Author's Note: I don't own Supernatural.

***Dean POV***

Winter

Something had shifted in Ember's relationship with Dean. It was a substantial change, but not an obvious one, unless you were very close to Ember or to Dean. Sam was aware of it, but perhaps he was the only one.

Ember and Dean texted almost daily, and talked at least once a week. It wasn't as often as they had talked when they had dated, but far more pleasant. It was about as often as they had been talking during the rule of the Leviathans, only less Dick-Roman related. They saw each other only twice during the fall, when Dean and Sam stopped in on their way to and from different jobs.

Their new "relationship" had rules, which were never spoken, but referred to from time to time in abstract terms. They would check in with each other occasionally. They would use a condom with their other sexual partners (though neither of them actually had other sexual partners). They would not attempt to define their relationship one way or another. They would not say "I love you." They were free, however, to have occasional sex (if Dean happened to be in town) and to simply enjoy each other's company, whether by phone or in person. Dean and Sam both spent a week with Ember at Christmas time, and it was the most enjoyable Christmas either had had in some time.

"Now remember, she's not my girlfriend," said Dean, pulling into the parking lot of her apartment for their Christmas stay.

"Whatever," said Sam, giving Dean a sideways glance.

"What?" he asked.

"You're in love with her, man. You always have been. And she's in love with you."

"It's complicated," Dean answered.

"Well, duh. I get it, man, you really love hunting. But doesn't it kind of feel like you're… I don't know, just doing the whole "friends with benefits" thing until something better comes along?"

It did feel like that, sometimes, and it hadn't been his choice, but both of these things went on the long list of things he definitely wasn't going to tell Sam. "This is every guys' dream, man! It's basically like having a meaningful open relationship."

"You do know that I know that everything you're saying is bullshit, right?" Sam asked.

"Come on, don't ruin this for me, dude," was Dean's only response as he knocked on the door to her apartment.

***Ember POV***

Winter

Ember's relationship with Dean wasn't ideal, but after the year with the Leviathans and the year in Purgatory, she felt as though they were in a better place than they had been in quite a while. She knew that life without Dean Winchester was lonely and unbearably dull, that she enjoyed his company, and that, in another demon-free circumstance, he would've been an ideal husband. She also knew he would never be happy sitting at home with her, so perhaps this was truly the best of both worlds. Every other possible outcome had made them miserable, so perhaps this was their best shot.

Dean and Sam brought news in late fall that they were in the process of searching for a demon tablet which would tell how to seal demons in Hell forever. When she was younger, Ember would have hoped that once this was achieved, Dean might be done hunting for good. She was old enough by now to know that this would never happen, but that didn't stop her from offering her help with the tablet. "Let me know if you guys need anything," she said, and they promised that they would.

Meanwhile, there were other things to attend to. Ember and Dean didn't talk as frequently as they had when they had been "officially" dating, but when they did talk it was usually for longer periods of time and about more substantial things. Over time, Dean forgave Sam for not looking for him in Purgatory, and Ember was ultimately forced to forgive Sam as well. It was a relief, to be honest. Ember had missed her friendship with Sam almost as much as she had missed having Dean in her life.

Castiel showed back up the day before Ember's 31st birthday, and Ember was ecstatic to receive the call from Dean explaining that he was back in the picture. When Castiel had the energy to travel again, he visited Ember at her home as well, and they spent an evening catching up on each other's experiences over the past year.

To the annoyance of her foster care workers, Ember opted not to accept foster children for the time being. She refused to expose a child who had never been exposed to monsters, and instead was waiting for a child who had already had exposure and was trying to figure out how to deal with it. There were plenty – Ember just had to do a little digging. As busy as work kept Ember, however, it was well after the new year before she was even able to obtain her foster license.

Overall, Ember kept herself busy, but there was more than enough time to fit the Winchester brothers back into the cracks in her life.

***Sam POV***

January 7

Sam Winchester was furious. Dean had made a new friend in Purgatory, a vampire named Benny.

Dean never would have gotten out of Purgatory without Benny – Sam accepted that.

It had probably been a dumb move on Sam's behalf to hire their father's crazed hunter friend Martin to spy on Benny – Sam accepted that, too.

