One-Shot: Heartlines (Supernatural)
Author: patriciatepes
Fandoms: Supernatural
H/C: forced marriage, family, taking care of somebody, Wild Card (nightmares)
Title: Heartlines
Pairing: Sam Winchester/Rowena Macleod
Characters: Sam Winchester, Rowena Macleod, Dean Winchester, Castiel, Mary Winchester
Medium: fic
Wordcount: ~5600
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Slight spoilers for Seasons 7, 11, 12, 13, and 14 of Supernatural
Summary: Vegas had stopped being kind to Sam Winchester, especially when a certain witch gets a certain idea in her head to keep herself safe from the one destined to be the death of her.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any related character.
Author's Note: Written for the Feburary hc-bingo amnesty challenge, as well for spnpairingbingo, for the Sam/Rowena square. Titled inspired by the Florence + the Machine song of the same name. I have somehow fallen into being a big fan of this pairing, although this is my first outing with them. Hope everyone enjoys!
Las Vegas was a pilgrimage the Winchesters made every year. It was a weekend trip of booze, ladies, and mistakes fondly made. Now with Dean back sans Michael, Sam was especially eager to make the trip-to celebrate. Castiel had been invited, but he had declined, saying that he would stay behind with Jack. So, the brothers had taken off, found a cheap motel, found a casino that suited their tastes (definitely not anything close to the likes of Caesar's Palace), and started their trip. Pretty early, though, Dean had hit it off with a tall blonde. Sam had gracefully broken off, letting his brother have whatever fun he could get into that night. He deserved it.
That was where the night got a little fuzzy for him. He remembered getting a few drinks, and then… he was groaning, laying half-off a hotel mattress. The sun had risen, and he was pretty sure that the bed he was laying on was way nicer than the motel that he and Dean had booked. He groaned some more, gingerly raising a hand to rub at his thumping head. What the hell had happened to him? Surely it was more than just drinks. He was no lightweight… true, he didn't have Dean's ironclad liver, but still…
It took all of Sam's current strength to flip himself over so that he lay on the bed on his back. He managed it with an "oof" and some more groaning. The curtains were drawn, only a single rectangle of sunlight peeking through, reflecting off the gold-embroidered bedspread. A small cough near the foot of the bed drew his attention, and he sighed. Standing at there, dressed in a plain black dress with a wide neckline, her crimson curls wild in a deliberate sort of way was a very familiar face and probably the answer to all his questions.
"What the hell did you do, Rowena?" Sam grumbled.
The hundreds year old witch placed a well-manicured hand to her chest in mock indignation. "Me?" she asked in her Scottish burr.
Sam pulled himself a little more upright, resting on his forearms. He was still fully clothed, he noted. That was something at least. After all, he was having a bit of déjà vu. Maybe he should consider skipping the Vegas trip next year.
"Rowena…" Sam growled.
She sighed, crossing her arms. "Well, Sam, I was thinking, you know… about mortality. About death. Specifically, my death and what Billie said about it."
Sam remembered quite vividly what Billie the reaper-turned-Death had said-that in all of Rowena's possible death scenarios, one thing was constant. It was always Sam that killed her. Rowena had gotten a bit obsessive over her death ever since her encounter with Lucifer and the loss of Crowley. Sam understood. Really, he did. But he was getting a major case of Becky-vibes, waking up in Vegas in a strange hotel room with a woman he was certain he didn't leave the bar with. Plus, he had one hell of a headache. Grumpy didn't begin to cover his mood.
"I told you, Rowena. No killing of innocents, and I wouldn't kill you. I was pretty clear."
"Aye, that you were. But, then, I remembered that one time you and I conspired to kill Fergus, and I thought… 'what's to stop him from making that deal again, only with someone else against me?'"
Sam rolled his eyes, impatient. "That was different. And you know it. You've changed… in the ways that count."
She shrugged. "Well, forgive me, Sam, but living a life like I have, as long as I have, and you want a wee bit more security."
