A/N – Hey guys, I'm still here. Hope you are too. I haven't beta'd or proofed this. I'm just going to jump right in. It might be a short-ish chapter, but it gets things moving. See you at the bottom.

Chapter song: Timeless – Airborne Toxic Event

As she disappeared alone in the darkness, I felt her spirit stay in the room.
And I wished that our lives were just endless 'cause it's all too short, and I'm leaving soon.


Frustrated, Dean shook his head. "None of this is making any sense."

Mary took a step forward, placed a gentle hand on his cheek, and smiled sadly. "I just wanted to get out. I wanted to be safe and have a family. The very worst thing I could have ever imagined was having my children raised the same way I was." Her tortured green eyes swept over to Sam and then back to Dean. "I'm so sorry, Dean, baby…"

And she was. In a way, it was her fault they were all standing there. If she had been honest with John from the very start … Bella swallowed back a lump in her throat as she listened to Mary explain the choices she'd made, all for the sake of protecting her family.

"But if you told Dad, he could have helped you stop him … kill Yellow Eyes," Sam said in that innocent way only he could pull off after seeing the things he'd seen.

"Oh, Sammy," Mary sighed, walking over to him and kissing the top of his forehead. "I'd do it all over again, just to have the chance to be in your lives … even if it was just for a little while." Sam wrapped his arms around his mother, tucking his head into her neck. "And to see the great men you've become … all the good that you do…" she pulled away and looked at Dean before trailing her gaze to Bella, who felt incredibly small in the corner of the room "…it was all worth it."

Dean huffed, scowling at his mother. "For what? For me to go to Hell? For Sammy to become one of Yellow Eye's special kids? For Dad to stop giving a damn about being a father and going on some crusade to avenge your death … a death you knew was going to happen!"

Flinching, Mary cast her eyes down to floor. "I'm sorry …"

Bella approached Dean and put a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes filled with compassion as she looked at Mary. "Dean, it's not her fault. Would you rather her have let John die … then you and Sam wouldn't…"

Smiling, Mary said, "It's okay, Bella. It is my fault, that's why I'm going to make it right. Dean, I can save you from going to Hell."

Eyes widening, Bella gasped. "What?"

Dean turned suspicious eyes towards Bella. "Don't act so surprised, sweetheart. That is the reason why you summoned her in the first place, right?"

"Yeah … I just … Well, we didn't get to the specifics so I wasn't sure if …"

"How do we do it?" Dean asked quickly, side-eying Bella before staring at his mother.

"There's a spell …" Mary made sure not to make eye contact with Bella before she continued. "A blood ritual. When the Hellhounds come for you, they will be on the trail of someone else."

"That's it?" Dean let out a dark chuckle. "We find some poor shmuck to switch places with me and it's a done deal?"

Sam stepped forward. "What about a demon?"

Dean shook his head with a grimace. "Demons don't have souls, Sammy. It won't work."

Bella looked down at her boots, focusing on the scuffs on the toes. She knew it had to be more than some poor shmuck with a soul … it had to be someone pure, someone that wouldn't break the first seal. Someone like her? She found it hard to believe that Mary and all the angels in Heaven were putting all their money on her. Did they even know who she was? A self-sabotaging, emotionally crippled, one-time wannabe vampire, hunter-fucking train wreck. Yeah, the fate of humanity depended on Bella. Just envisioning it in her head made her laugh. There was one thing that was pure: her love for Dean Winchester.

~o~

Sam looked up from the desk, his eyes tired from staring at a book for too long. "Well it's still something, Dean. This is good …"

Bringing a glass to his lips, Dean took a sip of his whiskey, sucking at his teeth to savor the flavor. "Sure, Sammy, it's great." His eyes traveled over to Bella sprawled out on Bobby's couch.

She was sleeping, but the heat of his stare awoke ever nerve ending on her body. Lust pumped through her veins finally rousing her. Propping her hands behind her, she sat up and faced Dean. As his face came into focus, she realized the burning behind his eyes wasn't passion. It was anger.

Dean tossed back the rest of the amber liquor and slammed the glass down on the desk Sam sat at. With his eyes never leaving Bella, he said, "A word?"

Swallowing thickly, Bella pushed herself off the couch and stood up. "Sure."

She walked over to Dean and stopped in front of him. He towered over her and she waited for him to speak. Reaching for her wrist, he gripped it tightly, leaning down and growling in her ear. "Alone."

He yanked her along, dragging her up the stairs to the room they shared. Bella went willingly, and she'd be lying if she said it didn't turn her on. Dean let go of her and the force of it caused Bella to stumble onto the bed. The backs of her knees hit the edge of the mattress and she made herself comfortable.

"You're hiding something."

Bella pushed her shoulders back and sat up straight. "No."

Two steps to close the gap, Dean stood in front of her, his hard, green eyes searing her from the inside out. As he watched her back stiffen and her cheeks flush, he knew she was getting to her. This could go one of two ways: she'd spill her guts or she'd punch him in the face.

"I might not be a cultured bloodsucker that can recite Jane Austen from memory, but I wasn't born yesterday. Whatever you think you're doing, just stop. I'm going to Hell, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Not you. Not Sammy. Not my freaking mother. This ends now."

Dean could pinpoint the exact moment her heart stopped—when his callous words fell from his lips. He didn't mean it that way. He just wanted Bella to stop wasting her time on empty hope.

Bella shot up from the bed, standing toe to toe with Dean. Narrowing her eyes, she spat, "You're right. It does end now. No point in sticking around and waiting for you to die."

He pursed his lips, his gaze searching her face for truth. Was she really just about to throw in the towel and be done? It's what Dean wanted, after all. Hell he could handle, but watching Bella fall apart, knowing he was the reason … that was something Dean would never survive. It was better this way. He just had to convince himself of that.

His girl waited. Her brown eyes fierce and blazing with fight. He knew she wanted him to say something, beg her to stay. And god did he want to, but he loved her too much. He knew if Bella rode this out to the end with him, she'd break. When time ran out, she'd shatter and blame herself for not finding another way. Bella would turn back into that broken shell of a girl that bloodsucker left in the woods. An eternity in Hell was nothing compared to the self-inflicted torture he'd endure. As long as she remained the same woman he fell in love with all was right in the world.

Dean had to physically tear his eyes away from her. The minute his gaze lowered, Bella pushed passed him. Stalking over to the closet, she yanked down a black duffle bag and began shoving clothes into it. He wanted to follow her around the room, stay as close to her as possible, savoring her presence before he lost it for good, but he wouldn't allow himself that luxury. He was a prick, breaking her heart. He didn't deserve it, and he certainly didn't deserve her.

As she rushed around the room, tossing anything of importance into her bag, Dean could feel her staring at him. He wouldn't look up. He couldn't trust himself not to scoop her in his arms and hold on to her until his time was up.

She purposely bumped into his shoulder as she crossed the room to the door. He didn't even budge. Dean counted her footsteps and as the bedroom door creaked open, he slowly turned around. Bella stared at him hard, like she was trying to throw one last punch for the knockout.

"I hate you, Dean Winchester."


E/N – Thems be fightin' words, Bella. Good news? I'm working on the next chapter as we speak. Reviews keep me motivated.