Author's Note - This follows the last six episodes of season three(minus Ghostfacers), I just added my own character into the mix and a few more things. I don't own any of the characters or the episodes, just Apple and the plot following the NRFTW. Let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Review please. (:

And all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me
Chapter Twenty-One

Apple pulled her hand away from the mirror in shock. His voice replayed in her mind; she missed the way her name sounded on his lips. She could've sworn she had felt the flesh of his palm on hers. Needless to say, Apple was freaking out slightly. Dean had been gone for a year now, and all of the sudden she was starting to see him? That would freak anyone out, she was sure.

Her eyes wandered back to the mirror slowly, her heart wishing more than anything to see his green eyes starring back into hers. But she was disappointed, there was no Dean, only Apple. Her arms wrapped themselves tightly around herself as she stared blankly at her reflection.

Finally, she decided she should probably get some sleep. Maybe that's what had happened. Her mind was playing cruel tricks on her from lack of sleep. That had to be it. She sighed as she gathered her things and stepped out of the bathroom. Depositing her belongings by her bag, she took one last look around before slipping into bed beside Sam.

X – X – X – X

Sam had never seen Apple so jittery. She constantly looked around the room, tapped one of her feet, and jumped at every noise. He hadn't said anything yet, but he knew he'd have to soon. As they climbed into the Impala, after having finished researching for a case, he decided to ask.

"Apple, what's wrong?"

"What? Oh, nothing. I just... too much caffeine?" She offered, but she knew her answer didn't sound very convincing at all.

"Apple, come on. What's the matter?"

Apple turned in her seat slightly but stopped as something caught her eye. She stared across the street; this couldn't be happening to her, hadn't she suffered enough? Her eyes stayed glued to the man beside the stop sign, it was Dean. She swore on her life it was him. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his jacket as he stared at the Impala.

"Sam? Do you- do you see that?" Apple asked as she pointed to the street sign.

"What? Apple, there's nothing there."

Shaking her head, she sighed. "No, he's right there. Please, you can't see him?" Blue eyes connected with green as the man watched her sadly. "It was Dean. I swear it was him," she said as she slid back into the passenger's seat.

"Come on, I think you need some sleep." Sam said, his voice almost sounding hurt.

Apple nodded slowly as she looked back at the stop sign. This wasn't fair! Why was this happening to her? She looked back at the road in front of them as Sam drove them back to motel.

X – X – X – X

Her joke wasn't funny. Why would Apple say things like that? She knew the hell they'd been through, she knew how far they'd come; why would she screw it all up now? Saying she saw Dean, wasn't funny. He carded his fingers through his hair as he watched the girl sleep.

"Bobby," Sam said as heard the other man pick up his line. "Something isn't right."

"What's wrong?"

"Apple. She said-" Sam took a breath as he prepared to continue. "She said she saw Dean at some stop sign in town. You think maybe we can stop by for a few days?"

Bobby fell silent for a moment before he replied. "Yeah, you know you can. I'll see you later."

Sam sighed as he kicked his shoes off and sat down in one of the chairs in their room. Was Apple going crazy? It just didn't seem like her. She was usually reserved, and cautious of what she was saying to others. But the words she had said, they were unguarded and almost... scared. He rubbed the heels of his palms over eyes, trying to erase the feeling of exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm him.

"What am I going to do?" He asked the sleeping girl quietly.

X – X – X – X

Apple was dreaming, she was sure of it; she had to be. She was sitting in the front seat of the Impala, Dean right beside her. She couldn't breathe anymore, she couldn't think; everything about him seemed to overload her senses. Looking away from the man beside her, she stepped out the car.

He was close behind her; she could feel every step he took as if it were her own. His arms encircled her waist as he laid a gentle kiss on the side of her neck. Apple's head lifted slightly to rest on his shoulder as she looked up at the stars that seemed to cover the sky like a blanket. Never in her life had Apple ever felt so at peace. The comfort of Dean's arms was more than anything she could ever wish for. A tear slid down her cheek as she remembered it was only a dream; only a sad dream that had never happened and never would.

"Why do you keep doing this to me?" Her voice whispered as she tried to hide the angst she was feeling.

"Because, I promised I'd watch after you."

"It's been a year, Dean." Apple said as she turned in his grasp, facing him; his hold never loosening as she moved. "It's been a year, why the hell are you suddenly showing up now?" She demanded.

"I figured I'd do you a favor. It's hard to go this long without seeing my beautiful face." He said as gave her his patented Dean Winchester look. The one that said, 'Yes, I know I'm too attractive for my own good. Continue to adore me.' Clearly, he was amused with his oh so witty answer.

"It's not funny. Stop looking at me like that." She said as she closed her eyes. Opening them slightly, she saw he was still giving her his 'look'. "Dean. I can't be angry with you when you look at me like that."

"That's the point."

"Dean, I'm serious."

Dean frowned slightly. "Don't ruin this Apple-pie. Can we just enjoy this?" A sadness filled his eyes as he looked up at the starry sky.

"Alright." Apple agreed, her resolve crumbling at the look in his eyes.

X – X – X – X

"Apple, hey. Come on. Wake up."

Apple opened one eye slightly, then managed to open the other. She stared up at Sam who was standing over her. "What's wrong?"

"We gotta head out, remember? We have that case in Dallas, the one about the malevolent male spirit? The one that seemed to be focused on killing women? Ringing any bells?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm up. I'm gonna change real quick."

