The euphoria was slowly making way for the adrenaline rush Dean always got when the pieces of the puzzle came into place. He was, and would always be, a Hunter first. That thrill of the chase would keep him going for a while. And it would keep his mind off the fact that he wouldn't be doing anything with Allegra that night. He knew the case took priority, but it was still a huge bummer. Not that he would tell Allegra. She would never let him hear the end of it.
Dean helped her take all the pictures and notes off the whiteboard to spread them out over the dining room table. Allegra then opened the fairy tale book and grabbed her notepad.

"Okay, so the dead grandma has got to be the witch from Hansel and Gretel. Then, we have... the college girl who got attacked by a wolf."

"Red Riding Hood?" offered Dean, turning the page to a terrifying drawing of a wolf.

"Right. And then, the guy who was fixing his roof and who fell into the thornbush that he didn't even know he had. That's... Rapunzel! And here! The sisters who got attacked by birds and the smashed pumpkins; Cinderella. The frogs have got to be The Frog Prince."

"What about the dolls?"

Allegra made him pause as he turned another page. Dean frowned as he read the title.

"Pinocchio? Seriously? Punk's a little lying piece of wood, but to burn his feet off?"

"Pinocchio is more than a punk. He lies, he steals, he kills Jiminy Cricket..."

"What? No, he doesn't."

"Dean, The fairy tales you know are not at all how they were actually written. These are old folk tales meant as warnings, passed on from generation to generation. The Grimms and Andersens, and other writers too, made them more humane to attract more readers, and then the movie companies in the 20th century changed almost their entire essence."

Allegra made him sit down next to her.

"I got this book from Gabriel when I was 5 years old," she continued. "It was his version of parenting 101; don't sugarcoat things. It's not always a happy ending, and true love's kiss doesn't always break the spell. Not unless it's really a powerful and unique love. He always hammered on that. Kids nowadays get the nice and fluffy version, and I'm not saying that's bad, far from it. But it does leave them unprepared when reality hits them."

"Yeah, tell me about it. So what, these are all the true versions?"

'Yes, and knowing now what Gabriel was, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that these were the actual accounts by the original authors, all bundled together. Here, look; French, German, Italian, Danish... and then all the translations in Gabriel's handwriting. I think he made this entire book from scratch."

Dean had to admit it; the book was pretty darn impressive. But still, friggin' fairy tales? Again? He and Sam had already worked on a fairy tale case a couple of years ago. Girl stuck in a coma who'd been poisoned by the stepmother and who lashed out with the stories her father read to her, killing people everywhere around town. But Dean doubted this was another girl stuck in a coma. No way they would be that lucky. Something else had to be going on here.
Plus, it was an odd coincidence that Lorelai would just happen to give Allegra Gabriel's book back now. If there was one thing he had learned, it was that there was no such thing as coincidence. But Dean kept that suspicion to himself. Allegra would never forgive him if he went after her only childhood friend without proof.

"Okay, I'm no good at fairy tales, and I'm not my nerd brother," he said. "Can you give me a quick recap? To which scene in the story is each crime scene connected?"

"Sure, here." Allegra turned the book a little so Dean could follow along. "Pinocchio fell asleep near a fire that burned his feet off, which some believe was the author's way to punish him for running away. Basically, karma. The grandma burned alive like the witch in the gingerbread house after Gretel pushed her into the oven to save her brother from being eaten. There's a theory that the children then ate her to steal her powers so they could get revenge on the mother who abandoned them in the woods, but again, that's only a theory. Red Riding Hood was a young maiden tricked by the wolf. The interpretation of how he 'devoured' is dual, but in our case, it was literal. Rapunzel's prince got thrown out of the tower when the witch discovered he had been visiting her prisoner and had knocked her up. He fell into a thornbush, which blinded him. Cinderella's stepsisters were attacked by her birds as punishment for treating her badly after their feet were already mutilated by their mother in an attempt to fit into the glass slipper. And Cinderella's carriage turned back into a pumpkin and got smashed when the guards chased her after midnight. Nothing really bad happens to the Frog Prince that I remember. The spell breaks when he sleeps on the princess' pillow... which would explain why the frogs were all trying to get inside people's homes."

Dean gazed up at Allegra as she scrunched her nose. He knew that look.

"What? What are you thinking?"

"It's just... none of these stories are related. They're not by the same author, not in the same language, and they don't share any symbolism. The only link is that they're stories. I don't get it."

Dean was about to offer his own random theory, but then Allegra's phone rang. She picked up and listened intently to the voice on the other side for a moment. Her expression darkened.

"I'll take a sweep with my partner as well. We'll stay in touch."

