Hi, guys :) Sorry for the delay of this chapter but I'm on vacation and my internet access is limited. I hope you'll like it.


I patiently wait for him to answer his phone.

"Hi, leech" I cheerfully say when he does

"Look" Benny says and I can hear him sighing deeply "I'll make this easy for you. I know why you're calling…"

"No, you don't" I cut him off and I hear him sharply inhales "Now tell me where exactly your vampire ass is, so I can come to you"

He's silent for a second or two and then hesitantly gives me the address. I memorize it. Benny clears his throat.

"You're coming to me?" he sounds amazed

"Damn right I'm coming"

"But Dean…"

"I'm big girl, Benny" I cut him off again "I can decide for myself"


Two weeks later

My phone rings. I cast it a glance and seeing who it is just let it keep ringing and proceed with preparing my coffee. Benny looks at my phone and sighs.

"Eventually you'll have to talk to him" he states "Why don't you pick it up?"

I glare at him, irritated from his words, even though I know he's right. With a hiss I grab my phone and answer it.

"Heya, Sam" I say and add sugar to my coffee "What's up?"

"What's up!?" Sam exclaims in anger "Seriously, Braeden!? What's up? I've been calling you like a thousand times the last two weeks"

"So?" I ask

"So where the hell are you? Why did you just leave like that?"

"Why don't you ask your brother?" I snap back "He's really good at abandoning his friends"

"Is this because of Benny?" Sam asks and I can hear the disbelief in his voice "And you're putting all of this on Dean?"

"Damn right I am." I say more angrily than I intend "I left so I could help a friend"

"We're your friends, too, Braeden. And yet, you left."

"C'mon, Sam" I groan "You really wanna do this?" in that moment Benny grabs my mug and I exclaim "This is my coffee, leech! Go make your own!" Benny grins at me and leans on the table listening to the conversation; it's his first real smile I've ever seen

"Wait, you're with him?" Sam asks in shock

"Yeah, I am" I say as I take clean mug and start making myself new coffee. "You got a problem with that?"

"Yeah, he killed Martin!"

"Martin had it coming, Sam. Your brother warned him what would happen if he goes for Benny…"

"So this justifies it?"

"Really, Sam? You're gonna play that card on me?" I hiss at him and Benny arches his brows - I know he hears perfectly well what Sam's saying.

"What do you mean?" Sam asks

"Amy, Sam. Amy. I stood for you back then. I trusted you and agreed to let her go. Why don't you trust me with Benny?"

I decide it's pointless to say that Benny, just as Amy before him, was taking care of his family. Amy was trying to save her son and she killed to provide him food. Benny was protecting his granddaughter and he killed to keep her safe and alive. But I know Sam won't listen.

"You don't ask me to trust you." I hear his voice through the phone "You ask me to trust Benny and I can't do that."

"That's one of the reasons I left" I sadly say

"What do you mean?" I can almost imagine him - furrowed brows and confused look over his face

"I can't stay with someone who doesn't trust me. Relationships are built on trust, Sam. And we don't have that anymore."

"Braeden…"

"Nice to hear you, Sam. Be safe." And with that I hung up and turn to Benny "Happy now? I talked to him."

"Yeah... and if it went well" the vampire states

"Shut up" I take a sip of my new coffee and Benny just shakes his head

"They are your family, Braeden" he simply states "Like it or not, eventually you'll have to fix this"

"No" I shake my head "I'm done with them. I'm up to here with both of them" I raise my hand over my head to emphasize my words "I'm done babysitting them. They're grown up men, they can solve their own problems alone. I won't be a part of this anymore. I refuse." With that I head to the door "C'mon, leech, or we'll be late for work"


Clara Thomson is an old acquaintance of mine – she owed me for saving her kid from a striga, so when we arrived in the town she hired me and Benny to work in her bar as bartenders. Her business is going pretty well and she's considering renovating the bar. I'm glad for her, it's nice to see someone's doing well in this dark world. Humming under my nose I go to my room to get ready for work. I look through the window – it's going to be dark soon. I sigh. I'm still not used to my shift's night timetable. I find it strange to sleep during the day and work through the night. Benny and I tease each other we're working on a vamp's timetable. I shake my head with a smile and quickly put on black tank top and jeans, then I head to the door, calling for Benny to hurry up.

