It was over.

Dean was done fighting. What would be the point? He would still be alone, and what's more, he would probably lose anyway. Besides, right now, Dean couldn't fight if he wanted to.

Sam was dead, and it was his fault.

He'd been so stupid! First he let Sam get taken. Then it took him forever to find him, and when he finally did, he let that guy...

He didn't even go for his gun. He just let it happen. Now Sam was gone, and the world was about to end. Dean couldn't even pretend to care.

Bobby didn't get it, or if he did he didn't like it. Bobby could go to Hell, and so could the rest of the world. There was no reason to care anymore.

It should've been him.

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This was just typical.

Just as Adianna was finally feeling better and getting control over her life, the Elders had to take it away from her and make choices for her. Again.

A new charge! As if the last one hadn't been bad enough. She'd saved the guy, and vanquished the demon, and then she said goodbye and he got hit by a bus. He hadn't died, thankfully, but he'd considered her bad luck and a freak after that, since she'd had to use her powers to heal him. The memory dust fixed it, but took away many important things, like the date of his and his girlfriend's anniversary.

So why the hell would the Elders give her another shot at screwing up?

She said as much to Paige while she was helping grade tests at Magic School.

"It's just not fair. I'm finally striking out on my own, finding my inner power and really working my craft, and once again, my life is decided for me. I wanted to give up my whitelighter powers when I came to Magic School, but the Elders said no. I didn't want to learn to heal or orb, but they made me. I didn't want my first charge, but I got it anyway. Why can't they just butt out and let me choose for myself?"

Paige sounded sympathetic, but amused. "Because they know you'd probably forsake your whitelighter half if they let you. The Elders are big on getting their way, because they think their way is always right. You should know that by now."

Adianna sighed, frustrated. "I do know that, but it doesn't mean I like it."

"Look, sweetie, there's a decent chance that they know what they're doing. They're not omnipotent, but they are annoyingly good at being right. Maybe your charge is someone important, and not just another future whitelighter. Remember how I met my dad? Moreover, it could be someone who really needs your help."

Adianna nodded and they fell into a companionable silence. She tried returning to grading tests but her mind began to wonder about this new, 'important' charge.

Later that day, Piper went to Magic School to ask Adianna if she could babysit. But upon seeing the girl alternately pacing and restlessly moving books around in the library, her maternal instincts kicked in and she walked over to her.

"Hey," Piper said to her as she pulled out more books.

"Oh, hey," Adianna replied, replacing the books she had just removed with two others.

"What's going on?"

"Oh, it's just that the librarian has a lot to do right now, and those kids are always messing with the system in here because they love driving her crazy. Just thought I'd help out, you know..." She trailed off.

"Uh huh. Wanna tell me what's really going on?"

Adianna set down a stack of books and looked up at Piper, wishing the older witch didn't know her so well. She sighed. "I'm nervous, okay? The Elders set me up with a new charge and told me I'd know when he needed me. They told me to wait."

"You know, that's one thing that hasn't changed about you: you still hate waiting."

Adianna laughed slightly. "Yeah. I used to get so mad when I couldn't get my potions just right. You'd tell me to be patient and I'd just wanna scream."

Piper smiled. "You know, you're gonna be a great whitelighter." Adianna scoffed. "Is this really about how it went last time, or is there something you're not telling me?"

"It's something I shouldn't have to tell you, because you know it already." Piper gave her a 'tell me anyway' look. "I don't want to be a whitelighter. I never have. I just want to be a witch."

"You can't ignore half of who you are."

"Which is why I asked the Elders to take my powers away when I got here. They didn't, and now I'm stuck doing something and being something I don't wanna be."

"Addie, why is it that you don't want to be a whitelighter? They help people, they can heal, and more often then not, they're the ones that save the day. What's so bad about that? You're lucky, you're only half. You get all the perks because you're not immortal. It's a pretty damn good deal."

"But I don't want to guide other witches. I want to kick ass and be a great witch myself, and have a normal life, and a relationship, at some point. I'm not Wonder Woman. It's too much. Being a whitelighter is the one thing I'm willing to give up."

"Is that the only reason? You think you can't handle it all?"

"I-I don't know. Maybe it's something else." She looked down, deep in thought.

There was a pause.

"Is it your parents?"

Addie winced. That was it.

"All right, yes. You said I have all the perks. Well, I don't. My whitelighter half just means I have to be twice as strong as a witch to make up for my weakness. It's terrifying to know that one little cut from a special arrow can kill me. And with what happened…"

"…It hits closer to home," Piper finished. "Addie, it's good that you're cautious. That'll keep you safer too. But you're not your parents. They only had each other as protection. You have us. And you're more levelheaded than your mother, because we've taught you to control your emotions. You just need to learn to trust your judgment and your abilities. After all, you are the most powerful non-Charmed witch alive. That's definitely a good thing." Addie didn't look quite convinced. "Just do your best. I have faith in you." We all do, she added silently. "Oh, by the way, are you busy tonight?"

Addie heaved a dramatic sigh. "Yes, I'll babysit. Gosh, I'm too nice."

Piper smiled. "You always have been. Be at the house by six, would you?"

Addie nodded, smiled a goodbye, and returned to her work. After Piper left, she sighed and sat on the couch. She looked at the book in her hand and tears welled in her eyes. It was a book of poetry by Edgar Allan Poe, her parents' favorite. She opened it and found their poem, the one that had brought them together. She began to read silently: 'It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea...'

At that moment, she heard a cry in her mind that nearly tore her heart in two. It was, to take a line from Morgenstern's The Princess Bride, a cry of Ultimate Suffering. Her new charge needed help, in a big way. She orbed without a thought, leaving the book behind on the sofa.