Author's Note:

This was posted on Acklesholics and I don't know who the author is, but if someone knows, please tell me so I can credit it.

"Dean, you did it. You killed them. Abaddon and Crowley. They're gone!" Sam stared down at the bodies at Dean's feet, red hair spread in a halo around her head. "It's over, it's finally over."

Dean didn't respond, his hand still clutching the First Blade.

"Dean? It's over. You can let go of the blade. Maybe we can find a way to get the Mark off of your arm."

"I don't want it off," he growled, so low that Sam almost didn't hear him.

"Dean…"

His brother turned, and the expression on his face sent chills down Sam's spine. "Dean? Are you…are you okay?"

Dean grinned, and it was gruesome, fearful thing, mirthless and cold.

"I'm good Sammy, I'm real good."

"Dean, I think you need to drop the blade. Please."

"Don't you get it, Sammy? This is exactly what I wanted. They're dead. Both of them." He blinked and his eyes flashed black. Sam stumbled backwards, horrified.

"That's right, Sammy. I'm the new King of Hell."

I issued myself a challenge when I said on Facebook:

"Beth can totally fix this. Totally. Yeah. She's got this." Here's how she does it.

Some spoilers... but I tried to leave most of them out ;)

All I have is one last chance

I won't turn my back on you
Take my hand, drag me down
If you fall then I will too
And I can't save what's left of you

Sing something new
I have nothing left
I can't face the dark without you
There's nothing left to lose
The fight never ends
I can't face the dark without you

Swallow me under and pull me apart
I understand, there's nothing left
Pain so familiar and close to the heart
No more, no less, I won't forget

Come back down, save yourself
I can't find my way to you
And I can't bear to face the truth

I wanted to forgive
I'm trying to forget
Don't leave me here again
I am with you forever, the end

LONG IS THE WAY

Beth's POV

Six months, it had taken us that long to get to him; he'd hidden himself so deep within the bowels of Hell that even the reapers couldn't find him. God knew we had tried.

I stepped out into the cold night's air, my breath fogging as I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I had him, finally. I was either going to end this, or die trying.

Walking across to the church where Sam and Jefferson had secured our brother, I opened the door, swallowing hard and then putting on my poker face. He wasn't Dean, not anymore, but that was going to change. In the meantime I couldn't allow him to see what he was doing to me.

My heels struck the wooden floor as I entered, echoing through the room as I stepped slowly, deliberately, into the alcove, stopping to cross myself with holy water before moving down to the front of the church. The boys had cleared a space, taking out the majority of the pews in front of the altar, and the space now held a devil's trap, sitting in the centre of it was my husband, the only man I'd ever loved, and he was lost to me.

I bit back the ache in my throat, pushing through it and circled around until I was facing him. He hadn't changed: same square jawline, five-o'clock shadow, perfect kissable lips… the only difference was his eyes. No longer the playful green candy apple orbs I had fallen in love with, they were now pitch black, and they stared at me with contempt.

"Well, well, well, gang's all here then, nice of you to join us my bride," he said with a smirk and I lifted my chin up, pulling myself deep within a cocoon. I could do this, I could do it for our family.

"What's the matter Beth? No, I love you my darling husband? I've missed you. I have a special place for you in Hell, you could be my Queen. All you have to do is leave the rest behind, come with me."

I looked at Sam and Jefferson who were loitering nearby, waiting to see how I was going to react. I couldn't give them the excuse to stay, I had to do this alone.

"Leave us," I said quietly and both of them hesitated. "Please."

"Beth…" Sam started, looking worriedly at me.

"You'll be right outside, I'll call you if I need you," I said. "But I need to do this, for us."

"Beth, we don't know how much this is going to take out of you, the trials nearly killed Sam…" Jefferson said, stepping up and taking my arm.

"These aren't the trials, this is Dean, and I'm not doing all the tasks, I'm doing one. I'm saving my husband."

Dean laughed and rolled his eyes, listening to us argue.

"You think you're going to save me? Think again little sis, this is where I want to be. No more responsibility for you guys, no more pain except for the pain I cause, no more waiting for the next big bad to drop in my lap. I'm happy, you could be too."

I looked back at him and he blew me a kiss. Sighing, I looked back at Jefferson.

"Please, you owe me this much," I said, glancing at Sam after him. "Both of you."

"All right," Sam said with a nod, coming up to give me a hug. "We'll wait outside. You know what to do?" I nodded and squeezed him tight, taking in his warmth and protection, allowing it to heal my heart just a little.

"I do," I said quietly, looking at the table nearby where a syringe was sitting.

