Author's Note: Sorry that this chapter has taken so incredibly long to get to you. I've had issues, man. :) Anyway, I had to divide the chapter in half as it was more than 10,000 words and that just seemed insanely long as a chapter. Consequently, not as much happens in this chapter as I would have liked. Hope you enjoy nonetheless.

Chapter Twelve

Liz awoke to the sound of someone knocking at her door. She cracked her eyes open at the sound, groaned, then burrowed deeper into her pillows. The knocking continued, growing more insistent, until finally Bobby called to her through the door: "Get your lazy ass up, Liz!"

Liz did as he demanded, trudging to the door because she knew that Bobby wasn't going to leave her alone until she listened to whatever it was he had to say. She didn't even bother to smooth her hair down as she swung the door open. "What, Bobby?" she asked crankily. "I was sleeping like a baby."

Bobby snorted in amusement at the sight of her hair sticking up every which way from her head. "It's after ten," he pointed out. "I think you'll live." He thrust a cup filled with one of his smoothie concoctions into her hands and walked past her into the room. "Drink up, Liz. You need to keep up your strength."

Liz rolled her eyes but took a sip from the cup anyway. "Can't we just admit that these are no longer working and face the fact that I'm dying?" she asked and took another swallow of the drink.

Bobby stared at her with a bored expression on his face. "So after everything you've been through these past five years, you're just going to throw in the towel? What about Dean? I've listened to you mope and whine since the moment you left, and now you're ready to die without a fight? Remind me again why you came back here."

Liz glared at Bobby. "For the record," she rebutted angrily, "I'm not happy I'm dying. That doesn't change the fact that I am, though. And I'm not giving up. I'm just facing reality. The treatments haven't been working as well for a while now. I'm not even sure they're slowing it down at all anymore."

"So that's that, then?"

Liz's face hardened even more. "I said I'm not giving up, and I meant it. I just got Dean back, and I don't want to lose him again. What I want and what's going to happen are not necessarily the same thing, though."

Bobby sighed. "We're always looking for a cure. You know that. Still, it hasn't been as high of a priority these last couple of years as it probably should have been. I'll have a couple of people work on only research again, though."

Liz's anger deflated as quickly as it had come. "There's not time for that," she replied. She looked haggard as she admitted it.

Bobby sat down on Liz's unmade bed, sighing wearily as he did so. "I know. And I know the treatments aren't working as well as they used to, but we've gotta keep trying. Do you have any idea what it'll do to Dean if he gets you back only to have to watch you die again?"

Liz nodded and sat on the bed opposite Bobby. She looked away from him guiltily. "I used to think I was a good person. The truth is I'm completely selfish. I came back here to die. Dean is my home, and I wanted to be with him when I gasped my last bit of air." She swallowed and forced herself not to cry. "That's a terrible thing to have to admit, but it's true. I never stopped to consider what it would do to Dean to have to watch me die again. I only thought of what I wanted. And I wanted him."

Bobby patted her knee comfortingly. "It doesn't matter whether you were right or wrong, Liz. You're here, and we have to deal with that. I called a press conference on your behalf. It starts at one. I want you and Dean to be there and hopefully get the media out of our hair. You were lucky last night that someone didn't see you kill that guy. We can't take that chance again."

Liz forced her emotions away. Her face was blank as she looked at Bobby. "Fine. I'll talk to Dean, and we'll take care of it."

Bobby looked doubtful. "You sure you don't want me to death with Dean? He's probably not in the mood to follow any orders from you."

Liz opened her mouth, angry retort on her tongue, but she snapped it closed before she said it. She took a deep breath and tried again. "If I ask him to, he'll help me."

Bobby's face softened. "I hope you're right about that. You should be prepared to be wrong, though, Liz. Dean's still pretty messed up over all this. You and I both know that when Dean's feeling vulnerable, he does stupid things."

Liz shrugged. "We'll see. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm not."

