Hell To Pay

by belladonna78

Sequel to 'All Hell Breaks Loose'. Beth is now reeling from the fact that Dean sold his soul in order to get her out of the deal she made with the crossroads demon to bring Sam back to life. How will they cope with the sobering thought that in a year's time, Dean is going to Hell, and there's nothing they can do about it? Dean/OC. Slightly AU. Rated MA for smut

22. Time Is On My Side

You tell me to hold on
Oh you tell me to hold on
But innocence is gone
And what was right is wrong

'Cause I'm bleeding out
So if the last thing that I do
Is to bring you down
I'll bleed out for you
So I bare my skin
And I count my sins
And I close my eyes
And I take it in
And I'm bleeding out
I'm bleeding out for you, for you.

---

TIME IS ON MY SIDE

---

25 years ago
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

John's Journal

Dean still isn't talking, he barely leaves Sammy's side night or day. I haven't made things any easier in that situation either. Mary is dead, and I rely on my four year old son to look after his brother as I delve into the darkness to find some answers.

I've brought the boys to stay with Patrick and Grace for a week while I go with Hunter to track down a monster of Frankenstein proportions. We've been tracking it for a week now; we need to kill him before he can harm anyone else.

---

Present Day
Abandoned Cabin
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Beth's POV

I hovered in the back of the room near the entrance to the main part of the cabin while Dean and Sam took charge of the interrogation. The demon was silhouetted against the roaring open fire behind him, tied to a chair inside a devil's trap. We'd been at it for hours and gotten nowhere. This was round three after a half hour break in order to give the demon some time to think about its options.

Dean stepped up and threw holy water in his face, it burned like acid and he screamed, thrashing from side to side. I always cringed a little when we did this because at the end of the day, there was a human being inside there somewhere, just like I had once been trapped in my own body, forced to do things I would never have done: forced to kill.

"You ready to talk?" Dean asked, not appearing affected by what he was doing at all.

"I don't know. I don't know anything!" The man cried out.

"Oh, you hear that, Sam? He doesn't know anything," Dean said, raising his eyebrow at our brother.

"Yeah, I heard," Sam smirked, shaking his head.

"I'm telling you the truth," the demon said, looking from Sam to Dean.

"Oh, you are? My god, then I owe you an apology. Allow me to make it up to you," he stepped forward, grasping the man's chin and forcing his mouth open, tipping holy water down it. The man screamed again, thrashing his head from side to side as Dean stepped back.

"I'm gonna ask you one last time... who holds my contract?!"

The demon fell quiet, his head hanging low. When he looked up again, his eyes were the pitch black tar pits we were becoming increasingly familiar with. The sickness in my stomach always seemed worse when their eyes were black, maybe it was psychological, but the churning was still there regardless. I looked away, biting my lip and reciting the Litany of St Joseph over and over in my head.

"Your mother," the demon said with a smile. "Yeah, she, uh, showed it to me right before I bent her over."

His eyes faded back to normal and Dean leaned in close to him, getting in his face. "I want a name. Or else..."

"Or what?" The demon asked. "You're gonna squirt your holy water in both ends? Please. Brother, that's like a fleabite compared to what's coming to me if I tell you jack. Do what you want. The only thing I'm scared of is the demon holding your ticket," he said.

I stood up a little straighter, looking over with intrigue. So he did know something.

Dean stared at the demon for a moment, assessing him with stern eyes, and then looked at Sam who nodded and began reciting an exorcism.

"How does that feel? Does that feel good?" Dean asked.

"Go ahead!" The demon dared him as Dean walked around, standing behind Sam. "Send me back to Hell...'Cause when you get there, I'll be waiting for you... with a few pals who are dying for a nice little meet and greet with Dean Winchester." He chuckled, looking Dean in the eyes.

I gasped and Sam hesitated, looking at Dean. "Should I?" He asked.

Dean didn't even blink, watching the demon with stone-cold eyes. "Send him someplace he can't hurt anyone else," he said, turning away.

Sam started the exorcism again as Dean looked at the floor, shaking his head and pursing his lips tightly together. He glanced back over at the demon who was screaming as Sam finished the exorcism, and that's when I saw it. The same panic and terror that hit me when the demon promised to be waiting on the other side for Dean. He looked over at me, shaking his head and I bit my lip, crossing to him and slipping my arms around his neck, pulling him into me as he grasped my waist, holding me tight.

The host didn't make it. An hour later Dean and I were finishing up the burial, and I said a prayer over the body as he watched on, eyes a million miles away.

"Hey," I said, drawing his attention to me. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he said, but I could tell it was a lie.

I sighed, wrapping my arms around me and he watched me with a quiet reservation. "You know, maybe you don't want to sit in on these sessions Beth," he said quietly. I looked up and shook my head.

"Why would you say that?" I asked.

"Well, it's not exactly pretty what they're saying. But that demon was right, it's not like I have a lot of fans in Hell, it's not gonna be a party for me when I get pulled down there."

I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, nodding. "Yeah, you think I don't know that Dean?" I asked, running a hand through my hair.

"I'm just saying..."

"Well stop!" I cut in, frowning at him and coming around to wrap my arm around his waist, my other hand resting on his chest as I looked over at the cabin. "Just... stop. If you can do this, I can. I'm not leaving your side for a moment."

He smiled down at me, nodding and kissing my forehead, sliding his arm around me. "Okay... thank you," he said softly, pulling me toward the cabin. "Come on, let's get a drink."

We entered the cabin again and Sam was on the phone, talking to someone. He was finishing up the conversation as we entered, and he hung up, looking at us as Dean headed for the cooler, pulling out a couple of beers and handing one to me.

"Bury the body?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Looks like these demons ride 'em hard just for kicks," Dean answered with a sigh, opening and chugging on his beer before sitting down heavily on the old beat up couch.

"What was the phone call about?" I asked Sam, opening my own beer and taking a drink.

"Remember that thing in the paper yesterday?" He asked, looking from me to Dean, who shrugged.

"'Stripper suffocates dude with thighs?'" Dean quoted and I snickered, shaking my head and moving to sit down next to him.

"The other thing," Sam said with a roll of his eyes.

"Yeah, the uh, the guy who walked into the ER and knelt over dead? His stomach all ripped out?" I asked, shuddering at the image.

"His liver, actually. Anyways, I just found out something pretty damn interesting," Sam answered.

"What?"

"The dead body covered in bloody fingerprints? Not the victims," he said.

"Okay, great," Dean said, waving his hand in the air. "My man Dave Caruso will be stoked to hear it." I grinned and shook my head.

Undeterred by our attitudes, Sam battled on with the finding. "Those fingerprints match a guy who died in 1981," he said.

"Really. So, what are we talking? Uh, walking dead? Walking, killing dead?" Dean asked, sitting forward a little, his interest piqued.

"Maybe," Sam said.

"Zombies do like the other other white meat," Dead said thoughtfully, looking at me and taking a drink of his beer. "Huh. Speaking of, what do you care about zombies?" This was a valid and fair question given Sam's entire priority had been Dean this last month.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, playing it coy.

"Well, you've been on soul-saving detail for months now. And we're three weeks out, and all of a sudden you're interested in some hot zombie action?" Dean asked.

"Hey, man, you're the one who's been all gung ho to hunt. I just thought I'd be doing you a favour," Sam countered defensively.

Dean stood up slowly, shaking his head. "Hey, no, no, no, no, no. I didn't say I didn't want to do it, okay. I mean obviously I want to hunt some zombies," he said, looking at Sam.

"Okay, fine, whatever," Sam said with a smirk.

Dean nodded, flashing a slightly excited look at me like he always did. Werewolves and Zombies, they were two of Dean's favourite things to hunt, there'd be no keeping him from this.

---

Present Day
Coroner's Lab
Erie, Pennsylvania

Dean's POV

As soon as we learned about the zombie, we set a course for Erie. It was nice to have something different to focus on other than demons for a change. The whole chasing our tails thing was starting to bother me, if we didn't get a break soon I was going to be doing the Salsa in the fiery pits of Hell, and then there was going to be no hope for me, regardless of what I told Beth.

The coroner was a no nonsense older guy who looked at the three of us like we were fresh out of the police academy.

"Yeah, the rest of the body was intact. The liver was the only organ missing," he confirmed with Sam, following his questions.

"Now, where the liver was ripped out, did you happen to notice any... ah... teeth marks?" I asked, looking at him a little hopeful.

The Coroner gave us all a look as if we'd lost our minds and raised an eyebrow. "Can I see your badges?" He asked.

"Of course, sure," Sam said helpfully, and we all pulled out our recent acquisitions, local police badges and all. He took a look at each of them and frowned.

"Fine. So you're cops and morons," he said, looking at us.

"Excuse me?" I protested. "No, no. We're very smart," I insisted. Beth smirked and shook her head and I looked at her offended.

"The liver was not ripped out." The Coroner said, moving over to the far wall, and pulling open the door to where the bodies were kept. He pulled out the tray with the dead doctor on it. "It was removed. Surgically." He said, pulling back the sheet that was covering the body to reveal a deep straight incision in the side of the body. "By someone who knew their way around a scalpel. Didn't you read my report?" The Coroner asked, looking at us like we'd just wasted about an hour of his time.

"Of course we did," I insisted, nodding at Sam and Beth. "Oh, it was riveting. A was a real page-turner, just delightful," I added, digging my hole even deeper.

"You done?" He asked me with a smirk.

"I think so," I said, nodding.

"Please go away," he requested.

"Okay," I muttered and Beth took my arm, pulling me toward the door.

"Sure," Sam said, following us closely.

