"Dean, hi, i-it's me. I wasn't sure if you would wanna see me after... that day. Figured I should call first. I-I've got something on Sam. His soul, I mean. So euhm... call me when you get this? I'll... I'll be waiting."

Allegra pushed the disconnect button and dropped her phone on the bed. She fell back on her pillow, convincing herself she was doing the right thing for about the tenth time that hour alone. If there was any way she could do this on her own, she would. But she had no idea how to summon Death, except for one way. And for that, she needed Dean.
The phone vibrated at her hand, and Allegra jerked up. Her heart raced in her chest upon seeing Dean's name on the screen. She bit her lip to calm herself. With a deep breath, she answered the call.

"Hey... Dean, hi... i-it's you, right?"

"Last time I checked, yeah," said the voice on the other side of the line. "You said you had something on Sam's soul?"

"Yes, I euhm... I may have a way to get it back. But it's a long shot. I mean, I'm not sure it'll work. But we should give it a go 'cause if we don't at least try then...'

"Allegra, stop babbling."

"Right, sorry! It's Death. We need to talk to Death."

It stayed dead quiet, and for a second, Allegra thought she lost the line.

"Dean?"

"We just stopped for gas. We're three hours away from Bobby's. Meet me in the garage."

Dean hung up, not letting Allegra say or ask anything else. She sighed. Things couldn't go on like this. Bobby had been right about one thing; Dean deserved to know. The minute this was over, Allegra would tell Dean the one thing she was still hiding from him. And then she would disappear from his life. Forever.

***

Dean drove Baby straight to the garage at Bobby's salvage yard. He told Sam to go on ahead to the house because he had to check something on the engine. Sam shrugged and slouched over to the house. Dean watched him go, waiting until he was certain his brother was gone. Then he opened the garage and shut the door behind him.

"Allegra? You here?"

Dean was greeted by the familiar warm sensation he always had when he was around Allegra. By now, he knew it wasn't her shield. That was a different kind of warmth. This came from inside him.
His breath caught as the redhead stepped out from behind a rack. Allegra was more beautiful than he remembered, even though she looked exactly the same as when he last saw her. That green leather jacket she was so damn fond of. Combat boots, dark jeans, and a... God, a Zeppelin shirt, of all things! Her long shining red hair falling beautifully around her shoulders, framing her face. Those brown eyes with the golden twinkle (which Dean swore got brighter every time they met) and perfectly curved lips, full and red. Soft white skin. That faint scent of lavender... 
This woman intoxicated him. And she... she loved him. If only he could convince her that was a good thing. Because it was getting harder and harder to convince himself he didn't want her.

"You okay, Dean?" asked Allegra when he didn't immediately speak.

"I've been better," he answered. "I was good after we ganked Crowley, but Sam not wanting his soul back really killed my groove, so..."

"Wow, back up a sec." Allegra put her hand up to interrupt him. "You killed Crowley?"

"Well, Cas did, but yeah. One less demonic Don Corleone wannabe to deal with."

Dean thought he saw Allegra's eyes flashing over to the not-so-secret hiding spot in the floor. His instincts kicked in, and he looked Allegra over again. She had her arms crossed and remained at a distance. Self-preservation. Was she hiding something? Whatever it was, it would have to wait. 

"So what's this thing about Sammy's soul?" he asked, wanting to stay on the matter at hand. "You said something about talking to Death?"

"Euhm yeah. Yeah, I think he's our only option. I've been trying to get to Sam's soul myself since you let Bobby know he's still trapped, but the Cage keeps blocking me. I'm not strong enough. I don't know if it's because I'm also human or because I'm not using my full potential with my grace and all, but I can't get through. So I started looking at supernatural beings who could have enough juice to pull it off. Unfortunately, there aren't many of those around. I really only found one; Death. A Horseman, so stronger than an Archangel. And he has an all-round pass. Access everywhere. It makes sense he can get into the Cage and get Sam out."

Dean licked his lips.

"Okay, so say we wanna ask Death's help. How do we get to him? The ring?"

"No, not the ring. I don't think you'll see Death if you wear it. I think you become Death. Get his powers and stuff."

"Then how?" 

Allegra sighed and looked at him intently.

"How do you meet Death?"

Dean nodded when he understood what she was getting at - meeting Death could only happen through a reaper. And meeting a reaper only happened when a soul left a body. In other words... one of them had to die.
Allegra took a few steps closer and handed Dean a piece of paper with an address written on it.

"This guy's some sort of doctor for Hunters and supernatural beings. I've never been there myself, but I got it from a reliable source. And Bobby heard of him, too, so he's legit. He can help us."

She seemed to want to reach for his hand but stopped herself. Dean wished she hadn't. He longed for just the briefest touch.

"Dean, I would gladly do this myself if I knew for sure I would meet a reaper who could get me to see Death. But I'm half-Archangel. I don't know what'll happen if I... when I die. And we need this to work, so the person dying has to..."

"...has to be 100% human," finished Dean.

He rubbed his eyes and then looked down at the address again. This sucked.

"Okay, fine, let's hustle," he said, already turning around.