I like my new job. My only real job I have ever had. It turned out I'm good at being a bartender. And I get better as weeks pass by, turning into months. I still can't get a normal sleep – nightmares of Purgatory don't let me sleep but somehow I manage it. I know Benny hears my screams that I wake up with, only a dead man can't hear me, but for now we both ignore this and don't talk about it. Living together and sharing an apartment with Benny gives me a lot of opportunities to explore the extend of the sexual tension between us and the amount of time before it explodes, narrowing everything to sex. Usually it's fun to watch Benny's reactions to my flirtation and innuendos, even though he never participates in my little games. He never takes the lead, leaving it all in my hands. But I notice the way he looks at me when he thinks I don't see him, and I can clearly identify his want and hunger. I'm not sure for how long we're going to play these games before we hook up. For how long he will let me tease him like that? I often wonder if I'm not embarrassing myself acting like this but then I remember the spark of lust in his eyes when I walk around covered only with a towel when I just got out of the bathroom or when I'm wearing no bra, just an oversized t-shirt that is barely covering my lacy bikini. If Bobby ever knew of this, he was going to decapitate Benny without giving a second thought. After all, I'm a hunter and he's a vampire. But at the end of the day what matters the most is not what you are but who you are deep inside. And Benny is a good man.

I work as hard as I can during the week and every weekend I visit Kevin. The poor kid is putting too much pressure on his shoulders. When I'm with him I do my best to distract him and make him take a break from the tablet. I always make him shower and eat because he's so consumed with his work over the tablet he forgets to do so. I also make him sleep. He's not really happy about my visits because, as he says, I distract him but I really don't give a rat's ass about his opinion. He needs to have a break from time to time and I'm doing my best to be sure of that.

Sam and Dean are the elephant in the room no one's talking about. Kevin doesn't mention them and neither do I. It's been weeks since I talked to Sam. He hasn't tried to contact me after that and I'm glad. Dean never tried to call me but I'm not surprised – he's stubborn and will never admit he's wrong. Sometimes I wonder if they ever miss me. I for sure miss them from time to time but I know I'm better off without them, without their troubles and insecurities they bring in every single action. Kevin's working his ass off – he's trying to figure out what has to be done in order to close the gates of Hell. He figured out the first already – he showed it to me and I asked him to contact me immediately when he has all three of them. He agreed but I felt there was something he wasn't telling me. I brushed the strange feeling away and made him dance with me. It was a challenge for both of us. For him to relax and have a break, and for me to trust someone to touch me. It was hard for me, I was tensed and on the edge but it is getting better with time. Working at the bar helps – it's overcrowded and sometimes clients brush their hands against my palms when taking their orders from me. I'm optimistic, I believe soon I won't pay much attention when someone's accidentally too close to me or brushes me while passing by me.

Benny and I share an apartment couple of blocks away from the bar. At the beginning it was awkward for both of us but soon we got used to each other's presence. Benny's better now, I see it. I think he found his place finally. He smiles more often and he laughs at my jokes still completely ignoring my attempts to flirt. Sometimes he's getting back to his old serious self, but it's for short – until I make him smile again. It is nice to see him happy, it makes me feel I'm doing something good.

It's a peaceful and happy life. I've got a job, a real job, Benny's smiling, we're earning enough money to make the both ends to meet and this is more than enough. Everything's just perfect. No monsters, no troubles, no Winchesters…

That is so until Cas shows up at the bar. Tonight is karaoke night and I look with discontent the untalented singer who's shouting at top of her lungs the lyrics of Roxette's "Listen To Your Heart". It's rare someone who can actually sing to get to the mic and decide to really sing. Usually it's some crazy people who just want to have fun and don't care their singing is worse than the squeaking of a pig that's being butchered. I shake my head and hand the cocktail that the blonde bimbo just ordered. And then I see Cas over her shoulder. He awkwardly gets through the crowded room, trying to get to the bar. Our eyes lock; his sky blue orbs are full of pain, regret and… fear.

"Cas?" I look him in worry and only now I notice his trench coat is cover with blood drops. "Are you okay?"

He shakes his head in confusion. He doesn't look well. I wonder what could possibly have happened to make him look for me. Benny comes to me, seeing my anxiousness and puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"What's going on?" and then he sees Cas "Castiel? What are you doing here?"

The angel's answer is simple and honest, and makes me tremble in fear.

"I just tried to kill Dean"


So, what do you think about Braeden's life with Benny? Drop me a review and tell me :) Wishing you all nice weekend