Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I hope you like it! ;]

She crossed her arms over her chest as her and Dean made their way back to the house. Whatever he thought she was doing, she was not pouting. Jo knew she was being a brat, but then again, she had just spent the last three years in hell. She was allotted a bit of whining.

Dean held the door of the cabin open for her with a self-satisfied grin. Jo glared at him as she entered the house and plopped herself on the couch.

Dean grabbed a few beers out of the fridge and joined her. "Alright," He said reaching for the remote, "What kind of trash can we watch?" He flipped through the channels until he found a marathon of an old sitcom Jo had never heard of.

She nuzzled herself into the corner of the couch cushion, nursing a beer as she watched the characters on screen without really comprehending what was going on in the show. Jo was lost in her own thoughts. Combing through her memories, for anything before Hell. She had held them safe and at the forefront of her mind during her stint down below, but now she was finding it hard to recall them. The memory of her father's face was now faded, the color of her mother's hair, she knew was duller in her memory than it was in real life. Even Ash's laugh was hard for her to recall.

She shook her head trying to clear her mind, but her eyes landed on Dean. Jo's mind began to whirl with thoughts and memories. She studied him, cocking her head to categorize how he had changed. His jaw line was stronger, more defined. He stared at the TV in a permanent scowl, his forehead never relaxing. She had to restrain herself from reaching out and smoothing out the skin there. Her gaze drifted down to his lips, her mind racing to their kiss the other night, then speeding to a stop at their first kiss. Painfully slow and tender, overflowing with regret. Jo couldn't help but think it was only because she was dying. "Why did you kiss me?"

Dean's head snapped in her direction, "What?"

"In Carthage, the first time." Jo clarified, "Why did you kiss me?"

Dean turned the TV down, "I… uh… Well I…" He tripped over his words trying to figure out a way to phrase whatever it was he was trying to say.

"Was it because I was dying?" Jo pushed.

Dean furrowed his brows, "Well, yeah," At the disappointment on Jo's face he clarified, "but not completely. Sure, it made me do it, but isn't why." He defended himself.

Jo studied him as he turned the TV off entirely.

Dean sighed as he slouched back in the couch, "Why are you asking this?"

Jo shrugged, pulling her knees to her chest, "Just curious."

Dean returned her gaze, searching here face, before he whispered. "I wanted to. Why did you kiss me back?"

Jo stared down at her knobby knees, drawing lazy patterns with one of her nails, "I wanted to." She whispered.

Dean nodded smiling down at her sweetly. "I know." He chuckled lightly, as Jo kicked out her leg toward him, which he easily grabbed.

Jo pulled her leg out of his grasp, "Shut up." She mumbled trying to hide her smile.

Dean's heart squeezed at the glow on her face. Jo wrapped her arms around her legs once more, pulling herself as far away from him as she could. Dean frowned at the distance between them, but he would wait forever for her. He knew down to the core of his being that she was meant for him. He reached over to turn the TV back on, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

"Do you have more questions?" He asked with a smirk on his face.

Jo glared at him, "Yes."

Dean turned the TV back off, smiling he turned to face her, gesturing for her to continue, "By all means."

"What happened to Sam when he got his soul back?"

Dean sighed, "That's what you want to know?"

Jo nodded.

"Fine." Dean rubbed the back of his neck with one of his hands, "He would still see Lucifer. His soul was so badly damaged that he went crazy. He couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't. It really affected him, so he was committed. That's when Cas came looking for penance. So he took on his crazy. And stayed for him in the hospital."

Jo's brows knitted together, "You left an angel in a mental hospital?"

Dean looked away, clearly not telling her something. "He didn't stay very long."

Jo shook her head in disbelief. "Wow."

"Yeah." Dean sighed, "You know, I'm surprised you're not a drooling mess right now."

Jo nodded, "Yeah, me too actually."

"Whoever brought you up must've had some juice."

"You're telling me, I don't have any scars, I'm not crazy as far as I can tell," Jo listed. "I'm brand spankin' new, with a little PTSD."

