Could Have Had It All chapter 6
Title: Could Have Had It All Bvts/Spn
Author: Noturbaby
Fandoms: Supernatural, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rating: PG-13 - R
Warnings: None (eventual het sex)
Pairings: Dean /Buffy, Sam/Dawn,Willow/Oz, Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya Most BtVS characters make anappearance.
Summary: Buffy and Dean fell in love in High School, but college, a curse, and John Winchester kept them apart. When Buffy died, Dean felt he did, too. Now he's in a coma, and Buffy's back, but Dean is unsure what she is. Will he die or can Buffy save him? Based on SPN Season 2 ep. 1 and Buffy seasons 4&5.
Based on High School Sweethearts and Second Chances.
Previously, Prologue - chapter 5
Shiloh County Hospital 2004
After listening in on his father and Buffy, Dean fumed in his own room. "I can't believe this. After everything I've given up for them." He looked at himself laying in the hospital bed. "Come on man, get up!" He crawled into bed, willing his spirit to attach to his body. Several minutes passed and he gave up. "Of all the stupid times to be stubborn. Look, Buffy's alive and she's not going to want some comatose slob. Wake up." He watched the steady blip on the heart monitor and sighed.
"Dammit, Buffy, why didn't you want me to know you're alive?" he muttered to himself. "How could you think I wouldn't care?"
He squeezed his eyes shut trying to remember the good times he and Buffy had. How the way his name would escape her as a breathy moan and send electricity to his core. How no matter his mood, seeing her would take a weight from him. How she had made him promise the impossible and make him think they could have it.
Sioux Falls South Dakota 2000
John slammed his truck door, then the door to Bobby's house rattling the glass in the windows. "What the hell, John?" Bobby barked. John ignored the other man and settled into a chair. Recognizing the look on the other man's face, Bobby asked, "What's the boy done now?"
"He's bringing Buffy with him."
"Buffy? I thought they broke up. He seemed pretty much over her last time I saw him."
"Yeah, well turns out that was just some curse. They're back together." John scrubbed his face with a hand then went to the window.
Bobby took a deep breath. "Okay. Well, what's so wrong with that? I seem to remember she's a nice girl."
"Buffy is a nice girl." John sighed wearily. "Bobby, you know that gaping black pit inside you left by Karen's death?" He watched the other hunter steel his expression. John closed his eyes for a moment. "I have such anger and darkness inside me from that demon taking Mary, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy." Bowing his head, he went on, "I'm going to have to watch it happen to my son." He looked to the other hunter for understanding. "Dean's already lost so much. He doesn't deserve this."
Bobby tried to reassure him, "John, you can't be sure anything's going to -"
"She's a slayer, Bobby. She's already survived longer than most; you know how this ends." John fell silent, letting his concern drain him.
"Even knowing how it ended, I wouldn't give up a minute of my time with Karen, not a minute. All you can do is be there for him when it happens." He put a hand on the other man's shoulder. "He'll survive, we did, and Dean's a helluva lot stronger than either of us."
No, he's not, John thought to himself. He's just a kid. A kid with a big heart who's lost too much.
~~2000~~
Buffy noticed Dean's change in behavior as soon as he got off the phone with his father. "What happened? Did someone get hurt?"
"No, just a change in plans. My dad and Sam got the job done without me and we're meeting up at Bobby's in South Dakota." Dean shifted in his seat so he could rest his arm on the seat back. This position allowed his fingers to gently caress the back of Buffy's neck.
Buffy smirked playfully. "So, you're jealous we didn't get to hunt the Winnebago?"
"Wendigo," Dean chuckled. "And yeah, I guess I'm a little jealous. If we had to go all the way to Wisconsin, I'd get to spend more time with you."
Buffy scooted closer to him to rest her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm totally loving this quality time together."
Dean moved to put his arm around her shoulder. "It's definitely something I could get used to."
~~2000~~
Dean parked the Impala next to his father's truck. He purposely left their bags in the trunk hoping he and Buffy would be staying in a motel instead of Bobby's house. The moment they entered the house, they were greeted with cozy warmth of a fire in the fireplace and a delicious aroma from the kitchen. "Hey! We're here!" Dean called.
