A/N: Hey, sorry this is sooo late! My muse just stopped talking to me, the bitch. LOL I hate Aussie summers, they are murder on the brain. As always, I have to thanks Lovinjackson and Deb for thier tireless help in reading through for me and telling me if it sucks or not. I owe you guys!!

Hope you enjoy...I will be updating again soon.

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Valentine, Nebraska.

The Sun was starting to rise the next time Bobby Singer opened his eyes and looked around the room he was in. Missouri was gone and he was alone…..except for Gordon Walker watching him from the armchair in the corner.

Bobby sat up sharply, grunting in pain as his ankle was suddenly scraped by the cuff that held him to the bed, the chain jerking taut. "What the hell? Get this chain off me!"

He gave Gordon a glare, knowing that the hunter had to be behind this. The simple son of a bitch probably thought it made Bobby less of a threat. All it did, was guarantee that Bobby was going to tear Gordon Walker a new one the moment he got free.

" I didn't want to end up like this, Bobby. We used to be on the same side." Gordon spoke softly, watching the older man calmly from across the room.

" Yeah well, that was before I realised what a damn lunatic you are, Walker. Everything's just black and white for you, isn't it?"

" It should be for you too, Bobby." Gordon sat forward, leaning his elbows on his knees. " Maybe then you'd have realised that the Winchesters are the enemy. You've seen them yourself. You know what Sam's capable of….and John? I hear he's more demon than Sam. Helluva shame to lose a hunter like him to other side."

Bobby let his head full back on his pillow, rolling his eyes. " Get the hell out of here, Gordon. I'm done talking to you. You're too blind to see the truth of what's happening out there and I'm not damn well wasting breath and brain cells trying to get through to you."

Gordon stood up slowly. "I was leaving anyway, Bobby. Jo and I have some business to attend to. Seems a Hell's Gate has been opened in Wyoming and the word's already spreading that the Winchester's were there. I told you they were trouble. You should have listened to me, old man. We could have stopped this before it was too late. Now I have to go clean up your mess…."

Bobby tried to sit up again as Gordon let the room, his gut telling the mechanic that Gordon's idea of clean up was definitely bad news. " Walker!! Walker, you stay the hell away from Sam! Walker!"

There was no way that Bobby was going to sit back and let that son of a bitch hurt Sam, Dean or John. Kicking out with his free foot, Bobby hit the metal railing he was chained to, a dull clank ringing out. Setting his jaw, Bobby began to steadily kick at the post, ignoring the noise he was making. If it brought Phill or Ellen, then he'd deal with whatever happened then…but Bobby was done with being chained up like a dog.

How much time past between when Bobby began to try and free himself…..and Ellen came into the room, he wasn't sure. But the woman was pale, deep lines had appeared in her face. It was enough to make Bobby pause and he frowned with concern. " Ellen? What is it? What's happened?"

" Gordon's gone and he's take Jo with him."

" Jo?" Bobby hadn't expected that, even though Gordon had said her name before. Oh sure, he knew Jo had always had a soft spot for Gordon, ever since she was a little girl and had taken to calling the man 'Uncle Gordon'. But Jo wasn't actually swallowing the bullcrap Gordon was spouting, was she? "What the hell is that girl thinking?"

"She's not, Bobby! That's girl hasn't been thinking for months now, following Gordon around on hunts, trying to fill her Daddy's shoes. Bill got himself killed and dammit, he'd going to take Jo down with him." Ellen snapped angrily, beginning to pace the room. She was chewing nervously at her thumb, already taking it down to the quick and making it bleed. "Gordon's got her head all turned around about Sam…and now that John's back?" Ellen didn't say anything else. She knew Bobby was smart enough to figure it out.

" Revenge. Jesus, Ellen…how could you let her go? Where the hell's Phill? Why didn't he try and stop them?"

Ellen wouldn't meet Bobby's gaze. " He did. Gordon shot him."