"What, right now?" asked Allegra in surprise.

'You got something better to do?'

"No, but... what about Sam?"

"I'll call when we're on the road, tell him you and I went for a drive to... talk or something, I don't know. So come on, let's get moving."

Dean opened the garage door, stopping halfway to his Baby when he noticed Allegra wasn't following him. He walked back to her and took her hands in his. Allegra gave a small gasp, and he couldn't blame her for it. His own body went through its own little jolt. 

"I need you with me on this one," he said. "If only to keep me going."

Allegra was doing her best not to look directly into his eyes. 

"Don't leave me hanging, Alley, please. Not now."

At the mention of his nickname for her, Allegra finally looked into his eyes. Dean saw her hesitation disappear as she nodded to him and followed him to the car. As he drove away from Bobby's, Allegra called the doctor's office to get an appointment whilst Dean called Sam and told him exactly what he said he would tell him. His zombie brother just sighed, saying it was a bad idea and to hurry back. But as far as bad ideas went, this wasn't one. It was the best one they had right now. Considering Dean was ready to go back to Hell for his brother, having a little one-on-one with Death seemed like a walk in the park. 

***

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me. You sure this is the place?"

Allegra nodded.

"It's the address on the note. Maybe it's a charm or something? It's not like you can advertise you're a doctor in the supernatural."

"Good point," said Dean.

They got out of the car and walked into the grocery store that stood at the address Allegra had been given by her source, hoping someone in there could lead them to Dr. Magic. Luckily for them, there was. The employee simply told them to go to the back (like in those mobster movies where the backdoor gave out to the secret headquarters of a gang or an underground casino), and Allegra and Dean took the stairs up to a series of apartments. A man in a doctor's robe came out of one of them.

"Allegra Galen and Dean Winchester, I presume?"

"You must be Dr. Robert," said Dean.

The physician sniggered.

"Son, I stitched up your daddy more times than I can count, let me tell you. 'Course, that was ages ago, back when I still had my medical license. Right this way, please."

"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice," said Allegra, ignoring Dean's worried glance.

"My pleasure." Dr. Robert led them inside the practice, where a woman dressed in black was waiting for them. "Eva, my assistant. Hop right up here."

"You've done this a lot, right, Doc?" asked Dean, uncertain as he sat on the examination table, surrounded by all kinds of medical equipment.

"Oh, many, many times."

"And your...success rate?"

"Oh, excellent... Well, almost 75%. So, should we get the, uh, preliminaries out of the way?"

Allegra reached into her jacket and pulled out a money-filled envelope, which she handed over to the doctor. She then took a stool and sat down at Dean's head as he lay down. He unexpectedly grabbed her hand, looking her right in the eye.

"So listen, if something..."

"Don't." Allegra put her hand to Dean's lips to stop him from saying anything else. "Nothing is gonna go wrong. I'm right here. I brought you back once, I can do it again."

She wasn't actually sure she could, but she knew she wasn't gonna let Dean die. 

"Yeah, I know." He smiled weakly at her. "But just in case... You'll keep trying? Sam's soul?"

"Of course, I will."

His mouth opened to say something else, but instead, only a yelp of pain came out as 'the nurse' jabbed an IV into his arm. 

"Don't be a baby," she said a bit rudely.

"You know, a little bedside manner would be nice." Dean huffed, and Allegra threw the woman a glare.

"Are we ready?" asked Dr. Robert as he stood ready to give Dean the drug that would kill him. "You'll have three minutes."

After exchanging one last look with Allegra, Dean nodded, and the doctor injected him. She watched fearfully as he slowly drifted away. The heart monitor flatlined, signaling that Dean was dead. The doctor and the not-so-real nurse took a step back from the table, keeping one eye on their patient and the monitors and one eye on the clock, whilst Allegra drew closer to him. She gently caressed his cheek as she put out her shield and let it surround Dean's heart. She knew she had to leave his soul alone so he could connect with the reaper and eventually with Death, but that didn't mean she had to give him up without a fight. The shield around his heart would serve as an anker; Dean would be dead, but they wouldn't be able to take him. It should hold long enough for Allegra to force his soul back into his body. But she really hoped she wouldn't have to do that.

"And that's three," said Dr. Robert finally. "Okidoki then, let's bring him back. Miss Galen, you might wanna stand clear for this."

Allegra watched with bated breath as they took the defibrillator and started their attempts to revive Dean. With every shock that went into his heart, her shield took in the shock as well, and she had to steady herself. After the third attempt, Allegra noticed the duo was getting anxious and prepared herself to step in.

"Eva, adrenaline! He's not responding."

Allegra rushed back to the table and put her hands on Dean's shoulders. Inadvertently, she touched the spot where Castiel's handprint was, and a jolt ran through her. Raw power awoke inside her. Just like... with Sam. Allegra realized her grace must have been triggered by Castiel's bond on both her and Dean's bodies. She didn't hesitate another moment and went straight for Dean's soul. She extended her shield, forcing Dean's soul to melt into his body. He woke up, gasping for air.

"Oh, thank Moses!" Dr. Robert cried out in relief.