Bobby stood up slowly. His years as a hunter were obviously taking a toll on him. "I guess we will," he told her. Just like that, the subject was dropped "I'm gonna go draw up a schedule of shifts for everyone to take turns walking the perimeter. As hunters make it here, we'll add them to it. I'm not going to put you or Dean in the first rotation. I want to give the press a night or two to clear out before I send you out there."

"That's probably a good idea," Liz agreed. Bobby was at the door when Liz called after him. "I'll have Linda do another treatment tomorrow," she told him.

He smiled and seemed for once genuinely pleased. "I'm glad, Liz. Even if you only get two more months, that's two months you wouldn't have had before." His smile turned wry. "You'd better start getting ready. Dean might need some convincing."

Liz's eyes twinkled as she smiled back at Bobby. "It's like you've never met me, Bobby," she replied, grin widening. "He'll be putty in my hands."

Bobby laughed. "You're right. With a little determination, you can do just about anything."

Liz laughed with him. She waited for Bobby to leave then quickly dressed in a charcoal gray knee-length skirt and a long-sleeved, wine-colored silk shirt. When she looked in the mirror, she was a little shocked at how well put together the person reflected back at her was. Every pore of her mirror image exuded a confidence she didn't feel. She turned away from her reflection and put her heels on.

She decided to start with the living room in her search for Dean. It was the place to be and had become the unofficial meeting room over the years. When news needed to be delivered to the group, it was where everyone gathered to hear it.

Liz's instinct was right. She rounded the corner to the living room, and there Dean was regaling a group of newbie hunters with tales from the hunt.

"—and then the bitch came at me with a machete. A machete. Who has a—"

Liz cleared her throat to get Dean's attention. He kept his back to her as he acknowledged her. "Can I help you with something?" he asked.

The other hunter looked uncertainly from Liz to Dean and back again. She rolled her eyes at Dean's back. "Actually, you can. I need you to do something for me."

That got Dean's attention. He faced her, his eyebrow cocked in disbelief at her audaciousness. "Oh yeah? You need me to do something for you?"

Liz crossed her arms in front of her and smirked. "Yeah. I need you to go put on that suit that we both know is hanging in the back of your closet and come talk to the press with me."

Dean considered it. "You want me to put on a penguin suit and willingly throw myself to the lions? I think I'll pass."

Liz rolled her eyes again. "The term is monkey suit. And it's a business suit. There is a difference. As far as being thrown to the lions goes, I'll be right there with you. Those reporters are not going to accuse you of killing me when I'm in the room with you. We need the media to go away and give us some space."

Dean smirked. "So what you're saying is that Bobby ripped you a new one for killing that guy in the middle of a very public parking lot."

Liz looked annoyed. "He didn't 'rip me a new one,'" she insisted. "He just pointed out that I had acted rashly."

"Right. Because that sounds so much like Bobby."

"Alright, alright," Liz conceded, "there may have been yelling involved. Happy?"

"Ecstatic," he replied dryly.

Liz stomped her foot impatiently. "So will you do it or not?"

Dean watched Liz fidget as she waited anxiously for his answer. He made her squirm for a few seconds before finally replying with a shrug. "Why not?"

Liz barely managed to keep him from seeing how relieved she was. "Good. Get dressed. The press conference is at one, and we have to drive there. I'll meet you in thirty minutes in the living room."

"Bobby has a fit anytime I even leave the premises. There ain't no way he's letting us drive across town by ourselves."

Liz shrugged. "That's why Alex and Cassie are coming with us. Safety in numbers."

"What-the-hell-ever," Dean replied, heading toward the hall that led to the bedrooms. "I'll be changing."

He started toward his room, but before he was halfway down the hall, a man appeared in one of the doorways and stopped him. Dean didn't know the man, but he looked to be about Bobby's age, though he had a hardened look that Bobby had mainly managed to avoid. He had had dark hair at one time, but gray had long since streaked it through so that more salt than pepper remained. His eyes looked black, but Dean thought that might just be due to the limited lighting in the hallway. The muscles on the man's arms were tight and corded, and he was clearly a hunter. He had an angry scowl on his face that Dean didn't understand the reason for.

