#whereismykrustykrab

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?”

“We can’t go back yet, Mom! We just got here!” one of the twins protested.

You gave her a sympathetic look. “I know, Annie. But your Dad and Ruby have a wedding to plan, and the last thing she needs is wife #1 underfoot.”

“Are you sure she’s Annie?” the other girl asked. “Maybe I am.  We are identical, after all.”

“That’s not funny!” Sam commented, looking from one twin to the other.  Then he realized something.  The girls were dressed exactly the same, and he had no idea who was who.

“Mary, stop it!” you demanded.

“Sorry, Mom!” The girls said in unison.

You and Sam looked at the girls, and then at each other.  “Do you know who is who?” Sam asked Dean, who had been quietly watching the exchange.

“I have no idea, and it looks like neither do you,” Dean commented before he took a sip of his coffee.

Sam looked at Y/N, who shrugged helplessly. “So what, are we supposed to guess?”

“You can try, but we’ve gotten really good at playing each other since camp.”

Ruby was completely out of patience by this point.  She stomped over to the twin nearest to her and grabbed her arm.  “This one’s Mary, I’m sure of it.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and looked at her daughters. “What exactly are you trying to achieve here, girls? Is there a point to this plan of yours?”

The twins got up and stood together, facing their parents. Dressed as they were, it was impossible to tell them apart.

“Here is what we want: some time together.  The annual end-of-the-summer camping trip? We want to go this weekend, as a family.  At the end, we’ll tell you who we are.  Those are our terms.”

Ruby looked incredulous.  “You’ve got to be kidding!  Sam is not taking you camping.  You are not in charge here.  Sam?” she asked, looking at her fiancee for backup.  But he wasn’t even looking at her.  He was looking at Y/N.

“I don’t see any other option.  It’s only for the weekend.” Sam said cautiously.

“What? You are not going camping with your ex-wife and your twin terrors.  I won’t have it, Sam!” Ruby was so furious her face had gone from red to purple back to red again.  “You are just going to let them blackmail you like this?” she snapped.

Donna took a seat next to you at the counter to watch the show. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The girls were playing a dangerous game here, but she had to give them props for trying.

“Do you have a better idea?” Sam asked Ruby in an exasperated tone.

You spoke up. “I do. Ruby is right. You shouldn’t be going camping with your ex-wife, Sam.  That isn’t fair to her. I propose that Ruby goes in my place.  That way the girls can get to know their new stepmother better.”

“What?” The girls and Ruby said at the same time.

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea. What do you think Dean?” Sam asked.

Dean always accompanied Sam and Mary on the yearly camping trip. He opened his mouth to protest, but after a look from Donna, thought better of it.  “Sure, fine, whatever.”

“She doesn’t really seem like the outdoorsy type, Mom,” one of the twins commented with a smirk.

“What? I can camp.” Ruby said stubbornly, giving you a calculating look.

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine,” you said reassuringly as the twins snickered.

“Yeah, those Manolos just SCREAM Girl Scout,” Donna commented to you out of the corner of her mouth.  Ruby glared at her, telling her with a look that her days are numbered.

“So it’s settled then? Great! I’ll stay here and hang out with Donna. We have a lot of catching up to do.”  A knowing look passed between them, and Donna looked over at the twins with a secretive smile.

Dean knew that look and almost felt bad for Ruby.  They were up to something, he was sure of it.  He sighed deeply, wishing there was some way he could get out of this.

“Sounds great,” Ruby said with a tight smile.

On Friday morning, Mary and Annie stood in the driveway with Sam and Dean waiting for Ruby to show up.  “Maybe she changed her mind,” one of the twins said helpfully.

“Listen you two, try to be nice to Ruby, okay? She’ll be a bit out of her element here, so go easy on her.” Sam admonished as Ruby’s convertible sped up the driveway.

“Just a bit?” Dean said sarcastically to the twins as Sam headed over to Ruby’s car.

“Ready to go, Babe?” He said with a smile.  Ruby got out of the car, dressed in jeans and a flannel that was clearly brand new, and high-heeled ankle boots.

“You’re going hiking in those?” Annie asked with a smirk.

Ruby glanced at her feet. “What? Sam said to wear boots.”

Dean smothered a laugh.  This was going to be interesting.  “He meant hiking boots, Ruby.”

Donna and Y/N came outside to see everyone off. You were wearing a pair of cutoff shorts and a t-shirt you had borrowed from Donna and holding a mug of coffee. She looked as young as the day Sam had met her, and he had to shake his head to chase the memories away.

