They'd gone back to the Camelot. Veronica was trying to pin down where Vinnie might be, hunched over her laptop in almost the exact same way Sam usually did. Sam smiled and sipped a beer. They had plenty in a cooler in the Impala, but Dean had insisted on going out to get more. Sam had let him go, knowing he just needed some time alone for a few minutes. He leaned against a wall, watching Veronica's serious face. When she finally looked up at him and smiled, he offered her a beer. She hesitated, but took it.

"My dad would kill me." She said ruefully. "If he doesn't die." She'd said the words out loud, had given shape to her worst fear, but she found that she could face it now. The calming presence of Sam, his quiet understanding, the sense of closure from Logan, and Dean's absence gave her the space she needed to say it. Sam waited for her to say something else, and when she didn't, took another sip of beer.

"So." Sam said, trying to sound casual. "You and Logan. That's kind of… complicated, huh?" She glanced up at him.

"Can you sit down? You're… you're looming over me." She stalled. Sam sat in the chair opposite hers, beer still in hand. She sighed. "Complicated is kind of the only way me and Logan know how to be." That was all she was going to say about that. She sipped her beer thoughtfully. "Dean doesn't seem so complicated." Sam gave a bitter half laugh.

"Yeah. He's pretty simple." He replied. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Dean is pretty uncomplicated, but he makes things complex." Sam tried to explain. Now he sighed, thinking about his brother. "Like… he's dying right now. A year, that's all he has, and he thinks it's simple: he's just going to die, and I'll have to let him go. Because there's nothing else we can do. But it's not that easy. He's dying for me, Veronica. He wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for me, and he thinks it's simple. But I can't let him die for me. I can't let him… do this."

"But if he's sick, it's not like he has choice." She said, puzzled. "He's not doing this to you on purpose." He laughed again, the sound bitter and full of grief.

"But he is. You don't understand." He said. After a pause, he tried to explain about the cross roads deal. He talked until he saw the look on her face, horror and disbelief.

"He sold his soul for you? He must really love you." She said thoughtfully. Sam stared at her. She'd missed the point entirely.

"But it's an eternity in hell, Veronica. Torture. Demons. Al l the worst stuff you can imagine." He said. "And probably a lot you can't." She nodded, but her mind was racing. Sam had an inkling what she was thinking, and his face got more serious and earnest.

"It's not worth it. He would have been okay eventually." Sam said, his voice deadly quiet. "Hunters die all the time and we deal with it. But… someone going to hell for you, literally, how do you live that?" She didn't say anything but took a thoughtful sip of beer.

"Maybe he thinks you can handle it."

"No. He knows what it's like." He said, thinking about John. John who had traded his life for Dean's, had let Azaziel take him in exchange for Dean. If anyone knew what it felt like to have someone you loved sell their soul for you- the guilt, the desperation, and the aching, heartbreaking loneliness- it was Dean. "He's selfish and stupid and-"

The door to the motel room opened. Sam stopped talking as Dean came in, carrying a case of beer. He glanced at the two at the table, then cracked a beer for himself and sank onto the bed, ignoring the thick emotions in the room.

"So? Where are we?" He asked, his tone telling them that only business was open for discussion. Veronica glanced from Sam to Dean. She lifted one shoulder in half a shrug. Sam couldn't look at his brother as he tried to compose himself, feeling guilty for saying those things out loud.

"I ran Vinnie's credit cards, he has a lot of strange purchases. Can you guys make sense of this?" She turned the computer screen towards them. Sam scanned the list of items, which turned out to be a lot of heavy duty black magic items. Dean read the list too, frowning.

"That's a lot of bad mojo." He said. "but he's missing some things. Crucial things." He said. Sam nodded in agreement; this was an incomplete list. Unless he'd acquired things in other ways, what Vinnie van Lowe had amounted to a half loaded magical gun, with no safety catch.

