A/N: Ruby is out of character in this becuase she is human, and this is pretty much how I think Ruby might have been if she had never become a demon. The POV alternates between all four characters in the story. In this 'verse angels and demons are sentient, but they are still animals.

Thank you to my beta buffenator, she has been a huge asset in improving this story. Her advice and critique throughout has been invaluable and I am very grateful for her help!

I had the great privilage to have uke_sama_sensei as my artist for a second big bang. I am floored by how amazing her work is! She has an amazing way of capturing so much emotion and detail in everything she does. I am grateful for all the work she put into making art for this and I absolutely love the result! She perfectly captured how pictured Sam and Dean in this story! Thank you so much, it is very much appreciated! :)

Warnings: Implied sexual content, mpreg, implied bottom Dean/top Sam, pregnant!Dean

Go here to see the amazing art they made for this story: .

Prologue

Ruby was outside in her yard playing when rustling in the woods behind her house first drew her attention. There was something there, moving in the darkness in the trees. She moved forward cautiously. She had been told not to go into the woods on her own because it could be dangerous. But her sister, Lilith, had said that that was just something adults said to keep them from having any fun. So she moved forward slowly, trying to see what it was that was making so much noise. She had just passed the tree line when she saw it, a large form hunched over. She moved a little closer and she could see curled horns like a rams—a demon. She had seen demons on nature documentaries on TV, but she had never seen one in person before. Domesticated demons were kept as pets, but they were by no means as popular a pet as angels. But this was a wild demon. They were vicious, violent creatures and she knew that she should run before it saw her. She started to turn away but its breathing was labored and by the way it clutched one hand to its side she could see it was hurt. She was torn for a moment between running and wanting to help the poor animal. She couldn't just walk away and leave the creature like this. She approached it slowly and its head snapped up at the sound. Its eyes were solid black and it gave a low growl in warning. "Shhh, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." She kept her voice soft and soothing and did what she could to appear as non-threatening as possible. She could see it was weak, and it allowed her to approach. She had long suspected that demons were more intelligent than people gave them credit for and she wondered now if it could tell she only wanted to help. Its eyes remained solid black, but it allowed her to examine its wound. There was a gash along its side, it looked painful but it wasn't deep. She ran back to her house to get supplies and was gratified that the demon was still there when she came back. She patched its wounds, but it was still weak and that would leave it vulnerable to whatever had hurt it in the first place. She would have to keep it safe until it healed. "Come on, you're coming home with me."

Chapter One

Ruby sighed. Sam was breaking her heart. He was acting like they would never see each other again, but she was only leaving for a few days. His eyes were solid black, and had been that way since he had figured out she would be leaving and he wasn't coming with her. She reached out and put her hand against his cheek and Sam whined, leaning into the touch.

She hated seeing her demon like this. Ever since she found him in the woods he had been her loyal companion and they were rarely apart for long. His horns were covered in nicks and scars that told the tale of the life he had led in the wild before Ruby found him. Demons bred in captivity had smooth, unblemished horns, seen as a mark of beauty of their species. But she loved her demon as he was, scars and all.

Leaving him was made worse by the fact that the kennel wouldn't accept him unless he was wearing a collar that was engraved with sigils that would bind his powers. Their companionship had started once he was already grown and she had never made any effort to collar train him. But the kennel wouldn't accept any pets without the collar in place. She had had this one specially made. It bore all the required sigils but it had a few flaws in it. Suppressing his powers would be suppressing the very essence of what made him what he was. The collar was for show only; it would do nothing to bind his powers

Angels were all the rage these days. Everyone who was anyone had an angel for a pet. But she didn't get what all the fuss was about. Angels were "gentle." Insipid if you asked her, and eager to please. They were easily trained, since it was in their nature to follow orders and many believed that made them the ideal pet. Many went as far as believing that demons shouldn't be owned as pets at all. It was like all the controversy over owning a pit bull. But Ruby knew that was all ridiculous. As far as Ruby was concerned demons made better pets than any other animals. If she was being honest she preferred the company of her demon over most humans she knew. Sam was the perfect companion, unfailingly loyal and protective of her. She was never afraid as long as he was around. Their first Fourth of July together he had spent curled around her, growling at the unseen threat every time a firework went off.

And now he was none too pleased that she would be leaving him. She wished he could understand that it would only be a short separation, and then she would be back. She knew demons were intelligent, but they were still animals and she could hardly expect him to understand. All he knew was that she was leaving and he didn't want her to.

"Believe me Sam, if I could take you with me I would, but I just can't. Besides, you'll be very happy here, I know you will. It's like we're both going on a vacation. This place is very nice and they'll take good care of you." It was a highly rated and expensive kennel for "exotic pets." It was far out of her price range. Under normal circumstances, she would have never been able to afford putting Sam up in a place like this for even one night. But her sister was paying, since it was Lilith's idea that Sam be put in boarding in the first place. Not that it would be a hardship for her sister. Lilith was very successful in her job and her salesmanship skills were undeniable.

