#elfinmox

As Annie and Mary headed off to her room to get settled, you invited Sam to join you at the kitchen table. “Would you like something to eat? Some coffee?”

“Coffee would be great,” he replied

  “Just milk, right? How are Dean and Donna? Anything new with them?”

“Yep.” You could tell he was pleased that you remembered. “So Dean and Donna went to Minnesota to spend Thanksgiving with Donna’s family.”

You blinked in surprise. “No way! Is it getting serious?” Dean had always enjoyed playing the field ever since Stanford.

“Oh, it IS serious. He says our ‘trainwreck’ has made him reevaluate his priorities.” Sam told you with a wry grin.

“I wouldn’t call it a trainwreck, exactly.” A thought occurred to you. “So what are you doing for Thanksgiving then?”

“Juliet and I are going to eat sushi and binge-watch Breaking Bad.”

You gave him a stern look. “Absolutely not! You are staying here, and spending Thanksgiving with us.”

“You don’t have to do this because you’re feeling sorry for me, Y/N,” Sam said indignantly.

“Maybe I’m doing it because I want to spend time with you, you moron!” Grinning at the surprised look on his face, you called out to the girls. “Mary, Annie, can you come here please?”

They appeared at the table, clearly thrilled to be together. “So girls. It turns out that your uncle went to Minnesota with Donna to visit her parents. I invited your dad to spend Thanksgiving here with us. Is that okay with you two?”

The twins exchanged a surprised look, then identical grins broke out on their faces. “That would be awesome!” Annie said happily.

Mary gave you a serious look. “Are you sure you two are okay with it?”

Annie rolled her eyes. “With the amount they text, they are BFFs now.”

You smiled at Mary’s thoughtfulness. “Yes, we are both okay with it. Right, Sam?”

He nodded in agreement. “Absolutely.”

After getting the girls settled for the night in Annie’s room, you dug around until you found a comforter and some pillows for Sam. Eyeing the couch critically, you glanced up at him.  “Are you sure you want to do this? I can’t see how this will be comfortable. You’re twice as long as the couch.”

“I’ll manage. Unless you’re offering to let me sleep with you? Your bed looks big enough.” Sam stated nonchalantly.

You threw a pillow at him. “Oh you’d like that, wouldn’t you? You’re going to have to try way harder than that, Mr. Winchester. I’m not going to make this easy on you.”

“Duly noted, Ms. Campbell,” he replied with a dimpled smirk.

Handing the bedding over to him, you whispered seductively, “Well I’ll leave you to figure this out while I put on my lingerie in my big, empty bed.”

“That’s a low blow, Y/N,” he muttered under his breath.

You snorted with laughter as you headed off to your room. Oh, this was going to be fun.

The next morning you woke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee.  Coming out of your room, you saw that Sam had made breakfast for the girls.

“Saved you some,” he said as he slid a plate in your direction.

“Since when do you cook?” you said doubtfully, giving the plate a suspicious look.

“Since I got divorced and realized I still liked to eat,” he informed you and the twins giggled.

“So Mom, I was thinking we could show Dad and Mary around today. Maybe go see the tree at Rockefeller Center?” Annie said around a mouth full of pancakes.

“Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving. Don’t we have to go grocery shopping?” Sam asked curiously.

“Since it was only going to be the three of us, I ordered a pre-cooked meal from Zabars. We just have to heat everything up,” you told him.

“Microwaved Thanksgiving dinner?” Sam said doubtfully.

“Trust me, it’s delicious, you’ll love it,” you assured him

It was a pretty cold day but everyone bundled up as you took Sam and the girls around the city.  As soon as Mary saw the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center, she insisted that you needed to skate.

“You girls go. I’m a terrible skater. Annie usually has to hold me up,” you told them with a wave of your hands.

“I’ve always wanted to try ice-skating outside, Mom. Annie can help me, and Dad can help you,” Mary responded helpfully.

“What makes you think I can ice skate, Mary?” Sam asked with a grin.

She shrugged, “you’re good at pretty much every sport, so I just assumed…..”

“You two go. I’ll take care of your mom.” Sam promised the girls.

Sam paid for all of you and Mary and Annie were quick to get their skates on and head out. Mary was as unsteady as a newborn colt, but Annie held her hand and guided her, and soon they were making slow progress around the track.

“Come on slowpoke,” Sam whispered in your ear.  “You’re just postponing the inevitable.”

You glared at him as you got to your feet slowly, your legs as shaky as jello.  Sam held out his hand and you grasped it tightly, inching your way onto the ice.  You slowly progressed around the track, Sam’s hand tight in yours, and you began to relax.

The twins passed by the two of you several times, and they looked red-cheeked and happy.  “Look at them,” you said to Sam. “Mary looks like she’s having a blast.”

Sam turned his head to look, and a teenager whipping around the track tried to maneuver around you. His shoulder bumped into yours, throwing you off balance, and you began to fall.

Flailing wildly, you were about to hit the ice face first when a hard yank on your arm pulled you upright and into Sam’s waiting arms.  “I’ve got you. You okay?”

You nodded mutely, trying to catch your breath as Sam guided you off the ice to a bench just outside the rink.  The girls were still skating. “Thanks for helping me. You’re my hero.”

Sam knelt in front of you and started to unlace your skates. “Let’s be honest, Y/N. I haven’t been your hero in a very long time.  Having you in my life again has made me realize what a fool I was to not fight harder for us. But if you ever give me another chance, I’m going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

Before you could respond, Annie and Mary had found you, and were talking non-stop.“We saw you almost wipe out at the end. Good thing Dad was there to catch you, huh Mom?” Mary said as you returned your skates.