“Look at Ruby’s boots, Mom!” One of the twins called out.

You walked over to get a closer look. “Oh honey, you’ll get blisters with those.  Maybe Donna has something you can borrow?”

Ruby gritted her teeth. “I’ll be fine, thanks.”

Sam leaned into the back seat and pulled out a large suitcase. “What’s this?”

“My stuff, what do you think?” Ruby snapped.

Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  “We are hiking to the lake, Ruby. We have to carry everything in with us. You can bring whatever you can fit into a backpack.”

“Have you ever even been camping?” Mary asked.

Ruby ignored her. “Fine. Do you have a backpack I can borrow?”

Dean grabbed an extra backpack from the garage, and Y/N, Donna, and Ruby spent the next 15 minutes paring down Ruby’s stuff to the bare necessities. It was so full, it barely closed.  She managed to get it on her back, and for a second it looked like the weight of it would tip her over, but she managed to stay upright.

“What about this?” Ruby asked, holding up her hairdryer.

You shook your head. “Nowhere to plug it in.  This is a shower-in-the-lake, no makeup kind of weekend.”

Ruby sniffed. “I never go anywhere without my makeup.”

“Did you happen to bring bug repellent with that makeup?” Donna asked tartly.

“There are bugs?” Ruby responded with a shudder.

“Here, take mine,” Annie said, rolling her eyes at Ruby’s complete lack of preparation. “I’ll share,”

When they finally hit the road, Donna and Y/N waved as they headed off. “How long do you think she’ll last?” you asked Donna.

“I doubt she’ll make it to bedtime tonight,” Donna said with a snicker.

“Poor Sam,” you remarked, shaking your head.

“Dean has his phone. As long as there is service, he’ll keep us posted.” Donna promised.

The hike to the lake took twice as long because Ruby had to stop every few minutes because her feet hurt so bad.  She was getting eaten alive by bugs, despite applying the bug repellant liberally.

“Hey, twin!” She had taken to calling both of them twin since they wouldn’t identify themselves.

They both looked her way. “Yes?”

“This bug repellent doesn’t work.  I’m getting eaten alive.”

“Let me see that,” Sam said, grabbing the tube out of Ruby’s hand.  He opened the top and took a whiff, and shot the twins a warning look.  “Here, use mine,” he told her, handing her some Off spray.

Ruby looked at the girls suspiciously.   

“Hey Uncle Dean, wait up!” one of them called, and they took off before she could say anything.

She turned to Sam.  “It wasn’t bug repellent, was it?” She said miserably, already knowing the answer.

“Nope,” Sam responded, not quite meeting her eyes.  She muttered something under her breath and soldiered on.

Finally, they made it to the lake and pitched their tents.  Ruby was miffed that she wouldn’t be sharing a tent with Sam. Somehow the larger tent had gotten “misplaced” and all they had were single-person tents. Sam finally pitched Ruby’s tent after everyone watched her struggle for several painful minutes.

The girls helped Dean set up the other equipment while Sam helped Ruby.  “You two had better watch yourselves. Ruby is a nasty piece of work. I’d be careful if I were you.” Dean warned them.

The girls gave him matching looks of complete innocence. “Us? We aren’t doing anything. She’s a danger to herself here if you ask me.”  Mary said with a snort.

“Even so, she’s not going to give up without a fight,” Dean told them as he watched Ruby take off her boots and rub her feet.

“Want to bet on that?”

He held his hands up quickly. “Against you two? I don’t think so. I’d rather get thrown in the lake.”

Everyone went fishing down by the shore, but Ruby refused to touch a worm, so she just sat at the dock and played with her phone. Sam and Dean caught several fishes, and the twins each caught one.

Ruby was irritated that she couldn’t check her email.

“There aren’t any cell towers around here.  You won’t get a signal.” Dean tried to tell her, but she just glared at him.

“When can we go back to camp?” she whined.

Sam and Dean looked at each other. ”I think we caught enough. We can go back.”  Sam finally agreed, sounding disappointed. It was starting to get dark by the time they made it back to the campsite.

“So what’s for dinner? I’m starving!” Ruby asked as they headed back to camp.

Dean shook his head while the girls just gaped at her, incredulous.  Was she serious?   

Sam held up the cooler they had brought back.  “Fish! What else?  We catch our food when we camp, Ruby.”

Ruby made a face. “I don’t eat fish.  I guess I’ll just wait for breakfast then.  What’s for breakfast?”

“Fish.” Annie and Mary said together.

