Dean woke up before Sam the next day, already in a bad mood, for which he felt justified. His brother had started the apocalypse.

After a shower, but before he opened a beer, he realized that Chrys wasn't in the room. Well, she didn't go far.

He grabbed his jacket and the room key and stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind him. He looked around the parking lot and didn't see her. Scowling, he walked around the building, and found her leaning against the wall on the other side.

He backed up quickly, before she saw him, and took his time looking at her. She had her back against the wall, one leg cocked and her foot against the wall. Her long skirt billowed around her, and her hair was spilling over her shoulder again. He couldn't figure out why she was there until her hand came to her mouth and he saw the cigarette in it.

Despite himself, Dean found that he was warming to Chrys. She didn't let him or Sam bully her, which he appreciated even as it irritated him. She was no-nonsense, and had a sharp mouth on her, but he was starting to begrudgingly be glad she was on their side. On Sammy's side, more specifically.

And it helped that she was hot, in a sort of, "I will rip your spine out through your mouth," kind of way. Dean generally preferred softer women, but he could appreciate Chrys's willowy frame, her flat stomach, and strong limbs.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he came and stood next to her, cocking an eyebrow. "Bad habit."

She exhaled away from him and gave him a small smile. "Filthy, really. Slowly killing me, I suspect." She punctuated her sarcasm with a deep drag.

He chuckled and leaned next to her, facing her. "How you doing, Chrysanthemum?"

She groaned and hit him on the shoulder. "I will stab you, Winchester. My parents were hardcore hippies, leave me alone."

He grinned at her, then sobered. "Seriously, kiddo, how you holding up?"

She was silent for a long time, smoking. Dean let her be. He knew what it was like to have your world turned around. It took time.

Finally, she spoke. "I don't know. I mean, I knew it was going to happen, I knew I'd be… Compelled to come to Sam. But I always knew who I was, what I was. I never even considered that Sam didn't. Demons have been talking to me since childhood."

She frowned. "And now I find out that Lucifer is protecting me, and by extension, you guys. So am I grateful? Irritated? Do I get to feel anything about it at all?"

"And on top of all of that, I find out that the man I love, in a perfect world, would love me back. Instead, we have to fight Lucifer, we'll probably both die, and we'll drag you down in the process." She ran a hand through her long hair, shaking it out at the ends. "So, in conclusion, I don't know what you guys have faced before, but you should know we're royally fucked. Lucifer is like nothing you've ever seen."

Dean's eyebrows had shot to his hairline at her confession, but he didn't mention it. She didn't seem to realize she'd told him that she was in love with Sam, and Dean was glad. He sensed that she would be upset, and for some reason, he didn't want that.

"Well, yeah, obviously," he said instead. "But as far as what we've faced, I have a very interesting book series for you…"


Sam was sitting at the small motel table, watching Chrys read "Supernatural" on the bed. She was intent, her eyes flicking back and forth quickly as she absorbed the last four years of his life.

She really was beautiful. Sam had had to fight down the spurt of jealousy in his heart when Dean and Chrys had come in together earlier, laughing like they were friends. Not that it made sense for him to be jealous of his brother's relationship with a woman they'd known for less than a week, but he was. She was his, dammit.

Knowing he was being unfair, Sam ran a hand through his hair. "Anything interesting?"

She looked up and he was surprised to see her eyes were a little wet. "All of it is interesting, Sam. The insight into the Winchesters is pretty fascinating." She chuckled. "It's nice to know that you guys don't know what you're doing any more than I do."

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

She sniffed and looked away. "Yeah, I'm fine, Sammy. It's just a lot to take in. You guys have been through a lot."

He shrugged. "Yeah, well, that's not even everything."

She nodded. "Chuck left out the parts about you drinking demon blood."

Sam blinked. "How do you know about that?"

"Dean told me."

Anger started to burn beneath Sam's skin. "Dean, huh? You two seem to be… Chatty."

She rolled her eyes and stood. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Don't tell me you're jealous."

He stared at her, a little surprised when she met his gaze evenly. He easy a big guy, he was used to people being intimidated by him, but Chrys never seemed to be. "Of course not."

She grinned. "Oh, my God, you are jealous. That's… Ridiculous, Sam. Obviously. What with the built in, 'I couldn't be with someone else if I tried' thing I've got going on."

Sam knew she was right. He didn't know what had come over him. He told himself to apologize for being an ass.