"Well, this explains why Keith isn't dead yet." Sam said, his mind going over the facts. "Vinnie doesn't have a full arsenal, he might not really know what he's doing."

"That's Vinnie all over." Veronica said. "Half-assed." Dean nodded, drinking his beer.

"So where can we find this douche and stop him before he does something really dangerous?" Dean asked Veronica.

"He's out of town on a case tonight, he should be back tomorrow." Veronica said, frustrated. They were so close, and hours seemed precious when Keith was in the state he was in. "Do you think my dad… do you think he'll recover if we can get Vinnie to reverse the spell?" The corners of Dean's mouth twitched.

"Yeah. It'll be a miracle, a medical mystery." She smiled back at him, relieved. Once again Dean's eyes glowed at her and she responded with a glow of her own, and Sam thought he should maybe clear out and give them some space. It wouldn't be the first time he'd slept in the Impala while Dean was otherwise occupied. But Veronica turned the computer back to her and began to do more research. She sipped her beer as she read and Dean's mind clicked into hunter mode.

"If he's buying them on the internet," Dean finally said, "how can they be authentic?" Sam considered the question.

"Maybe they're not, and that's why his spell isn't working properly." He swigged his beer. "Besides not having all the right ingredients."

"What kind of witchy asshole just goes off half-cocked like that?" Dean said, as though Vinnie's inept witchery was a personal affront. "It's like playing with a loaded gun, except some of the loads are blanks and some are live bullets. He could've done some serious damage." Veronica's eyes flickered up at him. "More serious damage, I mean. That's what's wrong with all this technology, man, it gives people just enough knowledge to make them stupid."

"No more beer, Dean, you're getting philosophical." Sam teased. Dean made a face at Sam and cracked open another beer, just as a personal "fuck you" to his brother. He began reminiscing about other times they'd hunted witches. Sam chuckled here and there and added details or asked questions about hunts he hadn't been on. Veronica only half listened; Logan's words were echoing in her head. Why does it always have to be me? She thought, but that was stupid. She was Veronica Mars, it had to be her. What was more troubling were the things Logan hadn't said. Why was it always her, and never him? Why did she always choose to run away from him? And why was she, suspicious and cynical and distrustful, trusting these guys she didn't even know, but refused to trust Logan? Because I know I can't trust him, she thought. But how do you know you can trust these guys? Logan's voice taunted her.

She looked over her laptop at Sam and Dean. Sam was smiling at his brother, relaxed and content, listening to Dean retell old hunts. Looking at Sam, she couldn't miss the expression on his face. For all his bitter words earlier, he loved Dean and worshipped him in the way only a little brother could. Glancing at Dean, she saw the same thing on his face: love for his brother. He was relaxing with Sam's attention on him, becoming his adoring brother's hero again, loving the kid who wanted to be just like him. How can you not trust that? She thought, her eyes lingering on Dean. She knew she was seeing a Dean that usually only Sam got to see.

But she couldn't let it go. While they were distracted with each other, she could do what she should have done in the first place. As quietly as she could she typed the names "Sam and Dean" into her search engine. It was all she had to go on, but maybe it would turn up something more useful…. There were pages of results. She clicked a link, read it. Horrified, she peered back over her computer at them. And because she couldn't help herself, because suspicious and distrustful was who she was at the core of her being, she kept reading. After a while she stopped and looked at them. She slowly closed her computer, speechless. But her silence was becoming deafening, and Dean trailed off his story. Immediate concern for her flooded his face. Sam turned to look at her, also warmly concerned.

"What?" He said gently, the trace of a smile still at the corners of his mouth. She trembled, so angry she could barely contain it. He started to get up to go to her, but she turned her head to him, her eyes blazing.

"So you save people, huh?' She said. "You hunt things and help people?" Her voice was like a whip, lashing over Sam and Dean. They exchanged a look, confused at the sudden attack. Neither said a word, and she laughed into the silence, the brittle sound bouncing off the walls.

