AN: We're approaching the halfway mark on this, so please let me know what you thought, or if you have any requests for future chapters, any questions you'd like answered. Those kind of things could maybe be clarified in either the chapters to come or possibly in a one-shot.

Do You Recall

IX: Line of Fire

For the past week or so, she'd had a sense…oh, let's call it a vibe, of something. Something she wasn't supposed to be seeing, but it was there. Like how conversation (that sounded heated) between the boys would suddenly stop when she entered the room. Or maybe, more specifically, it was how Sam wouldn't quite meet her eyes, Dean almost overcompensating for normal. Or at least, what had become their normal in the past month and a half. Though now with only one week left, they were more urgently searching for Lilith, leaving no lead unchecked and letting no demon by without asking a few questions.

Elena also noticed that as days passed, Dean got more and more edgy, and understandably so. She just didn't know that it was for more reasons than one. Not until they'd been on the road for about ten hours, and she woke up from her doze. She saw the directional sign on the side of the road and yanked her headphones off. They were in Iowa, heading north.

"Dean, where are we going?" She'd learned never to say things like, "I think we're going the wrong way," or "weren't we supposed to make that turn half an hour ago?"

At least not when Dean was driving.

"Southwest."

"That sign said we just past Coralville, going northwest."

"What?" She couldn't see most of his face, but the eyes that peered at her through the rearview mirror were dismissive. "Weren't you sleeping all of one minute ago?"

"Didn't we agree on Colorado?" she pressed. When he didn't answer, she glanced at Sam. He was staring resolutely at the road, arms crossed over his chest. That vibe was a full on siren now.

"Would someone tell me what the hell is going on?"

She saw Dean's hands grip the wheel tighter, and something dropped in the pit of her stomach. Her expression hardened, lips pulling in a thin line.

"Stop the car."

"…Elena—"

"Stop the goddamn car!" She reached for the door handle, and that's when Dean finally acted, swearing and jerking the car to the side of the road before she could rip the hinges off the door. By the time he and Sam got out of the car, Elena was on her way over to Dean in purposeful strides. Sam came around the other side and stood by his brother.

"You asshole! You're taking me to Sioux Falls," she hissed. "After everything—"

She made an aggravated sound and forced herself to plant her feet, even though her hands were itching to slap him over the head.

"Look, sorry we didn't tell you right from the jump, but it's easier this way—"

"Easier?" she laughed. "Well fine. If I'm such a liability, I wouldn't want to get in your way."

Dean sighed, while Sam shook his head.

"That's not what he meant," he tried to placate, but she shook her head.

"You know, the whole reason why I came was to help you—"

"And you did." Green eyes met angry, slate gray. "But it's enough, Lena."

"What do you mean, 'it's enough?' We're still trying to track down Lilith!"

Dean's thoughts trailed to the sheriff's station Monument, Colorado. How hard they had to fight to get out alive. How in the end, they'd fought to save no one but themselves. Because one demon had found them and blown up the entire building.

"I'm saying it's enough for you," he said firmly. "You're not coming."

There was shock in her eyes, but Dean smothered any guilt that was cropping up. He'd rather she hate him and be alive than dead trying to save a dying man.

"And why the fuck not?" she demanded.

"Because I told your dad's best friend that Sam and I'd make sure you were okay," he said, loudly enough to quiet her. "We almost got you killed, Elena."

He'd apologized to Jack's grave that night, both for failing to save him and for bringing his daughter back into the supernatural world. But the closer they got to finding the bitch that sent him to Hell, the more Dean realized how far in Elena was getting with them. This was only supposed to be a few weeks, not a few months. She was supposed to go back to her life, not put in on hold for a guy she hadn't seen or heard from in years. Despite what she thought, Elena didn't owe him any favors. She'd risked her life enough for him as it was.

"And Lilith?" he said. "Not your garden variety demon. Makes that bitch we ganked in Utah look like a preschooler."

"It's not that we don't want you with us," said Sam. "It's that we shouldn't."

Elena's expression was stony. Dean had never seen it like that before, or at least not directed at him.

"Let me tell you something," she said flatly. "You're not my father, but you're sure acting a lot like him. I'm not a little girl that needs protecting."

