No rights to Supernatural.

"I'm dreaming," Dean decided, looking around the familiar landscape. The pavement gleamed, like it had just stopped raining, and neon lights reflected up at him. "You could've picked a castle or Jupiter, but you choose a parking lot we've already been to?"

"I've missed our parking lot conversations," Ruby said, sauntering up to him, arms crossed over her chest. She was in her red leather jacket and jeans she'd gotten on the shopping trip. "It was probably the nicest you've ever been to me, that whole conversation. I told you all about hell, and as it turns out, I've never been. But you were surprisingly sweet to me."

"Yeah, well, I thought you were a demon," he defended. "I've got excuses."

"So, you don't think I'm a demon now?"

Dean shook his head.

"Took you long enough," Ruby said pointedly.

"Hey, up until about half an hour ago, you were under the same impression," he pointed out.

Ruby shrugged acceptingly. "True enough. Now, back to the issue at hand. Let's make a deal so I can heal you."

Dean chuckled for whatever reason. "If I let you heal me, you could rampage my life as much as Gabriel did to Jo's."

"I seriously doubt you'll have to worry about that."

"Speaking of," Dean continued, "how did you get ahold of our emotions today?"

"I made a deal with Sam," she revealed, "a long time ago."

"How long ago?" Dean wondered. "Why hasn't he mentioned it?"

"I didn't even know what I was doing?" she shook her head, reminiscent. "It was back when fake me was around. I'd been looking for Sam, and when I found him, he was holed up in a cabin with my impersonator, half-dead."

"Did the other Ruby—"

"No, she didn't hurt him," she assured him. "Those super weirdo demon powers probably just took a toll on him or something. I went into his head, and, in his dream, he kept asking about you. He refused to make a deal with me at first. When you two are separated, you kind of go into ridiculous, depressed stupors. I guess he wanted to die."

Dean's jaw tightened at the notion.

"Anyway, I guess I figured out how to heal him. I don't know how I did it, and I don't know how I plan to do it now, but I did it. After yelling at Sam for being such a co-dependent girl of a man, he eventually let me. I didn't know you were supposed to follow-up with anything, that I now had a foothold in his life, but, you know, I guess I did, and maybe I should've been using it the whole time."

"If you Sam getting his bad guy on with fake you, why didn't you step in then?" Dean demanded of her.

Ruby's gaze shifted to the ground solemnly. "You were dead, and she was helping him get over it. I didn't want to step. I butted out his life and didn't find you guys again until I landed on your doorstep next to Jo."

"Why didn't you come in after I killed the other Ruby?" Dean asked.

"Dean, I didn't have to. You were back," she replied. "Look, are we going to look back on all the things I could've done differently, or are you going to let me heal you?"

"Well . . . yeah, of course I am," Dean agreed. "I'm not going to be the only dead person coming out of this mission."

Ruby scoffed. "You wouldn't be. I'm dying."

Dean's features went slack. "What?"

"You didn't notice the knife stuck into my back?"

"Well, sure, but why don't you just heal yourself?"

"I don't think it works that way," she shook her head calmly. "He really stuck me with knife, Gabriel did. I should bleed out soon enough."

"Well, if you're that close to death, how am I still alive?" Dean posed.

"My knife can do a lot more damage than Jo's scrap of metal can," she grinned.

"Geez, Ruby, why are you so calm about this? You're dying!"

"Why do you care all of a sudden?" she chortled. "Look, Dean, now that it's established that I'm a human of some sort, I'm not scared of death. My affairs are in order. It's fine. You guys don't need me."

"Sam might disagree," he pointed out.

"If Sam gets you back, I think he can handle losing me," Ruby assures him. "Speaking of Sam," she pauses for a moment, biting her bottom lip, "tell him I'm sorry for getting in between you two couple years ago. I know that's a black mark on my permanent record between the two of you."

Dean was about to protest, but she kept going, a breathiness forming in her voice, and he didn't have the heart to cut her off. "Also, tell him I'm sorry for not stepping in when he started going dark-side, and that he's one of the best, most good-hearted people alive right now, despite what he may have done in the past."

Dean nodded.

"And also, that I love him. In a friend way. Or in a romantic way, whichever one he requites. Actually, just tell him I love him and let him take it as he pleases.

"And as for the girl that you love in a romantic way," Ruby continues, "tell her she's one of the only people that might ever measure up to my hardcore standard and tell her never to take any crap from you."

Dean gave a small mile, and then nodded agreeably.

"Let Bobby know I'm glad he's alive and kicking and that he's way too hot to still be single," she requested further.

"Sorry, there's something in my eye," Ruby croaked feebly, dragging her hand across her face.

"Dream tears?"

"Shut up."

Dean let himself grin, and Ruby let out a small smile of her own.

"We should hurry this along," she said. "I can heal you, yes?"

Dean nodded again. He'd been nodding a lot recently, but he meant it.

Ruby sniffed, pushing some of her blonde hair away from her face. "Good." She sighed deeply, not enjoying the finality of the moment.

"Alright, then," Ruby nodded once. "I guess that's that."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"How about when I snap you back into consciousness, you seem me walking away, from dramatic affect?"

Dean smirked. "Sure."

Ruby plastered her own smirk back on, and then turned away from Dean. She began to walk off, intending to snap her fingers and pop back to health as he watched her retreating figure. She stopped about ten steps down and looked over her shoulder. Dean was staring somberly after her.

Without another thought, Ruby was turned around. She ran and threw her arms around Dean's neck, who hugged her back a moment later.

"You be good to Jo, alright?" she said into his ear.

Dean nodded into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you, Ruby," he told her.

Ruby hugged him tighter, then let go, dropping her arms at her side.

"You've only got a few minutes left before we both bleed out," Ruby told him. "We should hurry this along."

Dean back away from her agreeably.

Ruby raised her fingers. When she snapped them, he'd be healed.

"I kind of actually love you, you know," Ruby informed him.

"Back at you," he replied.

A tear rolled down Ruby's cheek, which she pretended wasn't there, not acknowledging its presence at all. To make sure that she left with as much snark as she had possessed when she'd entered the Winchester's lives, she added another statement.

"Sorry I won't show up to you and Jo's wedding," she said. "Without me around, Sam gets to be best man and maid of honor."

Dean's smile was genuine, and reached his eyes, but there was still something solemn about it.

"Bye, Dean," Ruby sighed, finally utterly serious.

"Bye, Ruby."

She snapped her fingers.