Here it was, the proverbial other shoe. Sam sat up fully.
"Get to the point."
Rowena did a jerky, panicky sort of shrug before throwing up her left hand, palm facing her. On her ring finger was an ornate silver ring, with a thin band but thick ornamentation. A large red gemstone, cut into a circle, was the main attraction, with two smoky colored gems offsetting it on either side.
"Do you like it? Yours was a bit simpler, since I figured that would be more your style."
Sam blinked a second before jerking up his left hand and eyeing the plain silver band he found on his own ring finger. He sucked in a deep breath. Oh God… not again. He pulled his legs off the bed and forced himself to his feet. Rowena automatically retreated a couple of steps, her hands held plaintively up in the air.
"Let me explain!"
"You better!"
She sighed, shrugging. "I want to live, Sam. I'll admit that. Dying… terrifies me. So, that got me thinking. In what capacity, I asked myself, would Sam Winchester never harm me? I ran through quite a few hypothetically situations… most ended with you stabbing me. Or shooting me. A couple with torture. Only one, given your shining sense of character, ended with me perfectly safe and alive."
"Oh, yeah?"
She nodded. "Yes. You would never harm the woman that would be your wife. So… I made myself just that. Your wife."
"And, given the circumstances, your logic might be just a tad flawed."
She shook her head, frowning. "You don't mean that. I know you don't."
Sam rubbed his temples. "All right. You know what? Fine. We're finding a courthouse. We're getting divorced, annulled, something."
He headed for the white, wooden door of the room, when Rowena made a small humming noise that made him freeze. He whirled, eyes blazing.
"What?"
"Well, Sam, our marriage isn't just… paperwork. And paperwork isn't going to get rid of it."
He turned and stalked a few steps toward her, close enough that he was able to loom over her.
"What does that mean, Rowena?"
She gestured behind her, and for the first time, Sam saw the table in the adjoining room. A large bowl and several half-full vials of multicolored powders, as well as several dried herbs littered its surface.
"I married our spirits, love. Our souls are entwined now."
Sam ran a hand down his face. God, did he need some aspirin… or maybe a mallet.
"What does that mean, Rowena?" he repeated.
"It means we're married in the deepest sense of the word. We're a part of one another. True soulmates. Every little girl's dream."
Her ruby-painted lips were stretching into a serene smile, and Sam felt like he was going to barf onto the rug. He shook his head, putting his back to her. Some things were becoming abundantly clear to him, starting with his missing night.
"What did you dose me with?"
"An herbal concoction of my own creation. Quite potent. I promise, though, that the headache will eventually leave. Until then…"
He heard her turn and stalk off into the adjoining room. She returned, and Sam heard the tell-tale sound of pills rattling. He turned and saw her with a bottle of generic aspirin and a glass of water. Sam took them slowly, eyeing the pills. The witch scoffed.
"I haven't poisoned them. I would never do that to my husband."
Sam shook three pills out into his hand before pointing at her. "Don't. Don't call me that."
Rowena shrugged, as if she were the one in a hapless situation. "Well, that's what we are."
Sam tossed the pills in his mouth, took a swig of the water, and choked down the chalky things. He took another drink of water to chase away the taste before sighing. He turned, setting the glass down on the beside table, and once again made for the exit to the room.
"You know what? What happens here, stays here. Same with this. See you, Rowena."
He grabbed the silver handle on the door and got it a fraction of an inch open before a searing pain beginning at the ring finger of his left hand and shooting up until it was joining his pre-existing headache was born. He slammed the door shut, swearing. He pulled his left hand into his line of sight and glared at it, seeing the ring now glowing white hot. But, just as quickly as it had begun, it ended. Shooting daggers, Sam whirled on Rowena and charged at her until he was less than an arm's length away from her. She seemed a little skittish, and in some distant, haven't-been-drugged-and-forcibly-married part of Sam's aching brain, he felt horrible for scaring her. After all, he, better than anyone, knew what horrors that Rowena had had to experience-to have seen the Devil's true face.