I looked around the church as they left. My eyes lighting upon the angel statue that had always been at the front.

"You know why I brought you here?" I asked, looking over at Dean who rolled his eyes and looked at me with a bored expression.

"Because you're a sanctimonious bitch who likes a sense of irony? Churches can't hurt me sweetheart."

"We first met under that angel," I said, staring at it quietly. I turned back to Dean who snorted at me but said nothing. "And you took me as your wife in this very place where we are standing. I waited here for you when you were in Hell, and it was here we were reunited. We baptised our daughter here, every major moment in our lives is defined by this chapel."

I moved into the devil's trap, secure in the knowledge that he was well bound by chains to the floor and chair. Spreading my legs and sitting in his lap, and draped my arms around Dean, Sam's warning not to get too close screaming in my ears, but I had to look into those eyes, I had to get close.

"And this is where I'm going to bring you back from Hell again, Dean. Because I love you, and be damned if I'm going to let you fall into darkness forever. Not while I still draw breath."

He smirked and I stood back up, moving away from the devil's trap to the table.

"You're delusional, I'm too far gone, and I like it, Beth. The freedom, the fear that people show me, the respect. I'm a God, Beth."

I stabbed the syringe into my arm, hissing at the sting and drawing out the small amount of blood Sam had instructed me on. Turning back to Dean I stared into his black eyes and sighed.

"No you're not," I said, wrenching his head to the side. "You're just a man, Dean. And I'm bringing you back."

I jabbed the syringe into his neck, feeling it sink deep and I pumped my blood into him. Stepping back I waited to see what effect it would have on him, but there was nothing, just a slow, calculating look that crossed his face.

"You can't save a man who doesn't want to be saved, Beth. And I have one thing Crowley didn't have…"

"Oh yeah? What's that?" I asked.

"I have the Mark of Cain!" He yelled at me. "It gives me more power than you could even imagine!"

I turned away, refusing to get lured into a screaming match. He wanted me upset, I knew that, Jefferson and Sam had both warned me. I walked away, leaving him in the trap, and kneeling in the pew nearby. Lowering my head to the back of my hands I started to say my prayers, knowing that somewhere out there, someone was listening. I still had faith. Dean started to laugh, a raucous, evil echoing through the room. Ignoring it I prayed harder, not letting him get to me.

When he had turned, Dean had removed the one thing holding him to his humanity from his finger, and tossing his wedding ring on the ground, he had vanished. I had carried that ring, just like when he was in Hell the first time, over my own, keeping it safe, knowing that he would want it when I got him back.

Hours passed and I continued to administer the blood, watching and waiting, praying for a miracle.

"Give it up, Beth!" Dean said to me after yet another treatment. "It's not going to work. Your blood is as tainted as mine. We belong together, in Hell."

"No," I said, shaking my head. I stared into those black pits he called eyes, and I watched, willing him to return.

Nothing.

"What are you going to tell my son, Beth? Our daughter? When you can't save me for all your trying…" he said, watching me as I hesitated by the angel statue.

"Will you tell them I am the King of Hell? Or will you lie to them like your father lied to you, and tell them some bullshit story about how I died a hero? How my life meant something."

"Shut up!" I snapped at him, walking back and grabbing him by the shoulders. "Just shut up! Our life did mean something! It means something to me! And it meant something to you too…" I finished, the last sentence barely a whisper as I forced it out. "You loved me once, and I know you still do."

"I don't love anyone," he said, looking at me. "Everyone I ever loved was taken from me a long time ago."

"Dean… please," I said, starting to feel the effects of the day wearing on. I'd been in here almost twenty-four hours. "Please come back to me."

"Dean's not here," he said, staring at me with evil eyes.

I sighed and straightened up again, walking away.

I needed to get out again. I'd been here for so long I was starting to feel delirious. I rapped on the door, and heard the barricade being removed from the other side. Sam looked in at me and I sighed.

"Anything?" He asked, hopeful.

"No, not yet," I said. "I need a ten minute break, not long."

"Yeah of course," Sam said, stepping back and letting me out.

"Don't leave him alone," I said, glancing back at where Dean was tied to the chair. "I can't lose him again."

"I won't let him out of my sight," Jefferson said, pushing into the room and looking back out at us. "Get some rest Beth, take a few hours, not just ten minutes."

"No," I refused, shaking my head. "No… I can't."

Jefferson sighed and nodded knowingly at Sam who placed his arm around my shoulders.

"Come on, at least let me buy you a coffee," he said with a grin and I smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, okay. Coffee is good."

I took an hour, just an hour, but in that time I felt an age pass.

