Hello to my beautiful SPN Family! I hope you are having a delightful day. I must (even at the risk of sounding like a broken record) thank every one of you again for reading, favorite-ing, following, and especially reviewing. You all are manna from Heaven. I want to know what you all want to read, and would love to give it to you!

To all of my gorgeous people who have requested particular one-shots- they're coming, I promise! Natalie only lets me tell certain stories at certain times, so if I'm not getting to your story fast enough, blame her. :) I promise, they will all be there eventually. If anyone else has any requests, please let me know!

Special shout out to the best beta ever- Jenmm31. She's a wonderful support as well as a muse. She's helped me dig deeper into Natalie than I thought was possible, and I am forever grateful. Sammy- you're the best. Go check out her wonderful stories- One Day at a Time, and Growing Up, Winchester Style. Fabulous sisfic, with a brilliant original character that Natalie is proud to call "Aunt" in our weird crossover dimension.

Well, here's part three! As always, read, review, and ENJOY!

A/N- in this story, Natalie is 19. This is the third part of a three part story. If you haven't, please go back and read the previous two chapters, otherwise this ain't gonna make a lick of sense. Please see profile page for Disclaimer.

Her cell phone read 11:54 as she pulled into the parking lot. Natalie quickly exited the Impala, shut and locked the door, and rushed to their motel room. She pulled out her key, twisted it in the lock, and opened the door, still in a daze from this night with Will. She felt like she was having an out-of-body experience- like someone else's hands were opening the door. Someone else's feet were walking into the motel room. She looked around, surprised to find the room exactly as she left it. In one night, it felt like everything changed, even though almost nothing had. Nothing outside of herself, that is. Everything inside herself was completely different- new, uncharted territory. It was almost baffling that the rest of the world had remained exactly the same.

Dean looked up from his laptop when she entered the room. "Cutting it close, kid," he said, in a lighter tone than usual when it came to her obeying his curfew. She didn't say anything- it was like she was hearing with someone else's ears. Someone that now knew things that she didn't know before. Instead of answering, she reached into her pocket, and pulled out the keys to the Impala. Wordlessly, she tossed them to her father, who caught them easily with one hand. She grabbed her duffel, and walked into the bathroom. Dean's surprised eyes swung to Sam. Sam was looking after her, his mouth slightly agape. So he had noticed, too. Natalie was very rarely speechless. That meant that the date had either gone really well- or really badly. Dean's eyes narrowed at the thought of that young doctor hurting his daughter. Just as he had resolved his plan to kill the kid and make it look like an accident, Natalie emerged from the bathroom wearing her typical sweatpants and tank combo that she slept in.

"You okay?" Dean asked bluntly. Natalie's glazed eyes swung to him, like she had just realized he was in the room.

"How did the date go?" Sam asked, not waiting for her to respond to Dean's question. Her head slowly turned in Sam's direction, and tilted to one side, like she was considering his question. Suddenly, a dazzling smile broke forth.

"It...was...amazing," she said quietly, but the smile still stayed on. Both Sam and Dean breathed an unconscious sigh of relief. "Did you guys find anything on the case?" she said, still in her dreamlike state.

Dean's brow furrowed- he had never seen her like this. This Will must have really impacted her in some way. "Well, we think we know what Robert Ives was getting a loan for," he said, leaving the bait, seeing if she would pick up on it.

"Good. That's good," she said woodenly, clearly not hearing a word he was saying. Dean's eyes swung to Sam again, and they began having one of their silent conversations.

What the hell is up with her? Dean thought in Sam's direction.

Sam shrugged slightly, as if to say I don't know.

Do you think the date actually went well?

Must have- she's not lying about it.

Then what's up with the stoner act?

Beats me.

Natalie, completely oblivious to their silent dialogue about her, plopped down on the sofa. "Hey guys," she said, stretching. Both the boys' eyes swung to her. "I'm pretty tired- I'm going to go to sleep. Let's talk about the case in the morning." Without another word, she laid down, pulling the worn motel blankets over herself, and shut her eyes. Sam's eyes widened- he knew she was lying about being tired, but she clearly didn't want to talk about anything tonight. He simply murmured "good night," and walked to his bed, turning off the room lights as Dean switched the wall sconce between their beds on. They exchanged confused looks.