Walking out in to the hospital proper I wrinkled my nose up at that disinfectant smell. I hated hospitals. It was a pity we tended to spend so much time in them interviewing people. It all stemmed back to when I'd died and although I didn't remember any of it, Beth had told me enough to know that I'd been on the run from a reaper, and I should have died. Dad selling his soul had been the only way I'd come back, and looking down the barrel of Hell myself now, I didn't know if it was worth it. Maybe that which died should actually stay dead.

I glanced over at Sam who was smiling as we walked along the corridor.

"What?" I asked him, frowning.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "So that kind of punches a hole in our zombie theory, huh, that scalpel thing?"

I looked at him and he was still half-smiling, why did that just seem off to me? Beth raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged, shaking her head.

"Yeah, zombie with skills, 'Dr Quinn, Medicine Zombie'" I said getting a chuckle out of her; at least I could still make someone laugh.

"Maybe we're on the wrong track, Dean, looking for hacked-up corpses," Beth said quietly, deep in thought. Sam nodded at her, skipping ahead of us slightly.

"Yeah, yeah I think you're right Beth," he said.

"What should we be looking for?" I asked, confused. It wasn't as if there were that many options going around here.

"Survivors," Beth said, looking over at me. "This isn't zombie lunch. This is organ theft."

---

25 Years Ago
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Grace's POV

It had been several years since I'd seen Dean and he didn't remember us. He was so big now, almost five years old, his birthday falling in just a few weeks' time. Sam I'd never seen, and I looked at him in my arms with a sadness that Mary had been taken so early from their lives.

Dean hovered nearby, as I fed Sam a bottle, watching me like a hawk.

"It's okay Dean, I won't hurt him," I said with a smile. Sam started to cry in my arms and I sat him up a little and burped him over my shoulder. The crying didn't stop, and Dean started to look anxiously at me. I stood up, pacing back and forth along the carpet, humming softly to Sam as I went.

Poor Sam had a serious case of colic, because he just cried and cried no matter what I did. After about ten minutes Dean pushed in front of me, his green eyes flashing at me in distress. He didn't talk; John had said he hadn't spoken more than a few words since the fire.

"Dean, what is it?" I asked, stopping. He gestured at me to hand him Sam, and I frowned, but did as requested. As soon as he was in his brother's arms, Sam calmed down. Dean moved from side to side, rocking Sam and then sitting down on the armchair I'd just vacated.

"Well I'll be," I said. "You have a real gift there Dean." He smiled up at me and nodded, brushing a little hand across Sam's forehead as he hummed to his brother. Ella came bursting into the room all energy and excitement to see the kids here. Her face burst into a smile and she pointed at Dean and Sam on the chair.

"Baby!" She said, nodding and walking over to the boys. She peered down at Sam and I watched as Dean looked at her, frowning at her first, and then relaxing when she calmed down and stared at the baby. She reached out a hand to touch Sam's forehead and smiled. "Baaaaby," she cooed. Dean smirked and shook his head at her. Ella paused and looked around her. After a moment she smiled and looked back at Sam. "Baby okay," she said with a nod, determined. She patted Dean's hand and smiled. "Baby okay." Then she walked out of the room, leaving me to stare after her.

I didn't know where she'd gotten that comment from; especially given the Angels were saying that anything but 'okay' was the case with this baby. Only Dean seemed to calm him down, John said he did nothing but cry since Mary had died, as if there was a darkness inside of him that wouldn't abate. I found myself hoping that Ella's messages were true, because she had a way of seeing the goodness in things that not many did, even at such a young age.

Dean looked up at me, rocking the now sleeping Sam in his arms. He looked so tired, exhausted emotionally and physically from all the travelling John was putting them through. I sighed, wishing John would see reason and stay here with us. Maybe when this hunt was over we could talk some sense into him, these boys needed a home, stability and people to love them.

I walked out into the kitchen and lit a candle I kept on the window sill, watching its light reflect against the darkness that was growing outside. With a deep reverence and love in my heart, I prayed for those two boys; I prayed they would find goodness in their lives, that they would have the opportunity to love and be loved, to help others and that they would receive loving help and assistance when it was needed from the angels, and from people, even when it was least expected.

---

Present Day
Erie, Pennsylvania
Hospital

Beth's POV

The patient was getting irritated with our questioning and I couldn't say that I blamed him. He sighed and looked at Sam, who had been leading the interview.

"I told the cops all of this yesterday. I don't want to talk about it anymore," he said stubbornly.

Sam was writing in his notebook, looking up and smiling encouragingly at the man. "It's just a couple of questions, sir," he said and the patient rolled his eyes, looking fed up.

"Hey, man. I just got my kidney stolen. I'm tired," he complained.

"We'll be out of here quick," I said, stepping forward and smiling at him. "Don't you want to get the guy?"

"Will it get me my kidney back?" He asked, looking at me sarcastically. I glanced at Dean and he rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly at the guy's attitude. Sam took over the questioning again, giving him the puppy dog look.

"So what's the last thing you remember?" He asked, paper and pen poised to take notes. The patient sighed.

"Feeding my meter. I got jumped from behind...and then I wake up strapped to a table," he said, swallowing hard and looking over at me. "And then the worst pain you could possibly imagine, only worse. And then I black out again. Thank God," he said, his forehead wrinkling almost in disbelief. "And then I wake up screaming in some no-tell motel in a bathtub full of ice!" He looked at us and I'm sure I paled a little bit at the thought. It sounded terribly familiar, like something out of an urban legend.

"Do you remember anything about the surgery – you know, what the guy looked like, any details about the room?" Dean asked.

"Let me think about that," the patient said snarkily. "Yeah... one thing is coming back to me. You know what I remember? Getting my kidney cut out of my body!"

---

Present Day
Erie, Pennsylvania
Motel Room

Beth's POV

We'd stopped for burgers on the way back to the motel. Dean and I were sitting at the table, happily unwrapping our double meat, double cheese, extra bacon and lettuce burgers. Sam was looking up information on the laptop, ignoring the food and stating that he wasn't hungry.

"So, I got a theory," Sam said as Dean and I bit into our dinner.

"Yeah?" Dean asked around a mouthful of food, looking at him curiously.

"Yeah. I talked to Mr Giggle's doctor," Sam said. "Turns out his incisions were sewn up with silk." I frowned at this new piece of information.

"That's weird," I commented before taking a bite of my own food and munching away.

"Yeah, nowadays it is, but silk used to be the suture of choice back in the early 19th century," Sam said, spinning the laptop to face us where we could read the information on the screen. I leaned forward to see an article on silk suturing.

"It was really problematic," Sam explained. "Patients would get massive infections. The death rate was insane."

Dean swallowed a mouthful of his food and grimaced. "Good times," he muttered, grinning over at me.

"Right," Sam said, continuing on with a nod. "So doctors, they had to do whatever they could to keep infections from spreading. One way was maggots."

I glanced at my food, grimacing. Dean had the same thought, frowning at Sam. "Dude, I'm eating," he pointed out.

Sam ignored us, continuing on with his newfound information. "It actually kind of worked because maggots, they eat bad tissue and they leave good tissue. And get this. When they found our guy, his body cavity was stuffed full of maggots."

I groaned, completely turned off my food now. "Sam! I was eating!" I said, sighing and wrapping the food up again. I simply couldn't bring myself to look at food right now. Dean snorted and shook his head at me.

"All right, let me get this straight," he said thoughtfully. "So, people are getting ganked, right?"

"Yeah."

"A little Antiques Roadshow surgery, some organ theft. Why is this all sounding familiar?" He asked.

"Because you heard it before. When you were a kid...from Dad." Sam said. I looked at him curiously. The specifics of this case were starting to come back to me, and they were confirmed when Sam spun John's journal around to face us. I suddenly recalled having read about a case like this. "Doc Benton...real-life doctor, lived in New Hampshire, brilliant and obsessed with alchemy, especially how to live forever. So, in 1816, Doc abandons his practice and..."

"Right, yeah," Dean said, nodding and taking the journal in hand, discarding his burger. "Nobody hears from him for like twenty years, and all of a sudden, people start showing up dead," Dean explained to me and I nodded.

"Dead or – or missing an organ or the hand or some other kind of part," Sam clarified.

"So, whatever he was doing was actually working? He just kept on ticking? Parts wear out and he's replacing them?" I asked, looking from Sam to Dean.

Dean nodded. "But Dad hunted him down and took his heart out," Dean said.

"Yeah, I guess the Doc must have plugged in a new one," Sam said with a shrug.

"What?" I shuddered, chills running down my body. "Damn."

"All right," Dean said with a nod, seemingly convinced by Sam's account and putting down the journal "Where's he doing the deed?"

"According to this, Benton's picky about where he sets up his lab. He likes dense forest with access to a river or stream or some kind of freshwater."

Dean took another huge bite out of his burger and I could see the question forming in his mind. I cut him off before he had to talk around his mouthful. "Why?" I asked.

"Because that's where he likes to dump the bile and intestines and fecal matter," Sam said with a laugh as Dean looked disgustedly at him, lowered his burger, gagging a bit. I grimaced at him, long since forgotten about my own food.

"Lost your appetite yet? I know I have," I muttered with a sigh.

Dean looked at me, considering the question as he looked from the burger and then back to me, then back at the burger.

He smiled, looking at the burger in his hands. "Oh baby, I can't stay mad at you," he said with a grin, taking another huge bite and staring at Sam as he chewed. I shook my head and got up; thinking maybe a coffee would make do until I could stomach food again.

---

25 Years Ago
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Patrick's POV

Grace was looking at me as if I had lost my mind. I sighed and stared back at her. "Well he's just going to keep searching for some other way unless we help him," I said, and watched as she shook her head.

"You want to help him? You want to help him keep doing this to the children?" Grace asked, looking incredulously at me. "He needs therapy Patrick! We should be getting him that kind of help, not encouraging him on this ridiculous quest to avenge Mary."

I ran a frustrated hand through my hair and sighed, crossing my arms over my chest. "Jim is a good man, he can help him – maybe that's what he needs. It might bring all of this to an end."

