Soundtrack to go with this chapter is Ed Sherran, Tenerife Sea.

xxx

Four days. Four days of nonstop researching, summoning, second guessing themselves and then researching again. And they had found nothing. No spell, no cure, no weakness, no known way to stop the darkness from taking Bea again and every hour she was getting weaker.

Dean could feel it happening as much as he could see it in front of his face. He'd find her staring off into space and he'd have to shake her to bring her back each time being met with tearful eyes as she realised she was slipping.

Only when he had her in his bed at night was he able to keep her with him in the present as their bodies moved together, familiar and desperate for each other, never once letting his eyes leave hers as he fought to keep her with him. Then when she slept he went straight back to researching, summoning and second guessing himself all over again.

Pushing the palms of his hands into his face he took a deep breath.

"Dean" Sam patted his brother affectionately on the shoulder "Ever think about seeing daylight again?" he joked weakly.

"There's no time Sam, I don't know how I know, but I can feel it…" he shook his head "we're running out of time"

Sam's lips went tight as he nodded, he felt it too, and that's why this had to happen today. "We need you outside Dean"

"Didn't you hear me Sammy!" he yelled

"I hear you. That's why we need you outside right now" Sam spoke firmly before standing. He squeezed Dean's shoulder and began walking to the stairs "Bea needs you outside"

Xxx

Stepping out into daylight Dean couldn't help but blink up at the sun, needing a moment for his eyes to adjust.

There on the gravel that sat in front of the bunker stood Bea, a huge innocent smile on her face. Her hair had been pulled to the side so loose curls fell over one shoulder onto a white summer dress. Dean's breath caught in his throat at the sight of her.

"What do you think?" she asked almost shyly as she smoothed her hands down the front of her dress but Dean couldn't answer, he could only stare.

Sam coughed and stepped forward to take her hand "You look beautiful Bea" he said

Dean growled deep in his throat and glared at his brother. Sam rolled his eyes making Bea laugh before dropping her hand and stepping back with raised eyebrows and an exaggerated innocent expression on his face for Dean's benefit.

"Thanks Sam. I didn't even steal it" she said holding the skirt of her dress out "Cas got it for me"

Dean hadn't even noticed Cas stood awkwardly out there, but now as he looked around he took everything in.

A large barbeque sat filled with burgers and sausages, flames licking up at them, filling the air with a delicious smell. Beside was a table with four mismatched chairs next to which sat a huge tub of ice from which bottles of beer poked out.

"What is this?" he asked. He hadn't meant to sound so bitter but he couldn't be wasting time when they still hadn't found a way to save Bea.

"Well it's not my funeral if that's what you were thinking" Bea laughed nervously but stopped quickly when she saw how Sam winced and Dean staggered back in shock "I said not, joke, all be it a bad one" she mumbled "I just want to have one normal day in my life where I do something normal like eat burgers, drink beer and hang out with the people I love". Stepping forward to Dean she placed her hands in his watching as he closed his eyes "Please just one normal day"

"Alright" he barely whispered, he could do this for her, he had to try. His reward was the huge smile that settled on her face as a giggle escaped her "But I'm cooking, no way am I letting Cas butcher a perfectly good piece of meat" he forced himself to laugh then walking past Bea to take over the barbeque he took in a deep breath trying to steady his emotions and plastered his best happy face on.

Cas moved to stand next to Bea and watched while Sam and Dean argued over how long they should actually cook the burgers for. He felt guilty, guilty to have kept Bea's secret these last few days.

"You really should tell them" he said without looking at her

"I know" she answered sadly "I just...I just wanted this first. Please Cas"

"Alright, but I can feel how strong it is getting"

Bea looked back over her shoulder and tried her best to not shudder as behind her the woods and road were shrouded in blackness, a dark mass moved slowly forward eating up green and daylight as it made its way towards her. She could only be grateful that no one else could see it. Turning quickly she concentrated hard on the scene before her and willed her body to relax and just focus on what was happening in front of her "Thank you Cas, for everything" she placed her hand on his arm and gave it a tight squeeze.

"I'm just sorry Bea" she looked up at him confused "That I can't save you...that..."

"Hey, what you guys plotting over there? Any more surprises?" Dean called over to them

Bea fought hard to stop the prickling of tears behind her eyes "No" she laughed "Just discussing how many Winchesters it takes to burn a burger"

And for the next few hours they were happy. Sitting around the table with full bellies as they played cards, drank, and laughed at Cas more than they should. Bea looked at Sam laughing as he once again cleared all Cas's chips off the table, taking in Cas's thoroughly confused face at the ever changing rules of the game. Then her eyes found Dean looking back at her with pure love, a slight smile upon his face.

Should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know it's enough for me, Cause all that you are, is all that I'll ever need, so in love

A sudden shift in temperature had Bea sitting upright, she knew she didn't have long.

Cas also noticed the change in the air and quickly stood looking around but couldn't see the darkness that only revealed itself to Bea as she turned her head slowly.

"It's here isn't it?" Cas spoke almost crossly

"What!?" Sam asked instantly on his feet "What's out there?"

Bea slowly stood from her chair, her head still turned to look at the empty road behind her. Only it wasn't empty. The darkness was nearly upon her, thick black tendrils reached out from its centre the tip of one wrapping around her wrist making her groan out in pain.

"Bea what the hell's going on?" demanded Dean standing and pushing his chair back so it fell onto the gravel behind him. He moved quickly around the table towards her but she quickly turned and with one look stopped him "Bea" the heartbreaking way he spoke her name was nearly her undoing but she managed to hold her emotions in check.

Something that could barely be classed as a claw reached out and embedded itself in Bea's back pushing all the air out of her lungs. A bead of sweat ran down from her hairline and rested on her top lip. The pain was too much, but worse was the look on Dean's face as he realised what was happening. She knew that they couldn't see the darkness but he knew what was happening, they all knew and they all knew they couldn't do a damn thing to stop it.

"Is that what this was all about?" he asked her angrily "You weren't joking were you, this...this was your funeral!?"

Another tendril attached itself to her other wrist and she felt the pull as thick black liquid began to cover her body starting from where the tendrils worked their way under her skin. Her breath came in short bursts now as the claw in her back worked its way further inside her.

"Bea" Dean cried stepping closer, his jaw clenched hard, tears threatening to pool from his eyes.

Dean looked down at Bea's hands and saw the black liquid appear slowly covering the skin of her hands and working its way up her arms "Bea" he said his voice breaking as tears began to fall "Bea no!" then looking at Cas he desperately demanded "Cas please you've got to be able to do something, Cas!"

"Stop" Bea managed to whisper and everything froze. She didn't want them to see her turn, to see first the pain and then the hideous thing that she would become.

There frozen in time Sam, Dean and Cas stood before her. She looked at Dean's face, concentrated on the green of his eyes, the freckles over his nose and fullness of his lips as the liquid nearly consumed her.

"And should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know its enough for me, cause all you are is all that I'll ever need"

And then she was gone, a sea of black covering the last of her features, she was gone.