She put her phone down and started turning the pages of the book.

"Ten children, all living on the same block, were kidnapped two hours ago. A lady walking her dog saw them all get into a van by themselves. Dammit, where i- ah, here!"

Dean leaned in to read the page.

"The Pied Piper?" he asked. "I thought he was a rat-catcher?"

"He was. But when the people of Hamlin refused to pay him, he enchanted the children with his magic flute and led them all away. The Sheriff said he was investigating the theft of a flute from the woodcarving shop at the edge of town when he got the call about the kids."

"Yeah, that's too coincidental."

"Exactly. I wanna check out that shop. Maybe we'll get lucky."

"Sure. Alley... What happened to the children of Hamlin?"

She met his questioning and fearful gaze.

"The Piper did the same thing with them as he did to the rats. He drowned them."

***

Armed with Jody Mills' old side arm (which she gave to Allegra for protection - not that she needed it) and his father's knife, Dean followed Allegra into the shop. The door wasn't locked, which already triggered a thousand alarm bells inside his head. He glanced over to Allegra and picked up on her cautiousness. She noticed it too. This smelled like a trap. And they were the rats.

"Dean, over there."

Allegra pointed to a shattered display case. She carefully went over and moved aside some of the broken pieces of glass, but then sighed and turned back to him.

"There's nothing in here. I don't think we're gonna..."

Her words fell away, eyes focused on something behind him. Dean quickly spun around, expecting a demon or witch or something, but there was nobody there.

"Alley? What's wrong?"

But Allegra didn't answer. She walked right past Dean to the far corner of the shop, stopping in front of a weird-looking wooden machine. It had a push-pedal at the bottom, a wheel, and something holding a needle. Allegra looked at it like it was the most beautiful thing in the world.
Dean didn't like this one bit. He hurried over to her to snap her out of her trance.

"Alley? Hey, talk to me."

Her eyes had a foggy glaze over them, which chilled Dean to the bone. Allegra raised her arm and reached for his face. But then, she froze, and her hand went towards the needle instead. Her finger touched the sharp point, leaving a perfect drop of blood. She collapsed into his arms.

"Alley! Alley, wake up!"

But Allegra didn't react. Dean quickly checked her pulse; it was so faint. And her breathing was shallow, too. He looked up at the wooden machine. This was another story. He knew it was. But which one? Dean picked Allegra up in his arms and carried her out to the car. He had to get her home right away. His only hope was the storybook.

***

Dean kicked the door open and hurried to the couch with Allegra in his arms. He put her down, trying to be as gentle as he could. Trixie dashed down the stairs, going straight for her owner. She barked and whimpered, nudging her nose against Allegra's arm.

"Good dog, stay, watch her!" 

Dean ran to the dining room table and pulled the storybook to him. He flipped the pages like a madman.

"Come on, where are you?"

Suddenly, he saw it. The same machine Allegra pricked her finger on and strange-looking herbs drawn all around it. Dean turned further until he found Gabriel's translation. He groaned.

"The Sleeping Beauty, of course. Okay, so the princess gets cursed by an evil fairy who... wasn't invited to a party, are you freaking kidding me?! Falls into a sleep like death when she pricks herself for... goddammit, 100 years?! So how the hell...?"

He stared at the text in front of him.

What the hell?! A wandering king finds the princess, and he picks the first fruits of love. So he... Son of a bitch! Oh, sure, and ya leave her pregnant too! Asshole.

Dean read on to see if there was anything else that could help him, but this wasn't like John Winchester's journal. This wasn't a guidebook on how to defeat evil beings. It was a storybook, and each story had one determined path. But that path wasn't one Dean wanted to see played out. Though... there was one thing he could try; one of the twins she gave birth to (while still asleep!) sucked a piece of flax out of the princess's finger. Since the object of the curse was gone, she woke up.
Dean grabbed the storybook with him as he returned to Allegra and dropped it on the floor between him and Trixie. The dog hadn't moved an inch. Neither had Allegra. 

"Please work."

His lips closed around the tip of her finger, and he sucked carefully but strongly. He made sure not to push his tongue against her, though. The last thing Dean wanted was to push the flax in any deeper. But it was no use. He couldn't feel anything coming out, and Allegra kept on sleeping peacefully.

"Dammit!" Dean cursed loudly and raked his hand through his hair. "Allegra, please wake up! Alley!"

"Good luck waking her up like that, darling."

Dean looked up to see a man in a Sheriff's uniform leaning against the open door, grinning mischievously. He had slick brown hair with a blueish shine to it, pointy ears, and dark eyes. Too dark. Trixie growled menacingly at his appearance, but the Sheriff completely ignored her. He only had eyes for Dean. 

