Two hours later found everyone beginning to return to normal. Showers had been taken, Sam had finally been filled in on the entire story, and Mara had stopped tormenting Serena with certain musical selections. While Sam had made some strides toward sobriety, he wasn't out of the woods yet; as a clock chimed out a set of tones to announce it was eleven o'clock, he buried his head beneath several cushions on the couch he was sitting on.

"You really should stay away from liquor at all costs," Mara commented as she tried to extricate him from the pile he was burrowing under.

"I can't help it if everyone keeps yelling at me," he hissed as she finally uncovered his face.

"Fine then, suffocate," she said, replacing the cushions and adding a few more.

"Why are you trying to suffocate Sam?" Serena asked calmly as she entered the living room and curled up in an oversized armchair.

"Oh I'm not doing anything, he's doing it all on his own," Mara explained, patting Sam's leg affectionately. "I swear, the bigger they are, the more they whine when they don't feel well."

"I am not whining," Sam's voice said from beneath the fabric mountain.

"Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that, but from up here it sounds an awful lot like you're whining," Mara scolded. "So Laney, what's on the agenda for today?" she asked, turning her attention back to Serena as she leaned back against Sam's side.

"Well, it's such a nice day outside, I was sort of hoping we could do some fishing," Serena suggested. "I've been wanting to go for a while but just haven't had the time."

"I'm not leaving this couch until the house party in my head goes away," Sam mumbled as he lifted his head out of the cushions.

"I guess I should stay here and make sure Gigantor really doesn't pass out and suffocate himself. You should never leave a child to his own devices," Mara said with a grin.

"Hey!" Sam protested, sitting up slowly as he held a hand to his forehead.

"Water," Mara instructed, pointing to the glass on the coffee table in front of them. "Why don't we just hang around the house today? I could really go for some target practice."

"I don't know, I was just really feeling kinda…" Serena began.

"I swear, if I don't get out of this house I'm going to explode," Dean interrupted as he burst into the living room from the hallway.

"Dude," Sam groaned, "you're killing me. Can you keep the bellowing to a minimum?"

"Sorry Boozie, but someday you've gotta learn that you need to stay away from the hard stuff. You're a lousy drunk," Dean said as he gave his brother a look.

"And you're not?" Sam fired back.

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed, pointing at Sam. "The last time I got as trashed as you were last night I think I was oh….seventeen? It's fine when you're young and stupid but now, well Sammy it's just sad. Anyway, why are we all sitting around here? It's frickin' gorgeous outside and we already kicked the bad guy's ass. Time for some fun!" he said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "What're we doing?"

"Sleeping," Sam answered as he gulped down the last of the water in his glass.

"Aw come on," Dean protested. "Mara? What about you?"

"Nah, I'm just gonna stay around here today. Serena was talking about doing some fishing though," Mara said, flashing her cousin a bright smile. "You guys should go."

Serena stiffened. "Well, I mean, Dean may not even want to go," she mumbled.

"Hell yeah I do! Man, it's been years since I got to do any fishing. Come on Shortie, me and you. Let's go," he said with a wink. "Besides, somebody's gotta swing me by the park so I can pick my baby back up."

Serena flicked her gaze over to Mara who was leaning back with a satisfied look on her face. "Okay," she sighed. "I know a place on the river where we can rent some rods. On the way back, I can drop you off at the Impala."

"All right, well let's get going!" Dean said, standing up. "Sammy, try to be human again by the time we get back."

"Kiss my ass Dean," Sam grumbled.

"All right," Serena interrupted. "We should only be gone for a few hours. You know where everything is but call me if you need anything."

"Have fun you two," Mara called as they headed towards the kitchen. Serena halfway smiled back but Dean shot her a full on grin. She heard snatches of conversation as they headed outside and then finally the front door shutting.

"It's about time," Sam declared as he settled back into the corner of the couch.

Mara raised her eyebrow at him in suspicion. "About time what?"

"Those two got things out in the open. I just hope they'll get around to actually talking about this thing going on between them. Dean deserves a few moments of happiness and I think she could be really good for him. He's really been through a lot lately…" Sam trailed off, shaking his head.

"Okay first off," Mara began, "I think you just said more than you have all day so maybe you really are returning to sober land. Second, I feel the exact same way. Third, I'm just glad to have the house to ourselves."

