He stood in front of her house. The air had the taste of autumn in it, the earthy tones of leaves that had already begun to molder in the soil beneath his feet. There was a warm breeze that kicked up around him, blowing his hair a bit into his face. He reached up and brushed it back a little. Some of it was long enough now that he could tuck it back behind his ear. The lights were on in her livingroom and in the kitchen area. He closed his eyes and could picture the layout of the whole place. The downstairs with the living, dining, and guest room with adjoining bathroom were all decorated in a style that had a great deal of wood and the type of charm one might expect to see in a Sunset magazine feature.

The stairs ran along the wall opposite the living room. Guiding one upwards were the pictures of their family, group shots intermingling with just the two of them on vacations and just around the house. At the top of the stairs was a long hall that had their master bedroom, a bathroom, and another room that had remained closed since that night so many months ago now. The door handle had a fine layer of dust covering it, but the floor in front of it was warm with Ruby's presence.

He shook his head and stepped forward. Much as he wanted to avoid this, he knew that he owed her this, owed Sam this too. He clutched the folder to his chest and said, "Okay, Sam. I'm ready." Cas moved up the steps to the front door, raised his hand, and knocked. He could hear the shuffling movements inside. He thought that he should have called first, but how would that conversation have gone. Hey, Ruby. Got a message for you from Sam. He had determined that there was just no right way to do this except in person. And now, more than ever, he needed to make sure that she understood. There was too much danger out there if she didn't.

The door opened. Ruby stood there in her grey blouse and black slacks. She had her hair tucked back behind her ears and a dish towel clutched in her hands. "Cas?"

"Hey, Ruby. Hope you don't mind, but I needed to come by and visit." He had run over this in his head nearly a million times. None of the mental head games had prepared him for the reality of standing here in this moment.

"Uh, of course. I'm just cooking dinner. You hungry?" She waved him in and then lead him back to the kitchen. It looked just like it had in his mind. The massive center island with all of its smooth white tile. The pot rack mounted over it, cast iron and strong. Sam had put it there. Ruby had held part of it up while he had gotten it in place. It had fallen a little and had hit him on the head. Ruby held a bag of frozen peas on his head afterwards to help with the swelling. Her gentle fingertips smoothing away a headache that loomed on the periphery.

"You have a nice home."

"Thanks. Is everything okay? Dean?" She was on the other side of the center island next to her cutting board and the half chopped onion.

"Dean's fine. I just…" He ran his hand up through his hair and slumped into the stool on the other side of the island. He couldn't look at her directly. He set the folder on the counter and stared at it instead.

She picked up the knife and started chopping the onion then. There was a pot next to her that had a bubbling broth in it. There was a pan in front of her that she poured a little oil into, then the onions. "You know, I won't mention anything to John or Mary about you and Dean. It's not my place to share. So, if you are worried about that, don't. I'm happy for you both and I want Dean to be allowed to share the information as he sees fit. Just know that you have me in your corner."

Cas looked back up at her. "Thank you." She stirred the onion mixture a bit. They had caused her to tear up a little. The tears had carried with them two little streaks of mascara rich water from her eyes. The black trails looked like smoke escaping from her in little rivulets. It reminded Cas of all that had been taken from her, from all of them. The smoke would never clear, and they would never have peace if he didn't tell her everything.

A cold settled on him. It pierced to his bones, and seemed to settle in deep inside of him. It was like when he was writing only deeper, more all consuming. He felt himself falling back from himself, could almost see his body like it was in front of him. "That's not why I came tonight." He still had to be careful. She had suffered enough from shock in the past.

She looked at him, trying to read something in his face that maybe wasn't there before. "Really? What's wrong, Cas?" She leaned into the counter a little while her food bubbled and sizzled in front of her.

The folder was pushed a little toward her. "This is the story that you saw the other day."

"I asked you to destroy it, not bring it to me. I saw enough of it already." She stiffened a little. Her face hardening with the beginnings of anger.

The coldness overtook Cas, and then he was not himself. He held up a hand and said, "Please. Hear me out." The words, the way that they sounded, seemed to affect her. She softened. "Each night, I could dream. And each night I could have a few moments, hours actually, to write it all out. It is a temporary thing, but it has produced this." He patted the folder.

"You aren't making sense, and you are kinda freaking me out. I think that maybe you should leave." Ruby had her hand on the counter but it was also very close to her knife.