For the rest of the night, Natalie didn't sleep a wink. Her mind was spinning with all the things she now knew.

*SPN SPN SPN*

The next morning, Natalie was determined to come back to earth. She longed to see Will, to rush right over to the police station and look at him, let alone be with him, but she knew that they still had a job to do. Vaguely, she recalled her dad saying something last night about a clue they uncovered, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember what it was. She knew that this dream land she was currently still floating in wouldn't cut it. She mentally yelled at herself till she was blue in the face, and she came crashing back down to earth. As soon as Sam and Dean were up, she started plying them with questions about the case, determined to keep her feet on the ground. However, until they were fully awake, all of her inquiries just resulted in loud groans from Sam, and pillows being flung at her face by Dean. She waited until they were showered and dressed to continue her barrage of questions. It finally came out (while Dean was brushing his teeth) that they had discovered that Robert Ives had used the money he had borrowed from Mr. Dutcher's bank to buy a house, which was a huge surprise, considering he already had a house with his wife, Susan. Sam had managed to get the address of the house, which was only about 3 towns over. They piled into the Impala, and sped off.

About forty minutes later, they pulled up to a small but nice looking abode. The lawn had been recently mowed, and the house looked like it had recently gotten a fresh coat of paint. It was clear someone was proud to live here. All three of them got out of the car, and made their way to the front door. Dean rang the bell, and a middle aged, rather pretty woman answered.

"Yes? Can I help you?" she asked, clearly unsettled by the sight of three official looking black suits standing at her front door. They pulled out their badges, as per usual.

"Yes ma'am, we're with the FBI. We're wondering does Robert Ives live at this address?"

The woman stepped back, afraid. "Robert?" she called over her shoulder, her voice rising in its nervous state. Natalie tried her usual calming smile, but it seemed to have the opposite effect on this woman. She seemed to shrink in on herself, intimidated just by their presence. Finally, a tall, middle aged man with light brown hair walked up behind the woman. He quickly scanned all three of them, his eyes resting on Dean's badge.

"Can I help you officers?" the man asked.

"Robert Ives?" Sam said in response.

The man nodded. "Yeah, that's me," he said.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions about the death of your wife," Dean said frankly. The woman at the door quickly looked at Robert in horror. Yeah, there's nothing "off" about that, Natalie thought to herself. However, Robert just smiled gently, and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. Natalie couldn't tell if it was to comfort her, or to restrain her.

"I've already given my statement to the police," Robert said cautiously.

"It'll only take a moment of your time," Sam said, cajoling him. Robert's gaze flicked back and forth between Sam and Dean for a moment, and then he nodded.

"Of course. Come on in," he said. The woman quickly stepped behind Robert, to let the three Winchesters though the door. "Please," Robert said, extending a hand towards the living room. Natalie's eyes scanned the perimeter quickly. Everything was very clean here. There wasn't a lot of knick knacks, or even pictures on the walls. They did, however, have a rather large sofa, long enough for all three of them to sit on. Robert sat opposite of them, in a large lazy boy recliner. Instead of taking a seat in the matching one, the nervous woman sat on the arm of Robert's chair- as if she didn't want to be separated from him. Natalie didn't let her gaze linger on them, but definitely tucked the odd moment away into her mind.

Sam was ready to get down to business. "First off, we'd like to offer our condolences about your wife, Mr. Ives," he said, in a gentle tone. Robert smiled and nodded, but didn't speak.

"You don't seem terribly broken up about it," Dean said bluntly. Natalie's fingers dug into the cushions of the seat she was sitting on. WHY did he always have to be so direct? Ugh, she thought to herself.

Robert seemed to stammer for a moment before speaking. "Well- I mean- she didn't deserve to die. It's tragic. But she and I had been separated for a while now- I supposed I would feel different about it if we had still been together."