"I can't believe I'm finally meeting the Dean Winchester. You got any idea how much of a celebrity you are? The whole bad-boy anti-hero thing you got going on is a real killer, darling."

"Who are you?" demanded Dean as he slowly got up to his feet. "What do you want?"

"Getting to that in a minute." The Sherrif waved him off dismissively. "Quick question before we start; what was it like? Purgatory? It's the only realm I can't look into, and I've always wondered."

"How 'bout I shove this in your guts, and you get a one-way ticket?" Dean pulled out his father's knife.

"Yeah... can't, sorry. I'm immortal. Like, really immortal. That knife will only tickle me, but it won't kill me. I dare say nothing will."

"Cut the bull crap! Tell me who you are and what you want!"

The Sheriff made a little tut-tut noise and wiggled his finger at Dean.

"Temper, temper."

He disappeared. Dean looked around, the knife held high, on alert for any sudden attacks. The Sheriff reappeared, sitting on the arm of the couch, inches away from Allegra, slightly hovering over her. 

"Be honest, I know how to pick'em, right? I mean, look at her. If this isn't a 'Sleeping Beauty,' I don't know what is."

Dean held his breath as the Sheriff stroked Allegra's hair. Trixie growled again, but Dean quickly shushed her. He had to keep the dog from ripping this guy's throat out. He didn't even dare move himself; the bastard was standing way too close to Allegra. If she got hurt...

"Now, to the matter at hand," said the Sheriff. "I'd be more than happy to give you the chance to wake our princess up, but magic always comes with a price, darling."

Dean narrowed his eyes.

"You a Crossroadsdemon?"

The expression on the Sheriff's face darkened. He scowled back.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll never mention that filth in my presence again. Pretentious wannabes stealing my ideas, my life work! I am the original! The first to create the whole quid pro quo. All those stories? All real and all my doing, darling. Those silly writers actually thought they could warn people by writing about the mistakes they or their loved ones made when they encountered me. But fortunately, the human mind is a fickle thing. What harm is there in a story, after all?"

The Sheriff looked down at Allegra again, patting her red hair like she was a pet and not a living, breathing person. Dean had to keep himself from letting Trixie have a midnight snack.

"So, Dean, let's get to it, then. The rules are very simple; if I win, the curse plays out, and Allegra sleeps for 100 years until a wanderer comes upon her, and... well, you read it. If you win, everyone still suffering physically from their story will be healed, the children will be returned, and you can save your princess. All you have to do is guess my name."

"Your name?" repeated Dean incredulously. "How the hell am I supposed to know your name? What guarantee do I have that a normal human can even pronounce it?"

"Everyone knows my name since my story also played out once. It's just not a very popular tale, so people tend to forget it easily, which tends to work out in my favor. And I assure you, it is quite pronounceable."

"How many guesses do I get?"

"That would depend on what you're willing to give up as your entry to play the game."

"My what?"

"Your entry, darling. You know, like in a poker game."

"You already have Allegra!"

"She's the prize, not the entry. Come on, Dean, there must be something you possess that you treasure beyond anything else?"

Had it been any other time and place in his life, Dean would have said his most treasured possession was Baby. But... Allegra meant so much more than any object ever could.

"Tell you what." The Sheriff clicked his tongue upon sensing Dean's reluctance to admit she was what he cherished most. "I'm in a generous mood. So I'll settle for that pretty necklace you bought Allegra. The token of your love which you've failed to give her so far. And since I'm a nice guy, we'll go all or nothing; you win, and you get both the necklace and the chance to wake your girlfriend up. You lose... No need to give anything to anyone."

Dean didn't even want to know how this douchebag knew about the necklace. He was cornered into accepting the deal and playing this sick and twisted game. If he didn't, Allegra would stay asleep. The angels might be able to help, but it was a long shot. Hell, they would most likely just keep her like this until Michael escaped the Cage. The Archangel probably couldn't do anything without Allegra's consent, but still... No, something that might happen versus something that would definitely happen was not an option. Dean had no choice.

"All right. The necklace is my entry."

"Perfect!" The Sheriff clapped his hands, beaming. "You'll get 3 guesses, plus a bonus 'cause I like you. Whenever you're ready, hotshot."

Dean's mind was racing, trying to remember every possible fairy tale he knew. But he wasn't Sam. He hadn't bothered to read any of this crap. And he doubted the Sheriff would let him use the storybook. He looked the guy over, trying to find something that might give him a clue. But aside from the slightly pointy ears and the blueish glow in his hair, there was nothing.

Come on, think! His story played out before. It's a fairy tale people know but not a popular one. So anything you're thinking of now isn't it. Goddammit, how the hell am I ever gonna...?