Instead, he stood and walked to her slowly, predatory, relishing in the widening of her eyes and the quickening of her breath. He came to stand close to her, deliberately towering over her, watching her stand perfectly still.

"Is it obvious, Chrys?" he asked softly, dangerously.

She looked up at him and nodded. "Yes."

"Show me."

She surprised him again by grabbing his collar and pulling him down to her mouth, kissing him roughly. It took a moment for his brain to catch up, but when it did, he took her face between his hands and took control. He tilted her head back further, nipping at her bottom lip, absorbing the pretty sounds she was making.

He slid his hands down to her hips, then lifted her and tossed her down onto the bed, grinning at her squeal. He quickly covered her body with his, laying sloppy kisses on her chest and neck until he was at her mouth again.

She was moaning underneath him, her fingers tunneling through his hair to hold him close, fighting him. He growled and bit her lip harder to show his displeasure. She whimpered into his mouth, but didn't take her hands from him, just tightened her grip and fought harder.

He ground his hips into hers, moaning in appreciation when her legs fell open wider and she brought her knees up around his hips. He ran a hand down and palmed her breast, giving another moan when he realized she wasn't wearing a bra. He let go of her mouth to go down and take her nipple between his teeth through her shirt, tugging gently.

Her back arched hard. "Sam, oh, God-"

He growled again, possessiveness and satisfaction thrumming through him. This was what he had wanted, her moving beneath him, calling out his name.

He kissed his way back up to her face and kissed her deeply, sweeping his tongue into her mouth. He pulled away and leaned down to whisper in her ear as he ground himself against her. "Do you want me, Chrys?"

She moved to press against him, and he almost gave her a moan when he felt her heat pressing into the hard length of him. "Yes, oh, God, yes," she panted.

He took the lobe of her ear into his teeth and tugged. "Say it, Chrys, tell me you want me."

She looked into his eyes, and Sam felt himself drowning in the lust blown blue that was there. Her teeth were digging into her bottom lip, and her hair was wild, spread around them on the bed. All other noise faded into the background as she opened her mouth.

"I want you, Sam."

"And now I'm scarred forever," Dean said from behind them.

Chrys gasped, then buried her face in Sam's chest, laughing softly. "That's what you get for not knocking, Dean," she said, her lilting voice muffled against Sam.

Sam propped himself up on his elbow and rolled to his side, pulling Chrys with him. She stayed hidden, still chuckling, and Sam looked at his brother.

Dean looked disgusted. "I'm never going to recover."

Sam rolled his eyes. "You're fine, Dean."

Dean turned away, shooting a look at Sam. "Get dressed, kids, we're going out."


"Dean, I just don't know if this is a great idea. We should be tracking down Lucifer, not-"

Chrys's hand on his arm stopped Sam's thought. He looked down at her, his lips automatically tugging up into a smile when he saw her doing the same. "Sam," she said softly. "You guys need to unwind."

He examined her eyes. "What about you?"

She looked away. "I'm always unwound."

They were in a little dive bar. There were only a few tables and a few barstools. A tiny stage graced one corner, and the rest of the floor was open for dancing. Sam watched as a few couples ground on one another.

Chrys smiled. "I love this song."

Sam listened, but didn't recognize it. Dean rolled his eyes. "Come on, lovebirds, I need a drink."


Dean and Sam were sitting at the bar, and Chrys was standing between them. She was facing the corwd, her elbows placed on the bar, and she was watching the people when someone cried out.

Sam tensed, and then realized the emotion in the high-pitched squealing: Joy.

"Chrysanthemum Summers, as I live and breathe!" A small woman with short hair ran at Chrys, who laughed and hugged her.

"Serene! Oh, my God, how are you? How are you here?"

Serene stepped back and looked Chrys up and down. "We're the band tonight. You look good, Chrys." Sam frowned at the undertone in the statement, like the woman had expected something to be wrong with Chrys.

Chrys smiled. "I am good, Serene. How are you? Where's Kevin? And Tom?"

Serene's face fell. "Oh, God, Chrys, I'm so sorry."

Sam watched his soulmate's shoulders droop. "Tom?"

Serene nodded. "A few months ago. He, uh, he OD'd, Chrys."

Sam stood and came to wrap an arm around Chrys, without quite realizing what he was doing. When he felt her shoulders start to shake, he pulled her into him. "Hey, come here," he said softly.