"How long had you and Mrs. Ives been separated?" Sam asked.

"About two years. We just became cold towards each other, you know? We stopped finding out new things to know about each other, and we just...got tired."

"And was that the reason why you killed her?" Dean asked scathingly. Natalie had to stop herself from gasping. Dean was really going for the jugular on this one.

"What?! No!" Robert said, his face turning into a mask of horror. "Sure, she and I were heading for divorce, but I didn't kill her! She was...I..."

Sam held up his hand. "Sir- I apologize for my partner's remark. We're just trying to find out what happened to Susan."

Robert's eyes flicked towards Dean once more, scared. He finally turned to the woman. "Debs- can you please get us something to drink?" The woman stood up, clearly still worried, but walked away to the kitchen. As soon as she was out of earshot, Robert leaned forward, looking at Sam, his eyes burning.

"Look," he said in a quiet tone, so Debs wouldn't hear. "I didn't kill Susan, or Dutcher, or that girl from the dentist's office."

"You have to admit- you're tied to two out of the three victims," Dean said, no apology in his voice.

Robert put his head in his hands. "I know, I know. But I swear, I didn't do it."

"Do you have any idea who might have?" Sam asked quietly. Robert didn't move for a moment, which to Natalie meant that he absolutely had an idea. However, they knew it was better for the person to decide to speak rather than force them to. Suddenly, Robert looked up.

"I...maybe," he said faintly. Dean scooted forward to the edge of the sofa cushion, and gave Robert an intimidating look. The poor man gulped for a moment, then stammered to speak again.

"It was all...it all happened so fast," he said haltingly.

"Take your time," Sam said, still playing the "good cop". Robert nodded once, took a deep breath, and launched into his story.

"Susan and I were fighting- fighting all the time. We just were so bored with each other- like I said, there was nothing new to learn- I knew everything about that woman. And then, I met Debs."

"The woman in the kitchen?" Natalie asked quietly. She had a suspicion as to who "Debs" really was, but didn't want to overplay her hand- she wanted to hear it from him. Robert nodded.

"She was a dental hygienist at the dentist's office I used to go to. She was always so nice and polite, and intriguing. I just wanted to know more about this woman, and so...we started dating . On the sly." Natalie nodded to herself. Debs- Debra. This was the woman who had "gone missing".

"Even though you were still married at the time," Sam said, trying to keep the disgust out of his voice.

"We tried to keep it a secret. I was going to divorce Susan, buy a house away from Jackson County, and Debs and I would start our new life together. Trouble was, I didn't have any money saved up, and I just wanted to get away from Susan so badly at that point, that I..." Robert's voice dropped off, and stopped.

"That you...?" Sam continued, urging Robert to go on.

"This is going to sound nuts," he said baldly.

"Trust me, we've heard worse," Dean said with a smirk. Robert gulped.

"There was this girl. A young girl- dark hair, blue eyes. I met her at work. I'm a...well, I used to be a clerk at a hardware store. She came in, looking for weed eater, and for some reason, we started talking. I found myself telling her things that I wouldn't admit to anyone. And she just...listened. And then..." he broke off suddenly again, looking behind him, making sure Debs wasn't coming. "And then, she asked me if there was a way for me to get everything I ever wanted, instantly, would I take it?"

"What did you tell her?" Sam asked. Robert looked at Sam like he had two heads.

"Of course I said yes! Wouldn't you?" he asked, exasperated. Sam cleared his throat, embarrassed. Dean just rolled his eyes, but Natalie was still listening, intently.

"I might say yes," she murmured quietly. Before he could school his own features, Dean's eyes swung to her, disbelieving, but she wasn't deterred. She sat forward. "So what happened after you said yes, Mr. Ives?" she asked quietly.

"She...she pulled an apple from her purse."

"An apple?" Dean said, with a disgruntled look on his face. Robert nodded.

"She gave it to me, and told me, if I took a bite, that everything would become clear. That I would get everything I ever wanted."