“Actually I think I’m just going to go to bed.  Sam, can you help me set up my air mattress?” Ruby asked.

Ruby’s mattress was so huge it took up most of her tent.  “Why did you bring such a big one?” The girls heard Sam ask her.

“I don’t want to feel the ground underneath me, that’s why.”

The girls sat talking and laughing quietly with their Dad and Uncle after Ruby had gone to bed.  The fire had died down to embers and the girls were yawning when Ruby came storming out of her tent.  ‘Why is it so noisy? I’m trying to sleep!”

Annie snorted.  “That’s nature, Ruby! Nature is loud!”

“Well, I can’t sleep with all this noise! I’m just going to take an Ambien and pray I can get my beauty sleep,” she muttered.

Sam looked at the twins, who were grinning.  “Not a word out of either of you!” he warned.

The next day Ruby managed to ruin pretty much everything they did with her constant complaining and whining. She was even starting to get on Sam’s nerves.  When they went hiking and she tripped, one of the girls grabbed her arm and said, “let me help you.”

Ruby glared at her and pulled her arm away. “I’m sure you’ll help me right off a cliff if you could! You can have your fun now, but just wait! After the wedding, it will be a different story.”

“I was just trying to help, geez,” Mary muttered as she left her and walked off ahead.

Annie and Mary had a meeting that night in Mary’s tent.  “We have to do something. I can’t believe she has stuck it out this long.  She is the most horrible person I have ever met. You realize our lives will be a nightmare if she marries Dad, right?” Mary said earnestly.

“I have a plan,” Annie said with a diabolical grin.  As she whispered her idea, her twins' eyes went wide.

Ruby again took an Ambien and turned in early.  The girls had made some “modifications” to Ruby’s tent, and they waited until they were sure Sam and Dean were asleep.  She was completely zonked out, snoring softly, eye mask over her eyes.

The twins dragged Ruby’s mattress out of her tent and down the small distance to the water’s edge.  They had cleared the path earlier of any rocks and debris so the ride was smooth.  With a small ‘sploosh’, they pushed the mattress into the water, and Ruby didn’t even stir as she floated to the center of the lake.

The twins stood together for a moment watching her drift away, then heading to their respective tents for bed.

The entire camp awoke to the sound of Ruby shrieking Sam’s name.  Everyone tumbled out of their tents just in time to see Ruby screaming and flailing at a bird that was perched on her mattress. She stood up to get away from it and immediately began to lose her balance.

“Here we go., Dean said grimly.

Ruby hit the water with a tremendous splash that flipped her mattress.  “What did you do?” Sam said wearily as he watched Ruby trudge toward the shore.  She looked like a drowned rat, her pajamas were drenched, her socks making a squelching noise as she walked.

She marched up to the campsite, kicking items out of the way in her fury. Sam got to her first. “What’s going on?” he asked reasonably.

Ruby blew wet tendrils of hair out of her face.  “Here’s what’s going on, buddy! The day we get married is the day I ship those brats off to Switzerland.   It’s me or them, take your pick.”

The twins and Dean were standing behind Sam now, eager to hear the exchange.  But Sam didn’t even hesitate. “Them,” he replied, and the twins exchanged a surprised look.  

“Excuse me?” Ruby said incredulously, her mouth in an ‘O’ of shock.

“I said them.  Get the picture?” Sam replied, and he turned away as Ruby screamed furiously and kicked the coffee pot across the campsite and overturned the table.  The twins and Dean continued to watch her temper tantrum.  

She marched over to the twins.  “So, you two share everything now, huh?”

“Yep.” The girls replied.

“Well, you can give your sister her half of this!” Ruby snarled as she slapped Annie hard across the face.

Annie’s eyes filled with tears as she held her cheek. Sam was in between her and Ruby in a heartbeat.  “You have exactly ten minutes to get your stuff packed.” He looked over at Dean, who nodded grimly. “Dean will drive you to the nearest ranger station before I strangle you. Goodbye, Ruby.”  

She looked like she was going to say something, but she thought better of it. She took the massive diamond Sam had given her off her finger and threw it in Sam’s face before marching away.

“Dad…..” Mary began.

Sam held up a hand.  “Start packing up.  We are leaving as soon as your uncle gets back.”

Chapter 12

His phone rang, and a New York number he didn’t recognize popped up. Normally he would just let it go to voicemail, but something made him answer it.  “Hello?” he said warily.

“Dean? It’s Y/N. I know we haven’t talked in a really long time, but I need your help.” you said, praying he wouldn’t hang up.

