In the Light

Chapter Twenty-Six: Champagne

Ruby looked at herself in the floor length mirror in the changing room. She was wearing a patterned baby blue dress. It came to just above her knees. It had wide straps and a high neckline. She looked at her arms; the training she had been doing with Sam had paid off.

She went outside of the changing room where Mary was waiting. She spun in the dress. "It's perfect!" Mary said.

Sam and Ruby were going on their first official date. Sam had made reservations at a nice local restaurant. That's what the dress was for. She was worried a little about leaving Dean, but Mary and Cas were going to stay with him. Castiel literally hadn't left his side.

They hadn't caught a case, so Sam asked Ruby out on a date. They had dated in college, but they just went to parties and stuff. She was excited. She knew Sam would like the dress. He was going to wear his fed suit. She hadn't seen it yet.

• • •

Back at the hotel, Ruby was sitting on the edge of the bathtub while Mary did her makeup. She hadn't done makeup in a long time, so she asked Mary to. She closed her eyes so Mary could put eyeliner on.

"Done." Mary said. She pushed Ruby's straightened hair behind her shoulders. Her bright red hair was sleek, and much longer now that it was straightened. She stood up and looked at herself in the smudged mirror. Her skin looked flawless and her eyes and cheekbones more defined. Her lips were red and shaped like a cupid's bow. She looked down at her nails which were painted a pastel pink.

Mary left the room to go get Sam. She was kind of making a big deal about all of this, but Ruby didn't mind. Mary made Sam turn around before Ruby came out. She reached the doorway and looked over to Dean who was laying on the couch. He was pale, but mostly better. He smiled at her, his lips turning up at the corner.

Ruby stood a few feet behind Sam. She cleared her throat and he turned around. He looked good. He was wearing his FBI suit but without a tie. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top. He looked good - and happy. She giggled. He laughed at her.

"What?" she asked, pretending to be offended.

"You're just really cute," he said and reached out to take her hand. He pulled her close and whispered "I love you" giving her chills.

• • •

Ruby took a sip of the champagne. It tasted like the stars. The waiter had just taken away their plates and they ordered a slice of cheesecake to share. The night had been amazing. Ruby kept catching Sam stealing glances at her. The food was great and the restaurant was beautiful, but that wasn't what mattered.

Ruby could be blunt sometimes. Her personality probably wasn't the best for a place like this. She asked a question that had been on her mind for a little while. "Sam. Why is it that Dean shoves his face full of shitty food all the time and you kind of do the opposite?"

"I don't know." He paused, thinking. "Our mom went on hunts when we were little. She'd have to leave us alone for long periods of time. We'd didn't always know when or if we'd get food. I never had to worry about that though. Dean always made sure I had what I needed."

"Damn," was all she said. She leaned back against the chair. "Do you ever... Do you ever get mad at Mary for doing things like that?"

Sam frowned slightly then said "No," resolutely. "She could have completely abandoned us. Gone insane after Dad died. Instead, she kept us with her and tried to protect us. When we grew up, she trained is so we could help people too. I was mad at her. That's why I left to go to college."

"Why did you go back to hunting?" The waiter had already dropped off dessert and the check, but they were too absorbed in each other to notice.

"Dean just ... always knows what to say. He made me see sense. He told me that what I was doing in the cult was wrong. That I'd end up hurting myself. I was already hurting my family." She could tell how much Sam respected and loved Dean just by those few sentences.

"You have a great family." She smiled, but her expression became dark and her eyes unfocused.

"Hey." Sam reached out and took her hand in his. He gently lifted her chin up so she'd look at him, then stroked her cheek and hair. A tear rolled down her face and he wiped it off with his thumb. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Ruby had never told him about her family. When she went to school, she tried to put that all behind her. "Not here."

• • •

Fifteen minutes later, they sat on a park bench. The to-go box with cheesecake in it was next to Ruby, forgotten.

"My dad died in the middle of my last year of high school. We were the perfect family. We were very religious. We went to Mass together almost everyday. We prayed together. 'The family that prays together stays together.'" She laughed bitterly. "I was mad at God. We didn't do anything wrong, so why did we get punished?

"I started going to parties and getting wasted. I skipped class to just drive around and do crazy, dangerous stuff. That's when I was officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Somehow, my mom found out what I'd been doing and she took me to a psychiatrist. I learned how to hide things better. I pretended I was taking the medicine, but I wasn't. You know the rest."

She'd been staring at her hands, chipping the polish off her nails. She looked up at Sam. She had felt his gaze on her the whole time. He had that look of concern and sadness on his face. He looked forward at the big tree in front of them and put his arm around her.

Her voice had been shaky while she was talking and finally let go and began sobbing. It felt so good to finally let it out. He just held her tighter and rocked her slightly, shushing her. "It's okay, it's okay. Shh."