When they pull up in front of the cabin near Swan Lake, Montana, waves of nostalgia and memories crash over Laine. The fond smile that overtakes her lips is uncontrollable as she climbs out of the car and gathers up her suitcases and duffel bags. Jamie isn't inside the cabin when she enters, but she shrugs it off. Being alone will give her a moment to absorb the familiar scents and sights of the place she spent a majority of her time while growing up.

There are a few modern changes to the small lake house, but nothing that drastically alters the comforting feel and appearance of it. The cabin still smells of cedar, whiskey, and car oil – scents that don't normally mix well and what most people would find unpleasant, but it smells of home and safety. Despite the new furniture, the flat screen sitting in the living room, and the additions to the back of the cabin, the house still resembles the one Laine remembers.

She looks out the open door to see Zach and Dean heading around the house to the garage, which is where Jamie must be. Taking this as her chance to unpack and get settled in peace, Laine picks up her bags again and makes her way up the stairs. The door to her old room is slightly ajar and she taps it open the rest of the way with her foot. A deep breath leaves her when she sees everything in her room is exactly the way she left it the last time she was here.

Dropping her suitcases onto the grey duvet covering the bed, Laine gets to work on unpacking her belongings and stashing them away in the dresser and closet. After one more trip outside to grab the boxes containing her lore books and weapons, she has everything organized and set up in the proper places. She shoves the empty suitcases and duffel bags under the bed before laying down on it. As soon as her head hits the mattress, a knock sounds at the door.

When Laine looks up, the man who practically raised her is standing outside the threshold with a faint grin broadening his stubble-covered cheeks.

There is no time to prepare before she is vaulting off the bed, ignoring the still-fresh injury on her thigh, and into his arms, her face burying against his neck. It's barely seconds later when he wraps his arms around her in return. They remain in each other's embrace for a few moments, the strength of his arms around her bringing much needed comfort to her muddled mind, and even when they part, there is a smile on her face.

"You all right, kiddo?" Jamie squeezes her arm lightly, concern written all over his aging face.

With a deep breath and a nod, Laine steps away and resumes her position on the bed, now feeling the effects of the sudden movement she made moments prior. "Yeah, I'm good. It's good to see you."

"Been far too long." Instead of standing in the doorway, he moves inside her room and takes up residence against her wardrobe, his arms crossed over his chest. There is a pause in conversation as Jamie looks around the room and then down to the floor before he glances at her, his mouth set in a firm line. "I hear you guys got into some trouble on the way here."

Laine is about to ask who he heard that from, considering the only people who know are Zach, Dean, and herself, but she should have assumed Dean would send Jamie a status report the moment he could.

With a shrug, Laine curls on leg under her and rests her hand on the other, the pain from her slowly healing stab wound now a sharp jab. She's probably going to need to change the stitches later, as she most definitely tore them open just now.

"Dean and I went to town to pick some things up and on the way back, we were tailed. Turned out to be the Cambions, and there were more back at my place. Seems they were closer than I thought." She pauses, remembering the Cambion who tortured her, and a shiver runs through her body. "Long story short, I got knocked out by one and tortured by another. Zach killed him and we got out of there."

Laine begins picking at her nails as she waits for Jamie to process the information. She doesn't have to wait long before he is responding.

"Did you learn anything useful from them?"

"I did, but I don't understand any of it. By the way the one was talking, I'm fairly certain they think I'm someone I'm not."

"What did he say?"

"He said I was the key to help bring back their maker. Apparently they've been after me for nearly my whole life and that it's my mother's fault they know about me. He also mentioned a demon named Azazel." As she finishes retelling what she can remember from her conversation with the crazed Cambion, she looks up to see a grim look cross Jamie's face and his whole body tenses. She can't decipher what he is thinking from his body language, but the look on his face is damn near frightening and a sick knot forms in her gut. "Do you understand any of that, or know who this Azazel is?"

Jamie hesitates for a moment, and seconds later, the dark look on his face is replaced with contemplation as he scratches his head. "I don't know about the key bit, but the name Azazel rings a bell. If it's the demon I think it is, your mother and I had a run in with him years before you were born. Why he cares about you now, though, is beyond me."

Laine mulls over his words and nods slowly. She tries to figure out where to go from there, only to come up short. "What're we gonna do now?"

"Not much we can do at this point. Best option right now is for you to play it safe while I do some digging to try and figure out more about this Azazel, and why he and the Cambions are in bed together," Jamie says and steps away from the dresser to make his way to the door, but he pauses and looks back at her. "How're you doing with seeing the boys again? Dean, especially?"

His question catches Laine off guard and she can't answer for a moment. When she does, her eyes remain locked with his and her voice is steadier than she figured it would be. "I'm good – it was good. Zach was happy to see me, and Dean was too, I think. I actually saw him the night before they came to my place, but he didn't recognize me.

"Was that a good thing?"

"I'm... not too sure." She ducks her head as her fingers twist together in her lap. "I kept thinking I wanted him to remember me, wanted for us to be like we were, but I knew that we couldn't – at least, not at the time."

"And now?"