His mouth dropped open in shock. “Y/N, seriously? You couldn’t be bothered to return any of my calls, and now you need my help?  Sam would flip if he knew I was talking to you! Give me one good reason I shouldn’t hang up right now!” he demanded.

“It’s about the girls,” you said simply.

“I’m listening,” he responded,  and he didn’t hang up, so that was a good sign.

“I’m sorry I stopped talking to you, all right? It was just too hard to have you in my life and not think of Sam. I was a single mom with a baby trying to rebuild my life. You just reminded me of my mistakes, so I had to let you go.  Don’t think I haven’t missed you, because I have.” you snapped, some of your old fire returning.

Dean smiled despite himself.  “You said this was about the girls? Is Annie okay?”

“I don’t know, you tell me,” you replied cryptically.

“I’m not following.”

“What are the odds that Sam and I would pick the same EXACT summer camp to send the girls to?” you said sarcastically.

“Oh no!” Dean said, already putting the pieces together.

“Oh, yes! They decided to switch places so they could meet the parent they didn’t grow up with. You’ve had Annie this whole time!”

“Juliet! Now it makes sense!” Dean commented, and you had no idea what he meant.

“Who is Juliet?” you asked curiously.

“Mary’s dog. She hasn’t given her the time of day since she came home. Now I know why.  So what do you need me to do?” Dean wondered aloud.  He really didn’t see how he could help with any of this.

“So Mary came to me and confessed everything. She had just gotten off the phone with Annie. Apparently, she heard Ruby on the phone telling her mother she had convinced Sam to elope. And as soon as they are married she is shipping Mary off to boarding school in Switzerland.”

“Oh crap,”  Dean muttered.  “I won’t let that happen, Y/N.  Donna wouldn’t either.”

“Donna is there? So you finally grew a pair and told Donna how you feel about her, huh? You followed her around like a lovesick little puppy at the bar.”

Dean rubbed his neck self-consciously. “Not exactly. I...um……”

“Oh, Dean…..really?” you said sadly.

“Shut up.” he snapped.

“If she convinces Sam to elope, she’ll ship Annie to Europe. I can’t let that happen. I realize now that splitting the girls up was wrong. Sam and I will have to work something out. I need to talk to him face to face, but I need the element of surprise on my side. Mary and I are heading out there tomorrow.  Will you help us?”

Dean’s face broke into a wide grin.  “Damn right I will! Sam was an idiot to let you go, and I hate that bitch! Tell me what you need!”

“I’ll text you our flight info. Can you pick us up at the airport? Can you tell Annie we are on our way? Is there a hotel near Sam’s house? Maybe enlist Donna to help? Can you make sure that Ruby isn’t around?”

“I’m on it. I have an apartment over Sam’s garage. You and Mary, or Annie….whoever can crash here.  I don’t know how he’s gonna respond to seeing you, Y/N, Ruby has her hooks in pretty deep.”

“Be that as it may, no one threatens my daughters,” you said firmly, and for the first time since Ruby had entered the picture, Dean felt like everything would be okay.

Sam, Annie, and Donna were eating dinner in the dining room when Dean came barreling in as if the devil was chasing him.  “Hey Donna, got a minute?” he asked casually.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“I need to show you something….outside,” Dean commented, grabbing her arm and pulling her out of her chair so fast it tipped over.

“Dean! What in the world?” Donna said as he pulled her through the kitchen and out into the backyard.

Sam and Annie watched with wide eyes.  “What’s his deal?” Annie asked.

Sam shrugged. “Your uncle has had a crush on Donna since we were in college.  Maybe he finally worked up the courage to ask her out on a date.”

Annie grinned.  “Go, Uncle Dean!”

Dean had just finished recounting his conversation with you to Donna. She gaped at him.  “We’ve had Annie, all this time?” she whispered, her voice choked with tears.  Dean just nodded.  “We have to help them! Sam doesn’t love Ruby, you know that as well as I do, he still loves Y/N.  We have to help him remember that.”

Maybe it was Y/N egging him on, or maybe it was Donna looking so beautiful in the moonlight, so resolute through her tears. Dean acted on instinct.  He stared at Donna, and realized he didn’t want to end up like Sam and Y/N, apart and unhappy. He grabbed her by the arms and yanked her towards him, and then she was in his arms, and he was kissing her, pouring twelve years of longing into his kiss.  She tasted like sunshine.