She looked up at him, tears brimming in her pretty eyes. "Sorry, Sammy, um, Tom was kind of an old flame. From my days, um, before you," she said evasively. Sam frowned, but relaxed a little when she wrapped an arm around his waist.

Serene nodded, then took Chrys's hand. "But Kev is here. Please come say hi to Kev? Please? He's been impossible without you."

Chrys gave a wet chuckle. "He was impossible with me, too."


"So, Sam, how did you meet Chrys?"

Chrys's little tribe was not what Sam had expected. They were friendly, warm people, who accepted his presence without question. They also accepted the bond between he and Chrys, although neither of them would say they were together. Sam didn't know what they were, so the lack of pressure to define their status worked for him.

"Well, she punched me in the face, and then it… It was like it was meant to be." He finished vaguely.

Kevin laughed and nodded. He was tall, almost as tall as Sam, with sandy blonde hair and friendly brown eyes. He was rail thin, wearing ratty t-shirt and jeans, and a stocking cap on his head. "Yeah, that sounds like Chrys, all right."

"So, uh, how do you know her?"

Kevin looked at Sam closely for a second. Sam looked back. Kevin seemed to come to a decision. "How much do you actually know about Chrys, Sam?"

"Why don't you tell me what I need to know?"

Kevin sat back in the booth they were sitting at, cradling his beer. "Chrys is… Chrys is the best, Sam. She's been through some terrible shit. Some terrible fucking shit. And she came out on the other side. She's hard on the outside, but she's a big ol' softy on the out."

Sam examined the other man. "What shit?"

Kevin shook his head. "Not my story, friend. Not my story to tell." He looked at Sam solemnly for a minute. "But I can tell you this. Chrys saved a few lives, and she sure as hell saved mine. If you let her, she'll save you, too. Be mean as hell about it, but she'll save you."

Sam looked down. "Not sure I deserve to be saved."

"Doesn't matter, friend. Chrys'll save you anyway."


"So why are you guys here?" Chrys asked Serene, mindlessly enjoying Sam's warmth next to her in the booth they had snagged.

Serene shrugged. "We're kind of on the road. Got a few gigs, travel around. The life."

Chrys looked at her sharply. Serene had fought her hard when it came to recovery. "The life, or the life?"

Serene smiled. "Hush, mother hen. Just the band life, nothing else. The strongest thing I ingest these days is coffee."

Chrys smiled. "Good."

Kevin looked at Chrys fondly. "We miss you, Summers."

Chrys stiffened. She had known leaving a note in the middle of the night was a bullshit way to leave. She still felt guilty about it. But she had started to fall in love with the little family they'd created. She'd started to love taking care of them, proud of their recovery and hers. Once she'd realized that, she knew she was in trouble. So she'd gotten out.

"It was time to move on, Kevin," she said softly, looking away. Sam seemed to sense her distress, because he casually lay an arm around her shoulders.

Kevin snorted. "After a year?"

"Kevin," Serene said sharply. "Stop it, this isn't helping." Chrys met Serene's eyes. Serene smiled. "What have you been up to, baby?"

Chrys smiled. "Little of this, little of that. Bartended, waited on tables. Became a citizen of the Earth." She smiled and turned to Sam, begging him with her eyes to go along with it. "Until I met Sammy, here, and then that was that."

Serene smiled. "That's beautiful. What do you guys do now?"

Chrys didn't even have time to panic when Sam answered smoothly. "Pest control."


Sam watched Chrys light up a cigarette, refraining from commenting on the habit. Talking to Kevin and Serene had shaken her. He would bitch about it another time.

He saw goosebumps rising on her arms. He didn't realize he'd taken his coat off until he was draping it around her shoulders. This soulmate thing was weird.

She smiled at him, surprised. "Thanks, Sammy."

He leaned against the wall next to her. "How did you meet Kevin and Serene?"

She was quiet for a long time. "That's getting into some pretty heavy shit, Sam, some 'deepest darkest secrets' shit. We've only known each other a week, you sure you're up for that?

He shrugged. "I single-handedly set Lucifer free. How bad could it be?"

She frowned at him. "You were tricked, Sam. You didn't do it on purpose, and it certainly wasn't 'single-handed.'"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Don't change the subject."