Grace blew out an angry breath, scowling. "You hunters, all you see is the hunt. You don't pay any attention to what it does to the loved ones around you. Even Mary, look at what happened to her, she gave up hunting and you pulled her back in Patrick!"

"It was her choice!" I snapped at her.

"Yeah, but she wouldn't have gone if you hadn't asked."

I groaned at her, shaking my head. "Grace, please, this isn't about hunting and you know it," I accused. She flashed angry eyes at me.

"We've been happy here, haven't we?" She asked, getting up from the kitchen bench and coming around to look at me uncertainly.

"Yeah baby, I'm happy, aren't you?" I asked, brushing my hand down along her face and smiling at the little sigh it brought to her lips.

"I don't want to lose you Patrick, not again," she whispered. "If you go with John...the Winchesters...they bring nothing but pain to this family."

"It's just to take him to see Jim, that's all. I'm not going on the road with him Grace." I said. She sighed and looked up at me with her bright blue eyes.

"Then why do I have such a bad feeling about any of this? Why can't you all just stop?! There's no future in hunting, how can you raise a family? How can you possibly keep us all safe when you go deliberately looking for creatures that most of the time want to eat us?" She looked at me with tears in her eyes, shaking her head in frustration. "How many times do our friends and family have to die, like Mary, before you get it through your thick head Patrick? There is no future in hunting."

I took her arms in my hands, stroking along her skin with soft, delicate movements. "Okay," I said quietly. "If you really want me to stop, I will. But I'm going to take John to Blue Earth first."

She smiled at me, and nodded at the compromise. "I just want you here with us; I don't want to end up like Mary – my child on the road all the time. It would break my heart."

I nodded and took her in my arms, kissing her forehead softly. Maybe she was right; maybe it was time to lay it all down. That last hunt after a succubus with Mary eighteen months ago had been brutal, and I'd come close to death – the first time in a long time. I couldn't blame Grace for being worried, she was right; a hunter's life never seemed to end well.

---

Present Day
Erie, Pennsylvania
Motel Room

Dean's POV

The cackling laughter of a demon caused me to wake with a start, and I found myself sitting up, breathing heavily and looking around in the darkness at the motel room. More and more we'd been spending the nights alone, and tonight I was extremely grateful for it. Beth was lying next to me, lost to sleep, and I watched her in the darkness with a sigh of relief as her rhythmic breathing caused her chest to rise and fall.

I lay alongside her, trailing my eyes along the curves of her body, and watching her while the images from my latest nightmare played through my head. I tried to force them out of my mind, to shut it behind a wall that I was building and refusing to look at, but it didn't work, the screams still echoed in my head. Reaching out a hand I ran it along Beth's hip and down over her thigh. She shifted in her sleep, waking up at the touch, sighing softly and turning to look at me with sleepy eyes.

"Hey... are you okay?" She asked, reaching a hand out to run it along my arm. I didn't answer straight away, brushing my fingers along the soft skin at her waist. It was like caressing nothing else I'd ever felt, and I commit it to memory. Rolling her on to her back, she moaned a little but didn't resist.

"Dean..." she said, looking up at me as I hovered over. She stopped, looking at my eyes, and I couldn't tell what she saw there, but she suddenly appeared concerned, trying to sit up. "Hey... what is it?"

I silenced her with a kiss, lingering yet firm, and she moaned while she kissed me back with an insistence that met my own. Time wasn't an issue, I wanted to go slow, kissing every inch of her body as I listened to her gasp and moan in response. Taking a nipple in my mouth, I teased it with my tongue, squeezing it between my lips as I sucked gently. Beth arched underneath me, body rising to meet my lips and hands as I pressed against her.

"Oh Dean..." she moaned. It was all I needed.

I knelt back on the bed, looking down at her in the light that was coming from the bathroom where Beth had left it on. With long, firm strokes I ran my hands the length of her body, down over her stomach, down her thighs and calves until I reached her ankles, circling them and teasing her skin before repeating the process in reverse. As I reached her breasts I stopped, taking them in my hands and massaging them, again drawing a long soft moan from her.

Sliding my body along hers, hands joined above her head as I kissed her, it dawned on me that I didn't want to just have sex tonight; we'd done that enough through the years. There was an ache in my chest as I looked at her, staring into eyes that watched me with unabashed affection and love. I wanted to make love to this woman, to my wife, and never stop.

Her mouth found mine, and I moaned, thinking about how she has the softest lips of any woman I'd ever kissed. I parted those lips with my tongue, exploring her mouth slowly, drinking from her as if she were the last glass of water on a desert island. I trailed kisses along her jaw and nibbled at her earlobe, my breathing starting to catch as I moaned my desire into her ear.

"I need you," I whispered, kissing my way back down to her breasts, taking an engorged nipple in my mouth and drawing down harder on it, listening as her breath caught and then she started to breathe faster, hands locking in my hair as she arched to me. I sucked and nibbled, kissed and pulled on it hungrily, my desire growing hot and heavy as I fought to draw this out, torturing her. I could hear her short, shallow breaths as her nipple swelled in my mouth. My left hand trailed down her side until I found the little path inwards at her pelvis, tracing along the soft, smooth skin until I found her wet and wanting.

Beth whimpered a little as I drew back, releasing the nipple from my mouth. I grinned, taking a mouthful of skin at her neck and sucking softly as I moved back up her body while my fingers slid between her folds, brushing across her clitoris and dragging out the playing.

"Tease..." she breathed with a moan.

"Mhmmm," I murmured into her skin, sliding a finger inside of her.

Her arching body drove me crazy as I pressed against her, delighting in the way she moved against me. I couldn't get enough of her these days, every stolen moment building on the last until I was craving her all the time.

Groaning in frustration, Beth pushed me off her and rolled me on to my back. Her long flowing hair tickled my face and chest as she hovered over me, smiling. She took my left hand in hers, kissing along my palm and up over my wedding ring, holding it to her cheek as she closed her eyes and smiled before kissing it again and letting my hand fall.

When she leaned over me, her eyes meeting mine, I saw a haunted look behind her loving expression. "Dean..." She said, reaching out and touching my face. "I love you," she whispered and it drew a smile from me. She grinned, raising my hands above my head and holding them there, never taking her eyes off me.

She was wet and ready, rubbing herself across my tip and then taking me inside of her. I groaned, my eyes rolling into the back of my head as I fought against her hands holding me at my wrists. She began raising herself up and down, pushing me deep inside of her as I watched; I was captivated by the way her hair fell across her face, the rise and fall of her breasts as she moved.

Soon her eyes started to glaze over with that look I knew only too well, coupled with her erratic breathing. She released my hands, sliding her own down my chest and balancing to drive harder against me. I gripped her hips, pulling her down at the same time I thrust up into her, arching to meet every movement.

"God Beth," I groaned, as she cried out, gasping and her legs starting to tremble, she held on to me, shaking uncontrollably as I moved and felt the sliding grind of our bodies thrusting together. I felt my release building and then it exploded in a heated rush. I gasped for breath, holding her tight and thrusting as I pumped into her over and over.

Completely spent, she fell down into my arms and I pulled her close to me, her hand trailing down my chest. She buried her face into my neck, kissing the soft skin she found there and I moaned again, loving every touch. We lay like this for a while, stroking each other's skin in long languishing caresses that caused my skin to ache for more.

"Tell me about the first time you realised you wanted to do something more to me than beat me up," she said, looking up at me and smiling.

I groaned, laying my head back against the pillow. "Really?" She replied with a nod.

"You first," I countered with a raised eyebrow.

"Mmm, okay," she said, wriggling around so that her arms were resting on my chest, her chin propped up so she could look at me. "It was when you guys found me... and I was in the bathroom washing my hands. Do you remember?"

I nodded with a smile and put my arm under my head so I could look down at her easier.

"You were doing a Lady MacBeth," I said quietly, brushing my other hand along her face. She closed her eyes, leaning in to my touch and nodding silently.

"You took my hands, and you made me stop, and I knew that my life was never going to be the same again. All I could think about from that moment on was your hands, and how warm they were, how much I wanted you to touch me. And how much I shouldn't be thinking that because you were totally, completely out of my league."

"I was never out of your league sugarpie," I said as I leaned down to kiss her forehead, chuckling. "I can go you one better," I said with a grin.

"Oh?" She asked with a laugh.

"Mmmm," I nodded. "I didn't figure it out until much later, but when you fell, after the demon was exorcised from you, and I caught you? You looked up at me with these big brown doe eyes, complete trust that I wasn't going to drop you, or hurt you. Something tightened inside of me, and then you passed out. I picked you up, putting you on the couch, and while Dad was doing his thing, I sat with you, watching over you. Somehow I just knew that was my job, to watch over you, just like I did Sam."

"You never told me that," she said, tilting her head at me.

"I never told anyone that until now," I confessed, leaning down to kiss her again. "I will always watch over you."

"As for the first time I wanted to jump your bones... try that moment when Dad walked in on us after that trip away, and you were running around in a towel... and he made us promise nothing was going on. I was denying it all over, but man that was when I started thinking about it more and more," I said with a smile.

Beth smiled and nodded "Yeah, I was kind of feeling the same way," she confessed, cuddling up to me and sighing. "I never want to let you go," she said quietly, pulling me tightly against her.

"I know, me neither." I said, stroking along her face. She yawned and I followed suit, we'd had so little sleep lately it was starting to catch up on us. I turned her on to her side so that I could slide in behind her, pulling her snuggly in against me, my arm around her waist. She slid her hand over mine, twisting the ring on my finger and sighing happily. I smiled and nuzzled the back of her neck, kissing it lightly.

"Get some sleep," I told her, "I'll be right here in the morning."

"Promise?"

