My World and Hers (a Sam Winchester love story)

Chapter 20: Paranoia (part 1)

<Cas's POV>

Kristy turns her back on the angel as Balthazar uses his archangel blade to kill him. I put a hand on her shoulder as a shiver courses through her.

"Kristy," I say, trying to pull her back.

She hums to let me know she's listening.

"You should go down to earth," I advise, "go see your brothers or your father."

She shakes her head, dislodging a few short strands of hair that block her vision.

"I can't run away just because this brings up unpleasant memories," she says, her voice hard.

I know she's not doing it intentionally, hiding within herself. It's an automatic reaction when she feels vulnerable. It reminds me of back before we figured it out, back when I was still a soldier and she was just a way for heaven to win a war they weren't even trying to prevent.

"It reminds you of Hell doesn't it?" I ask.

She nods, hugging herself.

"I didn't realize how much I was repressing until I became a hybrid," she says quietly, "there's so much I don't want to remember that I do. I can describe every single day in detail now. I even remember the day you saved me."

I pull her to me, hugging her tightly. A moment later she starts crying into my shoulder. I know it's been bothering her for a while. She's been quiet, on edge, a little too cheerful. I knew what it was, but I also knew that it wasn't something I could make her talk about, she had to tell me in her own time.

"It's over now, though," I say, stroking her hair, "you're safe. You've been to hell and back, literally, and came out stronger in the end."

She wipes her eyes and looks at me, smiling slightly.

"I love you," she says.

I smile too and brush some of her hair out of her face, looking at her beautifully strange eyes.

"I love you too."

<Keira's POV>

I'm just pouring the coffee this morning when Kristy appears.

"Hey there," I greet, "where's Cas?"

"He's talking with Balthazar," she says, sitting at the table.

I nod.

"Sam should be out of the bathroom soon."

"Yeah, there's some stuff I have to talk to y'all about," she says.

Whenever she says 'y'all' it reminds me of just how much like Bobby she is.

It doesn't take long for Sam to come out of the bathroom and then he wakes Dean up, per Kris's request. I pass out coffee as Kristy starts.

"We've been...inquiring about Keira for a while now and yesterday-at least I think it was yesterday down here-we got our first real lead."

Excited and intrigued, I lean forward a little from my seat on the bed.

"What's you find out?" I ask.

She pauses for second.

"You're not from here."

I frown.

"What? I don't understand."

She lets out a breath.

"You're not from this dimension."

"This dimension?" Sam asks, "so what, you're saying she's from topsy-turvy world?"