A/N: Sorry for the wait, chapter 3 will be along soon. Only 3 daysto s5!!!!!! YAY!!!

Chapter 2: There is a way to save your brother.

Sam had to take a moment to shake the vestiges of the nightmare as he tried to get rid of the sick feeling in his stomach. He sat up and put his feet on the floor, his movements prompting a slight sigh from beside him. He looked over, for a moment expecting to see Dean, but instead saw the red-head he had met in a bar earlier that night, still asleep. He'd been intent on just getting drunk and falling asleep alone, but for some reason he had followed this woman to her home. It was stupid of him to pick up women when he had been drinking too much alcohol. He knew the dreams would come on those nights. Come to think of it, it was she that picked me up. Not that that was a surprise to Sam. Lately he had been letting it happen more often than not. He got up from the bed and made his way over to the bathroom, stretching the muscles in his back on the way. Jesus, what had they been doing? His muscles ached all over, in the good we-had-crazy-passionate-sex-all-night way, but still. It wasn't like he was out of shape or anything.

Splashing some water on his face he took a look in the mirror. I really need to shave. The whole stubble thing is so not me. Dean's gonna - his thoughts came to an abrupt halt, the half smile on his face gone in an instant. Dean wouldn't be doing anything, ever again, because Dean was in hell. I'm too sober. He knew that drinking wasn't really helping his situation, but it numbed the pain, at least for a little while. He took another deep sigh and decided to get his clothes and leave. Some bar was still open somewhere in this town. The old Sam would not have even thought of leaving without saying goodbye to someone he had had amazing sex with all night, but he was a different Sam now.

He'd put on his jeans and was looking for his other shoe when a voice stopped him.

"Leaving so soon? I was hoping we could continue…" He'd forgotten the lovely sound of her voice. Actually, he wasn't sure if he'd really noticed it before and that was a shame. Straightening up he turned to find her looking appreciatively at his half naked form. He half grinned, considering her proposal before deciding that this one would be trouble if he let her.

"As much as I'd love to, I really need to go."

"What's the hurry?" She got up and walked to the kitchen to grab a couple of beers. Sam drank in the sight of her beautiful, naked body still bearing marks from their lovemaking, and he could feel his body start to lean towards staying. He watched her take a long drink from one of the beers before she walked over and handed him the other. He took a swig as he watched her walk back to the bed and pull on a t-shirt, noticing at the same time that his other shoe had somehow ended up under the bed. He took another drink, deeper this time. When he finished she'd sat down on the bed and was putting her beer down on the night stand, gesturing for him to come closer.

Deciding what the hell, he could get drunk later, he went over to her and kissed her. They kissed passionately and before he knew how it had happened, she was straddling him on the bed kissing her way to his ear. Sam stopped mid-groan at the words she whispered. "Besides, we haven't talked about Dean yet."

Before he had time to think about what he was doing, he had her pressed against the wall in a choke hold, the Latin incantations that would end the demon's possession spilling from his lips. She simply put her hand on the one holding her to the wall and smiled gently. Realising that it wasn't having any effect on her, he let go and made a run for the knife and Holy water in his bag.

"That's not going to work on me either." She was still smiling warmly as she spoke. "Also your little magic trick won't work if that's what you were thinking of trying next." Sam still stood in attack position, ready to test her claims. Her smile faded and she sighed "I'm not a demon but I'll down a shot if it helps to calm you down," she said, nodding to a glass on the table beside him. Without taking his eyes off her, he poured a shot of Holy water. Backing up as she came closer, he didn't relax a muscle before she drank the liquid. After about a minute of silence and nothing happening, he relaxed his stance a bit.

"If you need more proof, look into my eyes. I'm not going to hurt you, Sammy." He stopped the automatic response to being called Sammy and did as she asked. Her bright blue eyes were just that: bright, unnaturally so. It was as if they had some sort of back light. Now that he allowed his mind to register things beyond an immediate threat he could see that she looked different as well. Standing in a battered, old Metallica "Master of Puppets" concert t-shirt that was too big for her she looked strangely…regal. And for some reason Sam could feel a sliver of trust in him. His inner sense was telling him that she was not lying, she would not hurt him. Besides, if she wanted to she could have by now.

When she motioned for him to sit down with her, he did.

"There is no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to say it. There is a way to save your brother." Although he had been expecting her to mention Dean, it still surprised him.

"How do you know about Dean?"

"Is that really important?" At the look Sam gave her, she acquiesced. "I know about Dean, just like I know about you. Dean is in hell so that you can live. He sold his soul and now you are stuck hunting demons on your own, playing around with powers you can't really comprehend. I also know that you are looking for a way to get him out, and I can tell you how to do it."

"You didn't answer my question."

"This is the only answer I can give right now. Will you be satisfied or do you want to leave?"

"'Right now'? Will you explain it later?" Sam was desperately wanting to trust her, but he needed some answers- even if that meant he would get them later on.

She looked at him and, in that moment, he could see she decided to tell him more. Then she nodded.

"So if you're not a demon, what are you?" This he needed an answer to.

"I have many names. But you can call me Gaia." She smiled when he seemed to realize what that name meant.

"Gaia, as in Mother-Earth-kind-of Gaia?" She simply nodded. "Okay. I'm having a little trouble with this one being for real."

