"Amie! Baby, can you hear me?" Dean shouted at Amie's limp body on the sidewalk. She stirred slightly and lifted a hand to her head, groaning. "Amie!" He cried in relief, tears forming in his eyes.

Amie forced her eyes open slowly, then sat upright suddenly. "Jess!" She suddenly exclaimed, her eyes growing wide. Sam looked down at her, tears streaking tracks down his cheeks. "Where is she?" Amie asked, panicked. She looked up at Dean, then noticed the burning, smoking building behind him; heard the panicked voices around them. She saw the defeated look on Sam's face. Amie felt as though she was going to be sick. "Oh God, no…"

"Amie, what happened?" Dean asked, worried.

"I don't know," she said in shock. "I heard Jess scream in her room, so I ran in… but by the time I got there she was already on the ceiling. So I ran at the guy in the middle, and I… I don't remember after that."

Dean nodded. "I thought you were…" He croaked, looking down at her, tears spilling down his cheeks. He sucked his bottom lip, then stroked her hair. "I thought I lost you."

Amie shook her head. "I'm okay. I'm alive, I mean," she squeaked, as Dean engulfed her in a too tight hug. Amie looked up at Sam over Dean's shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry Sam. I tried, I really did," she said in a strained voice. Sam nodded and tears continued to fall. "It should have been me," Amie breathed, making Dean's heart race and break at the same time. But before he could say anything, Sam answered.

"I'm glad someone made it out, Amie," his voice was hollow. "Jess would have wanted it to be you. This isn't your fault."

Amie shook her head slowly, as if to say "No, this isn't happening." But it was. She stood up, Dean letting go of her reluctantly. She walked up to Sam, who could barely look at her, and stared into his disbelieving, broken face. Amie wanted to say something to make him feel better. She wanted to say something like, "She loved you," but Sam knew. She wanted to be able to say that she had tried her best to keep her safe, that Jess was brave and strong until the end. But no words came out. Amie just wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could, as this was all she could do. After a moment of hesitation, Sam hugged her back.

She smelt of Jess. Sam thought he was going to collapse. He wanted to tear his heart out, to stop feeling. But he could smell Jess on Amie; she must have been wearing her perfume, borrowed her clothes. Or maybe they just smelt the same. Either way, Sam breathed in the smell hungrily, aware that it would not linger for long. Amie continued to hold him in a bone crushingly tight grip, and it felt good to be squeezed so hard. But the world was still too loud, too active, too much. He couldn't bare it, he needed everything to just stop. Sam pulled away, knowing that if he held onto Amie for any longer he would fall apart.

"Come on," he said, sniffing. "We got work to do." Amie watched as Sam smiled stiffly at Dean, then walked to the Impala.

"You okay?" Dean asked Amie after Sam had left.

"No," she replied simply. "Come on. Sammy needs us." She tried to walk past Dean, but he grabbed her arm.

"I'm sorry I left you here baby. If we hadn't got back in time, or I hadn't got you out… it would have been my fault," he said desperately.

"Hey, I'm alive. We'll talk about this later, okay?" Amie whispered, kissing Dean's cheek. He let his hand drop, then followed Amie back to the Impala.

(o(o(o(o(0)o)o)o)o)

"Amie, mind helping me bring in our clothes?" Dean asked in a gruff voice as Sam collapsed down on his bed. Amie nodded, exhausted, and followed Dean out of the hotel room. He slowed to walk next to her, holding her hand tightly.

They walked in silence over to the Impala, and Amie glanced into the back seat.

"Dean, there's only one bag here!"

"I know. I needed to speak to you. Are you okay?" Dean asked, observing her face.

"Quit asking me that, Dean. Yes, I'm fine."
"What happened then?"

"I already told you, I don't remember," Amie said, wrapping her free arm around her waist.

"I know, but that's a lie. What happened?" Dean asked, touching her cheek.

Amie sighed. "I heard jess scream, so I ran in so I could help. I didn't have - any - any weapons. So when I saw Jess on the ceiling and some guy stood under her, I jumped on him. We fought for a while, then eventually he overpowered me, pinned me to the floor with his mind control, I dunno. Then I honestly don't remember. Just fragments, Dean. Images, noises. Nothing worth mentioning." Dean stared at Amie, unsure. "I'm telling the truth. Jess was… amazing. I see why Sam liked her. I would give anything to take her place, because God knows she deserves - to live - way more than I do," Amie said, sobbing.

Dean pressed his forehead to hers. "Baby, I'm so sorry. But you need to be alive. How can you not know I need you? Because I do. I need you so bad, baby. If you had died back there… I just… I don't know. I could never cope with you."

Amie smiled. "Come on. We need to keep an eye on Sammy, and I for one feel like I could sleep for a hundred years."

Dean smiled and pulled his face away from hers. "We'll find a hunt soon baby. Take our minds off things."

Amie nodded and held out her hand for Dean. He picked up the bag in one hand, then took hers with the other. They walked back to the hotel slowly. That night they slept, a mess of tangled limbs, as close as humanly possible. Dean had nightmares in which he saw Amie on their ceiling, and vowed that once they had found his Dad, he would make sure Amie and Sam were taken care of.