Lilith had a beloved angel that hated demons. As far as Ruby could tell, Lucifer hated everyone and everything except for Lilith. That's why she had offered to put up Sam in such an expensive place, just to ensure Sam wouldn't come anywhere near her precious Lucifer. It was probably for the best. It was a big deal; their family hadn't been together in years. Their family dynamics were complicated and with so much in-feuding it was a wonder that everyone had actually agreed to get together at all. They probably wouldn't have if it hadn't been for Azazel's death. The whole family would be coming together for his funeral, and more to the point, the reading of his will. He had been extremely wealthy and all the vultures in her family were hoping to get a piece of his estate. It would be a miracle if everyone made it out alive. There would be enough fighting as it was, no need to make it worse by having an angel and a demon in the same space.

It was going to be difficult for her, too. She wasn't used to being away from him for long. Most places allowed angels and demons to accompany their owners, as long as they were collared, so Sam was her nearly constant companion. The thought of saying 'screw it', and skipping the whole thing was very tempting. But she had to go. She had promised and there were some members of her family she was looking forward to seeing. Meg would be there, and they had always been close. Of course Alastair would be there, too, and she had no desire to see her creepy uncle again. She gathered her resolve before she had time to change her mind again.

"I'm sorry Sam, but this is the way it has to be. I'll be back before you know it! You be good now, don't cause any trouble for the nice people here." She tried to put as much enthusiasm into her voice as she could in an attempt to make him feel better about her leaving, but she could tell it wasn't working. There was nothing for it then but to just go. She turned away and allowed the door to be closed and locked. The room had looked more like a luxury hotel room than an actual kennel, and that made her feel better at least. She knew her demon would be well taken care of in her absence.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. It's always hard to leave them behind, but by the time you come back he won't want to leave at all!" The perky employee, who'd identified herself as Donna Hanscum, said. Ruby knew it was meant to be comforting, but she also knew Sam well enough to know that wouldn't ring true. She just hoped he didn't get into too much trouble while she was away. He was a good demon, she was sure he would be fine. With that thought in mind she left Sam in (she hoped) the capable hands of the people at the kennel.

Sam watched as the door to his enclosure was shut, blocking him from view of Ruby. He walked the room slowly, sneering at the oversized pillow and blankets that were supposed to be his bedding. He didn't like Ruby being out of his sight, out of his protection. She was his to protect and if he wasn't with her, he couldn't protect her. He considered following her, but the door was warded. Nothing he couldn't break, but it would take him a little time to do so. She didn't think he understood why she left him here. But he understood better than she knew. He can't understand everything humans say, but he can understand Ruby better than most due to their connection. He could feel the intent behind her words and sometimes he could hear the echo of her thoughts. Humans are weak and imperfect creatures, unlike demons. That is why he needed to stay close, to keep her from coming to harm. Who knows what could happen to her without him near. He knew she was going to be with family and that she felt like that was for the best. He had felt her guilt and her sadness and he hated Lilith for making Ruby do this to him. He had heard that name and could feel the ambivalence she felt towards the woman. He paced from one end of the room to the other.

Distantly he felt something press into his awareness. It was something he didn't often feel, but something he could never mistake. It was the light that warred with his darkness, the grace of an angel. There was an angel here, where his Ruby had been, where she would be returning to. He knew angels; they were vicious brutal creatures, capable of great violence. At least demons were honest about what they were. But angels hid all that power and violence beneath the surface. Their beauty and gentleness fooled many humans into believing they were good, blessed creatures here to improve the lives of humans. But Sam knew better, and he knew Ruby did, too. He knew she felt no affection for the creatures. Many perceived them as creatures incapable of harming another. But it had been an angel that hurt him, nearly fatally, the night Ruby found him. There was an angel here and he would not allow Ruby to return here as long as that angel was present.

Anna hated leaving Dean like this, but it wouldn't be for long, and this place was supposed to be the best. She had an appointment with an owner that had an angel that might be a good fit for Dean. He was rare among angels. He was a male carrier. That, combined with his lineage, made him extremely valuable. Dean was a direct descendent of one of the first domesticated angels, Michael. Not that his lineage mattered to her. His value had nothing to do with why she was trying to find him a mate. Angels mated for life, forming deep bonds with their flocks and their mates. Anna had raised Dean herself since he was a fledgling. He was a house pet, through and through, and a pampered one at that. Anna loved her angel and they shared a deep bond. But it wasn't enough. He needed someone of his own kind to be with; her deserved to find a mate. It wasn't always clear why a particular angel accepted another as its mate. Angels either decided to mate or they didn't. And Dean had rejected every angel he had encountered.