"So you're Dean Winchester?" the man inquired gruffly.

Dean sighed. He wasn't sure why the man was asking for him, but he didn't feel like messing with him regardless. "Yeah, I'm Dean Winchester. Who are you?"

The man looked put out. "I'm Roy Stanton. I'm a friend of Bobby's."

A light went off in Dean's head. "Oh, so you're a part of the group Bobby called in. I can see why he included you. You look badass"

Roy sneered at Dean. "Given your choice of company, I can't say the same for you."

Dean was taken aback by the comment. It had been a long time since another hunter had been openly hostile toward him. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

Roy glared at him. "John Winchester's boy in love with a Barrister and toeing the line doing whatever she says. I'm sure John's real proud of you wherever he is." The sarcasm was thick in Roy's voice.

"You don't know anything about it," Dean protested hotly.

Roy rolled his eyes. "Save it for someone who doesn't know the little bitch," he told Dean.

"Don't talk about Liz that way!" Dean insisted angrily, grabbing a handful of Roy's shirt and shoving him against the wall.

Roy batted away Dean's hands and smoothed his shirt out. "Well, maybe you should put a tighter leash on her," he replied. He threw Dean a look that challenged him to do something about what he'd said. Dean started to do just that when Liz appeared at the end of the hallway.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "We need to go." Her expression became closed off when she realized that Roy was standing with Dean. She rubbed her throat absently as she walked closer to the pair.

Dean casually shifted so that he was between Roy and Liz. "I was about to change, and this jerk was just leaving."

Roy looked like the cat that ate the canary. "Hello, Liz," he said.

"I thought you might have left," she replied, glancing away from his intense gaze.

Roy smirked. "Like I would have given you the satisfaction."

Liz rolled her eyes at him, openly annoyed. Before she could respond, a voice from behind her froze her in place.

"How the hell are you, princess?"

Liz spun around, alarmed by the voice from the past. Sheila stood behind her, every bit as annoying as she had been all those years ago when Liz had met her. There was a giant grin on her face as she waited for Liz to respond.

"Sheila." It was all Liz could bring herself to say.

Sheila's grin widened. "Did you miss me, princess? I sure did miss making you speechless."

Dean snorted. "What is it with today and jackasses?" he wondered aloud.

"Well, you're here," Sheila rebutted. "Why don't you tell me?"

Dean glared at her. "Funny. I guess now we've got another bitch to round out the count."

Sheila cocked her head thoughtfully. "Is Liz the other bitch in this scenario?" she questioned.

Dean shook his head. "Liz is the lying bitch. You're slightly higher than her."

Sheila grinned at Dean. "Well, I guess you've got a type," she told him. To Liz, she said, "I think he really must be pissed if I rate higher than you."

"Tell me something I don't know," Liz replied unhappily.

Sheila shrugged and nodded toward Roy. "Who's this asshole?"

"One of Bobby's hunter friends," Liz explained. "I'm assuming he's here for the same reason you are."

"To protect your delicate ass, you mean?"

Liz laughed. "I doubt he's here for that, actually."

"Then why are you here, gruffy?" Sheila asked Roy.

Roy scowled at her. "You're a disgrace."

Sheila looked amused. "He's personable, huh?"

"A ray of sunshine on a cloudy day," Liz deadpanned.

Roy stomped away with the sound of Sheila's laughter following him. When he was out of sight, Sheila turned her attention back on Liz. "I wanted to thank you for what you did for my son," she said, suddenly serious.

Liz's face reddened. "I didn't do anything," she insisted.

Sheila pursed her lips. "You saved his life," she argued. "I owe you one. I owe you more than one."

Liz glanced at Dean uncomfortably and back at Sheila, pleading with her eyes for Sheila to stop the conversation. "He was a little kid. I didn't do it for you."

