The two Winchesters and the lone no-longer-fair Rhiannon were sitting in a red vinyl booth at a 24 hour diner that reminded them all of the fifties. They all looked a damn mess and Rhiannon was curled up in Sam's lap, still holding her gut. Three bruises had flowered on her stomach already, and they had quickly turned a sickly greenish black.

"So…you're not…ya know, anymore?" Dean asked as he shoveled scrambled eggs into his mouth and gulped down milk.

"No, since I was only half, without my dust I'm powerless," Rhiannon sipped her orange juice.

"So… that's what saved me?" Sam asked as Rhiannon popped a French fry in his mouth.

"Yeah it's like… magick condensed. It shielded and healed you. It was all my magick in one little bottle," Rhiannon answered.

"So, you're immune to gold and stuff now…and?" Dean asked.

"And I'm not going to be as strong or as fast as I was before," She started.

"Yeah you were pretty freaking beastly for a little girl," Dean snickered and shoved two slices of bacon in his mouth.

"And I probably can't work magick anymore, or if I can it won't be nearly as potent. Obviously I can,t" Rhiannon cut off as their waitress checked up on them.

"How is everything? You sure you ain't hungry honey?" The lady was probably in her mid-forties and very sweet.

"Yeah I'm sure… do you have booze here? I need whiskey," She mumbled.

"Sure do hun, can I see your ID?" The kind waitress asked.

"Oh my god, after the night I've had," She grumbled and started checking her pockets as best she could without getting out of Sam's lap. He slid his hand in her back pocket and pulled her wallet out for her.

"Thanks baby," She smiled and kissed him as she took her ID out and showed it to the waitress. "Jack and Coke please, and two shots as well."

"Oh no, I'm good," Sam said.

"Yeah I'm not up for whiskey right now," Dean chimed in.

"Who said those shots were for you?" Rhiannon retorted. "Jack and Coke and two shots."

Their waitress scurried off to get Rhiannon's drinks.

"Anyway, obviously I can't commune with nature anymore, I can't… I can't do anything. I'm not going to be able to hunt anymore…" Rhiannon thought she might start crying. She wished she had ordered double shots.

"Hey," Sam nuzzled her cheek, "Faerie or not, you're a great hunter."

"Yeah but I don't have the upper hand now, I've got no advantage anymore," She buried her face in Sam's neck until the waitress set her drinks on the table. She took a sip of the mixed drink before throwing back one of the shots.

"Ok so before you had magick and freaky faerie strength, now you've just got a BADASS car, a seriously dangerous arsenal, and a mind that's as sharp and as twisted as werewolf teeth. Now you're just taking the same risks as the rest of us," Dean said as he destroyed a biscuit in two bites.

"I guess; I don't know. I'm scared now," She sighed and threw back her second shot and swilled down a good portion of her drink.

Sam kissed her cheek, "Everyone gets scared, but in this line of work, you just can't let that stop you."

"You're right Sammy, I've never let fear stop me before, even when I should have," She replied, her eyes locked with his. Sam knew what she meant. Dean just sat there feeling awkward.

"Well anyway! We need to lighten the mood! We just took down one evil son of a bitch, I say we celebrate!" Dean grinned from ear to ear.

"Ah…" Sam opened his mouth and he had that smile, that I-need-to-say-something-very-awkward kind of smile.

Dean looked back and forth between his brother and Rhiannon, "Right! Well, how about I drop you crazy kids off at the motel, because I'm going to the bar! Actually Sam, maybe you shouldn't stay in our room tonight," Dean smiled a wolfish grin.

Sam just chuckled, "Yeah, once was enough for me."

Rhiannon's eyes popped, "What?"

Dean just burst out laughing.

"Ah well, one time…" Sam started, "Hm, let's just say I came home too early."

"Oh dude, grody," Rhiannon downed the rest of her drink and tossed thirty dollars down on the table. Sam scooped her up as Dean paid for their food.

Once they got to the car Rhiannon lit up a cigarette and sprawled out in the backseat. She instantly curled back up into a ball though as the stretching made her stomach throb and her muscles clench and cramp. She groaned and climbed back into Sam's lap, where he happily held her close. She fought the urge to whimper and start bawling. She refused to break down in front of Dean. Not now.

The ride back was silent except for the occasional smooch and Dean's AC/DC tape. When they got back to the motel Dean didn't even shut off the car. "You two take care of each other," Dean said as Sam picked up Rhiannon and got out of the Impala.