"Shot him!" Bobby felt a surge of fear for his friend, despite the fact Phill had helped Gordon before. "Is he--..?"

" Missouri's with him. He's lucky, the bullet missed anything vital."

" Dammit, Ellen. Get this chain off me now and let me go after them."

Ellen eyed Bobby warily, weighing her options. "You'll bring Jo back?"

" You know I will, Ellen. Now quit screwing around and get me loose. I've got to stop that bastard." Bobby stated firmly. His head was still throbbing and he knew he would still carry a headache for a few days. But Bobby had dealt with worse and he wasn't about to let his friends die at Gordon's hands because of a damn concussion.

Ellen took a key from her back pocket and unlocked the chain on Bobby's ankle, offering the man a helping hand to stand up. The room swam for a moment as Bobby kept a firm grip on Ellen's arm until he had his balance, then he released her and nodded gently. " Thanks. Now you got any idea of where they might have been headed?"

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Trampas Lodge, Medicine Bow, Wyoming.

Skye slowly swung her feet off the bed and stood up, looking around the room she was in, her heart racing a million miles an hour. Where the hell was she? Where was the cemetery? What happened? The ache in her chest wouldn't go away and with a slight puzzled frown, Skye lifted her shirt and looked down, sucking in a sharp breath in horror at the deep little scar that was nestled over her heart. Flashes came back to her. Skye could see Dean turning towards Azazel with the Colt, saw the gun torn from his hands…there was a shot….and then nothing. There was nothing after that.

Forget uneasiness. Skye had a ball of ice forming in her stomach. There were so many questions forming in her mind. Where was Dean? Was he alright? There was a duffel bag beside the bed on the floor. One look told Skye it was Dean's. So he had to be around somewhere…right? But just underneath the bag was the blouse she had been wearing before. Picking it up, she found it soaked in blood. Skye dropped it and stepped back as though the shirt was about to bite her. What did it mean? That much blood had to be fatal….but she wasn't dead. What the hell did that mean?

Music was filtering through from the other side of the door. Skye walked over slowly, reaching out tentatively for the door handle, her heart pounding. Who was on the other side? Was she safe now? Did she dare go out there? What if Azazel had taken her again and there was nothing on the other side of this door but pain and death? For a moment, Skye withdrew her hand again, fear gripping her tightly. But then a familiar giggle caught her ears and all hesitation was lost.

As the door swung open, Skye saw a sight that instantly had tears welling in her eyes and her throat closing up. Connor was sat on a bed with her laptop, his little head bobbing to the beat as he smiled. There was a strange woman sitting with him and the instant she looked up, Skye saw nothing but sheer terror in her eyes.

"Oh shit!" Elise exclaimed, scrambling off the bed and pulling Connor behind her as she backed away from what appeared to be Skye….standing in the doorway. How was that possible? It had to be some sort of trick. Maybe it was something to do with the demons? " You stay the hell away from us! You hear me?"

" Mommy!!" Connor was wriggling like a bag of eels in Elise's hands, trying to break free, trying to get around her and run to his mother. " Leh go! Want Mommy!"

"Get your hands off my son!" Skye growled, stepping forward with her hands clenched into fists. "I don't know who the hell you are, but you touch a hair on his head and I'll end you, I swear to god."

Elise couldn't believe what she was seeing. Sure, Dean had said he would fix this….but what the hell had he done? There was no way to bring someone back from the dead…was there? The moment the thought entered her mind, Elise realised that Dean himself was proof of that. So was John. But how the hell had Dean managed it? Was Dean even behind this? Elise still wasn't ready to believe that it wasn't to do with the demons….

But Connor wasn't going to be deterred, no matter how much Elise tried to hold him. The little boy had been without his mother for what felt like forever and now she was there in front of him. He dropped to the floor suddenly, his entire body becoming dead weight and pulling on Elise with such sudden force, that she was forced to let go of his hand or fall over. "No, Connor, wait!"