Dean trusted Benny, and as it turned out, Benny wasn't responsible for the vampire-related deaths in his area. Instead, it had been a rogue vampire who was angry with Benny for turning "soft." It was possible – monsters like Kate, and Lenore, and apparently Benny did exist, however rare. Sam would've accepted that, too, if he hadn't been so ridiculously pissed off.

What he didn't accept was that Dean had sent him on a wild goosechase to keep him out of the way while he dealt with the Benny issue. He had switched his ex-girlfriends' phone number with a burner phone number and sent Sam on a fake rescue mission.

When Dean tracked Sam to his hotel room in Kermit, Texas, Sam almost didn't answer the door.

"Who did you expect?" asked Dean.

"Long drive," Sam commented coldly.

"Well, I wouldn't have had to make it if you hadn't hung up on me," Dean commented.

"Yeah, well, I heard all I needed to hear," Sam said.

"No, you heard what you wanted to hear," Dean snapped. "I told you Benny wasn't killing. Hell, I watched him end the fangbanger that was."

"How about Martin?" Sam asked. "How did he end that?"

"Stupid," Dean said. "Just like I said it would. Crazy son of a bitch didn't give Benny a choice. It was self-defense."

"Seriously? Dean? That's the story you're going with? That the vampire was the real victim here?"

"Hey, like it or not, that's the truth, okay? There was a time when that actually meant something."

He was one to talk, Sam thought. Benny wasn't why he was really angry, anyway. Dean had yet to mention Amelia or the burner phone. "Yeah, yeah, no kidding," Sam said.

"What does that mean?" Dean asked.

"You think this is just about Benny?" Sam asked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Dean, and Sam wanted to slap him.

"What the hell do you think I'm talking about?" Sam asked.

"Amelia?" Dean asked, looking surprised. "Oh, come on, man, I sent you that text 'cause I needed you to… to…"

"You needed me to what?" Sam snapped. "To tear ass to Texas? To be afraid that what happened to Jessica, what happened to… to everybody that we care about might have happened to her?"

"You were gonna kill Benny. What was I supposed to do?" Dean said.

Sam was furious. He had had enough. He had never said anything about killing Benny. If anything, he had been the one keeping Martin under control. "Is that what we are?" he asked. "You save a vampire by making me believe that the woman I love might be dead? Dean, do you know why the woman you love isn't here right now? It's because of stupid decisions like this."

Dean's face turned furious. "Fuck you," he said. "Fuck you, man. Glad I made the drive." And he walked out without looking back.

***Ember POV***

January 16, Daytime

Dean showed up at Ember's house after his latest fight with Sam. To his credit, she understood what he did, and why he had done it. Sam had made a mistake not trusting Dean, and Dean had made a mistake going to below-the-belt means to get Sam out of the way.

Despite the circumstances, Ember relished the time spent with Dean. There were days when it was almost like they were dating again, until she remembered that they weren't technically dating again, and then she remembered why they weren't technically dating again. Still, she missed him constantly.

After four days, however, Ember had begun to wonder exactly how long Dean would be staying. Just as she began to psych herself up to broach this conversation with him, Castiel showed up. Dean was asleep at the time, and Ember was resting on his chest, enjoying his familiar smell and the rise and fall of his deep breathing. She jumped when Castiel began to speak, shooting up suddenly and staring at him fiercely.

Dean shot upward upon realizing Castiel was standing in front of him. "Damn it, Cas. How many times do I have to tell you! It's just creepy!"

"Dean, Ember, I need your help," Castiel said. "The angel Samandriel… he's been taken."

And just like that, Ember was off on her first hunting adventure in over a year.

-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-

It took Castiel, Ember, and Dean nearly two days to track down Samandriel. They knew he was in the "general vicinity of Hastings, Nebraska", according to Castiel, but they went to nine different abandoned factories before Castiel and Ember recognized demons. The place where Samandriel was being kept would be crawling with them, of course. Angel warding would be an issue, too.

They needed more help, and they knew it. Dean refused to call Sam for help, but it occurred to him that Kevin, the prophet, was in a houseboat nearby, and had knowledge of how to make demon bombs. Once at the houseboat, Castiel left to gather the ingredients Kevin indicated. When he returned, Sam was in tow.

