Sam woke up slowly, with late morning sunlight spilling through the curtains and Chrys next to him, her head resting on his chest. A sort of peace settled over him, and he curled his arm around to hold her.

She hummed softly and lifted her head to look at him. "Hey, you."

He smiled. "Hey, yourself." He hauled her up to rest on his chest, her face level with his, so he could card his fingers through her hair and pull her close to kiss her.

She kissed back eagerly, one hand on the side of his face. He moved the hand not in her hair down to her waist, smiling against her mouth when she shuddered.

Before he could take it any further, a shrill cell phone rang. Chrys stiffened, and before he could process that they both kept their phones on vibrate, she was across the room, kneeling in front of her bag.

He took a moment to appreciate how she looked walking around naked before he noticed how tense she was when she answered. "This is Chrys."

He stood and approached her, crouching behind her and placing a hesitant hand on her back in comfort. He didn't even get a smile. Her face was pinched, and she hand a hand on her forehead. "How long, do you think?"

While she listened to the voice on the other end, Sam examined her closely. She was very tense, her eyes were closed, and her free hand was now playing with the ends of her hair nervously. Not to mention he'd never seen that cell phone in his life.

"Okay," she said softly, emotions making her voice quiver. "I'll do my best."

The voice continued, and Chrys took in a shaky breath. Unable to sit there doing nothing, Sam gently guided her to a standing position in front of him, then wrapped his arms around her. She lay her cheek against his chest and leaned into him. "Okay, I'll try."

She flipped the phone shut and buried her face in his chest, taking slow, deep breaths. He let her calm down before she looked up at him, trepidation on her face.

"I need a favor, Sammy."


Chrys was in the backseat, playing with her hair, her knee bouncing, and overall on edge.

Fuck.

The guys had agreed to go with her to Green Lake, even though it was a six and a half hour drive. There had been very little argument, which served to put her even more on edge. They must have been able to see how upset she was, which simultaneously soothed her and pissed her off.

Should have stayed in bed with Sam.

Even as she thought it, she knew it hadn't really been an option. She always picked up when they called, and she always went when they called. But the thought of being in bed with her lover was very, very tempting.

Fuck.


They pulled up to the motel that Chrys had picked out. It was a little nicer than the places they normally stayed, so she paid for the room herself. The boys hadn't wanted to come here, she didn't want to make them fork over more than they were used to.

They walked into the room, and Dean grinned. "Nice digs."

She gave him a tight smile and tossed her stuff on the couch. "All right, I'm headed out. I should only be a couple of hours, so… Do whatever you guys usually do to entertain yourselves."

Sam frowned. "You don't want us to come?"

She smiled again. "Nope. I got this, Sammy. Just chill out here."

She turned and rifled through her bag, pulling out her ID and her phone. She turned around to both brothers staring at her. She blinked. "What?"

Sam cocked an eyebrow. "We're coming with you."

She frowned. "You're really not."

Sam crossed his arms. "Why not?"

"Because it's personal, Sam, and you don't need to know."

Now Dean was frowning at her, too. "Chrys, if something is wrong-"

She rolled her eyes. "Quit with the hero complex, guys. Nothing is wrong. I just have something I have to do. It'lll probably only take a couple of hours, and at the most we'll be here until tomorrow afternoon. We can continue the hunt then."

"Chrys," Sam began, "This isn't about the hunt. It's about-"

They were interrupted by the loud ringing of her second cell phone. She turned away and flipped it open without meeting either of the Winchesters' eyes. "This is Chrys."

"Ms. Summers, are you on your way? She's starting to slip."

The tension headache that had been threatening bloomed in her forehead. She pressed her hand to the spot hard and shut her eyes. "Yes, I'll be there soon."

The gratitude in the woman's voice was palpable. "We'll see you then, Ms. Summers."

Chrys flipped the phone shut and sighed. She turned back to the brothers. "All right, I'm leaving. You're staying here. No arguments."

She grabbed Sam's coat and walked out the door without another word.


Sam watched the door close behind Chrys with a frown, suspicion and worry clouding his heart. He looked over at Dean. "Few minutes head start?"

Dean nodded. "She's a smart lady, give her at least five."

They waited, then left the motel room to find out where Chrys was.

Unfortunately, they found her leaning against the Impala, smoking a cigarette with an eyebrow cocked. "Winchesters."

Dean didn't bat an eye. "Chrys, weren't you leaving? We were just going to-"

She rolled her eyes and tossed her cigarette into the parking lot. "Mhm, y'all are smooth like gravel." She levelled a finger at Sam. "Stay here. This has nothing to do with you."

