Why the hell did I come back here? Why the hell did I bring them here? Rufus's cabin was as good a place as any to hide at. I... I can't go in there. I won't!

Allegra sat frozen in the back of the car. She heard Sam and Meg talking and saw Castiel twirling around like a twitchy ballet dancer in a trench coat. Kevin was already walking towards the house, eager to get inside. And Dean... Where was Dean?

"Alley?"

Allegra turned her head at the sound of Dean's voice. He was hovering in the door, with one hand stretched out towards her.

"I know you don't wanna be here, Alley. But maybe you'll find some answers here."

She stared into his green eyes.

"I'm right here with you."

Allegra didn't know why, but those words were enough for some reason. She took Dean's hand, and he helped her out of the car. They walked around the car and towards the house where she grew up in. Sam's eyes were on them, but Allegra didn't really care what Sam might think now. He wasn't the one she needed to get her through this.
Dean told Meg and Castiel to sit tight near the car for now until they were sure the house was safe and Kevin could settle in. The demon gruntled a little but stayed put nonetheless (like she had a choice). Her angelic counterpart just kept on twirling merrily. That those two couldn't enter the house was a bonus (at least Allegra wouldn't have to worry about them anymore), but they were going to have to find a safe place to stay.

Everything looked just as Allegra remembered it. Big two-story white house with green roof tiles, green window shutters, and a big porch going all the way around. The yard and bushes growing against the porch could do with a little sprucing but still looked pretty decent. The barn out back appeared a little smaller. Boards and other stuff were propped up against the wood. It had always been like that. Allegra had never understood why. She had never been allowed in. Maybe now, she would take a peek at what Gabriel was hiding in there.
Beyond the barn, Allegra discerned the treetops of a nearby grove. She suddenly recalled Auntie Roe. Not her real aunt, of course. The woman lived with them for three years before taking off shortly after Allegra turned twelve. It had broken her heart since she always believed Auntie Roe was going to be her stepmother. She taught her so much. They had gone on so many walks in the grove, with Auntie Roe teaching Allegra what plants and herbs to use for everyday stuff in the kitchen or household remedies and which to stay away from. Allegra couldn't help but wonder now if she had known the truth and had helped Gabriel cover it up. Or maybe... the truth had been the reason she left.

Allegra's heart was beating like crazy, going a thousand miles a minute. Her body moved on its own, walking in step with Dean as they neared the house. Kevin was already on the porch, peering through the window.

"Doesn't look like anybody's home," he said.

"It would surprise me if there was," said Allegra with a weary sigh.

She reluctantly let go of Dean's hand and bend down to move a flower pot away. She loosened the floorboard and reached in to grab the key to the house, surprised to find it was actually still there. Her hand shook as her fingers closed around it.

"Allegra, you okay?" asked Sam behind her.

"Fine, just... give me a moment."

She took a deep breath and turned the key. The door opened with a creak. Memories of her childhood flooded back after trying so hard to bury them deep inside her mind. Kevin and Sam passed Allegra, putting the duffel bag and tablet near the dresser at the entrance, and started looking around. The front door gave out directly into the spacious living room. Just in front of them was the staircase that led up to the bed- and bathrooms, and attic too. And further down, the hall led to the dining room and enormous kitchen.
Allegra had to support herself on the stair banister to keep from fainting. Her head was spinning. Everything looked exactly the same. The photographs on the wall, the brown couch with the green fluffy plaid, the piano in the corner by the window, and the violin case beside it, the hundreds of LPs neatly stored in the glass case... It was all still here.
But then Allegra started noticing the differences. DVDs instead of video cassettes, a new tv instead of the old-time model, the laptop at the desk instead of the big computer... That wasn't right. Those hadn't even been made in the early nineties when she was last here.

"What's wrong?" asked Dean when he saw her frown.

Allegra didn't answer. She quickly walked on to the kitchen and switched all the lights on and off. Then, she turned the faucet on as well. The water ran cold for a moment but warmed up nicely.

"Alley?" Dean entered the kitchen behind her.

"Don't call me that anymore."

He was taken aback by that curt reply. She turned away from him and started opening all the cupboards and the fridge. Everything was stocked.

"We have to go."

"Allegra, what's wrong?" asked Dean again, slightly alarmed by her behavior.

