**Hey! So, this is the finale of season 2! Hope you all like how it turns out! I'm a bit nervous to post this chapter, so I'd love it if people review or PM me! Thanks so much to everyone who reads this!**
All Hell Breaks Loose Part II
"Do you like it?" Dean looked down at the woman in his arms, feeling the weight of her head on his shoulder dissipate as she raised her head to look at him.
"I love it," She responded, resting her head back on his shoulder as her fingers toyed with his. He spun the ring on her finger in a circle just to make sure it was real. She'd said yes.
"We should buy a house near Jez," His words seemed to surprise her, and she raised her head again, studying his eyes.
"I thought you two didn't get along," He shrugged in response as if it was a minor detail.
"We can make it work," He replied, knowing that the idea made her happy. "I'll open a garage. Become a mechanic like dad," He remembered the alternate world he'd been in.
"You want me to be a suburban housewife?" He laughed as he imagined that. Mel could never be a suburban housewife.
"No. I don't think anyone wants that," She gave him a mock offended glare, which only made him chuckle. Unexpectedly, he leaned down and captured her lips with his softly.
"Two kids," Were her first words when he pulled away. He gazed down at her, loving the way her brown hair was splayed across the pillow.
"Boy and a girl," He recalled the two children from the other world with a pang of want.
"And a dog," He grinned, pecking her lips again.
"As long as it stays away out of my car," She rolled her eyes and turned her head, but he still saw the wide smile that grew on her lips. His smile faltered for a moment as he realized that they could have that life. Leave hunting, become parents and honest people.
"Dean," His eyes focused on hers again to see that she seemed to be studying him. "You're going to be a great father," He settled back onto the bed beside her, and her lips brushed the side of his neck, spreading a warm feeling across his skin. He turned his head to face the woman he loved, pressing his lips against hers.
"Dean," Bobby's voice was gentle as the rain began to fall faster. The young man on his knees in the mud gave no sign he'd heard his name being spoken. Bobby swallowed hard, feeling as though his feet were cemented to the ground. "Dean," The rain grew thicker as the older man spoke again, this time with as much force as he could muster, which wasn't much. He glanced to his right at the man that stood there, jaw set, eyes hard. Sammy looked as though he'd aged a lifetime in the last hour.
"Dean," Bobby slowly sunk to one knee in front of the man, his hands raised up in a gesture of surrender, as if he was approaching a rabid dog. "We need to take her-" His voice broke slightly, but he coughed roughly in an attempt to cover it up. "We need to take her inside," Dean Winchester's face remained buried in Melody Scott's chestnut hair as his strong arms cradled her fragile body gingerly. Bobby reached out to touch the body when Dean's arms suddenly tightened and his eyes snapped up to glare at the older man.
"Don't touch her," Bobby jerked his hand back, unnerved by the intense mix of fury and pain in Dean's bright green eyes.
"Dean," Sam's voice broke as he, too, knelt by Bobby. "He's right," Sam's voice was shaking just like his hands. Bobby hadn't noticed how much the temperature had dropped when it had begun raining until he took in Sam's blue lips and chattering teeth. He doubted the boy was aware of it, and, if he was, he didn't show any sign.
"Come on," Bobby tried to reach for Mel's body again, knowing that it would be heavier now that… well, it would be heavier now.
"No," Dean pressed the body into his chest again to prevent Bobby from touching it. "I can do it," His eyes hardened in determination as he slipped the arm, that had been pressed against her wound, under her knees.
"You don't-" Bobby began protesting, but he stopped short as Dean staggered to his feet, readjusting his grip on the body he clutched to his chest. There was nothing left for Bobby to do but follow with Sam as Dean made his way to the nearest building. He found a dusty mattress and gently laid her on the bed, brushing some hair out of her face before standing back to stare numbly at the ashen shell of the woman he'd loved.
"He cares about you, you know, Sammy," Sam glanced at her from where he was licking the ice cream cone in his hand, desperately trying to keep it from melting. Even at night, it was hot in California.
"Sure he does," Sam didn't want to argue with her, but he knew how his dad felt about him, especially after he'd told him that he was going to college. "He told me to stay gone. What kind of father does that?"
"He's just worried about you," She let out a sigh, which made Sam scrutinize her closely. She looked tired and drawn, older than her twenty-two years.
"Mel…" Sam hesitated, not sure how to phrase what he wanted to say. She turned to him, her eyebrows raised in curiosity. "Mel, you know if you wanted me to stay…"
"No," She answered quickly, waving a hand and shaking her head dismissively. "I'm fine. I have Dean," Sam snorted derisively, causing Mel to shoot him a look.
"Not like you want to have Dean," Her mouth popped open in an 'o' of surprise at the joke and she picked up the nearest object, which happened to be a discarded water bottle and threw it at him while he forced a laugh. She loved Dean. There was nothing he could do about that no matter how much he wanted to.
"Shut up," She muttered, rolling her eyes at him. "Go to college already,"
"I start tomorrow," He reminded her, smiling widely at the thought before frowning with sadness. He started college tomorrow. And tomorrow she was leaving with Dean and John to continue hunting. This could be the last time he would ever see her. "Watch out for them,"
"I will," She promised, smiling sadly at him as she dumped her ice cream. It was getting late. He needed to be heading back to the motel he was staying at soon. They began heading back to the Impala.
"And tell Dean if anything happens to you, I'll hunt him down myself," She laughed at his threat.
"I can take care of myself, Sammy. Have a little faith in me," She put a hand to her chest in mock offense before turning the key in the door of the car. "And promise me you'll take care of yourself,"
"Promise," She hugged him hard, and he wrapped his arms around her equally as tightly, knowing that this could be the last time he saw her. "I'll email you when I'm settled in tomorrow," He promised, and he felt her nod against his shoulder before releasing him.
"Take care. Don't drink too much. Don't do drugs. Be safe," He rolled his eyes and exaggerated his wave to her.
"Bye, mom," She laughed as she got into the car before turning to look at him again, the sadness in her eyes reflecting his own. "Bye, Mels," He corrected, his voice growing quiet.
"Love you, Sammy. I'll call you up next time I'm in California," She gave an attempted smile before buckling her seatbelt and turning the key in the ignition.
"Love you, too. Watch out for yourself," She grinned and stepped on the gas, leaving Sammy to watch her drive off in the dimming light.
"You were the only one who understood," Sam whispered through the lump in his throat. He readjusted the sling Bobby had gotten him when he'd gone out for food the first time. "Not just about college. About everything," He distantly heard sounds of Dean and Bobby arguing in the other room, but he didn't care. His eyes were fixed on Mel's ghostly pale face. "I love you, you know. Really love you. The way Dean does," He whispered the words softly, but it didn't matter. He knew neither Dean nor Bobby would be able to hear him anyway. "Not that it matters now," He muttered darkly, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears that blurred his vision. It didn't work. He angrily brushed them off his cheeks.
"I said no!" Dean snapped from behind Sam, and Sam turned to see Bobby walking out the door. He was going on another food run. It had only been a day since… Sam felt the lump in his throat grow bigger as his hands started to shake. It had only been one damn day. He turned back to the body lying in front of him.
"We're not okay, Mel," The words were out of Sam before he really knew what he was saying. A small tear slipped down his cheek as he realized what he wanted to tell her. "You kept us together. Kept us going. When Dad died…I could talk to you. Dean could talk to you. How are we supposed to just…?" His throat closed, and he let out a small sob, but he was determined not to cry. She deserved better than that. "How are we supposed to keep going?" He glanced back again as he heard a clatter from the kitchen. Dean had knocked over some dishes, but he didn't even seem to notice as he fumbled with the beer cap of what had to be his sixth or seventh that day. There was also that half gone bottle of Jack Daniels that sat on the table. Sam had seen Dean drunk plenty of times, but when his eyes met his older brother's, he didn't even recognize the broken man that stood by the table. Dean sat down heavily at the table again, his glassy eyes numb to the world, and Sam turned his attention back to the woman before him.
