By some miracle, Sam was okay. He was walking and talking like the past year hadn't happened. Literally, his memories of that year were gone. He didn't remember his grandfather Samuel or any of the cases he solved, going after Bobby or stabbing Allegra with the angel blade, nor any of the things he'd let happen to Dean. And they were all in agreement that no one was going to tell him. Everyone kept their mouth shut. 
Dean was surprised that even Allegra agreed to keep the past year a secret from Sam and even more surprised that she was joining them on this new case in Oregon. But he suspected she just wanted to make sure Sam's soul was back in place like it should be. No weird side-effects or stuff like that. Dean went along with it, and Sam had no objections either. And this way, he could keep an eye on her too. Because something was definitely up.

Dean constantly glimpsed into his rear-view mirror, but Allegra kept her head down so he couldn't read her facial expressions. She sat in the back of the car with several newspapers spread around her, looking up whatever she could find on the woman that had mysteriously vanished into thin air... from an airplane. The white headphones hadn't come off since they started driving. He remembered Allegra once telling him that if she really needed to concentrate, she listened to something classical with lots of strings and piano. In short, the kind of music that made Dean snooze for hours on end.
He thought it strange Allegra would need to concentrate on newspapers. He had noticed her unusually pale skin too. She hadn't been sleeping that week 'cause she was always with Sam. And then there were the nosebleeds she was trying to keep from him. Dean was worried Allegra was gonna crash at any moment.

"So, get this." Dean's head turned sideways when Sam hung up on the police officer he'd been talking to. "There were two other disappearances in town this week. Last weekend, a college girl vanished from her apartment - on the seventeenth floor. Then, three days ago, another girl didn't make it home from school."

"They know each other?" asked Dean.

"Nope. No connection. Just young and female, like the plane-crash girl."

"What would disappear a girl out of the sky, anyway?"

"Good question."

Dean's eyes flashed to the rear-view mirror again. Allegra lowered her eyes quickly, avoiding his gaze. Clearly, the volume of whatever concerto she was listening to had been silent enough for her to follow their conversation.

"So... you never even tried?"

Sam's voice pulled Dean back, and he gave his brother a quizzical look, not immediately understanding what he was asking.

"To go live a life...after," clarified Sam. "You do remember you promised that, right?"

Dean sighed. He had hoped Sam would've forgotten that bit as well.

"Yeah, I remember."

"So, why didn't you try?"

"What makes you think I didn't?"

Sam gave him an intent look, and Dean gave another sigh. So much for keeping the year secret... He really wished Allegra wasn't in the car right now.

"I was with Lisa and Ben for a year."

"A year? So then what?"

"Didn't work out."

"Huh..."

"What?"

Sam stole a sideways glance at Allegra before he looked over to Dean and continued in a more hushed tone of voice.

"I just... I assumed you'd try to be with..."

"Dude!" Dean quickly shushed Sam, and his eyes darted over to Allegra's reflection again.

Her hair hung loosely around her bowed head, hiding most of her face, but Dean could see her fist was clenched.

Goddammit! Way to go, Sammy.

Sam was painfully aware of the sudden tension in the car and just sat in his seat, looking straight ahead. Dean turned his own music up a bit louder. Every chance he got, he caught Allegra's reflection in the mirror. The tear-shaped drops on the newspaper didn't go unnoticed.

***

Allegra acknowledged her mistake of not getting some shut-eye whilst being on the road. That close to Sam and with him literally stuck in place, she could've easily lowered the shield a little to replenish her strength. She was so sleep-deprived she was beginning to act like some Resident Evil zombie. It came to the point that she could barely speak in full sentences. This, and the fact that she couldn't even zap to the other side of the door, prompted Dean to leave her behind in the motel when he and Sam went out to hunt for clues. 
Allegra waited for the Winchesters to return, curled up on one of the beds. She still wouldn't sleep even though she was exhausted. She couldn't. If she slept whilst this far away from Sam, and something happened, she would never forgive herself. So she let her body rest whilst her mental state worked overtime, keeping up the shield from miles away.

The conversation she overheard in the car helped keep her awake. Allegra replayed Sam's words in her mind. If Sam had assumed a year and a half ago that Dean might've tried to have a normal life with her, then he must've also assumed Dean would have a reason to want that to happen. And Veritas made Dean admit he wanted Allegra to be part of his family. Meaning...

No... No, he can't be. I've hurt him, I've fought with him, I've done everything to make him leave.

But you've also done everything to make him stay. You do everything you can to take the weight off his shoulders and drop everything the minute he calls you. And you've given him hope. Every touch, every embrace, every kiss... He knows you love him. Why shouldn't he love you back?

'So you want Dean to end up like Eric?'

The key turned in the lock. Allegra shut her eyes firmly as the Winchesters entered the room. She was so relieved Sam was in the same room she was in. Now, if he would only stay for a couple of hours... Footsteps drew near to the bed. Allegra stayed as still as she could when she sensed Dean near her. She felt a blanket being laid on top of her. The swift but gentle caress of Dean's fingers against her cheek almost made her open her eyes.

"She asleep?" asked Sam quietly.