"I wouldn't have done it for me, either, after what I put you through when you first met me," Sheila admitted. "I'm just thankful you didn't make my son pay for me being such a bitch to you."

"Don't make more of it than it was. We saved plenty of people that day."

Sheila was dubious. "You're trying to get me to believe that the fact that my son was there had nothing to do with your decision to rescue those kids from your brother? 'Cause Bobby told me it was your idea when I asked him about it today."

Liz blew out an annoyed breath. "Fine. It was my idea. I don't know what's so surprising about it, though. He was a little kid. I wasn't going to stand by and let my brother brainwash him and use him against you."

"I would have," Sheila confessed. "I'm here now because you didn't. Not to be melodramatic, but I'll follow you to the ends of the earth if you ask me to."

"We have to go," Liz said, pulling Dean along by his arm.

Sheila grinned knowingly. "I guess you two have some lost time to make up for, huh?" she called after them.

Liz ignored her and pulled Dean toward his room. He allowed himself to be dragged for a moment, then pulled his arm out of her grasp.

"I know where my room is, and I can get there without your help. I'll be ready in a minute. I want to get away from you as quick as I can, so I don't want to drag this out any longer then I have to."

Liz tried to hide the hurt she felt at his comment, but it flashed on her face for a moment anyway. "Fine," she said. "Get dressed, and I'll go get Alex and Cassie. We'll meet you at the car."

Dean looked indecisive for a moment like he wanted to take back what he had said. He walked into his bedroom instead. He stopped in the doorway. "What's with your clothes?"

Liz looked down at herself. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"It's the middle of summer, Liz, and you're wearing long sleeves. I don't think I've seen you in short sleeves since you've been back."

Liz looked at her covered arms as though she were seeing them for the first time. "I haven't exactly had time to go shopping," she replied.

Dean shrugged and went into his room and shut the door behind him. Liz watched the door swing close then headed in the opposite direction.

XXX

Cassie hovered nervously at the doorway to the room where Dean and Liz were in the middle of their press conference. She paced back and forth in front of it a few times then stopped and wrung her hands. "She's nervous. He's making her nervous. I don't like it, and I don't like him."

Alex glanced at Dean and Liz. Liz did look nervous, but there was nothing that Dean was actively doing to make that happen. He seemed content to stand at her side while she directed which questions were answered and how. Alex made a face at Cassie. "Amen, sister!" he replied sarcastically. "Damn him for standing there dumbly beside her while a bazillion reporters jostle one another to try to get his attention. It's a good thing there's nothing stressful happening so that we can tell that he's the reason she's unnerved."

Cassie glared at Alex. "I'm telling you he's the reason she's nervous. I've never seen her like that before."

"Right. And you've seen her at so many press conferences before."

Cassie puffed up angrily. "Shut up, Alex," she pouted.

"Fine," he replied.

They both quieted to watch the press conference.

"She's doing a good job," Alex commented after several moments of silence between them. He turned to Cassie. "Think all these reporters are just going to go away?"

Cassie met his gaze. "Not a chance."

Alex sighed. "That's what I was thinking. Liz isn't gonna want to hear that."

Cassie grinned. "Luckily, it's no longer our job to tell her," she pointed out. She watched Liz and Dean for a moment longer. "I still hate him."

Alex smirked. "You hate Dean. How surprising. There's nothing he could do to make you like him. Admit that to yourself at least. And while you're at it, admit something else: you haven't seen her this affected by anything or anyone, ever. By the time Bobby decided to pair her with you, she was practically a zombie. I doubt you changed that."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Cassie insisted. "Liz wasn't like that when I knew her."

"Oh, really? So the two of you did more than quietly do the job?"

Alex could tell the moment that Cassie conceded his point. Her face fell and the fight went out of her. "No, sometimes she would get sloppy drunk, and I'd have to go scrape her off the floor and help her home."

Alex threw an arm over her shoulder. "Cheer up. That's more than I got out of her most days."

Cassie shook his arm off of her. "I still don't like Dean," she said stubbornly.

