A/N: Before we dive into this chapter, I just wanted to clear a few things up. So, obviously this story loosely follows the events of Season 4. To incorporate Tandy, and because I didn't much like some big players throughout this season, certain characters and events have been changed and/or didn't occur/have not yet occurred. So, yes, Ilchester, Maryland is still where it all goes down, but in my own way. I hope y'all stay tuned to see how that unfolds! Thanks again to my faithful reviewers Blondie and Shan! You guys are the real MVP!

Also, having the series finale recently really hit me right in the feels and I find posting this chapter a little bittersweet. That said, cheers to an awesome fifteen years, boys, it's been a wild ride! Carry on!


Dean studied Tandy's expression in the rear-view mirror. Her sultry, blue eyes peered back at him from behind the smudged windscreen of her F-250 and she winked at him, playful. God, how he wanted to just pull over, rip her out of her rusty-assed hunk of junk and take her right then and there, on the side of the road. Hell, he figured it might even be the last chance he'd ever get. In a mere matter of days, perhaps even hours, they would catch up to Sam, and who knew how that reunion would unfold. But it wouldn't be right, he reasoned. All jokes aside, Tandy deserved better. Especially from him. The funny thing, he found, was that time seemed to slow down when he was with her. Each moment that he spent with her felt meaningful, transient and yet ever-lasting. Their relationship had progressed so much in the past few weeks and the thought that they might not make it out of this one alive, the thought of not being with her, well, it made him feel sick to his stomach. Though the clock was ticking and the chase was on, he still felt assured somehow. He knew that together, they couldn't lose. It didn't deter him from feeling afraid, though. He wore courage like it was a second skin, and he'd be damned if he showed a crack in his armour, but there would always be that small shred of doubt lingering within the back of his mind. The fear that often plagued him that when things were going so well, they'd be ripped away from him and torn to shreds at any given moment. It seemed almost unshakable at times, the curse of his existence. Why God rewarded him with such precious things just to take them away was beyond him. Heck, he wondered breifly if he'd ever get the chance to ask.

Dean shook his head and glanced in the rear-view mirror yet again, unable to keep his eyes on the road before him for more than a few seconds at a time, scared that if he so much as blinked, Tandy would disappear, as though she never even existed.

Through his vast array of networking, Bobby had managed to contact local authorities and they had a lead on the whereabouts of the Mustang. It seemed, from what little that they could gather at this stage, that Sam and Ruby were headed somewhere North. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Maybe they could even make a little road trip out of it, hit a few bars on the way up, hustle information out of possible witnesses and heck, have a little fun while they were at it.

Tandy smiled and raised her hand to wave at him. The sunlight glinted off of her dashboard and she readjusted her mirror, a knowing smirk playing on her full, deliciously kissable lips.

They had collected her truck from the motel and were bringing it back to the plantation. They had decided - or more accurately - he had decided that it would be safer if they travelled together. It was also one less thing for him to worry about. The last thing he needed was her freakin' engine blowing up on them while they were going two-fifty down the highway, even though he was pretty damned certain that her truck would have given out well before it could even reach that kind of speed. In any case, he needed Tandy beside him right now, even if only to share the cab space in comfortable silence. Aside from the fact that he wanted to be skin-to-skin, butt-naked and horizontal with her, her mere presence alone was more than enough.

Dean pulled up at the end of the drive-way, allowing Tandy the time to steer her truck into the garage.

After a moment, he watched her emerge from the shed, her golden hair fluttering in the warm breeze, and he felt the tiny flapping of wings tickle his insides once again. Dressed in her signature denim hot pants and a mid-riff band shirt – Nirvana – (Dean had to laugh), she was a vision. It wasn't possible, in fact, it almost seemed unfair, a cruel, cosmic joke crafted by some sick and twisted tyrant. For the first time in, well, ever, he had himself a girl who accepted him for who he was and who could handle the life, who loved Sam and who wasn't afraid to be seen standing beside them, and to know that in a mere matter of hours it could all be snatched away from him, that she could be snatched away, well, it was a complete and utter kick in the pants.

Tandy wrenched the door open, reminding him, in that instant, that she was far less the faultless Goddess that he envisioned her to be, and he cringed, muttering something about 'going easy on his baby'.

Tandy smirked and delicately stroked the upholstery with her white-tipped fingernails. She then lightly kissed the dashboard. "Heck, sorry, Baby. I can't say that I won't be less of a clutz, but for you, I'll certainly try."