"Considering?" Dean put his hands out weighing the situation, "I'd say you got off a bit easy."

Jo shook her head, "We don't know that yet."

Dean reluctantly nodded, "Yeah, but Cas is on the job. He'll find out what's going on."

"So we just sit here and wait?" Jo asked with a little bit more attitude then she meant.

"For right now, yeah." Dean nodded. "We got nothing to go on Jo."

Jo sat quietly trying to remember anything that might help.

"Do we have something Jo?" Dean asked slowly, his brows knitting together as he examined her face.

Jo pursed her lips. "Maybe?" She shook her head, "Maybe not. All I remember is a bright light." She stared at the tread in the couch, hoping she could see her memory play out there. She could almost make out a face, but it was shrouded in that white light.

"Well that's something." Dean encouraged her.

"It's not enough," Jo disagreed.

"When Cas shows up again, we'll tell him. Maybe he's found something out that will help." Dean reached out and patted her foot reassuringly.

Dean watched as Jo worried on her bottom lip. In his mind, it didn't matter to him who brought her back. What mattered was that she was back and there wasn't anything in this world that could take her from him again.

Xxx

"Father?" Castiel's voice echoed off the walls of the large room.

"Yes, my son?"

"They are going to want answers."

The man smiled wistfully, "Yes, I suppose they will. They would not be the Winchester's if they did not."

"What should I tell them?"

"Tell them an angel answered their prayers."

Cas shook his head slightly, "You know they will not accept that."

The man chuckled, "Of course they won't." The man looked down at the couple below. "Look at him." He smiled down at the hunters. "He's determined." He turned back to his son, "He won't let her go this time."

Castiel's brows knitted together. "Father?"

"Tell them you could not find anything." He turned back to look down at the hunters on the couch. "It is imperative that they do not have any outside influences."

Castiel nodded reluctantly.

Xxx

Jo stared out the window of the Impala at the imposing building. People filed in and out at a rapid pace, as her heart began to do the same.

"I could find a less crowded store." Dean suggested, following her gaze.

Jo took a deep breath, trying to steady herself as she shook her head. "No, it's gotta happen sooner or later."

Dean reached across her and pulled a prescription bottle out of the glove box. "Here," He said as he held out a small white pill to her, "Take this if you get antsy in there." He nodded toward the large store.

"What is it?" Jo asked taking the pill in between her fingers.

"It's an anti-anxiety, Meg gave them to me when Cas fixed Sam. Just in case he had a freak out."

"Meg?" Jo hissed, the pill fell from her fingers as her hands clenched into fists, "As in the demon Meg? As in the demon that sicked the hellhounds on us that killed me?!" Her voice rose with every word. "What are you friends, now?!"

Dean at least had the decency to look ashamed, "She took care of Cas after he..." He let out a ragged breath, "A lot's changed Jo."

"Well I can fucking see that, can't I?" Jo took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She was absolutely furious, it was as if fire was pumping through her veins. "Alright," She sighed, "I'm gonna go in that store, and I'm gonna get a change of clothes. Then tomorrow, you are driving me to Nebraska and I'm getting my stuff, and then I'm gone."

"Jo-" Dean began to plead.

Jo held up a hand to stop him, "No, Dean. I don't want to hear it. Not right now, please."

Dean pursed his lips as he yanked the keys out of the ignition. "No."

"No?" Jo echoed. "What do you mean no?"

He turned in his seat to look at her full on. He looked just as angry as she felt, "Listen Jo, I love you, and I am unbelievably sorry that this happened to you. You know that I would never want anything to happen to you, but it's been a long fucking road, and we've all had to do things, and work with people we didn't want to. So get over it Harvelle." He shoved door open and got out. He looked back to see that she was still starring at the spot he had just vacated. Her eyes were wide, her eyebrows almost reaching her hairline, "Well are you coming?"