Bobby and John entered from the kitchen. "You made good time," John said to his son before turning to Buffy. "Good to see you again, Buffy."
Buffy smiled. "You too, Mr. Winchester. Hi, Mr. Singer." She surprised everyone by giving Bobby a kiss on the cheek. Their shocked expressions made Buffy laugh. "Just following directions," she said with a hand on Bobby's 'Kiss the Cook' apron. "Something smells delicious."
Both John and Dean chuckled and Bobby ignored his near blush to mutter, "Not surprised Dean was able to get here in time for dinner. Dean, call your brother down and we'll get some more plates."
As John followed Bobby into the kitchen he said, "Maybe I should have warned you about how much the three of them can eat."
Buffy's eyes nearly popped out of her head when Sam bounded down the stairs. "Hey, guys, glad you finally made it."
"Sam! Your hair! It's so short!" Buffy gasped as a greeting.
Sam's smiled instantly faded. "Your comedian of a boyfriend put Nair in the shampoo."
Buffy spun to face a chuckling Dean. "You did what?"
"It was a joke, relax, it's growing back," Dean replied.
"You're an immature jerk," Buffy announced crossing her arms and moving in front of Sam. Sam grinned then stuck his tongue out at Dean.
Dean laughed, "Yeah, I'm the immature one."
~~2000~~
After dinner, Buffy sensed the Winchesters needed to talk, so she volunteered to help clean up. Dean reluctantly followed his dad to the other room. "Look, Dad, I know you weren't expecting her to come along, it just sort of happened. You know, she would have been helpful on the wendigo hunt."
John nodded, "I'm sure she would have been. But, now you've got to think of the return trip. When is that going to happen?"
Dean shrugged. He didn't want to take Buffy back to Sunnydale any time soon. "She still has school. She was only able to take a few days because Jonathon came back to town and told her he'd cover her slaying duties." He felt his father's eyes boring into him and shifted under the glare. "What do you want me to do, Dad?"
"You're a man, Dean. It's time for you to figure out what you're going to do for yourself. One thing's for sure, her slayer duties in Sunnydale can't be handled by Jonathon forever."
"I know."
"Good." John clapped a hand on Dean's shoulder as he ended the conversation. "I know you'll do the right thing."
Dean took minute to compose himself after his father left. 'The right thing'. What was that supposed to mean? All the self doubt Dean had overcome since the curse returned in full. Buffy's in college with guys who have brains and money, and they live right there in Sunnydale. He sighed as a wave of depression washed over him. A GED, fifty-four bucks, and I'm never there. She could never want me as much as I want her.
As he came to this realization, Sam entered the room.
"You and Buffy are back together, huh? That's cool."
Dean sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. "Yeah, for now, anyway."
Not liking the tone of Dean's reply, Sam narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? You broke the curse, right?" Dean nodded but didn't look at his brother. "So, what's the problem?" Dean shrugged, but Sam caught on. "Did Dad say something? Did he want you guys to stay broken up?"
Dean, finally, looked at Sam. "No, not exactly, he just wants me to do the right thing by her."
"The 'right thing'? What's the 'right thing'?"
"Sam, we are not going to talk about this." He shrugged to avoid saying more and looked away thinking, it's not like I have anything to offer her.
Sam was shocked. "So you're saying you got back together for nothing. You're just going to break up again?"
"You don't get it, Sam." Dean met Sam's eyes hoping to see understanding, but his brother only looked angry. "It'll be fine, Sam, she'll be fine."
"I'm not worried about her!"
Dean gave Sam a small, appreciative smile. "You don't have to worry about me, Sammy."
But, Sam saw through his brother's act and knew Dean would not be even remotely close to 'fine'. It made him angry and frustrated that Dean would rather follow their father's order than let himself be happy. "You're an idiot."
Dean sighed, "Yeah, I know. I shouldn't have brought her here. I wasn't thinking."
"You're not thinking now. You're just going to break up? For no reason?"