"You saved those people in that bank in Milwaukee?" She demanded. "Or in St. Louis? Those people died because you were saving them?" she said, her eyes cutting to Dean. Dean was angry, his face went stony. "Because the FBI says different." Dean stood up, not exactly threatening her, but he wasn't going to take her shit either.

"It's what we do." Dean said. "In Milwaukee and St. Louis, those were shape shifters."

"Shape shifters?" Veronica gave a mocking laugh. "Was it shape shifters who broke out of that prison in Green River?" She was stupid for believing in these guys. They were criminals. And psychotic. Why had she let herself believe in them? Why had she trusted them against her better judgement? Logan was right, she always ran straight into danger.

"Veronica, we're hunters. There is always going to be a body count. We try to keep it down, we save as many people as we can." Sam tried to explain. This time she only let out a small derisive sound.

"You certainly have a body count, don't you?" She said. "Jess, Madison, who knows who else." Sam recoiled from her as if she'd slapped him. The color drained from his face; he could still feel the weight of the gun in his hand, still hear the last breath Madison had taken, looking up at him, trusting him to do the right thing. and Jess… sometimes he still woke up in a cold sweat, still saw her dying in flames, knowing it was his fault, she was dying because of him…

Dean's eyes had gone to Sam at the mention of Jess. He saw his little brother suffer under the weight of his guilt for things that were out of his control, saw the pain flash in his eyes at the memories. Dean moved towards Sam and Veronica. He knew Veronica was hurting, that she had trust issues bigger than his, but no one got to hurt Sam like that.

"You don't know what you're talking about." He said, his tone warning her to stop. She faced him down, refusing to be intimidated.

"You're a liar." She said to him. His face didn't change, but his eyes became colder. Sam had recovered enough to slowly stand up. Taller than Dean, he was more imposing. Her gaze shifted to him, and felt a momentary regret. His face was angry, but his eyes were full of a pain she would never understand. He moved towards Dean as though his body knew the Dean was the only safe port. Dean's agonized gaze flickered from his brother to Veronica.

"Because you've never lied, right, Veronica?" Sam said, his voice deadly quiet. "The FBI doesn't have your name in a file somewhere? No one you ever loved died a terrible death? You never had tough choices to make?" A memory of prom night flashed in her head. The roof of the Neptune Grand. Cassidy Casablancas. Logan trying to find the right words, trying to decide what was most important in that moment. And herself, trying to decide if she wanted Cassidy to jump and end his miserable life, or for Logan to find the words that would stop him, help him, save him. She closed her eyes at the memory.

"We're in this now." Sam continued. "Trust us or don't trust us, something is going our kind of wrong here and we have to fix it. That's what we do." He said. She opened her eyes to look at him again, back on the attack.

"Don't you go near my dad!" She yelled at him. "You kill everything you touch. Even Dean!" Sam's face went cold, his eyes steely. Dean was moving before she stopped talking. He grabbed her and kept going, dragging her out of the motel room. He slammed the door behind him, leaving Sam alone with his anger. The look in Sam's eyes had been too close to the look he'd had in that grave yard, when he'd wiped that Jake bastard's blood from his face. After shooting him in cold blood. Dean pushed the memories away, shoved them back into whatever little compartment he was trying to contain them in.

He didn't let go of Veronica. She was protesting, but he didn't think letting her go was a good idea. She was too volatile; he didn't know what she'd do next. He didn't want to have to hurt her, and the best way to prevent that seemed to be holding on to her so she didn't attack. He took her to the car, opened the driver's side, and pushed her in. He slid in after her. She shrank away from him, afraid now that her anger had subsided a little. He put his hands on the steering wheel. The familiar feel of it under his hands, the potential freedom of the car, calmed him. He took a deep breath.

