Chapter Seven- The Decision

"Dean! What about any of that was giving her the truth slow and easy?" Sam swung his long arm towards the restaurant. "What were you thinking?"

Dean replied nonchalantly, "She isn't like the other people we've come across, Sammy-"

Sam cut him off, "Exactly! So, why would you just throw it all onto her all at once! She'll run off scared and we'll be back to square one!"

Dean stood up, easing off of the wall he was leaning on, and shrugged. "She knows more about what's going on out there than any of the people we've dealt with. She can handle the truth."

"You don't know that, Dean!" Sam turned to Dean, the lamppost light casting a shadow across his face. They stared at each other for a moment, silent. A look then passed over Sam's face. "It's because she believes in God, isn't it?"

Dean stiffened. "Now, wait a second-"

Sam's boots clomped on the pavement as he walked slowly towards his brother. "It is, isn't it? She makes you feel uncomfortable because she believes in something you don't want to exist, so you want to scare her off!"

Dean met him halfway, their faces close. "Sam, she can believe in whatever she wants! God, Buddha, the Tooth Fairy, I don't care either way!" He paused, taking in a deep breath and a step back. Sam followed suit, turning away from him and running his hands through his hair. "What's got you so hung up on this chick, Sammy?"

Sam spun around. "Her name is Naomi."

Dean raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, Naomi. Why are you so bent on her?"

A moment of tension passed, then Sam's shoulders slumped as he leaned against the wall of the restaurant and slid down to the ground. He rested his elbows on his bent knees and ran his fingers through his hair again. "Dean…she's the only chance we have at cleaning up my mess. We need her. I need her."

Dean kicked at a rock on the pavement. He hated seeing Sam beat himself up over this. As angry as he was that this whole mess was going on, he hated seeing the load his brother constantly wore. Dean knew he couldn't take it away, but he could numb it, make him forget about it, even if for a little while. If that meant giving false hope, he would do it. He'd do anything.

Dean squatted next to Sam. "Look, Sammy. We'll get through this, you and me. If that means with Naomi, great. If not, then we'll figure something else out. I'm not going down without a fight, but I'm gonna need your help. I don't have a chance going solo."

Sam sighed, then lifted his head from his knees. "Yeah." He smiled softly. "You know, you wouldn't be alone. You'd have Castiel."

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, an angel who doesn't drink, do girls, or know how to take a joke. He'd be a big help."

"Did I hear someone say 'angel'?"

The two stood abruptly and turned to see Naomi, peeking her head out of the restaurant door. They looked to each other, searching for a reply.

She stepped onto the sidewalk timidly. She crossed her arms over her chest as a gust of wind blew past them. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled, meeting their eyes. "Look, there are a lot of questions I have for you two. We just met and not under the greatest of circumstances. You are a pair of mysteries that I haven't figured out yet and that should make me wary of you." She took in another breath. "Yet, I have this feeling our meeting wasn't an accident and I think you guys know that too. So, if there's something you need me for, I'll do my best to help."

The Winchesters exchanged a look, then looked back at Naomi. She stood still, waiting for them to respond. Sam took an apprehensive step forward, holdng his hand out towards her. "We still have a lot to explain to you, Naomi. You don't know what all you're signing up for yet."

She raised a hand to quiet him. "I know peace, Sam. The moment I saw you two in the church, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace I've only felt twice in my life: when I accepted Jesus into my life and when I was called to ministry. I didn't understand all that I was getting into then, but I knew I didn't need to. All I needed was a step of faith. I'm taking that step again now."

Dean smirked at Naomi despite himself, feeling his resentment towards her starting to crack. "Did you practice that while we were out here?"

She laughed nervously, wiping her hands on her jeans. "Was it that obvious?"

Sam laughed. Dean turned towards his brother, his eyebrows knitting together. He hadn't realized how long it had been since he had heard Sam laugh. For the first time since that day in the church with Ruby, Sam looked happy, free even. While Dean's first reaction was a smile, worry started to creep into the corner of his mind. Dean was not one to call the turnout of a fight before it began, but Sam, with his tendency to hope, was. Dean worried, as he looked in between his brother and their new tag along, that his brother was placing his bet on something that was as vulnerable and bound to fail as they were.