"Come on, Sammy. You of all people know I can be an asshole." Dean was done discussing his love life with his brother. Sam would have to understand someday.
"Oh, you're definitely an asshole," Sam agreed.
"Are you two fighting again?" Buffy asked from the doorway. "I was just coming to tell you that Bobby has the TV working so we can watch the movie now. But, if you guys are fighting, no movie for you."
Dean plastered on a smile. "We're not fighting, Buffy."
Sam shook his head. "No, we both agree that Dean's an asshole," he said with a bitter smirk as he rushed from the room.
Dean went after him, but was stopped by Buffy. "Oh let him go." She pulled him close. "I'll see that he gets lots of seeds with his popcorn," she whispered against his lips before kissing him.
~~2000~~
After "Hang 'em High" ended, they decided to call it a night. Bobby's only guest room was given to Buffy while the Winchesters made due with the couch, recliner and air mattress in the small living room.
The foreign noises made by Bobby's house kept Buffy awake. She wished she could cuddle up to Dean, but he was on the couch in John Winchester's attempt at protecting Buffy's virtue.
Outside, the wind picked up, rattling the windows of the aging house. Buffy shivered in the drafty room. "This is silly," she said to herself as she climbed out of bed. Taking her blanket, she quietly crept down the stairs.
The fire in the fireplace had been reduced to glowing embers, but it was enough light for Buffy to make her way across the room to where Dean slept on the couch. Carefully she draped the blanket over him and the couch and crawled underneath it.
Dean's eyelids fluttered open. "Hi," he whispered.
"Hi. I was cold."
He turned on his side to give her room and to wrap his arm around her. He pulled her to rest against his chest. "Better?"
"Mmm," Buffy replied snuggling into his embrace. She took his hand in hers and kissed it. "Love you."
Dean squeezed her and mumbled, "You, too," as he drifted back to sleep.
~~2000~~
The next morning, Buffy told the others about the Initiative and Adam. The hunters were completely engrossed by her story until she mentioned Professor Walsh's attempt on her life. As Buffy described being trapped in the sewer with two demons and a faulty weapon, Bobby watched rage begin to boil in Dean. When she related what she had overheard were the Initiative's plans for her, the muscle tick in Dean's jaw told Bobby that Dean was at the very edge.
"I would have thought the government capturing monsters would have been a good thing," Sam said when she was done.
"I know," Buffy agreed. "Especially because they were putting a chip in their brains that made them virtually harmless. Remember Spike?"
"Yeah," John answered.
"May as well be toothless. I can slap him around and he can't even hit back without doubling over in pain."
Dean looked stunned. "Why is he still walking around? Why didn't you stake the bastard?"
Buffy sighed. "Wanted to, but he says he knows where Adam is hiding and supposedly he knows a back door to the Initiative."
"But he's responsible for killing hundreds of people, Buf."
"I know. You don't have to remind -"
Before Buffy could finish, John interrupted, "Sam, get those maps from the truck's lock box." He looked at Buffy and continued, "The Initiative, it's located on campus, right?" Buffy nodded. "When we were living in Sunnydale, I noticed some interesting police reports and sightings that focused on the campus."
"What are you trying to say, Dad?"
John looked from Dean to Buffy. "I'm saying I think I know exactly where the Initiative is located and probably the location of a 'back door'." He studied Dean for a second, then asked, "If he cut his hair, could Dean pass for one of these Initiative guys?"
Buffy blinked in surprise. "Yes, easily. Get him the commando uniform and he'd look like one of Riley's men."
Dean's jaw clenched when he heard Riley's name and he ran a hand through his hair. "How short?"
Buffy grinned. "Not too short. They don't look like official military, just, you know, shorter." Her eyes danced over him imagining him in the Initiative uniform and she suddenly wished they weren't in Bobby Singer's kitchen with John Winchester. When he noticed her look, Dean broke from his ander gave her a teasing smirk.
Sam returned with the maps and handed them to his dad who unrolled them onto the kitchen table. Buffy's mouth fell open in awe as she realized the markings on the map of her campus did have a distinct pattern. "Lowell House," she said pointing to a location on the map with several green markers near it. "That's the front door."