"He's not good, Mels," Sam's voice dropped to a whisper again, knowing his brother wouldn't be able to hear him from the other room. "He needs you," A sob tried to get out of Sam's throat, but he choked it down. "We all need you. This wasn't supposed to happen. It was supposed to be me. Why… why would you do that? It should have been me," The words had been flying out of his mouth faster and faster but they stopped short suddenly after the last sentence. "It should have been me, Mel," He repeated, another tear making a wet trail down his face. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd broken down in the past day but he couldn't do it again. He just couldn't. "You and Dean were supposed to have a life together. I'm the only piece that doesn't fit. It should have been me,"
Dean stared untrustingly at the solid, white surface in front of him, certain that as soon as he put his skate on it, it would crack. Nevermind the thousand other people that had skated over it that day. He wiggled his toes to make sure the boot was on tightly before pulling up his gloves, seriously beginning to regret this idea.
"Come on, Dean," His eyes raised from his boots to focus on the girl who was gliding seamlessly over the cold surface. He hadn't thought she'd be this good at it. "Do you need help?" She offered, an amused spark in her eyes that made Dean shake his head. How hard could this really be?
"I'm fine," He brushed her off, grabbing the door tightly as he stepped onto the ice, his foot already wobbling.
"Are you sure?" She had her eyebrows raised as she bit her lip in a faint concern that was overpowered by amusement.
"Yep," He told her, sounding more sure of himself than he felt. He had wanted to do something different and special. He had been dating her for a few weeks, but they'd never had a real date. Not like this one. Sure, they'd been alone together before and they'd kissed before, but this was something else. He put his other foot onto the ice and slowly let go of the wall he'd been holding onto. For a moment, he was drifting across the ice. Then he fell. He let out a groan as Mel came up next to him, offering a hand.
"Still don't need help?" She questioned, smiling down at him as he accepted her offered hand. She held him steady as he got to his feet slowly and unstably.
"Where'd you learn to do this?" Dean grumbled, holding onto her arms as she held onto his and skated backwards.
"A friend last winter taught me, and I've been practicing at the local ice rinks," She confessed, looking almost embarrassed by the fact. "You want to pick up your foot," She instructed, pointing to his right foot as she did. He did as she told him and almost went down again but managed to stay upright. "See, you didn't fall this time," She pointed out, and he laughed with her.
"Yeah, I'm practically a pro," She laughed at his sarcastic words as they reached the far wall. Technically, they weren't supposed to be in here, but Dean had picked the lock on the front of the building and from there it hadn't been hard to get into the ice rink.
"Tell you what," She skated a short distance away and spun to face him. "Try to make it to me,"
"What do I get if I do it?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows at her, and she smiled widely.
"I guess you'll see," By the time he made it to her, he was actually getting the hang of it. It was easier if he bent his knees slightly and leaned forward. This time when Mel reached for his arms, she intertwined her fingers with his. Taking the hint, he reached down to kiss her softly. Unfortunately for him, the kiss distracted him from what he was doing, and he lost his balance. Mel let out a small scream as they both went down. He turned to make sure she was okay only to see she was laughing, which made him laugh as well.
"You didn't tell me you were so dangerous, Winchester," She joked, causing him to shake his head at her.
"I know. I should come with a warning label," He replied, causing her to laugh harder. He loved her laugh. He propped himself up on his elbow so he could lean down to kiss her without warning.
"What was that?" She asked when they parted, breathless.
"My reward," He grinned cheekily at her as she laughed again.
"You're so cheesy," She rolled her eyes at him, but he just smiled and shrugged.
"Only for you,"
"Dean?" Bobby's shout brought Dean out of his memory and into the painful present. He'd been leaning against the doorframe, watching Sam's shoulders shake as he pressed the back of Mel's cold hand to his forehead. The entire scene felt surreal. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. She was going to wake up in a minute. The life would flood back into her cheeks. Her lips would grow red again. Her hazel eyes would flutter open. Her chest would rise and fall. He wanted to scream at her to move, but he didn't have the energy.
"Brought you this back," Dean turned his head slightly to see Bobby holding up a box of fried chicken. Dean's stomach twisted itself into a knot at the thought of eating while Mel was… while she was lying there, unmoving.
"No, thanks. I'm fine," His voice sounded hoarse and broken even to his own ears, but he didn't care.
"What about Sam?" Bobby questioned, setting the box down on the table before looking back at Dean.
"He's not hungry," Dean answered for his quietly sobbing brother.
"You should eat something," Sam had had something early. Dean couldn't quite remember what. Bobby had gone for food earlier, and Sam had eaten then. Right? Or maybe not. His stomach twisted again at the thought of food.
"I said I'm fine," He muttered in response to Bobby. He staggered slightly as he pushed himself off the door frame he'd been leaning on. His feet felt as though they were made of lead as he trudged slowly towards Bobby. He picked up his beer and began chugging it, praying it would take the pain away. His heart felt like it was being ripped from his chest and it hurt. Every inch of him hurt. His heart ached for her and there wasn't a damn thing he could do. He drank the beer like it could save him from the pain he was feeling.
Bobby's eyes widened slightly as he took in the empty beer bottles on the counter and in the trash can. He knew what the boy was feeling. He'd gone through it himself once before. He'd lost his wife. He'd never wanted kids of his own, but, if he had had one, he'd imagine this would be what loosing them would feel like. He glanced towards where her body was laying before his eyes fixed on Sam's grieving form. He had a duty to her. He couldn't just do nothing. She would've wanted better.
"Dean… I hate to bring this up. I really do, but don't you think maybe it's time… we bury Mel?" Dean looked down at the beer bottle between his hands for a moment before his gaze raised to meet Bobby's worried one.
"No," He answered shortly, his eyes dull and lifeless. Dean sat down in the closest chair and continued drinking the beer without saying a word.
"We could maybe…" Bobby began with a sigh.
"What - torch her corpse?" Bobby's eyes narrowed at the bluntness Dean used. "Not yet," Dean shook his head to emphasize his point, and Bobby leaned on the table, closer to him.
"I want you and Sam to come with me," Mel wouldn't have wanted this for Sam and Dean. She wouldn't have wanted Sam and Dean to just sit here grieving for the rest of their lives.
"I'm not going anywhere," Dean spoke with that same dull finality that had Bobby so worried.
"Dean, please-" Bobby started, his tone gentle.
"Won't you cut me some slack?" Dean snarled lowly as he turned to face Bobby.
"I just don't think you and Sam should be alone, that's all," He defended himself while Dean's head slowly turned back so he could stare at the table again. "I got to admit - I could use your help," Dean scoffed at his words, causing Bobby to frown. "Something big is going down - end-of-the-world big," Dean snapped.
"Well, then let it end!" He shouted furiously at the older man, a sudden rage momentarily drowning out the hurt.
"You don't mean that," Bobby whispered as much to convince himself as the man in front of him. Dean stood up so abruptly that his chair fell backwards onto the ground as he stalked towards Bobby.
"You don't think so?" He faced the man, his eyes dark. "You don't think I've given enough?" Bobby averted his gaze, not sure how to respond to the heartbreak in Dean's eyes. "You don't think I've paid enough?" Dean's head jerked in the direction of Mel for a moment. Dean waited for Bobby to look at him again to continue, wanting to make sure he understood every word of what Dean was saying. "I'm done with it. All of it, and if you know what's good for you, you'd turn around and get the hell out of here," Dean turned when a sudden burst of fury tore through him again. "Go!" He slammed both his hands into Bobby's chest, roughly shoving him backwards. Bobby just stared at Dean with wide, stricken eyes.
Dean. He heard her… in his head. He could hear her stunned voice telling him not to take it out on Bobby. He could still hear her voice so clearly in his head. Would he forget that? A wave of fear crashed into him. Would he forget what she sounded like?
"I'm sorry," He apologized genuinely, his throat closing as the thoughts slammed into him. Would he forget what her lips felt like? "I'm sorry," He repeated, walking towards the chair to lean on it, feeling as though he'd loose it if he didn't have something real to hold onto. Would he forget how her hands felt in his? His hands tightened around the chair. Would he forget her laugh?
"I'll go," The new voice that entered the conversation was enough to pull him back into the present. He looked up to see Sam standing there with fresh tear stains clearly visible. He looked a mess, but he stood tall and nodded at Bobby before taking a shaky breath. "There's still a demon to stop, Dean," He took another trembling breath as he talked to his brother, roughly wiping the tears away from his eyes with the back of his good arm.
"Then go," Dean spoke softly, not having any more strength. The fight with Bobby had taken everything out of him. Now he just felt weak and exhausted.
"Dean-" Sam started, but stopped abruptly at the look his brother gave him. It was tired and beaten. He didn't have any more fight to give.
