It was one of those rare days in the life of a hunter when all the stars align to provide a day of rest: no cases to be found that weren't already being worked on by other hunters. Despite Sam Winchester's best efforts to find something, the entire country seemed quiet. It made Bobby Singer nervous: it was exactly days like this, when it was too quiet, that something truly bizarre always seemed to happen.

So when he heard a car pull into his Scrapyard he frowned, looking at Sam's brother Dean, who sat across from him at the kitchen table.

"Expecting company?" Dean asked, setting his beer on the table and standing to look out the window.

Bobby shook his head. "No." He stood and walked around the small table out of the kitchen to the front door and looked out the window. "Well, I'll be damned," he said after a minute. He opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, looking down at the woman climbing out of a 1994 Chevy Impala SS. "Lizbeth?"

Blue eyes looked up through dark hair. A beautiful smile, complete with a dimple on her left cheek, greeted him. "Hey, there, Bobby Bear." She was dressed in jeans and an oversized, comfortable-looking flannel.

He frowned down at her. "What are you doin' here?"

"I…" She dropped her head. "I need a favor. And I wouldn't blame you at all if you just sent me down the road."

Bobby felt the eyes of the men inside his house on his back, but focussed on the woman in front of him. "Well, come on in, then." He turned around and opened the door, frowning deeply at Dean and Sam, who quickly moved into the kitchen. He turned to hold the door as she walked in behind him and his eyes widened.

"What happened to you, girl?!" he demanded.

She smiled and put a hand on her distended abdomen. "I got myself knocked up," she shrugged.

"The jackass?"

She nodded.

"And where is he?" Bobby put his hands on his hips, trying to keep his face neutral as he waited for the answer.

"He tucked tail and ran as soon as I bought a pregnancy test," she looked down and touched her belly again. "He didn't even wait to find out if it was positive," she added, softly.

He frowned furiously.

She tilted her head to look up at him, her eyes moist. "He was exactly what you said he was."

Bobby's eyes gentled. "Aw, Lizzy," he grumbled. He moved to her and pulled her into his arms.

She buried her face in his chest and trembled.

"We got company," he reminded her.

She sniffed and pulled back, looking up at him. "Thanks for the warning," she chuckled. She turned to look at the two men standing in the kitchen and smiled.

The tallest of the two tried to not look like he'd been watching, but the other did no such thing.

"Liz, that's Dean and Sam Winchester," Bobby touched her back. "Dean, Sam, this is Lizbeth Quinlan."

Lizbeth nodded to them.

Dean tilted his head. "Any relation to Sean Quinlan?"

She smiled. "My brother."

"Good hunter."

She nodded. "He was," she said with a hint of sadness.

"We're sorry," Sam said. "Ah," he glanced at Bobby, then back to her with his eyebrows knitted together. "Can I ask how?"

Liz tilted her head. "He died from injuries sustained killing a lycanthrope. Just didn't get to the hospital fast enough." She felt Bobby's hand on her back and smiled back at him. "I'm okay, Bobby Bear." She looked again at Sam. "Nobody gets out of life alive, right?"

Sam was still frowning, but nodded.

Dean stepped forward. "Should you sit down?" he asked, looking at her belly.

"Good grief!" Bobby said, suddenly. He put his hand on hers and the other on her back and pulled her gently into his den to the couch.

She was laughing as Bobby assisted her down onto the well-worn, low couch and ordered the others to find some pillows to support her back and get her something to drink.

"Bobby!" she finally called out, still laughing. "Relax! I'm fine!"

He paused. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Not gonna pop or anything for a while." When he frowned at her, she took his hand. "Really, Bobby Bear. But there's a problem now."

All three men stared at her.

"I won't be able to get back up off this couch without help," she laughed. "So if you kick me out when I ask for my favor, it's not going to be a very dramatic exit."

Bobby frowned at her. "Idjit," he murmured, softly. "Like I'd kick you out."

She took a deep breath. "Well," she cleared her throat. "It's a big ask."

Bobby looked at the Winchester brothers. "Guys, give us a minute."

Sam and Dean nodded and moved out of the room as Bobby closed the pocket doors behind them.

