"Are you insane?" Reggie stood with her mouth open, disbelief widening her eyes as she stared towards Dean, standing next to Crowley. "You are trusting this... this demon asshole?"

Crowley rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to spout an answering insult, but at a threatening glare from Dean he pursed his lips and kept silent. "Look, I don't like it any more than you do. But I have to find Death, and Crowley can find him. Chicago's a big city, Reg."

"Unbelievable," she hissed under her breath, turning to stalk from the room, and Dean let out a low growl, his entire face clenched for a moment in frustration.

"Son of a bitch. Let's just go get this over with." Sam glanced towards him, and Dean shook his head. "I know, Sam, I need to talk to her, but we don't have time. We don't know how fast Niveus is shipping that vaccine loaded with Croatoan, and we don't know Death's timetable for wiping out Chicago. We've gotta move."

They all headed through the kitchen, Sam putting a hand on Reggie's shoulder as he walked by. She stood near the window, staring out at nothing, seeing nothing, fighting her desire to grab Dean and beg him, plead with him to stay. She reached up to touch Sam's hand, and he moved on as Dean stopped behind her. "We'll talk when I get back," he said softly, and she nodded. And then they were out the door, and she watched as they all climbed into their vehicles, Dean and Crowley driving to Chicago and Bobby, Sam and Cas bound for Niveus Pharmaceuticals.

"If you get back," she whispered, and watched as they drove off.

Almost twenty-four hours later, Reggie jumped a little as the sound of tires in the gravel outside roused her from her thoughts. She rushed to the door, then outside as the van pulled to a stop, and she had her arms around Bobby before he had time to take a step. "Whoa, girl, that's quite a welcome," he croaked, surprised, and she smiled tremulously at him as she headed for Sam next. He grinned, a little embarrassed, patting her back, and she stepped back, her cheeks flushed.

"Sorry, I'm just... you have no idea, the thoughts that have been running through my head. I'm just so glad you're all okay." She frowned a little, looking up into Sam's face. "You are all okay, right?"

He smiled down at her. "Yeah, we're all okay. And Cas actually shot somebody. Didn't know he had it in him."

Cas smiled awkwardly, a rather proud expression on his face. "Well, you just have to aim and pull the trigger. And he was going to bite you, Sam."

Reggie couldn't help but smile as she asked, "So, the vaccine is destroyed?"

Sam nodded. "Yes. Blew it to hell where it belongs. Dean's on his way, by the way. With Death's ring. I guess he gave it to him. Willingly."

Relief almost made her drop to the ground. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. I know, crazy. But he'll be here by tonight." Sam put a hand on her shoulder as he continued. "Maybe you two will have a chance to talk."

She helped the men unload the van, smiling at how happy Bobby was to be able to walk again, regardless of the fact that Crowley was the one who had cured him. At least something good came of that, and Dean had been successful, so Crowley had been helpful, if not trustworthy.

The rest of the day seemed to move so slowly that she could barely stand it, but the relief at the fact that everyone was all right made her feel a little giddy. The problem was, the next thing on the agenda might just kill them all. Reggie tried like hell to ignore that, and to just look forward to the night ahead, to maybe having a few hours with Dean before the other, very ominous shoe dropped.

It was close to eleven o'clock that night when she finally heard Baby's engine roaring up the drive and into the yard. Sam had crashed on Bobby's couch, Bobby had gone to bed, and Cas was watching some old movie, totally focused and silent. Reggie headed out the door before Dean even had a chance to get out, trying not to break into a run as she approached the car.

He crawled out, obviously exhausted, and gave her a tired smile as he leaned back against the Impala, reaching for her and pulling her close as she walked into his arms. She nestled her head against his chest, slipping her arms under his jacket and around his waist, and they stood there like that for a time, just content to have that contact. When she finally looked up and he kissed her, she put a hand to his face and smiled sympathetically. "You need some rest, Dean. You should go to bed. We can talk later... in the morning."