"Please, just go," Dean practically begged them in a barely audible whisper.
"You know where we'll be," Bobby turned away from Dean, and Sam followed him out the door. Dean wasn't sure when he'd decided to move, but, before he knew it, he was sitting by Mel's side, staring at her unmoving form.
"You know," He began softly, desperately trying to keep his voice from breaking. "When we first started hunting, there was this hunt - this monster that ate children. We couldn't have been more than fifteen at the time," He let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "I had the biggest crush on you," Dean confessed, glancing down at his hands as a small, fond smile pulled at his lips. "We left Sammy in the motel and went with dad to the thing's lair. Dad told us to stay behind him and gave us each a wooden stake. You were so excited," He recalled, smiling softly again as the all too familiar sting of tears pricked at his eyes. "The thing jumped out at dad, and he tried to catch it, but it was too fast. It slammed him against the wall - knocked him out. Then it turned to us. I remember its eyes; it had these bright, red eyes. And my first thought - before dad, before me, even before killing the thing… My first thought was you. I pushed you behind me and the thing grabbed me and threw me clear across the room.
"I thought I was going to die but I didn't. When I looked up, I saw that it had you against the floor and it was choking you. I thought it was going to kill you and I felt this rush of fear go through me. I tried to get up but I was too dizzy. I thought I was going to watch you die. Then you managed to break off a piece of the doorframe and kill it with the wood. You were a mess," He let out a choked laugh as he closed his eyes against the tears. He could still see her in his mind, her throat bruised, her hair wild, while she coughed and staggered to her feet. "But you came over to me and asked if I was okay. That was the moment I knew I was in love with you.
"Thirteen years, Mels," His voice cracked, but he forced himself to continue. "I've known I was in love with you for thirteen years, and I finally… I finally asked you-" The word broke on his lips, making him press them in a firm line to keep from falling apart as his gaze landed on the shining, silver ring still resting on her finger. "You know, ever since that first hunt, I promised myself that I'd do whatever I needed to keep you safe. I promised you it would be okay. That you would be okay. One promise. And I screwed it up. I lied to you," He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he brushed a stray tear away. "You deserve so much more than that," His voice shook badly as he continued, saying the sentence that he always knew to be true. "You deserve so much more than me.
"I couldn't even protect you. Couldn't save you. I'm so sorry," He wiped away the tears as they fell faster and faster. "I guess that's what I do. I let down the people I love. I let dad down. And now I guess I'm just supposed to let you down, too. But how can I? How am I supposed to live with that? How am I supposed to live without you? What am I supposed to do?" He almost lost it then as he stared at her pale, lifeless face. "Mels…" He let out a pained sob that he tried to muffle with his hand. "God," He shook his head, sniffling as he made a last effort to hold it together for her. "What am I supposed to do?" More tears slid down his cheeks as he repeated his question, rising to his feet. "What am I supposed to do?!" He shouted just as his eyes snapped wide open and a new purpose raced through him. Suddenly, he knew exactly what he was supposed to do.
It only took Dean Winchester fifteen minutes to get into his car, pull out, and drive to the nearest crossroads. Then there was another five minutes where he popped the trunk and threw together the needed supplies for what he was about to do. It was crazy. He knew that. He just didn't care. The only person that could've talked him out of what he was about to do was the reason he was doing it. He snapped the small metal box shut before he walked to the center of the crossroads and dug a small hole in the center. He placed the box in the hole before covering it with dirt and standing. Nothing happened.
"Come on, already," He muttered impatiently, fear knifing his heart. What if it hadn't worked? "Show your face, you bitch!" He demanded loudly.
"Easy, sugar. You'll wake the neighbors," Dean's eyes widened fractionally before narrowing as he turned to face the woman who stood there. Her eyes flicked red, as if he needed more reassurance that it was the demon he'd been waiting for. "Dean," She created him genially as he stared at her. "It is so, so good to see you," She inhaled sharply as she spoke, taking a step towards him. "I mean it. Look at you," She walked closer to him as she spoke cheerfully. "Gone and got your family killed. Well, not your family quite yet. She almost made it to being a bona fide Winchester," He jerked towards her, but she took a quick step back, out of his reach. "Excuse me. You're gonna have to give me a moment. Sometimes you got to stop and smell the roses," She whispered the words in his ear as she, again, drew close enough to touch him.
"I should send you straight back to hell," He told the thing, turning slightly to face it. It was what Mel would tell him to do.
"Oh, you should, but you won't," She agreed, and, judging by her confident tone, she had the upper hand. "And I know why," She continued as she walked around him, circling like an animal getting ready to move in for the kill.
"Oh, yeah?" Dean asked, turning to face her as she stopped moving.
"Yeah. Following in daddy's footsteps. You want to make a deal. Sweet, beautiful Mels back from the dead, and - let me guess - you're offering up you're own soul?"
"There are a hundred other demons who'd love to get their hands on it, and it's all yours. All you got to do is bring her back, give me ten years- ten years, and then you come for me," The demon scoffed, glancing away from him.
"You must be joking," It rolled its eyes, giving him a look.
"That's the same deal you give everybody else," Dean reasoned, but it simply laughed.
"You're not everybody else," It responded easily, drawing closer to him again and enjoying the way he stiffened at her approach. "Why would I want to give you anything? Just keep your gutter soul. It's too tarnished, anyways,"
"Nine years," He attempted, turning so their faces were inches apart.
"No," She answered shortly.
"Eight," He spoke again, each word like a knife through the heart.
"You keep going, I'll keep saying no," She shrugged indifferently, backing away from him.
"Okay, five years," He dropped the number drastically, clenching his hands to stop them from shaking. "Five years, and my bill comes due. That's my last offer - five years or no deal," The demon smiled widely, approaching him until she was inches from his lips. He waited for the pressure of her lips on his to seal his fate, but it never came.
"Then no deal," She whispered.
"Fine," Dean hissed, waiting to see if she'd go back on her statement.
"Fine," She matched his determination with her own as she lowered herself flat on her feet. "Make sure you bury Mel before she starts stinking up the joint,"
"Wait," Dean called out before he turned to face her again. She turned at his shout and waited for him to speak. "What do I have to do?"
"First of all, quit groveling. Needy guys are such a turnoff. Has Mel seen this side of you?" He didn't respond to the jab as she stopped in front of him. "Look, I shouldn't be doing this. I could get in a lot of trouble. But what can I say? I got a blind spot for you, Dean. You're like a… puppy. You're just too fun to play with," She sighed dramatically, studying his face for a moment before continuing. "I'll do it,"
"You'll bring her back?" Dean reiterated, just to be sure.
"I will, and because I'm such a saint, I'll give you one year and one year only. But here's the thing. If you try and welch or weasel your way out, then the deal is off. Mel drops dead. She's back to rotten meat in no time. So… it's a better deal than your dad ever got," She raised her chin to Dean, looking right into his eyes with her scarlet ones. "What do you say?" One year was a bad deal. A horrible deal. If Mel were here she'd be screaming at him not to do it. But she wasn't here.
Dean grabbed the back of the demon's head and slammed his lips against hers, selling his soul to the devil. Dean's heart hammered in his chest as he let go of the demon and headed back to his car, revving the engine and driving away from the crossroads. He broke the speed limit by at least twenty miles and made it back to the ghost town in ten minutes. He barely remembered to put the Impala in park before he opened the door and strode into the building.
She was standing by the mirror, her shirt pulled down to reveal the bruise just below her clavicle. She turned to fix her bright, hazel eyes on him as he came in to the room. She was alive.
"M-Mels," He stammered as he whispered her name. She was standing in front of him. She was breathing. Even from where he entered the room, he could clearly see the light in her bright, hazel eyes.
"Dean," She greeted him softly, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "Hey," If there was something else she was going to say, it was forgotten when he crossed to her in three steps and wrapped her tightly in his arms. Her chest constricted and the bruise ached painfully, but she ignored it and wrapped her arms around Dean, somehow feeling his desperation and fear. He pulled back, cradling her face between his hands, checking to make sure she was really alright. "I'm okay, Dean," Her hands came up to cover his larger ones as she attempted to comfort him. He gave a half laugh of relief before ducking his head to press his lips against hers with an urgency that scared her.
