

"Ooo," I turned to her. "A Canadian Goose would be badass."

"A goose?" Dean asked, making a face as he looked around Kelly at me. "Seriously?"

"Have you ever seen Canadian Geese? Those things are terrifying. Everyone gives them the respect they deserve."

"Anyone sensible is afraid of them. You don't mess around with those hellspawn," Kelly added. "Only thing worse are swans."

"Ugh, swans." I tried not to shudder.

"You guys know they're just birds, right?" Dean wrapped an arm around Kelly. "Like, you're bigger than them."

"You can't contribute to the conversation if you've never faced down a Canadian goose or swan," I said.

"What's the difference?" Sam asked. "Between a goose and a Canadian goose?"

"Canadian Geese are evil." He didn't look like he believed me. "They have no fear. They will bite you if you get close, and if you're not close, they will chase you down if they feel like it. Don't even get me started on swans."

"So why keep them around?" Dean asked.

"They're Canadian," Kelly said.

"Aren't you Canadian?" Veronica asked. I looked over to see that Hermione had stopped the display. The others were either still standing and watching us or had migrated to the fire. Logan stood next to her.

"Yeah," I said. "That's why we know," I motioned between Kelly and me. "The only people who go near the geese or swans are either tourists or people trying to be brave. Or kids who don't know better."

"What's it like? Canada?" Veronica asked. I was a little surprised she was continuing the conversation. "What's winter like?"

"Fucking cold," Kelly said. We all seemed to move at once, heading for the fire. Once we sat down, I elaborated.

"Depends, really, on where in Canada you live. The major cities aren't too bad and the more north you go, the colder it is. Average winter temperature is…minus thirty?" They looked confused.

"That's about minus twenty-two in Fahrenheit," Sam said.

"Jesus," Logan muttered from his place next to Veronica. "No wonder you left." I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from responding. He likely didn't mean the way it sounded. Our leaving wasn't by choice.

"Now you ain't nearly ready to face the heat of the south, cheres," Remy spoke up. "I'd face the bayou any day than that cold."

"Hmm, I think we're outnumbered, Kels," I drawled. Everyone else, outside of Giles and Hermione, were from the States. Unless we counted the vampires as well, but they roamed through the years.

"Maybe," she agreed. "But the real question is, what would you rather face: a gator or a Canadian goose?"

"Goose," I answered instantly.

"You just said they were terrifying," Derek pointed out.

"Yeah, but at least I know how to deal with those."

The conversation devolved from there. It wound into a debate over alligators and crocodiles, and then everyone started asking more absurd questions of "would you rather…?"

I leaned into Sam, watching as the others continued to talk and joke around. It was a weird feeling, seeing everyone relaxed. It almost didn't feel like we were all displaced. Like we weren't all missing something.

"Tea?" Hermione asked, offering me a cup.

I smiled and took it. "Thanks." I wrapped my hands around it, relishing the warmth. It was a little too hot but it helped me focus. There was still the lingering feeling that had crept up my spine when we were out. I caught sight of Jane heading back towards the forest. "Can you hold this?" I asked Sam, holding out the cup.

"Yeah," he took it and I got up and went after Jane. I wasn't going to be able to relax until I felt this was handled and we were safe. She paused as I called out to her.

"Jane!"

She turned as I caught up. "What is wrong?"

"How do you know something is wrong?" I asked, taken back by the fact she was right.

"You show it clear," she motioned to all of me.

"Oh." I tried not to think about what that said about my body language. Did everyone else see it too? I tried to shove the thought down. "I just got this weird feeling when I was in town like we were being watched. It happened before when we went to meet Eric at the bar. I know it's probably just my paranoia, but...I know you've kept watch before around the place, can we do that again? Maybe get the vampires involved? Or Spike, at least."

She watched me carefully for a moment before she nodded. "I will ensure our home is safe." I felt the tension lessen slightly. If Jane was keeping watch, it would be fine. The woman was like Xena.

"Thank you."

She nodded at me then turned back to the forest. "We train on the morrow," she called out before disappearing into the darkness of the trees. I stared after her for a moment. It was eerie how well she blended in considering how bright red her hair was.

I went back to the fire and sat next to Sam...only to see him moving the cup down like he had taken a sip of it.

"Did you drink that?" I asked.

"Oh," Sam looked over at me and gave a small smile. "Um, yeah, sorry. I was curious what it tasted like."

"Sam, that's the tea Hermione makes me." I glanced down at the cup. It was slightly more than half full. I put it down on the ground. Someone would grab it. "Come on." I stood up and reached for him. "Let's get you to bed before it hits."

He stood up with ease and grabbed my hand. "Michelle, I barely drank it. I don't think it'll affect me."

I waved goodbye to the group and ignored Kelly giving me a thumbs up. He stumbled as we got near the back door. I wrapped an arm around his waist. I knew I couldn't help him if he dropped, but at least I might slow it down a bit.

"What...what's in that stuff?" he asked.

"No idea but it works," I said. We headed up the stairs slowly and he held onto the banister tightly once he swayed.

Sam collapsed on the bed once we got into the room.

"Boots off," I said. I hadn't forced him to take them off when we walked in since time was of the essence with this stuff. I bent down and helped unlace them before he kicked them off. "Jeans too." I knew how uncomfortable they were to sleep in.

He pushed himself up onto his elbows. "This is not how-" he cut himself off with a yawn. "I wanted you to undress me."

I snorted, trying not to laugh. "No?" He undid his belt and unbuttoned his pants. I grabbed the bottom of them and pulled. Sam shimmed out of them before he sat up and pulled off his shirt. My eyebrows rose. He held it out to me. As soon as I grabbed it, he pulled and I went falling forwards. I caught myself before I hit the bed. Sam grabbed my hand and threw the shirt past me.

"No," he said. He sat up and kissed me. It was sloppier than any of our others. I broke the kiss and pushed him back.

"Alright, lie down."

He pulled me with him. "Lie with…" he yawned again. "Me."

I wasn't tired but he'd be asleep in minutes. I kicked off my shoes and climbed into the bed next to him. He shifted up so that his head was on the pillow.

"Not dressed," he murmured. "Baby, we're going to sleep." My nose crinkled at the term but agreed. If anything I would just get dressed again. I sat up and unhooked my bra before taking it off and tossing it towards the laundry. Sam's fingers hooked under the top of the leggings I wore and he tried to help pull them down. It was a half-hearted attempt and went much faster as soon as I took over.

When I was finally undressed enough, I lay back down. Sam pulled me against him, my back against his chest. He pushed his leg between mine and his arm around me settled against my chest, holding me there. I heard him take a deep breath.

"Sam?" I asked softly. "You okay?"

"Mhmm," he hummed. He shifted slightly and it almost felt like he was trying to pull me closer. There wasn't much room to move. The weight of his arm and leg were heavier than I expected. "Sleep."

"Okay." I closed my eyes and waited for his grip to loosen. I fell asleep before it did.

[tbc]