A/N: Vivi here! Sorry to keep you waiting. My vacation was awesome, though. I hope I didn't leave you at too high a cliffhanger; I was hoping the last chapter would help. We're nearing the end of our story; only a few chapters left before the next tale begins. Enjoy!

"Come on, Ali." I wasn't even sure if the warped whisper I heard was in my head or if someone else had somehow gotten into the house.

"Li! Wake up!" That was definitely not in my head. What was going on?

Suddenly Mark was blowing air in my mouth and I gasped, choking as the dry air hit my equally dry throat. I coughed hard and clung to Kole's hand, which was now much larger. As I opened my eyes, my old plaid sheets came into focus on my left. I was on the floor.

"Li?" Someone said from beside me. I forced my eyes to focus on the figure leaning over me.

"Mark?" I asked. The hair was right, but the eyes and the face seemed off… Someone squeezed my hand and I tried to lift my head to see my son. "Kole, I'm okay." I said weakly.

"Ali, stay still." Some said. The voice was higher than the first that spoke.

"'kay." I said. My chest burned and throbbed and breathing was difficult because of the pain. My heart was racing and I couldn't figure out why.

"She's still a little blue. I'll get the oxygen tank." A third voice chimed in and I saw a man stand and leave the room.

"Bobby?" I croaked, my voice was starting to give out on me.

"Yeah, good. That's Bobby." The first speaker said. He seemed excited. "Keep breathing, nice deep breaths."

"But he got attacked."

"He got away. He's fine. Everybody's fine, Li. Breathe." The first speaker said. I let my head fall to the right a little and tried to focus on him once more.

After a few seconds, I knew why his eyes seemed off. Green, not brown. "Dean?" I gasped.

"Hiya, Li." He smiled. His eyes were kinda bloodshot. "Just keep breathing, okay? Don't waste your energy talkin' with us."

I noticed Bobby return with a big silver cylinder that had a couple thin, clear tubes running from a nozzle on top. They pushed one of the tubes under my nose; I felt a plastic piece fit into each nostril.

"Is Sam okay? He has a compressed nerve that needs attention." I said. Talking was getting more difficult.

"Sam's fine. They got him to a hospital after you called the ambulance. He's right here." Dean pointed a thumb over his shoulder. Once Dean leaned back a little, I saw Sam sitting against the wall behind him, looking drained but relieved. I blinked a few times. Was that really Sam? He didn't look like he was dying anymore. I wasn't sure he'd even make it to the hospital after I called, but… He looked okay. Actually, he looked great. His face was clean and most of the bruises had faded, no more blood leaking down his cheek. There was even a glimmer of hope in his eyes. My breath caught in my throat and I swallowed hard. Why were my cheeks getting warm? Would my heart ever calm down?

"Welcome back, Ali." He smiled like he was exhausted. Something squeezed my hand again. I looked down and saw that it was Sam's hand that I was holding. I tried to squeeze back, but it was only a weak twitch that I managed. As I moved, I felt a familiar tightening in my right thumb. The silver ring was back. But… Dean had it last I knew, after Francesca threw it away. How did I get it back?

"Where did I go?" I asked. It took considerable effort, but the oxygen was helping.

"Your heart stopped. Long story. We'll tell you later. Now keep quiet and try to get some rest." Dean said.

"I'll go get some water." Sam said. As I watched him stand, I noticed how much it must have hurt him to sit there like that. He was sporting the classic hip dislocation brace and a pair of crutches, with a thick cast over his foot. Relief washed over me as I watched him walk away without too much difficulty. I'd been so scared that he would be paralyzed after an injury like that. Broken bones can easily sever vital nerves.

"I'll go check on Cas." Bobby said. "I'm glad you're back, Allison."

I smiled at him and waved weakly. With them gone, I turned to Dean. "Why am I not dead?"

"What?" He asked. I'd caught him off guard.

"I told you to kill the demon. If I'm alive, it's not dead." I said, matter of factly.

"We couldn't just let you die, Li." Dean said. "And don't worry about the demon. It won't be bothering us again."

"But it's alive."

Dean grimaced. "Only kinda."

"Why is it so hard for me to breathe?" I asked, trying to change the subject so I wouldn't throw a fit.

"I may have broken a rib doing compressions." Dean frowned. "Sorry. Do you think you need a hospital? Is it bad?"

The pain was bad, but not as bad as a bumpy ride to the hospital. I'd live. "No, I'll be fine. If you couldn't kill me then why did I die?" I asked.