"And you believed her?" Sam asked.

Robert nodded. "It all seems silly now, but at the time, all I had been thinking about was how to get the life I wanted...how to be with Debbie and start over new. To rediscover love, to find a new reason to get up in the morning."

"So after you bit the apple, what happened?"

"It was like I suddenly knew what to do. Like the clouds parted and showed me the way. I went immediately to my bank and met with Mr. Dutcher to get a loan for a house. I knew that he would keep it quiet, since Susan and I weren't divorced yet."

"So he put the loan under a false name for you," Natalie offered.

Robert nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on her. "We were able to buy this house, and she and I moved in here. She kept her job at the dentist's office, and we bounced back and forth between our other homes back in Jackson County and this one. It was all going great, for a while."

Natalie nodded. It always went great-for a while. "Then what happened?" she nudged gently.

"It all seemed to go wrong. We were having trouble coming up with the payments- trying to still support other houses, me with Susan, her in an apartment, and we just couldn't make ends meet. Dutcher started threatening to expose us. He was calling me all the time, emailing me constantly, saying he was going to blow our secret if we didn't pay up. Susan got suspicious with the constant phone calls, and she started questioning me too. I think she suspected about Debs, but I'm not sure. It just kept escalating, like a snowball rolling down a mountain, you know?"

"So you did kill them," Sam said quietly, flipping the good cop role on its head. Robert, once again, violently shook his head.

"NO! I was with Debra when they all...I mean, when they..."

"Dropped dead?" Dean offered woodenly. Robert nodded shakily, then inhaled deeply.

"But...the girl. The girl I met in the hardware store? She...showed up again. I was walking in this park in town, it's about 10 minutes from the main part of town, large soccer field where the kids play. I like to walk out there to think, you know? Anyways, I was walking one day, trying to figure this entire mess out, and suddenly, that girl was there again too. Just appeared out of thin air. I freaked out on her. I started yelling at her, saying all kinds of crazy things, you know, like about that apple and what had she done and everything. And then...she pulled out another apple."

"Another one?" Sam asked, surprised.

Robert hung his head. "Yes. She said if I wanted to truly be free, to have everything, all I needed was to take another bite. Since it had worked the first time, I was desperate. I bit that apple without another thought."

"But it didn't work the first time," Natalie said, growing angry. "All it did was create more problems for you in the long run."

Robert held up his hands, as if in defense of himself. "It did work! For a little while! You don't understand. When everything was weighing so heavily on me, all I wanted was a brief respite. I just needed a moment to breathe, and I was desperate enough to try another bite, even if it just gave me a moment." Robert stopped, and ran a shaking hand over his face. "I bit that damn apple, and she just...disappeared."

"Like, just vanished?" Sam asked.

"Yes. I went home to Debs, but I didn't tell her about the girl- it would just scare her, you know? And the next thing I knew, I got the call that Susan was...dead." At the admission of it all, Robert seemed to deflate. He slumped back into his recliner, his eyes glazed over.

"This girl- what was she like?" Dean pressed, not caring that Robert was having some sort of emotional breakdown. Robert blinked a few times, trying to clear his thoughts.

"She, um...she was taller, dark hair, blue eyes..."

"Blue? You sure they weren't red or black?"

Robert looked up, startled. "No. No, they were definitely blue. What do you mean, red eyes?"

"Not important," Sam said dismissively. "Tell me- were there any characteristics about her that you found odd?"

"Such as?"

"Did you notice any peculiar smells? Maybe like rotten eggs or anything?"

"No, I can't say that I did."

"How about cold spots? Did being around her give you goose bumps or anything?" Natalie jumped in. Robert just shook his head "no".

"Alright then, Mr. Ives. Thank you for your time," Sam said, standing up. Dean and Natalie followed his lead. Together, they made their way towards the front door, leaving a sad, pathetic man crumpled in his recliner, his eyes glazed over.