"Start talking," Sam growled, forcing himself to keep his voice as even as his temper would allow.
"I, maybe, worked in a few stipulations into the spell."
A horrible thought danced through Sam's head. He forced it out and asked, "What kind of stipulations?"
"Well… You can't leave me. Like, leave-leave. I mean, I don't have to be by your side twenty-four-seven, but you can't leave with the intention of never coming back to me."
"Oh, God… what else? Rowena… you didn't put in anything like…"
"Forcing you to have sex with me? Gods, Sam, would that be so terrible?"
Somehow, he felt a little ashamed. He would have to figure out how she did that later. "I've been married against my will before, Rowena. I'm just checking."
"No, Samuel. I did not put in a clause that makes you my sex slave. But-"
He knew that he had felt relieved too soon. "But?"
"But I did put in that you have to be faithful."
"So… let me get this straight. I don't have to sleep with you. But I can't sleep with anyone else?"
"Aye. That's right."
"Son of a b… Rowena! What else?"
"Um… You have to be faithful, you can't leave me… you have to care for me… I think that's it."
"Care for you?"
"If I am injured or ill."
"Undo this spell. Now."
She let out a little, breathless laugh. Turning, she walked slowly back toward the table laden with magic supplies, speaking as she went.
"Well, you see, the thing is… The reason I only put those few restrictions on you was because… Magic has rules, Sam. Everyone from an experienced user like myself down to Disney moves know that. I was… mixing magics when I made this spell… so I didn't want to push it."
Sam's gut suddenly felt like it was filled with lead. "So… what you're saying is…?"
She rounded the table, whirling and resting her hands upon it, as if she were proud of her display. "What I'm saying is that… I'm not sure how to undo it. I would have to create a counterspell… and undoing magic is just as dangerous as casting magic."
"So I was the test run as well as the intended target?"
Rowena shrugged. "I figured I couldn't lose, either way."
Sam wanted to scream. Instead, he pointed at the bowl and the stuff around it. "Pack it up. If I can't leave you here, then you're coming with me."
She smiled. "Of course, husband, dear."
"Do not call me that."
She made a little humming noise that seemed to say, "suit yourself." She packed away the items in a large cloth duffle bag, resting it on the table top.
"Ready," she announced.
"Great. Grab it and let's go."
"You're gonna make your wife lug this heavy bag all by herself?"
"Seeing as my wife has forced me into all this, I'd say that it was a small price to pay."
She rolled her eyes. She grabbed the handles and rounded the table as Sam was finally able to make it to the hotel room's door.
"Where are we going?" she asked as they left the room.
"To find Dean, get the hell out of Vegas, and then figure out what to do with you."
##
"Well, at least I wasn't called to another chapel," Dean muttered while he loaded his duffle into the trunk of the Impala. Sam's and Rowena's things were already loaded. Sam groaned.
"We've gotta break that spell. The bunker's got to have something on this," Sam muttered, nearly whispering.
Sam and Dean were both standing at the back of the car, trunk still raised, while Rowena sat in the backseat. Logically, Sam knew that Rowena probably couldn't hear them through a rear window and metal if he spoke at a normal volume. But, better safe than sorry. Dean shrugged.
"I don't know, man. Rowena said she made it up, right?"
"Yeah. So?"
"So… if that's true… how would the Men of Letters have anything on it? She might be telling you the truth all the way around, Sammy."
Sam threw his hands into the air, mentally resigning himself to quit coming to freakin' Vegas. "Are you telling me to give up?"
Dean cracked his best shit-eating grin and clapped his younger on the arm. "You got yourself a wife, Sammy. Congrats. She's older too. Older ladies always did have a thing for you, didn't they?"
"Shut. Up."
Dean was still chuckling when he shut the trunk. He shrugged again. "Look. She's not trying to kill you. She didn't… you know… I think you lucked up in the Department of Winchester Problems. Basically, this one you can solve as a hobby."
"Dean, she said I had to be faithful," Sam said through gritted teeth.