Irritated, he approached her until they were inches apart. "Chrys, what is going on that's so bad that you don't want me to know about it?"

Something flashed in her eyes. "You don't get to know, Sam, sorry, not sorry."

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, resisting the urge to drop an order. "Chrys, please just talk to me. Whatever it is, maybe I can help."

She opened her mouth to argue, but Dean interrupted her. "Summers, we're just gonna follow you anyway. May as well lead the way."

She frowned, staring between them for a long time. Then she sighed, her shoulders drooping in a way that had Sam stepping forward and pulling her into him before he knew what he was doing.

She went willingly, then looked up at him. "All right, you guys asked for it." She looked between the brothers again. "Let's see how you boys deal with real baggage."


The Green Lake Psychiatric Hospital was the same as every other mental ward Sam had ever seen. Except this one, of course, was making his woman vibrate with nervous energy next to him.

As they walked in, Chrys put an easy, but very fake, smile on her face. "Hi, Nancy."

The receptionist looked up and smiled. "Chrys! How are you?"

"Feeling guilty, how are you?"

The other woman tsked. "Chrys, stop it."

Chrys just smiled and signed the visitor list, putting Sam and Dean's name, too. Sam noticed she used their real names. The need to know what was happening was driving him crazy.

Nancy smiled at Sam. "Family friends?"

He nodded. "Yeah, just here for Chrys."

"They're coming back with me, is that okay, Nancy?"

The receptionist nodded. "Yep! The more friendly faces she sees, the better."

Sam waited for Chrys to hand out the visitor's badges, then followed her as she walked through big automated door, which Nancy had to hit a switch to open. Chrys stopped and turned toward the brothers before they could go down the hallway, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, this is gonna come as a shock. So just… Shut up in there, okay? I'll do the talking, you guys just stand there and look good. They tell me we're at the tail end of it, so we probably won't be here long. Deal?"

Sam nodded, curiosity burning in his chest. What the fuck is going on? Dean nodded beside him.

She went to a door further down the hall and seemed to take a moment to steady herself. When he saw that she was shaking, Sam put a hand at the small of her back and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Hey, whatever's going on, we've got your back, okay?"

She smiled wanly up at him and nodded. "All right, let's do this."

She pushed the door open, and they followed her into a small hospital room with two people in it. One of them was a nurse, who looked up and smiled gratefully at them. "Chrys, it's good to see you again."

Chrys smiled and nodded. "You, too, Kelly."

"Chryssy?" The other woman in the room asked, looking up at them. Sam noticed her hair, which would be dark if it wasn't mostly gray, her bright blue eyes, and her thin frame. Shock and recognition ricocheted through him as Chrys knelt in front of the woman's chair and took her hand.

"Hi, Mama."


Chrys held her mother's hand, and as it always did, the flash of recognition in the older woman's blue eyes warmed her heart. "Mama, I'm here with some friends."

Grace Summers pulled Chrys's hand to her mouth and pressed her lips to it. "My pretty daughter, here to see me."

Chrys smiled, a familiar dull ache pressing on her chest. "I'm here, it's okay, Mama."

Grace nodded and patted Chrys's hand. "My pretty Chryssy. So troubled, but so lovely."

Chrys tried to catch her mother's eye. "Mama, I brought some friends of mine to meet you, is that okay?"

Grace's eyes suddenly settled on the Winchesters. "Oh, my." She looked down at Chrys, and it was like looking at her actual, sane mother again. "What have you gotten mixed up in, Chryssy, that you're surrounded by such beautiful, broken men?"

Chrys smiled at her mother's accurate description. "Saving the world, Mama, just like always."

Grace nodded and straightened in her chair. She looked at the brothers and waved one of her hands. "Well, come here, let me get a look at the puppies following my daughter around."

Chrys snickered and watched the boys come to stand in front of her mother. Dean put on a charming smile and shook Grace's hand. "Mrs. Summers, my name is Dean. It's nice to meet you."

Chrys was doubly amused to see her mother blush. "Oh, my," Grace said softly, "Aren't you a looker?"

Dean dimpled, and Grace continued. "But you're not the one my daughter is with, no? No, I think it's the taller one." Her gaze turned to Sam. "She always did want someone she had to look up at to kiss."