"Look around, Dean. I left here 20 years ago, and Gabriel's been dead for nearly 3 years. Yet the cupboards and fridge are full. There's hardly any dust, and lights and water are still working... Someone's been coming here."

All of a sudden, there was scratching at the kitchen door. Dean took out his gun and nodded. Allegra cautiously walked over to the door. She pulled the door open and was greeted with the sight of a beautiful Australian shepherd on the threshold.

"Trixie?!"

The dog barked and jumped up against her. Allegra stumbled down. She met the animal's eyes as the dog danced in place, happy to be reunited with her beloved owner. One light blue eye, one brown eye. The last time Allegra had seen those eyes, she had been trying to escape the monsters that had come to take her away.

'It's okay, Trix, they're not gonna get you. It's me they want. You stay here, girl. Stay out of sight, you hear me? Stay. Good girl.'

Allegra whispered the dog's name again, and the animal responded by pushing its nose against her outstretched hand. Trixie then put her head over Allegra's shoulder as if to hug her. A tear ran down her cheek, her hands gripping the soft grey fur.

"I'm guessing you know the dog?"

Dean came up behind Allegra, putting the gun away. She glanced back, careful not to let him see her cry.

"Yeah... I got Trixie as a puppy when I was 10."

"Trixie? What kind of name is that?"

He squatted down to look at the dog. Trixie whimpered, and Allegra released her, only to see her pet jump over her leg and up against Dean. He landed flat on his back on the kitchen floor. The dog snuffled at him and licked his face, wagging her tail in glee.

"Hey! What the- okay, that's enough! Off! Off now! Allegra, do something, will ya?!"

"Serves you right for making fun of her name, Winchester." Allegra did her best not to laugh.

"All right, fine, I'm sorry! Get this - ugh! - get this thing off me!"

"Trix, down! Come here, girl."

Allegra whistled and clapped her hands. Trixie immediately returned to her owner's side. The dog tilted her grey-white-copper head at Dean as he scrambled up, rubbing his face with the back of his hand, scowling at the animal.

"Trixie isn't usually like this with strangers," said Allegra, getting up as well. "Take it as a compliment."

"Some compliment, I'm covered in dog slobber."

He suddenly nodded his head to something behind her. Allegra turned and saw an old lady pass the little gate in the fence out back, partly hidden behind the barn. As the woman came closer, Allegra recognized Mrs. Robinson, the only neighbor that lived in the direct vicinity, just past the grove.

"Oh my, Allegra Galen, is that you? My goodness, my dear girl, I almost didn't recognize you. How you've grown!"

Mrs. Robinson climbed the steps up onto the porch. Dark eyes squinted through a pair of thick glasses.

"How you've grown," she repeated, giving Allegra a kind pat on her cheek. "And so beautiful! I always knew you would be. I told your father so when you were young, and I'm glad to see I was right. Oh my dear, dear, girl, it is so very good to see you again!"

"It's good to see you too, Mrs. Robinson," said Allegra, a bit perplexed. "Euhm... please don't take this the wrong way, but... how did you know I was here?"

"I didn't. I was walking Trixie in the grove when she suddenly darted off. I figured there was only one place she would come to and look, right again."

"You've been taking care of Trixie?"

"Why yes, dear, just like your father asked me to," answered Mrs. Robinson, seemingly surprised at the question. "He came over the week after your 13th birthday with Trixie and said that you'd been accepted at some fancy prep school in England and that you were moving there. I didn't see your father that much afterward and figured he spent his time between here and England. But he always came over for a cup of tea. Always bragging about his clever daughter too."

Allegra's nails dug into the palm of her hand. Trixie whimpered again. The dog was picking up on the tension. Mrs. Robinson, however, was not.

"The last time I saw him, he said you were on a road trip through the States. He was here to fix a couple of things in the house and asked me to make sure the place was kept clean and stocked, as he didn't know when you were going to get here. But that was maybe 3, 4 years ago. Must've been some road trip you were on. Anything to do with Mr. Handsome over there?"

Allegra completely forgot Dean was there. She turned around to make sure he kept quiet, but he already stepped forward, extending his hand to greet Mrs. Robinson.

"I'm Dean, ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And you, Dean." The old woman seized him up, holding her glasses as if that would make him clearer to her. "Hmm, yes, now that I'm looking at you closely, I can understand why Allegra didn't come back earlier. If I had a good lookin' fella like you on my arm, I'd be showing him off to the world as well."