"Maybe not," he allowed. "But you and I—we made a deal, remember?"

I'm not dragging you into this any more than I already have, he into the hellish nightmare that was his life—especially when his nightmares were about to become reality in a little over a day. Especially when she had a chance to get out, no matter what Rufus said. Even now Dean remembered that nice little conversation with brutal clarity.

"Folks like us? There ain't no happy endin'…we all got it comin'."

If he did let her keep going with them, she'd never be able to get out again, and she didn't get it.

And maybe when this was over, Sam could have a shot at the normal life he wanted. He secretly hoped Elena would stay friends with Sam and keep in touch with Bobby, sure, but go home.

"You know," she said, the anger in her eyes sparking. "You really ought to stop making deals."

His eyes widened marginally, teeth grinding and jaw clenching in effort not to let his temper take control. But damn it, she wasn't making it easy.

"I said, you're done."

"I say, fuck that."

"Why are you in such a hurry to get yourself killed, huh?" he shouted.

"You don't get it, do you?" Her hands went to her hips and her voice rose to match his. "When people care they don't just walk away, especially when it's the shit that matters. You taught me that. So either I get back in the car with you and the three of us drive to Colorado, or leave my ass here and I'll catch my own damn ride."

For a long, tense moment, it was a battle of wills. Dean wanted to shake her by the shoulders until she saw sense, but before he could say anything, his phone started buzzing loudly in his pocket.

"…Bobby?"

"I've got a lead."

"New Harmony, Indiana," said Bobby. The giant pendulum looking thing had its arrow pointed to the small town on the map, but Elena hardly believed it was that easy. Sam was ready to jump in the car and go after Lilith, while Dean popped bubble after bubble as to why going in halfcocked was a terrible idea.

"I mean first of all, we don't even know if Lilith holds my deal," he started, "We're seriously going off of Bela's Intel? When that bitch breathes the air comes out crooked, okay? Second, even if we could get to Lilith, we have no way to gank her. And third, isn't this the same Lilith that wants your giant head on a pike, should I continue?"

"Well aren't you just bringin' down the room," Bobby remarked.

"It's a gift."

"Okay, then what are we supposed to do?" Sam asked in aggravation.

"Just 'cause I gotta die doesn't mean you have to, all right? Either we go in smart or we don't go in at all."

"Okay fine. If that's the case, I have the answer," said Sam. Dean gave him a skeptical look.

"You do?"

"Yeah, a surefire way to confirm it's Lilith, and a way to get us a bonafide demon-killing weapon—"

"Damn it, Sam, no," Dean rebuffed, and turned away from him. Elena looked over at Sam, and saw that he was completely done with what he probably saw as Dean refusing to help himself. Elena knew Dean was only doing it for their sake, but what Sam proposed was actually the most logical, even if the last thing they wanted to do was deal with demons to gank demons.

"We are so past arguing," Sam snapped, "Dean, I'm summoning Ruby."

"The hell you are!" Dean exclaimed, turning back around to face his brother. "We've got enough problems as it is!"

"Exactly. And we've got no time and no choice either."

"Come on, man, she is the Miss Universe of lying skanks, okay? She told you that she could save me, huh? Lie," Dean countered. "She seems to know everything about Lilith but forgot to mention, oh right, Lilith owns my soul."

"Okay, fine. She's a liar," said Sam. "She's still got that knife—"

"Dean," Bobby cut in, where Elena remained quiet. She never knew how to butt in when they got like this.

"For all we know she's working for Lilith!"

"All right, well give me another option, Dean! I mean, tell me what else is there?"

"Sam's right," said Bobby.

"No, damn it!" said Dean, making the other two quiet. He shook his head. "No…we are not making the same mistakes again."

His eyes flicked from his brother, to Bobby, and then Elena.

"I'm done with making deals," he said. Elena's mouth dropped open a little, shame making her drop her gaze. "If you want to save me, find something else."

He went to Bobby's table where small piles of books littered the surface and sat down, opening a book to start researching again.

"Where are you going, Bobby?" Sam asked while the older hunter threw on his jacket behind him.

