They sat mostly in silence, listening to AC/DC and Zeppelin until Allegra dozed off. Dean readjusted her scarf to keep her warm and caught himself staring at the sleeping young woman from time to time. Inside, he still boiled in anger, but Allegra's presence somehow made him feel better. Eventually realizing she was right (again), Dean turned around. He knew he would have to face Sam sooner or later, but not before spending some more time with Allegra. She still owed him an explanation, and the grumbling of his empty stomach reminded him he hadn't eaten since lunch the day before. So, first things first - breakfast. 
It took another hour before Dean finally pulled over to a diner a few miles away from the motel he was staying at with Sam. He nudged Allegra awake, feeling almost sorry for it, and helped her get out of the car. They entered the diner and took a booth at the end of the room. The place had just opened, so it was still nice and quiet. When the waitress, who looked like a classic pin-up girl from the sixties even though she was like 50 or so, brought them their breakfast, she gave Allegra a wink.

"Handsome fella, you got there, honey. Don't you let him go."

Much to Dean's amusement and surprise, Allegra winked back.

"Oh, believe me, he's not going anywhere."

She put her hand on Dean's and gave him a beaming smile. As soon as the waitress was out of earshot, he leaned in.

"You know, if you wanted this to go that way, we could've gone to a motel instead."

"Ha, ain't gonna happen, cowboy." Allegra laughed and pulled her hand back. "She thinks we're a couple, so that means she'll give us some alone time. Perfect chance for us to talk."

Dean had to admit she handled it brilliantly. He took a sip of coffee and heartily started on his bacon and eggs. Allegra dug into her pancakes, enjoying the sweet taste of the blueberries and maple syrup on top.

"So," said Dean after a few bites. "Start talking, Miss Galen. Why did Castiel pick you of all people to resurrect me and help me now?"

"I can only guess, Dean," Allegra said. "I think it's because of what I can do. What I've been through myself."

"Uhu, which is?"

"I have these... powers, for lack of a better term. Don't ask me how I got them; I don't know. Born with them, I suppose. The thing is, these powers... Apparently, they're a gift from God. I started seeing and hearing the angels in my dreams when I was a teenager. They told me I was destined to help them and that they would guide me through everything."

"Your parents must have thought you were crazy when you told them that."

 "They probably would have if I had any."

Dean froze for a second and looked up as Allegra played with the rest of her food. She took a breath when she noticed his gaze.

"Never knew my mom, and Dad left me on my 13th birthday. No other family that I know of."

"You've been on your own since then?" asked Dean.

"Pretty much," she answered.

"Where do you live?"

"Abandoned houses that aren't haunted. Woods. The backroom of a bar if I find someone desperate enough to hire me for a short while. Everywhere really. I get around a lot."

She's just like Sam, thought Dean. The only difference is that Sam has an older brother that takes care of him. And we have Bobby. And we usually stay in motels. Okay, so maybe not exactly the same, but still...

"I'm sorry," he said sympathetically. "That sucks."

"I've grown accustomed to being on my own." She shrugged and took a sip of her iced mint tea. "It's better that way."

Dean nodded. He understood, sort of. It would be so weird for him to live in one place with someone other than his brother too. Though... he did sometimes long for it. A normal life... even for just 5 minutes. He quickly dispelled the thought and returned to the matter at hand.

"So, what kind of powers do you have?"

"Teleportation. Comes in handy for a quick getaway. I just need to know where I'm going. Think of a place or person and then poof, from one place to the other in less than a second. I can lock on to souls, which is how I found Sam. And I can create a sort of shield around a soul. Not only to protect that soul but also to keep it calm."

Dean suddenly noticed the waitress approaching and warned Allegra by coughing. She noticed his shifting eyes and got up from her seat.

"Move." 

She sat back down beside Dean, took his arm, and draped it around her shoulders. When she reached over to get her iced tea, she caught the waitress's eyes, who halted. Dean couldn't believe it was actually working and played along by calmly resting his hand on Allegra's shoulder, which she then took. 
They must have looked like a couple in love because the pin-up waitress nodded approvingly and walked back in the opposite direction to keep an eye on the three other customers at the diner. Dean chuckled. He had to remember that trick the next time he wanted to be alone with a girl in a bar.
Suddenly, he became very much aware of the young woman sitting right beside him. Allegra had the faint smell of forest about her. She wasn't as skinny as he thought she was. And only now did he detect a playful gold shimmer in her dark eyes. He almost got lost in them.