Again, Jamie throws her for a loop with his question and Laine is once more at a loss for words, finding this question harder to answer than the previous one. Trying to sum up her feelings about things now, about Dean, is something she doesn't think she's able to answer the way she wants to. Instead of saying that, though, she blurts out the one thing that has been a constant feeling inside of her since the moment she saw him in the bar a few nights ago.

"I miss him, Jamie. And we're actually talking, so it's not all bad, but I just really want things to be fixed between us. I want things to be normal again. I hate not knowing if what happened when I left changed us forever."

Jamie nods and sends her a soft smile, one filled with understanding instead of pity, and for that small gesture she is grateful. "I know, kiddo. Just give it some time and things will work themselves out. You two always find a way to fix things."

Instead of answering him, Laine returns his smile and nods before he exits the room, leaving her alone with her belongings and her thoughts. Flopping back onto her bed, she places her arms under her head and closes her eyes, deciding that a nap sounds much better than trying to wrestle with her confusing thoughts.

**********

A sudden noise from downstairs has Laine shooting up in bed, blankets tangling around her body. She places a hand over her chest, her breath coming out in sharp puffs as her heartbeat thumps erratically beneath her fingers. She always has been a light sleeper and as such, sudden noises tend to wake her, but they usually never cause her to panic; it must be leftover fear from the encounter with the Cambions that has her on edge.

Brushing those thoughts away, Laine pauses for a few seconds before slipping out of bed. She makes her way down the stairs, careful not to disturb Jamie in the room next to hers.

Once she reaches the main floor, her eyes do a slow sweep of the darkened area. The kitchen and living area are only illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the windows and a soft light flooding out of Dean's room. Glancing towards his room, she notes the ajar door and decides to investigate, careful not to wake Zach as she passes by his open door.

Sure enough, when Laine taps the door open the rest of the way, Dean's bed is empty and unused. If she knows Dean at all, there are generally only two places in this area he will go if he's up and about – his car and the nearby lake.

Just as Laine thought, his car is empty and sitting out front where it was parked hours ago, the engine cold. Which leaves only one place for him to be.

Walking along the west side of the house, she takes the quickest path to the lake and cuts through the trees, the branches much lower and denser than she remembers. It takes Laine longer than it usually does to navigate the forest, but soon enough, she can make out the reflective surface of the lake through the trees as they become sparse. She is nearing the edge of the treeline when a hand grasps her arm and she is spun around, back hitting the trunk of a tree with little force.

The shock from the impact quickly dissipates and when Laine opens her eyes, Dean is standing mere inches from her with his hand still on her arm and the other resting next to her head. His face is devoid of any emotion as his eyes flick across her face, stopping in their movements to pause at her eyes, and she can't help but squirm underneath his gaze.

"Hello to you, too," Laine mutters as she sinks against the tree, letting her weight rest against it. Her words seem to snap Dean out of whatever trance he was in, for he releases her arm and takes a step back, gaze not meeting hers.

"Sorry about that." He rubs at the back of his neck and sends her a brief look before glancing away once again, this time fixing his eyes on the now visible water. "What're you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Her response earns her a pointed look and she sighs, giving in to him. "Heard a noise, saw you weren't it bed, so I came looking for you, all right?"

Dean pauses for a moment before he nods and starts walking towards the water, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket.

Laine trails after him, making sure to maintain a few feet of distance between them, and remains silent when he stops next to the edge of the lake. His eyes are trained on the seemingly never ending expanse of clear water, nearly black in the dim lighting. They stay like that for a handful of minutes, neither of them speaking, but soon enough, the silence becomes too much for her to bear.

She steps towards Dean, her fingers touching his arm just enough to get his attention. "Are you okay? You were awfully quiet on the way here."

"Yeah, fine. Just thinking things through."

When he says that, her thoughts flit back to their conversation the other night about her near death experience and Laine can't help the sick feeling on guilt that rises up in her gut. Her hands drops from his arm and she tucks them against her, refusing to look directly at him.

"You're not still mad about what happened, are you?"

Dean glances over at her, his lips quirking up at the edges, and he shakes his head. "No, I'm not mad anymore – not at you, at least."

A breath of relief leaves her at his words and the cold sensation inside of her scurries away. Laine feels lighter and more at ease, but she is still confused as to what could be bothering him. "What is it, then?"

"I've been thinking a lot about what we talked about the other day, and I just want to know where things stand between us." His words catch her off guard and her mouth goes dry as all thoughts shrivel up in her head.

This is not what she was expecting to talk about when she came out here. Laine imagines she looks no better than a deer caught in the headlights as she struggles to formulate a response.

"Dean..." She casts her eyes towards the lake, not willing to look at him, and she tries her hardest to quell the warmth that spreads through her at the idea of reconciling Dean. "This probably isn't the best idea."

"Why not? You and I both know we need to sort this out, so better now than later."

Thoughts of turning around and walking back to the cabin to leave this conversation for later flood her mind, but Laine squishes them down with a firm hand, knowing that Dean is right.