He kissed her again, and this time it was seductive, sensual, and his hand began to move over her curves, up her back, his tongue playing over her lips, teasing. She opened to him, unleashing all her bottled-up emotion, all the feelings she'd kept a tight reign on, and a thrill zinged through her at the throaty moan torn from him at her surrender, at his obvious hunger for her. After a moment, she drew back, even though her entire body ached for his touch.

"I have to say something, Dean. Just - give me a minute," she managed, and stepped away, just out of his reach, struggling to regain her composure. He stood there, heat in his gaze, but he waited quietly for her to continue. Finally, after a deep breath, she looked back into his eyes, her bottom lip caught momentarily between her teeth, and Dean doggedly suppressed another moan. "I know I told you that I couldn't do this. That I couldn't be with you knowing you don't love me. But I just... I need you, Dean. Whether you love me or not, I know you care about me, and I guess that's enough for now."

She stepped back in front of him, sliding her hands under his shirt, watching his eyes close at the sensation of her nails lightly trailing over his skin. "Now, where were we?" She unbuttoned his jeans, then pulled the zipper down, so slowly he thought he'd explode, and he caught her wrist before she could slip her hand inside. "Let's get in the car, baby girl. You're taking my knees out from under me, and you haven't even touched me yet."

She backed up a little, enough that he could reach for the back door, and he ducked inside, sliding to the other side with one leg up on the seat, the other stretched out on the floor. Reggie kept her eyes on him, wriggling free of her jeans and tossing them into the front seat, her t-shirt not far behind. She climbed in after him, turning to pull the door closed, and began to unlace first one boot, then the other, helping him remove them. Then she tugged at his jeans until he lifted up and helped push them down, and she pulled them off, tossing them to the front seat with her clothes. She looked into his eyes, dark in the dim, distant light of the security light near the house, but she could see enough, could see his lips parted and his tongue darting out to moisten them, and she could feel the damp already soaking her panties as she slid her hands gently up his thighs, bending to place soft little kisses on the way. He threw his head back, bumping into the window, and swore softly under his breath. "You're killing me," he groaned, and she giggled softly.

She nipped softly at the inside of his thigh before reaching for the waist of his boxers. "You just survived Death himself... I think you'll live," she teased. He wasn't too sure of that fact when her lips brushed over him, then she took him into her mouth and the motion of her tongue made him moan and wonder if he'd even care if this killed him.

"God... Reg... Stop, Reg," he managed after a few moments, and she pulled off of him reluctantly, looking up at him with a ravenous gleam in her hazel eyes. "I want to be inside you, baby girl," he said roughly, but she shook her head, and a shudder ran through him.

"Later," she whispered, taking him into her mouth again, and he fisted a hand in her hair, fighting for control. She worked him deeper, deeper, and when he hit the back of her throat and she hollowed her cheeks around him, he was finished. Three quick thrusts and he was coming hard, shouting hoarsely as he shot down her throat, and she sucked gently as she backed off, finally letting him go, wiping the back of her hand over her mouth as he reached for her.

"Come here, you," he growled, pulling her up to rest against his chest and kissing her, hard and deep, before wrapping his arms around her and holding her to his heaving chest. She was trembling, and he slid his hands up to unfasten her bra, bending his head to whisper in her ear, "Turn over, baby girl." She braced herself on his shoulders, raising up to comply to his request, then sat across his abdomen, pulling the bra off and tossing it out of the way. His eyes glowed as he stared into hers, pulling her back down until he could lean up and take a tender peak between his lips, then suck on it as she whimpered quietly.

"Dean... please..." she begged softly, and he nipped at her ever so gently before releasing her, helping her turn with her back to his chest as he propped himself into a more upright position. He pulled her up tight against him, one hand moving back to her breasts and the other gliding down her belly, his fingers slipping inside her panties and down into the slick heat between her thighs. He nipped and sucked at the tender skin on the back of her neck, brushing her hair aside impatiently, and ground the heel of his hand down against her clit as he dipped two fingers inside her, then shoved them in hard, and she bucked against him, panting breathlessly.