"Where am I taking you?" He asked without looking at her. "Anywhere you want to go, as long as it's away from Sam." She stared at him, trying to assess his mood. He was angry, but not at her specifically. Or at least not personally. She'd been a horrible bitch and she knew it, but she thought that he somehow understood that. But someone had hurt his little brother, and that made him angry. Because the someone happened to be her, he was trying to get a lid on his anger. But he wouldn't look at her. She couldn't think of where to go. Wallace would take her in, as always, and not ask questions, but if she went there now, she'd wake up his little brother and his mom would not appreciate that. Mac was on duty at the hospital, keeping watch just in case there was a change in Keith. She couldn't bear facing Logan right now. She went through a list of other people and rejected them all. Dean kept staring out the windshield, but she could see that just sitting here in the car was soothing him.

"Drive." She said quietly. "just drive." He nodded and started the car. It purred into life and Dean headed for the Pacific coast Highway.

After a while, Dean pulled over on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was the middle of the night and there was no traffic; just Dean, Veronica, and the night. Below them, the moody ocean moved restlessly, the rhythmic sound soothing to Veronica. Dean cut the engine and finally looked at her.

"Okay, Veronica." He said. "Go ahead." He said, his voice neutral and his face unreadable.

"What?" She said quietly.

"Get angry. Get ugly. Say all the horrible things you want to." He replied. There was no reproach in his voice. "Get it out of the way. I lied to you. I'm not who you want me to be. Get mad, Veronica." Caught off guard, Veronica was speechless. "I get it. You're angry. So be angry, Veronica." He said. There was no compassion in his voice, either. She opened her mouth the say something, to fling an angry retort that would put him in the wrong, but she couldn't think of anything to say. He watched her in a detached way, waiting for her to do something. "You were unstoppable in the motel room, now you got nothing?" She could feel emotion rising in her chest at his slight taunt. She opened her mouth to speak again, sure she could hurt him, sure that her next words would protect her from him.

What came out was a sob. Before she realized it, she was crying, almost hysterical with grief. The fear and the worry of the last few weeks, the finality of leaving Logan on the street today, all rose up and assailed her. Had anyone else been sitting silently in the driver's seat, she could never have let go like this. But Dean saw through her. And he wouldn't expect anything from her. So she cried like she hadn't cried in years. Not since Lily died and her world fell apart. Dean just let her cry. He didn't say anything, didn't try to touch her. He'd readjust his grip on the wheel or shift in his seat, but he just let her be.

After the storm of her grief was over, she was suddenly shy of him. She wiped her face as best as she could on her sleeve, but avoided looking at him. But she wasn't the shy type. So with her heart pounding, she forced herself to look at him. He was looking at her, and there was naked emotion in his eyes. Compassion and worry, but also grief for her and for himself. Because she was losing her father, her whole world was coming to pieces, and he knew what that was like. And she was tough, had to be, and he knew what that was like, too. He reached out for her, and she moved towards him. She put her head on his shoulder and his arm went around her. There was no expectation in the gesture, only comfort. Tears rose in her eyes again, falling silently against Dean's shoulder. He tightened his arm around, drawing her closer, and he lifted his other hand to gently stroke her hair. After a few moments, she closed her eyes. He rested his cheek on the top of her head, breathing in the faint smell of her shampoo. The tears stopped again and she felt clean, but she didn't move away. Dean held her until her breathing slowed and deepened and he knew she was a sleep. He listened to the rhythm of her breathing until he fell asleep too, knowing that for the moment, they had both found rest for their weary souls.

Dean woke to the insistent ringing of his cell phone. Veronica was still nestled in his shoulder. Her breathing was even a deep, her body radiating the warmth of sleep. He carefully fished his cellphone out of his pocket, trying not to disturb her.

"Sammy?" He murmured into the phone.

"Dean, where are you?" Sam's tone was urgent.

"We just went for a drive." He said, glancing down at Veronica again. She stirred against him, starting to wake up.

"We have a problem." Sam said. Dean nodded. When didn't they have a problem? "I went to Vinnie's last night. I found his alter and destroyed it."