His brother blinked at him, looked between him and the back of Rowena's head, then had a grinch-esque grin form on his face. Sam shook his head.
"Out of the question. Stop thinking it. Now!"
"Well, I mean… she is your wife. It's kind of expected."
"I'm seriously going to punch you, dude."
"Well, then, fine. Look at it this way. It's not like you got laid a lot in the first place."
"Dean!"
Sam had practically screamed this, which caused Rowena to turn, one expertly shaped brow raised. He shook his head at her. Dean sighed, his face suddenly serious.
"Weren't you the one all sympathetic to her plight after the whole Lucifer tried to torture and kill her thing?"
Sam blinked, taken aback. "You think… you think she's doing this because she's… she's scared?"
"I don't know. Maybe. Look, I trust her about as far as I can throw her, but she did this spell, put very few restrictions on you… I think she was looking for safety."
"Yeah, because I'm the one who kills her, finally. Supposedly."
"Maybe there's more to it than that."
"Are you saying what she's done is right, then? Are you actually defending her?"
"No. Hell no. It was wrong. But… it's also exactly something Rowena would do. So… It's not good… but it's not horribly unexpected."
Sam frowned. He wasn't entirely wrong. Dean jerked his head toward the car. "Let's go. But, Sam… I know it happened so quick and I wasn't even invited, but I went ahead and got you a wedding present."
Dean pulled open the driver's door just as Sam made it to the passenger. "Really? What?"
Dean grinned. "I called Mom and told her."
Sam's eyes widened. "Dean!"
##
Given the circumstances of his situation, and the responsibility of, Sam had no idea why, upon reaching the bunker, when Mary made a beeline for Rowena, he planted himself firmly between the two women. All parties involved seemed equally confused, with Rowena eventually patting his arm and saying something about a good "protective" instinct. Mary looked like she was ready to vault over Sam to tear at her.
"Get your damn hands off my son!" she snapped.
Rowena held her left hand up, flashing the ring. "You would threaten your own daughter-in-law?"
"Damn right I would," Mary said, pulled a knife out of her belt.
Sam's eyes widened. "Mom, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to cut that damn ring off her finger, and then maybe she won't have a hold on you anymore. Cas, grab her!"
Castiel, apparently waiting in the wings for this very reason, had Rowena in the next moment. Sam whirled, expecting a counterattack, a spell of any kind, but Rowena only chuckled.
"I didn't tie it to my ring. It's not even tied to Sam's ring. It's anchored to our souls. If you let me go, Castiel, I'll show you."
Castiel looked around at everyone, waiting for assurances he should do this. Finally, Mary waved a hand. "Fine."
The angel released the witch, who promptly, and with little to no resistance, removed the ring from her finger. With a light underhanded toss, she passed it to Mary, who caught it in two hands and began to examine it. Mary glanced up at her.
"And Sam's?"
Rowena held up a finger. "Well, I did tie that one in, just a little bit. Just so I could work in some quid pro quos. But I wouldn't go around cutting fingers off… the ring will fight you. Packs quite a punch too, if I do say so myself."
Dean, lugging everyone's bags and looking supremely pissed about it, dropped them all unceremoniously to the floor. "So, let's get this straight. Sam's ring is stuck. No counterspell. I hate to be the one to suggest this, but…"
Mary was several steps ahead of her son. She shoved Sam back a few paces and held her knife to Rowena's throat. "What if we just kill you?"
"I'm the one who kills her," Sam said.
Mary, still pressing the blade to Rowena's pale, tender flesh, side-eyed her youngest. "Says who?'
"Death, actually, Mom. I mean, I have no idea how it works, seeing as I could just go take a seat while you kill her… but yeah. In all of Rowena's possible deaths, every one of them has the commonality of me being the one who kills her."
"Well," Castiel said, glancing at the two women. "She probably has one of her life-saving spells in place. She would most likely resurrect if Mary slit her throat."
"That's not the problem I'm trying to solve, Castiel," Mary huffed.