"I guess to…find something else," he said, and went out the door. Sam looked down at Elena and saw the worry in her eyes. The fact that she was standing there, even when they'd tried getting her here under other motives, was a testament to how much she was willing to give to save his brother and be with them in this. But Dean had been right about one thing. No matter how they did it, it wouldn't be by bringing Bobby or Elena down with them.

"Can you stay here and help my brother? I'm going to see about something," he said quietly. She looked up at him knowingly.

"Sam…"

"We're going to save him, Lena." His tone was firm, but she could see the desperation in his eyes. "We have to."

Elena bit her lip and shook her head…but let him leave. If there was a chance that Sam was saving Dean by doing what he was going to do, and she stopped it, Sam would never forgive her. But if he was wrong, and it cost them everything…

She would never forgive herself.

For ten minutes they flipped through dusty books in silence, occasionally reading off something interesting, but going back to skimming when they realized the information wasn't useful. Every minute that passed by was one that Elena wondered (with a growing sense of unease) what Sam was doing. She knew he was somewhere outside, and part of her wanted to blurt it out to Dean already. But the man was so focused on the page he was reading, who was she to interrupt him? Besides, like she really wanted to be the one he got pissed off at for letting Sam go in the first place.

"Okay, so we know this keeps hellhounds at bay," Dean said, gesturing to the page. She looked over and saw a picture of an herb and recognized it as Devil's Shoestring. "But for how long?"

"Hmm, I think for a few hours," she said. "Maybe half a day."

"There's gotta be something that lasts longer than that."

"Well, I've got a volume on herbs and spells here. Let me comb through it," she said, and peeled back the worn leather cover. The dust it spread into the air made her wrinkle her nose, and after turning a few pages past the table of contents, she sneezed, unwittingly blowing more dust around. She groaned, and heard Dean's small chuckle. She looked over at him through narrowed eyes.

"What are you laughing at?" He was looking down, trying not to smile. A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Nothin', just you getting snot all over Bobby's books."

"Oh, shut up." She grabbed a napkin from under a beer bottle and blew her nose.

"Classy," he remarked. She rolled her eyes, but otherwise ignored him. "You find anything yet? Or are you too busy coating the upholstery?"

Elena balled up the napkin and threw it at him. He laughed even as he made a face of disgust when he caught it, looking at the crumpled, poor excuse for a used tissue in his hand.

"This is gross," he declared, and chucked it haphazardly across the table.

"No more than you and your brother's laundry when it's been in your gym bags for weeks," Elena said with a grimace. "Your socks—ugh. You must reuse them like, three times."

"Nah. Like five at least."

She made a sound of revulsion and he cracked a grin. It didn't take long for it to fade.

"Where is Sam, by the way?" he muttered. "I saw him head out back…"

Dean checked his watch, and that uneasy feeling she had came back again.

I fucking knew it, he thought, with that sinking feeling that came when he didn't want to be right.

"It's been…what, fifteen, twenty minutes?" he asked. She nodded, trying to immerse herself in the tome. But she could practically feel Dean's eyes on her, analyzing her face and body language like he did all. The fucking. Time. It annoyed the shit out of her because she knew he was reading her like a book.

"…Elena."

"What?"

"Where's Sam?"

Her eyes flicked up to his, and the question vanished, replaced with anger.

"Damn it, Elena!" He got up out of his chair so fast that the legs squeaked against the wood floor.

"You're fucking dying!" she exclaimed, standing up with him. "You got any better ideas?"

"Than calling that…anything would be better!" he said, gesturing widely with his arms. "I thought you knew that."

"Yeah, it's not the best, Dean," she conceded. "But it's all we've got short of the spices in the pantry and some table salt!"

Dean made a sound of frustration, clenching his fists.

"You don't want anyone of us to get caught in the crossfire, I get it," said Elena. "But we don't have to trust her—"

"And what, just use her? That's exactly what Sam said before. And guess what?" said Dean. "She lied better. That's what demons do. They lie."

He shook his head.

"I expected this from Sam. He's too fucking stubborn for his own good. But you?"

"Ooh, don't do that," she glowered, pointing at him. "Don't. I'm only here because of you. So don't you dare try to make me feel bad about helping your brother save you from eternity in Hell!"