"Promise," I said, kissing her again and settling in against the pillow. I heard her breathing even out as she started to slip into the dream world, holding my hand as she slept.

Three weeks, it wasn't long enough. It would never be long enough. We were losing this race. I fought off the rising panic that came into my chest whenever I thought about it, shoving it deep below where I wouldn't have to look at it.

I focused instead on the woman in my arms, the rise and fall of her chest and shoulders as she breathed, and I kissed her neck again, moving in closer so that I was pressed along the length of her body, my arm across her chest, my legs tangled with hers and a pressing arousal already jumping to attention again as it snuggled into her buttocks.

With a groan I started to stroke along her stomach and down to her groin again, listening as her breathing picked up and she stirred in my arms. "Really?" She mumbled softly and I slipped a finger into her folds where she was still wet and excited.

"Mhmmm," I murmured. This time I was going to go a lot slower, I had the energy to go all night suddenly, and I chuckled, thinking about what a delicious drawn out love-making session that could be.

Rolling on to her back so she could wrap her arms around my neck Beth groaned, catching my lower lip between her teeth and giggling. "Thank God we got our own room then," she said, starting to kiss her way sleepily along my jawline to my neck where she nuzzled in with soft, feathery kisses. I nodded, groaning my agreement and started to stroke her more firmly. Oh this was going to be fun.

---

Present Day
Erie, Pennsylvania
Motel Room

Dean's POV

Morning dawned and I was in exactly the same spot when we woke, as when we'd fallen asleep. When I felt her stir, I snuggled in to kiss the back of her neck.

"Good morning," I murmured before she'd even wiped the sleep out of her eyes.

"Morning," she mumbled back at me with a smile. "What time is it?"

"Sex o'clock," I said, grinning and starting to kiss my way down her body. Beth groaned wearily but that soon changed to a gasp of pleasure as I hit her centre, licking along her folds and taking that sensitive little nub in my mouth.

"God Dean! You're going to break me!" She said after a long moan. I chuckled, licking her again and looking up at her. Nothing like a little bit of a romp in order to work up an appetite, and I was already plenty hungry.

A few hours later, when Beth got back from the diner down the street she was carrying bagels and a variety of spreads for them. My stomach growled hungrily at them as she started to set them out on the table. Sam was showing me a map where he had circled several areas of wooded terrain; he'd actually been working last night, unlike some of us.

"So these are all the cabins. Most of them have been abandoned for years," Sam said and I looked up, throwing Beth a smile as she handed me a coffee.

"So what the hell are we waiting for?" I asked, slipping my fingers along Beth's as I took the coffee from her. She smiled at me and then looked across the room as my phone started to ring.

I looked curiously at the phone, wondering who might be calling us at this point. We had a lot of feelers out there on the demon contract, maybe today would be our lucky day. I especially thought this was the case when I saw who was calling.

"Bobby," I said, looking up at Beth who stopped what she was doing to listen.

"Hey. Think I finally got a bead on Bela," he said and I felt my heart skip a beat.

"I'm listening."

"Rufus Turner," he said and I shrugged.

"Who's that? Like a Cleveland steamer?" I asked with a chuckle.

"He's a hunter, or he used to be," Bobby said.

"And now?"

"Hermit mostly. Does a little selling on the side. Anyway. I put the word out on Bela months ago. He just called. Said a woman got in touch, wanted to buy some things." Bobby continued.

"And he thinks it's Bela?" I asked, looking up as Beth startled, almost dropping her coffee at the mention of the woman's name.

"British accent, went by the name Mina Chandler."

"She's used that before," I replied, my heart leaping into my throat a little. "Well, it's kind of a sloppy move, isn't it? Getting in contact with one of your old friends?" I asked.

"Friend? Haven't laid eyes on him in years. Cole's visited him from time to time but he and I aren't exactly on talking terms anymore. I doubt Bela would have any idea that I know him." He paused, and I considered this information, starting to get excited.

"Okay, where?"

"Canaan, Vermont," was the reply.

"Thanks Bobby. We're on our way." I answered.

"One other thing. Take a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue," he instructed and I raised an eyebrow, expensive tastes, I could appreciate that.

"Okay," I said, hanging up. Beth was already packing, tossing our things into bags and I had to smile, she was right on to it. Sam was standing in the middle of the room like a big lump of wood, staring at me.

"Come on. We're going after Bela," I said to him.

"What? Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a second," Sam said, holding out his hand.

"Come on. Get your stuff. The clock's ticking," I reiterated, moving to help Beth with gathering our things, but he still didn't move.

"Look, I think we should stay here and finish the case," Sam said.

Beth looked up at him and frowned. "Are you insane?" She asked.

"Guys, there's no way she still has the Colt! That was months ago! She probably sold it the second she got it," Sam argued and I stopped long enough to look at him and sigh.

"Well, then I'll kill her. Win-win," I said, shrugging into my jacket. Beth had finished packing up our stuff and was zipping up my duffel bag. I moved to collect hers which she'd tossed on the floor, while Sam continued to argue at us.

"Dean..."

"Sam. We're going!" I said adamantly.

"No!" Sam argued.

"Why the Hell not?" I asked, standing up and looking at him.

"Dean, this, this here. Now. This is what's gonna save you," Sam said.

"What? Chasing some Frankenstein?"

"Chasing immortality," Sam said. Beth stopped what she was doing next to me to turn and stare at Sam in the same manner I was. "Look, Benton can't die. We find out how he did it, we can do it to you."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. Beth shook her head, looking at me.

"You have to die before you can go to Hell," she said softly, looking at me. "So, if you can't die, then..." The ramifications of what she was saying hit home with a blow and I shook my head.

"Wait, wait, wait. Wait a second," I said, looking at Sam. "Did you know that this was Doc Benton from the jump?"

"No," Sam answered. I stared at him, tilting my head and raising an eyebrow at him. I didn't believe him for a second. Sam caved. "Look, I was hoping," he confessed.

"So the whole zombie thing, it was lying to me?"

"I didn't want to say anything until I was sure, Dean. All I'm trying to do is find an answer here," he said.

"No. What you're trying to do is chase Slicy McHackey here. And to kill him? No. You wanna buy him a freaking beer. You wanna study him!"

"I was just trying to help," Sam said.

"You're not helping! You forget that if I welch on this deal, you die, and Beth goes to Hell instead. Guess what, living forever is welching!" I said, looking over at Beth, feeling a slight panic.

"So she takes the immortality thing too, maybe we all do!" Sam said.

"Who are you, Jim Jones?" I asked, shaking my head at him. "No. It's just like Bobby's been saying. We kill the demon who owns the contract and this whole damn thing wipes clean. That's our best shot."

"Even if you had the Colt, Dean, who are you gonna shoot? We have no idea who holds the ticket," Sam said. I paused and looked at Beth who looked like she was starting to waver, but I wasn't going there.

"Well, I'll shoot the hellhounds then, before they slash me up. Now, you coming or not?" I asked, walking toward the door with Beth's and my bags.

"I'm staying here," Sam answered quietly. I turned and caught Beth's gaze, she was biting her lip, looking worriedly at Sam.

"No, you're not. 'Cause we're not gonna let you wander out in the woods alone to track some organ stealing freak!"

"You're not gonna let me?" Sam asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow at me.

"No, I'm not gonna let you."

"How are you gonna stop me?" Sam asked, and I looked at him, taken aback by the attitude. "Look, man, we're trying to do the same thing here."

I sighed, and nodded. "I know. But I'm going. So if you wanna stay... stay," I said, looking at him, hoping he'd change his mind. This was madness, chasing this freak of a creature; there was no way in the world I could bring myself to resort to that kind of insanity.

Sam stared at the wall stubbornly. I looked past him at Beth who hadn't moved.

"Please tell me you're not staying too," I said to her. She bit her lip, looking hesitantly at Sam and shaking her head, walking past him.

"Sammy, come on, come with us," she said, coming to stand between the pair of us. Sam shook his head, not saying anything.

I shrugged and slung Beth's bag over my shoulder, opening the door. Sam still didn't move. I walked out and Beth hesitated, causing me to stop.

"Be careful Sammy," she said quietly, looking at our little brother.

Sam turned to look at us both and sighed. "You too," he said softly.

His eyes rose to meet mine and I watched him, making sure this was really what he wanted. I knew it was, he was determined and stubborn, just like Dad – hell just like all of us.

We walked out to the car and Beth peered at me across the roof of the Impala as she opened the door.

"We're doing the right thing," I said to her, trying to convince myself.

"Yeah, I know we are Dean."

"You looked like you wanted to stay with Sam."

"No, I want to go after Bela, I just don't want to leave him to chase Benton on his own," she said and I nodded, thinking about that.

"Yeah, well... he's a big boy now. We can't force him." I said with a sigh.

"You could try cuffing him to the bed like you did me?" She said with a laugh, getting in the car and looking out through the open driver's door at me.

I chuckled and climbed into the car, leaning across to kiss her. "You're never gonna let me live that down are you?"

"Nope," she said with a grin, kissing me again. "Not in a million years."

---

25 Years Ago
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Grace's POV

Ella's giggling caught my attention before the realisation that something had happened in the playroom, something that we hadn't heard since the boys had arrived here.

"Sammy," Dean was saying to Ella who was sitting with him on the floor, the baby spread out on the sheepskin rug between them.

"Saamee" Ella copied, pointing to Sam who cooed and giggled at the pair of them.

I stood in the doorway, watching unobtrusively, as the three of them played. Dean smiled at Ella and nodded. "That's right."

"Dean," he said, pointing to his chest and Ella tilted her head to the side.

"Den!" She said dutifully.

"No, Dean," the young boy said, shaking his head.

"Den!" Ella said again, giggling and standing up.

Dean shook his head again at her, but he was smiling. It was the first time I'd seen him smile a genuine, affectionate smile. It was definitely the first time I'd heard him talk.