"I love you," He mumbled the words against her lips as they stumbled backwards until they hit the wall behind Mel, but neither seemed to care. "I love you. I love you. I love you," He murmured over and over again while desperately trying to memorize every detail about her. The taste of her lips. The feel of her hands. Her body pressed against his. Her delicate fingers tracing his jawline. Her nose brushing against his. She pulled back, flinching slightly as she let out a hiss of pain, unable to ignore the throbbing of her bruise anymore. "I'm sorry," Dean apologized breathlessly as he rested his forehead against hers, unwilling to let her go.
"It's alright," Her eyes fluttered open to focus on Dean's face, and she was stunned to see a tear sliding down his cheek. "I'm alright," Her hand came to rest on his cheek as she brushed the wet trail away. The tear coupled with the haunted look in his green eyes scared her more than she could put into words. "I love you, too," She added with a small smile, silently begging Dean to give her one of his signature smirks. Instead he lowered his lips to meet hers again, but this time the kiss was gentle and soft.
"Don't…" He broke off unsurely, his eyes studying Mel's. "Don't…" He trailed off, shaking his head softly, his eyes never leaving hers.
"I'm not." She reassured him, knowing what he was trying to say. Her hands rested on either side of his face as she took in how exhausted he looked. "I'm not going anywhere," She promised him with a strained smile pulling at her lips before they tugged into a frown again, not being able to avoid the questions burning in her mind any longer. "Dean, what happened to me?" He stiffened slightly at the question but quickly relaxed as he felt her wince from the pain in her chest when his arms tightened around her. He guided her to a chair that had been already pulled away from the table. She sat gratefully as he slid into another chair across from her.
"Well, what do you remember?" His mind screamed at him to tell her the truth, but he couldn't.
"I saw you and Bobby coming towards us. But Jake…" She furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to think. Suddenly her eyes widened and snapped to Dean's, fear shooting through them. "Sammy. He was going for Sammy. Is he okay? Where is he?" "He's fine. He's with Bobby," She visibly relaxed at his reassuring words.
"I, um, I pushed Sam out of the way. Then there was this really sharp pain," She gestured to her chest where the knife had sunk into her skin. "Then I heard you scream my name and…" She shook her head and shrugged. "And then everything went dark,"
"Yeah, that - that kid was trying to kill Sammy. He stabbed you. You lost a lot of blood. It was pretty touch and go for a while," He hated lying to her, but he couldn't tell her the truth.
"Bobby fixed me up, then?" She came to the conclusion logically. She knew that Dean couldn't patch up a wound like that and while Sam may be able to, Bobby was the safer bet.
"Yeah" Dean nodded in confirmation. "Who was the kid anyway?" Dean switched topics and saw her face darken in anger at the boy that'd stabbed her.
"Jake. Did you catch him?" Her words began to be rushed and heated.
"No, he disappeared into the woods," Dean answered, and Mel's jaw clenched as she felt rage course through her veins. She'd trusted him. Sammy had trusted him. And he'd turned on them. He'd almost killed Sammy. Almost killed her.
"We have to find him," She decided, barely able to contain her anger. "He's going to go after Sammy," She moaned slightly in pain as she stood up. Dean quickly rose with her, resting a gentle hand on her waist to steady her as she swayed and squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to block out the pain.
"Hey, hey. Take it easy, okay? You just woke up," He could see the protest forming on her lips, so he hurried on, "Let's get you something to eat, huh? You want something to eat?"
"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good," Dean was relieved as the fury melted away from her hazel eyes, causing them to lighten to an almost green shade.
"I'm starving," He announced, suddenly realizing how hungry he really was. "Come on. Bobby bought food before he left,"
-1st Person-
"That's awful. Poor Andy," Dean spoke softly after I'd finished explaining everything to Dean while I ate the pizza and fried chicken hungrily. Dean had listened without interrupting until I finished every detail of the death and destruction I'd experienced in the past two days.
"The demon said that he only wanted one of Sam's generation to walk out of here," I remembered, my brow furrowing in confusion. This whole situation was confusing. Dean said I had been out for a day, but there was no way my wound could've healed that fast. I'd been knifed in the chest.
"He told you that?" Dean's question drew my attention from my thoughts, and my gaze flicked to him.
"Yeah. In a dream," I responded, my eyes abruptly shooting back to my food as I recalled the other words the demon had spoken. Words about Sammy. Words about Dean. Words about my future.
"He tell you anything else?" Dean asked, and I swallowed my mouthful of pizza before answering him.
"No," I wasn't sure what I was going to say until I actually spoke the word, but after I did, there was no going back. "No, nothing else," It didn't matter. Dean didn't need something distracting him. "But if the demon wanted either Sam or Jake, then how are they both alive?"
"Maybe he changed his mind," Dean shrugged as if the reasoning was irrelevant. My eyes returned to the pizza in my hands, and I frowned in thought. "So now that yellow eyes has Jake, what's he gonna do with him?" That was the million dollar question.
"I don't know," I admitted, biting my lip before focusing on Dean again. "But whatever it is, it's not good and we have to stop him," I could see the protest and worry in Dean's eyes and knew what he was going to say before he even said it.
"Hold on, all right? You need to get some rest. We got time," I shook my head at his statement.
"No, we're running out," I argued, closing the pizza box with my unfinished slice in it. Suddenly, I wasn't hungry anymore.
"Mels, oceans aren't boiling, okay? Frogs aren't raining from the sky. We need to get you your strength back first," Dean insisted, and I sighed in reluctant agreement. As much as I hated to admit it, I did need rest.
"What about the Roadhouse? Max and Jo? Did anyone find anything?" Dean shifted uncomfortably, making me narrow my eyes at him. "What?" His eyes flicked to me, and I could see a deep sorrow that I knew too well. "Dean… who died?" He walked over to sit across from me before meeting my eyes again.
"The Roadhouse burned to the ground," My eyes widened at the news as my heart began thumping wildly in my chest. "Ash is dead, probably Ellen. A lot of other hunters, too," He spoke softly before raising the coke bottle to his lips to take a sip. I could feel the tears beginning to prick my eyes, but I held them off as best I could.
"Max and Jo?" I questioned again, needing him to tell me they were unharmed. Instead, he just shook his head and shrugged, making my heart constrict painfully in my chest.
"They didn't pick up my calls when I tried them," He informed me. I'd only been gone for two days. How the hell was it possible that everything had fallen apart in that time?
"It was demons?" I questioned in a choked voice. So that was why Dean had looked so haunted when I'd first seen him. Why he looked like he hadn't slept in a week.
"Yeah, we think so. We think because Ash found something," I blinked the tears away, trying to focus on the task at hand and not my fallen friends.
"Do you know what he found?" I could tell even before I finished that Dean didn't know. He would've told me by now if he'd figured it out.
"Bobby and Sam are working on that right now," Well, why were we stalling here if Bobby and Sam were already working on the hunt? I brushed a tear from my cheek and pushed my chair backwards, away from the table.
"Bobby's only a few hours away. Come on," I sucked in a breath through my teeth as the bruise on my chest stung.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop," I didn't pay any attention to Dean's protests as I managed to stay upright with the help of the table. "Mel, stop, dammit," He put his hands on my waist to steady me, and I accepted the help, placing an arm on his shoulder in an attempt to catch my balance.
"I'm fine. I'm okay," I insisted, but my voice broke slightly as I thought of all those that were so much worse off than me. We needed to go. To stop whatever this demon was planning. For Ash and Ellen.
"No, you're not," Dean objected, making me look up at his fearful, worried eyes. "You almost died in there," His eyes flicked to the room I'd been resting in before returning to my face. "I mean, what would I have-" He broke off abruptly, his eyes darting away from me as if he were ashamed of himself.
"Dean," My voice softened as I rested a gentle hand on his cheek. "I didn't die. I'm right here," Dean turned his head slightly to brush his lips softly my wrist.
"Just take care of yourself for a little bit, huh?" His pleading eyes bore into mine as he spoke the words quietly. "Just for a little bit,"
"I can't. I'm sorry. The demon needs to be stopped, and we're the only ones that can do it," Dean shook his head while he gazed at me, as though I was something he'd never seen before.
"Okay," He whispered the word with a small smile pulling at his lips.
"Okay," I agreed, pecking his lips before moving around him towards the Impala. The drive to Bobby's only took two hours and a half, and Dean caught me up on everything that had happened. I tried to call Max and Jo separately but neither of them picked up, causing worry to gnaw at my stomach.