“Yeah, good thing,” you said absently, your mind a million miles away

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day. You’d picked up your already prepared dinner the day before, and after heating and plating everything, you all dug in. Even Sam grudgingly admitted it was delicious. You watched Sam laughing and joking with the twins, he seemed to be having a good time.

“I got an email from work earlier. I am going to have to fly back on Saturday. I have some stuff I need to take care of in the office. Mary is still off of school next week, so you are welcome to keep her until next weekend if you want.” He looked sad for spoiling the holiday.

As your heart plummeted at the thought of him leaving, you came to a realization. You had fallen in love again with your ex-husband. The question was, what were you going to do about it?

“Mary, do you want me to fly back to get you so you don’t have to fly alone?” Sam asked his daughter.

Mary smiled broadly at her father. “I think I’ll be okay this time as long as Mom and Annie wait with me beforehand.”

“If you’re sure,” he said, a note of uncertainty in his voice.

“I want to spend as much time with Annie as possible.” Mary insisted.

“Hey Mom, there is a dance at the Boys and Girls Club tomorrow night. Carlos asked us if we wanted to go. His mom said she would take us. Is it okay if we go?” Annie asked.

You looked over at Sam. “Is it okay with you?”

“Who is Carlos?” he asked with a frown.

“He’s been Annie’s best friend since first grade.  They live down the hall. I know both of his parents really well. They are good people.”

“Carlos likes Mary,” Annie announced nonchalantly.

“Annie! Shut up!” Mary hissed, her cheeks turning red.

You turned to Annie. “Is Enrique going too?” you asked.

“Yes.”

You turned to Sam, “Enrique is Carlos’ older brother. He is fifteen. His mother willl make him go to keep an eye on the kids. She is very over-protective. They will be fine.”

“I’m okay with it if you are,” Sam finally decided.

The next night, the girls spent what Sam thought was a ridiculously long time getting ready for the dance.  He was flipping channels on the TV looking for something to watch while you got up for the third time when Annie frantically called, “Mom, we need you!” from her room.

You returned a few minutes later and sat down, looking a bit flustered.  “Everything okay?” he asked.

“It is now,” you said a little dramatically.

“Anything I can do?”

“Not unless you want to have the discussion with the girls again about why they are too young to wear makeup,” you told him with a sigh.

“Makeup? Are you serious?” he asked in disbelief.

“Oh yes, and I’m pretty sure it’s from the dollar store,” you told him as you got up and headed to the fridge. “I need a drink. Want one?” you asked.

There was a knock at the door and Sam beat you to it. Damn his long legs! “You must be Carlos.” You heard him say. “I’m Annie and Mary’s dad. Come on in. Girls, Carlos is here!”

When the girls came out, they were dressed casually, but Sam could tell they had taken care with their appearance.  “Hi, Carlos. The dance is over at 9:00, right?” you asked.

“Yeah. My Mom was going to take us out for ice cream afterward if that’s okay with you.” Carlos responded.

“That’s fine. She texted me already. She said she’d have you home by ten. Make good choices, you two,” you told your daughters.

“Take good care of my girls, young man,” Sam told Carlos, holding out his hand to shake.

“I will, Sir,” Carlos replied, and the three of them left.

You headed back inside. Grabbing two beers, and handing one to Sam. The two of you sat on the couch, and he flipped channels aimlessly for a bit.  “So, we have about three kid-free hours on my last night here.  What do you want to do?”

“I think we should have a talk.”

“About?” Sam asked casually, putting his beer on the coffee table and looking over at you.

“I realized something. I realized that I’m ready. I want this. I want you, I want our family. Somehow I’ve managed to fall in love with you again.  Maybe I never stopped.” You stared at each other for a long moment as you waited for Sam to react.

A second later he picked you up out of your seat, and pulled you into his lap, straddling him. You arched up, taking his face in your hands as your lips met in a passionate kiss.  His hands wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer as you ground against his growing erection.

You made out on the couch like teenagers, both of you panting with need until you thought you were going to explode. Finally, you managed to tear your mouth from Sam’s and extricate yourself from his embrace.

“Wait…..” he said, reaching for you.

You were dizzy with desire. Standing so quickly you got lightheaded you looked down at him, clothes askew, looking wrecked, and he stared back at you with eyes hazy with lust.  You held out your hand.  “We have about two solid kid-free hours, give or take. How about we make good use of them?”

Sam just gaped at you for a moment, eyes wide with shock. “Are you sure?” he asked in a ragged voice.

“Oh yeah.  It’s now or never, Sam.  The clock is ticking.”

He was off the couch in a flash, pulling you to him and kissing you until you were breathless. You leaned into him, and he pulled you towards the bedroom, pushing the door open with his foot.

He laid you down on the bed, his long body completely covering yours, the heat of him hitting you in just the right spots.  His mouth sucked hard on your neck as he yanked your shirt over your head and tossed it aside. You sighed with pleasure as his mouth found yours again, one large hand cradling your head while he deftly unsnapped your bra with the other.

“Haven’t lost your touch, have you?” you giggled as he flung your bra away.

“I’ve thought about this a lot in the past five months,” Sam growled under his breath as you smiled against his mouth.

“Would you please get naked already?” you said impatiently, your hands pulling eagerly at his clothes.

“Can I just savor this for a moment?” he asked, brushing your hair away from your face.  “The last time we had sex we were barely speaking. It was pretty much a hate fuck.”

You didn’t want to think about that time anymore. “Well I sure don’t hate you now,” you whispered as your hands made quick work of his shirt, and soon you were skin to skin, his erection pressing into your belly as he kissed every part of you he could reach, reacquainting himself with your body.

“Do you have any condoms?”

“I’m on the pill, so we’re all good,” you answered, wrapping your hand around him and guiding him into you, causing Sam to groan.

