Prologue:

Candace Morgan wasn't there when the man she loved sacrificed himself to save the world. After overcoming Lucifer, Sam Winchester tackled his possessed brother into the cage that Lucifer came from, stopping the apocalypse and saving the world. Candace, who went by the name Candy, was behind the bar working as she usually did. It was late when Sam's brother Dean came through the door. Candy smiled at him, but her smile soon faded when she saw the water pooling in the bottom of Dean's eyes. Immediately understanding the situation, Candy collapsed to the floor in tears. Dean just stood there awkwardly, fighting back his own tears.

After that, Dean went to Lisa's house, a woman that Dean had been with years before. Candy was lost without the Winchester brothers. She had been tagging along with them for so long that she no longer had a home to return to. Her family had long since moved on and away from the town that she had grown up in, and she knew that she needed to find a way back to Dean and the beautiful Impala they had spent so much time in. Although Dean and Candy had never been really close, even Dean knew that he could not stay with Lisa forever. As long as Candy was out there, Dean needed to take care of her. It was what Sam wanted him to do.

Dean left Lisa a week after he arrived at her house. He returned to the bar that he had last seen Candy at, and fortunately, she was still there. For the first time since Dean had walked into the bar with tears in his eyes, Candy smiled. She practically ripped her apron from around her waist and leapt over the bar to rush to Dean. She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. She had been so scared on her own. After all, she had almost no money, and had been staying in the back room of the bar at night. Once Dean showed up, she knew that she didn't have to be scared anymore.

They hit the road again. Dean wanted to keep working cases to try and distract himself from the loss of his brother. But it was difficult. At night, Dean would lay awake in his bed, listening to Candy quietly sobbing from her own bed. At first, he left her alone, but after a few weeks of hearing the anguish in her sobs, Dean finally got up from his bed and walked to hers. He peeled back the covers carefully and laid beside her. Candy rolled over to face him, and after the initial confusion, Candy gave in and curled against Dean's side. He wrapped his arms around her, and for once, they both found a sliver of comfort.

After that night, the two began to see eachother differently. Sam had taught Candy most of what he knew, so Candy began following Dean on cases. They worked together to salt and burn bones, as well as exorcise demons. Dean became overprotective of Candy, and then he began to sleep in her bed nightly. At first, it was because he thought it was safer. However, after awhile, they both knew that it just felt right. Dean began to see Candy as a woman, and not as Sam's little girlfriend. He became attracted to her petite stature and small face. He found himself staring at her light pink lips and her bright green eyes. At night, sometimes, Dean would run his fingers through her thick, curly scarlet-red hair that fell over her face.

Candy was beginning to see Dean in a new light, as well. She began to admire his tight jaw and toned arm muscles. When Dean would step out of the bathroom without a shirt on, Candy would become flustered by his muscular chest and abdomen. She would ruffle his short brown hair lovingly after they successfully completed a case, although she knew that he absolutely hated it. Neither of them would admit that they were falling for one another. Candy knew that the feeling in her chest when she looked at Dean was the same feeling she used to get with Sam. She knew that it was love, but she refused to act on it. Dean knew as well. With Candy around, Dean couldn't look at other girls the same way. He couldn't pursue anyone or take them back to his hotel room.

Eventually, Dean began to crave Candy. When she would get up at night to get water, Dean would stare at the curves of her flawless bare legs, following them up with his eyes until he reached the hem of the tee shirt she had on. One night, after Candy had gotten into the shower, Dean had reached his breaking point. He undressed himself, then went into the bathroom. Candy called his name in confusion, slightly afraid for a moment. Her fear vanished once Dean stepped into the shower behind her. She turned to him, and for a moment, she thought of Sam. It had been nearly a year since he had gone away, and Candy and Dean were only just then getting back to some form of normalcy. Then Dean reached out and touched her face gently. He tilted her head upwards, then leaned down and pressed his gorgeous lips to hers.

Candy gave in almost instantly. She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him down further, deepening the kiss. Dean spun her around and away from the water streaming down on them. He backed her into the wall, never pulling his lips away from hers. His hands held her face firmly.

"I need you," he told her between kisses. He reached down and pulled her legs off the ground, pressing her back into the wall so that it was easier to hold her up. They both knew that there was no stopping at that point; they gave into their desires, and they made love. Starting in the shower, then moving to the bed soon after. It was beautiful and passionate. Heated and intense. Candy felt awful thinking it, but making love to Dean was like nothing she had ever felt before with Sam. There was more passion and desire than the immediate gratification there was with Sam. After that night, it was impossible to ignore those feelings anymore. Candy and Dean were now bound together by both love and intimacy.

Things began to feel right again, even without Sam with them. Soon, however, things would change, and the world that Dean and Candy had grown accustomed to would be changed dramatically. Someone was returning. Someone who had been gone for a long time, but never stopped watching them. Sam was coming home.