"Y-You euhm..." He stammered. "You were saying? A-About your shield?"

"Castiel came to get me one day and brought me to your grave. He told me the angels wanted me to help him resurrect you. I locked on to your soul and put my shield around you, so Castiel had enough time to get you back."

"And digging me out was too much to ask?" Dean took another sip of his coffee, keeping one arm around Allegra's shoulder.

"Yeah... Sorry about that." Her face turned red. "Castiel left me alone, and I did intend to dig you out, but I sensed you were a Hunter, and... well, I got scared."

"You help an Angel get a guy you don't know back from Hell, and the thing that scared you about all that was me being a Hunter?"

"It's complicated. I've had some experiences with Hunters, so forgive me for being cautious."

"Why? What happened?"

Allegra averted her eyes from him, finding her iced tea more fascinating instead.

"Sorry, Dean, but I'd rather not tell you that part just yet," she spoke softly. "No offense, but I need to make sure you're... safe for me to be near to."

She nibbled her lip. Clearly, Allegra wasn't comfortable with sharing everything, but considering what she'd done for him, Dean wouldn't push for her to tell him and gave her a one-time pass. 

"Fine. Just tell me when you're ready."

She exhaled, visibly relieved at his words. A little annoying voice in the back of his mind screamed at Dean to get the truth out of her, to figure out everything there was to know about this chick, and not trust her at all. Yet what Dean felt was the complete opposite. He knew he could trust Allegra, even though he didn't really know her. There was just... something about her.

"There... is one more reason I think they wanted us to meet," she then said. "We have something in common. You... You're not the only one who managed to escape Hell, Dean."

Her words slowly dawned on him. He drew back.

"You? You were there too?" He swallowed at the memory of those horrid 40 years. "How long?"

"Little less than a year," she answered. "Our time, that is. So in Hell, that's..."

"Over 100 years," finished Dean slowly. "When?"

"My 13th birthday."

"The day your dad walked out on you?"

"I celebrated my birthday by reading the note he left me and running away from people with black eyes. They caught me a little before midnight. I was always kept blindfolded, so I didn't really see who or what was holding me. Nor did they tell me what they wanted from me. At first, they tortured me. Over and over again. The only things I had to hold onto were my dad's medallion and his last words; angels are watching over you. Believe in them, and they will always be near."

Dean didn't know what to say. He still hadn't recovered from his own time in Hell and doubted he would ever shake off the feelings and the memories from that godforsaken place. But Allegra's confession had him reeling. What could demons possibly want with a 13-year-old girl? How could the soul of a teenager have survived the horrors down there for longer than he had? He found himself pulling Allegra closer to him as if he wanted to protect her from her past, listening intently as she continued.

"I believed, and I prayed, and one day I heard their voices. Several of them. They told me to stay strong and not falter in my belief because they would get me out. It was then that I heard another voice closer to me. One of the demons ordered the others to leave me alone, that I was his from then on. He kept me in chains, but there was no more torture. Not physically anyway. Every day, he talked to me, trying to convince me to choose his side. That the angels were not my saviors but my doom. He put images in my head and made me hear things that weren't even there. I didn't know what was real anymore. But the angels never gave up. They kept trying to reach me, and one day, I felt a sudden burst of warmth in my dungeon. I saw the brightest light through my blindfold. It wrapped me up and swept me away, back to Earth. I still don't know who saved me, though I suspect maybe it was an Archangel."

"Why do you think that?" asked Dean, his voice quivering a bit.

"The angels who talk to me in my dreams don't feel the same as he did. They're just less... powerful, really."

"Then why didn't an Archangel save me too? Why send someone lower on the chain of command?"

"I don't know. I don't know what their plan is, Dean. They haven't spoken to me in a while now. The only one I saw or heard was Castiel when he got me to save you, and again last night outside your motel."

"Outsi- wait a second here." Dean narrowed his eyes at her. "Have you been following us since I got back?"

"Euhm... sort of?"

He licked his lips and scoffed. Of course she was following them. How else would the angels keep an eye on him? Son of a bitch... He tried to get his arm off her shoulders, but Allegra kept a firm grip on his hand.

"Dean, I'm sorry. I know what it must look like, but I wouldn't have done it without a good reason. I usually stay away from Hunters, remember? I wanted to stay close to you because I know what it's like to come back and live with the memory of every single moment spent in Hell. Look me in the eye and tell me you don't have nightmares. Tell me the screams don't haunt you, wherever you go. Tell me you don't wish you'd stayed there because you believe that's actually where you belong."