Bobby turned to look at her. "What do you need, Lizzy?"

She swallowed. "I need a place to stay for a little while. You're the only hunter I know who has a stable base of operations."

"There are lots of hunters with houses…"

"None that I really know. It's a big ask, I know. And I'll try not to be a bother. I'll cook for ya and clean," she grinned and looked down. "As much as I can for as long as I can."

Bobby frowned. "So you thought you'd ask and I'd kick you out?"

She bit her lip. "The last time we saw each other didn't end so well," she looked away from him.

He walked over to a chair sitting in the room and pulled it over to sit in front of her. "Lizzy," he growled. "I only wanted to keep you from getting hurt."

She nodded. "And I didn't listen. And you were right."

"Well, I never wanted to be," he frowned, deeply. "I hope you know I would never turn you away."

Liz took a deep breath and nodded. "Deep down I think I did, but it took a lot for me to come."

"Why?" he frowned.

She swallowed. "Pride." She smiled, sadly. "You told me he was the wrong guy, and he was, but I didn't want to admit it. Even when I started to show and couldn't hunt anymore, I didn't want to let you know you were right."

"Where have you been stayin' all this time?"

She shrugged. "Hunter's motels until the money ran out. Then my car."

"Dammit, Lizbeth! You'd rather sleep in your car than let me be right?"

She chuckled. "Aren't you the one who told me I was my mother's daughter, through and through?"

Bobby paused, then grinned. "Yeah, that sounds like me."

"So why would it surprise you that I would act like her?"

He chuckled. "Well, of course you can stay here, Idjit."

"You don't even want to know for how long?"

"Don't matter. Can you climb stairs?"

She grinned. "Well, your front porch has stairs and I'm inside your house, so I would say that stairs aren't a problem."

Bobby pressed his lips together even as his eyes smiled. "Oh, is this what I have to look forward to? Sass?"

Her grin widened into a toothy smile. "I'm afraid it's part of the package, Bobby Bear."

He pointed his index finger at her. "And don't think you're going to get on my good side with that nickname," he warned. "I no longer have one."

"Understood, sir!" she said with a cock-eyed salute.

He shook his head. "Sass." He stood and moved the chair back to its former position against the wall. Then he offered his hand to her. "Let's get you something to eat."

She took his hand and he helped her to her feet. "Seriously, Bobby: thank you."

His eyes were gentle as he touched her cheek. "I missed ya, girl."

Liz smiled. "I missed you, too, Bobby Bear." She moved closer and wrapped her arms around him.

Bobby returned the hug and placed a kiss on the top of her head. Then he cleared his throat, gruffly, and pulled away. "Well, come on before the Winchesters find trouble to get into."

#

#

"So what do you all want for dinner?" Liz asked as she wiped her hands.

"You don't have to cook, Liz," Bobby said. "You've already cleaned the kitchen. Why would you want to dirty it up by cookin'?"

She grinned. "Didn't clean it for it to just look pretty. I had to clean it properly before I could cook in it."

Dean chuckled and Bobby shot him a look. Dean tried to hide the smile, but failed miserably. When he looked up at Liz, she winked at him with a smile, which caused his smile to widen again.

"Don't encourage her," Bobby groused.

Dean glanced at Sam, who was grinning as well.

"I don't know, Bobby, looks like she's gonna be controlling the grub for a while," Dean responded.

"Yeah, Bobby, never cross the cook," Sam agreed.

"Such smart men!" Liz laughed. "So, what do you all want for dinner?"

Bobby stood. "Smart or no, I'm puttin' my foot down. You're not gonna spend all afternoon cleaning the kitchen, then cook for us. You're gonna sit down, rest and one of these two can go for the food."

Liz smiled up at Bobby. "I'm not an invalid, Bobby. Just knocked up. I can-"

Bobby held his index finger up. "Don't bother finishin' that, Lizzy. You're not making dinner."

Sam stood. "I'll go, Bobby." He looked at Lizzy and smiled. "Might as well let the kitchen stay clean for at least a day, right?"