“Damn, I forgot how big you are!” you grunted against his shoulder as you felt him stretching you open.

“Am I hurting you?” he asked with concern.

You rolled your eyes. “Come on, Sam! If I can fit twins through there, I can certainly handle you. Now move!”

You wrapped your legs around his waist, bringing him balls deep within you. God, he felt good! “I’m not going to last long, Y/N.” he grunted as he thrust inside you.

“Me either,” you admitted. It had been too long.  He began to move with more purpose, sliding almost all the way out, and back in, faster and faster.  You could feel your pleasure rising, and when Sam reached down and began to rub your clit your legs began to shake.

“I’m close,” he whispered as he bent to kiss you hard, and with one last hard thrust, he swallowed your scream of pleasure with his mouth. You continued to shake as he groaned into your neck.

He collapsed on top of you, pinning you to the bed with his body.  “Can’t breathe…..too heavy,” you managed to get out and he rolled off of you.

You spent the next few minutes just basking in post-coital bliss. When you looked over and saw that Sam was starting to fall asleep, you elbowed him. “We need to get dressed. The kids will be home soon!”

That got him up and moving, and the two of you were soon dressed and presentable.  You grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, and he turned on the TV, and you tried to act like you didn’t just get laid.

“Hey…..” Sam said suddenly, turning to you.

“Yeah?” you asked casually.

“Marry me,” he said earnestly.

“Very funny,” you reply with a roll of your eyes. “We have sex and now you think we should get married? Really?”

He looks sideways at you, his eyes shining with emotion. “I think we should get married because I love you and I have spent the last decade missing you.  I want to wake up with you every morning for the rest of my life.”

Your throat is thick with emotion, and you swallow the lump that has formed.  You reach out and take his hand. “Okay, Sam. I’ll marry you.  We can talk to the girls about it when they come back.”

The girls return from the dance laughing and talking, their cheeks bright and flushed.  “Did you guys have fun?” Sam asked.

“Yeah.  It was pretty crowded, but we had a good time.” Annie told him.

“What time are you leaving tomorrow, Dad?” Mary asks.

“Pretty early,” Sam replies.  “But your Mom and I want to talk to you guys about something before I go,” he gestures to the kitchen table and the girls take a seat, looking curious.

“What’s going on?” Mary asks in a worried tone.

“Well,” Sam looks over at you and smiles, taking your hand. “I’ve asked your Mom to marry me again, and she said yes.”

The girls immediately begin talking at once, each trying to be heard over the other.  “This is the best news!” Mary says happily.

“Are we moving to California?” Annie demands.

“Will it be soon?” Mary asks immediately after.  

They are firing questions at us so fast that we don’t have a chance to answer any of them.

“We haven’t really decided anything yet. He just asked me. We’ll have to figure some things out, but we wanted to make sure you two were okay with it.”

Annie and Mary exchanged a look between them. “We are totally okay with it,” Annie assures us.

Sam leaves the next morning, the girls grinning as he kisses you goodbye. ‘I’ll call you later,” he assures you as he heads out the door.  

You spend the rest of the Thanksgiving holiday dealing with endless questions from your two over-excited daughters.  It seems as though you talk about nothing else but weddings endlessly until your head is ready to explode.

At the end of the week, it is time to send Mary home to California.  “You’ll come with Annie at Christmas?” She asks as we are getting ready to take her to the airport.

“Of course I will,” you assure her, responding automatically before you realize you haven’t discussed it with Sam. Oh well, the damage was done. You’d bring it up the next time you spoke.

After Mary was gone and you and Annie were home again, you sat her down to talk.  “So how do you feel about all this, baby? I need to know that you are okay with this.”

Annie smiled broadly. “I’m happy you and Dad are finally together again, Mom. I’m excited to move to California, and I’m glad I’ll get to spend time with Uncle Dean and Donna. I can’t wait to get to see Mary every day. I miss her already.”

You reach out and hug her. “I miss her too, and your Dad.  It will only be less than a month, and we’ll all be together again.”

You and Sam talk daily, Making plans. There is no question that Sam expects you to come for Christmas. You talk about the wedding.  Should it be in New York or California?  Should it be a small, intimate affair or a big, fancy bash?

“I’ve been thinking,” Sam begins one night. “No matter when the wedding happens, I want you and Annie to move to California as soon as possible. How do you feel about that?” He sounds tentative as if he is worried about your reaction.

“Actually, it’s funny you mention that,” you say with a laugh. “I’ve already given my notice at work. My last day is right before Christmas break. Annie and I are working on cleaning things out and packing up here. It won’t be done by the time we come for Christmas, but we’ll put a good dent in things.”

“Not much longer now. I can’t wait until you are in my arms again. I miss you,” Sam says with a sigh.  “I don’t know who is happier about the wedding, Dean or Donna.  They are over the moon.”

“I can’t believe I am getting you, my girls, and my two best friends all in one shot. I am the luckiest woman in the world,” you whisper, suddenly choked up.

“I’m the one who is lucky,” Sam assures you.

After a flurry of decluttering and cleaning and packing, you and Annie are on your way to California.  Sam, Dean, and Mary pick you up at the airport and the girls squeal with happiness and hug each other tightly.

Dean rolls his eyes at them. “It’s only been a month since you’ve seen each other, guys.”

“Hi,” Sam says with a smile as he stands in front of you.

“Hi yourself,” you say as you lean in for a kiss.

“Get a room you two.” Dean comments and the twins giggle.

The Christmas holidays are wonderful with the family all together again. Sam surprises you with a stunning engagement ring, exactly what you would have picked out for yourself.  “Oh, Sam, I love it!” you say as he slips it on your finger

“Well, I couldn’t afford an engagement ring last time, so I wanted to make it up to you,” he tells you as you throw yourself into his arms and kiss him soundly.