"Ruby." The one word was laced with emotion. It was affection and warmth in the cold spot near the island. Her brows came together. "You need to read the story. It is everything. It is how we met, and everything in between. It is the way that the world was for us, for Dean, for everyone. It is about how much you were loved, are loved."

"Leave, Cas."

He got up then and moved to her. Surprisingly, she did not retreat. He reached up a hand to her cheek. His thumb brushed back and forth across the expanse of skin there. He leaned in and pressed his nose to her forehead, tipping her head forward so that the bridge of his nose framed the top of her head. He breathed in deeply and she did the same. "It is about you becoming my wife in a tiny county courthouse, because we just couldn't wait." She breathed in a sharp gasp. "It's about how much I loved you and our secret. How I could call you my wife, even before the rest of the world would know it was a thing. It was about having something that was just mine and always would be." He breathed in a sharp breath now. "Ever and always." It had been something that Sam had said to her in the still and quiet nights, their little I love you, their little promise. They didn't say it anywhere except when they were alone together. It was only for them, and that made it special. He repeated it again, "Ever and always, Ruby."

She shook; her hands came up and clutched at his. "Sam?" The one word a shaky breath of air that puffed out onto his neck.

"Yes," he breathed back. Her hands were struggling to pull him closer, wrapping tight around his back. He could feel her legs giving up. She slumped down, and he went down to the floor with her, cradling her in his arms as he went. "I've got you. I've got you." He pulled her up into his lap and rocked her there. The food was popping and sizzling more above. He reached up and twisted the knob for the heat to the off position.

They stayed there on the floor for a time. She leaned back, eventually, and held his face in her hands. She stared at him like she could really see him. "You came back to me."

"I had to. I was worried about you."

"I prayed to you. Every night."

"I'm sorry." There was so much more to say, but nothing that could fix the hurt. So they said nothing for a time. The silence stretched out, and she settled her back against the wall of the island. His arm was still around her though too.

"Why Sam? Why didn't you just come to me?" Her face was all tear streaks and blotchy with the crying.

"I had no choice, still don't. I'm tethered to him, because of the heart. I'm not going to be for much longer though. I can feel it. I'm sorry, Ruby. I'm so sorry. I never wanted to leave you, them." He moved his other hand out around her side near her stomach. He stroked the spot there with his thumb. They both looked down at his hand and then back up at each other in sync.

She pressed her head to his shoulder. "Why'd you die? Dean was so close. He said he could have saved you if you had just lasted a little longer." She shook again, a fresh wave of sobs overtaking her frame.

"It was just my time, Ruby. It was quick. Trust me when I say, there was nothing that anyone could have done. I did everything that I could to live, to come back to you, to all of you."

She was shaking much harder now. Her words muffled in his shoulder. He pushed her back a little to better understand her. She just kept repeating, "I tried to save 'em. I tried so hard. I tried to save 'em. I tried to save 'em."

"I know. I know." He pulled her back to him and rocked her until the words grew softer again. "You fought for a long time. My strong girl. My beautiful, strong girl." He smoothed her hair and kissed her temple.

"3:00 am," she murmured. "I lost everything then."

"Not everything. There is still you." He kept kissing her, little gentling presses of his lips to her cheek and along her hairline.

"I was alone."

"I know."

"I."

He stopped her with a press of his lips to hers. She was breathing in shaky breaths around the kiss. It was not deep or passionate. It was not desperate or clinging. It was a kiss that was quiet and gentle. It was a soft brush of air, a light moment of contact in a dark space. They parted and he said, "I have to leave soon."

"I'll be alone again." Her words were quiet and spoken against his cheek now. His hand threaded through the rich mass of deep brown hair at the base of her neck.

"Don't let yourself be alone. Go to my mom, my dad, Dean. They're your family too now. They always were." And it was true. They had been more family to her than the father that had abused her, the mother that had abandoned her. They had loved her and cried with her. They had laughed with her and had mourned with her. They were her people and she was theirs too.

"They weren't with me when it happened. 3:00 am."

"They didn't know."

"I know. I laid there and waited. Thought that I'd wake up if I closed my eyes. It had to be a bad dream. I'm still waiting to wake up." He kissed her forehead and leaned back again.

"I need to tell you something." There was a feeling of desperation now. Time had been passing swiftly despite their desires to the contrary, and there was only so much of it left.

"Yes." She watched his face, her own was expectant, calm.

