Hey, guys. As you read in the summary, this story involves Sam having a child. Just to clarify, this is pretty much a realistic AU. Sam went to college and the Yellow Eyed Demon killed Jess :( just like before. The only difference is John hasn't disappeared. He just works alone a lot more since he and Sam fought when Sam announced that he'd be going to Stanford.

Well, now that I've got that covered do I even need to say that I don't own Supernatural? I hope you like this story and continue reading it!

Audrey

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality...

-Queen, "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Sam turned on his side and groaned, barely awake. "J's. It's your turn." He put his arm around his wife.

Jess was done with college and was currently a nurse at the hospital- that was, before the baby. She was always so close to Stanford that they could eat lunch together, when Sam wasn't at one of his law school classes.

"Jess?" Her blonde curls bounced as she turned. "'s your turn."

"You sure?" She smiled, and they were so close their noses touched and Sam's heart fluttered.

"I went last time she cried." He whispered. "But... maybe we could make a deal."

Jessica smiled, pulling him closer and pressing their lips together.

"Okay," Sam answered between kisses. "You got me. I'll go." One more kiss and they breathed. Sam sat up, rubbing his hand over his eyes in drowsiness. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I'll get her." Jess whispered in his ear, pushing him back down and planting one more before getting up herself. Sam rolled back around and fell asleep.

..ooOOoo..

Jess tugged subconsciously on her nightgown as she took the stairs. It was a present from Sam. After their wedding, actually. Sam had handed it to her privately during their honeymoon in New Orleans. "It's our wedding!" She'd said. "You're not supposed to get me anything!" Sam'd just laughed.

Yawning, she turned into Audrey's nursery. The little girl was six months old and still tended to wake up a few times every night.

Pulling down one side of the crib, Jessica scooped her up and sat down in the rocking chair, before sighing.

Milk. She forgot the milk.

Setting Audrey carefully back in her bed, she went back downstairs and warmed up a bottle.

She peeped into their bedroom on her way to the fridge. Sam's long shape was unmoving, dead asleep and grasping the few short hours he might get until it was his turn to comfort his daughter.

Jessica pushed open the quiet door to Audrey's room, only to drop the bottle in horrid excitement.

"Saaaaam!" She shrieked.

..ooOOoo..

Sam flipped out of bed and grabbed his gun from underneath as he raced up the stairs, suddenly wide awake.

"Jess!" He called, bursting into the nursery. At first there seemed nothing wrong. But Audrey was fixated on the ceiling above her.

Sam looked up in horror as the flames surrounded his wife. Cursing heavily, he threw down his gun and grabbed Audrey, who was now sobbing, and taking one more look at the love of his life before running to safety, his daughter cradled in his arms.

..ooOOoo..

Dean was working a case alone in Washington when he got the news. Bobby had heard from Travis who'd heard from Jim who'd heard from a friend that there'd been a suspicious looking fire up north- at Sam's place.

Dean's face paled in the middle of that noisy diner. "Can I getcha anythin' else?" The waitress stood in front if him impatiently, smacking her gum loudly.

"N-no." He looked up at the overly-dressed woman. Christ, lady. Want some face with that makeup?

"Well?" She held her hand out for money.

Dean sighed, too worried to argue. He slapped down a fifty and muttered to keep the change.

"We-ll. Th-thanks." She said, suddenly polite.

Dean hadn't heard from Sam in ages. After Dad and Sammy fought, they'd kind of went their separate ways. But now Dad was in some remote forest with a Wendigo, Dean was flying solo, and Sam may or may not be alive, so Dean had to go. They were brothers.

When Bobby found out about the girl, he knew he had to tell Dean, but he didn't want to be the one to do it. No one had known. Not John or Dean or even himself until he got the call about the fire. And there was no telling what Dean's reaction would be. Dean answered his cell on the third ring, and Bobby casually mentioned Sam's location among other things as he gathered the courage to switch the subject.

"Oh, and Dean?" Bobby added as Dean was about to hang up. "There's somethin' you should know."

"Yeah?" Dean asked impatiently.

"Yeah, uh... Well, how do I say this?"

"For god's sake, spit it out!" Dean interrupted, followed by a quick apology. He was really worried.

"Hesgotakid." Bobby rushed, cringing.

"Sorry, Bobby, couldn't catch that." The calmness in the twenty-three year old's voice informed the hunter he really hadn't heard him. If he did... Well, he'd probably be flipping out right now.

"I said... Sam. He's got a, he's got a daughter, Dean."

Dean swerved, swearing he'd heard Bobby wrong and cussing like a sailor. "Call me when you get news of Sam, Uncle Dean." Bobby added before hanging up.

..ooOOoo..

"Hey, Jude. Don't make it bad, take a sad song, and make it better..." Sam sang softly to his drowsy daughter.

Sure, they were in a motel room in some sleepy town called Grangeville, but Sam did what he could for her. It'd been almost one week since the fire and Sam knew two things- one: Jess was gone. And two: He'd smelled sulfur.