"Do I get a kiss, too?" Dean asked. It was nice to see the lighter side of Tandy's personality, particularly amidst all the darkness that seemed to be surrounding them. And, if they did only have so many more minutes left on this Earth, then this is the way he wanted to spend it. Like this.

Tandy giggled and it was the damned cutest sound that Dean had ever heard.

"What d'ya think, Baby? D'ya think I should give Dean a kiss?" She joked, leaning forward to whisper into the air vent.

For effect, Dean revved the engine loudly and smiled, cheeky. "I think that that means yes."

Tandy tapped her fingers against her chin, contemplative. "M'kay, well ... heck, maybe just one for the road." She breathed, reaching over to grip the back of Dean's neck. Roughly and quite unexpectedly, she mashed her mouth against his, dragging her tongue over his lower lip, demanding entry. Dean parted his lips and moaned, allowing her tongue to glide over his. Their kiss was heated and passionate, filled with fire and promise and desire. It spoke of want and desperation and frustration, of loss and sorrow. It reminded him of how much he had missed out on, and how much more was still to come. How much more he wanted to come.

"Wow." Dean panted when their lips, at last, fell apart and Tandy crept back to her side of the bench seat, wiping away some spit from the corner of her mouth. "But ... why did that feel like a 'last night on Earth' kiss?" He asked, pouting.

Tandy shrugged and pushed out her bottom lip, which was twinged pink and swollen from their kiss. "Just in case." She breathed softly. "I wanted to leave this place feelin', well ... what's the word? ... Epic."

"Come on, Tan, don't think that way. We'll be back here. We'll all be back here. You, me and Sam. We'll be back here, home just in time for some of your mama's sweet, sweet gumbo. And there'll be plenty more of that to come." He paused to offer her a wink. "I'll make damn sure of that."

"Then let's make a promise, Dean, that this ain't the end." Tandy responded, reaching across the space between them with her pinky finger outstretched.

"I never thought that it ever was, sweetheart, not even for a second." Dean replied, wrapping his large pinky finger around hers. "I swear it."

Their hands fell, still clasped together, onto the seat between them and they shared a knowing look. Dean then pressed his foot down on the pedal and tore off along the winding, dirt road, leaving Bonne Huere to disappear behind them amidst a cloud of dust.


Thirteen hours into their journey and the sun had disappeared, giving rise to the moon. Dean and Tandy had stopped to refuel yet again and to obtain some 'supplies', by which Dean had meant a "palatable" combination of beef jerky, burnt coffee and beer.

"Jesus, why did I ask for onion rings?" Tandy laughed, rummaging through the centre compartment in search of some gum.

Disappointed that their 'road trip' would be just that, a road trip, and nothing more, they were back on the tarmac yet again, though it seemed this time that they had a clear heading. According to Bobby, the Mustang was sighted in Washington by a reliable source. It dawned on him then that Sam and Ruby were almost out of land, and soon there would be no where left for them to run.

Dean chuckled and popped a piece of jerky into his mouth. He then swallowed it and offered her a lolly pop from a bag of candy he had bought.

"Well, it ain't gum." He murmured. "But it'll sure taste a hell of a lot better than the ass-end taste of onion rings." With one hand on the steering wheel, he skillfully unwrapped the lolly pop and forced it into her hands.

Tandy shrugged and popped the strawberry sucker into her mouth. "I 'spose I can forgive you for bein' a damn child just this once, Winchester, 'cause heck, y'ain't wrong." She mumbled, rolling the sucker beneath her tongue.

Dean hesitated; his gaze drawn towards Tandy's mouth.

"Jesus, woman, you have got to stop doing that." He groaned.

Tandy smirked and her eyes grew dark. Slowly, almost painfully, she rolled the lolly once more, dragging it beneath her tongue in a provocative manner. "Do what?" She teased.

Dean wet his lips and was about to tell her exactly what he wanted her to do to him, just like that, and where, when they were interrupted by a presence.

"Hello, Dean. Hello, Tandy."

"Damn it, Cas!" Dean yelped, jerking the Impala across the curb before quickly guiding it back towards the middle of the lane. The angel had to have had the worst sense of timing. Ever. "What the Hell, man?"

In surprise, Tandy spat the lolly pop out of her mouth and exhaled sharply, recovering from the fact that Castiel, Angel of the Lord, had just appeared in the back seat amidst a choir of beating wings, effectively putting an end to the blistering tension that was rapidly building up between her and Dean.

