A/N: This is it - the season 10 finale! Lemme tell you all that these next coming seasons/installments are about to get fuckin' WILD.
I've got five seasons of this to go. What do you think I could come up with?

Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading and following this series. It means a whole lot to me. I'm not done writing until I finish both shows.
So keep an eye out for Rise III: Whatever It Takes!

xoxo
Kuraki-chan


38: Just Know That I Tried.

Zarya had driven north nonstop for hours. Her burner phone had long since died and was tossed in the backseat to be ignored. Her hair was in complete disarray, Styne blood still staining her skin and clothes. Her mind was racing about as fast as her pounding heart without any sign of stopping. Frequently she would subconsciously scratch at the Mark of Cain on her forearm until the flesh became raw and began to cut. She was at her wit's end, losing whatever was left of her mind as it clouded over in darkness. She couldn't even reach any of the doors in her mind space. Not even to Lucifer as hard as she tried.

Eventually it was night and she wound up in Iowa where she pulled over on a bridge. A couple of times she hit her head on her steering wheel hoping the physical pain might silence her mind. When it failed to do anything, even give her a headache, she practically jumped out of her car and began to pace. Her pale, bloodstained, and knuckle torn hands gripped the edge of the bridge tightly. The cool, night wind blew her hair around as tears continued to pour down her face.

She looked down to the rushing river below darkly. There were tons of jagged rocks sticking up from the large body of rapid water. Her breathing was borderline hyperventilating. She leaned forward and back against the rail a few times breathing out of her mouth with panic. When Dean died with the Mark of Cain, he returned as Knight of Hell. She was damned to be a dhampir if she died, but what would that entail with the Mark on her own arm? Either option began to tempt her; whether she was half vamp or a demon she wouldn't have to feel a damn thing anymore. She could just shut it off and forget everything she ever knew. She wouldn't have to feel or be so weak anymore. Slowly, Zarya stepped over the barrier.

Headlights rushed up behind her suddenly, a car skidding to stop. She didn't bother to turn around and check who it was figuring it was likely a cop to check on her. As soon as they would identify themselves as such she would just let go. A rushing river would be fitting for her death, would it not? She heard two doors open quickly without being bothered to be shut but paid no mind. Instead she closed her eyes and listened to the rushing rapids over the rocks.

"Zarya!" Adina Vasile called with deep empathy in her voice. The sound of the woman's voice snapped Zarya's eyes open though she still didn't turn around. "Zarya, darling, please come down!"

"Even if you do try to jump," Sofia's voice then added, "I do have the ability to catch you before you hit that water. So please come over here willingly, child."

"A-Adina?" Zarya's hoarse voice shook and cracked. "Sofia…?"

Though she couldn't see, Adina smiled warmly with her hands clasped together against her chest. "Yes, darling. We're here to help you. Just please turn around and we will help you down. You can come with us and we'll get you cleaned up and talk whenever you are ready."

"You don't know what will happen if you leap, Zarya" Sofia told her. "Not with the Mark of Cain and dhampir gene coursing through you. Whatever happened we can take care of."

"No you can't!" She argued. "I should have died when Katherine ran my family off the bridge. I should never have fought this long to live. I don't want to feel a damn thing ever again if I have to be forced to continue to live."

Sofia took a step closer. Her blue eyes were oddly showing emotion even though her countenance was stiff. "I can take away your pain, Zarya, if that is what you truly desire. But in order to make that decision faithfully, I need you to come down and come with us." When the girl still failed to budge, Sofia took one more step and quietly added, "Please, Zarya."

It took a painstaking minute, but at long last Zarya inhaled a deep breath and began climbing back over the rail with Adina and Sofia's help. The two elder vampires were then able to see all of the blood and cuts across her body. One more tear fell singularly down Zarya's cheek. As Adina sped back to the car for a blanket to wrap around her, Sofia noticed the tear tinted a light shade of pink. She knew it hadn't been because it mixed with the blood stained to Zarya's face. Blood was beginning to mix inside of her tear ducts. The dhampir gene was growing stronger.