*SPN SPN SPN*

As they climbed into the Impala, Natalie's brain was whirling a mile a minute. She wanted to be wrong. She prayed she was wrong. But she knew she wasn't wrong.

Dean gunned the motor, and before he could say anything, she spoke up. "I know where that field is that Ives was talking about. When we get back to the main part of town, I'll give you directions," she said quietly. Sam and Dean exchange a surprised look, before turning in their seats to look at her.

"You know what this thing is?" Sam asked. Dean's eyes were intently watching Natalie's face. She seemed to be struggling with some internal demon as she answered.

"I think so."

"What is it, then?" Dean asked gruffly.

"You remember the Garden of Eden? The serpent appeared to Eve and tempted her with the Forbidden Fruit?"

"You think the girl is actually the serpent?" Sam said. Natalie turned her head to look out the window, no longer able to make eye contact with either one of them.

"I think whatever it is that's tempting people is some sort of shape shifter," she said quietly. "It takes the form of whatever you'd be the most tempted by. That's why it appeared to Ives as a pretty girl. And to Eve, it was a serpent."

"Hold on- I thought you said that the forbidden fruit was, like, figs or some crap like that," Dean said, not taking his eyes off his daughter.

Natalie shrugged limply. "When in Rome..."

Dean looked at Sam for translation on what that meant, but Sam already knew. She was saying that just as the story had been changed, this creature probably changed too. But before either could offer any other solutions, Natalie spoke again.

"I'm willing to bet we'll find the creature or the tree in that field. We should head over there," she said, her voice dropping lower and lower as she continued to look out of the window. Without any further discussion, Dean pulled out of the driveway, and took a left at the stop sign. Sam picked the conversation back up.

"Okay, so we know how Mrs. Ives and Mr. Dutcher were involved. But what about the young girl? Um...Kaylee? How did she wind up in this mess?"

"Remember that the dentist said that Kaylee and Debra were close? I'm willing to bet that Kaylee knew about the whole situation, and could have blown the lovebirds' cover at any given moment. So the serpent or whatever it is off'd her too," Dean said, the final pieces of the puzzle clicking into place. They continued down the road in silence. After a few minutes, Dean finally turned his head towards Sam.

"So. The Garden of Eden is in Jackson County, Missouri. Who knew?"

*SPN SPN SPN*

They pulled into the park, right to the edge of the field, exactly where the Impala had been the night before. Natalie quickly climbed out of the car, and stared at it for a moment, before shaking herself and stalking into the field. Both Sam and Dean once again exchanged incredulous looks.

"What is going on with her?" Sam hissed at his brother. Dean just shook his head- damned if he knew. They quickly followed Natalie, whose gaze was fixed in the distance. Dean followed her look, and saw what she was zeroing in on. A large, twisting tree was looming in the middle of the field. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was turning from a gentle orange into a dusty blue. All in all, it was a lovely picture, despite the fact that the fruit that this tree was producing was allegedly killing people. They got closer and closer, until they were right at the base of the tree. The twisting branches looped in and around one another, but Natalie could still see it, clear as day. One large, shiny, red apple was dangling from a branch about midway up. She turned away from the tree, looking at her father.

"One apple. Right up there. It seems like the tree or the serpent or whatever has another victim in mind."

"I wouldn't use the word 'victim'."

Natalie closed her eyes, but she could still hear Sam's gasp. It seems that her prayers had gone unanswered. She turned, and looked at Will, straight in the face.

"I didn't want to believe it was you," she said, despair creeping into her voice. Will smiled gently. The tree was gone, and he was standing exactly where it had been a moment ago.

"So you can shift between male, female, and a tree," Dean said sarcastically. "Wow. Great party trick, dude."

Will laughed, and took a step in towards Natalie. "Why, thank you. It's come in handy quite a few times."

"Awesome. Good for you. Now get away from my daughter, you jackass."

Will tsk'd at Dean. "There is no need to be afraid. I'm not going to hurt Natalie." His deep blue eyes fixated on her green ones. "That's the last thing I want to do."

