"Allegra, please! It's Bobby!"

Dean reached out to Allegra with everything he had. She had to come. She just had to! How could she ignore him now?!

"Goddammit!" he yelled, making the nurse closest to him jump and give him a scolding look.

"They're doing everything they can," said Sam, pulling his brother to a corner.

"They can't help him, Sam! We need Cas, we need... Allegra!"

He pushed Sam aside the minute he saw Allegra rush into the trauma room. He ran straight to her, halting at the very last moment.

"I wasn't sure you were gonna..."

"Where's Bobby?" interrupted Allegra. "What the hell happened?"

"Leviathan attack," said Dean as he guided Allegra to Bobby's bed.

"Since when did they start using bullets?"

"Since now, I don't know! Just fix him."

Dean swallowed when he saw his friend and mentor lying unconscious in that hospital gown, tubes sticking out of him. That image was going to haunt him for a while. He watched Allegra take hold of Bobby's hand and close her eyes. Sam stood silently on the other side. They both knew better than to disturb Allegra when she tapped into her powers.

"I already wrapped my shield around his soul when I heard your thoughts," she said. "I need to stay close to him now."

"Okay, so we're good then?" asked Dean. "You got him?"

Allegra's eyes flashed to him for a moment. He didn't like what he saw in them.

"I'm tethering Bobby's soul to his body, but it's only prolonging the inevitable. Death can't take him now, but I can't keep this up forever. His body needs to heal."

"Well, then what the hell are you waiting for?!" exclaimed Dean impatiently.

"Dean, you know very well I don't have healing powers," Allegra hissed at him, making sure no one else could hear. "If I did, I wouldn't have to do this, and we would be walking out that door right now."

"Well, this ain't good enough, Allegra! You saved me from the plague of the firstborn, so you better find a way to save Bobby from a freakin' bullet, you hear me?!"

"I'm trying, Dean!"

"Okay, guys, enough."

Sam came round to stand between the both of them. Dean glared at Allegra, but she ignored him, turning her attention back to Bobby. She gave him a little squeeze, but there was no response. His pulse was a bit lower than it should be but stable. Dean didn't know what to do anymore. The doctors were useless, Sam was useless, and Allegra was here (finally!), but what the hell for? Why had he even thought of her? He knew she couldn't heal people; she was no good either. They needed Cas. But he was dead. Allegra was the only other... angel... Wait a minute...

"Get an angel down here," said Dean. "You're the only angel we have right now, but without any healing powers, you're no good to us. So turn your radio back on and get one of them to come here and help Bobby."

"They won't help him," said Allegra with a shake of her head.

"I'm sorry, what? Why the hell not?"

"The angels want nothing to do with any of you. They'll just see Bobby as collateral damage. I'm already risking a lot coming here as it is."

"Are you freaking kidding me with this crap?! How do you even know if you won't try?!"

"Because I've been living with them."

This surprised Dean. Since when was Allegra back in league with the angels? It was better than being chummy with the King of Hell, but Allegra hated their guts. She'd threatened them on multiple occasions. Why would she go to them?

"What do they have on you?" he demanded suspiciously, which earned him a furious glare. "Don't look at me like that, Allegra. You shut the angels out completely. So the only reason you would have to go to them is if they have something on you. They promise you something? Threaten you? They say they're coming after me again? Or Sam?"

"Not everything is about the two of you, Winchester," she bit back at him. "I don't owe you any explanation."

"Bull!"

"Okay, that's it." Sam grabbed Dean by his arm and pulled him away from Bobby's bed. "Outside, right now. You need a time-out."

"Don't treat me like a 5-year-old!" yelled Dean as Sam somehow managed to get him out of the trauma room.

"Then stop acting like one! Dean, what the hell, man? Allegra is doing the best she can."

"Don't defend her, Sam! If she'd been here in the first place, none of this would've happened!"

"This isn't Allegra's fault! Roman and the other Leviathans are after her too."