"You're in danger." He hadn't meant to be so direct, but he could feel the pull, the way that it always ended.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know who it is, but there is a man. He has been following you. Read the story. It isn't finished yet, but that is only because I don't know how it ends. He's out there though, and I think that he is still watching you, watching Dean too." His breath was coming out ragged and sharp. He did not have much time left.

"What does he look like? Who do you think he is?" She clung to his arms, perhaps sensing that he was leaving her.

"He started the fire. I don't know who he is or what he looks like, but I do know that he did this, and that he wants to finish it. He keeps showing up outside of Dean's apartment, the station house, and here. I need you to tell the police that there is a man lurking in your neighborhood. Don't tell them about all of this, but tell them that there is something creepy about him, that you think that he might be a peeping tom. He usually wears a dark hoodie. He's older though, not a kid. His skin is very pale, like he doesn't get out much. That's all I've got. You need to be careful. Try not to be alone. Go to my parent's place or Dean's. I need you to be safe."

"Okay, Sammy." She pulled him back to her.

The pull was growing stronger. Time. Time measured in days, measured in hours, measured in minutes, measured in seconds. Time, sun rises. Time, a whirl of stories that stretch out ahead of them, a tapestry now unraveling into a heap of threads. Time, her heartbeat. Time, her breath. Time, so little of it, and so much of it too. Time, and there was just them, just the infinity of the air and dreams that wrapped up tight around them. He breathed and time passed and on an inhale he was whisked away. There was never enough time. There could never be enough time. Cas felt the shift, the agony of it, the want of time that he had always understood, and now felt again, but it was not his desire. He had time. Sam and Ruby did not.

When he left her, Cas worried that he shouldn't. She told him not to think about it. She told him that she would go stay with John and Mary for a time, at least until the police caught the man that Sam had warned them about. Cas felt better about that.

He had walked back to his car. It had still been rather late and the night was not entirely banished by the sunrise. He pulled out his phone as he walked and saw that he had a message from Dean. Why aren't you home yet. Getting worried.

He felt a wave of guilt wash over him. There were missed calls too. He typed in a quick reply as he got into his car. On my way home. Will explain when I get there. He pulled away from the curb and sped off to the apartment. He wondered if Dean was even still up or if he had finally succumbed to the need for sleep.

The air whipped by, and the crisp early morning cold was making his nose red. He could feel the bite of it on him the faster he drove. He took the freeway and it got colder. He exited and wound his way through the city back to Dean. He parked the car and made his way to the apartment. The world was quiet in the twilight. His steps sounded hollow and echoed out around him. The clopping noise of it followed him all the way down the sidewalk and into the complex.

He made his way to the elevator. He pushed the button and stood there staring at the brushed metal surface. His breath was cold and cloudy in front of him. It wasn't normally this cold inside. There was movement at his side. He turned and a man was standing there, waiting for the elevator. The doors opened and they both moved in. Cas took a spot on the back wall. The man took a spot near the buttons. Cas was about to move forward to push the four, but when he leaned out a little, he noticed that it had already been pushed.

"Which floor, buddy?" The man asked.

"Fourth."

"Oh."

They went back to their silent spots. Cas tipped his head back against the wall and stared up at the mirrored ceiling of the elevator. He was tired. It had been a long night. He thought that maybe Dean would let him explain later after maybe four hours of sleep at a minimum. He huffed out a sigh, knowing that that would not be how his evening would end. Well, technically not evening anymore. His eyes focused suddenly on the man in the mirror. His dark hoodie, his pale skin, and was he older? Cas felt his heart kick up the pace. His breathing became a jagged thing that he had to get under control. The door opened and the man put his hand out to hold the door, waving as he did so for Cas to pass.

He moved out into the hall and began walking. The man was behind him. He didn't know if he should go to his place or Dean's. He could hear his heart beating in his ears, the rush of blood like an ocean wave pounding the surf in his head. The man was too close. He couldn't handle it. He stopped at his door, and the man passed. He rounded the corner. Cas pulled out his phone and called Dean. He went into his apartment as the phone rang. One ring, two rings, three rings.

"Cas."

"Don't answer your door."

"Okay, why?" Cas could hear the sleep still heavy in Dean's voice. He had managed some rest apparently.

"There's a man in the hall. Something's off with him. I think that he was going to your door."

"Where are you, Cas? I swear I was up half the night worrying about you, and this is how you wake me up." Dean breathed out an exasperated sigh. There was a noise. "Oh."