"How is that a problem? That means the spell is broken." Dean asked, his voice still low.

"There's been no change in Keith Mars." Sam answered. Dean shut his eyes.

"Awesome." He said. For just a moment, with Veronica sleeping against him and the not-quite-silence of an early morning beside the ocean, he'd felt peaceful. But now he could feel the familiar weight settle on his shoulders. He sighed.

"And… I found sulphur." Sam said reluctantly.

"Great, Sammy, any other good news?" He growled at the phone. Veronica, hearing his voice, opened her eyes. For a moment she didn't know where she was, and then she remembered. She moved her head to look at Dean, a sleepy smile on her lips. He turned his head towards her, the frown fading as he looked her. His eyes flashed at her and he pulled her closer. She snuggled back down on to his shoulder.

"So… what?" Dean said to Sam. Sam sighed.

"I don't know, Dean. Can you come back?" He asked.

"Yeah. We stopped not too far out of town." Dean said. Sam was silent. "Shut up Sammy, nothing happened."

"I didn't say anything, Dean." Sam said.

"We're coming back." Dean said, and closed his phone. Veronica sat up, her face serious. She'd gotten enough of the conversation to know something was wrong. He smiled at her and brushed a lock of hair away from her face.

"Is he mad?" She asked quietly, feeling guilty for the things she had screamed at Sam. Dean shook his head.

"No, it's not that. But we need to get back to Neptune." He said, but didn't start the car. He just looked at her, trying to decide how to tell her that her dad wasn't better, that there was some seriously bad mojo going down. Why is it never easy? He thought. Why is it never straight forward and simple? Just once in my life I'd like a hunt to go the way I plan.

"How did you sleep?" He asked her instead. She smiled again.

"Surprisingly well." She said. He smiled at her, then leaned over and kissed her. This time, his kiss wasn't innocent. This time it suggested that they could stay here a little longer, maybe explore the back seat together. She responded in the same way, and when he pulled away, her eyes were full of fire.

"We have to go back." He said reluctantly. His eyes lingered on her lips, and then slowly traveled over her body and back up again. A slight blush rose to her cheeks under his warm gaze, but she smiled at him. He smiled back, but it faded quickly as he tried to think of how to tell her what Sam had said. "look, you'll hate me if I don't tell you this now…" He started. He shot her a concerned look, and her face went immobile. He could see her bracing herself for bad news. The worst news. "No, no, he's not dead, Veronica." He said quickly, gently caressing her shoulder to reassure her. Her face relaxed. "But he's not different." He began to tell her what Sammy had told him. She listened in silence, trying to make sense of it.

"You said it wasn't demons." She said.

"It wasn't. But it is now." He started the car just to keep his hands busy. She saw how he put his hands on the steering wheel, as if the car was not a machine but an extension of himself. The way he readjusted his grip slightly so he would have complete control. The way he settled back into the driver's seat, as though it was his place in the world. When he turned to look at her, a smile was on her lips. She leaned over to kiss him, pressing her lips chastely to his cheek. Surprised, he let her lean back and move a little away from him. She turned to sit in the passenger seat, trying to get her mind on the case.

"uh." He said. "We can… later…" Usually self-assured with women, Dean was thrown off by her simple gesture. Girls would kiss Sammy like that, not him. He wasn't about sweet little kisses, most girls didn't want that from him. He glanced over at her and the trace of a smile was still on her face, though he could see that she was putting her mind back in working mode.

"Later." She agreed. "So tell me about demons." He turned onto the PCH and gave her a quick outlines of demons as they drove back to Neptune. Devil's traps and possession and exorcisms, oh my. She thought as she took in the information. It was a lot to assimilate, but her mind moved fast and if she didn't stop to analyze how crazy it really was, she could accept it.

"So... how do they make deals?" She asked next. Dean's jaw tightened and so did his grip on the wheel. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Sam told me-"

"Sam should mind his own goddamn business." He growled.