"She left us hanging!"

"Because of you!"

Dean rolled his eyes and turned away from his brother. He didn't want to hear this tune again.

"You broke her heart, Dean," continued Sam. "How could she not leave after the crappy things you said? You had everything with her, and you threw it all away."

"I'm sure you'll pick up the pieces," sneered Dean, his back still turned on his brother.

"Wow." Sam scoffed after a few seconds. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

Sam walked away, Dean following his departure from the corner of his eye. He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, grunting frustrated as he cursed himself for being such a jerk to his brother and his (ex?)girlfriend. Bobby would call him an idiot for treating them the way he had. Bobby... Dean put Sam out of his head. He would deal with him later. He rushed back inside, trying to keep calm as he prepared to face Allegra again. He saw she had closed the curtains around Bobby's bed and meant to draw them back, but when he reached for them, his hand froze mid-air.

"...'m sorry, Bobby. I should've been there. You did so much for me, and I can't even heal you now. You have to hold on, you hear me? You've been like a father to me, better even. You can't go."

Dean's breath caught when he heard Allegra's broken voice. He had no idea she felt that way about him. Bobby Singer wasn't perfect, but Dean couldn't argue with the fact that he was a step up from the bastard who had actually raised Allegra. If Bobby and his late wife would've had kids, they would've been wonderful parents; Dean was sure of that. He'd been there for the Winchesters when it had mattered or when their own father had been too busy to deal with them. Dean's hand came down, and he stayed on the other side of the curtain, 

"God... anyone... please, help him. I know you don't think we deserve it, but Bobby is a good man. It's not his time yet."

It stayed quiet. Dean took a step closer, careful not to make a sound. Allegra sighed in the silence.

"I'm already up there with you. What more could you want from me? I'm away from Crowley, and I practically promised to say yes to Michael if he got out of the Cage. Are you really telling me that's still not enough? What else is there? Erasing Dean?"

Dean gasped inaudibly and recoiled. She promised to say yes to Michael? No, no, no, why would she just fold after fighting so long? And what the hell did she mean by erasing him?!

"It hurts," sobbed Allegra. "He hurts, is that what you want to hear? Do you want me to say I want those memories of Dean gone? Forget I ever loved him?"

Dean couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't bare to listen to Allegra's words for one more second. They tore him apart. Part of Dean wanted to go in and beg for her forgiveness and ask she never left him again. Instead, he walked away, his heart turning to stone. Love was nothing but a damn fairy tale, after all.

If only Dean had stayed. If only he had listened to Allegra's words to the end.

***

"He hurts, is that what you want to hear? Do you want me to say I want those memories of Dean gone? Forget I ever loved him?"

Allegra rubbed away a tear with the back of her hand.

"No," she whispered. 'I won't let him go. I can't. I still love him."

Her eyes rested on Bobby. She held his hand tightly. What else could she do? What else could she try to save him? She was an Archangel, for crying out loud! There had to be something she hadn't thought of. Her shield power wasn't enough. That worked against demons and other monsters but not against Death. If only she knew how to heal someone. But she hadn't even gotten that far with... with...

"I'll be right back, Bobby. I gotta talk to someone."

Allegra stepped away from the bed and drew back the curtains. She took a quick scan to see if she saw either one of the Winchesters, but they were nowhere to be found. She couldn't wait for them to get back. With a final look at Bobby over her shoulder, Allegra left the trauma room and crossed the parking lot to a dark, gloomy park. She looked around, and after she made sure no one else was there, she cast her eyes up to the sky.

"Naomi! I know you can hear me. Get down here, or I'm coming up to drag your ass down."

A rustle behind her made Allegra turn around. The angel had a stern expression on her face, which only darkened when she spoke.

"Allegra, what do you think you're doing? You shouldn't be down here. And for them?"