"Deeeaaan" He said again, drawing out the vowels.

Ella frowned at him a little and walked around to face him, looking at him thoughtfully.

"Deeean," she said finally and he laughed, nodding at her. She smiled, clapping her hands and jumping up and down excitedly. She looked around her again and then sat next to him, both of them looking at Sam on the rug.

"He's my little brother," Dean said to Ella who listened intently to him. "I have to look after him... it's my job." A sob caught in my throat as I heard that, anger rising in my chest at John for putting such a burden on a child. How could he do that? His grief was clouding his vision, and he was at serious risk of destroying the lives of these children.

My hair stood up on the back of my neck and I sighed, knowing they were talking to me. I stopped my mind chatter and listened to the voices, tuning in as I'd learned to do, making out one voice in particular. I listened as I heard stories of destiny, but my mind was only on the horror I was feeling that these boys might grow up to be hunters.

Mary and Patrick had been raised in the hunt, and she'd tried to get out but even when she did, something came along and lured her back in. Like the creature that had nearly sucked the life out of Patrick on their last hunt before we left Kansas – Ella had been only two. They'd been missing for days, and when he returned, things had irrevocably changed. Mary couldn't even look me in the eyes from the guilt – he'd nearly died protecting her.

Now, a little over a year and a half later I was staring at what remained of her family, and I felt my own guilt at the anger I had borne her.

Ella looked curiously at Dean, almost as if she understood what he was saying. Then without warning she smiled, leaning down to hug him.

"Dean okay," she said with a clap of her hands, nodding at him.

Dean smiled, looking up at her and then noticing me in the doorway. He cleared his throat and smiled briefly at me. I stepped into the room and crossed over to the children.

"Is she bothering you Dean?" I asked, crouching down to their level.

Dean shook his head at me, looking down at Sam again.

"Okay, well, it's nearly lunch time, what do you say I make up some spaghetti and meatballs?" Dean nodded and smiled at me.

"Pie!" Ella shouted, clapping her hands, causing Dean to laugh.

"Pie? After lunch," I said to them both, shaking my head with a chuckle. "Come on, let's get you both cleaned up."

Ella took Dean's hand as they walked to the bathroom to wash up for lunch, and I carried Sam, following slowly behind them. They were cute together and I found myself thinking about how nice it would be for John to stay here and raise the kids with us – to forget the hunt which would only bring heart break and suffering.

It would be nice for Ella to have a couple of brothers to play with, I'd never been able to have more children, lucky to have carried her to full term; she was my miracle baby, but she was lonely and I yearned for a house full of children that she could play with.

Maybe I could get John to see reason when he returned.

---

Present Day
Canaan, Vermont

Beth's POV

When we arrived Dean took a long look at the cabin and sized it up. He handed me the bottle of scotch and then climbed out of the car, climbing the tall stairs to the porch, I followed at a slower pace. There was a handwritten sign on the door that read No solicitors, that means you! No asking for donations. No selling ANYTHING! Dean shrugged at it and rang the buzzer nearby, banging on the security door when nobody answered.

A whirring noise started and I glanced up to see a security camera moving to look at us.

"What?" Came a grumpy voice over the intercom.

"Hi, uh, Rufus?" Dean said uncertainly into the speaker.

"Yeah, even if I am, the question is still the same. What?"

"Uh, I'm Dean Winchester, this is Beth, we're friends of Bobby Singer's," Dean said, looking back at me.

"So?"

"You called him this morning," I said, stepping up to the speaker.

"So?"

Dean and I exchanged an amused look. Grumpy hermit was an understatement when it came to this guy.

"Uh..." Dean looked up, grinning at the camera. "...you told Bobby about a British chick who made contact with you."

"And so?"

"Do you know where she is?" I asked, frowning at Dean.

"Yeah."

"Great. Could you tell us where we can find her?" Dean asked.

"No."

Dean looked at me and shook his head. "Course not," he muttered, turning back to the speaker. "Look, Rufus, man..."

The door in front of us swung open revealing an older dark skinned man with a scowl on his face holding a bowl of cereal. "Look, let me point something out to you. You are knocking at my door, so don't 'Look, man' me. I'm not your man," he grumped at us.

"I'm sorry, sir," Dean said contritely.

"All right, let me tell you a little story. See, once upon a time, Bobby called me, asked me to call if I got a whiff of this Bela Talbot. I got a whiff. I called. The end," he looked at us and I swallowed back a frustrated sigh.

"Okay, yeah, if you could just tell us where she is, I mean, that would be great," Dean persisted.

Rufus looked at the pair of us wearily. "Dean Winchester, right?" He asked

"Yeah," Dean nodded.

Looking at my left hand, Rufus raised an eyebrow. "And Beth?"

"Yeah," I said, frowning and wondering what his point was.

"Dean and Beth. Do I look like like I'm here to help you?" He asked.

Dean glanced back at me, shrugging and then looked at him again. "I'm gonna say, no?"

"Then get the Hell off my property!" Rufus snapped.

"All right, yeah, fair enough," Dean said, turning back to me and putting his arm around me as if to guide me to leave. "But I got one more question for you, though. See, we got this uh, this bottle of scotch, and... uh, is this considered good?" He took the bottle out of my hands and turned, holding it up for Rufus to see.

Rufus eyed off the blue label and then looked at the pair of us, starting to smile. He opened the door and waved us in. I looked at Dean and almost laughed, shaking my head, if that had been Dean, pie would have got you in the door, everyone had their price.

An hour and several games of poker later we were sitting at the table in the main living area and I was looking at the scotch in front of me. The bottle was now three quarters empty, or maybe one quarter full if you were feeling optimistic.

Dean took his glass after refreshing all our drinks and held it in the air. "Bottoms up."

The three of us clicked glasses together and took another sip; Rufus sat back in his chair with an appreciative sigh. "You know, I don't even bother drinking unless it's this stuff. Nectar of the Gods, I'm telling you," he said.

"Yeah, it's a nice change, you know. Most of our whiskey comes from a plastic jug," he said to which they both laughed. Dean's face turned serious as he looked over at Rufus. "So, Bela was here because...?"

"She wanted to buy a couple of things, which is gonna take me some time to round up," Rufus answered, taking another sip of his drink.

"Where is she now?" I asked, watching him carefully.

Rufus turned to eye me off and then looked at Dean, watching him closely.

"Can I ask you something?" He questioned.

"Sure," answered Dean with a nod.

"You got three weeks left. Why are you both wasting your time chasing after that skinny, stuck-up English girl? Shouldn't you guys be on some trip to Tijuana, enjoying the time you have left?" He raised his eyebrow, looking from Dean to me.

Dean huffed and looked at Rufus suspiciously, his eyes narrowing. "How do you know about that?"

"Because I know things," Rufus said, sitting forward. "I know a lot of things about a lot of people."

"Is that so?"

"I know ain't no peashooter gonna save you," he said pointedly.

"What makes you so sure?" Dean asked, taking a drink of his scotch.

"'Cause that's the job, kid. Even if you manage to scrape out of this one, there's just gonna be something else down the road," he said, looking over at me. "Folks like us... there ain't no happy ending. We all got it coming," he finished with a sip of scotch.

I bit my lip, looking down at my hands. What he was saying made sense, how many aged hunters did we really know? Bobby was the only one who came to mind, and he kept his nose clean most of the time, staying out of the direct line of fire.

"Well ain't you a bucket of sunshine," Dean commented with a sarcastic smirk, his eyes flicking over to me.

"I'm what you've to look forward to if you survive, both of you," he said with a raise eyebrow, smirking and raising his glass to his lips. "But you won't," he murmured before taking another drink.

I pushed my chair back from the table and got up, walking out of the room.

"Beth..." Dean said, looking at me.

"Let her go," Rufus said as I waved my hand dismissively in the air, heading for the door. "You'll have to in three weeks," I heard him say as I opened the door, stepping out on to the porch and leaning heavily on the railing. I took long deep breaths and forced myself to let go of the rising panic, the little voice in my head that said Rufus was right, we were destined to die bloody, horrible deaths and be forced apart forever.

My eyes started to sting with hot tears and I brushed them away impatiently, shaking my head. What were we doing here? We were wasting time.

---

Present Day
Erie, Pennsylvania

Sam's POV

It was getting on dusk when I reached the third lot of cabins. I'd spent the day investigating my options, and this was the last place I could think to look. If it wasn't this place I would be back to looking for a needle in a haystack.

Climbing out of the rental car and locking it, I rechecked the map and then started to walk into the woods.

The sun had set by the time I came to the third cabin, I had my flashlight out, shining it in the windows. The place was empty, but unlike the others, there was evidence of someone having been living here. I opened the door, grimacing as it creaked and I slowly entered.

On the desk there were a number of papers and a journal, I pocketed the journal and then moved to the cellar. The stairs were old and rickety, but looked recently used, as there was no dust on the hand railings or steps as I climbed down them.

The light from my flashlight hit a gurney and I looked in horror at a body upon it, moving slowly forward. The benches nearest me were covered in an array of ancient medical tools and supplies but my eyes were drawn back to the body. It was a young man, and he was clearly dead, his chest cavity cut open.

A slight noise drew my attention to the back of the room and I saw old sheets hanging like curtains, obscuring my view. As I pushed through them I came upon a young woman strapped down to a bench, her forearm exposed with a large piece of skin missing – the gaping wound was surgically cut and had hundreds of maggots crawling about on it. I grimaced, looking closer at her and reaching out to place my fingers at her neck. Suddenly she woke up, gasping for air and I jumped, not expecting that.

"Shh! Shh! Shh! It's okay," I said urgently to her, trying to quiet her down as her breath came fast and frightened, she whimpered, trying to move. "I'm here to help you. I'm here to help you. I'm gonna help you," I reassured her. I reached for a nearby towel and looked at her bloodied arm, shushing her as I tried to put the towel around the wound. She whimpered and I looked at her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," I said, as I got her arm covered.