Returning to Dean, my spirits renewed by Sam and his promise that we would prevail, I knew I would see this through to the end.

Thirty-eight hours in and I was starting to question my sanity. Dean's breathing had turned heavy and hard, and he was panting as he watched me approach, syringe in hand.

"Give it up Beth, it's not going to work."

"Yes it is," I said, and with a little more tenderness than I'd issued the last few injections, I stroked along his neck and I heard a little sigh escape his lips before I slid the needle into his soft skin, pushing the blood into him. I paused at the sound, and he instantly tensed, biting his lip and growling to hide it.

I moved to face him, staring into those eyes and as I saw the blood starting to take effect, his eyes bled to green for just a moment.

"There you are," I said softly, stroking along his cheek. "I see you."

He leaned forward and I fought back tears as he kissed me, his tongue trailing along my lips and then parting them to push inside and flick across the tip of my tongue. I sighed and placed my hands on his shoulders, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Without warning he bit me, his teeth slicing into my bottom lip and I cried out in pain, pulling back and frowning as blood welling on his lips and he licked it away.

His eyes turned black again and he shrugged off my touch, scowling at me. "Too easy," he said.

I stood up and backed away, turning to the angel statue and crossing my arms over my chest so he wouldn't see the hurt in my eyes.

"My daughter," Dean said suddenly and I looked at him. "I want to see her."

"Too bad," I said. "You start acting like her father again, then you can see her."

Dean scowled and shook his head, his eyes flicking from green to black. "When I get out of here, I'm going to take her away from you. I'll take her to Hell with me, she can rule next to me if you won't."

I looked over my shoulder at him, frowning. "Sorry baby," I said. "But you're not getting out of anywhere unless it's as the man I fell in love with."

Seventy-five hours, over three days, and we had him. I pushed through the weariness that threatened to claim me, and holding the syringe in my hand as Dean looked at me through tearful eyes. He'd started to break, finally, and the torment of what he'd been doign for the last sixty years in Hell - because that's what it was to him - was starting to wash down upon him.

"Please, Beth, don't do this. I don't deserve your pity. You should despise me, I'm not the man you married."

I knelt in front of him, knowing he had said those words to me once before, when he'd confessed to me what he'd done to those souls in Hell. This time was no different.

Looking into his eyes, which were now back to their beautiful swirling hazel green, I smiled, leaning up to kiss his lips.

"Yes, you are,' I said to him, just as I had all those years ago. "You are exactly the man I married, and I love you."

"How do I even start … I can't Beth, you need to let me go."

"Never." I said, shaking my head. "I made a promise to you Dean, together forever."

Dean's eyes wavered, and he let out a shuddering breath, looking at me with incredible warmth and love that he tried unsuccessfully to hide.

"Please," I said, holding up the syringe. "Please Dean."

He didn't fight it this time, leaning his neck to the side and I pushed the syringe into his skin, releasing the blood into his own.

As soon as it entered he started to thrash against the bonds securing him and I panicked.

"Jefferson!" I called out, running down toward the door before stopping. "Sam!"

Dean continued to jerk around, held by the bonds securing him to the chair. The door opened and the boys crashed through into the room.

"What is it?" Jefferson asked, and I pointed.

"What's happening to him?!"

Sam rushed forward, grabbing his brother and holding him. "Dean!"

For what seemed an eternity Dean continued to twist against he ropes and then fell into Sam. I watched, thinking we'd finally killed him, pushed him further than he'd even been pushed before. What would I do without him? How could I go on? Could I see it through? I knew in my heart that if he fell, I would too. It didn't matter how many people were relying on me, they had each other, for me there was only one I couldn't live without.

"Dean… it's gonna be okay, okay?" Sam said into his brother's ear.

Dean didn't move for the longest time, but when he did he looked up and straight into my eyes, and there was a new glint in his eyes, and I knew we had succeeded.

"Hey beautiful," he said softly. "I've been waiting for you."

I sobbed as I fell in front of him, clasping his face in my hands as I kissed him over and over.

"Untie him," I told Jefferson who moved to comply.

"Oh Dean…" I sobbed, kissing him again. "Oh God, I never gave up, I never gave up," I said, leaning my forehead in to his.

"I know you didn't," he said quietly, pressing into me with his forehead. He hissed as Jefferson unlocked the steel chains around him, rubbing at his pained wrists.

"God you are one stubborn son of a bitch though," I said, looking up with a smile and he chuckled.

"Long is the way, and hard…" he said, quoting a passage from John Milton we'd read a long time ago.

"…that out of Hell, leads up to light," I finished, looking into his eyes again.

"Welcome home," I added.