It took a little effort, but knowing his brother Sam was able to find the motel Dean had fled to. As he entered the room with his gun in hand, part of him hoped to find both his brother and Zarya but the awful feeling in the pit of his gut knew better. Once inside fully he saw the damage done to the room; tables flipped over, a couple of holes in the walls, a broken bathroom mirror, the TV thrown to the floor. Beginning to feel defeated his hand with the gun fell limply to his side. On the bed laid keys and a single piece of paper.

'She's all yours. Find Zare before it's too late for her.'

Sam's breath shook as it escaped his lips. He was running out of time for both of them. He swiped the keys and took off running back to his car.


"How and why did you two find me?" Zarya asked in a small voice. She kept her gaze out the window as the car sped down the dimly lit road.

Sofia kept her eyes focused ahead, periodically glancing behind through the rearview mirror to make sure Adina was keeping up find in Zarya's car. "The Other Side is collapsing. Zina… she's been dealing with some issues of her own, but Katia got a message through to her. Adina and I were the closest in the area."

"But, why?"

Sofia's blue eyes flicked over to the girl briefly. "You brought this family together, Zarya. Do you not believe we would do the same for you? Protect you? We may be monsters, most with vicious pasts and even led to believe we each were alone in this disgrace of a world, but then you came along demanding answers. You brought life into each of us. We seek to keep that life burning brightly within you. You may not believe it, but you do deserve it."

She shook her head. "I've done awful and stupid things… I've pushed away those who tried to care for me… I can feel something in the pit of my chest just begging to shred through and do even worse. I'm glad I could at least be of use by shedding some light on the Vasile family, but I… I think I'm the worst monster of all of us…"

"Why? Because you have the Mark of Cain mirrored onto your flesh? Because you carry the dhampir gene that just sits and waits for you to either die or have a child to pass it to?" She gave a small sigh and slight bite of her bottom lip with one of her fangs. "My mother was a Cursed Twin - Claudia's twin, actually." That prompted Zarya to finally look over at the technical vampire. "My mother was born with the dhampir gene in full swing whereas her sister's was dormant like yours. It only activated in her death in which my mother caused. My mother married a Moroi man from a wealthy clan in an attempt to make a name for herself; to be rich and powerful. Only her husband knew what she was and where she came from. The only reason he allowed it was because she was a Vasile.

"When my mother got pregnant with me they retreated to Siberia. They didn't know what the outcome would be and couldn't risk being a disgrace to the Moroi community. I blended in well with the Moroi which made my parents proud, but they knew I was not one of them. I was not a full blood thanks to my mother being half human. With that blip of human blood coursing through my veins I could call upon nature regardless of the aspect. The rules adhered to me, not the other way around. I became… temperamental, and difficult to control. There was nothing they could do to stop my powers, so we hid away in Siberia only coming out for important events in the Moroi community in which I was shown off to be an obedient little Moroi girl."

"Why are you telling me all of this…?"

Ignoring her question, Sofia continued on. "I was forbidden to use my power in public. It was barely allowed in the sanctity of our secluded Siberian home. It disgraced my father. The second I stepped out of that miserable house I was not allowed to even think about magic. As soon as I came of age my father married me off to a colleague's Moroi son. Still, I was forced to say nothing of my human genes or magic. All I could do is scream in my own head knowing that I would never be able to touch magic again. It was exactly what my father wanted.
"I bore a daughter first early on in our arranged marriage. I knew the risks, but I was forbidden to say anything. They all believed it would be a full blood Moroi child; why wouldn't they? Her name… her name was Nikita." A solemn and mournful tiny smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "She was premature and very sick. None of the Moroi healers could figure out why. When I finally had ten seconds of peace with my little girl I used my magic to prolong her life as long as possible. Not even I could heal her to health though. Just give her a little more time to be held…

"Since Nikita was still inevitably dying, I was essentially forced to have another child. This time it was a son, and he took a heavy toll on me being unable to touch my magic. He was a full blood Moroi. As he grew, Nikita withered. That was when the healers found out she was not full blood and therefore neither was I. Only after I watched my daughter die of painful consumption was I cast away from the Moroi and my family. I fled from Russia and practiced whatever kinds of magic I could get my hands on. You are not the only one who has done awful things, Zarya. Some of the things I did after I lost Nikita… they are unforgivable. I would shame that girl if she survived."

"Is that why you went off the grid…? You were ashamed of the magic you had done in retaliation for being exiled and abused your whole life?"