"And why's that?" Sam asked.

"Because they're not the only ones who deserve a good thing. I'm just glad we're a lot quicker at realizing things than they are," Mara said with a grin, crawling into his lap.

"So am I," Sam replied, tilting her head back so he could kiss her.

The warm, humid air whipped around Serena and Dean as Serena steered her sleek gunmetal grey convertible down the road. They had been driving along in comfortable silence for several minutes when Dean cleared his throat.

"So, nice car. I never really got the chance to say that before but I really haven't had the chance to see it up close til now," he said, glancing over at Serena.

"Thanks," she said smiling. "All those years of school actually seemed worth it when I bought this baby," she said, patting the steering wheel of her Lexus SC 430. "I don't tend to splurge that often but I just really couldn't help myself."

Dean opened his mouth as though he were about to say something else, but stayed silent instead. After a few more moments, Serena reached to switch on her radio and began singing along with "Never Say Never" by The Fray. Dean waited as long as he could and then he reached over to turn the volume all of the way down.

"Listen, no offense, but someone has got to teach you what decent music is," he said.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "The other morning you said you liked the song I was playing."

"Yeah well I've also said that I liked antiquing before, but both times I about chewed my tongue off. I was just trying to be a nice guy, but the truth is, you need help."

"And just what am I supposed to listen to? Crap like Metallica?" she quipped, not taking her eyes off the road.

Dean's jaw dropped. "Okay whoa. I know you did not just say that," he said staring at her in abject horror.

Serena couldn't help but laugh when she saw the expression on his face. "I had a feeling that would hit a nerve."

"There is seriously something wrong with you," Dean muttered.

"You know, you just may be right about that," she said, shooting him a devilish grin as she slowed down to make the turn down the narrow road to their right. "Since this is kind of like a first date, should we play the get to know you game?"

"Whoa whoa…." Dean stammered. "No way this counts as a date. I mean, I didn't even freakin' drive. I can't have a girl taking me on a date."

Serena laughed as she pulled into a small parking lot in front of a rundown boat house that advertised all sorts of fishing paraphernalia. "Okay so it's not a date. Still up for a few rounds of twenty questions?"

"Depends on what kind of questions you're asking," Dean replied as he climbed out of the car. "And whether or not you're gonna pull the head doctor card and start analyzing me."

"I'm off duty today," Serena assured him with a grin as they walked across the gravel. "No analyzing, I promise."

"So how did you and Sam get into this line of business?" Serena asked as they made their way to one of her favorite spots under a large weeping willow.

"I guess you could say it runs in the family," Dean answered, setting their gear down. "My dad started us out from an early age, teaching us everything he knew."

"That must have made for a rough childhood," Serena commented as she set up her rod.

"If you could even really call it that," Dean snorted. "We were always the freaks, the outsiders. Moving around from place to place. Always chasing something else down. But we made it out okay I guess. It could have been worse."

"Is your dad still a hunter?"

Dean paused a moment before answering, squinting his eyes as if the sun were shining in them. "Once a hunter, always a hunter. You don't really just walk away from the job. If he were still alive, yeah, he'd still be hunting."

"I'm sorry to hear he's no longer with us," Serena murmured, watching his face with concern. She placed a hand on his forearm and squeezed it gently.

"Yeah, me too," he said, not meeting her gaze.

Serena stayed silent as she sat down on the ground, started baiting the hook on her rod and then cast her line out into the pond. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he baited his hook and tried to cast, missing the pond by a few yards. She tried not to laugh, but a small giggle escaped.

"What?" Dean asked, his face turning slightly pink. "It's been a long time. I gotta relearn how to cast properly."

"Sure." Serena replied as she tried not to laugh outright.

After a few more attempts, Dean finally landed a sinker into the pond, and turned to her with a satisfied smile.

"How often do you come out here?" Dean asked.

"As often as I can, when the weather's nice. Although I've been really busy lately and haven't gotten out here for a month or so," Serena replied as she reeled in her line and cast again into a different spot. "It's peaceful out here. No cars, few people. I can sit out here and just let my mind wander, yunno?"

"Yeah…I haven't been able to do that in a long while…although driving does help me calm down," Dean said as he recast into the pond, this time hitting the pond on the first try.

"Do you drive everywhere? You never fly?" Serena asked, turning slightly towards him.