"Oh, God, baby girl... I wish there was more room in here..." Dean was grunting out words between delicious thrusts of his fingers inside her, almost growling into her ear. "I'd have my tongue in there right now... I want to taste you... just bury my face..." Reggie almost shouted as she came, his words the catalyst for the explosion that traveled through every nerve ending, a mind-numbing flood of pleasure that left her quivering and weak. Dean was still stroking into and over her, lightly, slowly, easing her down, whispering sweet praise into her ear about how beautiful, how amazing she was, his lips gently trailing over her neck and throat as she let her head drop back to his shoulder.

They laid there, quiet, for a time, until she shivered, and Dean shifted, helping her sit up. "We need to get you in the house, Reg, you're freezing." She moved over, letting him lean up into the front seat for their clothes, leaning in to kiss her after slipping her t-shirt over her head. "Come on, let's go in."

"I don't want to leave you," she whispered, and he put a finger beneath her chin, tilting her face up and kissing her again.

"Who said anything about leaving? I'm coming with you." He looked into her eyes, and she caught her breath at the look she saw there. "You're not getting rid of me that easy." She closed her eyes as he kissed her slowly, thoroughly, before urging her out and giving her a steadying hand as she stepped into her jeans. He pulled his on, stuffing the boxers into his pocket with a wink that made her smile, and took her hand as they headed for the house.

She woke the next morning, warm and content, wrapped in a soft blanket on the two cot mattresses Dean had pulled to the floor of the safe room to make a wider bed for them. He had made her keep her promise of 'later,' as well as proving what he'd said he'd do if there was more room, raising her to ecstatic heights more than once before finally filling her, rocking into her hard and steady and bringing them both finally to their ends. They had fallen immediately into exhausted sleep, and she couldn't even remember when he had finally pulled himself from her and moved to cradle her in his arms. She only knew that she had opened her eyes at some point during the night and she was snuggled, half on top of him, on his chest, his arms tight around her as if he were afraid she'd get away. She had nuzzled her face into him and passed out again, and was only now waking enough to realize that he was gone.

She glanced at her phone, seeing that it was almost eight in the morning, and she yawned, then smiled to herself, dwelling on the night before. The reality of what was coming was niggling at the back of her mind, and she pushed it resolutely back for the moment, letting herself revel in the memories of the touch, taste, and smell of him, the feel of his fingers and lips on her skin, the magic that tongue could do. She shivered a little, hugging herself, and got up to get dressed.

She said a quiet 'good morning' to Sam and Cas, then headed to the kitchen for coffee. She could see Dean and Bobby talking out in front of the shop, and she grabbed her cup and headed that way. She could hear Bobby's voice as she approached quietly, not wanting to interrupt.

"Back at Niveus? I watched that kid pull one civilian out after another. Must have saved 10 people. Never stopped. Never slowed down. We're hard on him, Dean. We've always been. But in the meantime... He's been running into burning buildings since he was, what, 12?"

Dean answered quietly, "Pretty much."

"Look, Sam's got a...Darkness in him. I'm not saying he don't. But he's got a hell of a lot of good in him, too."

"I know."

Bobby hesitated for a moment, then she heard him speak again in a gentler tone. "Then you know Sam will beat the devil...Or die trying. That's the best we could ask for. So I got to ask, Dean. What exactly are you afraid of? Losing? Or losing your brother?"

She cleared her throat, uncomfortable with just walking up unannounced, and stepped around the corner of the building to see Dean sitting at a table, Bobby standing in front of him. Dean was fiddling with something, and as she drew closer, she could see that it was the Horsemen's rings, solidified into a single unit. Dean looked up at her, an attempt at a smile aimed her direction, but she could see immediately that he was overcome with thoughts of what lay ahead of them, and what they might have to sacrifice to do it. "Hi," she said quietly, slipping an arm around his shoulders, glancing up at Bobby, who gave her the same kind of uncomfortable smile, then turned to go to the house.

"Well, got some things to take care of. Then we'd better figure out how we want to approach this, and find a way to pinpoint where that son of a bitch is," he grumbled, and Dean nodded.

"Yeah." Dean slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to his side, and she bent to kiss him.

"You all right?"

"I don't know yet," he answered honestly. "I just know we have to do something, and..."

"You can't let Sam throw himself into Hell, Dean. There's got to be a better way."