She stood still holding the weapon to the witch for a moment or so longer before growling and stepping back. Rowena smiled. Mary shook her head.
"Welcome to the family, I guess," she grumbled, going to take a seat in the large library room.
"Feels just like home," Rowena said as Dean and Castiel filed past her.
Sam's brow furrowed, not sure how much of that had been a joke. Or how he felt if it wasn't one at all.
##
Mary, once the excitement had passed, informed the boys of a possible case, in spite of the late hour of their arrival. After all, they had driven straight from Vegas, here. She said that she had come to do some research on it, having had no luck on the internet. Sam was just proud his mother had finally left behind the phase of calling it "the internets." Mary had risen from her place at the table, made her way into the back of the room, and came back with a small stack of books. She passed one each to Sam, Dean, and Castiel. She placed one down in front of her own seat, and then roughly shoved the last one into Rowena's hands.
"If you're gonna stay, then you're gonna work," she ordered.
Rowena blinked. Then, smiling-she was always smiling-she flipped open the book. "What, exactly, am I looking for?"
Mary seemed surprised not to get a fight, and Sam was oddly pleased. He eyed his ring for a moment, wondering if she had put on a few more spells she hadn't mentioned. Because after the drive back from Vegas, he was feeling awfully calm about all of this. Mary laid out what was going on, and Rowena responded with a small "hmm."
"It sounds like a spell," Rowena muttered, flipping through the book, now more in the center of it.
Mary, brow furrowed, sank into her seat. "Yeah. That's what I thought."
She turned to stare at Sam, silently questioning. Sam understood. He was sort of wondering what Rowena's motives were at the moment too. But, as he was just as in the dark as his mother was, he shrugged.
The hours passed, and it was eventually discovered that it was indeed a spell. Mary had a pretty good idea who the caster was, and she grabbed up her gear to leave. Sam and Dean both offered to come with her, to help, but she waved them off. She gave them both a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, as well as giving Castiel a hug, before stopping right before Rowena. She side-eyed the witch, pursing her lips.
"You did good work here," Mary said.
"Thank you."
Mary pointed a finger in her face. Rowena's eyes nearly had to cross to look at it.
"This doesn't mean you're off the hook. What you've done is wrong. And if you hurt him-"
"I would never!"
"Wouldn't you?"
Rowena didn't answer, and Sam had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Just when he thought there was hope. After all, she had kept the portal going while they had been in Apocalypse World. Maybe it was all for nothing. Maybe she would never change.
"I could have tried killing him outright to save myself, you know. I chose this. Just in case no one's realized," Rowena snapped.
Sam glanced over at her. Mary retracted her finger. She nodded.
"Then you better take care of him too. Marriage is a two-way street."
With that, she turned and stalked off, slamming the door to the bunker for good measure. It wasn't long after that that Castiel excused himself, followed by Dean suggesting he go out and get take out for everyone. Sam hadn't realized that it had gotten so late.
"I'm not exactly hungry. It's practically time for bed."
Dean looked baffled by this. "Dude, you'll be hungry later. What do you want?"
"Something not deep-fried," Sam answered, defeated.
"Your loss. Rowena?"
"Huh?" she said, looking up from the table, where she had busied herself picking up the books. "What?"
Dean rolled his hand, as if hurrying her along. "What do you want to eat?"
She blinked. "You're… you're going to get me something to eat?"
"Yeah. I'm not going to starve you out. I'm not a monster. Need the list of food places around here?"
She shook her head. "No, it's fine. Just a salad."
Dean rolled his eyes. "Freakin' health freaks. Not a one of you better touch my damn fries. Alright, I'm gone. Back in a few."
As soon as he was out of the bunker, Rowena slid into a seat. She stared, blankly, down at the table. Sam sat down across from her.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Well… I mean, I've basically kidnapped you… just… more openly. But your mother said I did good work and your brother is getting me food. And this is just after having my life threatened."
"I would apologize for the life threatening, but you did just mention the whole kidnapped thing…"
Rowena dismissed him with a hand wave. "No, I expected that. But… being including in research? In food runs? Why?"