When he pulled away, she was smiling.  “Took you long enough, Winchester! I’d just about given up hope you would ever see me as any more than a friend.  We need to have a very serious talk, but not just isn’t the time! We have a family to reunite, and a stuck up bitch to send packing! What’s the plan?”

ANNIE

When Donna and Dean came back inside, both of them looked flustered.  Annie and Sam exchanged a look, and Sam winked at her, so she continued to eat without saying anything, trying not to grin.

“I thought Ruby was here?” Dean asked, not really caring either way.

“Her mother called, some family emergency, she had to go,” Sam explained.

She sure does have to go. Annie, Dean, and Donna all thought to themselves individually.

“PIE!” Donna said suddenly. “I made a pie for dessert. Want to join us, Dean?”

“Sure. I could eat.” Dean said nonchalantly.

“Mary, can you help me in the kitchen?” Donna asked, giving you a pointed look.

“Um, okay.” Annie grabbed her plate and carried it into the kitchen.

As soon as they were through the door, Donna dropped all pretext, grabbing Annie and hugging her tightly.

“What was that for?” Annie asked, confused.

“Because I have been waiting a long time to hug you, Annie.”

“Wait.  What did you call me?” Annie said cautiously.

“Your Mom called Dean. He told me everything. She and Mary are on their way.  Do NOT say anything to your Dad.  You are still Mary until the real Mary is here, got it?” She looked serious for a moment.  “The last time I saw you, you were a baby! I can’t believe you fooled us!”

“I’m sorry! I just wanted to know you all,” she whispered, feeling it was an inadequate explanation.

“It’s okay.  Whatever happens, we can’t let your Dad marry that witch.  Operation Ruby-Must-Go starts NOW!” Donna said gleefully.

Part 9

She was struggling to drag Annie’s bag up from the curb when she felt a hand grab it.  Whirling around in surprise,  her eyes met those of a tall muscular boy and she froze for a second.

“ ‘bout time you’re back from wilderness prison!” He said with a smirk.  “So I guess you didn’t get eaten by a bear, huh?”

Inside, Mary was panicking.   Who is this? I think it’s Carlos., but I’m not 100% sure, so I’ll just play along until he clues me in.  He’s cute, like really, really cute.  I hope he IS Carlos.

“Yeah, you wish. I’ll try to get eaten by a bear next time,” she replied with Annie’s typical sass.  “So, anything exciting happen while I was gone?” she couldn’t seem to stop staring at him.

“Nah, same old same old.” The boy replied with a shrug,  still giving no clue to his identity.

As you headed up the front steps, you turned and spoke.  “ I know how much you like my beef stew, Carlos.  Why don’t you come over for dinner? I made it for Annie’s first dinner back.”

Carlos nodded.  “Sure Ms. C. I just gotta let my Ma know.”

He carried the bag to the top of the steps, and Mary grabbed for the handle, accidentally taking his hand in hers. His hand was huge with long callused fingers. She yelped and dropped his hand like it was on fire, hoping that you didn’t notice the awkward moment.

You gestured towards your daughter. “Are you coming, or would you rather fight Carlos for your bag?”

“What? No! I’m right behind you.” Mary insisted.

“See you later, Carlos. Say hi to your Mom for me!” you called over your shoulder.

You were already on your way down the hall.  Mary grabbed her bag and ran to catch up.  She turned to look back.  Carlos was still standing in the doorway staring after her, a confused look on his face.

The text message alert beeped on her phone, and Mary pulled it out of her pocket and scanned it quickly.

Dad has been “seeing someone”. She is coming to dinner tonight. Call to discuss. 11PM your time.

“Oh no!” Mary whispered.  This could ruin everything!  She quickly sent back a reply.

OK. Talk tonight. We need a plan.

Annie

The car headed up the long driveway and stopped in front of a sprawling split-level house.  A large black and white dog came bounding out the door jumping around excitedly and barking.  “Juliet, calm down you maniac!” A pretty blond woman said as she emerged from the house.

“Mary! Thank goodness you’re back! Finally another woman around here besides Juliet! I’ve missed you, Kid. Oh my god! Let me see your hair!” She took Annie’s hands, and Annie did an obligatory spin for her before she was pulled in for a hug.

“Hi, Donna! I missed you too!” Annie said as she hugged the housekeeper warmly.  Mary had shared how close she was to Donna, and Annie could already tell she was going to like her.

“I LOVE it!” Donna pronounced. “So chic! Who cut it?” She asked as she fingered it.

“One of my bunk-mates,” Annie said offhandedly, not mentioning any names.