"Sam!" Ember exclaimed, running to give him a hug.

"What's he doing here?" asked Dean.

"Don't worry, Dean," said Sam. "Once we save Alfie, I'm out." (Alfie was the vessel Samandriel had taken.)

"Once 'we' save Alfie? Don't hurt yourself, Sam," Dean said sarcastically. "The three of us can handle it."

Ember started to talk, but Sam cut her off. "Not according to Cas."

"I told you we didn't need him," Dean said to Castiel.

"And I told you we needed everyone we can get," Ember said.

Castiel nodded. "And I need both of you, as they say, to stow your crap! Can you do that?"

They agreed that they could.

-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-

Castiel explained that there were four different angel warding symbols on the building where Samandriel was being kept. The three of them quietly killed a demon to get inside. Ember regretted the killing, but she knew there wasn't long enough to perform an exorcism and still keep things quiet, and Dean needed the keys. After that, Sam and Dean headed one direction, and Ember invisible, headed another. As she went, she began to chant an exorcism low under her breath. She had her manufactured scent covering her, as Sam had first suggested so many years ago, and though the demons looked up and sniffed, they couldn't pinpoint her exact location.

One angel sigil covered… she could hear Samandriel's screaming. Two sigils covered… she heard a loud thump, and ran quietly in that direction, passing a third covered angel sigil on the way there. Sam and Dean were fighting with a demon, but by the time Ember caught up with them he was already stabbed with Sam's angel blade.

Castiel joined them then, but he was out of breath. "It must be the sigils," he said. "I'm not at full power."

"Sam, help me muss this crud," Dean said, getting out his spray can again.

"No, wait!" Castiel said. "There's no time! Samandriel won't last much longer." And just after that, Cas began to cower, shrinking down to the ground as though hallucinating. "Cas. Cas? Cas!" whispered Ember hurriedly.

"Ember!" Dean said, and Ember realized Sam and Dean were attempting to break down a door behind which she could hear Samandriel screaming. Ember easily freed the door with her powers just in time to hear Crowley say, "There's an angel tablet."

After that Crowley disappeared, and everyone started fighting. There were two demons, and both put up a good fight. Dean and Sam kept them busy, and meanwhile Ember exorcised both of them, with Sam and Dean both stepping back in shock as both hosts fell to the floor and smoke rose upwards from their mouths.

"Right," said Dean, looking around suddenly as Ember reappeared. "We forgot you liked to do that."

Ember rolled her eyes. "Idiots."

They ran out to meet up with Castiel and Samandriel, only to find Samandriel dead.

"Cas, what the hell!" Ember exclaimed.

"He was compromised," said Castiel in a robotic, odd voice. Ember and Dean looked at each other questioningly.

"He came at me. I killed him in self-defense," Castiel continued.

"Cas, are you okay?" Dean asked. Blood was leaking out of Castiel's eye. Ember made to move toward him, but he held out his hand.

"My vessel must've been damaged in the melee," he said. "I have to go. Samandriel's remains belong in Heaven."

He made to leave.

"Cas, wait!" Dean said.

"Thank you both," Castiel said. "For everything you've done."

And he disappeared.

***Dean POV***

January 19, Evening

Sam, Dean, and Ember regrouped at the airport in Nebraska to see Ember off back to Indiana. They all three agreed that something was fishy with Castiel, but Ember had already spent too much time away from work. After Ember had left, Dean turned to Sam.

"What about you? Don't you have a girl to get back to?" he asked his brother.

Sam looked surprised. "Yeah, I guess I do." He paused. "Since when are you on the Amelia bandwagon?"

Dean shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "I'm just tired of all the fighting." He paused. "And… you know, maybe I'm a… little bit jealous." He faced Sam. "You were right, what you said. Things are… complicated, with us. I don't want them to be… but they are. I could never separate myself from the job like you could." He looked out the window at Ember's plane, and part of him wished he could be happy with a different job, or perhaps with a different woman…. He wasn't sure which one he would miss more. "Hell,… maybe it's time for at least one of us to be happy."

But in the end, Sam decided that Amelia was better off with her husband. Dean thought sometimes that perhaps neither of them would ever truly settle down.