Chrys felt a blush rising on her own cheeks when Sam shot her a wink. And she felt a little warm and fuzzy on the inside when he actually knelt beside her, in front of her mother. "Mrs. Summers, I'm Sam Winchester. It's lovely to meet you, and it's easy to see why Chrys is so beautiful."

Chrys was irritated to feel another blush on her cheeks to match her mother's. Grace smiled. "A charmer, Chryssy, you've found yourself a charmer."

Chrys chuckled. "He's something anyway, Mama."

Sam shot her a wink, but Chrys was focused on Grace, who was outright staring at Sam now. She was quiet for a few moments, then, "He's a warrior, Chryssy," Grace said reverently.

Chrys smiled and smoothed her mother's hair away from her face. "Yes, he is." Sam put a hand on her back, and it made her warm again.

"But he has a darkness in him, Chryssy," Grace continued. "That's good, the darkness in him might speak to the darkness in you."

Chrys's face became impassive, and she gently pushed Sam away until he stood and took a step back, ignoring the confusion on his handsome face. Chrys rolled forward until she was on her knees in front of her mother. "It already does. I love you, Mama," she said, meeting her mother's blue eyes, hoping to convey comfort in the last lucid moment her mother was likely to have in a long time. It was always almost over when Grace mentioned the darkness in Chrys.

Her mother's eyes started flicking around the room. "Darkness, yes, so much darkness in you. And him. So many demons," she muttered.

Chrys put her hand on Grace's face. "Come on, Mama, come back to me."

Grace snapped her head back, away from Chrys. "Darkness everywhere."

Chrys flinched and moved to restrain her mother's hands gently, before they even started moving. She looked back at the brothers. "Go get a nurse," she said softly. Dean turned and left, and Sam took a hesitant step forward. "Do you need-"

"Is he a demon?" Grace asked, her head tilted to the side, her voice getting that mean little lilt to it that Chrys was so familiar with. "He's certainly not human, and I doubt that he's any good."

Sam's eyes widened, and Chrys's temper snapped at her. "Hey," she snapped, "Eyes on me, don't you talk to Sam."

Grace's eyes swivelled to her daughter, and Chrys just felt tired. "Come on, Mama, don't do this."

Grace's face twisted, and Chrys's heart dropped. "Of course you would defend him, you're barely human yourself."

Chrys just nodded, resigned. "That's right, Mama."

Grace seemed to look far away. "You're the reason your father is dead, you know."

"I know, Mama." Where the fuck is the nurse?

Grace started to struggle against Chrys's hold on her hands. "He died! Because of you! He died screaming your name!" she screeched.

Chrys held her mother down dispassionately, but she saw Sam flinch in the corner. "I know, Mama."

"If we had never had you, he'd been alive, and I wouldn't be in this fucking nuthouse!"

"I know, Mama, and I'm sorry," Chrys whispered, tears filling her eyes. "I'm so sorry." She normally didn't get emotional during her mother's violent episodes, but recent events had left her drained.

Which was probably why she didn't see her mother tense and lash out. Chrys cried out as her mother's teeth sank into her shoulder. "Fuck!"

"Chrys!"

"Chrys!"

The brothers shouting her name comforted her in some indefinable way, but Kelly shouting, "Grace!" helped a whole lot more.

The nurse managed to get Grace to let go, and Chrys backed away, clasping her shoulder as more people poured into the room. Sam wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, and the heat radiating off of him centered her a little.

"He died screaming your name, you little cunt!"

Chrys whimpered and leaned into Sam. "I know, Mama," she whispered.


Sam was holding Chrys, waiting for the doctor to come give her the go ahead to leave. She hadn't stopped trembling since the orderlies had sedated her mother, and he was worried.

The doctor came in. "All righty, you're good to go, Chrys."

Chrys raised her head and smiled. "Thanks, Doc."

The doctor had a kind smile on her face, and she touched Chrys's hand. "How you holdin' up, kiddo?"

Sam liked Dr. Cook. She was smart and compassionate, taking in Sam's hovering presence and Chrys's tears without batting an eye. He hadn't let Chrys off of his lap the entire time they'd been there, and she had argued only for a moment. When he hadn't let go, she just lay her head on his shoulder and let everything happen around her.

Chrys shrugged. "How long was she here?"

The doctor sighed. "Half a day. I'm sorry you only caught the last few minutes."

Sam felt Chrys shrug again. "My fault for not being close."

"Stop that," Dr. Cook said firmly. "Chrys, you deserve to have a life. What happened to your mother isn't your fault, you can't keep beating yourself up about it."