Sam stared at her. "Because… that's what family does. You… you haven't really ever had one of those before, have you?"
Rowena turned her head so that she couldn't see him. "I was a tanner's daughter who… who slept with a married man. No. All I had was Fergus… and you know how that went. And it's all my fault, really."
It crossed Sam's mind that she could be playing him. But… some part of him doubted it. He fought the urge to reach out to her, to comfort her. After all, he was still forcibly tied to this woman-by her own doing. Instead, noting the time, and feeling the lag from the long, long drive, Sam stood.
"I'll go get you a room ready," he offered. "That way, you can go to bed after we eat. You're probably as tired as I am."
Her gaze shot back up to him. "I'm not sharing with you?"
Sam was sure he looked horrified. "What? No!"
"But… we're married. And I… I don't really sleep all that well alone. Not anymore."
"Rowena, we are not-"
"Oh, please, Samuel, I wasn't suggesting that. I meant literal sleep. I'm your wife. Besides, when I'm out of your sight, the ring makes you aware of me. Might be a wee bit distracting until you get used to it."
Sam growled. "Another failsafe that you failed to mention?"
Rowena hummed and shrugged.
"How many more are there to this damn thing?"
"Um… maybe one more. But it's not bad, I swear."
Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. After we eat, we'll go to bed. Together. To sleep."
Rowena smiled. "Just show me to the powder room so I can change."
##
Sam's finger was warm. Not uncomfortably so, but enough that it woke him. It was the first thing he noticed. The second was that Rowena was gone. He groaned. This must have been what she meant by the ring making him aware of her when she was out of his sight. He rolled over and saw that the clock said that it was three-thirty in the morning. The damn ring was still warm, and he lifted his hand to glare at it. He stopped, surprised. It was red… like somewhere between pink and crimson. Something about the color put him off… but it was more like he was worried rather than angry. He whirled and put his bare feet on the cold floor. Gingerly, he worked his way out of his room and toward the main room of the bunker.
He had expected to find Cas there, doing whatever it was he did while they slept. Or maybe Rowena reading. But, instead, Rowena was there, curled completely into a seat, and hugging her legs. It struck him how tiny she appeared. He paused just in the threshold, straining his ears in the silence. He thought she might be crying, but after a moment, he figured out that she was just breathing heavily.
"Rowena?"
She started a bit, whirling her head to stare at him. "Sam? What are you-? Oh, right. The bloody ring…"
Sam shuffled his way into farther into the room, taking the chair right beside her. He leaned down, so that he was more eye-level with her.
"What's going on? You look…"
She stared at him, as if daring him to complete that sentence. He sighed, leaning back.
"The ring changed colors. It was glowing like a pink-red. What does that mean?"
Rowena blinked at him, turning away to rest her chin on her knees. "Is that all ye care about?"
Sam frowned. "No. I'd like to know what's going on with you. But since I don't think you'll tell me directly, I thought I'd start with trying to decipher what the ring was telling me."
She blinked, and Sam was sure he saw the beginning of tears there. She didn't meet his eye, instead talking down toward the floor.
"It means I'm in distress," she muttered.
Seeing as she didn't appear to be physically harmed, Sam needed no further explanation. He nodded, leaning back in his chair. He let silence fall for a moment, letting Rowena just sit there, tearfully staring into nothingness. Finally, he sighed.
"Is it nightmares?" he asked softly.
Again, without looking at him, she nodded.
"I know the feeling," he continued. "I know what it is to have what Lucifer did to you hanging over your every thought, even while asleep. It makes you feel…"
"Powerless," she muttered. Now, she met his gaze. "That's why I wanted that page out of the grimoire. I needed power. I needed to make sure that something like… like what he did to me… never happened again. I keep seeing it, Sam. Every time I shut my bleeding eyes. I see his face."