"We're here," I glanced up from where I'd been frowning at my phone after my call to Jo went straight to voicemail. "Let's go," I got out of the car and jogged to catch up with Dean. I couldn't help but notice the way his eyes flicked to the house and down to the dirt before looking back up at Bobby's place. His hand twitched as his fingers began tapping out a Metallica song. Why was he so nervous? I slid my fingers through his rough ones, not sure what else I could do to comfort him. Something was off. As I knocked on Bobby's familiar door, I filed my doubts away for the moment, knowing I had bigger things to worry about.
"Hey, Bobby," Dean greeted the older man as he opened the door, and I didn't miss the husky note in his voice or the way his eyes dropped to the ground. Something was definitely off. The doubt resurfaced, only to be strengthened by Bobby's stunned expression as his eyes fell on me.
"Hey, Bobby," I echoed Dean's words while I offered him a smile, which he returned halfheartedly.
"Mel…" He trailed off briefly, studying me with that same shocked look in his eyes. "It's good to… see you up and around,"
"Yeah, thanks for fixing me up," I stepped closer so I could hug him quickly, and, to my surprise, he hugged me back. Bobby wasn't much for displays of fondness, but he made an effort this time.
"Don't mention it, kid," He answered as I released him with an eye roll at the word 'kid'. I brushed past him and into the room, eager to see what he and Sam had found. "Wait, Mel-" Bobby started to protest, but I ignored him as I walked further into the house.
"Who was-" Sam's question came to an abrupt stop as he raised his head from the books to stare at me. His eyes widened considerably as he took in my appearance while I did the same. Sam looked almost as bad as Dean when I'd first seen him walk through that door after waking up. His eyes were slightly puffy as if he'd been crying recently, and his hair was a mess from him running his hands through it too much. "Mel?" He swallowed hard, his eyes flicking to the figure behind me before focusing on me again as I walked towards the table.
"In the flesh," I responded, beginning to get worried, but I desperately tried to expel that one, burning question from my mind. Exactly how close had I come to dying? My thoughts were halted as Sam slammed into me, wrapping his arms around me so tightly I could barely breathe.
"You're okay," I barely caught Sam's whispered words as I hugged him back. "You're okay," I absorbed the words without responding for as long as I could before the piercing throb of my bruise became to much to ignore.
"Sam," I choked out, slapping his shoulder lightly to show him I needed to be released. "Can't breathe," I reminded him, and he released me with a relieved laugh.
"I'm sorry," He apologized, looking happier than I'd ever seen him. "I'm sorry," He repeated, but this time the two words seemed to carry a deeper meaning. "I'm just glad that you…" He trailed off, his eyes flicking to Dean for a moment before landing on me again. "That you're better,"
"Well, Mel's better now, so… we're back in it," Dean explained to them, avoiding my narrowed eyes. Something was off. The three of them were acting weird.
"Well, we found something, but I'm not sure what the hell it means," Bobby began, going around to the other side of the table to face us.
"What?" I prompted both him and Sam, eager to get back in the game.
"There's been an unusual amount of demonic omens," Sam picked up Bobby's train of thought as the man studied the map in front of us. "There's cattle deaths, lightning storms, even some reports of people with black eyes,"
"They've skyrocketed out of nowhere," Bobby interjected, a sudden purpose to his voice. "Here," He spun the map on the table to face us, so we could read it. "All around here except for one place - southern Wyoming," My brow furrowed as he gestured to the area with his finger.
"Wyoming?" Dean echoed, seeming equally confused as me.
"Yeah, the one area is spotless. No hauntings, no cattle mutilations. Nothing," Sam emphasized, glancing at Bobby, who nodded in agreement.
"It's almost as if the demons are surrounding it," Bobby mused, glancing at Dean and I.
"And you have no idea why?" I prompted, leading both men to shake their heads 'no'.
"No, and by this point my eyes are swimming," Bobby confessed, leaning away from the table before his eyes fixed on me. "Mel, would you take a look at it? Maybe you could catch something I couldn't,"
"Yeah, of course," I replied easily, trying to cover up the suspicion that was rising inside of me.
"Come on, Dean. I got some more books in the truck. Help me lug them in," He directed, pulling on his jacket as he spoke. "Sam, you stay with Mel. Catch her up,"
"Yeah," Dean agreed before following Bobby out the door, leaving Sam and I alone.
"What?" I asked the question almost as soon as the two were out of earshot.
"What?" Sam repeated back to me, making me quirk an eyebrow at him.
"Come on, I know something weird is going on. What happened? What aren't you two telling me?" I demanded, folding my arms over my chest.
"Nothing," Sam glanced out the way Dean and Bobby had gone before looking back at me and sighing heavily. "Look, Mel, when Jake…" He took a deep breath, and some of my anger dissipated as a horrible thought occurred to me. Before I could voice it, Sam continued. "After Jake stabbed you… it was pretty serious. For a while, none of us thought you would make it. It was hard on him," I didn't need to ask who the 'him' Sam was referring to was. "It was hard on all of us," He took a breath, debated for a minute, and then spoke again. "Next time, do me a favor, Mel, and don't push me out of the way,"
"You would've died," I informed him, turning to focus on the map without making any promises to Sam.
"I had it handled," I rolled my eyes at Sam's comeback.
"I saved your life. The least you can say is 'thank you'," I chided him, flipping through a book to the marked pages and distractedly reading through Sam and Bobby's notes.
"Thank you," I gave Sam a look, thinking he was being a smartass, but what I saw on his face was nothing but open honesty. Suddenly, my mind went back to that dream. The demon had told me that Sam was in love with me. It couldn't be true. It was Sammy. But I knew it was true. The same way I knew that something bad was going to happen before Sam and I got kidnapped.
"You're welcome," I replied lightly, attempting to ignore my reeling mind. "So tell me about what you and Bobby have been up to,"
-3rd Person-
Dean could almost feel the tense waves of anger coming off of Bobby as the man strode purposefully in front of him into the junkyard. They walked until they were behind an old, beat up truck a good distance from the house. That was when Bobby whipped around, fury in his eyes.
"You stupid ass! What did you do?" He demanded, and Dean remained silent, glancing back in the direction Mel and Sam were. "What did you do?" Bobby grabbed his collar and shook him as he yelled the words. Dean felt drained. He suddenly became aware of the fact he hadn't slept in over a day and a half, and, in all that time, he'd had one meal. "You made a deal… for Mel, didn't you?" Dean glanced from the ground to Bobby before back at the ground, not being able to meet his eyes. "How long did they give you?"
"Bobby," Dean's eyes flicked in the direction of the house again, worrying that Mel would be able to hear them.
"How long?!" Bobby snapped, ignoring Dean's protest.
"One year," Dean had trouble meeting Bobby's gaze as he spoke the truth.
"Damn it, Dean," The older man muttered, and Dean managed to pull himself together.
"Which is why we got to find this yellow-eyed son of a bitch. That's why I'm gonna kill him myself. I mean, I got nothing to lose now, right?" Bobby shook his head slowly before grasping Dean's collar again and shaking the boy roughly.
"I could throttle you!" He snarled, but Dean remained unfazed.
"And send me downstairs ahead of schedule?" Dean managed a bitter smile that looked more like a grimace, but it made Bobby release him.
"What is it with you Winchesters, huh? You, your dad, hell, even your brother-"
"My brother?" Dean's eyes snapped to Bobby's guilty ones before narrowing. "What do you mean? What does Sammy have to do with this?"
"When we first got here, he tried to go," Bobby confessed, and Dean felt energy and adrenaline rush through him. Sammy had tried to sell his soul. "Told me he had to. That it was him that was supposed to be dead,"
"You didn't let him go, did you?" Bobby gave Dean a withering look at the question, which was all the answer Dean needed. "Thank you,"
"Don't thank me. You were both just itching to throw yourselves down the pit," Bobby stared at the boy in front of him as he talked, desperately wanting Dean to tell him that it was just a joke, that he didn't sell his soul. But he knew that wasn't going to happen.
"That's my point, Bobby," Were the words Dean spoke instead. "I'm not even supposed to be here. At least this way, something good could come out of it, you know? It's like my life can mean something,"
"What? And it didn't before? Have you got that low an opinion of yourself? Are you that screwed in the head?" Bobby shook him again, desperately trying to make Dean see the seriousness of what he'd done.