"No place I'd rather be," he said, kissing me softly.

I twisted at my ring finger and pulled his ring free of my own, smiling at him.

"Once again, you take too good care of me," he said and I chuckled, nodding. My breath caught in my throat as he held out his left hand, and I slid his ring back on, just as I had all those years ago.

"Today, tomorrow and forever," he said quietly, quoting the last of our vows.

"Amen," I said, kissing his hand and holding it to my face. "I missed you Dean, I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," he said quietly, pulling me up into his arms until I was sitting in his lap.

Three hours later Dean had devoured his favourite meal and several bottles of beer.

"So, now I'm cured, who is running Hell?"

"Short version?" Jefferson asked, and Dean nodded.

"You are, in theory," he said. Dean snorted and shook his head.

"I don't think that's gonna work somehow."

"Well, we have a plan for that too. It's time for some changes."

"What do you mean?"

"Reform," I said, looking at Dean. "Armageddon."

"Armageddon?"

"Yeah, but not Lucifer's way. Her way. We are going to free all the souls in Hell, and shut it down."

Dean looked stunned at my declaration, his mouth opening and shutting several times before he tilted his head to the side and gazed at me questioningly.

"Obviously there's more to this plan than just releasing hundreds of thousands of demons into the world…?"

"Yeah," Sam said, looking up from where he'd been typing something out on the computer.

"First we're going to cure them," he said and again Dean looked stunned.

"Cure them? All of them?"

I nodded, a smiled starting to twitch at my mouth. "Each and every one."

"That could take decades!" Dean declared. "No way is anyone going to not mount a coup in that time."

"Well, maybe it would have, once upon a time, but we've reached out. United with other Hunters," Sam said, looking up from the laptop. When he saw that Dean was watching he spun the laptop around to show him a photo that had been sent from Indiana.

A hunter had a compound there, with at least twenty other hunters who had been creating another way of life for a long time. There was dozens of people there.

"Great, you stumbled on the next Jim Jones," Dean scoffed, looking at the group.

"No, Dean, a next leader of our people. There's at least two dozen more of these hunter groups around the entire country, and more being revealed to us every day, in other countries even.

"And?"

"And they're working with us, Dean," I said, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "We have a network of hundreds, maybe thousands of hunters who are ready to do their part to stop the demons. We're not just going to lock them up in Hell again, we're going to do the next best thing, we're going to cure them, and then free them."

"Who gave you this idea?" He asked, frowning.

"A friend, with contacts in high places," I said cryptically and he shook his head.

"Freaking angels…" he muttered, but didn't press for more information.

"It's happening Dean," I said, smiling at him. "The promised land, the return of the Garden of Eden, peace on Earth. It's coming, and we're going to make it happen."

"Well…" Dean said, stroking along my cheek. "Aren't you something? Changing the world for the better."

"Like I said, Dean. Our lives mean something. We haven't sacrificed all that we have to just walk away now. We have a destiny, and it isn't to be puppets to angels for their little hissy fit fights. It's bigger than that, we just didn't see it. But I see it now, and it is divine planning. Everything in its place." I stopped, trying not to bombard him with what I knew, and what was to come.

Dean was never much for faith, we'd certainly established that over the years. But as I watched him I saw his eyes start to sparkle and he smiled, a genuine smile that lit up the room.

"Well then let's do this," he said. "Because I do believe I promised you a life away from hunting… a football team, I believe. We have other things to do other than just, tipping the whole religion thing on its ear."

I laughed and nodded, kissing him again. "I'm on it," I said, holding him tight. "Everything is going to be just fine… we have each other again, and we're going to see this through, like we always have, together."

End of Challenge

This ending would then feed in quite well to the Epic Finale Ending I have planned for when the series finally finishes. This was just a little fun, and probably won't ever make it into the series I'm writing, but I hope you enjoyed it just the same.

The chapter song for this is Without You by Breaking Benjamin.

Hope you enjoyed this little side story that really has nothing to do with the series I am working on at all, it was just a challenge I issued myself because I looked at that one fan fic or whatever it was and thought – damn, I hadn't planned on that contingency, how do I save Dean and Beth from that? Well, this is how.

Okay, this was a little fun, now I'm going back to finishing the next chapter for To Hell And Back - it's not far off done, but I will have to wait until tonight to work on it, I really really need to get some actual work done at work today, today is supposed to be my day off but my son hurt himself yesterday so I had to stay home and look after him. Which means having to go into work today to make up for it - darn it! The next chapter for THAB is a complete original with a few flashbacks to Dean and Beth's forgotten past, plus some fun times in the present.

Please leave a review You know I love them!