Dean's glare softened, just a little. Now both of them were pissed and it wasn't getting them anywhere.

"Fine," he said tightly. "Then let's go find him."

Elena followed him out the door and around the back. They didn't find Sam around the junkyard, but the farther around the house they went, the more they could hear conversation. It sounded heated, and sounded like it was coming from the old shed where Bobby's used to do most of his maintenance on the cars that would come in. It was big enough that it could've been a barn at some point before Bobby bought the house, but now it was much too far gone to house any livestock, let alone any cars.

Dean signaled to her, and she stayed close behind him.

"You can save your brother…and I can show you how."

"So that's you, huh? A slutty little Yoda."

Sam turned around slowly, inwardly wanting it to be anyone else but Dean behind him. He almost sighed at seeing Elena. He should've known Dean would get it out of her sooner than later.

"Dean," said Ruby, her blue eyes less than amused. "Charming as ever."

"Oh, I had a feeling you'd show up," he said, drawing more out of the shadows with every step. "'Cause I knew Sam wouldn't listen."

Sam shifted, and he glanced over at Elena who gave him a half apologetic look.

"But you're not gunna teach him anything," Dean finished. "You understand me? Over my dead body."

"Oh, well you're right about that," she said, brows raised.

"What you are gunna do is give me that knife," he said. "Then you're gunna crawl back into whatever slop you came from, and never bother me or my brother again. Are we clear?"

"Your brother is carrying a bomb inside of him and we'd be stupid not to use it."

"Dean look, just hold on—"

"Sam. Don't," Dean warned, and Sam closed his eyes. He knew this was how Dean would react, he knew. But Sam would try the hardest he could to make his brother see reason.

"Come on, man, what are you, blind? You can't see that this is a trick?" Dean asked.

"That's not true—" Ruby interjected, but he ignored her.

"She wants you to give into this whole demonic, psychic, whatever okay? I mean, she probably wants you to become her little, antichrist superstar."

"I want Lilith dead," she corrected. "That's all."

Dean nodded with a mocking smile. One that disappeared with the flat question, "Why?"

"I've told you why!"

"Oh, right yeah. Because you were human once. And you like kittens and long walks on thebeach."

"You know, I am so sick of proving myself to you," Ruby said, getting closer to Dean. He only smirked at her. "You want to save yourself? This is how, you dumb, spineless dick."

Dean nodded and turned, began to walk away, but spun around and punched Ruby square in the jaw. It drew blood, and despite Sam's urging not to, she swung back, catching Sam with swift jabs when he tried to pull her back. Slamming his face against her knee, she let him sink to the ground.

She then blocked Elena's punch and threw her against the wall, but had to duck away from Dean. She aimed a kick at his abdomen, sending him backpedaling. Ruby followed it up with a few punches that had him on the ground, then a swift kick to his stomach. He rolled away and got up, until she kicked him down again. He looked up with a smirk, though his teeth were bloody.

"What the hell are you grinning at?" Ruby asked, breathing heavier. He started getting up and held her knife in his hand.

"Missing somethin'?" She glared angrily.

"I'll kill you, you son of a bitch."

A force stopped her from coming at him. She was confused until looking up, coming face to face with a Devil's Trap.

"Like I said," Dean's smirk deepened. "I had a feeling."

He began to walk away from her and held out a hand to Elena, who accepted it, getting up shakily. She'd slammed her head against the stone wall.

"Wait," said Ruby. "You're just gunna leave me here?"

"Let's go, Sam."

They started the long climb up the stairs.

"Oh, so you're just too stupid to live, is that it?" she said. "Then fine. You deserve Hell. And I wish I could be there, Dean. I wish I could hear the flesh, sizzle off your bones. I WISH I COULD BE THERE TO HEAR YOU SCREAM!"

"Yeah, well I wish you'd shut your pie hole," he shot back. "But we don't always get what we want."

"Hey, Bobby. When'd you get back?"

Elena trudged into the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer. He did a double take from his seat at the table.

"What the hell happened?"

She joined him at the table and pressed the pack to her temple.

"Ruby's a bitch."

"…I see."

"Any luck?"

"A big fat nope."