"Yeah, finally," replied Dean. "I was starting to get worried."

There was silence, and Allegra wondered what was happening. Dean cleared his throat and stepped away.

"You mind watching her? I'll go get us some food."

"Yeah, sure, go. I got her."

The door to the room opened and closed as he left. She held her breath as Sam now drew near. He sat on the edge of the bed.

"Dean told me you've been taking care of me. I guess I was wrong about you."

Allegra felt Sam's hand on her shoulder, and she swore she felt her heart skip a beat. It was the first time he touched her like that. So... caring. His whispering voice sent a shiver down her spine.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you. I'll do better this time around, I promise."

***

Virgins. That's what all the victims had in common. They were all virgins. Except for that one girl who had been faking it by wearing a promise ring, saying her first time didn't count. Yeah, too bad it didn't really work that way. The baddies could just sniff out who was and who wasn't. Oh, and those baddies? Dragons. Just not the huge, winged dinosaur-like creatures from movies or The Hobbit. Well, they did have wings. And they liked gold and dark places like caves. And they kidnapped virgins. So the fairy tales were right about that...

Dean left to talk to some specialist in Medieval Studies and asked Sam and Allegra to keep researching the lore on dragons, but there were just so many different stories they didn't really know where to begin. Allegra walked around the motel parking lot to clear her head, not going too far so she could keep a hold on Sam and thought about all the stories her fa... Gabriel told her when she was a little girl. Knowing now that Gabriel had posed as the Trickster-God Loki, it wasn't strange most of his stories came from Norse mythology. She recalled a dragon in one particular tale who was actually a cursed prince, punished for his greed. He was slain by the hero of the story, who was killed as well at the very end.
That was the thing about old stories; there was no happy ending. But maybe this time, things could be different. Maybe this time, the Winchesters could defeat the dragon and save the day, like they always did. Maybe this particular dragon tale could have a happy ending... Or maybe life would just kick them down again.

Allegra was on her way back to the room when all of a sudden, she felt her shoulder tingling. Even after 3 years, that still happened whenever Castiel was around. She searched for him but couldn't see the Angel of the Lord anywhere. Allegra picked up the pace. When she reached the room, she heard voices on the other side of the door. She stormed in and found Castiel inside with Sam. As soon as the angel saw her, he recoiled until his back touched the wall.

"Sam? You okay?"

He raised his head, and Allegra saw, to her great dismay, that Sam had tears rolling down his cheeks. Her eyes shot back at Castiel.

"What the hell did you do?" she demanded.

"I-I've done nothing." Castiel raised his hands as if he were trying to keep her at bay. "We were merely discussing events of the past months."

Allegra's eyes widened in horror. Did that idiot seriously just tell Sam he'd tried to kill her?! 

"Allegra, I-I'm so... so sorry," stammered Sam. "I-I didn't... God, I never meant..."

Her hand went to the bottle of water on the table. She threw the contents in Castiel's direction, soaking the angel's trench coat. 

"You got 3 seconds to get your ass out of here before I drown you in your own blood."

He disappeared before she could start the countdown. Allegra took a deep breath as she ran her hand through her hair and sat down beside Sam.

"I'm fine, Sam." She took his hand in hers. "You didn't kill me, and the wounds were all healed up the next day. You've got nothing to be sorry for."

"I'm not... I'm not talking about that. But I didn't mean to do that either, obviously..."

Allegra wondered what he meant, but then she immediately realized what he was talking about. Castiel had told Sam about... 

Oh God, no... Castiel, I'm gonna pluck all your feathers out the next time you show your face!

"Hey, look at me." Allegra raised Sam's head with a hand against his chin, making him face her. "You are not responsible for what Lucifer did. You are not responsible for what you did without your soul. 'Cause that wasn't you. The real you was stuck in the Cage. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I should've seen it sooner. I should've saved you."

"You did save me." Sam smiled weakly. "Dean told me how that shield power of yours works. What it feels like. You're still using it on me, aren't you?"

She sighed and nodded. 

"No wonder you're exhausted. Allegra, you need to stop."

"I can't, Sam. It's the only thing I can do to help you."

"I appreciate it. Really, I do. But you're making yourself sick. You're barely sleeping, you look paler than any ghost I've ever seen and don't think we haven't noticed the nosebleeds. You can't keep doing this. I don't want you to."

Allegra knew Sam was right, of course. Even a hybrid Archangel had limits. And the nosebleeds were getting worse. She was using way too much of her power without taking enough time to recuperate. Still, Allegra couldn't shake the feeling that Sam would be worse off if she let go now. Yet his hard-determined look told Allegra that he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I guess I could lower the shield when we're in the same room," she conceded. "But I prefer to keep it up when we're apart."

"I can live with that." Sam smiled again. We're together now, so come on, get some sleep. I promise I won't leave the room."

He got up and went to sit at the table to sift through their research. Allegra watched him with curiosity. Before the whole Lucifer thing, she and Sam had barely spoken two words to each other. She always stuck around for Dean, not Sam, but now... This was their first actual heart-to-heart conversation. It felt... nice. 
Allegra rose from the bed and walked over to him. Before Sam could ask if she needed anything, her lips had already touched his cheek. And for the first time, Sam Winchester detected a playful gold shimmer in Allegra's dark eyes.