The girls are out with Dean and Donna and you and Sam are discussing the wedding, again. Lately, that’s all you seem to talk about.  Everything about it has gotten bigger and more complicated and it seems like everyone has an opinion and it’s stressing you out.

“Are you okay, Y/N?” Sam asks finally. “You seem upset.”

You give him a half-hearted smile. “Can I be honest with you? This whole wedding business is really getting stressful. I wish we could just go to Vegas like we did before.”

Sam blinks with surprise. “So why don’t we?  I don’t need a big wedding. I’m fine with just you and the girls and maybe Dean and Donna.”

Your mouth drops in shock. “Seriously? You’d be okay with it if I wanted to go back to that tacky little chapel we went to the first time?”

“Absolutely. If that’s what you want. We can go this weekend.”

“Where are you going this weekend?” Donna asks as she comes into the room laden with shopping bags. The girls trail in, also with bags and Dean is loaded down like a pack mule.

“We’ve decided to go to Vegas and get married,” Sam says with a grin.

“What? Again?” Dean snaps as he drops the bags on the floor. “What is it with you two and Vegas?”

“But we have to be there, Mom!” Annie says indignantly.

“Of course you do, baby! We want you all there. We’re going back to the place where we got married the first time.”

“And when’s this happening?” Dean demanded.

“Saturday,” Sam told his brother.  “You in?”

“Hell Yeah! It’s Vegas!” Dean said happily

Epilogue

“Ooowwwww! That one fucking hurt!” you yelled as another contraction ripped through you. This wasn’t going at all like the twins birth. You were twelve years older, and you were feeling every damn year right now.

“Stupid 99% effective birth control pills!” you said angrily.

“Just focus on your breathing, Y/N, just like we practiced,” Sam said calmly.

“This is all your fault! I’m never having sex with you again, I mean it!”

The doctor who was kneeling between your open legs raised his head. “It’s time to push, Mrs. Winchester.”

Sam held your hand, and with a look of intense concentration on your face, you pushed, once, and again.

“I see the head!” Sam said excitedly.

The baby slid into the doctor’s arms as Sam gave a triumphant yell and you collapsed back in exhaustion.

“How much longer?” Annie said impatiently. “It’s been ages!”

“It will take as long as it takes,” Donna said firmly.

Dean lept to his feet as Sam came through the door dressed in scrubs. Mary’s face lit up as soon as she saw him. “Dad! she exclaimed, jumping up and running to him.

Everyone crowded around him, but he only had eyes for the twins. “Annie, Mary, you have a baby brother.”

As everyone hugged Sam and each other, Annie leaned over and whispered to her sister. “Our plan worked even better than we thought. Now it’s time to work on Uncle Dean and Donna.” Mary grinned at her, and they smiled in complete understanding.

THE END

“Oh please,” you said with a snort. “Of course I could! I birthed you both! I just went along with it so you two could have some time camping with your Dad.”

“It wasn’t all her,” Mary piped up. “Some of it was my idea.”

“Ruby told Sam he had to choose between the twins and her,” Dean told the women, and their mouths dropped open in astonishment.

“She did NOT!” Donna stated emphatically.

“Lucky for these two he picked them, even after what they’d done. It could have gone either way.” Dean was trying hard to be stern, but it wasn’t working.

“Just what exactly did you do?” Donna asked curiously, hands on hips.

You held up your hand. “I don’t think I want to know. I am going to go make sure Sam is okay. You can tell Donna everything when I leave.”

“I wouldn’t poke the bear if I were you,” Dean advised.

“When have I ever done what you told me?” you sassed over your shoulder as you headed out of the kitchen in search of Sam.

Sam’s bedroom door was closed, but you squared your shoulders and knocked on it anyway.  “Sam? It’s me.  Can I come in?”

The door opened, and Sam stood in the doorway, every muscle taut with tension.  “What do you want?” he snapped.

“I was worried about you.  I just want to talk.”

He didn’t respond, but opened the door further, signaling you could enter. You ducked under his arm and he shut the door.  “So did you come here to gloat?” he asked as he turned to face you.

“Why would you say that?  I’m here because you are the father of my children, and despite what you think, I still care about you.  I don’t know what the girls did, but they did it out of love. She wasn’t the woman for you, Sam.” you said quietly as your eyes strayed to his bed.

Sam paced in front of you like a caged animal. “I know Ruby and I had some issues. I thought she would mature a little once we were married. I thought she’d come to love Mary.”

You reached out and grabbed his arm, halting his motion. “Would you stop pacing, please? I’m getting dizzy.”

With a weary sigh, he stopped and stood in front of you, arms crossed, looking sad and defeated.

“Women like her don’t change. I think Ruby was in love with the idea of being a lawyers wife. She wasn’t right for you.” He had to know this already.

“I know. I knew it as soon as I saw you again. I’m still in love with you, Y/N,” he admitted quietly.  

You gave a bitter laugh. “Oh no, Sam. You do NOT get to walk back into my life after twelve years when you just got dumped and tell me you love me. Damn you!” you shrieked, not caring who else heard.

“I want my family back!” Sam said stubbornly.  “The girls belong together…...We belong together.”

You snorted in disbelief.  “You should have thought about that before you brought your child bride home!” you began to poke him in the chest.  “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing here, but I’m not about to let me or my girls get caught in the middle,” you tried to push past him to leave the room but he blocked your way.

“Let me pass, Sam! I mean it!” you demanded, putting a hand on his chest to push him away. He had always been tall and lanky, but in the past twelve years, he had put on some serious muscle. He took a step towards you, and you remembered just how big Sam Winchester was.  You began to back up.