“Juliet sure missed you! She pouted in your room the whole time you were gone.  Jules! Mary is home!” Donna called to the dog who was chasing something across the yard.

I am Mary. I am Mary. I am Mary.

“Hey, Juliet! Come here, baby!” Annie called, and the dog came running.  Before Juliet reached her, she stopped in front of her and looked at Annie warily.

“Jules, it’s Mary! What is wrong with you?” Sam asked as he joined them.

Oh, crap! The dog knows I’m not Mary!

Annie ran to Juliet, fell to her knees, and hugged her. “I missed you so much! Do I smell like the woods?” She kissed Juliet’s head, and the dog licked her face once and trotted off.  There was an awkward silence.

“That was weird.” Uncle Dean finally said after a moment.  “Got anything to eat, Donna? I’m starving!”

“What else is new?” Donna grumbled. “I can make some sandwiches.” Come help me, Mary. I want to hear all about camp!” Donna held out her hand, and Annie grabbed it and headed toward the house.

“We’ll be up as soon as we get the bags from the car,” Sam told Donna and he and Dean headed back toward Dean’s car.

“So Dad’s been seeing someone? What’s up with that? Who is she?” Annie asked, looking behind her to see if Sam and Dean were coming.

“Don’t even get me started on her,” Donna said with a toss of her shoulder as she opened the refrigerator and grabbed sandwich fixings and put them on the counter.

“Come on Donna….spill it!” Annie whispered eagerly.

Donna sighed, seemingly wrestling with herself.  “Okay, fine. He met her at some charity thing.  Her name is Ruby.  She is pretty, yeah, but she is so not his type! I know a gold digger when I see one. But your Dad’s been so lonely and he looks at her like she hung the moon.”

“Shhhh...Here they come!” Annie hissed.

“I hate airport food!” Dean exclaimed as he entered the kitchen, and Annie and Donna quickly separated.  Annie tried not to look guilty.

“Well don’t eat too much, because I’m making a special dinner tonight.“  Donna reminded him, not looking happy about it.

Annie turned to Sam as he entered behind Dean.  “So Dad? Who’s coming to dinner tonight?”

“And I’m outta here!” Dean said quickly, grabbing his plate and bolting from the kitchen.

“Coward!” Donna called after him.  “I’m gonna give you two some privacy, I think.” She said as she gave Sam a telling look.  “We’ll catch up later, okay, Mary?”

Annie nodded as she waited for her father to speak.  He took a deep breath.  “Mary, honey, you have been my whole world for as long as I can remember.  But as fun, as that’s been, I’ve missed being with someone.”  

I’ll try playing dumb, see where that gets me. Annie thought.

“But Daddy, you have lots of friends! And you always have Uncle Dean.” Annie said earnestly.

Sam frowned slightly.  “I know, Mary. That’s not what I mean. I miss being with someone, romantically.”

Annie smiled sweetly.  “But you were involved with someone romantically.  My mother.  But you never talk about her, do you?”

“Now Mary….” Sam began.

Annie stood up abruptly. “I’m gone two weeks, and you suddenly have a girlfriend?  What’s next, we’re moving to Alaska? I can’t believe this, are you TRYING to ruin my life, Dad?” Throwing her plate in the sink, she started to yell to throw Sam off his game.  “I bet you planned this whole camp thing to get me out of the way so you could shack up with your GIRLFRIEND while I was out of the way, didn’t you? DIDN’T YOU?”

Sam looked utterly gobsmacked. He had no idea what was happening.  One minute they were having a normal conversation, and now Mary was screaming.  What the hell was going on?

The next thing he knew, he was in the kitchen by himself, and he could hear Mary stomping up the stairs to her room. “I HATE YOU!” He heard her yelling.

Dean returned now that the coast was clear.  “She seems thrilled about Ruby.” He deadpanned to his brother.

“I haven’t even told her yet,” Sam said quietly.

“What now?” Dean asked. “Then what was all the screaming about?”

“I don’t know, I really don’t.  One minute I’m telling her I miss being with someone, then she brings up Y/N, then she’s screaming and stomping away.” Sam looked worried.

Dean sat down across from Sam, looking thoughtful for a moment.  “She brought up Y/N?  What did she say exactly?”

“Something about how I never talk about her, and then she accused me of sending her to camp to get her out of the way so I could “shack up” with Ruby. She’s never yelled at me like that before.” He scrubbed a hand over his face.  “She sounded just like her.”

“Like who?” Dean asked, confused.

“Like Y/N,” Sam said sadly, memories washing over him.