"Great. Well, on the bright side, we've got the magic knife." Bobby raised a brow.

"What are the boys doin' then?" he asked.

"Cleaning themselves up now, but I think we were waiting for you before taking off," she said. "Oh shit, they asked me to come over here to get…some beers."

Bobby gave her a skeptical look.

"Oh yeah?" he asked. "Then why do I hear a motor runnin'?"

She paused, listened. Then…

Those fuckers.

Elena pursed her lips and started to get out of her chair, but Bobby got up at a more sedate pace, gesturing for her to calm down.

"They ain't goin' anywhere," he said, and held up what she was sure was a car part, though she didn't know what it was. Probably something important. "Let's go round 'em up then."

Bobby rapped on the driver's seat window, startling Dean.

"Where you think you're going?"

Looking very much caught red-handed, Dean looked from Bobby to Sam, and the two eventually got out of the car. Dean almost grimaced at Elena's steaming glare, but instead he focused on Bobby's expectant look.

"We got the knife."

It didn't look like he cared all that much.

"And you intend to use it without me. Without Elena." He gave the brothers a dry look. "Do we look like ditchable prom dates to you?"

"No, Bobby, of course not," Sam said with a shake of his head.

"This is about me and Sam, okay?" said Dean. "This isn't your fight—"

"The hell it isn't!" Bobby exclaimed. He stepped towards Dean as his anger and frustration finally broke through. "Family don't end in blood, boy."

And then as soon as it had come, the anger ebbed back when Bobby stepped away.

"Besides," he said. "You need…all the help you can get, really."

"Bobby—" Dean protested.

"You're playing wounded. Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?"

Sam and Elena looked to Dean in both confusion and suspicion as to why he hadn't said anything, because if the look on his face was any indication, Bobby hit the nail on the head.

"How'd you know?"

"Because that's what happens when you've got hellhounds on your butt," Bobby snapped. "And because I'm smart."

He handed Dean the missing car part with a fake smile.

"I'll follow," he said, and headed toward his car. "Don't be stopping to pee every ten minutes either."

Dean resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

That left the two with Elena.

Dean sighed when she remained standing with her arms crossed, an expectant look on her face.

"Look, we're sorry—" She brushed past him and climbed into the backseat of the car. He shared an exasperated look with Sam before replacing the part and getting back into the driver's seat. Dean only flinched a bit at a slap to the back of the head, while Sam yelped a little. He kind of half expected it. And the muttering from the back seat.

"Shut up and drive."

He rolled his eyes and pulled out of the salvage yard.

Elena tried for all she was worth to tune out Sam's "in case this doesn't work out" speech. It would just be reminding her with more clarity what was already nagging at her. She wasn't surprised when Dean shut that down quickly. But she couldn't stop the smile tugging at her lips at the two of them warbling out Bon Jovi's Dead or Alive.

Then they heard police sirens behind them.

"We getting pulled over?" Sam asked. Dean checked his left side mirror.

"I've got a busted taillight," he said. "It's not like we're in a hurry or nothing."

The policeman stepped up to the driver's side once they were pulled over, a man in his mid-fifties asking for Dean's driver's license and registration.

"You do realize you've got a taillight out, Mister…Hagar."

"Yes…yes, sir," said Dean. He looked up at the officer and paused. "You know, I've been meaning to take care of that…as a matter of fact—"

He opened the door sharply, right into the policeman's knee. The guy shouted out in pain and fell to the ground.

"Dean!" Sam and Elena called out to him, shocked still for a moment before they jumped out of the car. But Dean stabbed the man under his chin, shocking the demon inside to death.

Bobby jerked to a stop behind them and came running.

"What the hell happened?" he exclaimed.

"Dean just killed a demon," Sam said, still looking stunned.

"How did you know?" Elena asked. Dean looked back at them wide eyes.

"I just knew," he said, but she saw the fear there, both in his eyes and the slight shake of his voice. "I could see his face. His real face, under that one."

…Great, she thought.

"So you're seeing demons now?" Sam asked as they did their best to hide the police car in leaves and branches. They'd already buried the body.

"I've been seeing a lot of things lately," said Dean. "But nothin' like this."