Jo shook her head, clearing herself of her mental haze. Dean loves me? Was the only thought she had, playing on a loop, over and over again. She got out of the car, shuffling her feet over to him. No matter how caught off guard she was, it didn't change anything, whether he loved her or not. She trusted him implicitly as a hunter, no matter how angry she was with his choices of 'coworker', she knew it must have been a necessary evil. "Okay," She whispered as she reached him. "You're right. I believe you did what you had to do."

Dean's brows knitted together, "Really?"

"Yeah, really." Jo looked up at him. This was the man she loved, there was no question in that. Her heart swelled, and her breath hitched. Could she spend forever with him? "It doesn't change my plans."

The disappointment and pain that crossed over Dean's face, almost made her change her mind. She never wanted him to hurt in anyway. It just cemented her decision to leave that much more. The further she was the less sorrow she would cause him.

Dean could not conceal the fact that the thought of her walking away from him broke his heart. He had finally told her he loved her, albeit not in the most romantic of ways, but he had never said that to any woman. He knew from the minute he met her that it was strictly reserved for her. That Joanna Harvelle wasn't just some girl. She was never just some girl. "Jo…" His voice croaked.

Jo shook her head, looking down at her shoes, trying to push back the tears that were prickling her eyes. "Not here," She whispered. She wiped at her eyes hastily as she cleared her throat, "Come on, let's get this over with."

Xxx

Dean could feel the ball of tension building in between his shoulder blades as he drove home from the store. Jo hadn't said one word while they were shopping, and had only mumbled a thank you when they finally reached the car.

She just sat there starring out the window, sighing every so often.

Dean had dreamed of the day that she would be close enough for him to hold. The situation with Osiris making it even worse. Seeing her faded and pale. He was tortured by the memory of her hand on his cheek wishing with every fiber of his being that she was whole and real to the touch. But this? This back and forth, I want you, stay away from me, was driving him up the wall. You did the same thing, Dean reminded himself as he rubbed the back of his neck. His memory flashed to a night in Duluth, "I'll call you."He had said once, knowing full well that he wouldn't.

Jo was the one that had originally gone after him after all, albeit in an off handed kind of way, "Am I ever going to see you again?" The conversation flowed through his mind and Dean could almost still hear her voice whispering to him, "I wouldn't hate it."

Dean wondered if that was still true.

Jo watched as the headlights of other cars trailed by in the reflection of the window. Dean's words had been playing on repeat in her mind since they had left the store. He loved her. He had finally said it, and she ignored it. Every second she was in Hell, she thought of him, dreamed of the day he would say those three little words to her. Every minute she was being tortured, every second she was in pain she would think of him. Of being free of Hell and be able to run into his arms. But now? Here? She shook her head, arguing with herself. She was too broken to be of any good to anyone, it would just be better if she disappeared. If she stayed, it would only serve to hurt them both.

When he stopped at a red light, Dean stole a glance at his passenger, he could see her tense up and he turned his gaze back to the road.

The longer the silence got, the angrier Dean got. He just couldn't understand why she was so willing to walk away from him. His knuckles were white from his tight grip on the steering wheel as he turned down the hidden driveway that led to the cabin.

Jo knew Dean was pissed. She could see him adjusting and readjusting his hands on the steering wheel. She kept her gaze on the vacant dirt road in front of them. Her cheeks burned and her heart dropped in her stomach. The seconds seemed to stretch as they made their way down the road.

When they finally reached the cabin, Dean slammed the car into park, yanked the keys out of the ignition and tore himself out of the car. Jo took a deep breath as she gathered her bags and got out of the Impala herself.

Dean stomped halfway to the house before he suddenly stopped and swung himself to look at her. "Why?" He spit the word at her, "Why do you want to get away from me so bad?"

Jo shrugged her shoulders, the bags rustling with the movement. "Look at me," She held her arms out as if to give him a better look, "I'm a mess. I tense up at every moment, every sound. I grab a weapon every time someone comes into a room." Jo repeated his words from earlier, "A lot's changed."

Dean nodded slowly, he turned and made his way to the cabin, leaving the door wide open for Jo.