She smiled, then looked away from him. "My parents died when I was nineteen. We weren't close, they didn't understand. They thought I was being dramatic when I called myself Lucifer's bride." She smiled coldly. "But as much as they didn't get me, they tried. And they were the only things keeping me together."

"After they died, I was… I was just in so much pain. I hated myself. I kept thinking, 'what kind of person do you have to be for Lucifer himself to choose you?' I couldn't handle it. So I started to look for ways to numb the pain."

She lifted the arm not holding the cigarette and pushed the sleeve of Sam's coat up to reveal the crook of her elbow. Sam bent close and saw tiny white scars peppering the crease. "Drugs."

She nodded, still avoiding his gaze. Sam frowned, surprised at how much he didn't like her not looking at him. "Anything I could get my hands on. I wasn't picky, and I got myself hospitalized a few times. God, I just wanted to die, but I was so afraid that if I died it would just… Jump-start being the bride of the devil."

"I finally realized that no one was going to come save me. I had to save myself. So I decided to get clean. I was staying with Kevin, Serene, and Tom at the time, and when I got home from that last hospital visit, I realized that they were in trouble, too."

She chuckled dryly. "So I started dragging them to NA meetings. They hated it, and Serene actually physically fought me once, but once they were there, they started to get it. They didn't quit for me, I didn't make them quit. You can't quit for anyone but yourself, everything else will fall through. So I sat with them through meetings, we held each other through withdrawals, and we finally started getting our shit together."

She looked up at him, finally, and he hated the tears he saw there. He immediately stepped close and wrapped his arms around her. She sniffed, burying her face into his chest. "I just, I realized one morning that I was happy, that I loved these people. But I didn't get to have a life, or friends, because someday, I would be called to you, and I would have to leave. It would have killed them. So I left before it would get worse. It sucked, but by that point, I was ready to try to find a way to break the bond with Lucifer, and it was for the best."

Sam rested his chin on top of her head. "You can have friends, Chrys. You don't have to be alone."

"I'm not anymore. I've got you and Dean, whether you like it or not."


That night, Chrys lay awake on the floor, turned away from the beds. Her thoughts were still racing. It had been wonderful to see Serene and Kevin, but Tom's death hurt, especially since it was an OD.

"Chrys."

"Sam," she said back, not turning around.

He sighed, and she rolled her eyes. Nobody ever talks about what drama queens the Winchesters are.

"Chrys, are we going to do this every night?"

She rolled over and looked at him. "Sam, I slept just fine for over two decades without you. I do not need you to sleep. I'm just wired."

He propped himself on his elbow, looking down at her. "What if it's not your sleep I'm worried about?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Willing to admit that you need me, Winchester?"

He chuckled. "Come on, Chrys, just come here, please?"

She sighed and stood, dimly grateful that he hadn't ordered her to. She slipped between the blankets next to him, resisting the urge to cuddle with him. "Better?"

Her resistance was useless, because he immediately pulled her toward him, her chest pressed to his. She nestled her head under his chin, hesitantly draping her arm around his waist. He was so freaking warm.

"So, uh, who's Tom?" he asked, trying for casual and failing miserably.

She stiffened and tried to pull away, but his arms were like steel around her. "Come on, Chrys, I don't want to upset you, I'm just curious."

She leaned back a little and looked up at him. "Why?"

He looked down at her, and she saw confusion in his brown eyes. "I honestly have no idea."

She examined him for a minute. This soulmate thing was weird, if it was making him jealous of someone who was dead. "Tom and I were kind of together for a while, before I got clean." She smiled, remembering Tom's sweet smile and soft touch. "He was very kind, he had a very gentle nature. I… I loved him as much as I could. But I was so wrapped up in my own pain, I couldn't even begin to think about really being with someone. He was the same way. We just weathered the storm together."

Sam looked down at her, and Chrys became really aware of how close their faces were for the first time. She felt a blush rising on her cheeks. "What was he like?" he asked softly.

She smiled. "He was wonderful. He had this way of keeping people up when they wanted to be down. He was the first person ever to tell me I was pretty," she whispered, lost in memories.

Sam scoffed. "Come on, Chrys, you know you're beautiful."

Her world came to a halt. Her eyes widened, and she felt her heartbeat start to race. "You… You think I'm beautiful."

The look in his eyes took her breath away. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Since the moment I met you."


**This was a long one. Mostly character development.
**Feedback gives me the warm fuzzies and keeps me going.