Dean turned slightly pink again and cleared his throat before he replied, "Umm…yeah. I always drive. I'm not really that fond of flying."

"Ah. Well you must take really good care of your car for it to still be running as good as it does," Serena replied with a smile at him.

"That car is my baby. You're damn right I take good care of her," Dean said with a laugh.

They sat in companionable silence for a few while, both casting into the pond in regular intervals.

"So what do you think your cousin and my brother are up to right now?" Dean asked with a smirk.

Serena wrinkled her nose at him and said, "I'm not sure I want to guess as to what they're doing. But knowing Mara…she's probably playing with her blades or watching a movie…but probably both. She has a hard time sitting still."

Dean laughed, "Well…I'm hoping Sam doesn't sleep for too long...it's been a really long time since I've seen him laugh as much as he has been."

"What do you mean?" Serena asked with a small frown.

"Oh...well…umm…it's just that Sam takes this job so seriously sometimes. You see…well…a few years back…he lost his girlfriend to a demon. He was really torn up and came onto the hunt with me for revenge. We found out that the demon was the same one that had gotten our mom when we were kids. It was rough on both of us. We lost our dad before we were able to ghost the sucker. But we got him and since then…well…Sam….he's just had a rough time with women. They don't tend to stick around," Dean finished off in a hurry, realizing just how much he was opening up to Serena. He wasn't sure if that was such a good idea right now.

Serena sat very still for a moment, then she set her fishing pole down and scooted over to Dean, giving him a gentle hug. "I'm very sorry to hear about your parents, Dean. I'm not sure what to say other than that just stinks."

Dean was so startled it took him a minute to recover and return her embrace. "Thanks, Shortie. It's okay."

Serena returned to her fishing pole, but moved to sit much closer to Dean than she had been before. She looked at him, watching him stare out onto the pond with a far off look on his face. She realized she was doomed. She was falling for this man harder than she had ever fallen before. She gave a mental shrug, deciding to finally take Mara's advice and just roll with the punches.

Dean noticed her new seating arrangement and couldn't hold back the wide grin that crinkled his face. He hadn't felt this relaxed since…well, he didn't know if he really had been this relaxed before. In fact, he found it completely ironic that he was out here with a beautiful woman he hardly knew, fishing. Any other time, he'd be the one back at the house doing things with her that he was a lot better at than casting. No telling what Sam was actually up to back there, but he was just happy sitting here….with her. Chatting. That in itself sent off every warning signal he had. Instead of turning away though, he found himself continuously edging closer to the edge of the precipice….

"So what do you think your brother and my cousin are doing?" Serena asked with a grin, interrupting his thoughts.

Dean gave an exaggerated shudder. "God only knows with those two…if you had asked me a month ago, I would've said that Sam would just be sitting there looking nervous. But now…I'm not so sure. Either way…I hope they're having fun."

Serena agreed with a nod.

The next few hours were spent talking, laughing, and just enjoying one another's company and the peaceful quiet of the river.

Back at Serena's house, Mara had been flipping channels on the television for an hour or so, going back and forth between shows. She turned to ask Sam if he wanted to put in an actual movie and saw that he was asleep, halfway curled up under the mountain of pillows. She shook her head and smiled, moving some of the pillows off his face so he could breathe properly. Slowly getting off the couch, she made her way down to the weapons cache and surveyed the blade collection she kept there. Deciding that the best way to pass the time was to clean her blades, she gathered her whetting stone, an oiling cloth and oil, and a stool and sat down to work. She turned on the stereo to play quietly while she sang along softly with the music as she worked.

Sam woke up slowly, stretching as he realized Mara wasn't on the couch with him like she had been when he'd fallen asleep. He sat up slowly, sighing in relief as he noticed that his hangover was gone. He turned off the TV and stood up, listening to try and figure out where Mara had gone off to in the house. He made his way down to the weapons cache, following the sound of blades being sharpened and stopped at the doorway. He watched in fascination as Mara sharpened and oiled a blade, softly sing with a song he'd never heard before, although it sounded like a cross between country and rock. As she absently tucked a stray curl under her ear, he gave a soft knock to the door. She didn't even glance up, so he knocked a little harder. Mara stood up and went to the stereo, pausing the song.

"Feeling better?" she asked as she turned to smile at him.