"Dean, it is his business." She said quietly. His shoulders tensed.

"It's my soul." He replied angrily, shaking her hand off. She withdrew it, unoffended.

"It's his life." She answered. Dean wouldn't look at her. She sighed. "I'm not asking about your deal, or why you did it. Just… how a demon buys a soul." He glanced at her. He knew she was the same kind of stupid he was, that if something was important enough to her she'd do anything to protect it. No matter what it cost. Sam had been his to protect, to keep safe, and he'd failed. So he'd tried to fix it the only way he could think of. And he didn't doubt Veronica would do the same for Keith.

"I'm not putting a loaded weapon in your hands, Veronica." He said.

"I know how to shoot." She said, smiling again. But it was bitter this time, remembering the times she'd wielded a gun in defense of herself or someone she loved. "I can handle it."

"No." He said. They were back in Neptune, getting close to the Camelot.

"What if one tries to buy my soul?" She countered. "How will I know?" He shook his head.

"It has to be specific circumstances, you have to summon-" He stopped and looked sharply at her. Her face was carefully neutral. "No, Veronica." Damn, so close.

"So what else?" She asked. "What else will help if we're… hunting demons?" He shrugged.

"Praying might help." He said. She stared at him. "Holy water, a rosary, and… try to memorize an exorcism, I guess. How are you with dead languages?" His eyes flashed at her, slightly amused. He pulled into the parking lot of the Camelot. Veronica forgot about demons for a moment, suddenly nervous to face Sam again. In the bright light of day, now that she wasn't angry, the things she'd said to him seemed so brutal. The look in his eyes when she'd mentioned Jess had been heartbreaking. Usually she could justify herself, but she knew she'd gone too far. If it was her, and someone had thrown something like that at her, she'd have a hard time forgiving them. Here's hoping Sam is a better person than I am, she thought.

"You okay?" Dean asked, cutting the engine. She nodded, avoiding his eyes. Dean started to open the door, but she reached out and put her hand on his wrist, not ready to leave the Impala and face the rest of the world. Dean gave her half a smile and a wink. She smiled back uncertainly.

Sam opened the door to their motel room and went towards the car. His eyes went to Dean first, making sure he was okay, and then to Veronica. She couldn't meet his eyes as she got out of the car. She took a deep breath and walked slowly towards him. Dean leaned against the driver's side door and watched Veronica and Sam. She's brave, he thought. Gotta give her that.

"Sam." Her voice was small, struggling to be strong. He didn't answer her for a moment, but he could feel Dean's eyes on him. He glanced at his brother and gave a slight shrug. Dean tilted his head, it was up to Sam to make the next move. Veronica was on her own with Sam.

"Veronica." Sam said finally, his voice gentle. She forced herself to look up at him. He was trying to wipe the anger out of his eyes, trying to remember that he was helping her, that she was someone who needed to be saved, trying to get past it. She knew she'd said something unforgivable, but he was trying to forgive her.

"Did Dean tell you about your dad?" He said, moving to business. Dean came around the Impala now that Veronica and Sam were putting their feelings away. Veronica nodded.

"So we have to fight demons?" She said.

"Pretty much." Sam frowned. "This really isn't their M.O., though. They don't go around making people sick."

"Can't we summon one and make it tell us what it's doing?" Veronica asked. Sam shook his head.

"It's not really that easy." He said. Of course not, Veronica thought. Her mind was whirring, running all the facts and trying to make some sense of it. But she didn't have the knowledge base she needed.

"Maybe we could." Dean said thoughtfully.

"We don't know it's name, Dean." Sam answered.

"Did you find any witch books at Vinnie's? It could be in there." Dean replied. Sam conceded the point to his brother with a nod. Dean shot a quick grin to Veronica, who couldn't help smiling back.

"We could go take a look." Sam said, starting to move towards the Impala. Dean turned after him, and after a moment Veronica followed too.