"Actually, it's not all that crazy," said Bobby. Dean paused and gave him a disbelieving look.

"How is it not that crazy?"

"Well you've got what, five hours to go? You're piercing the veil, Dean. Glimpsin' the B-side."

Dean blinked at him.

"A little less New Agey, please."

Bobby rolled his eyes.

"You're almost Hell's bitch," he said. "So, you can see Hell's other bitches."

"Bobby." Elena gave her uncle an incredulous look, while Dean smiled mockingly.

"Thank you," he nodded. Bobby shrugged as if to say, "What more do you want?"

"Well, it's actually coming pretty handy," Sam commented. Elena gave him the same look she gave Bobby.

"Yeah, well, glad my doomed soul's good for something."

"Damn right it is, Lilith's got demon's crawlin' all over town," said Bobby. "We can't let 'em sound the alarm. If she knows we're here we're dead before we've started."

"Oh yeah, this is a terrific plan," Dean deadpanned. "I'm excited to be a part of it. Can we go, please?"

"It's the little girl," said Dean. They stood far enough away to look into the front windows of the house, but not be seen. AKA: the empty house across the street. "Her face is freakin' awful."

"Well, then let's go," said Sam. "We're wasting time."

"Wait," Dean insisted, grabbing hold of Sam's jacket. Even though they'd just witness an old man having his neck twisted.

"For what? For her to kill the rest of them?"

"And us too if we're not careful." Dean turned back to watching the house. "Look. There's a real go-getter mailman. Really, at nine PM? And Mr. Rogers over there."

Sam looked into the binoculars and saw an older man sitting in his living room in the house next door, flipping through a book.

"Demons?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, fine. We-we ninja past those guys and sneak in!"

"And what, give a Columbian necktie to a ten-year-old girl? Comeon."

"Look, I know it's awful—"

"You think?"

"But this isn't just about saving you, Dean," said Sam. "It's about saving everybody."

"She's gotta be stopped, son," Bobby added, and no matter how much Elena didn't like it, she nodded as well. Dean glanced at all three of them.

"…Damn it."

"All right, Sam and I will take 'em down without tippin' off Little Miss Sunshine," said Dean, leaning against the kitchen counter. "You've gotta find the pipes and time it right."

"Ain't that hard," said Bobby. "The box is right behind this house, over by the sidewalk."

"Okay…I guess this is it then." Dean nodded at Bobby and Elena, then at his brother and headed for the living room where the front door was.

"Boys," Bobby called after him.

"Yeah, Bobby?" Sam asked.

"You be careful." The corner of Dean's mouth quirked upwards, but he didn't promise anything. Sam didn't either, but gave Bobby a small smile.

Elena watched him walk away without a goodbye. Because they all wanted to hope it wasn't goodbye.

But goddamn it.

"Dean!"

He and Sam stopped short before the door and turned to see her rushing toward them.

"What—"

"I know you don't want to deal with the sappy crap, but if you walk out that door without…I mean, I swear to God I'll—"

Elena stopped short before she made a bigger fool of herself, because she didn't know what it was she wanted to say. She could've laughed at Dean's bewildered expression if it were any other day.

But eventually he grinned a little.

"I made you a promise, didn't I?"

Her eyes widened, but she nodded. She was pretty sure she knew what he was talking about. Some parts of that night a few weeks ago was fuzzy, but it wasn't the most drunk she'd ever been in her life.

"Wait for me."

She nodded and let him go. It still wasn't goodbye, and that was all she needed.

Elena and Bobby snuck behind the house and blessed the water in the pipelines. She held the lid open while Bobby recited the incantation and dropped the crucifix into the water. Once he finished, she let go of the lid with a grunt. Her fingers were red with the strain of pulling it back.

"I think you read it slow on purpose," she muttered.

"If that was hard, you need some more work on those noodle arms."

"Or you just didn't want to do it yourself, you old man."

"You watch it. This old man'll kick your ass."

"All right, Grandpa, keep it moving—" She glanced out the window and paused. "Oh shit."

"What?" Bobby asked, coming to stand next to her. "Shit."

Apparently, the boys hadn't managed to keep things quiet. Nearly a dozen of them were after them, but they were nearly to the house where Lilith was terrorizing the small family.