"I'm sorry I did not arrive sooner but I have been ... incapacitated." Castiel muttered, pensive.

"Come again?" Dean responded.

"Some of the other angels, they ... they do not agree with what I am about to do." Castiel sighed and he leant forward, if only marginally. Dean caught sight of the side of his face in the rear-view mirror, bathed in moonlight and shadows. It appeared haggard and grim. He could only imagine what the angel had been through to get there, to them, and suspected that it couldn't have been anything good.

"And what're you about to do?" Tandy asked, her voice muted by the sound of her own thunderous heartbeat. Although an ally, Castiel still seemed to, well, unnerve her. Maybe it was because she had practiced voodoo for a good portion of her life, or maybe it was because of the way he looked at her, at Dean, that reminded her that he was something other. Powerful. That his handsome face was merely a vessel. A shield. Either way, what he seemed to be saying now, it was heavy, and it was definitely more than enough to have her shaking in her flat-heeled boots.

Castiel reached across the headrest and placed a palm, respectively, on both Dean and Tandy's foreheads.

"Forgive me, but where we are going, the mode of transport, it can be - overwhelming - for some."

Dean opened his mouth to speak, to protest, but was immediately silenced by the maelstrom of sights and sounds that engulfed them. Suddenly, they were thrown into a vortex of sensations; spinning, swirling and pivoting through time and space. And then, almost as quickly as it had begun, the chaos was suspended and their feet, at last, reached solid ground once more. Dean stumbled forwards, clutching his stomach. He felt violently ill and took a moment to compose himself.

When the vertigo had subsided, he glanced up, furious. "Cas! What the actual fuck?! Where's my car?!"

"Dean." Tandy breathed. Her large, blue eyes were peering down at the angel, almost frightened.

Castiel was crouched on the ground, kneeling before them. He wheezed and attempted to right himself but lost his footing and stumbled to the left, catching himself on the gutter.

"Cas, are you okay, man?" Dean asked, concerned. Now that he could see Castiel in his entirety, it was obvious that he had been injured in battle. Gashes marked his body and light seemed to be weeping from small lacerations across his abdomen. What was more unsettling was that they did not appear to be healing, having come from a powerful weapon. An angel blade. So there was in-fighting amongst the cloud-hoppers now? What the hell was going on?!

"I'm fine." He rasped, attempting to stand once more. "Your vehicle is safe. I apologise for the sudden intrusion but we do not have time to waste. When I had discovered the other angels plans, that I had been deceived, that we had all been deceived, I came as quickly as I could."

"I'm sorry?!" Dean barked.

"Sam is inside." Castiel explained meekly. "With Lilith."

Dean frowned, confused.

"It's happening." The angel breathed.

Dean dragged his gaze across the darkened skies. It was only then that he realised that they were standing before what appeared to be an old convent. The building was dilapidated, eerie. For a place of worship, something about it seemed so unholy.

"What's happening?" Dean asked, unsheathing his gun, not that it would do him much good against Lilith, First Demon and Queen of the Damned.

"The final seal is about to be broken." Castiel wheezed.

"Lilith's death." Tandy whispered quietly, stringing together the pieces in her mind. "At Sam's hand."

Castiel nodded.

"Dude, why didn't you tell us all of this sooner?!" Dean yelled, feeling his well-suppressed fear clawing its way up his oesophagus.

"I told you, Dean, I came as quickly as I could." Castiel admonished, his deep voice silencing even the low din of wildlife around them. "Not all in Heaven want this to be stopped. I encountered a, well, what you humans would call a road block." He explained, incorrectly utilizing air-quotes on the word human's as opposed to road block. Had Dean not been so caught off guard, he may have even found the angels lack of worldly knowing's amusing.

Seeming to have recovered more quickly than the others, Tandy looked up, flustered and gripped the sleeve of Dean's shirt tightly. If that was true then they didn't have time for this. "We have to go." She urged. "Now."

Castiel nodded. "Go. I'll be behind you shortly." He ordered, looking pale.

Dean nodded sharply and gripped Tandy's hand tightly, clasping his gun in the other.

Together, carrying only the weapons that they had upon them before Castiel had zapped them, so suddenly, through existence, Dean and Tandy charged towards the front doors of the convent, not knowing what they would find on the other side, but fearing it nevertheless.