"Feeling great actually…you didn't have to pause the song," he replied as he pulled up another stool next to hers from across the room.

"It's one of my favorite songs of all time, so I'll just start it over," Mara said as she started the song over and moved back to her stool, continuing to sing along. Sam sat quietly, watching this quiet side of Mara he had only seen fleeting glances of. After the song was over, he turned the stereo down a little bit so it would be easier to talk. Mara only nodded and grabbed a clean oil cloth from a pile.

"What's the name of that song?" Sam asked as he leaned down to catch her attention.

"It's called 'A Different Kind of Knight' by Christian Kane," Mara said, looking up.

"I like it. It's different and a bit intense. Kinda like someone I know," Sam replied with a smile, laughing when Mara blushed furiously.

"So….what's with all the weapons and the training? Were you in the military?" Sam asked as he surveyed the room.

"No…according to my father, I'm too insubordinate to survive the military," Mara said with a smile.

Sam raised an eyebrow at her reply and urged her to go on.

"Well…Serena and I grew up in different areas, although we visited each other every school break and our families always spend at least one major holiday together. I grew up right outside of a city…so my father took me to karate classes so that I would know how to defend myself. I liked it so when I got older I asked to continue the classes and also asked for weapons training. I took a liking to blades since they're easier to carry than a gun in a city." Mara went on as she picked up a new blade and began to sharpen it. "Laney grew up in the country in a small town. Her dad would take her along sometimes when he went hunting and she got used to handling a gun. She took a liking to them and kept the hobby up like I did with knives. Her dad was a lot like mine in the karate lessons though…although she didn't go as far as I did in the classes. She's still a black belt though."

"Wow. Sounds like you two had an interesting childhood," Sam said as he took the blade Mara was holding and began oiling it so that she could start sharpening a new blade.

"Interesting, yes. But it was fun. We were rather spoiled…but we had to earn anything we got. But we had it better than most I'd wager," Mara said, turning to smile at him.

Mara swallowed hard at the look in Sam's eyes. It was the same look she had gotten the night before, but the difference was he was sober now. The intensity of his stare was sending shivers down her spine though. As Sam leaned a little closer, Mara slid off her stool to stand in between his bent knees and pressed her body flush against his. She smiled at his sharp intake of breath and lightly kissed his cheek. She closed her eyes and sighed happily as Sam lightly ran his hands up her arms and neck, sliding them into her hair around her ears and the nape of her neck. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her mouth, causing her to lick her lips nervously. She wasn't used to being stared at so intently, but instead of putting her on edge like she would have thought, she found it was giving her a pure feminine power trip. She watched his eyes widen as she licked her lips and then her entire world narrowed down into sensation as he kissed her passionately. She reacted on pure instinct, returning the fervor of his kiss as she clutched his shoulders. She groaned and pouted when he broke off the kiss to stand up and look around. Just as her cells were returning back to the confines of her brain, Sam picked her up. She squeaked and wrapped her legs around his waist so she wouldn't fall as he walked the few feet over to the counter. As he set her down he returned to kissing her and she felt as though his hands were everywhere on her body at once, like he couldn't decide where he wanted to touch her the most. She arched into his hands and began her own exploration of his body, moaning into the kiss at the feel of the strong muscles in his arms and shoulders.

Sam pulled back reluctantly and watched as Mara's eyes started to refocus on her surroundings.

"Did you hear that?" he asked as he looked around the room again.

Mara sat completely still for a few moments. "Hear what? All I hear is us. What did it sound like?"

"I don't know…I could've sworn I heard something though," Sam said with a frown as he stepped back and helped Mara off the counter.

"It might've been a cell phone. Mine's up on the kitchen counter I think. I'll go check it," Mara replied as she rubbed Sam's chest lightly and walked out of the room.

This has got to be the worst timing ever, Sam thought as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. I really wish I didn't have to do this anymore, but what choice do I have? It's the only way I can stay strong enough. He dialed a number and waited as it rang and then went to voicemail.

"Ruby…It's Sam. I need more. Call me." Sam clenched a hand in his hair as he fought the sudden dizziness that came over him. He looked over and could've sworn he saw something, but as he looked again there was nothing there but the cases of weaponry. He shook his head as if that would clear up his problem and walked up the stairs. He found Mara in the kitchen on her phone, talking about food. As she hung up he went over to her and pulled her into an embrace so tight she squeaked.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Mara asked as she pulled back slightly to look at his face intently.