The door upstairs opened and the woman started crying uncontrollably. I covered her mouth but there was a hesitation in his step, he'd heard her. I listened as he walked toward the cellar and saw the light from a lantern flare through the floorboards.

I quickly unstrapped the woman, my fingers silencing her as best as I could. Looking around I spotted a window to the cellar and quickly moved to open it, propping it up with a piece of wood. Lifting her up first, the girl managed to wriggle out the window in spite of her injury and I quickly followed. We had to move, and quickly, because I knew he'd be right behind us.

It was faster to carry the girl, she was weak from having gone through such an ordeal, I picked her up in my arms, running for the car. I took a moment to be grateful for rentals when I found the remote key in my hands, beeping the doors open.. "Okay, watch your head, watch your head," The girl whimpered as I put her in the passenger seat. "Sorry."

I had barely gotten into the driver's seat and started the engine when Benton came out of nowhere, smashing the window, grabbing my head and slamming it against the wheel. I threw the car into reverse, my head spinning as I tried to get away. All I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears and the girl screaming. I threw the car into drive and floored it, running straight over Benton and I kept on driving. My priority was the girl now, and I had the journal, I had to get her to safety.

---

25 Years Ago
Chippewa Falls

John's POV

Patrick was looking at me with a determination in his eyes that I hadn't seen in a long time. It had been almost two years since I'd last seen them after they just packed up and left Kansas after a car accident had almost claimed his life. I'd had to work, so Patrick had volunteered to drive Mary up to see her cousin who had called out of the blue needing some support.

Grace had been furious that they'd even gone, given that Elizabeth and Dean were so young and they'd been gone over a week in the end. It occurred to me now that perhaps Patrick hadn't been driving Mary to see family; I was starting to think he'd been on a hunt and maybe she was his cover, because he was now talking to me about Mary's death, and a priest in Minnesota that might be able to help me. How did he know any of this? At the time it had seemed a little odd for Grace to get so fired up over a car accident, they had only intended to be gone for the weekend, but then, Grace had always had a bit of a temper. Now I wasn't so sure it had been a car accident she'd been pissed off about.

Her Irish temper was showing now as she paced the room, glaring from her husband to me. "This is a wild goose chase and we have more important things to be considering. How dare you put this on those children? They have lost their mother! Don't make them lose a father too John," she said, coming to stand in front of me, her blue eyes flashing anger.

"Yeah, and something took their mother, Grace!" I shouted back at her, waving my hand toward the room where Dean was playing with the other two kids. "Don't you think they deserve some answers? Something more than the story everyone else has come up with. Mary did not die in a house fire!"

Grace sighed and walked away from me. "For all it matters she may as well have John. You have no idea what you're getting yourself in for. You think you can go on a couple of hunts, cut out the heart of a creature and think you've won some kind of battle?"

"Grace..." Patrick tried to intercede, but she glared at him too.

"No, Patrick! Don't you side with him! You know more than anyone the price people pay when it comes to hunting. It's not a place for children. You have better priorities!" My interest was piqued, they definitely knew more about this lifestyle than they were letting on, I looked at Patrick with fresh eyes, and he had a history he'd kept well hidden.

"I want to know about this priest," I said to Patrick, deciding just to ignore the ranting. "You say he can help?"

"Yeah," Patrick said, nodding and casting a wary glance at Grace. "He can summon the dead; he might be able to get some answers from Mary."

"Well then let's go!" I said, starting for the door.

"You are one selfish son of a bitch John Winchester, all you think of is yourself, and your pain!" Grace snapped at me, I spun around, my hand raised and met her defiant eyes. I paused lowering my hand shamefully. What was I thinking turning on a woman I considered family?

"What are you going to do John? Hit me?" Grace asked, shoving me in the chest, clearly not letting it go as quickly as I wanted to. "Go ahead, it won't bring Mary back, it won't fix anything!"

"Grace!" Patrick said, stepping in and putting a hand up to her. "The pair of you need to calm down, right now! And you," he said, turning to me. "You raise a hand to my wife again, and you'll have more than her to deal with." I nodded, backing away and starting to pace the carpet. Patrick turned back to Grace.

"We talked about this," he said quietly. She sighed and looked at him with sad eyes.

"You haven't seen what I've seen in the last few days, those kids, Dean... he is getting better, and he's talking again!" She said, looking at me with venom in her eyes. "You have no right to put a burden such as caring for Sam on him, no right!"

I sighed and ran a hand across my face. Did she really think I didn't know that? But I didn't have a choice, what was I going to do? I couldn't take them with me all the time, and I couldn't leave them alone, Dean was way too young.

"I'll handle my family Grace, you take care of yours."

"Mary was my family! How dare you? She was like a sister to me, I've known her my whole life, and I know she wouldn't want you to be bringing her kids into this lifestyle," Grace said defiantly.

"You don't know what you're talking about," I muttered, heading for the door. "I'm going to Minnesota," I said, looking at Patrick. "With or without your help."

Patrick sighed, taking Grace's arms in his hands and turning her to look at him. "I'll take him to see Jim. All right? When we get back we can talk some more about this, maybe we'll have some answers."

Grace scowled, shaking her head at Patrick. He leaned down to kiss her forehead and then claimed her lips in a soft, lingering kiss. She sighed as he pulled back, smiling at her.

"I hate it when you do that," she said, eyes narrowing at him, but a slight smile on her face.

"Dad," Dean's voice startled us all as I realised he was standing in the room all of a sudden. I felt tears come to my eyes as I knelt down in front of him; I hadn't heard him speak since Mary died. I pulled him into my arms and held him tight, smiling.

"What is it Dean?"

"You're going?" He asked, looking at me. I nodded, and saw a sadness flicker through his eyes; he looked at Patrick and Grace, slightly panicked.

"I'll be back in a few days, all right? I have … work... to do," I said to him. Dean nodded and sighed, hugging me again.

"I love you Dad," he said quietly.

"I love you too Dean, be a good boy, all right?" I said, standing up and ruffling his hair. He nodded and then walked back to the doorway that led into the room where Sammy was sleeping. I looked at Patrick, who nodded, grabbing his bag off the couch.

"Let's go," he said, throwing one last look at Grace who looked conflicted.

"Be careful," she said finally as we reached the door and opened it. I nodded at her, smiling a little. In spite of her temper, she'd always been a good friend to Mary and me, I considered her a bit of an annoying younger sister – unfortunately we tended to fight like brother and sister too.

---

Present Day
Canaan, Vermont

Dean's POV

"Hey," I said, following Beth out the door a short time after she'd walked out. "You okay?" She turned to look at me and it was obvious that she'd been fighting back tears, trying to hold it together.

"Yeah, is he talking yet?" She asked, I shook my head and moved toward her, brushing my hand along her cheek.

"Other than mentioning how the Winchester men have a habit of ruining the lives of young women… no," I commented ruefully. Beth smirked and shook her head.

"Yeah, I'm fairly certainly this is where Cole holed up after the whole fall out with Dad," Beth said softly, looking around. "She got a few calls from Rufus during that time."

"Heh," I said, reflecting on how Rufus might be on to something. Between Dad, Sam and I, Beth was about to be woman number four who ended up devastated due to one of us. I shook my head. At least Cole and Beth would be alive, which was more than I could say for Mom and Jess.

"Well, maybe leaving him alone with the bottle will loosen his lips," I said with a chuckle, pushing this new revelation out of my head. I couldn't let Beth go now if I wanted to, what's done was done.

"I think they're loose enough already," Beth said, crossing her arms and looking out toward the surrounding woods.

"Hey, he's just a bitter old man sugarpie. Don't listen to him, we've overcome the odds before," I said, pulling her toward me, taking her chin in hand and forcing her to look at me. "We're the exception to the rule, okay?"

She nodded unconvincingly at me and I sighed, pulling her into my arms and kissing her forehead. "Come on, let's go see what he has to say now."

Beth loitered near the window when we went back into the cabin; Rufus had made another dent in the remainder of the scotch and looked at us both with a smirk when we walked back in. I sat down, looking at him pointedly.

"So, Bela..." I began.

"Hotel Canaan. Room 39. But watch your back," he said.

I smirked, rolling my eyes. "I think I can handle Bela."

"Oh, don't be so sure about that. There are things that you don't know about her," he said, sitting back in his chair.

"Oh, and you do? Right? Because you know things?" Beth asked, looking over from the window.

"Yep," he said with a superior smirk on his face.

"And let me guess... you lifted her fingerprint?" I asked.

"Yep."

"And that got you jack," I guessed.

"Yep." He said with a chuckle and I lifted my glass to my mouth, smiling. "She burnt them off. Probably years ago," he said.

"Yeah, so you're right where we are," I pointed out to him.

"Nope," he said and I narrowed my eyes at him. He was definitely hiding something, what was it?

"You do her ear?" He asked and I looked at him in confusion.

"Sorry?"

"You do her ear?" He asked again, and I raised my eyebrow. So I had heard him right. I smirked, shaking my head with a smile.

"Hey, man, I'll try anything once, but I don't know. That sounds uncomfortable," I joked, and saw a slight smile tip up the corners of Beth's mouth as she listened intently to the conversation.

"Ears are as unique to humans as fingerprints," Rufus said, unfazed.

"No kidding," I said, curious.

"Of course, that don't fly in the courts over here, but in England, they're all over it." He looked around the room, and leaned forward conspiratorially, lowering his voice. "A friend of a friend... of a friend… faxed me ten pages of confidential files within a day. All I had to send him was one clean shot off the security camera," he said.

"Right," I said sceptically to him, raising my glass up again. "One clean shot of her ear," I said, raising my eyebrow and taking a swig.

