Marie doesn't have time to scream as Dean crumples before her; she throws her last burst of energy at the surprised demon, incinerating him where he stands. It's the only spell she knows to kill a demon completely, and her body sears with the pain and effort. His roaring reverberates in her ears, and for a moment she thinks he'll just overcome her. But when she's done, the demon is forever gone, and his hold on the turned psychics is gone too. The battle ends abruptly, everything stopped short. Everything but Marie.

She throws herself to the ground beside Dean, her breathing ragged and broken but her soul too determined to give up, and listens to his heart. He's still alive, thank God; the protection spell she wove into the vest absorbed some of the fatal shock. With the last bit of energy in her body, chewing jerky from her pockets frantically, she puts her hands to his chest and sends a short, final burst of healing power through him. If there's any internal bleeding, at least it's stopped. She, too, blacks out.

Sam finds them in a heap together, barely breathing. He picks Marie up in his arms, her head soft upon his shoulder, and directs the others to lift Dean carefully onto a stretcher. Jaw clenched, eyes soft, he picks his way along the rocks, headed for the Impala. As he lays her in the front seat, Dean safe in the back, she stirs and lifts her head a little.

"Dean," she says. "I knew you'd save me." She's delusional, but the delusions make him smile. Now he understands what made his brother choose the Impala over her car to take her back to the hotel those very many months ago. He shuts all the doors to the car, harangues Jo and Ellen until they help him drive the Miata to the hotel, and sets his pair of invalids up in the room, tucked into their separate beds.

Marie wakes after just a couple of hours, and is showered and changed in an hour more. But Dean, far from looking better, seems to be doing much worse. Marie watches his face intently before looking at Sam frankly, her own patented 'bitch-face' so very evident.

"Sam, I need you to go out and get as much disgusting junk food as you can find. Twinkies, Swiss Cake Rolls, et cetera. And energy bars, too – PowerBars especially work. This – " she gestures to Dean – "is going to take a while, and I'm going to need as much quick energy as I can." Sam nods. "And Sam?" He turns to her, fighting tears. She hugs him close, fingers closing tight around his shirt. "I'm going to fix him." He nods and kisses the top of her head.

"Oh, Marie. I know you will. Just – do me a favor, will you? Get him healthy enough to move, and then I want to head for Kansas for the rest. It's – it's time for us to be home." Marie nods.

When Sam returns, Dean's bloodstained shirt has been changed and Marie's hands are pressed hard against his chest. Her brow is furrowed with intense concentration, and for a moment Sam just wants to watch her work. She accepts the PowerBar he hands her and keeps one hand on Dean as she eats.

"So, what are you doing?" Sam asks. She smiles and swallows.

"When I put my hands on him, I can see what's wrong in my mind's eye. Then I take my energy and knowledge of the body to sort of rewind the damage and put the body back together. I basically start from the inside and work my way out."

"And it uses your energy?" She nods and crumples the energy bar wrapper. He takes it.

"I'm the basis for all the energy I use to heal him. That's why I have to keep eating." She puts her hands on Dean's chest again. Sam watches intently as a white light moves from her fingers to Dean's body, then forms stringy filaments. With her fingers she moves them, weaving them in together as she mends each torn cell of Dean's body. It's miracle work, really, and that fact does not elude the younger brother. So while Marie works, Sam prays.

By the time Dean is healed enough to move, Marie has lost three pounds and too much sleep. Sam calls Sarah so there's a spare driver, and the warm way she and Marie bond is heartwarming. They prop Dean up in the Miata, his head elevated and his breathing slightly labored, and head for a house in Wichita Sam finagled over the past two days so they're back on Kansas soil, back home. It's mostly a comfort zone thing, but the energies are freer there too, not tied up in the ghastliness the demons left behind. The work goes much faster.

In less than a week, Marie finishes. She's a size smaller, even with all the junk she's been eating, and the circles under her eyes are terrible, but Dean is just like new.

Except for the fact that he won't wake up, and she's terrified she's failed.

"I've done all I can do, Sam," she explains, wide-eyed and hurting. "I've run scans over every inch of his body. But I can only fix physical damage. If it's psychological, I can't do a thing." He nods, says he understands, and hugs her, but the chair he sets up next to Dean's bed has no air of permanence about it. Marie, too, is hopeful it will only last a few days.

She's the only one who remembers the promise she made to Dean at the beginning of this mess, but it still matters. She tucks Dean's battle shirt in her bag as she packs – just in case.