Dean really wished he could tell her all that. But the simple truth was that Allegra was - once again - right. He hardly slept because of the nightmares. Everywhere he looked, something, or someone, reminded him of what he had endured. And yes, he did very much believe Hell was the right place for him. No way they'd ever let him up in Heaven. Not with his track record of lying, cheating, stealing, killing, and sleeping around...

"I-I can't... I..." He choked on his words and dropped his head.

He didn't want Allegra to see the tears that were welling up in his eyes. He hated showing this side of him to anyone, even Sam. Dean Winchester was tough and badass; very little could get to him. But Hell broke him.
When Dean felt Allegra touch his cheek, he glanced up at her again. Her eyes really were enchanting.

"If you ever wanna talk about it, I'll be there for you," she spoke gently. "I promise you I will be. But you can't give up, you hear me? They pulled us both out for a reason. We mean something to them. We're the good guys. Don't you forget that."

A warm feeling spread through Dean when Allegra briefly leaned in, touching his forehead with hers. He felt the same calming sensation before in the car, just after leaving the warehouse and Sam. Was that her doing? Was this another of her mysterious powers she failed to mention? Or maybe it was the so-called shield she talked about before.
But Dean didn't really care what it was, 'cause honestly, it felt so damn good. He allowed himself to take it in fully and took a few deep breaths. And then, just for this once, Dean Winchester allowed himself to let it all out so that he could lock it up and throw away the key afterward.

***

On their way back to the motel, Dean told Allegra everything. The torture, the pain... The way he had been able to hold his ground and take it all for 30 years before finally caving in and becoming a torturer himself. That was the worst of it. Knowing he made souls suffer the same way he had suffered. The screams he heard in his nightmares weren't his own, but his victims'. 
Allegra listened carefully, taking in everything Dean said. When he was done, and on the verge of breaking down, she reached out for his soul and used her shield to calm him down again. He smiled at her.

"That's a cool power you have there."

She blushed.

"Ah, you noticed? Sorry, I just... It looked like you needed it. Euhm, not to make things worse again, but what are you gonna do about Sam?"

Dean gripped the steering wheel tightly at the mention of his brother's name and pinched his lips.

"Kick his ass. Hold him upside down until he can think straight again. Maybe throw something at him."

Allegra sighed at his stubbornness. This was something she couldn't, and wouldn't, help him with. The brothers had to settle this between themselves. But she did offer Dean a last piece of advice when he parked the Impala in the motel's parking lot.

"Before you tear him a new one, please just listen to him. Or try to anyway. I'm sure he has an explanation, even if it's hard for you to hear."

He said nothing but gave her a short nod. Allegra took her backpack from the backseat and started to walk away.

"How can I reach you?!" Dean suddenly yelled.

She turned to face him.

"Close your eyes and think of me. Your soul will find me now that I've touched it a few times."

She winked and then left him to deal with this brother. She crossed the street and headed for the park they passed before. Despite dozing off in the car before they arrived at the diner, Allegra felt more tired than ever. She really needed to get some sleep, but couldn't risk staying at the same motel as the Winchesters. There was another not too far away. One night wouldn't eat too much of her budget, and she could track Dean down in a flash if needed. Yeah, just one night. 
But when Allegra suddenly felt her shoulder tingle, she knew that one night of peace was probably never going to happen. Castiel appeared from behind a tree and casually walked alongside her. 

"Well done," said the angel. "You've gained his trust."

She sighed.

"It's gonna take a lot more than having breakfast together and sharing our past to gain his trust."

"You trust him."

Allegra halted.

"No, I don't," she stated. "He's a Hunter. If he knew what I was truly capable of, he wouldn't waste a second in killing me."

Castiel faced her, his brow furrowed and head tilted in confusion. 

"You don't know, do you?" asked Allegra at seeing his quizzical expression. "The others didn't tell you what I can really do."

"I was simply informed that you have abilities to help Dean. What else is there?"

"The downside to my powers and the reason why demons come after me every chance they get. They get a hold of me again and sway me to their side, then whatever they have in Hell will be nothing compared to the destruction I can leave in my wake."

Castiel didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. Allegra glimpsed the little speck of fear in his blue eyes, even if his face didn't betray what he felt. She sighed.

"Ask the ones who talk to me in my dreams. They'll tell you. They saw."

And for once, Castiel was the one left behind as Allegra disappeared before his very eyes.