"Simply put that way, yes. I was falling into the worst kind of dark magic imaginable. If I continued on it would have consumed me whole. I had sacrificed many innocent lives for my own gain and I didn't even gain much. They all died in vain. So I turned my back on society, living things, and social interaction in general. I had been raised into solitude anyways. I had no family, no one to care about, and the only thing that used to bring me immense joy was tearing me apart from the inside out."

Zarya was quiet again as she looked back out of the window. She tugged the black blanket a little tighter around her shoulders. "Why did you tell me your story when you've been the most secluded of all of us?"

"Because you deserve to understand that we have all done many things we regret for reasons we once believed to be good and right."


"Don't tell me that's queso."

Dean's expression was solemn as he turned and faced Death once again. "Yeah- yes. Queso, and uh, taquitos, tamales." He walked over with a tray of said food. "Homemade by yours truly. With all the bad fat." Death curiously sniffed the food. "Consider it an offering."

Death quirked a brow at the hunter. "For?"

"I want you to kill me."

The elder being remained quiet as he took a taquito from the tray Dean held and bit into it. His countenance was unreadable. "What I find truly fascinating, Dean," he paused after another bite, "mm, that is good. What I find truly fascinating it that you and I both know that I've been burned by you Winchesters before, yet you still call."

Dean sighed and set the tray down, running a hand through his already messy hair. "Yeah, I know, but not this time, okay? No games, no second thoughts. I know you know what this is." He pulled back his sleeve to show Death the Mark of Cain. "I know you know what it can do. I've tried to fight it. I've tried to beat it on my own. And I… I can't. I got no moves left - except you."

"Well, I never thought I would see the day." He sat down in a chair. "My goodness. Dean Winchester has tipped over his king. But I won't kill you, Dean." He sipped a red drink through a straw nonchalantly.

Dean blinked a few times in confusion. "You're Death."

"And that Mark on your arm is the First Curse. Nothing can kill you."

"Okay, fine, forget killing me; can you get rid of it?"

"I could."

"But?"

"Creatio ex nihilo - God created the Earth out of nothing, or so your Sunday-school teacher would have you believe."

"What, so Genesis is a lie, eh? Shocker."

Death stood with a small sigh. "Before there was light, before there was God and the archangels, there wasn't nothing. There was the Darkness, a horribly destructive, amoral force that was beaten back by God and His archangels in a terrible war. God locked the Darkness away where it could do no harm, and He created a Mark that would serve as both lock and key, which He entrusted to His most valued Lieutenant, Lucifer. But the Mark began to assert its own will, revealed itself as a curse, and began to corrupt. Lucifer became jealous of man. God banished Lucifer to Hell. Lucifer passed the Mark to Cain, who passed the Mark to you, the proverbial finger in the dike. To make matters even worse, Cain then mirrored the Mark onto Saskia Vasile just as you did to Zarya."

Dean sat down, looking away from Death's gaze at the mention of Zarya.

"With the Mark mirrored onto Zarya, whatever you wish for me to accomplish here must be done to her as well."

Slowly he looked up. "What happens if we don't…? What about just taking me out of the equation? Shouldn't she be safer if she's away from the actual Mark itself?"

"It certainly would be nice if life worked that way, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, Dean, the Mark mirrored onto Zarya has actually become more volatile than the original on your own flesh. The Vasile bloodline comes from a very lethal, very much locked away creature. After God locked away the Darkness and began shaping the Earth as He saw fit He found something that He thought He could use. After His first four successful archangels, He used that something to create Remiel which began the entire downward spiral."

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do? She's only in this damn mess because of how hard she took my death when Metatron killed me and as a demon I took advantage of that. It's up to me to save her from this."

Death watched the emotion in the hunter's eyes and face without showing any of his own. "What if I told you I could relocate you somewhere far away, not even on this Earth, where you would still be alive, but no longer a danger to yourself or others?"

"What about Zare?"

"Where you go, she must go. Could the two of you spend eternity together away from all else?"

Dean frowned with both sorrow and some anger as he looked down at the ground. Maybe if we have our own ends of the universe…


"You need to get to Nebraska," Sofia told Zarya after Adina finished cleaning her up some. The blood was gone from her face, hands, and hair thankfully.