"I couldn't let her die, Bobby," Dean's voice dropped to a whisper as he spoke earnestly, the energy draining from him again. He felt weak, exhausted. "I couldn't," He shook his head, and Bobby saw a hint of the pain, of the brokenness, he'd seen while Mel's body was lying on that bed. "She's the love of my life," He said the words plainly with a small, helpless shrug, as if that explained everything he'd done.
"How is the love of your life gonna feel when she knows you're going to hell?" Bobby's voice softened, and Dean's eyes focused on him. "How'd you feel when you knew your dad went for you?" Dean remembered how he'd felt. The pain, the anger, the self-loathing.
"You can't tell her," He couldn't make Mel feel that way. He couldn't. "You take a shot at me, whatever you got to do, but please don't tell her," Bobby shook his head slowly, feeling as though he might cry as he put a hand on Dean's shoulder. Then there was a rattle to their left. Both Dean and Bobby's heads snapped up before they strode quickly and quietly to the beaten up car in front of them. They crouched behind it, both tensing as they saw the shadow of a person. They whipped around the car hood, grabbing the trespasser.
"Ellen?" Dean's voice shook as he took in the woman in front of him. "Ellen," He hugged her hard, thanking god she was alright.
-1st Person-
"Guys," I glanced up at the sound of Dean's voice as he and Bobby came back without any books. That's when I saw the woman that was with them.
"Ellen," Relief coursed through me veins as I moved around the table quickly to hug her hard. Sam hugged her after me as Bobby went into the cabinet to get some whiskey and a shot glass. Ellen sat down at the other side of the table, and Bobby filled the shot glass first with holy water, sliding it across to her.
"Bobby, is this really necessary?" She questioned, holding up the shot glass.
"Just a belt of holy water. Shouldn't hurt," She downed it without further protest and slid the glass back to him.
"Whiskey now, if you don't mind," I sad down on the chairs to Bobby's left with Sam and Dean.
"Ellen what happened? How'd you get out?" Dean asked her hurriedly.
"I wasn't supposed to," She answered, glancing down at her hands. "I was supposed to be in there with everybody else, but we ran out of pretzels of all things. It was just dumb luck," She caught the shot glass full of whiskey Bobby slid over to her, and she downed it. "Anyway, that's when Ash called. Panic in his voice. He told me to look in the safe. Then the call cut out. By the time I got back the flames were sky high, and everybody was dead. I couldn't have been gone more than fifteen minutes,"
"Sorry, Ellen," Sam whispered, and she swallowed hard.
"A lot of good people died in there, and I got to live. Lucky me," She reflected numbly.
"Ellen, you said Ash told you to look in the safe?" I began, ignoring Dean and Sam's incredulous glances. We needed to know. We needed anything that would help stop the yellow-eyed demon.
"A hidden safe. We keep in the basement," She elaborated, and I saw Bobby sit up straighter.
"Demons get what was in it?" He questioned, and she shook her head, a small smile pulling on her lips.
"No," She pulled back the side of her coat to take out an ordinary looking map. She unfolded it and slid it over to Dean, Sam, and me.
"Wyoming. What does that mean?" Dean questioned in confusion. I'd been hunting long enough to know what that meant. It was time to research. Three hours later I was sitting beside Dean while he studied the book in front of him, and I searched on Sam's laptop for anything on the 'x's on the map I was staring at. I was surprised Sam had let me use his laptop. He was usually so uptight about who was allowed access. Suddenly, I jerked up, realizing exactly what I was staring at.
"Oh, my god," I muttered, causing Bobby to glance up from his book.
"What? You got something?" Sam asked, walking over with Ellen close behind him.
"Yeah," I whispered, still engrossed in the article that had cleared everything up for me.
"Well, you want to share?" I glanced up to give Sam a mock scathing look before I collected my thoughts, spreading the map out on the table and standing.
"So these x's are abandoned frontier churches. It's all mid-19th century. They were all built by Samuel Colt,"
"Samuel Colt," Dean repeated in surprise. "The demon-killing, gun-making Samuel Colt?" He questioned, and I nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, but there's more to it. He built railways that connected all the churches," I uncapped a black marker that was near me and began drawing on the map. "And it just so happens, that the railways connect like this," I pushed the map more into the center of the table as I finished drawing the star.
"Tell me that's not what I think it is," Dean muttered in shock while I nodded.
"It's a devil's trap," Sam realized as I setback down in my chair. "A hundred square mile devil's trap,"
"Yeah. It's brilliant. The demon's can't cross the iron lines of the tracks," I agreed, frowning as another thought occurred to me. What did the yellow eyed demon want with it?
"I've never heard of anything that massive," Ellen mused, taking a seat by the table.
"No one has," Bobby muttered.
"And after all these years none of the lines are broken? It still works?" Dean checked, and I shrugged but nodded. In theory, it should still be functioning. It would explain the lack of omens in the area.
"Definitely," I glanced at Sam as he spoke with a sureness to his voice that made me frown in curiosity.
"How do you know?" Dean asked the question, but I already knew the answer/
"The omens that Bobby found around the area. The demon's have to be circling, but they can't get in," I explained, knowing exactly where Sam's mind was.
"Yeah, well… they're trying," Bobby pointed out.
"Why? What's inside?" Ellen asked a good question.
"That's what I've been looking for," I glanced to my left at Dean, who spoke up. "And, uh, there's nothing except an old cowboy cemetery right in the middle," Dean pointed to the heart of the star.
"Well, what's so important about a cemetery or… what's Colt trying to protect?" I bit my lip in thought, Sam's words sparking something in my brain.
"What if he's not trying to protect anything?" I mused, focusing on the center of the star. "What if he's trying to trap something inside,"
"Well, that's a comforting thought," Ellen muttered sarcastically.
"Yeah, you think?" Dean agreed, glancing to me and Sam.
"Could they do it, Bobby?" He questioned. "Could they get inside?"
"This thing's so powerful, you'd practically need an A-bomb to destroy it," He shook his head firmly. "No way a full-blood demon gets across,"
"No. But I know who could," I glanced at him with a frown before I realized who he was talking about.
"Jake," I whispered, anger burning white hot in my voice. Damn it. "Come on. We have to go,"
"I'll ride with Bobby," Ellen informed us as Bobby grabbed the keys before heading out, Ellen following him. Sam, Dean, and I walked out to where he'd parked the Impala in front of the house. Sam got into the back of the Impala without arguing, and I was about to get into the passenger's side when my eyes happened to land on Dean. He looked older somehow. Run down, exhausted. Like he would collapse any moment.
"Dean," He glanced at me as I called his name. "Can I drive," He seemed surprised for a moment but tossed me the keys without an argument. First, Sammy doesn't argue about being shoved into the backseat. Then, Dean hands me the keys. I tried to rid myself of the suspicion as I got into the driver's side. The drive would give me time to think and clear my head.
Two minutes into the drive Dean was asleep, and I turned down the music to make sure it didn't wake him. He needed the rest. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. I, on the other hand, felt like I'd slept for a year. I was eager to find the yellow-eyed son of a bitch and Jake. Jake that had betrayed us and nearly killed Sammy and I. I glanced in the rearview at Sam, who was nodding off in the backseat, looking equally as exhausted as Dean. They needed to take better care of themselves. I shook my head with a small smile pulling at my lips as I drove.
My back was pressed against a dirty, old tombstone while I listened to Jake's footsteps grow closer to the crypt in the center of the graveyard. We'd gotten here only a couple of minutes before we heard Jake approaching, and, when we did, we had hid behind the graves. Jake was now going up to the crypt that was taller than he was.
"Hey, Jake," I stepped out from my hiding place to greet the treacherous leech. I trained my gun on him as Bobby, Sammy, Ellen and Dean stepped into the dim light as well.
"Wait… no," He struggled with words as his eyes landed on me. "You were dead. I killed you,"
"Yeah, well, next time you should be more precise," I stifled my anger with an effort.
"I was," The certainty in his voice unnerved me. "I pierced your heart. There's no way you survived," I swallowed hard, glancing at Dean, but as soon as his eyes met mine, they dropped to the ground.
"Okay, just take it real easy there, son," Bobby intervened, drawing Jake's attention.
"And if I don't?" He questioned, quirking and eyebrow.
"Wait and see," The anger in Sam's voice was unmistakable. He would kill Jake if he had the chance.
"What, you a tough guy all of a sudden? What are you gonna do - kill me?" His eyes moved to me as he raised an eyebrow.