Like a flash, Connor was on his feet and running to Skye. She dropped to her knees and threw her arms around him, hugging her son like there was no tomorrow, tears washing down her face and her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. "Hey little man, I've missed you!"

Connor pulled back and clapped his little hands to his mother's cheeks, grinning. " Dee aw fairy. Woke Mommy up!"

"Dean saw a fairy, huh?" Skye questioned as she stood up with Connor in her arms. She had no idea what her son was talking about, but right now it didn't matter. She had Connor back. He was safely in her arms again. Looking over at the woman who was still eyeing her warily, Skye asked, " So…you mind if I ask you a few questions? Like who the hell are you are and why is my son with you? Where's Dean? Where's John?"

The motel room door opened before Elise could speak up and Dean appeared, looking first at Elise, before his gaze swung across to take in the sweetest possible sight imaginable. The relief and sheer joyousness in his face lit up Dean's smile like a thousand watt globe. "Skye…"

" Dean?" Skye was thrown by the emotion she could see in him. Like he'd just woken from a horrible nightmare to realise that it was nothing more than a dream. In several short steps, he was across the room, throwing his arms around Skye and hugging her fiercely. Connor wriggled between them, giggling and reaching out with one small arm to pat Dean on the shoulder. "Dee happy?"

Dean didn't trust his voice at first, his throat too choked up as he buried his face in Skye's hair and closed his eyes, letting himself feel her warmth and know she was alive. Then he straightened, his green eyes searching Skye's face as if he needed to confirm it was still real and not just a fervent wish on his behalf.

"Dean, what--…?" Skye's question was cut short as Dean suddenly captured her lips with a soft, tender kiss that had Skye weak at the knees instantly. His hand slid up slowly to rest against her cheek as the kiss deepened, Skye falling into it with abandon and closing her eyes, wanting to drown in Dean and never come up for air. It was as if all the pieces of the puzzle where suddenly falling into place and Skye no longer felt lost or frightened. She was where she was meant to be.

Elise cleared her throat behind the couple, getting no response at first. Repeating the move, making it louder and more obvious, Elise gave Dean an uncomfortable smile as he turned slowly and narrowed his eyes at her. " So…uh…someone want to explain to me what the bloody hell just happened? Cause you might think your God's gift to women, Dean? But the last time I looked? You weren't Jesus and you sure as hell didn't have the power to bring people back from the dead."

" The dead?" Skye pulled back, confusion written all over her face as she looked between Dean and Elise. " Dean? Who the hell is that woman and what was she doing with my son? What does she mean bringing people back from the dead?" Her hand went to her chest self consciously feeling the scar under her shirt and feeling the ball of ice in her stomach growing.

Dean was still glaring at Elise, his mind racing as he tried to think of what to say, how to explain everything to Skye.

From outside the room, there came a screech of tyres and the sound of several car doors opening. Elise moved to the door and opened it a fraction, then flung it open as Sam's tall frame filled the doorway, his gaze locking instantly on his brother. A mixture of relief and fury could be seen in his expression.

Elise rushed forward and threw her arms around Sam, relieved to find him safe. He grunted in pain, stumbling back a step before he returned the embrace until Elise withdrew, seeing the blood on his shirt. " Jesus, Sam…are you alright? Come on…sit down." She grabbed him by the arm and tried to lead Sam towards one of the beds.

"No." Sam's voice was sharp and angry as he gently pushed Elise aside and strode towards Dean. " What the hell were you thinking, Dean? Have you lost your fucking mind?"

John burst in the door a moment later, his wings spreading out and sending the door almost into the wall. The crash as it hit, made Skye jump, cradling Connor to her as she backed away towards the bedroom again, her eyes wide. What was Sam doing here? When had they found him? Skye still didn't know who the other girl was. Why was everyone so angry? Nothing made sense and her head was beginning to throb. Connor was crying in her arms no, picking up on the tension in the room.

" Sam, just listen to me."

" No, Dean. I can't believe you actually went and did it!" Sam growled, towering over his brother angrily. " How the hell could you do that? After what you went through when Dad died…how could you put us through that? How could you put me through that again?"