Sam didn't say anything. He knew, like he had said, better than anyone, what Rowena was going through. Talking about it… it could help. For the first time since seeing her reaction to the news of Crowley's sacrifice, his heart broke for her. Letting out a shaky breath, Rowena locked eyes with him.
"Does it ever get better?"
Sam nodded. "With time, and the ability to talk about it, it does. Rowena… Do you have these dreams every night?"
She smiled sadly. "Usually, I distract myself… if you catch my meaning. Find some attractive thing to spend time with. It helps, a little. But… I didn't lie to you. If I'm alone…"
She shuddered. Sam stood.
"Look, I'm not offering that. But…" He held out a hand. "I won't shove you all the way to the other side of the bed this time. Promise."
She stared at his hand as if it were a foreign object. Then, staring up at up from underneath her lashes, she asked, in small voice, "Will you at least hold me?"
"Yes. Least I could do for my wife, right?"
She laughed and took his hand. He led her back to bed.
##
Time marched on, as it always does. Dean had been right, that Sam had all the time in the world to research how to disentangle himself from Rowena. But, truth be told, he was dragging his feet. Rowena needed him. For several nights following that initial one, he had been awoken to her thrashing about, moaning and whining in her sleep. Her brow furrowed, and little, fearful gasps escaping from her. He woke her every time, allowing her to cry into his shoulder afterward. Sam never told anyone about this, about the true damage that Lucifer had done to the witch, but he also had a feeling that no one needed to be told. After all, he had expected Dean to tease Sam about Rowena sharing his bed, but he never did. Mary and Cas never said anything about it either. Before long, Rowena being in the bunker, accompanying them on hunts, and generally helping them in whatever way she could became the norm, which was surprising.
That was made all the more shocking to him one night, however, while they were all out on a hunt. Dean had taken to getting a separate room from the two of them, since he had trouble sleeping through Rowena's night terrors. Sam did too, but he didn't mind it as much. In fact, he found a kind of joy in being the one who could be there for her, who could help her. So, in their separate room, Rowena stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a long, navy blue sleeping gown-silky probably all in look, feel, and fabric-and cleared her throat. Sam looked up from the laptop.
"Happy anniversary, husband," she said. She strode over to the mini-fridge and pulled out a single cupcake. Sam blinked.
"It's been a year?" he asked as she took a seat across the table from him.
He shut the laptop and shoved it to the side. He accepted the baked good with a muttered "thanks." Rowena grinned.
"Aye. And, forgive me for noticing… but I know you've not been looking for any way to undo my spell."
Sam smiled a bit sheepishly. "No. I guess I haven't."
"Sam… I, uh… I really don't know the counterspell. And it really would be a bit dangerous for me to work on one… one mistake, and anything could happen. But… you and your family… you've all been kinder to me than anyone has in my whole life. Which, given my age and my actions, means a lot. If you'd like me to try, I will."
He blinked. "You're offering to… to end our marriage?"
She laughed, a tinkling sound that he had grown rather fond of. "You haven't had sex in a year, dear. I'm taking pity on you. Stuck with poor, broken me. You've earned it. And trust me, I can't believe I'm offering this either."
Sam weighed this in his mind. Then, he reached across the table and took Rowena's hand.
"You need me. Those nightmares… they've slowed, but not by a lot. Don't worry about trying to undo your spell. We're good."
Rowena blinked, clearly taken aback. "What? But, Sam… the restrictions I've placed on you… and you've been so good to me… I-"
He held up a hand. "You are my wife, you know? And, I mean… if you're willing…"
He threw a cautious glance over at the bed before staring back at her. Her eyes were as wide as saucers for a moment. Then she grinned and all but leapt to her feet.
"Well, then, come on, you great tree. Let's see what you've got."
##
It was a crazy turn of fate, but as it was… Billie had been right. All of Rowena's books ended with Sam Winchester being the reason she died. But… she had never mentioned that, in a couple of them… it was because she chose him. She chose to stay with him, to spend her life with him and age with him like she had done with no other. But, in the end, that didn't matter. All that mattered was that, finally, they were both right where they needed to be.