But then, all of a sudden, Dean heard his mother's voice in his head. She was reciting a rhyme. A nursery rhyme? No, it was part of a story. What was it? Wha-Wait!

'Today I'll bake; tomorrow I'll brew,
Then I'll fetch the queen's new child,
It is good that no one knows...'

"Come on, Dean, while you're young. Allegra and I may have 100 years, but you certainly don't."

Dean licked his lips. All or nothing, then.

"Is it Hans?"

"No."

"Is it Jacob?"

"Not even close."

"Is it Robin?"

'Nope. Last chance."

"Then maybe it's... Rumplestiltskin."

The triumphant look on the Sheriff's smug face slowly faded. His dark eyes widened, and he lunged at Dean. But Trixie was faster. The dog's sharp teeth closed around his arm, pulling him down and dragging him away. All of sudden, flames shot up from the floor, and Trixie let go. Rumplestiltskin screamed and thrashed about, trying desperately to hold on to anything that might save him from the fire, but nothing could save the fiend from the trappings of his own game. 

The flames consumed Rumplestiltskin as his body fell through a portal in the floor. His agonizing shriek echoed through the living, chilling Dean to the bone. The portal closed, and where Rumplestilskin had been, there was nothing but faint scorch marks now. Trixie trampled on them with her paws as if to say 'good riddance' and then returned to Allegra, who... wasn't waking up. 

"No..." Dean's breath choked. "No, no, no!"

He dropped to his knees and grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Alley! Allegra, wake up! You can't still be asleep! I defeated Rumplestiltskin! He said you would... you would..."

But he hadn't said it, had he? Rumplestiltskin never actually said Allegra would wake up if Dean won. Everyone suffering physically from their curse would be healed. But Allegra wasn't wounded. She was just asleep.

"Goddammit, you son of a bitch!"

Tears stung in Dean's eyes as he realized his mistake. He should've paid attention. Allegra was doomed because of him. There was no way to...

"Ow!" Dean cried out when Trixie suddenly bit his hand. "What?!"

The dog took his sleeve between her teeth and started pulling.

"What? Trixie, what is it?"

Dean followed her to the DVD case. She jumped against it, tapping her front paw against one of the movies; Disney's Sleeping Beauty.

"Trix, no. That's a movie. This is real and serious."

But the dog kept on insisting, blocking Dean's way when he wanted to walk back to Allegra. She drove him back to the case and barked.

"All right, fine!" Dean threw his hands in the air. "Let's watch the goddamn movie! Not like we have anything better to do."

He grunted in annoyance and put the DVD in. As soon as the musical intro played, Dean regretted listening to the dog. Fortunately, the important scene was right at the beginning of the movie. When the evil fairy came on to cast her curse, it spiked Dean's attention, and he took a step closer to the TV, listening intently to what was said. One of the good fairies, the chubby blue one, changed the curse.

"And from this slumber, you shall wake when true love's kiss the spell shall break."

Dean hit pause. He looked back at Allegra. She said something about true love's kiss before. 

'True love's kiss doesn't always break the spell. Not unless it's really a powerful and unique love.'

He loved her with all his heart. And he knew she loved him. But... was it true love? At this point... he had nothing left to lose. Dean walked back to his princess and knelt at her side. He stroked her hair and caressed her cheek, praying with all his might that this would work.

"I love you, Allegra."

He leaned in.

***

She was lying on something soft. Someone was with her. Allegra slowly opened her eyes and found Dean looking down at her in surprise and relief.

"It worked." His voice was barely audible, but Allegra still heard it breaking.

He pulled her up, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. She frowned, confused at what was happening, and looked around over Dean's shoulder. How did they get back home? When did they get back home? Why was she on the couch? What the hell happened?
Then, Allegra saw the scorch marks on the floor. 

"Dean, what's going on?"

He let go and cupped her face. She looked at his face. Had he been crying?

"What's the last thing you remember?" he asked.

"We were in the woodcarving shop. There was a spinning wheel, and... I pricked my finger. But how...?"

"I'll explain everything, I promise. But you're okay now. You're safe. That bastard can't hurt you anymore. I took care of him.'

His lips touched Allegra's. The kiss sent shivers down her spine, and she closed her eyes to take it all in. When she opened them again, she was drawn to something behind Dean. The TV was on. It looked like it was paused on... Sleeping Beauty? But the movie wasn't at all like the original story. Only the curse part, but the princess didn't sleep for 100 years. And she awoke because of... of... No, that was absurd! Dean couldn't have woken her up like that! She woke up because he killed whatever cast the curse. It couldn't possibly be because of...
Could it?