Your back hit the door, and Sam was so close you were practically touching. He caged you in, a huge hand on either side of your head.  “Tell me you don’t have feelings for me and I’ll walk away, Y/N.”

You stared up into those beautiful eyes, so like Annie and Mary’s, but you couldn’t seem to make your mouth form words.

“That’s what I thought,” he said smugly as he closed the distance between you and his lips met yours in a bruising, possessive kiss. You closed your eyes, and for a long moment, you savored the feeling of his body against yours.

But then the memories began flashing through your mind and sanity prevailed. You wrenched your mouth from his and slipped away.  “I can’t do this. I can’t go through this again with you,”  you said with a sob.  “I’ll take Mary for Thanksgiving, you can have Annie for Christmas. Annie and I are leaving as soon as I can get us a flight back to New York.”

“Please don’t go.  Not like this.  The girls will be devastated.” Sam asked you, holding out his hand.

“They’ll get over it,” you snapped, wrenching open the door.  “I did.”  

ANNIE     

“What do you mean we are leaving? I don’t want to go home yet! Why can’t we stay longer?” Annie was glued to Mary’s side staring at you like you had lost your mind.

“Don’t push me, Annie!” you snapped. “I came out here to switch you and Mary back, now it’s time for us to go home.”

“But I thought…….” Mary started to say until Annie shot her a look.

“You thought what? That once you got Ruby out of the way your Dad and I would get back together and live happily ever after? That’s not going to happen, sweetie.  I’m sorry, but it’s time for us to go,” you knew you were being harsh, but they needed to hear the truth.

“Then what, Mom? I never see you again?” Mary whispered, her eyes shiny with unshed tears.

“Of course not, honey. You will come to New York for Thanksgiving, and Annie will come here for Christmas.  We’ll make it work.” You tried to sound positive.

“Thanksgiving?? That’s like five months away!” Annie grumbled.

Sam, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke up. You can text each other, and video chat.  The time will fly by.” You gave him a grateful look.

“Will you drive us to the airport, Dad?” Annie asked, her voice uncharacteristically subdued.

“Mary and me both,” Sam assured her as he pulled Annie into his arms for a hug, just as Mary propelled herself into yours.

FIVE MONTHS LATER

Y/N

You were focused on your phone while you and Annie ate dinner.  As your text alert went off, you read it, laughed, and quickly typed a reply.

Annie rolled her eyes. “Is that Dad again?”

You looked up, startled.  “Eat your dinner,” you told her, avoiding her question.

She grinned at you. “You know, for two people who are divorced, you sure text each other a lot.  Mary and I think it’s kind of weird, actually.”

Great, now the girls were gossiping about you. “Well, we do have children together, so we have a lot to talk about,” you mused.

“Uh-huh.” Annie didn’t sound convinced.

Your relationship with Sam had improved greatly since California.  As you and he had parted ways, he’d asked if he could text you now and then. “To keep in touch.” You’d agreed, and your casual texts about the girls had gradually morphed into something else entirely.

You were engaging in regular flirtation via text with your ex-husband.  What the hell was wrong with you?

“So are you excited that Mary is coming?” you asked, eager to change the subject.

“What time do we have to pick her up at the airport?” Annie asked for at least the fourth time.

“One. Is your room clean?” you asked automatically.

“Yep.  I am all ready for her.  I’m happy that Dad will have Uncle Dean and Donna to spend Thanksgiving with.” Annie said thoughtfully.

“Me too,” you agreed.

After dinner, Annie was doing her homework at the kitchen table while you were cleaning up from dinner when the doorbell rang.  Wiping your hands on a towel, you shouted, “Be right there! Is Carlos coming over?” you asked. Annie shook her head no.

Opening the door, you gasped. “Mary! What are you doing here?” you asked, utterly confused.

“Hi, Mom,” Mary said, her smile radiant.

“I brought her,” Sam said, coming up to the door with the bags.

Part 13-The End

His smile lit up his whole face.   “That would be great!  It’s a later flight anyway.”

Annie pulled Mary into the apartment, excitingly, but Sam still stood in the hallway, looking uncertain.

“Are you coming in or what?” you finally asked.  He nodded without speaking, a heated look passing between you. “I know you really just came to see me, Sam,” you said jokingly.

“Maybe I did,” he whispered as he walked into your apartment. You felt your cheeks get red.

As Annie and Mary headed off to her room to get settled, you invited Sam to join you at the kitchen table. “Would you like something to eat? Some coffee?”

“Coffee would be great.  Just milk, right? How are Dean and Donna? Anything new with them?”

“Yep.” You could tell he was pleased that you remembered. “So Dean and Donna went to Minnesota to spend Thanksgiving with Donna’s family.”

You blinked in surprise. “No way! Is it getting serious?” Dean had always enjoyed playing the field ever since Stanford.

“Oh, it IS serious. He says our ‘trainwreck’ has made him reevaluate his priorities.” Sam told you with a wry grin.

“I wouldn’t call it a trainwreck, exactly.” A thought occurred to you. “So what are you doing for Thanksgiving?”

“Juliet and I are going to eat sushi and binge-watch Breaking Bad.”

You gave him a stern look. “Absolutely not! You are staying here, and spending Thanksgiving with us.”

“You don’t have to do this because you’re feeling sorry for me, Y/N,” Sam said indignantly.

“Maybe I’m doing it because I want to spend time with you, you moron!” Grinning at the surprised look on his face, you called out to the girls. “Mary, Annie, can you come here please?”

They appeared at the table, clearly thrilled to be together. “So girls. It turns out that your uncle went to Minnesota with Donna to visit her parents. I invited your dad to spend Thanksgiving here with us. Is that okay with you two?”