"Time to turn on the heat, then," he said, and they hurried back to the pipes. There were maybe ten different switches and knobs, but eventually he found the right one to turn. The sprinklers.

Elena laughed as the demon's shrunk back, hissing and screaming in pain.

"That'll keep 'em off their ass," he said with a smirk.

But fifteen minutes later it was 11:55, and Sam and Dean hadn't come out yet.

"They're taking too long," Elena said, worrying at her bottom lip. Bobby looked at his stopwatch and muttered a curse. The holy water would only work for another five minutes.

"Bobby we've got to get in there. We've gotta help them!" Elena started for the door, but Bobby stopped her.

"And how are we supposed to get in there," he said, "with a bunch of demons in the front yard?"

"We'll sneak around back—"

"How? There's a fence surrounding the house. To get in we'd need to get past the bomb squad over there."

"Damn it, Bobby, I'll scale the goddamn roof if I have to," she exclaimed, "In five minutes Dean is dead."

"Don't you think I know that?" he said, matching her volume. "Don't you think, that everything I got inside me is screamin' to bulldoze straight through the lot of 'em?"

She blinked and swallowed past what she knew would be coming soon, shut her eyes against the telltale sting.

"I didn't get this far in my miserable life by being dumb." Bobby looked at his niece in the eyes. "And I'm not about to lose the only family I got left."

Elena was at a loss for words. The only thing she could do was turn away from the intensity of his stare, out the window to the one across the street, past the lawn of sprinklers. And suddenly she saw Dean being flung onto the dining room table, and a glimpse of blonde hair pass by window. Then Dean was gone, and a solitary figure stood with an eerie smile.

"Ruby—Bobby, it's Ruby!" she shouted, and the two watched as a flash of light engulfed the room. When it dissipated, Ruby was no longer smiling. Elena looked down at her watch.

12:00.

Before Bobby could stop her, Elena was running out the door, gun in hand. Strangely, the demons were nowhere to be found, even though the sprinklers were still on. She was half drenched by the time she got to the front porch and threw the door open, but when she did, she stopped short, her breath catching in her throat.

Ruby was gone.

And Sam was kneeling on the floor, beside Dean.

"What the hell?"

"Now that's a warm welcome worth driving through three states for," he smirked.

"It's good to see you, Dean."

She heard Bobby walk in behind her, but couldn't tear her eyes away from all the blood. His chest…ripped open. And his face…God, his eyes were open and lifeless.

"I didn't come just because Bobby asked me to," he said bluntly. "You need help, so I'm here."

After a moment she broke into a smile, ruefully shaking her head. He really hadn't changed all that much.

"Thanks, Dean."

He cracked a small smile too.

"Anytime."

Sam's devastating cries reverberated in the room, tearing her apart with each new breath. Water dripped from her clothes and onto the polished wood floor, especially as she knelt on the other side of Dean's body (wincing with a shudder at what was now soaking her jeans) while Sam cradled him. Elena didn't realize her face was wet with tears until they too, dripped down.

The floor was ruined anyway.

"You don't have to…do this alone, you hear me?" His green eyes bore into hers. "Either way, it ain't easy, but…we've got your back, all right?"

"Yeah…I hear ya."

He cracked a smile at her.

"Great. Let's get Sammy and grab some breakfast," he said, and steered her back to the room by her shoulder. "I want me some eggs and bacon."

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice breaking. I'm sorry I couldn't do the same for you.

"I'm s-sorry…"

"I don' wanna miss you. 'Nd I don' want Sam t' miss you. So…you don' give up, kay?"

When he made no move to answer, Elena shook his hand a bit.

"Kay?"

"…Okay."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"…Okay."

Elena brought her hands to her face, curling her fingers into her hair. She wanted to kill something.

"Y-You promised…" Her voice was heavy and coarse, and it made Sam flinch and squeeze his eyes shut. She set a hand on his shoulder to both steady him and apologize.

"Wait for me."

You promised, goddamn it! Her mind screamed. And I fucking waited, damn you. I waited.

And then she felt horribly guilty.

Because Dean was already damned.

And he wasn't coming back.