A/N: Thank you for reading this far. We hope you enjoy it. It's the second last chapter for Kelly's POV in Caught in the Crossfire. This one takes place during chapter 49.

Chapter 36: Breathe. (Kelly's POV)

Home, home again. I like to be here when I can.
When I come home cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones beside the fire.
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells.
- Breathe (Reprise) by Pink Floyd

I gave up playing poker pretty quickly since all I could seem to do was lose. I was content to watch though and chose instead to study everyone's tells and try to catch signs of Spike cheating. I was sitting next to Dean, one arm wrapped around his shoulders with my head resting against his arm. From what I could tell, he had a hand that didn't stand a chance. I exaggerated a yawn, causing him to turn and look at me. "Want to call it a night?"

Spike chirped up as he lit a cigarette, "Ol' ball and chain making you call it quits boy."

I glared at Spike across the table. "Hey! What did I tell you about smoking inside?"

Spike rolled his eyes, but headed out to the back porch, ending the game for at least a few minutes.

I looked back at Dean, "I'm going to bed, but you can stay and play though."

"Nah, should get some sleep," he smirked, and his hand squeezed my thigh under the table, sleep clearly not on his mind. "Besides gotta hit the road early tomorrow."

I frowned at the reminder, and he kissed me before Klaus distracted him with an "aww", reminding him we had an audience.

We said our goodnights and headed upstairs. We were close to Michelle's room when we heard the unmistakable sounds of her and Sam having a very good time. Dean looked from the bedroom door to me, eyebrows raised. I shoved him into our room, not wanting to hear any more. I remembered to close the door behind us.

Dean had stumbled into the room but was laughing as he recovered. "Took him damn long enough to make his move."

I rolled my eyes, "remind me tomorrow to get Hermione to soundproof our rooms."

His face fell slightly as he caught on. "Wait, if we can hear them…"

"Yup. Put two and two together there, eh?"

He moved forward pulling me against him grinning. "Smartass." He kissed my nose. "Guess we'll just have to be quiet then."

I pulled him down into a kiss, it started slow but quickly became hungrier. His hands slid down my back, grabbing my ass. I ran my hand up under his shirt, breaking the kiss briefly as I pulled it off and chucked it across the room. He bit my lip playfully before kissing and nibbling down my neck. When I let out a soft moan, he chuckled and shushed me. I responded by gently pushing him back, both of us falling onto the bed laughing. We spent the night trying to make the other make more noise. We both came out losers, or more accurately winners.


Dean was laying on his back and I was curled up next to him with one arm over his chest. The silence of the night fell around us, and I had no idea what time it was, nor did I care. Morning would come too soon. It always did.

"I hate that you have to leave so soon."

"Bobby already called us every name in the book for coming here in the middle of all this. Cas wasn't impressed either, but he needed the time to rest up."

Remembering Cas was essentially human scared me. He was a powerful warrior angel and kept the boys safe. Kept all of us safe. He had saved each person in this house, and we owed him so much. I looked up at Dean. He had his eyes closed and looked peaceful.

"Well, even if it was stupid of you to detour, I'm thankful." He smiled without opening his eyes and pulled me closer. I decided to prod further, something I'd been avoiding, "so you have the rings. What's the rest of the plan?"

I felt him tense up under me, his smile fading. He opened his eyes and looked down at me, "it's safer if you don't know."

"What do you mean 'safer'?"

Dean shifted onto his side, facing me now, "Sam wants to do something stupid. I think I have to let him."

"Ah, so it's his turn to be the reckless one."

He let out a dark laugh. "Something like that."

I searched his expression, but he was guarded. As much as I wanted to press it, something in his look made me stop. I told myself they wouldn't do anything at this stage that wasn't necessary. It didn't mean I would like it though.

His hand came up to my face pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "I promised you we'd keep you safe, and meant it." He pulled me into a quick, gentle kiss. As he moved back, our faces were still close, our noses almost touching. He still had a hand on my face and rubbed his thumb across my cheek.

I smiled at him, "try not to be too reckless, okay? If you die, I know a necromancer who can bring you back so I can kick your ass."

He laughed again and tucked my head under his chin. I fell asleep listening to the steady beat of his heart.


The morning came too soon and I woke up to find Dean fully dressed and packing his bag. He picked up the Zeppelin shirt I'd stolen off him and looked like he was going to throw it in his bag, before putting it back down on the dresser.

"You better not steal my shirt."

He turned at my voice and smirked, "it was my shirt first. I'm just letting you borrow it."

I grinned while stretching, "I look better in it."

Dean walked over to the bed and leaned down for a kiss. "Can't argue with you on that one."

When he tried to step back I pulled him back down by his shirt front for a few more moments. He pulled back, both of us slightly breathless, "if we start that I definitely won't leave."

"Damn, you've caught on to my evil plan."

His face was still close to mine, his hand entangled in my hair. His voice dropped, "I promise you when this is all done we won't leave this bed for at least a week."

I bit my lip. A Winchester promise like that was worth its weight in gold. He stepped back and continued, his voice lighter. "Oh yeah, don't forget to ask Hermione about the soundproofing."

He turned away from me then, which gave me a moment to gather myself. Dean grabbed his bag and turned back to me. "I gotta check something in the Impala. Meet me downstairs once you're dressed?"

My voice came out tight, mind still thinking forward to the promised week, "yup!"


As I got dressed I heard him bang on Michelle's door, telling Sam to meet him at the car too. Their door was still closed when I passed but I could hear murmurs of a conversation. I walked faster, not wanting to intrude any further. I went straight out to the Impala after throwing on my coat, to find Dean sorting through the trunk. I slapped his ass playfully as I came to a stop beside him. I looked from the trunk to him. "Were you looking for something?"

"Checking ammo. Did you need any extra?"
"We're good."

"And salt rounds?"

"We have what you gave us before. Haven't had to use it."

He looked back at the trunk, assessing, before shifting a few things around and pulling out an angel blade. "Only have one extra to spare, but keep it handy. Just in case."

Dean handed it over to me and turned to shut the trunk. I was surprised at how light the blade was. It shone brighter than silver and looked sharper than it did on TV. Dean took it out of my hand and tucked it into the inside pocket of my coat, giving me a lingering indescribable look.

I smiled to try to lighten the mood, but this goodbye felt different. "Don't do anything stupid. You owe me that week."