The twins exchanged a surprised look, then identical grins broke out on their faces. “That would be awesome!” Annie said happily.

Mary gave you a serious look. “Are you sure you two are okay with it?”

Annie rolled her eyes. “With the amount they text, they are BFFs now.”

You smiled at Mary’s thoughtfulness. “Yes, we are both okay with it. Right, Sam?”

He nodded in agreement. “Absolutely.”

After getting the girls settled for the night in Annie’s room, you dug around until you found a comforter and some pillows for Sam. Eyeing the couch critically, you glanced up at him.  “Are you sure you want to do this? I can’t see how this will be comfortable. You’re twice as long as the couch.”

“I’ll manage. Unless you’re offering to let me sleep with you? Your bed looks big enough.” Sam stated nonchalantly.

You threw a pillow at him. “Oh you’d like that, wouldn’t you? You’re going to have to try way harder than that, Mr. Winchester. I’m not going to make this easy on you.”

“Duly noted, Ms. Campbell,” he replied with a dimpled smirk.

Handing the bedding over to him, you whispered seductively, “Well I’ll leave you to figure this out while I put on my lingerie in my big, empty bed.”

“That’s a low blow, Y/N,” he muttered under his breath.

You snorted with laughter as you headed off to your room. Oh, this was going to be fun.

The next morning you woke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee.  Coming out of your room, you saw that Sam had made breakfast for the girls.

“Saved you some,” he said as he slid a plate in your direction.

“Since when do you cook?” you said doubtfully, giving the plate a suspicious look.

“Since I got divorced and realized I still liked to eat,” he informed you and the twins giggled.

“So Mom, I was thinking we could show Dad and Mary around today. Maybe go see the tree at Rockefeller Center?” Annie said around a mouth full of pancakes.

“Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving. Don’t we have to go grocery shopping?” Sam asked curiously.

“Since it was only going to be the three of us, I ordered a pre-cooked meal from Zabars. We just have to heat everything up,” you told him.

“Microwaved Thanksgiving dinner?” Sam said doubtfully.

“Trust me, it’s delicious, you’ll love it,” you assured him.

It was a pretty cold day but everyone bundled up as you took Sam and the girls around the city.  As soon as Mary saw the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center, she insisted that you needed to skate.

“You girls go. I’m a terrible skater. Annie usually has to hold me up,” you told them with a wave of your hands.

“I’ve always wanted to try ice-skating outside, Mom. Annie can help me, and Dad can help you,” Mary responded helpfully.

“What makes you think I can ice skate, Mary?” Sam asked with a grin.

She shrugged, “you’re good at pretty much every sport, so I just assumed…..”

“You two go. I’ll take care of your mom.” Sam promised the girls.

Sam paid for all of you and Mary and Annie were quick to get their skates on and head out. Mary was as unsteady as a newborn colt, but Annie held her hand and guided her, and soon they were making slow progress around the track.

“Come on slowpoke,” Sam whispered in your ear.  “You’re just postponing the inevitable.”

You glared at him as you got to your feet slowly, your legs as shaky as jello.  Sam held out his hand and you grasped it tightly, inching your way onto the ice.  You slowly progressed around the track, Sam’s hand tight in yours, and you began to relax.

The twins passed by the two of you several times, and they looked red-cheeked and happy.  “Look at them,” you said to Sam. “Mary looks like she’s having a blast.”

Sam turned his head to look, and a teenager whipping around the track tried to maneuver around you. His shoulder bumped into yours, throwing you off balance, and you began to fall.

Flailing wildly, you were about to hit the ice face first when a hard yank on your arm pulled you upright and into Sam’s waiting arms.  “I’ve got you. You okay?”

You nodded mutely, trying to catch your breath as Sam guided you off the ice to a bench just outside the rink.  The girls were still skating. “Thanks for helping me. You’re my hero.”

Sam knelt in front of you and began to unlace your skates. “Let’s be honest, Y/N. I haven’t been your hero in a very long time.  Having you in my life again has made me realize what a fool I was to not fight harder for us. But if you ever give me another chance, I’m going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

Thanksgiving was a wonderful day. You’d picked up your already prepared dinner the day before, and after heating and plating everything, you all dug in. Even Sam grudgingly admitted it was delicious. You watched Sam laughing and joking with the twins, he seemed to be having a good time.

“I got an email from work earlier. I am going to have to fly back on Saturday. I have some stuff I need to take care of in the office. Mary is still off of school next week, so you are welcome to keep her until next weekend if you want.” He looked sad for spoiling the holiday.

As your heart plummeted at the thought of him leaving, you came to a realization. You had fallen in love again with your ex-husband. The question was, what were you going to do about it?

“Mary, do you want me to fly back to get you so you don’t have to fly alone?” Sam asked his daughter.

Mary smiled broadly at her father. “I think I’ll be okay this time as long as Mom and Annie wait with me beforehand.”

“If you’re sure,” he said, a note of uncertainty in his voice.

“I want to spend as much time with Annie as possible.” Mary insisted.

“Hey Mom, there is a dance at the Boys and Girls Club tomorrow night. Carlos asked us if we wanted to go. His mom said she would take us. Is it okay if we go?” Annie asked.

You looked over at Sam. “Is it okay with you?”

“Who is Carlos?” he asked with a frown.

“He’s been Annie’s best friend since first grade.  They live down the hall. I know both of his parents really well. They are good people.”

“Carlos likes Mary,” Annie announced nonchalantly.

“Annie! Shut up!” Mary hissed, her cheeks turning red.

You turned to Annie. “Is Enrique going too?” you asked.

“Yes.”