"It's a thought," Sam replied.
"And you'll let him? You weren't willing to last time, remember?" My lips twisted into a smile as I scoffed.
"I'm not going to make that mistake again," Jake began laughing at my words while I glared harshly at him, cocking my gun. I almost thought I'd shoot him, but then Dean's voice broke in.
"What are you smiling at, you little bitch?" He questioned roughly, and, in answer, Jake turned to Ellen.
"Hey, lady. Do me a favor. Put that gun to your head," I could hear the power in his words, and I didn't have to look at Ellen to know she had jerkily pressed the barrel of the gun to her temple. "See, that Ava girl was right," Jake went on as if nothing was wrong. "Once you give in to it, there's all sorts of new Jedi mind tricks you can learn,"
"Let her go," Sam demanded, but Jake just laughed again.
"Shoot him," Ellen begged, her voice trembling violently.
"You'll be mopping up skull before you get a shot off," He warned teasingly. "Everybody, put your guns down," He ordered before his eyes flicked to Ellen again, "Except you sweetheart," I met Dean's eyes as he lowered his gun unwillingly; my eyes flicked to Bobby to see him doing the same. Sam and I exchanged a glance before we raised our hands in surrender, dropping our weapons. "Okay. Thank you," There was a tense pause before Jake whirled and sprinted to the crypt, jamming the colt into the hole in the front. Dean and Bobby ran to Ellen, forcing the gun up and away from her head as she fired. I snatched up the gun I'd dropped before aiming and firing at Jake. I hit him square in the right shoulder, which barely seemed to slow him down. Sam fired as well, hitting him two inches to the right of the first bullet hole. My last shot went right between his shoulder blades, and he finally went down. I walked over to him so I was standing at his feet while he lay gasping on the ground.
"Please… don't. Please," I raised the gun to point at his chest, hesitating as my hands began to shake. I was going to do it. He'd betrayed me. Tried to kill everyone I cared about. Before I could do anything, Jake's body jerked as a shot rang out. My eyes shot up to see Sam, holding the gun with a dark look in his eyes. He fired again, and Jake lay unmoving. Slowly, I lowered my gun, my eyes moving to meet Dean's startled, worried ones.
"Oh, no," Bobby muttered, making me turn to see he was standing in front of the crypt.
"What? What's happening?" I questioned, remembering Jake had pushed the colt into the door. We may have still been too late.
"It's hell," He answered, taking a hurried step back. Dean moved forward to take the colt out of the door, but that didn't slow the rattling noise. "Take cover - now!" Bobby yelled, pulling Ellen with him as I whirled and sprinted away from the doors. I leapt over a short tombstone, ducking behind it, and desperately searching for confirmation the others were safe. I found Bobby and Ellen hiding behind a large grave marker to my right and a moment later Dean jumped over the tombstone I was behind, pulling himself up next to me. Sam ran behind one to our left just as the crypt door flew open with a deafening bang. Dean pulled me to his chest tightly as my hands grabbed fistfuls of his jacket. His arms wrapped around me, shielding me from the black smoke that shrouded us while I buried my head in Dean's chest, thinking that this could be the end. Then the black smoke cleared.
"The hell just happened?" Dean shouted to Bobby over the roar. I lifted my head to look back at Bobby, whose face was a mix of terror and horror.
"That's a devil's gate, a damn door to hell!" Ellen yelled to us. "Come on! We got to shut that gate!" I rushed to my feet, running towards the open door with Sam beside me. I ended up on the right side, desperately pushing the door closed next to Bobby as Sam and Ellen took the other door. That's when I saw Dean lying on the ground with a man standing over him. A man I knew all too well.
"Dean!" Sam screamed his name, abandoning the door to sprint towards him. The demon flicked his wrist, sending Sam flying into the tree.
"I'll get to you in a minute," I strained to listen to what the demon was saying. "But I'm proud of you… knew you had it in you," I glanced at the opening to hell before turning back to look at where the demon had Dean pinned to a gravestone. "Sit a spell,"
"Go!" Bobby shouted, and I didn't need to be told twice. I ran towards him just as Sam had, but, instead of throwing me into a tree or tombstone, he held up a hand and I was trapped. I couldn't move forward or backwards. I couldn't move at all.
"You should hear this. Don't you think so, Dean?" I glared at the demon before my eyes flicked to Dean, not understanding what yellow-eyes was talking about.
"Don't…" Dean struggled against the invisible restraints, but the demon just shook his head, chuckling.
"Dean, Dean, Dean," He spoke as if he were chiding a small child. "I got to thank you. You see, demons can't resurrect people unless a deal is made," Every part of me froze. My eyes slowly travelled to Dean, but he avoided my gaze, choosing, instead, to glare at the demon. "I know, red tape - it'll make you nuts, but thanks to you, Mels is back in rotation," My eyes never left Dean. He couldn't… he wouldn't have. That's not possible.
"Now, I wasn't counting on that, but I'm glad. See, with Mel comes Sammy. Two birds with one stone, eh?" He chuckled delightedly. "I liked both of them better than Jake, anyhow. Tell me - have you ever heard the expression 'if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is'?" Slowly Dean's eyes moved to mine, and I felt tears prick at my eyes at the sorrow and pain that was written there. That was all the confirmation I needed.
"You call that deal good?" I squeezed my eyes shut as he glared at the demon again.
"It's a better shake than your dad ever got," The demon pointed out, shrugging nonchalantly. "And you never wondered why? I'm surprised at you. I mean," He leaned closer to Dean. "You saw what Mel almost did to Jake, right?" He stood, walking over to where I was standing unmoving. "Tell him," The demon told me, jerking his head at Dean. "Tell him how you were gonna kill Jake. Tell him how you wanted to see the life leave his eyes," I didn't speak as he traced my jaw with his fingers, circling me.
"Get away from her," Dean snarled at him, but the demon ignored him. I looked straight ahead, trying to block out the words the demon was whispering.
"How certain are you that what you brought back is one hundred percent pure Mel?" He grasped my chin firmly in his hand and jerked it around, forcing me to look at Dean. I felt a small tear travel down my cheek as my eyes fixed on his. "You of all people should know that what's dead should stay dead," He released my chin, coming to stand in front of Dean again. "Anyway, thanks a bunch. I knew I kept you alive for some reason. Until now, of course. But don't worry, Sam'll take good care of her. Really good. So, again, thank you. I couldn't have done it without your pathetic, self-loathing, self-destructive desire to sacrifice yourself for the ones you love,"
"No!" I screamed as the demon raised the colt to Dean's head. Then he was grabbed from behind by a ghostly pale figure. "John?" I whispered the word in utter shock as he wrestled with the black smoke he held. Suddenly, the invisible force locking me in place released me, and I fell to my knees. When I looked up again, I saw the black smoke had thrown off John and was back in the man he'd been possessing. I searched for the colt only to see Dean had already picked it up and was pointing it at the demon. He fired. The man flashed yellow, he skeleton visible through his skin for a moment before he fell to the dirt, dead.
I struggled to my feet, staring at John, who was getting up from the ground. He came forward to rest a hand on Dean's shoulder, smiling at his son before turning his head to look at me. I smiled back at him as I saw his proud, fatherlike gaze before it moved on to Sam, whom he nodded to. A tear fell from his eyes, and he moved backwards, golden light beginning to emanate from his chest. He flickered for a moment before he vanished from sight completely.
Tears pricked at my eyes as they traveled to meet Sammy, who was trying to stifle the sobs building in his throat. The three of us gathered silently around the dead demon for a moment.
"Well, check that off the to-do list," Dean attempted a joke, but only Sammy was smiling.
"You did it," His smile widened as he looked at his brother.
"I didn't do it alone," I could feel his eyes flick from Sammy to me, but I refused to look at him.
"Do you think dad really… do you think he really climbed out of hell?" He looked towards the now closed gates.
"The door was open," Dean responded, but I could barely hear what the two were saying over the booming of the demon's words bouncing around in my mind. "If anyone's stubborn enough to do it… it would be him,"
"Where do you think he is now?" Sam questioned, his eyes flicked to me, but I didn't look up from the body at our feet.
"I don't know," Dean replied truthfully.