"The demon almost obliterated you in your own head. We pulled her out and stuck her in a box but you didn't come back. It's been three days, Li." He said.

"When did I crash the cruiser?" I asked.

"Like a week ago." He said. I was surprised. I'd lost a whole week; no memories came to me from the time I crashed until now. Sam came back as I struggled with my memory. He was carrying a bottle of water. It looked delicious.

"Wow. That must've sucked for you guys." I said. "Hey, is Cas at full power yet?"

"No, in fact he's passed out in the library right now. He woke up just long enough to tell us that your heart stopped." Dean said.

"Yeah." Sam spoke up. "He was awake for like a solid minute before he fizzled out again."

"The demon had another vessel when she took me. Melody, that artist we thought burned. She's a witch and she cursed Cas." I swallowed hard, trying to keep my vocal cords working for just a little longer. "She's going to die soon; Francesca obliterated her and she won't last much longer."

Dean and Sam exchanged a look before Dean turned back to me. "We'll deal with that later. Let's get you back into bed."

Over the next few days, I mostly slept and drank water. Francesca hadn't eaten or drank nearly enough to keep me healthy and it took a while before I began to feel normal and not like a raisin. The guys took turns sitting in the corner of my room and overseeing my activities, which were minimal. They helped me out with changing my bandages and checking the stitches in my calf. While I slept, Sam mostly read on his laptop at the desk, Bobby read books, and Dean watched TV on his laptop. Whenever there was a change in shift, they'd wake me up to make sure I was still alive before leaving me to my next watchdog. No one tried to tell me what I'd missed in that week I was… gone, I guess. Thankfully, they just let me sleep.

Cas hadn't woken up again since I died. By the third day of sleeping all day and night, I was a little less tired. I didn't know what time it was and I didn't care. Sam was sitting at my desk, his chair angled towards my bed where his right foot rested, but his body was fully focused on his laptop. Grumbling, I pushed myself up, trying not to move my broken rib too much.

"Morning." Sam said with a cheerful grin.

"Is it morning?" I asked.

"Uh…" He looked back to his laptop. "No. Eight o'clock in the evening, actually."

"How's the leg?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Better every day."

"I'm sorry, Sam. If I could have stopped her-"

"It wasn't your fault, Ali. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine in a few weeks." Sam smiled and shut his laptop. As if on cue, someone knocked lightly on my door.

"Come in." Sam and I spoke at the same time.

"What was that?" Dean came through the door and shut it gently behind him. He stood at the foot of my bed and faced me. "Mornin' sunshine. How are you feelin'?"

"Fine. My chest hurts, but otherwise, I'm fine."

"Shift change?" Sam asked, gathering his things.

"Yeah. Get some sleep." Dean waited until Sam was out of the room and down the hall before sitting at my desk.

"How's your cold?" I asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Terrible. Runny nose, coughing all the time- I'm sick of this bull."

"I haven't heard you coughing as much lately."

"Fine. It's better than it was, okay?"

"Maybe if you got more than four hours of sleep, you'd heal faster." I said. "Sam told me you couldn't sleep while I was… out without drinking yourself to the bottom of half our collection."

"Sam exaggerates." Dean said, his face hard.

"Bobby doesn't." I said. "He's worried about you, too, Dean. You've been sick for a long time."

"Three days in a frozen mineshaft'll do that to ya." He grumbled.

"Look. I'm fine. I really don't need supervision to sleep all day. Why don't you just go to bed, get a couple hours of rest and check in at like noon?" I asked, sincerely hoping he'd agree. His eyes were red and he was acting lethargic, as if he hadn't slept well for days.

"Li." He leaned closer to me from his spot at the desk. "We almost lost you. Again. No way am I leaving you alone until I know you'll be fine."

"Dean." I leaned towards him, mimicking his posture. "I almost lost all of you. I almost watched that demon break every bone in you. I made it through all that. I think I'll be fine."

He frowned and crossed his arms, leaning back. "I'm not leaving."

I rolled my eyes and felt a wave of exhaustion roll over me. Yawning, I spoke with irritation in my voice. "Then sleep here with me, or something. Just get some rest." I lay back down and rolled onto my left side, avoiding the binding mark on my right and any possible retort from the drained hunter. To my surprise, a few minutes after I lay down, Dean joined me. He was on his back, on top of all my blankets, with his left hand on my arm. I felt his finger trace out an artery and stay there; he was monitoring my pulse. Soon, I fell asleep to his congested snores; he was out like a light.

A/N: Review please! I love the feedback!