"Oh, what?"

"Someone's knocking on my door. You sure it isn't you?"

"Sure. Don't answer it. I'm coming to you." Cas grabbed an umbrella from the hall closet. Not a weapon. Goddamnit, why don't I own a bat, a crowbar, a blessed cane even? He clutched the end of the umbrella handle and made his way down the hall. He rounded the corner and was ready for confrontation. No one was at Dean's door. He stood there, looking, he thought, like an idiot with his umbrella ready for stabbing, and no one was there. He walked up to Dean's door and knocked. Then he took out his phone and typed It's me. Let me in.

Dean opened the door with a grin. "So, you fought off the intruder with an umbrella. My hero." Dean's lip curled up in a grin, half mocking, half affection. "Get in here you doof." he pulled Cas in and closed the door behind him. Cas turned and dragged the deadbolt over. "You are worried?"

"I am." Dean looked more serious now and pulled Cas to him. He felt safer now, like nothing could hurt him here. "You said someone was knocking."

"Someone was. You must have scared them off with your umbrella." Dean kissed down into his hair. "I'm glad you're here regardless." He moved Cas over to the bedroom and sat him down on the edge of the mattress. "Next time, though, could you maybe call? You know, let me know where you are."

"I'm sorry." He wasn't sure how to explain. He didn't think that it would come out right. He worried that Dean would just think that he was crazy. Maybe worse than that, Cas thought, What if he does believe me? How will he feel about the fact that he had a rather profound bond with Sam? Something like that could not do any good in their very new relationship.

"So, you gonna tell me what is going on or what?" Dean's hand smoothed down his back. Cas wondered if the man was still out there, if he was waiting. He also wondered if he had been wrong, if now everyone was a suspect, just lurking, ready to pounce.

"You know how you had asked to read my story?" Cas paused, waited for confirmation. Dean nodded. "Well, I went to Ruby's house."

"Ruby's?"

"Yeah. I brought her the story. She had seen part of it before. I wanted her to have the rest."

"Wait. You let her read it? I've been asking for weeks now." He tossed himself back on the bed and formed a base for his head with his hands. Cas curled up beside him in the space that seemed to be made for him.

"When you read it, you'll understand why." He nuzzled his way deeper into Dean's side. Dean reached around and hugged him closer. Cas added, "I want you to read it. I haven't slept all night. While I sleep, I want you to read it, then we can talk. I'll explain everything. I hope that you won't hate me. I just never knew what I was doing until it was done, and even then, I didn't get it."

"You've got me worried, Cas." He reached down and angled Cas' face up to his. "Are you okay? Are we okay?"

"I hope so. I want us to be...okay."Dean sat up and Cas did too. He moved over to Dean's computer on the desk. I can pull up the story from the cloud if you let me use your computer. Dean moved past him and turned it on. He typed in his password and opened up the browser. He moved aside and Cas took over. His whole body was shaking with exhaustion. He got the file open though and looked at Dean. "I'm gonna actually sleep over there. You should take this in the other room and read it all. Don't wake me up until you get to the end. Then we can talk."

"Okay, Cas." He scooped up the laptop and walked out of the room shutting the door behind him. It's done, Sammy. He'll know now.

He slept and and did not dream. His mind had worked hard enough, apparently and even Sam had decided to give him a break. He did not wake up on his own. Instead it was to the sound of his name. "Cas." He came back to the world with a series of blinks. Ruby settled into the bed at his side. She reached over and brushed the hair back out of his face. "Is Sam…"

"No." He sat up and her hand fell away, a look of disappointment on her face.

"Where's Dean?" He looked back at the door to the living room.

"He's not out there?" He got up and looked for himself. The laptop was closed and on the table. A note was laying on it. He picked it up and read. I know who he is.

Ruby read over his shoulder. "What does that mean?"

"I gave him the story to read. He was supposed to wake me up when he finished it. I was going to explain." Cas let the note fall down at his side.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no." She grabbed his hand and looked at the note again. "I know who he is going after. We have to stop him."

"What are you talking about?"

Ruby began pulling him after her. "Come on. Call the police on the way." He yanked her arm to a stop. "It's Alastair Camden. He's the guy I had been investigating for insurance fraud. Dean had been looking into him too. He burned his home to collect the insurance money on it. His family was inside. He apparently wanted a fresh start. We, I mean, Dean figured out how he did it. I filed the paperwork denying the claim."