Dean held his ground defiantly. "I wasn't thinking about you, Sam! I did what I had to. What Connor needed!"

Skye's heart was pounding now, the ugly pockmark over it suddenly sharply painful. Everything was starting to fall into place and she didn't want to hear it. Reaching behind her, she found the door handle and twisted it quickly, wrenching the bedroom door open.

" Skye…wait.." John stepped forward, seeing the fear in her eyes. This was becoming more of a mess with each passing minute. John was furious with Dean too, but he also understood what had driven his son to do it.

There was a sudden crash as Dean was thrown bodily into the wall by his brother. Sam had him by the jacket lapels, lifting him off the ground. "What Connor needed?? Oh that's rich, Dean! And how long did you get huh? How long before Connor's watching you get buried instead of Skye?"

There was the sharp edge of distress in Sam's voice. He'd already watched his brother die in his arms and had grieved his loss, becoming someone he wasn't in the process. Now he was supposed to just sit back and let it happen again? Just accept that Dean's life was forfeit in return for Skye? And what about Skye? How the hell was she supposed to live with a sacrifice like that?

"Let it go, Sam…please." Dean pleaded, hating the anger and pain in his brother's eyes. That wasn't what Dean had wanted to do. He'd just wanted Skye back and whatever happened after that? Well….he would figure that out later. But now everyone was pissed with him, Skye was looking like she either wanted to run or throw up…maybe both.

Sam released Dean, then collapsed as his knees buckled under him, his breathing sudden laboured as his body reminded him that he was carrying a serious wound. Not even adrenaline was enough to keep him going any longer.

"Shit! Sam!" Dean grabbed Sam by the shirt and held him long enough to get his arms under his brother, walking him backwards to a bed. The moment Sam's legs hit the bed, he fell back, letting Dean guide him since any last vestiges of strength were rapidly running out. He gasped in pain as Dean gently guided his legs up onto the bed.

" Easy, dude….you need that wound looked at." Dean tried to soothe. He hadn't realised that Sam was so badly hurt and guilt flooded this system. He was torn in two directions, his life long need to watch out for Sam at odds with the need Dean had had to bring Skye back before it was too late.

" No shit, Captain Obvious." Sam muttered, batting his brother's hands away. " Leave me alone, Dean. Just….just leave me alone. I can't deal with you right now, dude. "

Dean stepped back with a hurt expression that deepened as Elise moved forward and was allowed to tend to Sam without any protest. What the hell as he supposed to do now? He turned and saw his father nearby, talking quietly to Skye. Whatever was being said, didn't agree with Skye apparently as Dean watched her shake her head and back into the bedroom, slamming the door shut. "Dad?"

" You need to talk to her, Dean. Now. You need to be honest." John warned his son before he backed away, carefully folding his wings in to stop them knocking anything over. Damn things had a mind of their own, John was sure of that.

He had his own injuries that were still healing and it was with a tired groan, that John dropped down on the other remaining bed.

Dean stood outside the bedroom door, looking at his father, then over at Sam. He was needed out here with his family, but Dad was right. He needed to talk to Skye too.

John could see that Dean was torn and he nodded towards the door. " We've got it covered out here, Dean. Go and see to Skye. That's an order…"

He watched as Dean hesitated a moment longer, watching his brother with bright, hurt eyes before he seemed to sag a little and disappeared into the bedroom. There was no easy way out of what Dean had done, but John was going to do his best to help him. There was no doubt in his mind that Dean had simply followed taught by John himself and Dean was always putting others before himself.

Dean's absence from the room hadn't gone un-noticed by Sam. He'd heard his father's order to Dean and knew that his brother had to be hurting himself now over the reaction Sam had given him. But what did Dean expect? Sam was never going to be happy about his brother offering his soul up like it was simply a bargaining chip. There was never going to be an acceptance of Dean going to Hell. It had torn Sam up knowing Dad was in Hell. The thought of Dean suffering for eternity was unbearable.