Alex's good humor sobered. He turned and watched Liz and Dean soldier through the press's relentless questioning. "You don't have to like him," he told Cassie. "You will have to protect him, though."

Cassie unhappily looked Dean over. "I know."

Alex shifted his attention to Cassie so that he could gauge her reaction to his next question. "Is that going to be a problem?"

Cassie didn't respond right away. "I don't know," she admitted quietly after a moment.

Alex nodded his understanding. He thought the subject dropped when Cassie did not elaborate, so he let his gaze wander back to Liz and Dean.

Cassie wasn't finished yet, however. "Oh, I'll do my job and protect him from any physical harm that I can. Not because I have to but because Liz want it. If I've learned anything these past few years, though, it's that the physical stuff heals far more quickly than the other stuff. Liz has a way of tying me all up in knots. A part of me—a part I don't like that much—hopes the two of them do that to one another. It hopes that they twist one another up so tightly and hurt one another so badly that they can't come back from it. That part of me feels like they'll be getting what they deserve if that happens."

Alex nodded thoughtfully. "Dean's a good man. You'd wish that on a good man?" There was no accusation to the question just curiosity.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Dean's not a good man. He does good things for reasons that are dubious at best. There's nothing altruistic about the way he operates. His dad taught him to be a hunter, so he is. That's the only reason he does it, and that doesn't make him a good person."

"What about Liz?"

"What about her?"

"Do you think she's a good person?"

Cassie sighed. "I think she wants to be."

"And you don't think Dean wants to?"

Cassie shrugged. "I don't know what I think."

"Hmm. Do you think you're a good person?" Alex wondered.

"Absolutely not," Cassie answered without hesitation. "I used to be, but I haven't been one in a long time."

Alex didn't get a chance to respond because Liz and Dean walked up at that moment. Dean was tugging at his tie, and Liz looked anxious.

"Did we do okay?" she wondered.

Cassie turned away, rolling her eyes as she did so, and left it for Alex to field the question.

"You were fine," Alex reassured her distractedly.

Liz noticed the eye roll and the distraction. "What's wrong?" she asked, looking worriedly back and forth between Alex and Cassie.

Alex didn't take his eyes off of Cassie. "Nothing," he replied. "Let's get the two of you back. Bobby'll be mad if we linger."

"He'll understand," Liz insisted. "What's going on?"

"He said nothing's wrong, Liz," Dean chimed in. "Let's go."

"Let's," Cassie agreed. She walked past Liz, bumping against her as she past her.

Liz looked tired. "So Cassie's still mad at me, huh?"

Alex shrugged. "Something like that."

Liz started to say something else, but Alex cut her off. "We need to get you and Dean, especially Dean, out of here. We can deal with this later."

Liz nodded. "You're right. Let's go."

XXX

Sam was bone tired after a morning and part of an afternoon spent fortifying Bobby's property and watching for any kind of enemy activity. There had been none. That worried San as he went to find Bobby to report on the day. He found him in the kitchen with a set of reports spread out on the table in front of him. Sam got a glass of water and sat in the seat across from Bobby.

"It's been quiet, Bobby," he said. "Too quiet if you ask me. I don't think that guy Liz killed last night was anything more than a distraction. Tom knows where we are and he knows he could come and get us without too much of a fight. Why isn't he building up his army outside of your property line and waiting for us to make a mistake? It's not possible exposure. He owns the media, so he could make them go away if he wanted to."

Bobby sighed and looked up from his reports. "I know, Sam. It worried me, too. He's got something up his sleeve to be so calm about this."

"So what are we going to do about it?"

"I don't know," Bobby replied. "It's kinda hard to prepare when you don't know what's about to come at you."

"Liz might have an idea," Sam suggested. He ignored the flutter in his stomach when he said her name. "I'll go get her if you want."

Bobby shook his head. "Nah. I'll ask her about it later. She busy right now."