Dean blushed at her mischievous wink. He sent Allegra a thought that almost made her want to stomp his foot.

"See, that's how you compliment someone."

"Is your father here too?" asked Mrs. Robinson then. "It's been so long, and I would love to have you all over for tea and cake."

"Actually, Mrs. Robinson, Ga- my father died," said Allegra. "There was an incident, and... he didn't make it."

"Oh my, I'm so sorry, dear. May he rest in peace, then. He was a good man."

Allegra chose not to reply to that. There were several things she could call Gabriel, but 'a good man' wasn't exactly one of them.

"Well, I'll leave you to unpack then. Come over any time; my door is always open, you know that."

"Actually, Mrs. Robinson, would you mind taking in a couple of guests? Dean's brother and stepbrother are here too, but his cousin and her husband are still on their way. I'm not sure that we have enough room to house everyone here."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Allegra," interjected Dean. "You know my... cousin's husband... can get a little crazy sometimes."

"Oh, don't worry, dear." Mrs. Robinson waved his concern away. "I used to work at a mental institution back in Dallas. Nothing I can't handle, I assure you."

"Great, thank you." Allegra quickly walked down the steps with the old woman before Dean could object any further. "Trixie can stay here now unless you wanna take her back for the company?"

"No, no, let her stay home with you where she belongs. It is so good to see you again, my dear girl. Try to stay a little while now, okay?'

She waved goodbye to them and strolled off. Allegra watched the old woman go until she was well beyond the fence before facing Dean.

"Euhm, what the hell?" he wondered aloud. "I thought we were leaving? What changed your mind?"

"Mrs. Robinson," answered Allegra, climbing back up the steps.

"You wanna stay to reminisce with the old lady?"

"Dean, Mrs. Robinson was 83 years old when I left. That would make her 103 now, yet she still doesn't look a day older than the last time I saw her. And then there's Trixie. What dog do you know that lives for this long?"

Dean glanced down at Trixie, who had been sitting quietly next to him. He furrowed his brow.

"You thinking witch?"

"Maybe. Or some angelic residues of whatever Gabriel did, I don't know. Look, I don't wanna be here. But this is the best place to keep Kevin safe. And if something supernatural is going on here, then we just treat it like any other case."

"Okay then."

The both of them looked up at the sound of footsteps in the hall.

"So, Kevin is passed out on the couch already," said Sam as he entered the kitchen. "And Meg is starting to get really crabby about being left out there in the open. Do you ha-..."

Trixie suddenly leaped up, ears flat and growling menacingly with glistening sharp teeth bared.

"Trix, no," said Allegra in a firm voice. "Down."

But Trixie snarled even more viciously now, her focus entirely on Sam. Dean threw Allegra a worried look, but she didn't know what was going on herself. The dog reacted just fine to him. Better than fine, even. Why was she acting up with his brother?

'This dog is going to keep you safe, sweetheart. It's a magic dog. It can sniff out bad people. When you see her growl at someone, you run away. And you keep running.'

Gabriel's warning when he and Auntie Roe gave Trixie to her suddenly came to Allegra's mind. She only recalled one other time when Trixie had acted this way - on her 13th birthday. Allegra narrowed her eyes at Sam. Could he still have something of Lucifer left in him? She hadn't sensed anything. But dogs were more fine-tuned than humans. Maybe Trixie was just picking up on a lingering aura. Or maybe... Sam still wasn't completely Sam.

***

It was so strange being in the house where Allegra grew up in. Everywhere Dean looked, he discovered another piece of her that he had never known about. Like, he knew that she liked classical music and movie instrumentals because it calmed her, but that she could actually play an instrument? And two at that! Or that she was a damn good artist, judging by the paintings and drawings hanging in the hall and dining room, all of which had her curly signature at the bottom. Or that she and Gabriel apparently owned every movie in the history of cinema. From silent Chaplin movies to John Wayne and Clint Eastwood westerns, crime movies like Godfather and Angels with Dirty Faces (seriously?!), musicals like Singin' in the Rain and Sound of Music, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, James Bond, historical dramas, and animated movies even. All neatly organized per decade next to the LP case, which was also huge and had an amazing collection of rock bands, to Dean's great joy.
He eyed Kevin, who was still passed out on the couch. Maybe they could watch a movie later, keeping off the tablet stuff until tomorrow, just to ease him into it. Dean stretched to look out the window to check if Sam had returned yet from driving Meg and Castiel over to Mrs. Robinson's, but there wasn't a car in sight. He took a deep breath. Now was as good a time as any.