"Dude, I'm not hunting a witch demon on an empty stomach." Dean said. "We're going to eat breakfast. Is there any real food in this town, Veronica? Something greasy and salty and good." Sam and Veronica both made a disgusted face at him and he laughed.

"Yeah, there's a diner not far from here." She answered. Dean's eyes lit up.

"Show me." He said. Veronica grinned at his eagerness.

"I'll give you directions. I have to go home." She told him. "My friends are worried, if I don't get in touch with them they'll send out the National Guard." She smiled, thinking of Mac and Wallace. Her eyes turned to Dean the way they used to always turn to Logan, and she was puzzled by the hungry expression in his eyes. He was looking at her like she might possibly be salvation, and she couldn't think why. It was because she had so much happiness, so much normal, she didn't realize it. Sure, bad shit had happened to her and it had been hard on her. But she had friends who cared enough to be worried after a couple hours of not hearing from her, she had a dad who loved her and tried to do his best by her, instead of dragging her into some quest for revenge that would have left her as fucked up as he was. And Dean felt the need to preserve that for her; as much as he wanted her, as much as he thought she'd make a damn good hunter, he wanted her to go back to her life. A life that the Winchesters should have never intruded on. The best he could do for her was leave. After he saved her dad. If he could think of her having an apple pie life, it might help when he was in Hell. It would help him hold on to his humanity.

You stupid jerk, Sam thought. He recognized Dean's expression. He was going to deny himself Veronica for some stupid reason that would seem noble and good and fucking heroic. But Sam wouldn't let him. Not this time. Dean had given everything he could, had spent his life denying himself the things he wanted in the name of the greater good. And if a year was all he had left, if only 363 days were left, Sam would make damn sure Dean would get everything he wanted.

"what… what?" Veronica said. There were suddenly a lot of feelings roiling between the brothers, a lot of things she didn't understand. Dean was looking at her like he couldn't possibly want her more, and Sam was looking pissed off and pensive. Jesus, these guys can brood. "Or do we need to talk about all the feelings?" The corners of Sam's mouth twitched as he caught her eyes. An answering twitch of her lips made them friends again.

"I just need to eat." Dean said, but his eyes lingered on her. His gaze was warm and longing, and she felt like she could just melt into the green depths of his eyes and lose herself forever. Next I'll write a poem about his eyes, she thought to herself. But she couldn't help the answering flash of her eyes, couldn't help going towards him to lean into him and smile up at him. She reached for him and to pull him into a kiss, and even though he resisted a little, he let her. Sam smiled to himself, discreetly sliding into the back seat of the Impala. Dean didn't notice. He looked into Veronica's eyes; when she was close like this, it was harder to think that he could just walk away from her. Seeing her advantage, she pressed herself close to him and kissed him again, and this time his arms went around her, holding her close.

"Breakfast." She whispered against his mouth. He closed his eyes and nodded. He held her close for another moment, breathing her in, and then released her. She got into the Impala on his side. She sat close to him and he brushed her thigh with the back of his hand as he drove. They were oblivious to Sam in the back seat. Sam looked out the window, hoping they wouldn't notice his smile.

Later, after a quick shower- a little colder than normal, she needed to cool down after that ride with Dean- Veronica sat at her kitchen table, her laptop open in front of her. She was researching cross roads deals. She was reading quickly, because Sam and Dean would be back soon. After a while, she closed her laptop and closed her eyes, organizing information. She didn't write anything down, just tried to commit as much as possible to memory. Sam and Dean had gone to eat, and then to try to find Vinnie's spell book. She didn't want them to come in and find her with a spell in her hands or demonology on her computer. It wasn't that she didn't trust them to be able to help her dad. It was more like after years of things not going her way, she'd learned to make a contingency plan. In a worst case scenario, it was best to be prepared.

She sighed and picked up her phone. She dialed a familiar number, hoping he'd talk to her, hoping he'd listen.

"Logan?" She said, relieved when he answered. "Listen, I need your help…"