"I'm not here for them," retorted Allegra. "I'm here for Bobby. I really don't wanna go back to Crowley, so I'm asking you one more time, help me. I know you won't heal him yourself, but you can tell me how to do it. Healing is another angel power I need to be able to use anyway, right? So come on, crash course, right now. I'll trigger my grace somehow and..."

"Oh, Allegra." Naomi sighed. 'When will you learn? Holding on to his soul is merely delaying what cannot be stopped. Things can't always go your way. If Bobby Singer is on the list, then the Reaper will claim his soul for Death, and Bobby will be delivered to either Heaven or Hell. You know that better than anyone."

"It's not his time! I have begged for mercy for every life I have taken. Every man, every woman, every child. I've killed hundreds with those damn plagues. You owe me for those lives. You owe me this life, dammit!"

The angel scoffed haughtily. 

"We owe you nothing, little girl. You did your duty, just like the rest of us. Now, you will come back with me, and we will help you forget about Bobby Singer and the Winchesters. It ends here."

"You're right. It does."

Allegra pushed past Naomi.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this."

The subtle change in Naomi's voice alerted Allegra just in time, and she managed to block her surprise attack. Allegra let herself drop to the ground. She kicked at Naomi's legs, but she didn't come tumbling down. Instead, Allegra hit nothing but air. She rose to her feet, ready for the next assault, but this time, she wasn't fast enough to stop Naomi. 
The angel grabbed Allegra's arm and pulled it behind her back at an unnatural angle, making Allegra scream in pain. Naomi's hand closed around her throat. She squeezed. It became harder and harder for Allegra to breathe. She tried to focus and use one of the plagues, but all she could do was claw at Naomi's hand, hoping that she would let go. But Naomi was strong. A lot stronger than Castiel had been (pre-Leviathan lunatic, that is). Allegra kept on struggling, which only prompted Naomi to apply more pressure on her throat. She felt herself slipping away. And she felt her shield around Bobby's soul slip too.

No! No way I am letting this bitch win! No way I'm letting Bobby die! I just have to... Dammit, come on!

A click. The connection to her grace. Allegra felt it surging through her body. She willed it to protect her, to free her from Naomi's grasp. It burst out, exploding like a detonating bomb, and threw the angel away from her.
Naomi was pushed down by Allegra's grace, barely able to lift her head and gasping for air. Allegra glared at her and was tempted to finish the fight, but she couldn't waste any more time. She had to get back to Bobby. Her shield had been lowered enough for Death's grip to tighten itself around the Hunter's soul. Now that her grace had awoken, she could try to heal Bobby. She could save him.

Leaving Naomi in the dirt where she belonged, Allegra ran back into the trauma room. She ran straight to Bobby's bed, nearly ripping the curtains as she drew them open and then closed them again.
Allegra touched Bobby's forehead with two fingers and rested her other hand on his chest, right above his heart. She shut her eyes and blocked all the noise around her. The beeping of the machines, the phones ringing, the voices of the medical staff... It was just her and Bobby. Her grace touched his soul and wrapped around him, just like her shield had done before.

Heal. Come on, heal.

"Allegra? The hell are you doing?!"

Dean... No, don't react to him. Keep focusing on Bobby.

"Allegra!"

"Dean, wait, I think... I think she's trying to heal him."

Sam, thank God.

"Miss Galen?"

Who...? Wait, Death?

Allegra dared to open her eyes. She was still in the trauma room. But it was empty. No Winchesters, no Bobby, no nurses, no beds, or other medical equipment. Allegra shivered as if struck by a cold wind and saw the figure of Death himself appear before her. The solemn, grim Horseman tilted his head at her.

"Miss Galen, I believe we discussed this already," he spoke, a bit weary. "You have no say over those destined to die. If I do not allow you the lives of children, what makes you think I will allow you this man?"

"I know you require a life," said Allegra. "And you will have one. Just not Bobby."

Death raised a brow and stepped closer.

"Do you know what you're proposing?"

"A life for a life. Someone equal. If you release Bobby's soul to me, I will give you any life you want."