"Why? What's in Nebraska?"

She didn't exactly want to tell Zarya that it was Sam Winchester to call and warn her of Dean trying to off himself, but she knew that Zarya would never forgive herself if anything did happen. Even Adina arched a brow, curious about the sudden change in plan. "Whatever you've got going on with the Winchesters right now you're going to have to set aside. You won't forgive yourself if anything happens and you didn't even attempt to stop it whether I take away your desire to feel or not. Guilt will always loom in the shadows of your heart. Even as a vampire who shuts off their humanity."

Adina put her hands calmly on Zarya's shoulders, sensing the girl beginning to panic. "What's happened, Sofia?" She asked.

"Dean is attempting to sacrifice himself because of the Mark of Cain."

Zarya's greener than blue eyes widened suddenly. Emotions flooded through her chest causing a tightness she couldn't relax. Regardless of what had happened, or what could happen, it was true - she would never forgive herself if she just turned her back on the Winchesters. What if, on probably the smallest off-chance, she could swoop in and manage something to protect them? If she didn't even try then everything they ever did for her would be for naught.

"Give me my keys," she spoke suddenly with her shaking hand extended.

Sofia hid the small smirk on her pale lips as she handed Zarya a set of keys and a phone. "Your car wouldn't make it without having to stop for gas so you're taking mine. The GPS on this is already programmed for where you need to go. If you still wish for me to put a wall around your emotions when you finish with this then just come back here."

Zarya nodded before taking the keys and phone and practically running out the door. As the car started up she kept getting flashes back to various memories from the past years with the Winchesters. They promised her years ago that they would get to the bottom of why she got ill after Nick vanished. They put her on the path to become a hunter that filled the void of everything she had lost. Sam had become like a brother to her, Cas the awkward guardian angel, and Dean… well, she always did have a complicated relationship with Dean but she would be damned if she abandoned any of them. They did stupid things, going behind each others' backs to protect one another, but that was just the fucked up dynamic of their little family. So long as they saw her as the family she held them at she could not abandon them.

"I'm coming boys," she muttered as she sped down the road. "I promise…"


As Sam and Dean argued about Dean's plan with Death, Zarya zoomed down highway after highway. She sped into Nebraska so fast she actually passed a state cop who didn't have the reaction time to chase her. The vehicle's speed didn't even register on his radar. She tried her damndest to ignore the burning itch of the Mark of Cain on her arm but it was becoming difficult as thoughts of a dead Charlie and demon Dean haunted her.

"Even if I remove Dean from the playing field," Death explained to Sam, "we're still left with you - loyal, dogged Sam, who I suspect will never rest until he sets his brother free; will never rest until his brother is free of the Mark, which simply cannot happen, lest the Darkness be set free. Then there was that time you stood me up." He shrugged.

Sam gaped at his brother. "You traded my life. What about Clarke? Where the hell does this leave her without either of us and the Mark mirrored onto her?" Dean looked away with what Sam could only see as guilt in his brother's eyes. "What the hell are you two planning to do to Clarke?"

"Zarya Vasile is untamed, volatile energy with the mirrored Mark," Death explained. "She will be essentially frozen in time with Dean to watch over her and ensure the spell never breaks especially since the Mark will continue to lash at her even under the spell."

The younger brother's bottom lip actually trembled. "You… you're just gonna seal her away and then be tossed off the face of the Earth? She will never forgive you for that! How the hell can you even bring yourself to betray her like that?!" Out of pure anger Sam actually retracted his fist and punched his brother in the nose.


Thunder rumbled in the ominously dark sky above but Zarya paid no mind. She drove steadily on with only one goal in mind: just get to Sam and Dean. It didn't matter even if she couldn't do anything to stop whatever was happening; she at least had to be there with them. They were a team; a family. No matter what happened she wouldn't let them be alone. She glanced down at the phone Sofia had given her, watching the GPS ping and let her know she was getting closer.

Just a little bit longer boys, she thought with deep determination. I'm almost there, I swear…


For a few minutes the brothers went back and forth exchanging blows until Sam couldn't take it anymore. He was so disappointed in his brother and deeply concerned for Zarya, wherever she may have been. He hoped Sofia and Adina had gotten through to her, but he was beginning to regret it. If Zarya burst in then she would essentially be walking into a trap. So he sat on his knees staring up at his big brother as he held Death's scythe. Tears glistened in his hazel eyes. That was when he could finally the pain truly in Dean's olive eyes.