You turned to Sam, “Enrique is Carlos’ older brother. He is fifteen. His mother makes him go to keep an eye on the kids. She is very over-protective. They will be fine.”

“I’m okay with it if you are,” Sam finally decided.

The next night, the girls spent what Sam thought was a ridiculously long time getting ready for the dance.  He was flipping channels on the TV looking for something to watch while you got up for the third time when Annie frantically called, “Mom, we need you!” from her room.

You returned a few minutes later and sat down, looking a bit flustered.  “Everything okay?” he asked.

“It is now,” you said a little dramatically.

“Anything I can do?”

“Not unless you want to have the discussion with the girls again about why they are too young to wear makeup,” you told him with a sigh.

“Makeup? Are you serious?” he asked in disbelief.

“Oh yes, and I’m pretty sure it’s from the dollar store,” you told him as you got up and headed to the fridge. “I need a drink. Want one?” you asked.

There was a knock at the door and Sam beat you to it. Damn his long legs! “You must be Carlos.” You heard him say. “I’m Annie and Mary’s dad. Come on in. Girls, Carlos is here!”

When the girls came out, they were dressed casually, but Sam could tell they had taken care with their appearance.  “Hi, Carlos. The dance is over at 900, right?” you asked.

“Yeah. My Mom was going to take us out for ice cream afterward if that’s okay with you.” Carlos responded.

“That’s fine. She texted me already. She said she’d have you home by ten. Make good choices, you two,” you told your daughters.

“Take good care of my girls, young man,” Sam told Carlos, holding out his hand to shake.

“I will, Sir,” Carlos replied, and the three of them left.

You headed back inside. Grabbing two beers, and handing one to Sam. The two of you sat on the couch, and he flipped channels aimlessly for a bit.  “So, we have about three kid-free hours on my last night here.  What do you want to do?”

“I think we should have a talk.”

“About?” Sam asked casually, putting his beer on the coffee table and looking over at you.

“I realized something. I realized that I’m ready. I want this. I want you, I want our family. Somehow I’ve managed to fall in love with you all over again, Sam Winchester.” you stared at each other for a long moment as you waited for Sam to react.

A second later he picked you up out of your seat, and pulled you into his lap, straddling him. You arched up, taking his face in your hands as your lips met in a passionate kiss.  You could feel his growing arousal pressing against you, and you rubbed your body against it eagerly.

You made out on the couch like teenagers, both of you panting with need until you thought you were going to explode. Finally, you managed to tear your mouth from Sam’s and extricate yourself from his embrace.

“Wait…..” he began to say.

You were dizzy with desire. Standing so quickly made you lightheaded as you looked down at him, clothes askew, looking wrecked, and he stared back at you with eyes hazy with lust.  You held out your hand.  “We have about two kid-free hours, give or take. How about we make good use of them?”

“Mary and Annie met at camp and switched places. I’ve had Mary with me, and you’ve had Annie.  This could have gone on for who knows how long but apparently your ‘fiance’ I said with exaggerated air quotes, “has threatened to send my daughter off to boarding school in Europe as soon as you two are married. I couldn’t let that happen so here I am.” There was so much more I wanted to say, but I stopped there.

Sam rubbed his temple like he had a major headache. “No one is going to boarding school!” He yelled, making us all jump. A vein in his forehead pulsed. He was about to blow.

“Are you really eloping, again?” I asking sweetly. “Didn’t you learn your lesson the first time? Is she pregnant?”

Sam gave me his patented bitchface, but I was immune to it now. Apparently, it stopped working once I stopped sleeping with him.  Who knew? Dean was laughing delightedly. “Sure is good to have you back, Y/N.”  He was enjoying his brother’s pain FAR too much.

I grinned at him. I certainly had missed life with the Winchester brothers!

“Well, what happens now?” Mary asked worriedly.  

“It can’t go back to the way it was before.  I want to be with my sister!” Annie demanded, crossing her arms and glaring at Sam and me. He looked concerned, but I was used to Annie’s theatrics, so I tried to respond rationally.

“Maybe Mary could come to visit us at Christmas?” I said weakly, hating the idea even as I said it.

“Christmas is 6 months away, Mom! We live in New York, Mary lives in California. It doesn’t get much farther than that!” Annie snapped, and I could see the tears starting.  What a mess this was.

“Girls, at the time we were doing the best we could.  There is a lot you don’t know.” I offered in way of explanation.

“Like what exactly? What could have made you two hate each other so much that you would let me grow up not knowing I had a twin sister?” Annie’s words were sharp, and I recoiled as though she had slapped me.

“We have a right to know,” Mary commented, backing up her sister's words.

“That’s enough!” Sam’s commanding voice echoed through the room, and both girls flinched.  “You both deserve some answers, but attacking us isn’t the way to get them.  There are more pressing matters now.  Your mother and I need to talk.”

He turned to Dean.  “Can you take them to your place?”

Dean nodded.  “Donna can help me entertain them.  We’ll watch movies or something.”

Both girls began to protest, but Sam silenced them with just a look.  He’d certainly developed confidence over the years.

“Donna!” Dean yelled, and she came into the dining room, looking nervous.

“You don’t have to scream, Dean, I’m not deaf! What do you need?”

“Can you pack up some food to take to my place? We’re having a movie night with the girls. Sam and Y/N need to talk, and I have nothing to eat at my place.” He gave her a winning smile.

“Are you asking me or telling me?” she said with a teasing grin.

His smile wilted a little. “You’ll come, right?”

“Oh, you betcha! Girls, come help me in the kitchen!” Donna commanded, and Mary and Annie rose dutifully and followed her.

Dean grabbed his and Annie’s plates off the table. “Don’t be an ass,” he whispered to his brother as he walked by. Sam just scowled at him.