Beth turned to watch Rufus as he walked over near her, picking up a file off the desk that was at least an inch wide. He waved it in the air, bringing it back and handing it to me. "The so-called Bela Talbot," he said. I flipped open the file, rifling through the information and stopped, staring at the picture of a young a teenage girl, with a glance up at Beth, I looked down again, reading quickly. This might be useful after all.

---

Present Day
Motel Room
Canaan, Pennsylvania

Beth's POV

We were already waiting for her when Bela came back to her room. Dean grabbed her from his hiding place behind the door, slamming it shut. He shoved her against the door, pinning her in place with an arm to her throat and brought a pistol up to her face, glaring at her with angry eyes.

"Where's the Colt?"

Bela took a deep breath, appearing to calm herself. "Dean."

"No extra words," I said, crossing my arms and looking at her from nearby.

"It's long gone," she said, glancing at me. "Across the world by now."

"You're lying!" Dean snapped at her, grabbing her bag from her hands and looking in it.

"Call the buyer," she said. "Speak Farsi?"

Dean grabbed her around the waist, pulling her against him and she gasped. "What the hell are you...?" She stopped speaking as Dean frisked her quickly, finding her gun and holding it up.

"Don't flatter yourself," he said with a smirk, turning on the light and pointing his gun at her again. "Don't move."

He tossed me her gun and I caught it, pointing it at the woman as Dean started to search the room.

"I told you I don't have it," she said as he pulled all the night stand drawers out, searching through the contents.

"Oh yeah, we're definitely going to take your word for it," I said, rolling my eyes. I moved away slightly to start searching through the closet while Dean moved on to another set of drawers. Bela moved toward the door and I spun, pulling the trigger and firing a hole into the door just inches from her head. She froze in place, looking at me in shock.

"He said 'don't move'."

I flipped through the contents of the closet while Dean went into the bathroom.

"It's gone. Get on a plane if you must. Track down the buyer. You might catch up to him eventually," Bela said, watching me.

Dean came out of the bathroom, shaking his head at me and then returned to stand in front of the woman, pointing his gun at her head.

"Are you going to kill me?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah," Dean said, nodding and smiling.

"You're not the cold-blooded type," she said, her eyes flicking to me. "Neither of you are." I bit my lip, that was true, but right now I was so livid with her I was willing to make an exception.

"You mean like you?" Dean asked, chuckling. "That's true. See, I couldn't imagine killing my parents," he said, playing our wild card.

Bela looked at him a little shocked, but recovered quickly, going into denial. "I don't know what you're talking..."

"Yes you do," I said, stepping forward. "You were what, fourteen? Folks died in some shady car accident. Police suspected a slashed brake line, but it was all too crispy to tell..." She narrowed her eyes at me and Dean continued.

"Cut to little Bela... oh I'm sorry, Abby... inheriting millions," he said.

"How did you even...?"

"Doesn't matter," Dean snapped.

A look of sadness seemed to flash across her face for but a moment, and then it was replaced with the cold blooded stare of a practised liar. "They were lovely people. And I killed them. And I got rich," she said, staring Dean in the eyes. "And I can't be bothered to give a damn. Just like I don't care what happens to you."

Dean shoved her roughly against the door, this action causing something to shift over the door and I glanced up, curious.

"You make me sick," Dean muttered at her, staring at her for a long moment.

He took a step back and pointed the gun at her head again, smirking. Bela closed her eyes, waiting for the shot to come but I stepped forward, taking his arm. I glanced up at the herbs that were now dangling from the top of the door and he followed my look, pausing.

Bela opened her eyes as Dean dropped the gun, looking at me.

"You're not worth it," he said, looking back at her. He dragged her aside and took my hand, pulling me with him out the door.

---

25 Years Ago
Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Dean's POV

Dad and his friend had come back from their trip away, and I swear he looked sadder than when he had left. He didn't say much to me though. Ella's mom was crying in the bedroom right now as Dad went about packing up our things.

"Come on Dean, get Sammy, we need to leave," he said to me.

"But I like it here," I said to him, thinking about the kindness that had been shown to Sammy and me.

"I know Dean, but I have work to do, and I can't just leave you can I?" Dad asked. "Now, get Sammy and wait in the living room."

"Yes sir," I said with a sigh, moving to collect Sammy from the floor where he was kicking about on his tummy.

I picked him up in my arms, he was getting so much bigger now, I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to carry him and hoped he would be able to walk on his own soon.

Ella peeked out of the fort we'd make with the dining room chairs and blankets as I went into the living room.

"Boo!" She shouted and I smiled at her. She was fun. It had been nice having a friend around.

"Hey Ella," I said, hoisting Sammy up in my arms. "We're leaving today."

She looked at me like she didn't really understand what I was saying, maybe she didn't, she was only three. Then her eyes looked sadly at me and she walked up, her face serious.

"Dean be okay," she said with a nod, smiling at me. "Okay?"

"Okay," I said with a smile back, nodding. "If you say so."

Ella nodded enthusiastically at me and then hugged Sammy and me before running off down the hallway.

Dad came out of the room we'd been sleeping in with our bags and Sammy's baby gear, heading for the door. Ella's dad watched with his arms crossed, taking it all in.

"John, I wish you'd reconsider," he said and I frowned, curious.

"Sorry Patrick, I can't. I have to get to the bottom of this," Dad said, opening the door. "Come on Dean."

I looked around the room I'd just spent the last week in and sighed, something told me I wouldn't see it again. Ella ran into the room again, grabbing at her Dad's leg, and peeking at me from behind it.

"Bye Ella," I said, my mouth twitching a little sadly as I turned with Sammy in my arms and walked toward the door.

"Bye Dean," I heard her say, and I glanced back to see her watching me. Then she was gone as Dad closed the door, leading the way to the car. We were together with Dad again, and I blinked back tears and made myself strong, looking down at Sammy. I had to be strong, I had to look after Sammy now, and I was the only one who could do it.

---

Present Day
On the Road to Pennsylvania

Beth's POV

I dialled Sam from the car, putting the call on speaker and waiting for him to pick up. My heart weighed heavy over how we'd failed yet again, it seemed to be harder and harder to catch a break.

"Beth," Sam's voice said as he answered the call.

"Yeah, hey Sammy," I said.

"Did you get the Colt?"

"What do you think?" Dean asked, scowling at the road.

"So, does that mean Bela is, uh..."

"No," Dean answered quickly, sighing. "No. She deserves to die a dozen times over, but I couldn't do it."

"Dean..."

"I'm really screwed Sammy," Dean said and I glanced over at him. He looked at me sadly, taking my hand in his and squeezing it.

"No, you're just..."

"But you were right. Bela was a goose chase," Dean said, interrupting Sam. "The Colt's gone, and this time I'm really screwed, Sam."

"Maybe not," Sam said. "Look, Dean, I found Benton's cabin."

"Are you okay?" I asked quickly, looking at the phone. "Was he there?"

"Yeah," Sam answered.

"Did you kill him?" Dean asked.

"No."

"What do you mean, "no"?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"Dean, please just listen for a second. I found his lab book, and it has the formula," Sam said and I exchanged a curious look with Dean.

"What, the live-forever formula?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Great, let me guess. I get to drink blood out of a baby's skull?" Dean asked sarcastically.

"No, that's the thing. It's not black magic. There's no blood sacrifice or anything. It's just science, guys. Very, very extremely weird science... but..."

"Wait, wait, wait," I said, sitting forward and frowning. "What are... what are you saying Sam? You think...?"

"Beth, I think it might be doable. I mean, I know we've hit a lot of walls, but I... I think this formula; I think it might be it. This could save you Dean."

Dean and I looked at each other and I tilted my head slightly, daring to feel even a moment of hope in the bleakness that was our lives. Dean sighed, his eyes showing that he too was considering the options.

"Okay, so, this formula..."

"Well, I mean, look, look, we're not in the clear yet. There are still things that I don't get..."

Sam's sentence was cut short and I looked at the phone in alarm as sounds of a struggle came over the phone.

"Sam?" I asked, looking at Dean.

"Sammy?" Dean said loudly. "Sammy!"

But there was no reply, there was nothing, and then the line went dead. I looked at Dean, the obvious reason jumping straight to my mind. Benton had to have tracked him, and now he was in danger.

---

Present Day
Cabin
Erie, Pennsylvania

Sam's POV

When I came to I was strapped to a table, unable to move my hands or legs. I tried to blink, and get my bearings, but my eyes were taped open. I looked around, recognising the cabin where I'd found the girl. Benton had me, and I was now in a world of trouble.

As if on cue, Benton walked into the room, looking down at me. "You can relax. It's all gonna be okay. Ain't nothing gonna happen here that you got to worry about, Sammy. Your chances of coming out of this procedure alive? Very, very high," he said. Procedure? What procedure did he have in mind exactly? I felt sick to my stomach but I pushed through it.

"How do you know my name?" I asked, trying to bide some time. Dean and Beth had been on the phone to me when I was taken, but they were in Vermont, how long had I been out? How far away had they been?

Benton looked thoughtfully at me, and I looked over his face, his stitched together skin marred by scars, he was alive, but I had no idea how.

"Oh...I know. You think I'm some kind of monster, don't you? Well, I got to tell you; I have never done one thing that I did not have to do. This whole eternal-life thing is very high-maintenance. If something goes bad, like my eyes here..." Benton pointed to his eyes that clearly showed the advanced stages of cataracts. "You got to replace them. And sometimes things get damaged, like when your father cut out my heart. Now, that...That was very inconvenient." I would have grinned if I hadn't been in such a troublesome predicament. Cutting out someone's heart, you'd think would kill them. Chalk that up to a big fat 'no' Dad.