“Better get used to it, man. She’s a teenager.  Are you sure this dinner tonight is a good idea?” Dean questioned. “Maybe give her a day or two to simmer down.”

Sam shook his head. “I promised Ruby.  We want to tell her tonight.”

Dean looked shocked. “Her first night home? Are you sure? Especially after this?  She’s your daughter Sam, but if I were you, I would tell Ruby to slow down a little. If she wants you, Mary is part of the package too.”

“I hear what you're saying, but I want Mary to meet the woman I love, the sooner the better. She and Ruby will get along great, I know it.” Sam said stubbornly. Ruby had him under her spell, and Dean saw it, even if Sam couldn’t.

“It’s your funeral, dude,” Dean said finally. “ Maybe you should take Ruby and Mary out tonight? Someplace that’s neutral territory?  Then they will both be on their best behavior, and me and Donna don’t have to be there.”

Part 6

Annie

“Where do I go to school?” Annie asked after thinking for a moment.

“Washington Junior High,” Mary answered promptly, responding with a question of her own.  “What does Uncle Dean call his car?”

Annie paused.  “His Baby?” She asked tentatively.

“Are you asking me or telling me?” Mary questioned.

Biting back the bitchy remark she really wanted to say, Annie replied, “Telling you, oh great and mighty quiz mistress.”

Mary sighed and crossed her arms, looking so much like their mom when she was mad it was comical. “This is serious! We don’t have to just look like each other.  We have to be each other for this to work.  You get that, right?”

“Yeah, I get it! I know what’s at stake here!” Annie grumbled.  So what are my neighbors' names?”

“The Espositos on the right, Mrs. Dunner on the left, and the Jacobson's across the hall!” Mary grinned triumphantly.  “What’s my best friend’s name?”

“Abby.  No, wait! Ashley? Aubrey?”  Annie had never been good at memorizing things.

“NO! It’s Ivy! How’s it going to look when I come home from camp and I don’t know my best friends name? You have to get this stuff or you aren’t going to last a day!” Mary ran her hands through her now-short hair in frustration.

“Look, I’m trying! I don’t have a photographic memory like you! I’m doing the best I can, so stop yelling at me!” Annie demanded as she jumped off her bunk and began to pace.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Mary asked quietly.  “We go home tomorrow. It’s not too late to back out.  We can think of something else.”

“No way. We are doing this. Now shut up and ask me another question.” Annie said determinedly.

“Did you really need all this stuff?” Annie hissed as she tried to maneuver Mary’s bags out the door.

As the twins exited their cabin and headed to say goodbye to their friends, they ran into Mrs. Rinaldi.  “Well, girls. I hope you enjoyed camp. I’m glad you were able to work out your differences. I like your hair, Mary.”

“Thanks. Camp was fun.” Annie responded. Mary just nodded in agreement, and Mrs. Rinaldi moved on.

Annie had an earlier flight than Mary, so she was in the first van to the airport.  They started to load up, and she turned to her sister.  “Well, this is it, I guess.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Mary echoed and launched herself into Annie’s arms. “I’m so happy we found each other.” She whispered in her sister’s ear, hugging her tightly.

Annie returned the hug. “Me too.  You have my number. Text me with updates. Operation Double Trouble starts now.” She said with a grin.

Mary

Mary watched Annie’s van pull away, and felt a strange emptiness, like part of her, was missing.  She had never felt this way before.  Since she had some time to kill,  she decided to go and talk to some of Annie’s bunkmates from Evergreen Cabin. She wanted to see if her “Annie” could fool them and if she needed to tweak it at all.  

Mary spent the next two hours talking to Annie’s friends and they had no idea whatsoever that she wasn’t Annie.  This is going to be so easy. She thought smugly.  When it was time, she loaded her stuff into the van, said goodbye to her “friends”, and was soon on her way to the airport.

The flight from Michigan to La Guardia was boring, but Mary just couldn’t let herself relax.  At the end of this, she was going to get to meet her mother…..finally!  But as far as she was concerned, it had only been two weeks since she’d last seen her.

As the plane taxied to the gate, she began to panic.  She pulled out her phone, and there was a text from Annie, code-named “Amanda” in case anyone saw her phone. But she was supposed to delete the texts as soon as she read them, just to be safe.

It said simply, You got this! She grinned as she deleted the text. “Darn right, I do.” She told herself.

Mary would have recognized you anywhere. You were standing at the edge of the crowd of people, and your face broke out in an excited grin as soon as you saw her.  You ran forward, enveloping her into a hug, and Mary held tightly for a moment, reveling in your embrace.  You smelled like honeysuckle.