"Did you turn the information over to the police?" Cas asked.

"I turned it over to my boss. He filed it and also spoke with Al, told him that his claim had been denied and that we would be turning his case over to the authorities for further investigation." She looked like she was desperate to move. "You see, he knew that it had to look like an accident to make the claim. What he didn't count on was Dean's clever brain."

She began pulling him out the door. This time he let her. "Why isn't he in jail?"

"He's supposedly dead. At least that's what I thought until last night when I read your story, Sam's story." They made their way down the hall, to the elevator and out the door. Ruby had parked at the curb outside of the complex. They got in her car, a big blue SUV.

"What changed your mind?"

"The man in the story had a burn scar. I knew about it from the photos taken at the scene. One shot had him in the background. He wasn't facing the camera. The back of his neck was burned. Not his hands, not his arms, his neck. Something fell on him in the house, I thought." She whipped the car around a turn, Cas still didn't know where they were going.

"Were you wrong?" He held the seat with clenched fingers as she slid into another turn.

"Yes, Dean caught it." She scooped up the phone and tossed it to Cas. "Call the police. Tell them that there's an intruder at the corner warehouse located at 53rd and Stockton. Describe Alastair just like you did in the story. Be vague about everything else. We don't have time to walk them through the doubt phase."

Cas did as he was told. They were miles from the location that he was describing. The officer started asking him for more information. Ruby, apparently, could tell, because she reached over and took the phone from him and turned it off. "Thanks. I didn't know what to do."

"And you edit mysteries. I'd think you'd pick up a few tricks."

"None, just a healthy dose of fear." He drummed at the seat at his sides as they raced along. "So how did Dean figure him out?"

"He looked at the pictures of the bodies at the scene. I couldn't. They were horrible. The wife was still holding the half burned two by four in her hands. It has been part of a remodeling project that Alastair had staged to better explain the wiring fire. Dean surmised that she had tried to get out. She must have attacked him, hit him on the back of his head where the burn was. Dean had a forensics guy look at the beam and sure enough, he found traces of Al's blood there."

Cas let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. "Dean's a fucking genius."

"That's what Sam and I have been saying for years. When Dean turned over the evidence it all should have been over. Then there was another fire, and supposedly big Al was in it. It never sat well with Dean though. Even Sam questioned it. I let it go, but the two of them would talk about it. It was like their own Hardy Boys' Mystery."

"Turns out they were right. Where are we going?" The long row of warehouses loomed high and all around them as they drove slower now down the street.

"This was where the fire was, where he died." They pulled up to the side of the place. It was dark. Dean's car was there though. "I knew it."

"Why would Al come back here though?"

"I don't know that he would, but Dean and Sam talked about this place often enough. I knew that Dean would think that this was the place to check. He and Sam thought that Al had managed to keep this place, just under a different name."

She got out of the car and started walking toward the side door. Cas grabbed her arm. "What the Hell are you thinking?"

"I'm going in. Dean's in there." She looked at him like she thought that he was incredibly stupid.

"I think that we should wait for the police. They'll get here soon, with guns. We don't have guns." He was using logic. Why couldn't she accept this plan? She was still moving toward the door.

"And what if he hurts Dean while we wait. God only knows how long he has already been in there with him."

"Maybe you all were wrong."

"Is that what Sam is telling you, that we are wrong?" She leveled her gaze at Cas then and leaned into him as she spoke. "That's my family in there, and I've lost enough of them now for a lifetime. So, you can either man up and go in with me, or you can sit in the car." She turned and grabbed the door. Cas followed her.

The warehouse was dark inside. They snaked their way around the side wall, listening as they went. There was a light at the other end of the place, past the tall rows of shipping containers. There was nothing moving in the space though, no sounds either. They made their way toward the light. Cas leaned into Ruby's ear. "What do we do if we find him?"

"I don't know." They got to the end of the row and looked up at the metal stairway leading up to the office, the light. The blinds were drawn. "I'll go up first. You stay down here. Follow when it seems safe."

He grabbed her arm again. "No, I'll go. You wait." She looked like she wanted to fight him on this. "Dean's my family now too." She nodded and he moved up the stairs. He wouldn't be able to see in the window since it was too far above the stairs. If one were to look out of it, one would likely see all of the rows of shipping containers below. He stayed close to the wall and climbed up the last few steps. He felt the cold surround him. "Really, Sam? Now you show up?" He whispered out to the air around him. He did not stop moving and Sam did not take over. The door to the room had a window in it. He leaned up on his toes and looked through it. Dean was in there, laid out on the floor, face down.