Sam had to get his mind off that for a moment, turning his attention to Elise and seeing how scared she was looking at his stab wound. " There's a first aid kit in the trunk of the Impala. Suture kit, antiseptic, everything we need." Sam informed Elise quietly as she held his hand. " I can send Dad out to get them if you can't--…"

" No! No…I'm okay." Elise assured him, taking a deep breath. It was obvious that Sam was exhausted, fighting to stay awake now that the adrenaline was gone and his body knew it could rest. "Just hang in there, okay? I'll be right back…"

Turning to John as she got up from the bed, Elise asked, "Keep an eye on him for me?"

It was a question that amused John in a small way, because he knew Elise had asked it without realising how she sounded, that her concern for Sam was glaringly obvious and not just in the usual way of a friend. The way she had been holding Sam's hand, how Elise had gone to his side to care for him when he collapsed. John had seen it all before and it was good to know that his youngest son had someone to care for him like that. But was Sam aware of it himself?

John nodded to Elise. "He'll be alright, you get what you need."

Elise paused in the doorway for a split second, looking at Sam, then went out to the Impala. She nearly jumped out of her skin as the driver's door of the car beside the Impala opened and a small built man stepped out, instantly throwing his hands up in mock surrender. "Whoa! Hey…sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Andy….I'm uhhh….a friend of Sam's I guess? Is everything okay in there? I didn't want to intrude before but it's pretty freaking creepy sitting out here alone, you know?"

Watching Andy cautiously, Elise realised that he must had brought John and Sam here. She relaxed a little and nodded, smiling. " Yeah, there's a lot of things lately that I'd call pretty freaking creepy."

Andy snapped his fingers and pointed at Elise, making her jump slightly. " Exactly!! Everything's so screwed up now." He shook his head, wondering what he was going to do now that Azazel had cut him loose? If he had?…For all Andy knew, the guy was just waiting in the wings to surprise him for being a freaking turncoat.

Closing the car door, Andy tucked his hands into his armpits to keep them warm in the cold night air. "So...uh…you need some help with anything?"

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Skye had her back to Dean as he entered the bedroom. The room was quiet, except for Skye rocking gently with Connor snuggled up against her chest, his ear pressed above her heart as she sang softly. The little boy looked so content, so peaceful, lying there with his eyes closed.

But Dean could sense the feeling from Skye was anything but peaceful. There was a heaviness in the air, a sense of growing tension now that he had entered the room. Moving around the bed, he saw Skye with her eyes closed, her singing changing to a soft humming, tears sliding down her cheeks. "Skye?"

Her eyes snapped open to look at him and the emotions swimming within them suddenly made it hard for Dean to breathe. Skye didn't move, she simply watched him, taking in every single inch of his face. A face that had gotten her through her imprisonment by the demon….through the pain and horror of what she was supposed to do. That was all behind her now because Dean had come through for her. He'd saved her…..in more ways than one and the guilt that it brought was overwhelming. Skye turned slowly and carefully laid Connor down on the bed behind her, smiling at his sleeping figure. Running a hand over his blonde hair, Skye's breath hitched in her throat, becoming a strangled sob.

" Hey….hey…" Dean knelt down in front of Skye, placing a hand on her knee. "It's okay…"

"Okay?" Skye laughed bitterly, turning back to Dean, tears brimming her eyes. "Nothing about this is okay, Dean!" She paused to take a shaky breath, the tears spilling as she blinked, flowing down her face. Reaching down to her feet, Skye picked up the bloodstained blouse and held it out to Dean with shaking hands. "Look at this. How is this okay? I….I died, didn't I? I died back there?"

Dean couldn't bring himself to speak, to verbally acknowledge what had happened. He could feel her lying in his arms, so lifeless, growing cold so quickly. It was feeling he never wanted to know again.

"What did you do, Dean? What was Connor talking about before? Fairies? What the hell was all that?" Skye demanded, her voice breaking as she tried to put some fire into her words.