"Well, I'm sure the last thing that Susan Ives, or Kaylee Costa, or Dutcher wanted to do was die," Sam spat at the young man. "Get away from her." Will rolled his eyes.

"Those people were standing in the way of Robert's happiness. All I did was let him make the choice. I let people choose what they want to know. That's what I do."

"Yeah? Well, what WE do is send creatures like you back to hell where you belong," Dean snarled. At those words, Natalie's face went pale. Will contorted with laughter.

"You think you're going to best me? When all I do is offer knowledge? Offer people what they want the most?" He turned back to Natalie. "Boy, do I have an offer for you."

"Like hell you do!" Dean yelled, and began charging Will. Will looked supremely unconcerned. Right as Dean was about to wrap his hands around Will's throat, Will snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, Natalie found herself in a pool of stars. There was no ground, even though she could feel solidity under her feet. There was no field, there was no tree, and there were no other Winchesters either. She looked around frantically, but all she saw were stars against a deep, dark sky. And Will.

He walked slowly towards her. She stood her ground (metaphorically), but couldn't quite erase the panic from her face at suddenly being transported to god knows where.

"Sshh, sshh," Will whispered soothingly. He stretched out his hands towards her, but she took a step back.

"Where is my family? What did you do to them?" she growled, half angry, half fearful. Will just smiled at her, and took another step closer, reaching to touch her face. When she jerked away again, he dropped his hands with a sigh.

"They're fine. They're back on earth. When they wake up, they won't be hurt at all."

"Hold the phone," Natalie hissed. "They're on EARTH? Then where the hell are we?"

Will chuckled lightly. Natalie wished the sound didn't still make her heart twitch. "We're somewhere- else. Somewhere that I've longed to show someone special. And Natalie- that someone is you."

"Wow. Taken to an astral plane. You really know how to show a girl a good time."

Will turned a wicked grin on her. "Yes, I do, don't I?" Natalie blushed to the very roots of her hair. She hoped against hope that he couldn't see due to the darkness and the stars, but she knew it was pointless. She could see him perfectly fine, and she wasn't even a supernatural creature like he was.

"So what do you want with me?" Natalie said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. In her line of work, she had been captured, tortured, held hostage, tied up- but nothing compared to being confronted by a man that she was falling for. She desperately tried to rein her feelings in, just like Dean had taught her to. Will smiled, and spread his arms wide.

"I want to give you everything you've ever wanted."

Natalie shook her head, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You want to...what?"

"Natalie, I've been around since the dawn of time. I've seen things that you could only imagine. I've met people that you've only read about. I've done things...that would blow your mind. And I have to tell you- I've never met anyone like you." Natalie's jaw dropped- she certainly wasn't expecting that. Trash talk, bribery, blackmail- but not a declaration of...she couldn't even think it. As she struggled to grasp his words,Will continued on.

"Your true and pure heart- your beauty- and the power that you could hold...you are a rare specimen of humanity, indeed."

Natalie's brain tried to keep up, but all she could stammer out was- "What do you mean, the power I could hold?"

Will froze in his tracks. A bewildered look crossed his face. "You really have no idea, do you." It wasn't a question.

"No idea about what?" she asked, getting pissed at all of this run around talking.

"No matter. It's inconsequential," he said, before turning and walking away. "I've seen your soul. You have one of the purest raison d'ĂȘtres I have ever seen."

"Raisin...what now?" she spat, fed up at his riddles.

Will snorted a laugh. "And you're funny too. Raison d'ĂȘtre. It means "reason for being". The thing that drives you. Some people call it life goals, others, their "calling". But whatever you want to call it, yours is remarkable." Will turned back to her, the full force of his gorgeous blue eyes boring into hers. "You want to help everyone. To make the world a better place. To save people."

"Yeah- from things like you," she shot at him. Will stilled for a moment.

"Oh, now, you don't mean that," he said, a gentle drawl in his voice.

"Really?" she spat. "Susan Ives, Kaylee Costa, Dutcher- the bank guy? I'd say they needed saving."