John nodded. "Green for 'Army' men. Red for 'monsters'".
Buffy's eyes were quickly devouring the map. "There," she announced pointing at a cluster of green dots, then at another, "and there."
Dean and his father exchanged looks. "I think we found the back door."
Sam nearly bounced with excitement. "Does this mean we're heading to Sunnydale?"
"Pack our bags, Sam. You and your brother are going to play Army men for real. We'll leave first thing in the morning."
Out of nowhere Bobby Singer spoke up. "Good. That gives Dean time to split some firewood."
Dean was taken by surprise. "What? Split firewood?" He looked at his father to see if the man agreed.
John, however, was in full hunting mode. "Do what the man says, Dean." Then he turned to Buffy. "You and I will head to the Army surplus store to get the boys' uniforms."
~~2000~~
Bobby let Dean work for a half hour before he approached him, holding out a beer. "Feeling better?"
Dean raised a brow in confusion. "Feeling tired. But better?"
"You were so full of anger in there at her story I figured I should put it to good use before you took it out on one of us."
Dean took a long drink from the offered beer. "Bobby, when I think what could have happened."
"Could have but didn't. That's the part you gotta focus on."
"Bobby, she was nearly killed. And those Initiative douche bags, if they had touched her," Dean shook his head.
"She wasn't killed and they didn't touch her."
"I wasn't there. I wouldn't have even known something had happened to her." Dean slumped against the building and Bobby stood next to him.
"And she could have been hit by a bus crossing the street! What I'm trying to say Dean, is you being there may not have stopped any of that from happening. But, if it bothers you so much, make it a point to be there more often." Bobby paused to let Dean consider that idea. "You two are so head over heals for each other it's, well, truthfully, it's something I had to see to believe. But you can't let your anger over what 'could have happened' get in the way of living your life. Learn from it and move on."
They were quiet for a minute and Dean finished his beer while he thought. "What about Sam and Dad? It's not like I can just leave them, not with the way they butt heads."
Bobby sighed with relief. It seemed that Dean had calmed down and was actually thinking about his suggestion. "Dean, what can I say? Those two would fight over how wet water is. That's just who they are. They are going to get into it with each other whether you're there or not." Bobby took Dean's empty bottle and shoved off the building. "I'm not telling you to leave them high and dry. I'm saying make it a point to spend more time with your girl, either in Sunnydale or on the road. Life's short, Dean, don't waste it on 'could haves' and 'should haves'."
"Yes, sir," Dean said smiling a bit.
"Break's over. That wood ain't gonna chop itself."
"Yes, sir."
Shiloh County Hospital 2004
Alone for the evening, John looked through his journal. He didn't have much on reapers, but he hoped he could find something to help Dean. He flipped through pages until his eyes nearly lost focus. He finally found a page with notes about reapers. He wasn't ready to lose his son. He needed a chance to earn Dean's forgiveness.
John's reading was interrupted by the night nurse. After she took his vitals and made notes on his chart, she handed him medicine. "Take it or I will put it in the I.V.," she warned sternly, but with a smile. Once she left, John returned to his notes, but soon the medicine took effect and he drifted off.
~~2004~~
From the hallway someone called, "Can't you see me? Why won't you look at me?"
Dean looked towards his door. "Now what?"
He walked into the hall and saw a pretty girl with brown hair frantically calling, "Somebody talk to me! Say something, please!"
"Can you see me?" Dean asked.
The girl turned to him in relief. "Yeah."
"All right, just, uh, calm down. What's your name?" Dean asked hoping to quiet the girl's panic.
"Tessa."
"Okay, good, Tessa, I'm Dean."
She still looked worried. "What's going on? Am I dead?"
"Uh, no, not exactly."
Tessa took in her surroundings. "So this is just a dream, that's all. It's just a very weird, unbelievably vivid dream."
Dean shook his head. "Tessa. It's not a dream."
"What else could it be?"
"You ever heard of an out of body experience?"