"I'm fine, Just need some fresh air. Will you sit out on the deck with me?" he asked, staring down as he entwined both of his hands with hers.

"Sure. Are you sure you're alright? Do you need some aspirin? Laney and Dean are picking up stuff to grill out on their way home," she asked as he followed his gaze to their hands.

"I'm fine. Promise." Sam smiled at her as he lifted both of her hands to place a kiss on each one. Mara blushed again and tried to pull her hands back as she looked away with a small smile. He realized then that he was falling for her and he wasn't quite sure if he should be worried or not. As they walked out onto the back deck and sat down on the swing, he refused to let go of her hand. When she snuggled in close to his body, he realized he needed to get a handle on what was going on or he was going to end up hurting the people he cared so much about.

Only a few minutes had passed when Sam felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Shame flooded through him at the prospect of what he was about to do. He fished it out, only to have his suspicions confirmed.

"I hate to run off, but it's Bobby and I really need to talk to him about something," he said sheepishly. "I'll be back in just a few minutes."

"Okay," Mara said, smiling trustingly up at him. "I'll just wait for you here."

Sam's heart clenched painfully and for a brief moment, he desperately wanted to tell her everything. But then she'd try to stop him. That was the whole reason he couldn't tell Dean either. This was something he had to do, for the sake of everyone. So he smiled at her and walked back into the house, pressing the button to answer the call.

"I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me," Ruby's voice accused him.

"Listen, we need to do this as soon and as quickly as possible. I don't think I can swing getting away from here right now but I'm at…"

"I know where you are Sam," she interrupted coolly. "I can be there in thirty. I'll let you know when I'm there. Just come meet me out back."

"I wish we didn't have to do this," Sam lamented.

"You and I both know there's no other way to get you where you need to be," she said. "It has to be done Sam. Don't chicken out on me now. We've come too far."

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "I'll meet you in thirty minutes."

"I got one question before you go Sam," Ruby said hurriedly. "Who is she?"

Even over the phone, Sam could hear jealously leech into her voice as she spoke those last three words. If she knew where they were, of course she had been watching them. Which could only mean she had seen how he was drawn to Mara. The last thing he needed was a jealousy-driven demon to deal with. Especially one who was gunning for Mara. No, he wasn't going to drag her into the crosshairs along with him.

"Nobody," he urged. "She's nobody."

Ruby paused for a moment, obviously deciding if she believed him or not. "Okay," she finally said, sounding much brighter. "See you soon Sam."

"Yeah, see you soon," Sam muttered after he ended the call. He stood in the hallway for a few moments, running a hand through his hair, trying to figure out just how he'd gotten into this mess in the first place. Oh yeah, my brother got sent to hell. That's how this all got started….lucky me, he thought. He took a deep breath before turning around to head back out onto the deck. When he came out the door, Mara looked up at him, smiling, but her smile quickly died.

"What's wrong Sam?" she asked worriedly, jumping up. "Is something wrong with Bobby?"

"No no," he assured her. "Bobby's fine. I'm just having a relapse of that hangover I think," he said, trying to laugh it off. "It's just a headache though, really."

"You sure it's nothing more than that?" she asked, her green eyes boring into his. For a second, he thought she was going to say she knew what he was up to, but she didn't. "You look really pale. I think you need to go lie down again," she insisted, wrapping an arm around his waist as she ushered him back into the house.

"Yeah, I think that would help," he agreed. No, what I really need is more demon blood. Cause yeah, don't have enough of that already now do I? he thought sarcastically.

She led him back to the couch and lightly tucked a blanket over him. "Just relax for a few minutes. Try to be on your feet by the time Dean gets back though or you'll never stop catching hell from him okay?" she asked with a wink.

"Okay," he agreed with a smile. I'm fine Mara. I'm just lying to you, that's all.

"I'll go get you some aspirin just in case though, be right back," she said before she headed for the staircase.

"Thanks," he called out after her. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

AN: We're heading into the set up for the real plot of the story. :o) The next bit is going to get pretty rocky for everyone-drama will of course ensue. And for anyone who is a Ruby fan (shame on you! Hahaha) there will be no Ruby loving here. Fair warning. A big thanks to everyone for reading as always and don't forget to click the button and let us know what you think!!