You got no idea, doc, thought Allegra as she dropped back on the stool.

"You couldn't have given me five more seconds?" asked Dean indignantly.

"Son, you were gone for seven minutes," replied the doctor.

"I was?"

"I don't know how you got back, but I suspect you have Miss Galen to thank fo- oh, Miss Galen, are you feeling all right?"

Dean jumped off the table when he saw Allegra's ashen face. He went straight for her and cupped her face in his hands.

"Alley! Alley, look at me! You okay? Alley!"

"Stop shouting, Winchester, you're giving me a migraine," said Allegra, squinting her eyes against the light in the room. "Give me a minute. I'll be fine."

Eva handed Dean a glass of water, and he brought it to Allegra's lips, helping her drink in little sips. The power inside of her was ebbing away. Allegra felt sick. It was worse than the first time she used her grace. She'd been drained then, but now she felt pain. She hurt all over.

"Doc, can you check her out?" asked Dean. "Make sure she's okay?"

"I said I'll be fine, Dean!" She raised her voice at him in annoyance, regretting it instantly as that only aggravated the pounding in her head. "Just... help me to the car, will ya?"

"Don't be stubborn. Doc's checking you out first, end of story."

Before she could protest again, Dean swooped her off the stool and put her up on the examination table. He pinned her shoulder down with his hand and nodded to Dr. Robert to go ahead. Allegra rolled her eyes at him, knowing that she wouldn't be able to persuade him to leave. So they stayed for another 10 minutes until the doctor was satisfied it was just fatigue from whatever she did to get Dean back and that she should feel better soon.
Dean put her arm around his shoulders and helped her down the stairs and through the store to the Impala. But instead of having Allegra sit next to him in the passenger seat, he put her in the back, telling her to catch some shut-eye. She was too tired to object and curled up in the back seat. 

She was completely unaware of Dean driving off, constantly checking his rear-view mirror, and turning around every 5 minutes or so to check on her. She wasn't aware of him stopping halfway back to Bobby's, nor of him getting out and getting in the back with her, lifting her head onto his lap, his fingers carefully stroking her hair. And she wasn't aware of the soft kiss he gave her at her brow.

***

Allegra woke up when she felt something on her cheek. Someone was touching her. But softly. Affectionate even. She didn't feel any movement. Was she already in her room at Bobby's? Allegra's eyes opened, and she saw she was still in the car. Then she noticed her head was resting on someone's lap. As soon as she moved, she heard Dean's voice.

"Oh, sorry, did I wake you?"

Allegra quickly pushed herself up and came face to face with Dean, who still had an arm around her. 

"Wow, wow, easy! Don't get up so fast, your head will spin."

Too late... Allegra tried to focus and remember what had happened that they had ended up in the back of the Impala together. 

"We're not that far from Bobby's," said Dean at her confused expression. "I pulled over so you could rest before we got there so I wouldn't have to move you. Thought you'd be more comfortable like this."

"You shouldn't have," mumbled Allegra.

"I wanted to. I owed you for saving my ass again."

"You don't owe me anything."

"I owe you everything, Alley."

Allegra got lost in the two green emeralds that were gazing down at her. She was suddenly very much aware of how close they really were in their current position. The heat radiating from Dean's body was more than she could take. She shifted a bit in her seat, trying to create some space between them.

"So, what happened?" she asked, casting her eyes down. "Did you see Death?"

Dean cleared his throat.

"Yeah, we came to an arrangement."

"So he's willing to help then?"

"Sorta. I gotta do something first."

"What's that?" 

"I gotta wear Death's ring for 24 hours. Take the souls with the reaper or whatever. If I pull it off, we have Sammy's soul back."

Allegra bit her lip. This was going to be a nightmare. She knew Dean was going to struggle with what was waiting for him. Certain people deserved to die; that was a fact. Others did not. They died simply because they had to. She learned that herself the hard way. 

"It won't be easy, Dean. You have to realize that. I've tried to make deals with Death before. You saw that when we were in Montana. But Death doesn't bargain for lives. You're gonna have to put all emotions aside and cross the names off that list one by one. Shut off every shred of humanity that you have for that one day and just do the damn job."

Dean stared at Allegra, visibly taken aback by her harsh words, but he nodded nonetheless. She hoped he would listen.

"I'm sorry it had to be you, Dean. If there'd been any way I could've..."

"You've already done more than enough, Alley. You came up with the plan and found Dr. Frankenstein and the female Igor. You brought me back, for crying out loud! There is nothing more you can do except..."

Allegra waited for Dean to continue. She held her breath as his green eyes fixated on her.

"Except?" she whispered.

Dean brought himself closer to Allegra, keeping his arm around her shoulders so she couldn't move away, and kissed her. Very briefly at first, but then again when she didn't push him away. Their lips locked together. Allegra wrapped her arms around his neck. Their bodies almost completely pressed together. Dean's tongue gently nudged, and she parted her lips, inviting him in. They danced around each other, trying to keep their desire contained. 
For this one time, Allegra wouldn't think about the repercussions. For this one time, she would allow herself to enjoy the moment and be with the man she loved. Just one last time.