"Well, I'm open for suggestions, Reg. Right now, we're a little short on ideas." He pulled her down onto his lap and held her close, burying his face in her hair, and she sat silently, her arms around him, knowing that nothing she could say would fix things. She had an idea nagging at the edges of her consciousness, but she resolutely pushed it back, hoping against hope that these men who had been through so much, who had done so much, who had saved so many people, would come up with a last-minute play. They had to.

That night she stood at the kitchen window, watching Sam, who was sitting on the Impala's hood, and Dean, who was leaning beside him, soberly discussing something while they each drank a beer. She had a bad feeling about it, about the whole situation, and she could hardly look at Bobby after hearing his words that morning. She just couldn't believe that any of them would sacrifice Sam. He was such a kind, gentle soul. And she had heard the stories, the things he had done... but hadn't they all done things they were ashamed of? Hadn't they all crossed a line somewhere, done something that had filled them with guilt? Sam wasn't alone in that, it was a human trait, after all. And she could feel, in her very heart, how much of Dean would be destroyed if his brother jumped into that pit. Dean himself had been there. He knew firsthand about Hell. He'd never survive the loss, the guilt of letting his little brother do something like that.

Reggie took a deep breath, walked into the next room, and said Cas' name quietly. The angel turned to her, his face stoic as usual, and nodded, following her out of the room, Bobby watching, his brow slightly furrowed. She led Cas to the basement, into the safe room, and turned to face him.

"Castiel, I need to ask you for something. And I need you to keep it just between us."

Cas stared back at her. "Well, that depends."

She sighed impatiently, but continued. "Fine. I guess you have to do what you have to do. But I have to do what I have to do, as well. I can't just stand by and watch Sam throw himself into Hell if I might have a chance to help."

Cas frowned. "How will you help, Reggie? You can't fight Lucifer. We've been hiding you from him for weeks. What makes you think you can help?"

She hung her head, lowering herself to sit on the edge of the cot. "He thinks he wants me, thinks I'm his mate, right? What if I pretend to give in? What if I can fool him into thinking he's convinced me, or that I'm too afraid to fight him any longer? I could get close enough to kill him, Cas. If you'll give me your angel blade."

Cas looked back at her quietly. "You're very brave, Reggie."

She laughed, a short, bitter little sound. "No. I'm not brave at all. Just the thought of being near him again terrifies me, I mean, really terrifies me. But don't you think it's worth a chance if it can save Sam from an eternity in Hell?" Cas stared at the floor, contemplating, and she finally spoke again, softly. "So may I have your blade, Cas? Will you help me?"

Cas raised his gaze to her, and she felt it almost physically. "Yes. I will help you. And you may have my blade."

"What the hell is this? Cas, what's going on here?" Dean's angry voice filled the safe room, and Reggie closed her eyes, gritting her teeth.

"Dean, don't yell at him. This is my idea."

Dean's green eyes almost glowed with fury as he entered the room. "What idea?"

"I don't want Sam to go to Hell."

"You think I do? Damn it, Reggie! What the hell are you up to? Tell me, now!" He was shouting now, and she glared up at him, refusing to back down.

"I can get close to him, Dean. I can take the angel blade, and get close to him, and kill him. Then Sam doesn't have to sacrifice himself."

"You're fucking nuts!" Dean stood in front of her, then bent to grab her arms and yank her to her feet. "You think you're gonna just snuggle up to the devil and put a blade between his ribs? No! Just... no, Reggie! This is not happening!"

She jerked away from him, her heart pounding. "It's not up to you, Dean. You don't get to decide this for me. I have a shot. Maybe as good or better a shot as Sam does."

"The hell I'm not deciding this for you! I'll lock you in this room if I have to! Do you hear me? This is not happening. Not. Happening." He turned to leave the room, stopping in front of Cas, a baleful glare on his face as he looked the angel in the eyes. "Not happening, Cas. End of story." And he turned to leave, his boots pounding on the stairs and the door slamming above. She could hear his voice raised upstairs, and she looked at Cas again, shaking from the intensity of the encounter.

"Cas?" she said softly, and he turned slowly towards her.

"Yes. I'll help you."