Will sighed heavily. "Knowledge is a powerful thing, Natalie. I simply gave Robert the opportunity to know things. That's what I do. You see, when God created me, He did me a disservice. I was a thing of beauty to be looked at, but, according to Him, never touched. A supreme power source to never be wielded. Temptation. I was the foil to see how much His children loved Him."

"And you caused the downfall of man. You got Adam and Eve kicked out of the Garden of Eden."

"I helped them see their potential. God wanted to keep them locked in their little garden, prancing away the days, never seeing the rest of the world. He wanted to keep me at a distance. To never be loved, or admired. Can you imagine what that's like? Being a shiny bauble that is only to be looked at from a distance, when I am capable of so much more? To be kept from love, and admiration? And I deserve both."

"You bring death."

Will paused, and looked away from her into the abyss. "Sometimes. Sometimes, knowledge can bring death. But I can also bring more than you've ever thought of. Everything you ever-"

"How do you know what I want? Huh?" she said, turning on him. "What the hell gives you the right to say that you know what I think about? What I dream about?"

Will slowly walked towards her. "Because your soul showed me. You don't think about having a normal life- you think about having a safe life. You are terrified that your father or your uncle are going to get killed in their line of work." He slowly began circling behind her- she was frozen to the spot, his voice echoing all the forbidden thoughts she'd had about being a hunter. All the thoughts that she'd never told anyone about were being laid our bare on the table. "And the fear isn't unfounded. What they do- what you all do- it's dangerous stuff. And yet, you keep doing it. Because, deep down, you know that THAT is what you are here to do." Will stopped directly behind her, leaned forward, and whispered in her ear. "But what if there was a way to keep you safe? To give you what you want? Everything you've ever wanted?" Will gently put his hands on the tops of her arms. As much as she didn't want to, she melted at his touch. He began slowly running his hands over her shoulders, down her arms, and back up again. "Think about it," he whispered gently. "You could be safe. Your father could be safe. Your uncle could be safe."

"And all the people that we save? What happens to them?" she asked, breathless, trying to keep her heart from overpowering her head, but his touch was too much. She was still falling, she could feel it. Her head leaned back, helpless, against his chest.

"Let someone else save them. Haven't you done enough?" he said, then slowly kissed the side of her face before moving to her other ear.

"Someone...still needs to save them..." she said haltingly. She didn't know how much more of this she could take before she spontaneously combusted.

"That someone doesn't have to be you. I can promise you- your family will be safe. You will be safe. You will have a home. A real job. Money forever. The power of knowing all the good you've done in the world."

"All the trappings of the world- they don't make for a good life."

"But they're beautiful, aren't they?" His voice in her ear was like satin. "All the luxury. The deep, penetrating smell of a rose. The rich, blissful taste of a piece chocolate. And all the wonder of a pair of big, blue eyes." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her back into his chest. "No more Miss Nice Guy. Those people wouldn't be your responsibility any more. And you would get to have me...forever." At that, Natalie turned in Will's arms and looked at him, her face full of shock- and longing. He nodded slowly, looking directly into her eyes, smiling at her. "Yes. I'd stay with you. I meant what I said. I've never met anyone like you. You intrigue me."

The confession hung in the air between them. There were a thousand things she wanted to say, and yet, none of them seemed right. After an eternity, she spoke. "You...intrigue me too," she admitted in a hushed voice.

He smiled wider, victorious at her admission. "So what do you say?" Will stepped back from her. He twisted his palm, and a shiny, red apple appeared in it. Natalie's eyes zeroed in on the Forbidden Fruit. In his hand was everything she ever wanted. All she had to do was take a bite.

"The choice is yours," he said, watching her wrestle with her decision.

"My father and uncle would be safe? Forever?"

"As would you."

"And all the people we help?"

At that, Will seemed to grow impatient. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to take control of the rest of your life. To have the knowledge of how to be in control for the rest of your life." He stepped in closer to her. This time, she didn't back away. He held the apple right in front of her face. "Don't you want to know?"