All Dean could see with his little brother on his knees to die was Zarya's fiery green-blue eyes. He could hear her boisterous laugh, each joke she told them both, the sweetness of her voice. He could picture her messy raven hair with the indigo tint, the way her long lashes would brush against her cheekbones and eyebrows, that bright and ever loving smile…

"Sammy," his voice cracked just the slightest, "close your eyes."

"Wait," Sam spoke quickly. His shaking hands reached into his jacket pocket and held out some photos to his brother. "Please just take these. And one day, when you find your way back… let these be your guide. And they can help you remember what it was to be good. What it was to love…"

He placed three pictures down on the floor in front of him: the one of Mary and Dean as a child, one of Mary, Dean, and Sam as a baby, and finally the picture of Dean, Sam, and Zarya from Plucky Pennywhistle's. Conflict stirred immediately in Dean's eyes. He kept glancing back to the one from Plucky's as sweat gathered in his palms holding the scythe. Zarya's massive grin stared back at him hauntingly.

"It's for your family," Death urged on. "You must proceed, Dean. To be what you are, to become what you've become is a stain on their memory. Do it. Or I will."

Dean's heart was practically beating out of his chest. He thought back to every good memory with his little brother and then Zarya's determination to join them. They were a family. Everything they ever did was for family and to protect the innocent. He blamed himself for Zarya's downward spiral, but was sealing her away really the answer? As Sam stared up at him with glossy eyes he could just picture the look of betrayal on Zarya's face when he saw her again. Everything he had been doing was to protect Sam and Zarya. How could he just turn his back on them and call it that same protection?

His voice was barely above a whisper as he raised the scythe. "Forgive me."

As if in slow motion, the scythe began to move. At the same time, Rowena was chanting the spell from the Book of the Damned in an attempt to banish the Mark. Zarya glanced down at the GPS finding herself barely twenty minutes away. Her foot stomped down on the gas pedal until it physically touched the floor and the odometer was absolutely maxed out. Darkness began to seep into the sky as thunder loomed in the clouds. The Mark burned deeply in her arm but she couldn't even focus on it. She didn't care. She had to get to Sam and Dean before it was too late.

Dean swung with all his might as Sam's eyes closed. The younger brother waited for the impact, but it never came. Instead, the blade of the scythe crashed right into Death himself until the entity was a pile of dust. Sam gaped up at his brother, his heart skipping almost too many beats in a row. He thought he might have a heart attack. Dean dropped the scythe, hands still partially shaking, as he turned back to Sam. That was when they heard the thunder outside. "Where's Zare?" He asked quickly while helping his brother to his feet.

"She was on her way here last I knew," Sam replied quickly.

They both darted for the door when Dean stopped short. His arm with the Mark was burning more intensely than it ever had. He quickly rolled back his sleeve for them to see the Mark glow red and crackle. Feeling the same pain, Zarya took one hand off the steering wheel to check her own arm and find the same. That was when she finally took notice to the eerie sky. Her eyes widened with fear yet she drove on against the pain and crackling of the Mark. Suddenly, red lightning was blasted from Dean's arm with the Mark and through the roof. Both brothers gaped with massive fear as Zarya came to their minds.

Zarya grit her teeth against the pain as she drove on. I'm so fucking close, she pleaded in her thoughts. Then, without warning, the red lightning yanked from her Mark as well and through the windshield of the car. She let out a loud scream from the pain and fright. She lost control of the car and it began to spin out from the high speed she had been going at until it finally slammed into a tree. Her head bounced off of the steering wheel but for a minute she was still conscious. Her arm was growing numb and, through blurred vision, she found the Mark having vanished. Blood dripped down her forehead. She was covered in glass from the windshield and windows shattering. With her good hand and arm she slapped around for the door handle until it opened and she fell onto the pavement. She could only stare up at the deeply dark sky with tears in her eyes as her breathing became labored. It was barely a minute before her eyes closed and her chest stopped rising and falling all alone on the ground.

- THE END -