Sam looked confused. "I thought the press conference was over. I'm pretty sure I saw Dean training with the girls a few minutes ago."

"The press conference is over."

"Then what's Liz doing?"

"Business that's none of yours, boy," Bobby replied.

XXX

Dean knew better than to snoop in Bobby's office when he wasn't there, but he needed a clip for his gun and he didn't feel like tracking Bobby down so he used the key he had and let himself in. He made a beeline for the ammunition closet but pulled up short when he noticed Liz asleep on the couch Bobby had put in for all those nights he was working into the wee hours of the morning.

"Are you sleeping!?!" Dean exclaimed, disbelief coloring his voice. "It's the middle of the afternoon!" His voice boomed in the quiet room.

The noise caused Liz to wake. She cracked her eyes open and stretched then relaxed against the pillows for a moment as she watched Dean sleepily.

Dean grew concerned as he watched her sluggishly awaken. "It's 3:30," he pointed out. He gestured with his hands to emphasize his point.

Liz glanced at the clock. "So it is," she replied unconcernedly.

"Is something wrong with you?" he asked, hating himself for the note of alarm he could hear in his voice.

Liz yawned and sat up. She pulled her knees in and locked her arms around them. "I'm fine. I'm just adjusting to the new time zone is all. Jet lag can be real a bitch."

Dean was unconvinced. "You sure that's all it is?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Liz replied defensively.

"I don't believe you," Dean insisted. "Sam might be better with people, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid. You're lying. I can tell."

Liz shrugged. "Maybe I am."

"So stop."

Liz changed the subject. "Can I try something?" she asked.

Dean considered her uncertainly. "As long as I don't have to sign my kidney over to a demon or something like that," he replied warily.

Liz smiled a little as she stood up and grabbed his arm, running her fingers over the mark on his wrist. Sensation exploded up both of their arms. She tossed her head back as the pleasure swept through her, and her breathing became suddenly labored. "I knew it," she said breathily.

Dean pulled his arm away from her. "What the hell was that, Liz?" he asked, voice shaking as he sucked in breaths to calm the staccato tempo his heart had adopted.

Liz's eyes were lidded as she watched him. "Your mark recognizes me," she explained.

"Well, isn't that special," he said sarcastically. Liz leaned in to kiss him, but he stopped her. "You can't just kiss this and make it all better."

Liz sighed. She stood up straight, repentance all over her face. "I'm sorry, Dean," she said softly.

He laughed his disbelief. "You're sorry? You're sorry? No, Liz, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I ever got involved with you. I'm sorry that you're here. You should have stayed dead." His voice cracked at the last as his eyes filled with tears that he violently rubbed away.

Tears filled Liz's eyes as well. "I'm sorry. I'll leave as soon as we get this mess sorted out. I—"

"Don't," he cut her off harshly, grabbing her and pulling her flush against him. "I…I don't want you to leave." He put his forehead against hers. "Don't you dare leave," he choked out.

Tears spilled down Liz's face as she hugged him to her. He returned the hug, gripping her tightly. "I missed you so much, Dean," she told him. "I'm so sorry."

"Am I interrupting something?" Alex asked from behind them. Liz squeezed Dean one last time then let him go. He nonchalantly ran his hand over his face and cleared his throat while she turned to Alex.

"Have you ever noticed that people only ask that when it's obvious that they are interrupting something?" she replied irritably.

Alex grinned at her. "I didn't realize you weren't alone." He nodded toward Dean. "If you and Romeo here are done, I need to talk to you." When no one moved, Alex looked pointedly at Dean. "Preferably alone."

Liz pursed her lips. "Maybe I'm not done."

"Maybe you will be after I tell you that some girl named Jo is looking for Dean," Alex informed her smugly.

Dean tensed. "I guess she and Jeremy finally made it," he muttered distractedly. He caught Liz's attention. "I'd better go see what she wants."

Liz held her tongue, only managing to nod her okay. Dean left without a backward glance. Liz watched him, trying to keep the worry and jealousy she was feeling from showing on her face as she turned back to Alex, who was grinning like a fool.