Rocking her back and forth, Sam kissed Audrey softly before placing her on the bed. (The motel don't offer cribs.) He had crafted a wall of blankets around the edges of the bed, the closest he could come to assuring Audrey's safety. He laid next to her, closing his eyes... only to wake up to the screaming of the baby and a vicious knock on the door.

Sam hadn't gotten more than ten minutes of sleep in the last four days. Audrey was constantly crying and reaching out for the disappeared mother she'd come to love.

He held a screaming Audrey in his hands and shuffled tiredly to the door.

"You keep that kid quiet or you're out!" The manager screamed, causing Audrey to bawl even more at the sudden noise.

Sam tucked her closer protectively as the manager gave her a look of disgust before turning and leaving. Sam shut the door and went to change Audrey's diaper with the last one he had.

Knock, knock.

Audrey whimpered and Sam gave her a scared look as her chin began to quiver. Don't cry, please. He thought. I know you want your mother, so do I, trust me, but she's gone.

She's gone.

The knocking became more persistent and his daughter began to cry again. Sam held her and flung the door open. "I swear, I'm taking care of it. Just- let me put her to sleep. Really-"

"Sam? It's me." Sam stopped and took another look. "Dean?"

The older brother stepped over the salt line and entered the room, never taking his eyes off of the baby.

Sam closed the door with his free hand, sitting on the bed.

"What's her name?" Dean asked quietly and simply at the swaddled baby girl.

"Audrey." Audrey began to cry again and Dean realized how completely lost he would be in this situation, but Sam handled it, comforting her tiredly and then sitting on the bed, ignoring Dean and focusing on his daughter.

Rocking her back and forth he began to sing, always the same song. It comforted him and Audrey, that Beatle's song. He couldn't place it- it just felt... right.

Dean could see how exhausted Sam was from a mile away. "Sammy?" He spoke up. They could deal with the whole reunion tomorrow.

"Yeah?" Sam looked up and Dean was struck again by the fact he couldn't comprehend. His brother was a father. He'd actually carried out a normal life like he said he would. Well, until now, Dean thought bitterly.

"When was the last time you slept?" He questioned. Sam shrugged. "Dunno." Dean nodded, eyeing the extensive collection of five-hour-energies on the table in the corner.

"I'm holding Audrey," He warned. The name sounded foreign to him, he thought, as he took the small thing into his arms.

"You ask for a crib?"

"Don' h've 'ny." Sam replied sleepily, feeling guilty of the relief he felt for not having to deal with Audrey's crying for a minute. He understood her distress- he'd been crying for Jess, too.

"Okay..." Dean set the girl- no, his niece- down on the second bed, inside a giant wall of blankets and pillows Sam must've crafted.

Sam was lying across the bed, his long body covering the entire length. Dean tried to make him comfortable. "Audrey." He whispered, and Dean complied. Sam wrapped his arms around her, his whole body relaxing.

Dean smiled to himself as he took off Sam's shoes and tucked covers around the sleeping duo.

He sat down in the desk chair, rubbing his hands over his eyes. Standing up, he searched the room for Advil, spotting a bottle next to all of Sam's stuff (could that really be all he's got?) and stole a couple, swallowing them dry.

Nonchalantly, he poked around in the duffel, spotting Sam's wallet. He guiltily pulled it out, examining the contents:

Forty dollars (Thank God Dean and his credit cards came when they did), a driver's license, a few credit cards and business cards, and a few wallet sized pictures, which Dean pulled out to flip through.

The first was a wedding picture. Dean'd been there for that. Dad hadn't. After Sam left, Dad decided that work came before his son's Normal Life affairs. Jess looked beautiful in her wedding gown and Sam looked so happy, like this was the moment he'd been waiting for.

The second was of the threesome in the hospital, a beaming Sam flanked by a tired Jess, who was holding a red faced newborn baby in her arms.

The third seemed to have been taken recently. Jessica was sitting on a bench in the park, laughing at the camera and holding her hand up in a half-attempt to block her face from the shot. This picture seemed more worn, as if Sam sat fingering it at night. Dean smiled sadly, tucking them back into the leather folds and placing the entire wallet back with Sam's stuff.

Dean was in the bathroom when Audrey began crying again. He walked out expecting to see the girl simply hungry or wet, but he was caught off guard by the sight before him.

The maid froze in the doorway like a deer in the headlights.

Dean raised his gun and took a step closer, but the woman shrunk back. "Who are you!" He demanded.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was here just... let me explain." She walked up to Dean, but tripped and landed on top of Sam.

"Oh!" She said, but Sam was out cold, all that caffeine mixed with exhaustion catching up with him. The maid stood back up and ran out, probably scared to death by the gun. She closed it with a bang, the knock rocking the entire flimsy room- including the baby.

"No!" Dean screamed, dropping the gun and running after his niece, plunging headfirst at the dirty tile floor. But he knew he wouldn't make it in time, and as he dove forwards, his hand came up inches short.

I hope you liked the first chapter. I appreciate any reviews, they really keep me writing. I'll update as soon as possible- next week at the most. Thanks for reading!