On the Road Again

AN: Sorry it took me a little longer to update this one, but cool stuff to follow soon! Enjoy and tell me what you think!

Dean couldn't sleep knowing Ashley was only a couple feet away and probably unprotected in her domesticated state. He heard a rustle in the bedroom and Ashley's familiar light footsteps pad out into the room her brothers were sleeping. Ashley sighed as she sat down on the couch Dean was occupying. She didn't bother to do it gently as she heard only one set of snores coming from the body on the floor, yet she wanted to make sure her suspicions were correct and that Dean also couldn't sleep.

"Dean, you up?" Ashley whispered as she pulled her knees up to bare stomach.

"What's up Killer?" Dean grunted out as low as he could so as not to wake the other sleeping bodies in the apartment.

"Why are you guys really here?"

Dean didn't know how to approach this subject, Sam was supposed to talk to her. Hell, he hadn't said a word to her since she walked down that highway 5 months ago, not even for her birthday and now he was crashing on her couch and expected to tell her to come home. "Um, we came to bring you home."

Ashley was shocked to hear the news, of course she wanted to be with her blood again, but what about Max? She never told him about her life or that she even had a family; how was she supposed to just up and leave him with no reason. "Can we talk this over in the morning?"

"Of course" Dean promised as he sat up to wrap a heavy arm around his sister's cold shoulders.

Dean had always been a comfort for Ashley, so naturally after he wrapped a blanket around her shivering form and an arm around her shoulders, her mind quieted and allowed her to fall into a restful sleep.

Sam woke up as the light assaulted his face. He moaned at the sudden burst of light and rolled over onto his stomach, but his back was in too much of an uproar and cracked loudly at the movement. Sam lifted his head to look over at where his brother was supposed to be sleeping, but instead of just one sibling, Sam saw 2 cuddled under a blanket and completely passed out. Sam shook his head in amusement when out of the corner of his eye he saw Max staring at the same scene.

"Max" Sam tried to whisper out but his sleep voice made it sound like a witch's crackle.

"Yeah?"

"Wanna step outside for a sec?"

Max nodded and followed Sam out into the hall, but his eyes lingered on the strange tattoo Sam had on his chest, it was actually the same exact tattoo that Ashley had over her left boob. "What's up with the ink? Ash has the same one on her left ti-uh I mean on her chest" Max stuttered out when he realized what he was saying to a man the size of a door about his sister.

"What has Ash told you about her past?" Sam jeered at Max.

"Honestly, nothing. I didn't know you guys even existed, yet you 3 seem so close."

"Yeah, we are and that's why we are here actually" Sam explained before diving into their whole family past, not even skipping over the gory dark details.

Max was floored by everything Sam had told him about his Ashley and was speechless. Sam had wandered back into the apartment when Max slid down the wall and landed on the floor. Max couldn't feel anger towards the Winchesters, but he still felt upset that Ashley didn't feel she could tell him about her past and the "family business". Max finally got the strength to wander back into the apartment to find Ashley making a pot of coffee as her brothers were bustling around the living room cleaning up all their things.

"What's going on here?" Max interrupted the family interaction.

"I asked them to give us a few minutes to talk" Ashley volunteered as she handed him a mug full of the piping brown drink.

"No need" Max waved back at the brothers finally understanding why Ashley and Dean were so close "they can stay, it'll probably be better."

"Sam and Dean want me to help them with the uh, family business" Ashley reiterated Dean's conversation with her last night.

"I know, I say go hunt with them hon, Sam told me everything right before you two got up; this life isn't your cup of tea."

Ashley was never able to say no to those stunning blue eyes, but she knew this time would be even harder. Max felt like her life now, but he was right this wasn't her cup of tea. Ashley waked towards her boyfriend to give him one last hug before going into the bedroom to pack her things.

"Don't worry about her, we always got her back" Dean said walking up towards Max.

"Yeah, thanks dude" Max chocked out, trying to hide the sobs threatening to escape his throat.

"Go spend some time with your girl before she leaves" Dean said patting Max on the shoulder as he walked back to the couch with a fresh cup of coffee in hand.

"Why didn't she tell me about you guys and hunting?" Max asked Dean, but unable to look the oldest Winchester in the eye.

"She got pissed at me right before she walked out, that's why she probably never mentioned us. As for the hunting, who wants to know about these things" Dean shrugged "hell I don't even want to know about all these Sons of Bitches. But since Mom died it's been my job to watch out for these two, and I can only do that by making this world better for them while I still can."

Max understood what Dean was saying and he respected him even more for it, but no way he was going to let Ashley walk out on him, so he only had one choice left. "I'm coming with you, to stay with Ash" Max muttered with his new found confidence and determination.

"If you want to" Dean sighed as he sipped his coffee "But Ashley's going to fight tooth and nail" Sam threw over his shoulder finishing Dean's train of thought.

"Yeah, I figure."

Ashley was furious that Max wanted to come with the Winchesters, and the only way she could convince him to stay put was promise a call a week to make sure he knew she was safe. Max agreed to those conditions, but he was not happy to be left alone.

"How did you allow him to consider tagging along?" Ashley asked no one in particular, but Sam was the one to answer "Cuz we knew you'd put him in his place."

Ashley had talked Dean into allowing her to drive back to Texas while he stretched his legs on the Impala's bench seat between them. She was happy to be back in the car with her smelly brothers hunting all things under the sun and moon.

"Look guys, I'm sorry about walking out on you."

"Ash, don't worry about it, you were upset" Dean grumbled against the window sill.

"No, I have to worry about it, I walked out on my family" Ashley mumbled as she rubbed her foot, which was lying on the door frame.

"Would you just stow it?" Dean barked as he picked up his head from the window sill. "I pissed you off, you are allowed to do what you gotta to keep from kicking my ass."

"Alright, fine" Ashley acknowledged Dean's remarks.

"But cuz of leaving without a goodbye" Dean breathed out "you gotta deal with my tired feet on your boney lap, my legs are too long to just stow in front of me."

"Ha! My ass! You are always driving so clearly they fit!"

"I don't care, I'm in charge here, so you get to deal with my smelly bare feet chilling here" Dean laughed wiggling his toes on her lap.

"Asshole!"

"Bitch!"