"So, who's Jo?" he wanted to know.

"None of your business," Liz snapped.

Alex laughed. "So she's a person of interest in the never-ending drama of your life, huh?"

"What do you want, Alex?" Liz asked wearily.

"Nothing. Ellen decided to bring the bar to the hunters tonight instead of the hunters to the bar. She thought that might be safer, and I agree. Anyway, some of the teenyboppers want to hear you sing because they've heard Dean talk about you for so long that they're curious. I was just coming to see if you have any requests."

Liz was horrified. "I'm not singing tonight," she insisted.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Of course you will," he replied.

"No, I'm not."

"Don't be stupid. You love to sing, so you should."

"I haven't sang not even a note in years. I'm not going to break that tonight."

"Not even for Dean?" Alex wondered.

Liz glared at him. "Dean doesn't want to hear me sing."

"If you say so," Alex said. He waited a beat before bringing up the other subject he wanted to discuss with her. "Could you do me a favor and go hang out with Cassie? She's kind of having a hard time with all of this. One moment, she's commiserating with Dean. The next, she wants to flay him alive. I think it'd be a good idea for you to unruffle her feathers. She's angry at you and doesn't want to be, so she's taking it out on Dean."

"Wow, there's something that's surprising," Liz replied sarcastically.

Alex gave her a disapproving look. "Be nice to Cassie," he demanded.

"I am nice to Cassie," Liz argued.

"Except when you aren't," Alex rebutted.

Liz rolled her eyes. "I'll go talk to her. Happy?"

"You have no idea," Alex replied.

XXX

Even though she really didn't feel like dealing with Cassie, Liz went to find her. She stumbled across Jo instead. She was perched on the edge of the porch, shoulders shaking as she cried silently. "Hi, Jo," Liz said as much to alert Jo to her presence as anything.

Jo hurriedly wiped at her eyes and cleared her throat before glancing at Liz. "Hey, Liz," she replied. There was a long and awkward pause before Jo continued. "I was glad to hear you aren't dead."

"Were you?" Liz answered, keeping her voice even.

Jo laughed humorlessly. "So, I'm pretty sure that Dean and I are over. He told me that you know about…us, so I thought I'd clue you in that it's over. It's better that we just make a clean break." Jo sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as anybody.

Liz sat down beside Jo. "I don't know how to respond to that. I'm not going to lie and tell you how sorry I am for you because I don't feel bad for you. What you and Dean were doing was pretty reprehensible. I know there are two sides to every story and all that, but I really don't care. Go back to your husband and leave Dean alone."

Tears filled Jo's eyes again. "I know I've done some awful things these past couple of years. They're things I can't take back. Honestly, though, I'm not sure I'd take them back if I could. I just…I was so lonely. It's my own fault. I know that. I married Jeremy thinking he would make what I feel for Dean go away, but he didn't. Then Dean showed up on my doorstep drunk and everything changed."

"Dean has a problem, doesn't he?" she asked Jo.

Jo cast her gaze downward. "He has had one for awhile. I tried to talk to him about it, but he wasn't ever that interested in anything I had to say."

Liz couldn't stop her lip from curling. "If I need you, will you be there for him?" she asked.

Jo looked up. "Always," she said. A self-deprecating smile tugged at the corner of her lips, and she ducked her head sheepishly. "He's always gonna come between us, you know."

Liz leaned against the porch railing. "I know," she acknowledged.

Jo sighed. "I'm such a horrible bitch," she said.

Liz laughed. "You really are," she agreed.

"Hey!"

Liz shrugged. "Well, you are."

"I really am," she admitted.

Liz patted her shoulder. "It's going to be okay," she told her.

There were tears in Jo's eyes as she answered, "You don't know that."

Liz shrugged. "Fair enough. Wanna help me set up for the big party they're having tonight?"

Jo wiped her face with her hands. "Why not? It's got to be better than sitting on the porch crying."