“I sure missed you, Annie! I know it’s only been two weeks, but I swear you got taller! How is that even possible? So, did you have fun?”

“Yeah, I did, but I’m really happy to be home with you,” Mary told her mother with a smile.

“How was the food? Still awful?” you asked, wrinkling your nose.

“You have no idea.”

“I made your favorite for dinner to welcome you home,” you told Mary as the two of you headed towards the baggage claim area.

“Beef stew, yay!” Mary said brightly, trying to summon up some enthusiasm. The fact that she had been a vegetarian for the past year was going to be a bit of a problem. Annie told her to just not eat the meat and if you asked to make up a story about one of your bunkmates being a vegan and really rubbing off on you.

Annie

I am Mary, I am Mary, I am Mary.

Annie kept telling herself this over and over during the flight from Michigan to San Diego.  Her nerves were wound so tight she felt like she was going to explode. Something told her that Mary would need some encouragement, so she sent her a quick text using her “Amanda” alias. She got a smiley-face back in return. Mary was “Megan” in her phone to throw off suspicion.

In a few minutes, she would get off the plane as Mary Winchester, and “Operation Double Trouble” would be in motion.  They hadn’t really discussed how long they were going to let this go before revealing their true identities, but they had the rest of the summer to figure that out.

Annie paused on the jetway and looked back at the plane.  There was no turning back.  She took a deep breath, threw her carryon over her shoulder, and marched out the door into the airport.  There were a lot of people waiting, and she didn’t see anyone, so she stopped and scanned the crowd.

“Mary? Holy crap, what did you do to your hair?” A deep voice said behind Annie, and she whirled around. A tall man was standing behind her with a playful grin on his face.

“Hey, Uncle Dean! I cut it, do you like it?” Holy crap, Uncle Dean was hot! Mary didn’t say our uncle was practically a male model!

He pulled you into a hug. ‘I can actually see your face now, it looks good.”

“Where is Dad?  Didn’t he come?” Annie tried to keep the disappointment from her voice.

“And miss his baby girl’s arrival? Are you kidding? He’s in the bathroom. He’s gonna be so mad that I got to see you first.  So, did you like camp? Juliet has been pouting since you left.”

Juliet….Juliet….Oh yeah, the dog.  “I can’t wait to see my baby, I’ve missed her so much!” Annie tried her best to sound convincing. In fact, she was a little nervous about meeting the dog. Mary had assured her Juliet was a big teddy bear, but big dogs made her nervous.

“Mary, baby, you’re home!” An even taller man came sprinting up to her and Dean, and Annie’s mouth dropped slightly.  None of her friends' dads looked like him. Whoa!

“Hi, Daddy!” She said in her best Mary-ish voice and he enveloped her in a hug.  He was huge.

“You cut your hair, I see.” He said, fingering the short strands.

“Yep, my bunkmate Amanda cut it. I really like it this way.” Annie said defiantly, waiting to see how he would respond.

“Well, if you like it, then I do too,” Sam told her.  “Let’s go get your bags and head home.”

They headed out to the parking garage, both of them peppering her with questions about camp.  They stopped at a gorgeous black classic car, and Annie ran her hand over its shiny bumper. She was a total gear-head.  Her neighbor Mr. Esposito worked in a garage, and sometimes she and her friend Carlos, his son, would go visit him at the shop when he was working late to bring him dinner.

She looked up, and Uncle Dean was giving her an odd look. “Don’t tell me you missed my Baby while you were gone?” He said with a smirk.

“I missed everything, Uncle Dean! Even you!”

The drive home was breathtaking. The city soon gave way to rolling hills, beaches and ocean. California was breathtaking. Uncle Dean was really funny and made Annie laugh.

“So what did you do while I was gone, Dad? Anything exciting?” Annie asked Sam.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. “Actually, honey, I wanted to talk to you about that,” Sam told Annie.  “I’ve been seeing someone, and I spent some time with her while you were gone. I’d like you to meet her. She’s going to join us for dinner tonight.”

She looked at him in horror. “Seeing her? Like a girlfriend?”

Before Sam could answer, his phone rang.  It was his office calling, and he started talking in legal-ese and Annie tuned out. Unzipping her backpack, she slid her hands inside and grabbed her phone.  She quickly sent Mary a text.

Dad has been “seeing someone”. She is coming to dinner tonight. I will call to discuss. 1 a.m. NY time. set your alarm!

Part 5