"Yeah you uh, you have fun Dean," Sam grinned and Rhiannon waved good-bye to Dean as he pulled away.

Rhiannon looped her arms around Sam's neck as he carried her off to her room. He set her down lightly on the bed before taking her keys from her pocket and locking the door.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked as he sat down next to her, curling his arm around her waist.

"Well my stomach feels like, well like I got shot. I think I have some bruised…insides, I don't know. My head feels like it's going to explode. I feel completely powerless even though I know there's an arsenal in my car. And my heart…" She didn't want to finish her sentence anymore.

"Feels like it's breaking?" Sam asked as he kissed her temple.

"Yeah, something like that," Rhiannon choked back tears as she turned her face to meet Sam's lips with her own. "I… I have to go home. I need to sort myself out."

Sam's puppy dog eyes were shimmering, but he wasn't crying. "When?"

"Tomorrow. I can't… I don't know what I'm going to do. Maybe I should try to be normal; maybe I should try to keep hunting. I don't know, but I know I can't figure it out driving around this big fucked up country," Rhiannon whimpered.

"But for tonight…" Sam whispered.

"Tonight I'm all yours, all night, Sammy."

(-)

Sam wasn't sure why his phone was going off, maybe it was an alarm, maybe it was a phone call, he didn't check; he just chucked the damn thing across the room. The sun was peaking through the curtains but he didn't care. He rolled to face Rhiannon and pulled her close until she was right up against him. He closed his eyes and listened to her breath. But his movement had disturbed her sleep and she started to stir. Her arms tightened around Sam and she kissed his chest over and over.

"Are you getting up?" Sam whispered, not because he wanted her to, just because he wanted to know.

"No, never. We should just sleep here forever," Rhiannon mumbled against his skin sending shivers down his back. She refused to open her eyes even though she wanted to stare at her gorgeous kind-of-boyfriend.

"Mm, sounds like a plan to me," Sam smiled. His hands started wandering all over her until she flinched and whined. "Oh god I'm sorry baby," He realized he had touched her stomach.

Rhiannon rolled onto her back to get a good look at her stomach. It was black and green and purple and blue and, "Ew."

Sam leaned over and kissed around the edges of the bruising. She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him up to kiss him just as there was a banging on the door.

"Sam, why don't you ever freakin answer your phone?" It was Dean.

"Because I'm busy!" Sam hollered before leaning down to kiss Rhiannon. He wasn't ready to go, not yet… not ever.

"I just got a call from Bobby, it was static-y, I think he said something about Crowley. Sam we have to go," Dean sounded remorseful when he said it, "Sam, I really am sorry."

Rhiannon's eyes were welling with tears as Sam hovered above her. He knew he had to go, had to get out of bed and get dressed and get in the Impala and never come back. But he just couldn't force his muscles to do it.

"Baton Rouge… If you're ever around, look me up. If I change my number, I'll let you know…Sam…" She wasn't sure how she would finish her sentence, but that didn't matter because Sam covered her mouth with his.

Sam left Dean standing outside for at least another hour. When he looked back on that day, he honestly didn't know how he had physically managed to get in the car. He didn't remember getting any of his belongings from the room. He didn't remember walking out Rhiannon's door. He remembered lying in bed with her while she cried. He remembered wanting to scream, but he knew he didn't. He had to be strong enough for the both of them. He remembered the way her lips felt for the rest of his life, but he didn't remember getting in the Impala and driving away. He remembered her hands on his chest; he remembered the way her eyes were flecked with gold. He remembered the way she smelled, like lilacs, but he couldn't remember the countryside they drove through after they left.

He remembered Rhiannon standing in the parking lot, smoking, with a flask in her hand and tears in her eyes. He remembered Baton Rouge. He swore to himself that someday, when they didn't have to worry about all this evil shit anymore, he would get her back.

She remembered fighting the urge to chase down the Impala. Her feet had been stirring under her, almost beyond her control she had started to run after him. But she had stopped herself. Chasing down an Impala in the name of love, she almost laughed at herself. She never thought she'd ever feel that strongly about anyone. She remembered exactly what his lips felt like on hers. She remembered the feeling as he, like something was ripping out of her chest. She stood, sobbing in the parking lot for longer than she knew. And she felt the pain she knew she would feel from the beginning, the pain of love being over the hills and far away.