She frowned at Bobby, then looked at Sam, then back. "Fine. I'll go unpack." She reached into her pocket and tossed Sam the keys. "Feel free to take my car." She looked him up and down. "Just put the seat back before you try to get in." Then she tossed the towel at Bobby as she walked through the kitchen, down the hall and up the stairs.

Dean stood and watched her, then looked at Sam, looking down at the keys in his hand. "Is she mad?" he asked Bobby.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "That's a version of it."

Sam's eyebrows danced. "So, what do I pick up for dinner?"

Bobby sighed. "She used to like the local chicken joint."

Dean frowned. "Aren't there things women can't eat when they're…" his voice trailed off.

Bobby shook his head. "I don't know!"

"Should we ask?" Sam asked.

"I'll go," Dean said, taking a deep breath. He moved after her with the look of a man preparing for battle.

Upstairs, in the smallest room, he found Liz quietly unpacking. "Hey," he said to her.

She turned. "Hey."

"Uhm, we were just wondering if there are things you can't eat."

Her eyebrows rose. "What?"

Dean looked at her belly. "Aren't there things you're not supposed to eat?"

She chuckled. "No. I'm trying to stay away from tomato sauce because the reflux is a bitch, but other than that, I can eat whatever I want."

"Is there something you want?"

She tilted her head. "How'd you get elected?"

"Seemed only fair. Sam's going for food and Bobby made you mad."

She smiled. "Okay." She looked into her bag. "I could go for a bacon cheeseburger. And fries, with mayo."

"Mayo?"

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it."

Dean shrugged his face. "Okay. Is there anything else you want while Sam's on a run? Some pie, maybe?"

Her eyebrows rose. "Pie?"

He smiled. "Pie's always good."

She chuckled. "Fine. Only if it's apple, though."

He nodded. "I'll let Sam know." He started to turn, then looked back at her. "So why don't you rest for a little while?"

She took a deep breath and frowned at him, her eyebrows furrowing. "I'm not an invalid."

Dean held up a hand. "And nobody's saying you are. But Bobby only gets this way when he's worried about someone. He hasn't had a woman in his house for I don't know how long and I don't know if he's ever had a pregnant one anywhere. What I do know is he cares about you and doesn't know the first thing about how to take care of you-" he held his hand up at her protest. "Which is what he wants to do, even if you didn't plan on it when you came here."

She glared at him for a moment. Finally, she nodded. "Fine." She took a deep breath. "I'll rest. Until dinner arrives."

Dean nodded. "I'll come and get you when it gets here."

She nodded and moved her bag from the bed. "Thank you."

He nodded, one more time, then walked out of the room.

#

#

Liz wiped her mouth and dropped her napkin on the table next to the box the burger came in, looking across the table. "Thank you, Sam, for going for the burgers."

Sam nodded, eating the last of his fries. "Thanks for loaning me your car. I put the keys on the hook," he pointed over his shoulder toward the door.

She nodded, then she looked at Dean, happily chewing and touched the corner of her lip. "Dean, you have some mayo…"

Dean took his napkin and wiped the wrong side of his mouth, causing Liz to smile and shake her head.

"Other side."

He touched the other side of his mouth and still didn't get it, so Liz picked up a new napkin and leaned toward him. He leaned closer to her and she dabbed away the mayo just under his lip.

Bobby rolled his eyes and Sam chuckled as both Liz and Dean straightened.

"So who's got the 'dishes'?" Liz asked.

"I will," Dean offered, quickly, shoving the last of his fries into his mouth as he stood. He grabbed all the empty food containers, shoved them into the bags they'd come in, then shoved those bags into the garbage can on the other side of the kitchen.

"Well, now that's done," Bobby said. "Did you get a chance to unpack?" he asked Liz.

She grinned. "Only a couple of things because you sent me to rest, so I rested."

Bobby regarded her for a moment, suspiciously. "That easy?"

She glanced at Dean as she smiled. "That easy." She looked back at Bobby and reached out to touch his hand. "I just don't want you thinking I'm some fragile thing that is going to break if I raise my hands to do anything. I'm not going to sit around for the next couple of months eating bonbons."

"When are you…" Sam cleared his throat. "Ah...due?"

She looked across the table at him. "Eight weeks, give or take a day or two."

Bobby frowned. "What does your doctor say?"