He waited a moment before twisting the handle and slowly pulling open the door. He moved into the room and right to Dean's side. "Who are you?" The voice came from the far corner. There was a gun. Cas stood back up again.

"It doesn't matter who I am." His eyes narrowed in on the gun. He took a step toward the man. "You're Al, and you're not dead."

"You're right. I'm not dead."

"Yet." Cas took another step toward him.

"Stop moving. Why are you here?" He moved out to the window and lifted the blinds a little to see out. Ruby must have hidden herself, because he turned away from it, back to Cas.

"I came to find Dean. I don't want any trouble. Just let me take Dean and we'll be out of your hair." He felt his body grow colder. Sam, not now. There was table between them, a stack of office papers were piled up at the corner. A gust of air kicked up around the desk and the papers blew everywhere. Al pulled the trigger. Cas had already moved from where he had been. He dove toward Al, slamming him back against the wall. The gun clattered to the ground. They wrestled like that for a time. He was outmatched. He had strength in his legs but not much. He could feel himself losing. He could feel Sam there too.

"Who the Hell are you?" Al asked again as he slammed Cas back onto the desk.

The cold was strong now, driving into his bones. He threw himself off of the desk and back at Al as he was reaching for his gun. Al slammed back against the wall. He threw punches at him now. Al's lip cracked open with the first hit. "I'm Sam Winchester, you son of a bitch." He slammed his fist into his stomach now, and Al doubled over. He slammed an uppercut into his jaw, and Al was knocked back to the other wall.

He spit out a mouthful of blood while he was held in place against the wall. His eyes locked on him. "Impossible. He's dead."

"You're right. He is." He launched a volley of hits to his torso, crushing into his rib cage. Al slumped to the right, but did not hit the ground. He staggered.

"He's dead. Meant for it to be the bitch, but got her boy instead." He grinned past bloody teeth. His fist landed hard on his cheek. Al reeled back again. He sneered and curled his hand into a fist and launched back. The cold retreated, and Cas felt the fist slam him back into the desk. He moved as fast as he could, sliding off the side, toward Dean. Al loomed over him. He reached down and pulled him up to his face.

"I don't want to have to kill you," Cas said.

Al laughed, "I think that you are confused. You see, I'm beating the shit out of you." Cas kept scrambling back with each new wave of violence that Al unleashed on him. Al was a focused fighter. He seemed to only see his target. His arms stretched back, muscles went taut, then the release. Cas saw it all like it was in slow motion. He moved a little with each punch, but it was getting harder. He was hurting now. He felt his head come into contact with the far wall, arresting his progress. Al dropped to his knees, straddling him. "Who the fuck are you?" Each word was punctuated with a punch.

The cold washed over him again. He gritted his teeth and leaned up from the floor, staring steadily at his face. "I'm Sam Fucking Winchester, and you're dead." The sound of the gun cocking behind him made Al turn. His mouth split into a grin as he looked at Ruby, standing there with his gun aimed at him.

"Well, isn't this just great." He narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't have it in you."

"Maybe I do." She moved her other hand up to steady the gun.

The sound of sirens could be heard racing up to the warehouse. "Looks like the police are here." He smirked. "Guess this makes you some kind of hero." He started to move back into a standing position.

"Don't move," Ruby's words were grit and gristle.

"Or what? It's over. They'll arrest me. I'll do some time, maybe a lot of time, but it's nothing." He stood up fully. Cas' body was laid out beneath him. He stayed still. Ruby looked down at him then back at Al. They could hear the officers down below calling out into the seemingly empty warehouse. "You should have let it go. Your Sam would still be alive if you had both just let it go."

He moved toward her a little more. "Stop moving."

"You can't do a damn thing to me anymore." He grinned at her, and said, "Who do you think you are? You're nothing."

Her eyes narrowed. "No, I'm awesome, and you're dead." She pulled the trigger. The first shot hit him in the chest, a little to the left of his heart. He fell back and Ruby stood over him and took careful aim. "You wanna know who I am? I'm Ruby Fucking Winchester." She shot him again, this time hitting him in the heart. His eyes rolled back in his head. The police stormed into the office, and the rest was movement, noise, and chaos.