'You ok?'

I gasped as I kicked the demon straight in the face and then stabbed it hard with my Holy wooden stake. I straightened up, brushing down my tight black jeans and top and cursed angrily seeing the scuff on my spike-heeled knee-highs.

I looked over at Dean, who was breathing heavily and still holding the Colt in his hand.

'Fine' I muttered, plunging the stake into the loop at the side of my jeans, and stalking in the direction of the car. I could hear him coming after me.

'Hey! What the-Abbi!'

I swung around and he skidded, almost bumping into me. He pulled himself backwards and held his hands out. For a brief moment I could smell leather, cologne and him.

'What, Dean? Why are you so worried about me all of a sudden?'

Suddenly I was shouting angrily at him.

'You didn't care yesterday when you informed me that you're dying and won't be around anyway!'

I turned to leave but he grabbed me by the waist, spinning me into his arms and for a second he was holding me close, his blue eyes staring into mine. I breathed in sharply and suddenly he dropped his hands as if I was burning hot. I stepped back, my heart hammering faster than it had during the tussle with the Hell demons.

He lowered his voice.

'Can't we just talk about this?' he asked quietly, his voice pleading.

'Why, Dean? Whats the point? You didn't feel like talking to me when you made the deal! You didn't even tell Sam!'

He looked at me with that dark unreadable expression that he got on his face whenever Sam yelled at him for making the deal in the first place.

He gestured towards my face.

'Can I take a look at that?'

I stared at him like he had twenty heads, having no idea what he was talking about. He stepped forward and suddenly put his hand on my cheek. It felt warm against my cool skin. Withdrawing it after a second I saw blood on his fingers and put my own hand up where it met liquid.

'Oh.I didn't notice...'

'I know'

He started to walk ahead of me and I followed slowly, my anger strangely evaporated. When we got to the car he reached inside and grabbed a small pouch.

I sat gingerly on the front of the car, fatigue slowly having its effect. The lack of sleep from the night before was beginning to take its toll, and the back of my neck hurt.

'May I?'

He interrupted my hazy thoughts and I looked around to see him holding up anti-bacterial wipes and a small plaster.

'They're Sam's' he added, looking embarrassed.

I continued to stare at him and he moved closer. He started to wipe away the blood with one of the cloths and I gasped as I felt pain for the first time.

He winced 'Sorry...' and continued to clean my small wound. Finishing, his fingers lingered on my face. He slid his hands down to hold my chin and looked deep into my eyes. I looked away, the intensity becoming too much

'I'm sorry' he said softly. I felt tears pricking my eyes. Ever since I had found about the deal that Dean had made with the Crossroads Demon to swap his life for Sam's, I couldn't think straight. He had one year. And the clock was ticking. So much I wanted to tell him but now I couldn't. And as if it wasn't bad enough, his attitude was one of not caring. Like it didn't bother him that his life was slowly coming to an end.

'Why, Dean? Why...' My voice broke and I shivered in the cold.

'I...I promised Dad I'd protect Sam.'

'You gave away your life. Like you don't care .About anything. Or anyone' I added softly closing my eyes, as the tears began to fall.

'I didn't tell you because...' he paused and looked away for the first time

'...because I knew how you'd react. I knew how upset you would be'

I shook my head and looked up at him

'So, what...you were just going to disappear one night and not come back? Leave me to wonder where you were for the rest of my life? How could you?'

He sighed loudly and ran his hands through his hair. He looked down at me and paused before saying

'You really wanna know?'

I didn't even answer him, just looked into his eyes while mine were filled with tears.

'Because I love you, and the thought of leaving you might just kill me before the Crossroads Demon does'

For a minute I was truly stunned into silence while Dean stared at me. The second he had said the words something rather like terror fleeted across his face but then it settled into something else that I couldn't decipher. I stood there in shock for a minute or so and then suddenly a strong emotion came washing over me...what was it? Fear?...

Before I knew it I had pulled my fist back and punched him hard in the face and kneed him in the stomach, sending him flying to his knees gasping for air.

'Abbi!'

I took off, marching across the grass, not knowing what was happening or where I was going...and then I stopped. Turning back I sprinted to the spot where he was bent over in pain. I stood over him, watching his face contorted in pain, blue eyes bright with shock...before I knew what I was doing I had dropped to my knees in front of him, grabbed his face in my hands and was kissing him desperately, wrapping my hands around his neck. After a brief second he responded and was kissing me back, stroking my face, tangling his hands in my hair and sliding his arms around my waist.

I arched my body closer to him, wanting to melt into him and never let him go. And then I started to cry for real, the tears coursing down my face, sobs wracking my body as I held onto him with all the strength I could muster.

'Shhh...shhh...I'm sorry...' he was stroking my cheeks and my hair, holding me close.

'Dean, please don't leave me...I can't do this without you...I'm so scared...'

'I know' he said softly, and his pain seemingly gone, picked me up as I clung to his neck, and carried me to his car.