"So, I'm sure that you can understand all the joy I felt when I read all about myself here in his journal." Benton turned, holding up Dad's journal which he'd taken from the motel room. "Kind of makes this whole thing just feel like some kind of family reunion, don't it? Well, I guess it's about time that we get this thing started."

I watched as he moved closer with a tool that looked a lot like a mini ice cream scoop. The restraints bit into my wrists as I fought them, gasping for air and feeling the panic rise in my chest. Suddenly three shots rang out and the Doc stopped, turning around. I looked over, breathing a sigh of relief when I saw Dean standing there.

"Shoot all you want," Benton said, advancing on Dean, who let fly with two more bullets. Benton grabbed Dean, throwing him into a wall. In the bustle of the fight I saw Beth come in from the side, looking at me with concern.

"It's okay Sammy, we're gonna get you out of here," she said quietly, pulling at the restraints and releasing me. I sat up, working at the restraints holding my feet while Benton advanced on Dean again, this time Dean plunged a knife into the Doc's chest.

Benton stood back, laughing at Dean who was sitting on the floor, breathing hard. "A knife? What part of immortality do you not understand?" He asked. "Pity about the heart, though. It was a brand new one."

"Good," Dean said with a smirk, and I got to my feet, Beth supporting me to stand as I wavered, feeling a little dizzy. "It should be pumping nice and strong..." Dean said, holding up a bottle of chloroform. "Sending this stuff throughout your whole body. See, I picked up your little bottle upstairs and dipped the knife in it," Dean finished.

The Doc looked surprised and then suddenly collapsed to the floor.

---

Present Day
Erie, Pennsylvania

Beth's POV

We'd strapped the Doc to the same table he'd used on Sam; just to be sure he wouldn't get away. When he woke up, Dean smirked and stood over him.

"Oh, hiya, Doc. Wakey, wakey, eggs and bac-y," he said.

"Please," the Doc begged.

"Please what? You've been killing poor bastards for over 150 years and now you got a request?" Dean asked. "Shut up!"

"No, you don't understand. I can help you. I know what you need," Benton said.

"We might have to cut him up into little bits," Dean said to us. "You know, this immortality thing is a bitch."

"I can read the formula for you. You know... immortality... forever young, never die," Benton said, trying to lure us in. Sam's face wavered, and Dean stared at the man on the table, taking in that offer. I pulled back into myself, wrapping my arms around myself and walking a little closer to Dean, glancing at him. I didn't think he'd actually do it, but for a moment I actually considered it.

"Dean," Sam said softly, looking at us anxiously.

"Sam," Dean said warily. Sam inclined his head, indicating he wanted to speak with us away from Benton, moving off from the table.

"What?" Dean asked.

"I mean, guys, we're talking Hell in three weeks. Or needing a new pancreas in like half a century," Sam said, glancing back at Benton.

"Yeah, well, you can't exactly get those at a Kwik-E-Mart," Dean said with a frown.

"It's not perfect, but it buys us more time to think of something better. We just need time, Dean. I mean, please, just...just think about it," Sam begged. Dean paused, assessing his brother and then glanced back at Benton, shaking his head.

"No," Dean said adamantly.

"Dean, don't you want to live... Beth, come on, you want him to live right?" Sam countered.

"Sam..." I said, shaking my head.

"What he is isn't living. Look this is simple," Dean said and I bit my lip, it seemed anything but simple, but in this moment I at least agreed with him.

"Simple?" Sam scoffed.

"To me it is, okay? Black or white; human, not human," he walked back to stand in front of Benton, looking down. "See, what the Doc is, is a freakin' monster. I can't do it. I would rather go to Hell," he said.

"You don't understand!" Benton called out. "I can help you!"

Dean covered a rag with chloroform and placed it over Benton's mouth, silencing him. He looked up at us both with determined eyes.

"Now, I'm gonna take care of him. You can either help me or not, it's up to you," he finished.

An hour or so later we had a deep whole dug, looking down at it where now there was a refrigerator chained closed. I took Benton's journal and glanced at it, hesitating for just a moment before dropping it on to the fridge where we'd locked Benton.

"No! No! Don't! Stop it! I can help you!" Benton yelled from inside and I cringed a little. I felt the slightest bit guilty that we couldn't just put the thing out of its misery instead of burying it alive. "No!"

"Enjoy forever in there, Doc," Dean said, looking down with a determined gaze. He glanced at me and nodded, and we started to cover over the fridge while Sam watched on. He'd helped us, but he was still hesitantly considering the other options, after about five minutes he took the shovel from me, stepping in to take over and helped Dean finish the job. Dean nodded approvingly at him and smiled.

"Okay, one thing down, now to deal with the other one," Dean said, looking up at us.

"Other one?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," I muttered. "Bela..."

---

Present Day
Impala

Dean's POV

I would have paid good money to see Bela's face the moment she realised she was shooting at blow-up dolls tucked into our beds. Instead we were on the road, getting as far away from the woman as we could. I glanced at the clock; it was almost midnight, time to make the call.

With a nod to Beth, she dialled the number and put it on speaker, leaning shoulder to shoulder with me, her hand on my thigh as I kept driving. I leaned over to kiss her forehead, waiting for Bela to answer the phone.

The line picked up and I launched into my explanation. She'd know we were long gone by now.

"Hiya, Bela," I said. No answer.

"Here's a fun fact you may not know. I felt your hand in my pocket, when you swiped that motel receipt," I continued.

"You don't understand," she said softly.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I understand perfectly. See, we noticed something interesting in your hotel room. Something tucked above the door. An herb... Devil's shoestring? Well there's only one use for that: holding Hellhounds at bay." She didn't respond, but I knew she was there listening.

"So you know what we did? We went back and took another look at your folks' obit. Turns out they died ten years ago today," I paused for effect, still getting no rise out of her. "You didn't kill them. A demon did your dirty work. You made a deal, didn't you, Bela? And it's come due."

"Is that why you stole the Colt, Bela?" Beth asked quietly. "Trying to wiggle out of your deal, our gun for your soul?"

"Yes."

"But stealing the Colt wasn't quite enough, I'm guessing," I said.

"They changed the deal. They wanted me to kill Sam."

"Really!? Wow, demons untrustworthy. Shocker," I said. "That's, uh, kind of a tight deadline too – what time is it?" I looked at the clock on the dash; it was three minutes to midnight. "Well, look at that, almost midnight."

Bela started to cry and Beth looked sadly at the phone, chewing on her lip. After all Bela had put us through, she still felt sorry for the girl now that her time was up.

"Dean, listen, I need help." Bela said through her sobs.

"Sweetheart, we are weeks past help," I muttered.

"I know I don't deserve it."

"You know what, you're right, you don't. But you know what the bitch of the bunch is? If you would have just come to us sooner and asked for help, we probably would have taken the Colt and saved you," I said, and I wasn't lying.

"I know, and saved yourself. I know about your deal, Dean," she said.

"And who told you that?"

"The Demon that holds it. She holds mine too. She said she holds every deal," Bela answered.

"She?" Beth asked, sitting up a little and looking at me.

"Her name's Lilith."

I startled, looking up at Beth, and Sam leaned forward, listening intently, his eyes dark.

"Lilith? Why should we believe you?" I asked.

"You shouldn't, but it's the truth," Bela said.

"This can't help you, Bela, not now. Why are you telling me this?" I asked suspiciously.

"Because just maybe you can kill the bitch," Bela said.

Everyone fell silent, contemplating that statement. There wasn't much hope we could do anything without the Colt, and this was the sad truth of it. We'd run out of time. I looked over at Beth who was staring at the phone. I took the phone from her hand, switching it from speaker and holding it to my ear. I could hear Bela's breathing, panicked and fast.

"I'll see you in Hell," I said to her, and then I hung up, looking over and Beth and Sam.

The clock ticked over to midnight and I sighed, shaking my head. Stupid, stupid woman. I didn't want to think about what was happening to Bela right now, the same thing that was going to happen to me in three weeks if we didn't come up with a miracle.

Sam sighed and leaned back in his seat, looking out the back window. "Lilith..." he muttered, shaking his head. Beth settled in again, her head against my shoulder as I took her hand and squeezed it.

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "At least we know who to hunt now."

---

AUTHOR'S NOTES

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The song for this chapter is Bleeding Out by Imagine Dragons. Thanks to ArthursCamelot for suggesting it, you're absolutely right, this could have been written for Dean! :) I think it fit very well for this episode.

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One more to go! I have a lot of the next chapter already written, but it's going to need a good edit, but chances are it'll be up a little faster than usual, maybe the end of the weekend if I get a good run on things :) Argh! God I'm glad I know what happens or I'd be a mess right now!

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Thanks to everyone who left reviews and/or comments on the last few chapters, I hope I've managed to reply to everyone! If not I apologise, it's been a hectic week getting back to work.

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Big thanks to EarthhAngel for her beta reading and suggestions! You are awesome! :)

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I'm in the process of editing the old entries again with the intention of making them into PDF files I can print out (and give to people if they want them too). I'd like to add songs to the first few I didn't do before I got into doing a song for each chapter. So if anyone has any suggestions for songs for Wendigo, Phantom Traveller, Skin, Hookman and Home I'd love to her them!

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Hope you enjoyed this little chapter and a bit of the flashback. I've recently discovered the Origins comics by Wildstorm for Supernatural, and am in the process of having to get them because I'd love to write a bit of backstory for John, Patrick, Mary and Grace at some point (who knows when!) and I will need to try and keep it consistent with the comics as much as possible. Mind you, changes will occur when OC's are added in of course, but I'm really excited about learning a bit more about Pastor Jim and the other chars like Missouri and Ellen through the comics. But it'll be a while because I can't find an Australian source for them and am going to have to eBay them from America by the looks of things! The very little I put in about Jim is from the Supernatural Wiki summaries of the comics.

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Please make my day and leave a review :) Enjoy!