" I made a deal."

" A deal?" Skye frowned, then it began to dawn on her. "You made a deal for my life? Is that what you did? What the hell was the price, Dean? How much am I worth? Just what have you done?"

"My soul….I sold my soul for you." Dean said quietly.

"What?" Skye couldn't believe it. She had heard Sam and Dean talk about John in the past. How they had suspected that was how Dean survived the collision with the truck all that time ago. Skye had seen the scars it had left in Dean, the pain it caused him to know his father died for him….and now he had done the same for her. She wanted to hug him and never let go. How could Dean have done that for her? Why would he do that? No one had ever shown her that sort of love. Not even her own family. They had cut her off after she married Jason, turning their back on her even in the face of Connor's birth and the trouble that had arisen after Jason's murder.

Dean and Sam had shown her that not everyone was like her family. Skye had begun to see her own self worth again through Dean, through the way he protected her, looked after her son.

But his soul?

"What….what does that mean? Does that mean you're going to die instead of me?"

The silence from Dean was deafening as he quietly nodded, his green eyes burning brightly and making Skye think of a tiger staring back from within a cage.

"How long?" Skye's voice was harder now, choked with emotion. " How long have we got?"

" One year."

A year? Three hundred and sixty five days? No….it wasn't enough, it wasn't right! Skye got up off the bed and suddenly started pacing, running a shaky hand through her hair over and over as she thought about what it meant. Dean was dying for her. No….not it couldn't be happening…

" Skye…." Dean went to her and stepped into her path, grabbing her gently by the arms. "Skye look at me."

" What did Connor see? " Skye asked suddenly, her face paling. " Oh god, Dean, please tell me he didn't see me dead. Please…he's just a baby…"

" Take it easy…Connor thought you were asleep, that's all. I told him you were under a spell and that I knew a fairy who could wake you up." Dean explained.

" A fairy? Dean, are you out of your mind??"

" Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Dean frowned, offended.

Skye growled, a sound that had Dean blinking in sheer surprise before she slapped him. Hard. Twice in fact before Dean managed to catch her by the wrist as she went for a third blow.

" Skye, what the hell?"

"How could you, Dean?! How the hell could you tell a little boy that? What were you thinking??"

It was Dean's turn to be angry then, rising to his own defence. "I was thinking that it was better than telling him the truth, Skye! I was trying not to break his heart!"

Skye choked out a bitter laugh that evolved into a sob, her throat locking up, her chest aching so much that it felt like her heart was going to be crushed within her. " God dammit, Dean….and what happens when you die? How do I explain to him that the fairy can't save you? How do I explain you not waking up? You're the closest thing he's ever had to a father…more than his own father. How do you think he's going to take it when you die?"

Dean felt his own throat lock, the air suddenly too thick to breath, his head starting to pound. It had seemed like the perfect idea, telling Connor that story. But Dean hadn't thought beyond that moment. He was too used to reacting and dealing with the consequences later….but this? He looked over to the bed, watching Connor sleeping before he turned back to Skye. " He'll understand when the time comes. I've got a whole year, babe…."

"And what about me, Dean?" Skye's voice was soft and heartbroken, tears coursing down her face and blurring her vision. "How am I supposed to understand? A year's not enough, Dean. It's not enough…"

Dean pulled Skye into his arms, holding her close as she began to sob, her body shaking with grief. He stroked her hair and whispered to her softly. "I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry. I had to. I couldn't lose you. I just couldn't. Don't be mad with me…please."

Skye pulled back and looked at Dean, cupping her hands to his face. " I am mad with you. I'm downright pissed with you, Dean." She paused, watching the pain in his eyes before she spoke again. " There has to be a way to save you…and we're going to find it. Because I'm not letting you go either. You hear me?"

Dean was surprised by the quiet determination he heard in Skye's voice and he leaned into her touch, feeling like he was home. One year wasn't enough….but it gave him this moment and for Dean, that was worth the price already.