She let go of the breath she didn't realize she had been holding, and she followed his lead. She dropped her bags on the couch, looking at anything but Dean.

He leaned against the small kitchen counter, nursing a beer, as he watched her. "You're right." He put the beer down on the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "I worked with Meg. Every time I saw her, I saw you. It tore me apart, but I had to. I'm sorry I didn't kill her, because believe me I wanted to. But I couldn't."

Jo's shoulders slumped as she shook her head, "Don't be. I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have freaked out like that. I was just caught off guard."

Dean nodded, "It's understandable."

They stood there in silence, shuffling their feet, as the tension in the room built.

"I don't want you to leave." Dean whispered.

Jo looked up from the worn rug under her feet, to see Dean with his head bowed, hands in his pockets. She couldn't remember a time when she had seen him so defeated.

He looked up to meet her gaze. "I don't want you to leave." He repeated, louder this time.

Jo stared at him, not sure what she should say.

Dean took a step closer, stepping around the small dining table, stopping a few feet from Jo. "I'm not going to let you leave."

Jo rolled her eyes, "What are you going to do? Handcuff me to the Impala?"

"That's one idea." He said as his trademark smirk tugged at his lips.

Jo's heart involuntarily began to beat faster, the closer Dean got.

"Jo." His voice so low it made goose bumps appear on Jo's skin. "I love you." Dean enunciated every word, making damn sure she heard him. "I'm not letting you go that easy."

Jo's hands started to shake, finally for something other than fear. "Dean," Her warning came out whispery and unsure.

Dean took another step forward, only inches from her, "Jo." He brushed a stray hair behind her ear as he mocked her.

She felt like she couldn't breathe with him so close. Her heart pounded so hard against her rib cage, she was sure he could hear it.

"I'll say it again if you want." He whispered, studying her face. "I love you. I knew it on your first case. When I thought I could never get you back, I knew it."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jo whispered.

"Because you deserve to know." He hesitantly took one of her hands in his and intertwined their fingers. "You deserved to know a long time ago."

Dean had never seen Jo look so young. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks rosy, her face conflicted.

"I know you feel broken, used up, no good." Dean whispered as he put his free hand to her cheek. "But I've been waiting for you for years. And now that you're here, nothing can keep me away from you."

Jo closed her eyes, pushing the tears she was holding off the brink and down her cheeks as she leaned into Dean's touch. "I've waited centuries for you."

Dean pulled her to him crashing his lips on to hers. There wasn't a second thought in Jo's mind before she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her flush against him.

Dean wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her off the ground. She instinctually wrapped her legs around his waist. Their lips never parting.

It was as if the lightening from the night before had morphed into a volcanic eruption. Jo couldn't even form a thought, her appendages were clearly acting of their own accord.

Dean broke off from her lips and trailed kisses down her neck, giving her enough distance to notice they were laying down on the couch, and her bags from the store now discarded onto the floor. Dean gently bit down on the skin of her neck and she involuntarily arched into him as she gasped.

Dean made a mental note to remember that move.

Jo pulled at his shirt until Dean leaned back on his knees. He took the shirt the rest of the way off, mesmerized as Jo sat up to take her own off. His eyes raked up and down her torso, his heart racing as her hands went behind her back to unclasp her bra. He felt like a teenager again, instead of the experienced man he was.

Jo smiled as she pulled him back down to her mouth. Dean's arms wrapped around her small form, trying to touch every inch of bare skin on her back.

As they broke away for air, Dean bowed his head to leave a path of kisses on Jo's shoulder.

She didn't think about it before she did it. It just seemed too perfect a moment, too important not to tell him. She leaned her lips down to his ear and whispered. "I love you too."

Hey all, so what did you think? Good bad? Let me know! You know what to do, just scroll on down and write me a little something. I love getting reviews, it seriously makes my day!

Oh, and someone had asked if I was going to incorporate more of season eight in the story, and to be honest, I'm not really quite sure, I'm just kind of letting this story take me. I have an idea of where I want it to go, but then again it changes everyday ;]