Apple sighed as she put her feet her to the ground, groaning slightly. Why was she so tired and sore all the time? Finally she made it to her bag and dragged it into the bathroom. It took her a few minutes, and plenty of water on her face before she was able to wake up; she definitely needed coffee. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and watched the mirror carefully. Once she was sure Dean wasn't going to randomly show up in again, she threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, let me just put my shoes on. What's your rush anyway?" Apple asked as she closed the bathroom door behind her. She plopped into a chair and quickly tied her laces.

"I've just been ready to go for the past hour. You didn't budge, not even after I called your name and shook you. I was about to get some ice water." He joked, though something told Apple he was dead serious.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I've just been... unusually tired lately. It's probably just a cold." Apple threw on Dean's leather jacket and grabbed her bag.

X – X – X – X

The drive so far had been way too quiet for Apple's liking. Sam's hazel eyes remained on the road; though she could have sworn from time to time she could feel his gaze on her. After a while, Apple closed her eyes and resigned herself to a nap. Sleeping was about the only thing Apple could do now; there wasn't much to stay awake for anyway.

"Hey, Apple. Wake up."

Apple opened her eyes and looked around. It was dark out and she glanced at the clock, which revealed it was well past midnight. "Where are we?"

"South Dakota."

"Sam, you realize that that's not exactly close to Dallas right? We just kind of... moved over a state."

"I know, but I needed to see Bobby about a few things. Come on."

Shrugging her shoulders, Apple stepped out of the car and hugged the brown leather jacket tighter around her. She followed Sam up the porch stairs and to the door. They hadn't been to Bobby's house since after Dean's passing. The pair had stayed a few days, but after that both felt they needed to get away.

"Hey Bobby." Sam said as Bobby opened the front door.

Bobby pulled Sam into a hug and patted his back lightly. "Good to see you, boy." Next, he looked Apple over. She seemed to be much paler, and if it was possible, a little skinnier. He pulled her into a hug. "You too, Apple."

Apple smiled at Bobby as she hugged him back. There was something about Bobby's hugs that always seemed to comfort Apple; she supposed it was because he was like a father figure to her. "You too."

Bobby led them into his living room and told them to have a seat while he went to get them some beers. Apple smiled as she took the beer and took a sip as she looked around. "Thanks for having us, Bobby."

He smiled and nodded his head before he turned to Sam. "Sam, I didn't find much for that case you informed me about."

"What? What were you looking at?" Apple asked as he looked from Bobby to Sam.

"Uh, just... some research for your case."

"How could you not find anything? I found a lot on it."

Sam sighed next to her and Apple looked at him. "Not that case, Apple. Your case."

"My case? I have a case?"

"Sam called yesterday and told me you were seeing Dean. He asked me to-"

"So that's why we're here, Sam?" Apple cut in, turning to look at the man beside her.

"I was just... it wasn't funny, Apple."

"I never said it was funny, Sam. Did I look like I was joking? Why the hell would I joke about seeing Dean? He's dead! You don't think I know that?" She practically yelled. Apple stood to her feet and placed the bottle of beer on the coffee table.

"We're just worried. We wanted to see if there was anything we could find out about why you might have been seeing him."

"Might have been..." Apple repeated in disgust. "I didn't maybe see him. I saw him; with my own eyes. People see ghosts all the time!"

"But, we cremated him, remember? He shouldn't be hanging around." Sam pointed out.

"Look, I don't know, okay? I don't know why I'm seeing Dean. You can think I'm crazy, or trying to pull your leg all your want. But the point is I'm not lying. I saw Dean! Okay?" Neither men said anything and Apple heaved a sigh as she turned from them. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to take my crazy self to bed now. Goodnight."

X – X – X – X

"She's been sleeping a lot lately." Sam said as he and Bobby moved to the kitchen. Sam's fingers tapped lightly on the table as he looked around. "And it gets harder and harder to wake her up."

"Well, I don't think she's makin' this stuff up. You know how she usually is, she was too persistent about this. I think she might really be seeing Dean."

"How is that possible? He's dead, Bobby. Plus we cremated him. She shouldn't be seeing him."

Bobby sighed as he took a seat next to Sam. "I don't know. We'll try to figure it out. But she needs our help and doesn't need us thinkin' she's crazy."

X – X – X – X

After their talk, Bobby had excused himself saying he was an old man and needed his beauty rest. Sam let out a small forced chuckle and watched the man leave the room. He sighed as he finished his beer and checked his watch. Apple had been asleep for about an hour, he supposed it couldn't hurt if he went an checked on her. This would be the first time she'd slept alone; he wondered if she was alright.

His hazel eyes looked over at the woman as she tossed and turned in her bed. He guessed she wasn't doing to well on her own. He took a seat on the side of the bed and watched her silently. He needed help with her, there had to be someone in her past that could help. Problem was, no one know much about Apple's past. The only thing Sam knew for sure was the fall out she had had with her family; simply put, they had ditched her. He sighed as she spotted her cellphone on the bedside table.

Grabbing her phone off of the nightstand, he began to search through it. There weren't many contacts in it; only one stood out to him. It was the only woman's name and Sam figured it was worth a shot. He scrolled down and highlighted the name before he looked at it one more time. Courtney. Looking down at the sleeping girl, he pushed 'send' and walked out of the room.

(ghost of you - my chemical romance)