Dean carefully walked past the couch and up the stairs. At the top, he saw Trixie. Allegra's dog was sitting nice and quietly like she had been waiting for him. That dog was seriously weird. Lassie at first, then full-on Cujo when she saw his brother, only to go back to being Lassie the minute Sam was gone. As Dean climbed the final steps, Trixie got up to push her nose against Dean's hand.

"Don't you dare slobber me again," he warned her.

But Trixie didn't even give him so much as a lick. She did, however, take his sleeve in her mouth and led Dean over the landing to one of the rooms. Slightly annoyed, he was about to pull back when he suddenly realized where the dog had taken him - straight to Allegra's childhood bedroom.
It was painted white, with aquamarine touches everywhere. The curtains, bedsheets, and fine decorative frames on the walls were all in different shades of that one color. Dean quickly gathered Allegra had probably been in a mermaid phase in her life. There was a mural at the wall by her bed of all kinds of mermaids, sketched and finely painted in a darker shade of ocean blue. Cute ones like the one from the Disney movie, and then more grown-up ones, with long winding fishtails and alluring poses. The detail was incredible. 
He walked over to the bookcase and read the backs of the books that were on eye level. Some books were hefty material. Especially for a kid. Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Jules Verne... Even some plays and poems by Dickinson, Shakespeare, and Poe. No wonder Allegra was so smart. Even Sam hadn't read half of these. 
Dean turned and saw a book on the nightstand by the bed. He couldn't resist taking a peek. The cover read Diana Gabaldon's Dragonfly in Amber. A page marker was stuck in the book, almost near the end. Allegra had almost finished it... but then her life changed drastically. Dean skimmed through it, stopping at a page somewhere halfway. His eyes widened as he read a passage describing a very intimate scene. How the hell could Gabriel have allowed his 12-year-old daughter to...

"Dean?"

He whirled around at the sound of Allegra's voice behind him.

"Allegra! I-I was just..."

She crossed the distance between them and took the book from him.

"That's euhm... it looks like a good book," tried Dean.

"It is," she said as she dropped it back on the nightstand. "Part of a series."

"A-And the mermaids." Dean pointed at the mural, smiling weakly. "They're very... I didn't know you could draw like that."

"Yeah, well, there are a lot of things you don't know about me."

Dean's heart sank at Allegra's crude comment. But he couldn't blame her. Not for anything.

"So, I made up the guest bedroom," she said then. "There's room for you and Sam there. I just came to get a couple of blankets for the spare bed in the attic. I'll sleep there so Kevin can take this room. Gabriel's room is locked for some reason."

"You want me to..."

"Go downstairs and keep Kevin company? Yes, I won't be long. And Sam should be back any moment as well."

"Alley..."

"Dean! Don't..."

Allegra's voice broke. The mask of indifference she had been wearing these past few weeks showed cracks before, but now it shattered completely. Dean saw the broken-hearted woman who was confronted with everything she had tried so hard to forget. Her childhood, Gabriel... and him. But he also saw the one thing she couldn't hide from him. Allegra's tears weren't only because he still felt that pain. They were because she still loved him. Dean put his arms around Allegra. She stiffened at his touch.

"I'm sorry, Allegra. For everything. I understand if you want me to go."

He began to pull away, but Allegra grabbed hold of the back of his shirt, keeping him against her body.

"Stay," she whispered. "Dean, please... don't leave me."

When she raised her eyes to meet his gaze, Dean finally saw that gold shimmer again. He remembered Turiel's words. For the first time since he had seen that messed up future, Dean felt hope that maybe he could still have a life with Allegra. He was the key to her heart. He just had to set things straight before it was too late.
Allegra's fingers gripped his shirt tight as he pressed a light kiss on her brow. Then Dean said the four words that had defined their relationship from the very start. The four words promising he would do anything for the woman he loved and she for him. The four words he hadn't uttered in such a long time.

"You jump, I jump."