She had to first make sure that whoever owned a prospective mate was someone she could stand having around, and that they would treat the angels and future fledglings well. The last thing she wanted was to be entangled with someone whose only interest in angels was the money they could bring. But, most importantly, Dean needed to make a connection with the one he would mate with. The most she could do was find other angels and hope Dean chose one.

Her family had been breeding and raising angels for generations. They had made no small fortune from it and lived comfortably. That was until her father had disappeared. He had left instructions behind for his children and the care of his estate. Anna had been a child at the time that her father abandoned them. Zachariah was caretaker at the time, and handled the business side of things. According to her father's instructions he would be in charge until Anna was old enough to take over. And that Dean, in particular, was hers to care for. Zachariah had been openly disdainful of this arrangement, believing he should have been left the business, instead of Anna. He had argued that Anna was too young to be bearing the responsibility of caring for an angel, especially one as valuable as Dean. But Chuck, their family's lawyer, had insisted that the instructions were very clear. Dean was Anna's and the decisions of his care were to be left to her. At first it had meant the world to her that he father would trust her with such a beautiful creature. In the beginning, Dean reminded her of her father. She wanted to believe her father had, and still did, love her. Dean had been a symbol of that. He showed that her father cared enough to give her something precious before he left.

When she was a child Anna had spent countless lonely hours wondering why her father would abandon her and her siblings. She tried to pretend that there was a good explanation. He was a god, forced to return to Valhalla, or he had a dangerous past and was forced to leave to protect them.

In time a different picture began to form. The little stresses and mundanities had a way of building up. She would sit through endless lectures by Zachariah on how, without his business savvy, their family estate would slowly be eaten away until there was nothing left. He insisted that she needed him and that she should leave everything to him. He would stress the importance of breeding Dean or selling him for the money they would get. He tried to impress upon her, that as the eldest sibling, it was her duty to keep the family business going. It was at times like those that she wanted to take Dean and disappear herself. There was only so much one person could bear. She wondered now if that's why her father had left. Not because of some grandiose reason, or because of some great epic adventure. Maybe it was more that he was chipped away piece by piece by all the little things. She would never know now, and she hated that. She hated that he would leave her wondering, always to wonder, never to know. What kind of father did that to his children? Perhaps they were better off without him.

No matter what Zachariah said, she would never sell Dean. She would never allow any of the angels in her care to go to bad homes. She would vet every potential owner to make sure they would take good care of the angel. She also made sure each angel bonded with their new owner before she would allow them to leave together. Zachariah told her it was a terrible way to run a business, she had turned down more than one offer because she didn't feel it would be a good fit. But she didn't care, the well being of the angels was far more important to her than money. She was far fonder of Dean, and all the other angels, than she was of Zachariah, so ignoring his wishes was hardly a hardship for her.

This kennel was one of the best, and anyway, she wouldn't be gone long. She just wanted to meet with the owner of the angel, an angel named Samandriel, before she brought Dean to meet him. And she couldn't exactly leave Dean alone with Zachariah.

It didn't take Sam long to break the sigils. He was resourceful, even by demonic standards, and he had the advantage of having access to his full powers.

Demonic hierarchy was established through violence and dominance. Demons were largely solitary but when they do accept another into their pack it's for life. He had always kept to himself, his territory had been large and he had been considering beginning a pack of his own. An angel had decided to it wanted his territory for its own flock and had attacked him. If it had been just one he might have stood a chance, but he was ambushed by more than one and as it was he had barely made it out with his life. He had been a bad one for him, he had been alone and damaged he had, by chance, encountered Ruby. She was a young girl at the time and no real threat to him. It was this that prevented him from killing her on the spot. He had tried to warn her off, but she had persisted until he realized she intended to help him. Her bravery impressed him, and if it hadn't been for her he might have died that night. Demons take care of their own and Ruby was his now, so he would do whatever it took to protect her. Right now that meant taking care of the angel that posed a clear threat.

He made his way down a corridor lined with doors identical to his, each one numbered. There were labels next to each door identifying species of the creature inside, along with the owner. The first held a kelpie—vicious man-eating aquatic horses. He didn't know why humans insisted on putting themselves in such close proximity to their natural enemies. They thought they had control of their "pets" but had no idea how powerful these creatures could be. Next was a selkie, an intelligent, gentle, shy species of seal. The sound of feathers caught his attention, but it was a phoenix, no doubt disturbed by his presence. Some of the other animals made a raucous at his passing, others remained quiet, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. But all knew they were in the presence of a predator. He made his way down the corridor until he reached an enclosure at the very end, the feeling of grace strongest here. There was warding in place, but it was designed for angels, useless against a demon.

As he reached out a hand and touched the door, he could feel the locks turning and unlocking for him until the door slid open.