***

This year just keeps getting better and better, thought Dean as he parked his Baby in the motel's lot. Fairies, dragons... What's next, freakin' mermaids?

After calling Bobby and telling him about their number one suspect on the growing supernatural list, Bobby advised him to go see Dr. Visyak at SFU (who was apparently an old girlfriend, which Bobby purposely failed to mention). While Sam and Allegra hit the lore on dragons, Dean went to pay the good doctor a visit. According to her, the only way to kill a dragon was with a blade forged in dragon blood, which she just happened to have in her basement. The sword in the stone wasn't Excalibur like Dean assumed (major disappointment), but it would do the trick just the same. The only problem was that the only to get the darn thing out of the stone was to blow up the stone - which broke the sword. But the two halves would still come in handy, so Doc Medieval had been kind enough to give them to Dean.

He made his way to the room, but just as he was about to put the key in the lock, he paused. Was that... giggling he heard? Female giggling? Dean quickly opened the door and found Sam and Allegra seated at the table. He tried to make out what it was he was looking at exactly; Sam, fully dressed, with his hand on Allegra's shoulder, and Allegra, dressed in a worn-down AC/DC top and black comfy shorts she used as PJ, with her hair up in a messy bun and the biggest smile on her face. They sure seemed... cozy. Odd. His brother had never bothered to talk to Allegra in a friendly manner. Not once. So what the hell was going on?
Allegra's smile wavered when she saw Dean's expression, and Sam quickly pulled his hand away from her shoulder. Dean felt guilty then. They'd only been having some harmless fun. Nothing had happened between them (if she said no to Dean Winchester, then what chance did Sam have?). And besides, she loved him - Dean - not Sam.

"You feeling better, Allegra?" he asked casually, closing the door behind him.

She nodded. Dean eyed her a moment. Her skin was less pale, her eyes had that gold shimmer, and she didn't look as tired as before. Good. He put his duffel on the third chair at the table and started telling Sam and Allegra what Bobby's lady friend told him about the dragons. He pulled the broken sword out of the duffel bag, and Allegra immediately started to inspect the halves. Dean managed to hide his grin when he saw her all excited.

"And what are we supposed to do with this, Dean? Give it a booster shot?"

And the bitch is back, ladies and gentlemen.

"It's what we got," Dean answered his brother. "We're just gonna have to get a little closer. That's all. Where are we on the caves?"

Sam pulled a map close and showed it to Dean.

"Nowhere. Sewers, on the other hand... Check this out; two of the disappearances happened within a mile of here. So I think we start there and work our way around."

"Awesome, who doesn't love sewers?"

"Also... I've been thinking. Maybe we could use... bait?"

"And how you wanna do that, Sammy? Walk up to a random chick on the street and ask, 'Hey, you a virgin? 'Cause we need your help slaying a dragon.' That's a one-way ticket to the nuthouse."

"It was just an idea, Dean. We could be looking for the dragon's den for hours."

"Well, suck it up! We ain't chicks, and we ain't virgins, and we're not gonna look for them either. So stop throwing crazy-ass suggestions in the box. We'll just have to check everything. Allegra, back me up on this."

Dean turned to her, expecting her to agree with him, but she just sat in silence. He raised a brow. She looked like she was about to break down. Finally, her eyes met his.

"You euhm... You do have bait. You... You have me."

"You? What do you mean we have...?"

Dean's eyes widened when her words sunk in. There was no way she was saying what he thought she was saying.

"No." He shook his head in disbelief. "Allegra, you're not a... are you?"

Allegra pressed her lips together and averted her eyes. 

"Shops should still be open. I'll go get one of those promise rings, and I'll meet you guys at the sewers."

She got up and then went straight for the bathroom. The brothers watched her go, awkward silence falling between them. Dean's eyes stayed on the closed door. Of the million things he had imagined Allegra was keeping from him, he sure as hell hadn't seen this one coming.

***

As far as last-minute plans went, this one went well. Mostly, anyway. Allegra walked outside the sewers, and the dragons were attracted to her like moths to a flame. She pretended to pass out when they came out for her, and one of them swooped her up. Every ten steps, she covertly dropped a pearl from a fake necklace she bought with the promise ring, leaving breadcrumbs for the Winchesters to follow. They found her and the other kidnapped virgins soon enough. Whilst Allegra got the women out, Sam and Dean fought the dragons. They managed to kill one with the broken sword, but unfortunately, one got away. 

After making sure the women got back home, the trio returned to the motel. Then, and only then, did Dean decide that enough was enough. He asked Allegra to wait in the car and told Sam to stay in the motel room. Knowing what his brother was about to do, Sam asked Dean to go easy on her and to not go too far 'cause that would make Allegra use more power than was necessary.
Dean expected Allegra to make a run for it, but she waited patiently in the car for him. He got back in and turned the key into the ignition. Neither of them said a word, nor did they look at each other.

Sam watched the Impala drive away, hoping that whatever was said that night would make Allegra stay. But knowing his pig-headed older brother, they would probably never see her again.