She kept smiling "After everything you have seen, why couldn't this be real as well?"

While he didn't really believe it, he decided to push on. "So what does Mother Nature want with the Winchester boys?"

"I already got what I wanted." Sam blushed. "In fact I got more than I wanted, which is why I decided to show up and lend you a hand. And while I'd love to sit here and chat about this all day long, Michelle here can't handle my full presence for much longer without being damaged."

"So you... she..."

"Yes, she is her own person. And yes, you had sex with her without me being around. Yes, she knew about me. No, this won't hurt her, as long as I don't stay for too long." Sam looked at her doubtfully.

"Everyone has rules they have to follow Sammy. Which is why I can't pull Dean out myself. Oh, and yes, he will also need to pay the price."

"What price? What do you want from us?"

She paused a moment before answering "Your life, and your death. Before you start protesting, you have all ready paid half. The life half I'll count as paid in full last night."

Sam blushed again, then focused."And death?"

"One day when your time is up, you will die. And then your body will belong to me. That's pretty much what happens anyway so no biggie. Keep in mind, though, that doing this will come with another price tag attached, one that I don't know, and you will only find out over time. Don't bother asking because it could be anything and it could be nothing. No one knows. It's just a risk you have to take." Her tone of voice pretty much stopped any questions he might have had about the subject.

"What about Dean's deal?"

"His soul for you life? Well, a: he already paid, sort of anyway and b: a deal with me is beyond that of someone like Lilith. If you can get him out, you're both off the hook." At this she grabbed her beer bottle and took a swig.

"And how do I get him out?"

She put the beer bottle down and smiled. "Simple. You go and get him."

Sam just sat there, staring at her like she had grown another head. Then after a few moments to collect his dumbfounded mind he said "I go in and get him. Just like that?"

"Of course it won't be easy, but yeah. You get up, open a gateway, go in, grab him, and walk back out. Spiritually, of course, as his body is buried and yours would burn to a crisp, and a crispy Sam is not a healthy Sam."

Sam just kept on staring. This has to be a dream. No way could Mother-friggin-Nature be like this. Nuh-uh. Not a chance. This whole situation was too insane, even for him.

"While I'd love to sit and watch you think about this all day long, like I said; I can't stay long. I need to know if you want to do this or not?"

Like that was ever a question. "Yes. What do I need to do?"

"Good." She seemed satisfied with his answer. "Well, at the moment, there is nothing you can do. These things can't be done just when and where, you know. You'll have to wait about a month, maybe two, for the right cosmic alignment. And when the time comes you'll need a coven of nine. Michelle will be one, but you will need eight more. Then there are some items and a book or two you'll need, but you can't get those yet."

Sam was making mental notes of people already when she cut in. "The people in your coven will have to be prepared to lose their souls if things go wrong, so be sure to pick the right ones. Those with their heart not in it will fail. Best thing you can do now is head over to Bobby's. Don't ask how, I just know. I'll meet you there in a few days." He could sense that she was about to leave.

"Oh, and Sam? Keep in mind that everything has a price. Everyone has to pay when they want something." She took one more deep drink of beer, put down the bottle, and then she was gone. It wasn't that big of a change, but Sam could tell that Gaia had left and Michelle was the only one in her body.

"So, did you know you had Mother Earth in you? Does that happen often?" he asked in a curious voice. He watched Michelle blush as he took a long drink from his previously forgotten beer.

After a few seconds she answered. "Yes, I knew. Actually it was me that invoked her." At his alarmed look she hastily added, "To pay tribute. To thank her for all her gifts, for life."

Accepting her answer, he asked a question that had been nagging him for awhile."So how come you picked me?"

"Well... you're cute. And you looked like you wanted it as bad as I did. And hell, I was right to pick you. She was satisfied." She smiled at him in the same way she had before, an open invitation for more if he so desired.

"So anyway, whatever you did after must really have been something for Her to come into me like that. It was a first for me, actually." Sam noted that she looked very tired.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I feel great. Euphoric. Just very tired. I think I'll need to rest soon."

"You said I did something? What do you mean by that?" He wanted her to get some rest, but his mind needed some answers.

"I suppose it could have been anything. I don't know. I was asleep by then. You sort of wore me out. Anyway, it wasn't just the sex, even if (as I'm sure you know was left unsaid) sex magik is one of the oldest, most powerful things on the planet. Not as binding or, well, dark, as blood magik, but still. So I guess she was thankful and then you did something. I wasn't really privy to that, you know." She yawned.

Sam realized that he wasn't going to get any more information at this time, but he could wait.

"Look, you should get some rest. And I should leave."

"You don't have to. You could stay." She was maybe hoping for something he couldn't give.

Sighing he answered, "No, I need to go. I have a long trip ahead of me. I'll see you in a few days, right?"

"Yeah, if you could leave an address, that would be great. Then I could drive and She could save time." He nodded. "Lock the door on your way out please." And with that said, she crawled under the covers and promptly fell asleep, a satisfied smile on her lips.

Sam watched her for a few moments before finding a pen and some paper and scribbling down Bobby's address. He wrote down his cell phone number as well, in case she needed to get a hold of him if she got lost or whatever. Then he gathered his things and left, locking the door on his way out, still very confused about what was to come.

TBC

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