Sam

A few minutes later, after much commotion in the kitchen, the girls came in to say goodnight.

“Bye, Daddy,” Mary said sweetly after giving me a hug. “I really missed you.”

“Are you really Mary this time?” Sam couldn’t help but ask.

“Yes. Sorry, we tricked you.”

Annie came over and hugged him too.  “I’m glad I’ve had this time with you. Please try not to fight with Mom, okay?”

Sam held her close. He couldn’t believe she was actually here. “Just because I didn’t see you, I never stopped loving you, Annie.”

“I know, Dad,” she said with a small smile, and then she was out the door with Dean and Donna.

“Do you want a beer or something?” he asked Y/N. She sure looked like she could use one.

Oh my god, yes! That would be great!” you said enthusiastically, and Sam grabbed two cold bottles from the fridge.

You eyed the bottle and laughed. “Margiekugles? You STILL drink this? Now that you can afford better, I would have thought you’d have switched to something more expensive.”

Sam shrugged. “I do drink wine sometimes, but I still prefer beer.  Dean drinks this stuff like it’s water.  Do you want to sit somewhere more comfortable?”

You nodded, and Sam got up from the table and they headed into what appeared to be the family room. There were comfortable couches and a large-screen TV.  She sat down, holding the beer between her knees on one side of the couch, and Sam sat on the other side. Neither spoke.

“So, where do we start?” you asked.

“I have no idea,” Sam answered honestly. “How are you? How were things when you went back to New York? I worried about you and Annie. There were so many times I wanted to call, just to make sure you were okay……..” his voice trailed off.

“It was hard at first,” you admitted. “My mom was a  big help, but she passed away when Annie was three. Getting over losing you was hard, getting over Mary was impossible.  I saw her every time I looked at Annie.”

Sam moved in closer. “What happened to us, Y/N? How the hell did we end up here?”

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. “I need to share something with you. Something I didn’t figure out until I was in New York. It certainly didn’t help things.”

Sam looked wary. “Okay.”

“I didn’t know it at the time, but I had severe post-partum depression, Sam. My mom figured it out when I got home. It was bad. I went into therapy, got on some medication, and things got better. But it took time and hard work.  But I think it was part of the reason things were so bad.”  You didn’t look away as she spoke, and Sam was impressed with her strength.

“I had no idea,” he answered honestly.

“How could you? I didn’t know myself, and I never said anything. You were always at school or working, and I was completely overwhelmed with two newborns.  We were so young, and I had no idea what I was doing. I felt like a failure. I wasn’t thinking clearly.  If I was, I never would have agreed to split the girls up,” you laughed self-consciously as you wiped some tears from her eyes.

Sam was so close to you now that your knees were touching. “I am so sorry that I wasn’t there for you. I was so focused on getting through law school so I could provide for you and the girls I didn’t see that you were drowning.  Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were doing enough. You couldn’t handle anything else.  So enough about the past.  Tell me about Ruby. How did you meet?  How do you think she will handle finding out about Annie? Do you love her?”

“Wow, going for the jugular right off the bat, aren’t you?”  Sam said with a sad smile.

You shrugged. “I am trying to do what is best for my daughters this time.”

“I met her at some charity thing. She’s younger than me, and she makes me feel good. I don’t know how she will react about Annie, honestly. She doesn’t seem overly maternal.  I care for her, but it’s not like it was with you.  I don’t think I’ll ever have that again. But I’m tired of being alone.”  He didn’t meet your eyes as he said this.

“Do you have anything stronger than beer?” you suddenly asked.

“Do you still like whiskey?” Sam said as he headed for the liquor cabinet.

Talking about the situation with the girls was much easier after a few shots of whiskey. Sam had removed his suit jacket and tie and rolled up his sleeves.  But they kept getting distracted by memories and stories from the past.

You were wiping the tears of laughter from your eyes as Sam reminded you of a particularly funny night at the bar when a very persistent patron kept hitting on Dean while he was working, and he had a girlfriend at the time.  “........and then she threw her drink in his face, and it was purple, remember? And we called him ‘Barney’ for weeks?”

You snorted with laughter. “I remember!  But as much as I’ve enjoyed this, Sam. We need to figure the situation out with the girls.  Now that they’ve been together, they won’t go back to the way it is before.”

“You’re right. I know one thing, we’ve had way too much whiskey to figure this out tonight.  Let’s table it for tonight, and talk again tomorrow.”

“That sounds like a plan,” you said with a yawn.

“Christ, look at the time! The girls are probably asleep. I’ll text Dean to bring them back for breakfast in the morning.” Sam pulled out his phone and texted his brother, then stood up and held out a hand to help you off the couch. 

 You tripped a little, and then you were in his arms.  Neither of you breathed for a moment, and then he was kissing you as though the past twelve years hadn’t happened.  Your arms slid around his back, and he deepened the kiss, and you moaned at the taste of him.

Finally, you pushed him away regretfully. “We can’t, Sam. You are engaged to someone else.  I’m going to bed.  I’ll see you in the morning.”

He watched her leave, his confusion evident on his face before he headed to his own room.  Needless to say, he didn’t get much sleep.

The next morning, both he and Y/N were hungover when they joined the girls and Dean and Donna for breakfast.  Everyone was laughing and talking when the sliding glass doors in the kitchen opened and Ruby sashayed in, looking perfectly put-together despite the early hour.

Her eyes took in the scene, and when she saw you her mouth dropped.  “Sam, I have been calling and texting you! Who the hell is she?”

Before Sam could answer, Mary spoke up.  “Ruby, this is my Mom. Oh, yeah, and this is my twin sister, Annie.”

Part 11