His eyes went black as he took in the angel. He was as tall and beautiful as any of his kind. He watched the angel stretch its wings out; glossy black feather's puffing up, in a defensive gesture. Despite his aggression he could feel the fear coming from him. That was good, he should be afraid. Sam took a step closer, and then stopped. There was something about the angel that was unexpectedly appealing, the stretch of long black feathers and piercing green eyes. But there was something more. He didn't understand at first, but his hatred was melting away into something else.

It was instinct that whispered mine when he saw the angel. And in that moment he knew. When demons meet their mate they know. He practically purred with satisfaction as the realization came, angel or not, this was his mate.

Dean had never seen a demon up close before. And he was not at all happy to be seeing one now. This was supposed to be a safe place to stay while Anna was away. He was supposed to be safe from demons here, and from Zachariah, a man worse than any demon in his estimation. But now there was a demon standing before him. He puffed up, spreading out his wings, trying to hide his fear.

The demon stepped closer and he took a step back, pressing his back against the wall. The cool stone was pressing in against his spine and along his wings. Don't be afraid. The words came pressed in against his grace. He scoffed at that. Don't be afraid of a demon.

You're mine

There was no malice in it, but it didn't stop a shiver from running down his spine. He didn't know what the demon meant by that, but he didn't like it all the same.

The demon took a step closer and another. He didn't try to attack, which confused him. This wasn't what he had expected.

Stay away demon He put as much contempt into it as he could. But the demon remained undeterred.

The demon reached out a hand, slowly, almost tentatively. Dean stood still. As long as the demon wasn't being aggressive, he didn't want to do anything to make him attack. A finger reached out and gently stroked along the top of his wing, sending a shiver through his grace. Something deep called to him at the touch. He pressed his wing forward into the touch, wanting more. He understood this time, when the demon repeated that word.

Mine

Yours

After searching for so long Dean had found his true mate.

Sam thought back over a nature documentary Ruby had been watching on the mating habits of angels. There was something about angels communicating through their grace and being extremely physical creatures. They would usually stay with their nest mates and would engage in mutual grooming. There had been something about angel wings. He moved slowly, trying not to frighten his mate, now that he'd found him.

He moved his fingers moved through the angels wings and for the first time he was complete. He didn't understand how his mate could be an angel, but right now he didn't care. All he cared about was that he was here. The angel pushed his wing into the touch, wanting more contact. Sam fingers ran over the top arc of bone and down into his primary feathers. The touch was unpracticed, but he could tell the angel didn't mind.

The angel curled his other wing around the demon. At the touch the Sam momentarily went rigid then relaxed and allowed him to be pulled forward until they were pressed together. The angel put his other wing around them then, completely surrounding him in the soft feathers. He nudged the demon with his nose, and then rested his head against Sam's shoulder.

Yours the angel said again, not because it needed to be said, but because it felt right.

Sam woke up to the unfamiliar, but not unwelcome feeling of being surrounded by feathers. He had fallen asleep holding his angel while wrapped up in the other's wings. What was unwelcome was the noise that was cutting through the peace of the moment. Humans. He could tell they were upset, but didn't particularly care. He just wanted them to go away so he could enjoy being with his angel. He felt hands trying to pull him up and away. That just wouldn't do. He growled and pulled his angel in closer, curling around him. When one of the men touched his angel Sam snapped at him in a bid to warn him away. Something sharp pierced his skin and then everything went black.

He woke up in his own cell again, and he could overhear snatches of conversation. He couldn't understand everything, but he understood enough. Apparently the people who ran the facility didn't appreciate his breaking into an angel's cell. There was talk of whether or not the angel—Dean—was hurt. As if he would ever hurt his mate. Stupid humans, they didn't understand anything.

He paced back and forth through his cell. This was Hell for him. He had finally found his mate and now they were forced to be separated. The sigils were back in place, but he would be able to break them. But if he did return to his angel now, the humans would only separate them again. He had to wait until the facility was quiet, before he could sneak back into the angel's cell to be with his mate again. But the time stretched on without end. Humans made everything so complicated. They couldn't see that Dean and Sam needed to be together, they thought that since Sam was a demon he would hurt the angel given the chance. But he had had the chance and he had done no harm to the angel that should be evidence enough that Sam had no intention of doing so. With angels and demons it was much simpler. He didn't know how his mate could be an angel. Dean was his, and that was enough. He didn't need to explain it, they were meant to be together and that was all that mattered.

And endless eternity passed before the facility was finally quiet and he was able to escape his cell and make his way down to Dean' enclosure. Based on the reception he could guess that Dean missed him as much as he had missed his angel. He never wanted to be away from his mate again.

But this time the humans didn't wait until morning before they came to take him away. Within hours they were there again to take him from his mate. Didn't they understand? They needed to be together. He didn't understand why they fought so hard to keep them apart. After being drugged once more he found himself back in his own cell again. This time the locks were more secure and there was no way for him to escape to return to his angel.