She shrugged. "Don't really have one."

"What?!"

She shook her head and looked at Sam. "Do you have a regular doctor?"

Sam's eyebrows did a dance and he looked at Dean, whose eyes widened.

"What about you, Bobby?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Then why would you think I would?"

"Because you're pregnant, Lizbeth!" he almost shouted.

She tilted her head and pressed her lips together. "Doctors cost money. I went to confirm the pregnancy and they gave me vitamins. There have been no reasons for me to find another, so I can afford the hospital when he or she makes its final appearance."

"Don't you worry?" Dean asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Liz looked down at her belly and smiled. "I have days when I'm totally freaked out, but mostly I just feel like it's no real big deal. After all, women have been having babies since the beginning of time."

"How do you know everything's going the way it's supposed to?" Sam asked.

She smiled. "I read a lot. Everything thing I can on the subject. As much as I used to with lore. I have no symptoms that would be considered unusual. My blood pressure and blood sugar seem good," she smiled, touching her belly. "And I can feel movement."

"I'm calling Sheriff Mills to find you a doctor," Bobby declared, standing from the table and walking out of the room.

Liz looked at Dean with irritation.

Dean tilted his head. "Remember what I told you."

She sighed. "That's the only reason I'm not fighting it."

Then she took a sudden deep breath.

Both Winchesters moved to rise to their feet, alarmed, but she waved them down.

"Sorry," she said. "Just a particularly strong kick. Didn't mean to startle you."

They relaxed but still looked wary.

She rolled her eyes. "Dean, give me your hand."

Dean frowned. "Why?"

"Just do it," she commanded.

He held out his hand and she pulled on it until he was leaning forward, when she placed it on her belly.

His eyebrows rose when he jumped, feeling the impact against his hand. "Is that…?" His green eyes were wide when they met her blue eyes.

"Yep." She looked over at Sam. "Come on over, Sam. Your turn."

Sam held up his hand and smiled nervously. "Ah, no, it's...it's okay."

Liz dipped her head. "So…" she drew out the word. "Dean's the courageous brother, then?"

Sam straightened and his eyebrows rose, then dropped, even as Dean straightened and chuckled, removing his hand from her. Looking irritated at Dean, he stood and moved to her side. He squatted and put his hand out, pausing to look at her.

Smiling, she took his hand and placed it low on her belly, on the opposite side from where he was squatting.

It took only a moment for him to feel the impact against his hand. His eyes widened and he looked at his hand, then the impact happened again and he looked up to her with amazement in his eyes. "That's amazing," he whispered.

She nodded. "Yeah. The first time I felt it, I cried."

His eyes met hers with concern.

She shook her head. "It was the good kind."

He nodded. The baby kicked his hand again and his eyes dropped down. "Wow! And it doesn't hurt?"

Liz laughed. "I didn't say that! Sometimes, this critter gets me in a nerve or something and it smarts, but nothing I can't handle. I just move him a little and it eases up."

"You move him?" Dean asked. "How does that work?"

She blew her breath out, then tilted her head. "Uhm...it's kind of like massaging out a muscle cramp."

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!" Bobby's voice made the three of them look back at him. "Will ya stop feelin' up the pregnant woman?! Please tell me this isn't gonna be a regular thing!"

Alarmed, Sam looked at Liz and she began laughing. He smiled, relaxing with her reaction, and removed his hand.

"Feeling up the pregnant woman?!" she laughed. "Good lord, Bobby! I wish!"

Sam's eyes widened as he quickly stood and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Sheriff Mills is gonna call you later about the lady doctor."

Liz blinked. "'Lady doctor'?"

Bobby frowned. "You know," he gestured to her middle. "The doctor for your lady...stuff."

Liz's eyebrows rose.

The Winchesters looked at her then traded looks as the laughter then bubbled out of her took over her entire body and filled the house.

When she finally got it together, she looked at him. "I shoulda known."

Bobby frowned at her. "Idjit."

She smiled. "Takes one to know one, Bobby Bear." She stood. "I'm gonna go unpack for real this time." She looked at the Winchesters. "Gentlemen," she nodded to them and moved to the stairs and up to her room.