"Yeah, and we both know we don't have the greatest track record when it comes to this kind of shit. I can't take a repeat of last time." Laine chances a glance up at him, but quickly looks away as her next words swirl in her mind. A chill pools in her gut and she wants to keep the words to herself, but she knows they need to be said now or they never will be. "I miss you so much, Dean, but if being with you causes me to get hurt again, I'm gonna go down the road that keeps me safe."

Dean seems to register her words for he backs up a step and runs a hand through his hair, tugging at the ends. He opens his mouth to say something, but instead looks up at the dark sky and bites his lip. A deep breath heaves his chest upward before he looks back down to her.

"I've made a lot of stupid ass decisions over the years and I shoot first and ask questions later more often than not, but there is one thing I've never regretted, and that's you."

His words tug at something inside of Laine, her chest clenching as emotions she thought she had buried long ago sweep over her. She shakes her head, brushing off the pleasant memories they made all those years ago as they resurface, and takes a step towards the lake. The cool air blowing off the water raises goosebumps on her arms, but does little to calm the racing of her heart.

"Dean, I can't –"

"Just... let me finish, okay?" His voice is steady, but she hears the desperation lacing his tone.

Instead of saying more to prolong the inevitable conversation, Laine nods. Turning around, she faces him with a level expression.

"You, Zach, and Jamie are the only family I have left, and I can't lose what semblance of normal I have – not now, not after everything. I already lost you once, and I can't go through that again. I know I fucked things up last time, and I'm sorry for that, but I'm running out of time to make things right between us and if we're going up against something that may kill either or both of us, I need to know where we are and where it's gonna go."

Silence encapsulates them as she takes in his words, the crickets chirping in the grass and the water lapping at the dock the only noises other than their breathing. His words replay in her mind, certain pieces sticking out with intense clarity, and it muddles her brain. Brushing off his words, she focuses on speaking her own.

"Maybe there's nothing here or maybe there is – I don't know. Maybe we've drifted so far apart that nothing's the same. It's been six years since we last saw each other and things didn't end well back then, so maybe it's just not meant to be." Laine wants to give him a straight answer, wants to tell him that there is nothing between them and there never will be, but just the thought of that has her throat clenching. "That's the problem with us. We come back together, thinking all's right and things are the way they were, but we crash and burn and one of us ends up hurt."

Looking over at Dean, she watches his face twist with sadness for a moment before it slides back into the hard expression he reserves for when he is trying to prove a point.

"You and I may have our issues, but there is no problem with us." He pauses and steps towards Laine, hand reaching out to grab hers from beside her. His hand is large around hers, pleasant heat spreading through her veins at the gentle touch. "It doesn't matter how long goes by, we still know each other better than we know ourselves. I could go twenty years without seeing you, and you'd still be the same Laine I know and we'd still act the same with each other as we always have. You should know that by now."

She opens her mouth to say something in return – to argue, to tell him he's wrong, to just say something – but Dean silences her with a soft squeeze to her hand and an even softer look down at her.

"With our line of work, we don't get long and it either ends bloody or sad, that's all there is to it. When I die, I want it to be with a gun in my hand and knowing that I gave it my all to make the best possible choices with the woman I can't live without."

His words steal the breath right from Laine's lungs, clouding her mind with warm thoughts. Instead of keeping her mouth shut, her natural instinct for defusing uncomfortable or heavy situations kicks in.

"That's the best damn speech I've ever heard come out of your mouth."

A low chuckle flows from Dean and Laine can't help the smile that breaks out on her lips at hearing the quiet sound, the tense air breaking with the lighthearted teasing. As the laughter dies down and the area is once again silent, she feels a hand underneath her chin. She lifts head so she can meet his eyes, which stare down at her with determination and other conflicting emotions battling within the green depths.

"There's not a lot I value in this fucked up world, but you have to know you're one of them."

Laine can't make her mouth move to give him a response, too stunned by his honesty, but by the look that sweeps over his face, she assumes she doesn't have to. His hand slides from under her chin to her cheek, cupping it in his hand as he runs his thumb across her cheekbone. She resists the urge to lean into the touch, steeling herself against the comforting warmth of his palm on her skin and the sensations it sends rippling through her body.

"Just... think about it, okay?" he says.

Laine nods in response, waiting patiently – and almost wishing – for him to leave. Much to her disappointment, Dean leans down and for a moment it looks as if he is about to kiss her. Laine gets ready to pull away, knowing that if his lips touch hers, all her resolve will go out the window, but the kiss never comes.

Instead, his lips connect with her forehead. The touch is gentle and familiar, slightly chapped lips a pleasant heat, but it only lingers for a moment before he pulls away.

With a final look down at her, Dean turns and makes her way back down the path leading to the cabin. His figure soon disappears into the darkness, leaving Laine standing there completely bewildered and confused as to what just happened.

Laine stays there for a few minutes longer as she mulls over the conversation and all the words shared between them. When her brain and heart begin to conflict with each other, she makes her way back home, the walk all but a blur in her mind. Even once she is buried underneath her warm duvet and the call of the loons on the lake is lulling her to sleep, she can't stop thinking. Thoughts of Dean, his words, and their relationship are still gnawing at her mind when the faintest rays of sunlight peek through the curtains.