"Any life? What if I were to ask for another Hunter? Or one of these doctors? A young mother? A child?"

"Yes, fine, I'll do it! Just tell me a name."

"Dean Winchester."

Allegra's jaw clenched. Her hands started to shake a little. She averted her eyes.

"So not any life then," Death affirmed. "Curious. You are willing to risk everything but not your beloved Dean. Or even the memory of him, I hear. Why not, I wonder?"

"'Cause she's got a heart, that's why!"

Allegra's head jerked sideways. Bobby, or better Bobby's soul, had found his way back to the trauma room, pulled in by Allegra's grace, closely followed by his reaper. He stepped right up to Allegra, who was too shocked to say anything, and grabbed her by her shoulders.

"Kid, don't do this. Not for me. I ain't worth it. And you, Allegra Galen, are not a cold-blooded killer. You are good and pure and the best damn thing that could've happened to any of us. I feel blessed every day I've known ya. So don't you dare make this deal with Mr. Grim over here."

Bobby gently wiped Allegra's silent tears away.

"And for God's sake, talk to Dean. Damn fool is too proud and stubborn to admit it, but he misses you. And he loves you too; you can take that from me."

Allegra managed a weak smile. She sobbed. 

"Bobby, what am I gonna do without you?"

"You don't need me, kid," said Bobby. "You'll shine on your own. Show those sons of bitches who they're messing with."

He gave Allegra an encouraging nod before turning to Death and the reaper.

"I need one minute. I need to tell those boys something important about the Leviathans. And no, I won't tell Allegra. She can't get involved. Those things get to her, and it's over and out, and ya damn well know it."

The reaper looked up to his boss, unsure of what to do. But Death only had eyes for Allegra and Bobby.

"One minute."

***

Dean kept looking from Allegra to Bobby. He was getting anxious. This was taking too damn long. When Cas healed people, it never took more than a few seconds. Less even!

"Something's wrong," he said.

"Dean, give her time," said Sam. "She's never done this before."

"I'm telling you something's wrong, Sam. Allegra can't use her powers for this long. She'll start to... bleed."

As soon as he saw the trickle of blood appear at her nose, Dean rushed to Allegra's side. He put his hand on Allegra's. Her skin was ice cold.

"No, no, no." Dean took Allegra's face in his hands, trying to wake her up. "Goddammit, Allegra, snap out of it! Alley!"

Allegra's eyes shot open. The moment of relief that she was out of her trance quickly disappeared as she collapsed. Dean managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Sam hurried to call a doctor, and an entire team came running when they saw the unconscious, bleeding young woman. Dean put Allegra on the gurney they brought over and intended to stay with her, but Sam started pulling at his brother, stopping him from leaving.

"Wait, wait, wait, stop! Look, his eyes are open. She did it."

Dean reluctantly tore himself away from Allegra, letting the doctors take her away, and turned to see Bobby was indeed awake. His mentor had already removed the respirator from his mouth and nose and started to make raspy noises. Sam grabbed Bobby's hands before he could try to do anything else.

"Don't talk," said Dean quickly as he returned to Bobby's bedside. "A pen, I... Here, here."

He reached for the pen hanging on the chart at the end of the bed and handed it over to Sam, who passed it on. Bobby started scribbling on the palm of Sam's hand. Dean could make out a series of numbers - 45489. His mind was racing. A phone number? Coordinates? What the hell was Bobby trying to say here?!

"Bobby, I don't... What do we...? Hold on, Allegra can still..."

Bobby suddenly took Dean's hand, silencing him instantly. The pen pressed onto his skin, and Dean looked down at the two shakey words written in big letters. His eyes widened as he read them. He met Bobby's intense look. The Hunter tapped the pen against Dean's hand, wanting to make sure he understood. Dean couldn't do anything else but nod. Bobby began to breathe more heavily but still managed a weak smile. The brothers leaned in closer, their hearts sinking into their chests.

"Idiots."