Natalie swallowed hard. Everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours- everything she'd ever learned in a lifetime as a hunter- everything that she'd been thinking about in her deepest, darkest secret thoughts- here was the chance to put it all to rest. She looked at the apple, then she looked at Will. He could see in her eyes- she had made her choice. He smirked, and turned away, making sure to keep the apple in his palm, extended to the side of him, so Natalie never lost sight of it.

"You have no idea the amazing life you are going to have. You are going to have everything you ever-"

His words were cut short by a gunshot. The apple that had been sitting in his palm exploded. He whipped around to find Natalie, her own arm extended towards him, the silver .45 in her hand. The barrel was still smoking. She slowly lowered the gun without a word.

Will looked, stunned, at his now empty hand. His horrified gaze swung to Natalie, who hadn't moved since lowering the gun. Will's face contorted in pain. He let out a silent scream as his body seemed to stretch and lengthen. His limbs began to twist into impossible shapes and angles, before turning a rotting wood brown. His body began spouting bark and branches. Natalie watched, emotionless, as his face seemed to close in on itself, turning back into a knot in the tree. The last thing she saw of his face were his deep, blue eyes.

*SPN SPN SPN*

Dean suddenly awoke, and was surprised to find himself sprawled out on the hard ground. He didn't remember falling, or even getting hit. He remembered charging that little shit that had made Natalie an offer. Natalie.

He stood up in a rush, his eyes wildly scanning the surrounding areas for his little girl. He didn't have to look far. And what he saw made him stop in his tracks.

The tree that had been growing in the middle of the field was going up in flames. Every twisted branch, every dry leaf, was a bright, burning orange. And he saw Natalie's silhouette, standing in front of it, watching, absentmindedly flicking the lighter in her hand.

*SPN SPN SPN*

The next day, the three Winchesters were back on the road. At least it wasn't raining this time. But that didn't mean that Dean wasn't worried. His eyes kept constantly flicking between the road and his daughter in the backseat. She had been staring out of the window the entire time, barely saying anything since last night. The car ride had been mostly silent. Sam had felt the tension too, and was keeping quiet. Dean had put on the radio, just to break the deafening silence. They finally pulled into a gas station.

"I'm going to grab us some snacks- you guys want anything?" Sam said, jumping out of the car.

"Naw, I'm good," Dean said, then his eyes sought Natalie's again. She didn't turn to look at Sam, but she did speak.

"No, thank you," she said quietly. Sam just nodded, exchanged another worried look with Dean, and left. Dean couldn't take it anymore. He twisted in the seat, and put one arm up on the back.

"Hey. What's going on?" he said gruffly. Natalie didn't respond or even move. It was like she hadn't heard him. Which made him all the more agitated.

"Natalie. Talk to me," he said, almost pleading. At the tone in his voice, Natalie finally turned her face to him. To his immense surprise, she was smiling. His eyes grew wide.

'You're smiling," he said, not quite believing what he was seeing. She chuckled gently, low in her throat.

"Yeah, I'm smiling," she acknowledged.

"So...are you...does that...what?" Dean stammered out, at a complete loss for what was going on.

"Let's just say that I know things now. And I know which direction I'm supposed to go. And I finally know that answer to what's been bothering me for the longest time."

"And that is?"

"That's I'm doing the right thing. And that feels awesome. I'm tired of being scared to smile. I can still be happy, and still do what I was meant to do. One doesn't mean that I have to give up the other one."

Dean just stared. He knew his kid was smart, but this- this was beyond her years. "And how did you learn all this?"

She giggled. "It wasn't from an apple, I can tell you that."

Relieved at the tension breaking moment, Dean threw her his sarcastic grin. "See? Fruit only brings bad things. I've told you this for years."

Natalie laughed. The joke wasn't even that funny, but the relief that she felt, and the threshold she had crossed- she felt like a new person. And she was ready to keep going. She would never hide her smile again. And she would keep her family safe. She would save people. She would hunt things. And she would be happy.