"I kind of can't believe it, guys. I mean… our whole lives, everything… has been prepping for this, and now I…I kind of don't know what to say,"
"I do," Dean knelt by the demon's dead body before glancing up at Sam and then at me. "That was for our moms… you son of a bitch," He stood, and I glanced back at Bobby and Ellen before giving Sam a strained smile.
"I'm going to wait by the car," I informed them, forcing my voice to be level.
-3rd Person-
"She knows," Sam commented as both brothers watched Mel walk away.
"Yeah, she knows," The words hadn't been a question, but Dean answered anyway. "Bobby told me about stopping you from doing the same," Sam flinched at the words.
"Yeah," He spoke softly, glancing down at the tip of his shoes. "It's Mel… you know?" Sam was caught. He thought he should feel angry at his older brother, but he didn't. He had tried to do the exact same thing.
"Listen, Sammy. You have to take care of her, alright?" Dean turned to face his brother as he spoke, no trace of his usual humor in the words. "You two have to watch each others backs-"
"Hey, hey. No, no, no. You don't get to do that. Look, Mel and I aren't going to just let you die," Sam informed him, and Dean swallowed hard, remembering what the crossroads demon had said about weaseling his way out. "We're going to get you out of this, okay? It'll be our turn to save you for a change," Dean forced a chuckle that made Sam smile slightly.
"Okay," Dean agreed before his mouth twitched up in a grin. "And, Sammy?" The boy glanced at him expectantly. "You're not allowed to move in on her," Sam blanched.
"W-what?" He stammered out as Dean let out a genuine chuckle.
"You think I didn't know?" Dean raised his eyebrows at his little brother.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Sam denied, his mind racing as he tried to take in what Dean had just said.
"I'm talking about your little crush on Mel," Sam just stared at Dean, completely speechless for the first time in a long time. "You're not exactly James Bond at keeping your secrets, Sammy,"
"How long have you known?" Sam finally found words.
"Since high school," Dean replied nonchalantly. "Besides, how could you not? She's gorgeous, smart, good hunter. She can fight like all hell," A smile graced Dean's lips as he spoke about her, glancing in the direction she'd gone.
"And you're not mad?" Sam questioned incredulously.
"Like I said, how could you not? She's practically the only girl you know," Dean shrugged, still looking after her with that same expression he'd always had when looking at Mel. It wasn't until that moment that Sam realized how much Dean loved her.
"You should go talk to her," He spoke softly. "I'll stay here with Bobby and Ellen awhile," Dean nodded, heading towards the Impala.
-1st Person-
"Where's Sammy?" I questioned when I saw Dean approaching the car alone.
"With Bobby and Ellen," He answered, and silence enveloped us for a moment. I felt his eyes on the side of my face as I leaned my back against the Impala, clenching my teeth together to stifle the flood of emotions I was feeling. "Mel, we just killed the demon. Can we celebrate for a minute?"
"Tell me it was lying," I was begging but I didn't care. I glanced up to see Dean swallow hard as he remained silent. "Dean, tell me it was a lie. Tell me you didn't sell your soul for me like John did for you,"
"Mel…" He began, his eyes flicking to mine as he silently confirmed it. He let out a strained chuckle, glancing at the ground again.
"How much time did you get?" I whispered, my voice breaking.
"One year," I felt like someone had sucked the air from my lungs. My hands began shaking. My throat closed. Tears pricked hot at my eyes. "I got one year,"
"Why would you do that?" I managed to get out, my eyes turning angry.
"You really have to ask?" A tear slid down my cheek, but I didn't care. Fury burned inside of me.
"How could you make that deal? After how you felt when John did it to you? After my dad? How could you do that?" I snapped at him, my voice rising.
"Don't get mad at me," His eyes met mine unflinchingly, and I felt the rage drain away from me as I looked into his tired, sorrow filled eyes. "Don't you do that," Another tear escaped my eyes as I swallowed roughly. "I had to. I promised you you would be okay. It was my job to protect you," He was lying. He didn't do it because of a promise and he didn't do it because it was his job. The silence seemed to stretch out for an eternity as I stared into his dark, green eyes. "I couldn't do it," He confessed quietly. "Not without you. I couldn't do it," I let out a shaky breath as I looked away from him.
"Sam and I are going to find a way out of this," I swore, my eyes fixing on him again with a new determination. "We're going to fix it," I stepped closer to him, placing both my hands on either side of his face.
"You think you can save me?" Dean questioned, and a small smile tugged at my lips.
"I've had twenty years of practice," He let out a chuckle before wrapping an arm around my waist as I raised my lips to meet his.
"Hey, lovebirds!" We broke apart, and I turned to see Ellen, Bobby, and Sam coming towards the Impala. "The yellow-eyed demon might be dead, but a lot more got through that gate,"
"How many, you think?" Dean asked gruffly.
"A hundred, maybe two hundred," Sam estimated, glancing at me.
"Enough to make an army. It was his goal, to unleash an army," I told them, my eyes meeting Bobby's grim ones as Dean's arms tightened around my waist.
"Hope to hell you three are ready cause the war has just begun," He informed us, sending chills up my spine.
"Well, then," Dean went to the Impala's trunk, opening it before taking the colt out and throwing it inside. "We got work to do,"
Lanariel Greenleaf: Thank you so much for the review! I hope you like what I did with Dean and Mel when she's dead! I'm sorry I made you cry. I basically depressed myself when I wrote her death scene last chapter.
Just Another Netflixer: I really hope you like how everything turned out! I worked really hard on this chapter, and thank you for the compliment about my writing. It really means a lot to me.
WinchesterBenson97: I'm thinking I will do a season 3 continuation of this, so I hope you keep reading!
grapejuice101: Sorry this update took so long to come out, but I hope you think it was worth it!
Lara-Cat: I'm so sorry, but thanks about the compliment on my writing. And just so you know, your review has to be one of my favorites. That was gold.
MsNico: I love the long reviews, so don't worry! I was trying to write Dean's reaction as sad as possible because I was really sad as well about killing off my character. I tried to get Mel's reaction right regarding Sammy's feelings towards her and I hope that it worked out well. This chapter definitely deals with that some more, so I look forward to know what you thought!
Cosmic Daeva: I wanted Dean to be out of character for the proposal because proposals should be something that stands out. That's why I had him propose in the traditional way. Everything else in their relationship was kind of spur of the moment (like their first kiss in 'Dead in the Water'), so I thought the proposal should be the opposite.
anime0angel: Mel is not okay with Dean having sold his soul for her, but you're right in that Sam wasn't okay either. It is really sad that everything fell apart. It's sad to write them without Mel, and I thought that it would be uncharacteristic of her to just give in to what the demon was saying and let what was happening consume her. I tried to write in a Dean part in third person, but there wasn't long enough clips of him, which was disappointing. Azazel's plans are all revealed in the last chapter and some of this one, so I hope you like this chapter! (I can't give too much away).
Ladysunshine6: I didn't want her to meet Sam right away, and I wanted to show her interactions with the others before everything went to hell. And thanks for the PMs and all the help on this chapter! I think it turned out well.
bjq: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!
Guest: I'm sorry! But I hope this chapter makes up for it.
MyWaywardDaughter: I think some and maybe all of your questions will be answered in this chapter. If not, I hope I'll get them in season three!
Guest: I know! I was really sad when I wrote the ending of the last chapter and the beginning of this one!
JJS4: I'm so with you about Andy. The first time I watched it I was really upset when he died; he was one of my favorite early characters (and Ash). I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations!
sarahmichellegellarfan1: This update took a while, and I'm sorry, but all your questions are definitely answered in it. I'm glad you liked Sam's reaction; I actually had to rewrite it to get it right.
MarvelWorksWonders: I hope you like this and I'm glad you liked the last one!
J. : I'm sorry I made you cry. I'm really flattered by your comments on my writing. Thank you so so much!
samcheese1: I included flashbacks in this one, so I hope you liked those. I love writing the flashbacks, so you can expect more coming. If there's any you'd like to see, just review the idea.
Guest101: I love when reviews compliment my writing style, so thank you so much! I'm glad you're so invested in the story, but I'm sorry for this update because it gets a little sad in the beginning.
Guest: Hope you like Mel's reaction in this. I tried my best to make it the right amount of sad and angry, and I think it came out well (hopefully).
Guest: I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry! Please don't hate me! I wrote it as soon as I found the time; I swear!
Guest101: I'm sorry it took long for this update, but there were so many parts I needed to figure out. I hope you like the update though!