Sam saw disbelief in Chrys's tight smile. "Whatever you say, Doc."


Later, in the motel, Chrys was having trouble sleeping. Her shoulder hurt, her mind was whirling, and she was restless as fuck.

But Sam was still behind her, and she assumed he was asleep, so she tried to be quiet and stay where she was.

"Chrys?" Sam whispered.

She sighed. "Sam, go to sleep."

He gently prodded her until she was facing him. He ran a thumb along her cheekbone. "Not with you stiff as a board. I can't."

She frowned. "I'll go outside so you can get some rest."

His hand caught her hips before she could swivel out of bed. "No, come on, Chrys, just stay here and talk to me?" The question at the end told her it wasn't an order.

"Sam, there's nothing to talk about. It's fine."

He looked at her closely. "I don't think it is."

She wiggled away from him and stood. "Well, fucking tough. I'm going outside." She grabbed his hoodie and a pair of leggings, dressed quickly, and walked out.

There was a bench not too far from the door. She crossed her legs underneath her and lit up, too drained by the last two days to be properly mad at Sam.

She still couldn't muster it when he came and sat next to her on the bench, and she couldn't help leaning into him when he stretched an arm across the back. "How's your shoulder?"

She shrugged and cuddled into his warmth. "It hurts."

"Did you get any pain meds?"

She shook her head, soaking in his scent. "I was an addict, Sam. I don't trust myself with pain meds. I'll be all right."

They were silent for a while, then, "What did she mean when she said you're barely human?" he asked softly.

Chrys groaned. "I don't suppose you could just let this go?"

To her begrudging amusement, he actually seemed to consider the question. "Probably not," he answered honestly.

She sighed and nestled closer to him, tossing her cigarette away and swinging her legs out from under her to lay across his. His big hand coming to rest on her knee sent waves of warmth up to her heart. "She meant about me being Lucifer's intended."

He frowned. "She thinks that makes you less than human?"

Chrys ran a hand through her hair, brushing it to rest across her injured shoulder. "It's hard to know what she thinks anymore," she said softly.

His hand came up to run through her hair, and she felt herself relaxing into him more. She took a moment to revel in how comfortable he made her.

"What happened?" he asked softly. His hand tightened, keeping her head on his chest when she tensed. "Come on, Chrys, please? I just want to understand."

She really was too drained to fight with him, so she relaxed back into him. "I told you that when I was nineteen, my parents died, which wasn't strictly untrue. I ran away when I was nineteen, to drink and do drugs and stupid shit that teenagers do. They…" She took a deep breath, irritated when her breath caught and she shuddered. "They disappeared."

"I thought they were dead, because everyone told me they had to be," she continued softly, relishing the feeling of his hand beginning to thread itself through her hair again. "But, uh, they weren't dead. Demons took them, looking for me. I had gotten this stupid temporary tattoo, it was supposed to be a warding, I didn't even think it would work. But apparently it did, so much so that they panicked when they couldn't find me."

Tears filled her eyes, and she pressed her face into Sam's chest, a wave of exhaustion hitting her all at once. I'm too much bitchy to cry this much in two days. "They hurt them for days until that stupid goddamn tattoo wore off. My mother went insane before they let her go. And they killed my father." She sniffled. "He never told them anything."

There were a few beats of silence, then, "Jesus fucking Christ, Chrys."

She snorted and wiped her eyes, trying to subtly check to see if she was snotting, too. Sexy, Summers. "Yeah, uh, so that happened. She has lucid moments sometimes, so the nurses try to call me so I can talk to her. To apologize."

He tensed beneath her. "Chrys, it wasn't your fault." She sighed, but before she could speak, he continued.

"You were a teenager, you had gone through a hell of a lot. You were just trying to find an escape, and you probably tried a hundred wardings. The fact that you didn't know the demons were going to do that just means you were a good kid."

He shifted so he could look at her face. The kindness in his brown eyes made her tear up again. "Chrys, you're a good person put in a shitty situation. You did nothing to deserve this."

It wasn't his words that got her. It was the absolute sincerity in his face, that kindness in his eyes, and the fact that he was still wrapped around her, even when he should have pushed her off.

I love you.

The words were on the tip of her tongue, and they scared the shit out of her. So instead of saying them, she tried to convey the feeling as she pressed her lips against his.


**I got a few requests for some of Chrys' backstory, so I hope this fills the void? There will definitely be more. And I can't tell you how much it means to me that you guys want to know more about Chrys.
**Feedback gives me the warm fuzzies and keeps me going.