Tessa's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? are you serious? "
"It's actually a very old idea. Got a lot of different names: Bi-location, crisis apparition, fetches... I think it's happening to us. And if it is, it means that we're spirits of people close to death."
"So we're going to die?" Tessa accepted more than asked.
"No," Dean quickly assured her. "Not if we hold on. Our bodies can get better, we can snap right back in there and wake up." Dean thought she didn't quite believe him. "Where's your room? Maybe if you get back to your body, it will help you wake up."
Tessa led Dean to her room where they found her body laying in the bed. She was hooked to machines similar to how Dean was. There was a woman sitting in a chair, fighting to stay awake. "My mom," Tessa said with a nod to the woman.
"See, a reason to live." Dean offered her a reassuring smile. "I'll leave you be. I'm going back to check on my dad. If you need me, I'll be trying to wake up. You should do the same. We can meet up in the real world."
~~2004~~
Dean found his father sleeping with his journal open on his lap. "Please tell me this means you're looking for something to help me," Dean said as he approached the bed to see what his father had been reading.
He found the journal open to a page about reapers. He squinted as he tried to read his dad's scratchings, but one entry caused his eyes to fly open. "Son of a bitch."
Marriott Residence Inn Sioux Falls 2004
As he pulled the trigger, it occurred to Sam that Buffy had not drifted through the door like a spirit, but had opened it with a key. That knowledge may have caused his aim to be slightly off. Most likely it was Buffy's slayer reflexes that caused the bullet to miss its target of her heart and hit her shoulder instead. Still, the impact forced her back into the wall and she slid to the floor.
"Buffy!" Dawn screeched, racing to her sister's side. "Oh my god, Sam. Help."
Buffy and Sam stared at each other for a long moment before Sam set the gun down and walked to the bathroom. "Sam!" Dawn yelled frantically.
Sam returned with several towels and a first aid kit. Without saying a word, he helped Buffy off the floor and led her to a chair.
Dawn pressed the towels to Buffy's wounds. "We have to get her to the hospital."
"No, Dawn. I'll be okay," Buffy gritted out. "Sam can stitch me up."
"Sam!" Dawn asked, barely keeping the panic from her voice.
Sam helped Buffy remove her jacket. "Dawn, get some alcohol to clean the wound." He dragged the other chair over and sat next to Buffy, but Dawn seemed frozen to the spot. "Dawn! Alcohol, now, and more towels." Sam tried to keep his voice calm, but he was so angry he heard it tremble. As Dawn finally rushed to get the requested supplies, Sam said, "I'm going to have to tear your shirt." He took hold of the shoulder seam and ripped.
Though she seemed slightly more vulnerable exposed as she was, Sam thought she looked cold and bitter. Buffy could see he was barely able to control his questions and his anger, so she remained silent.
When Dawn handed him the alcohol, he poured it over the wound without warning, making Buffy hiss and flinch, but still, she didn't say anything.
"It's a clean shot, straight through. It'll heal quickly." Sam took out the suture kit and began to stitch the entry wound. Dawn winced at every tug of the needle but Buffy just gripped the arm of the chair and clenched her jaw. Sam noticed, but couldn't bring himself to care. If Buffy hurt, it was nothing compared to what she put Dean through and Sam had to focus all his efforts on containing his rage. When he finished with the exit wound, he silently cleaned up the supplies and left to wash his hands while Dawn applied the bandages.
He returned when he thought he had his emotions in check. He looked from Dawn to Buffy and didn't know where to begin. Dawn kept her eyes on Buffy, but the slayer met Sam's eyes. "All right, what the hell?" he began, quickly losing the tight control over his emotions. "I'm serious. What the hell? Do you even know what you did to my brother?"
Buffy took a deep breath. "Sam -"
"How are you even alive? How long have you been alive?" Buffy was about to answer when Sam held up his hand to stop her. "You better have a damn good reason for not telling Dean or I swear my next shot won't miss."
"Sam!" Dawn gasped.
Seething, he turned to Dawn. "What! You know what Dean went through. Buffy's death nearly killed him, too. What were you thinking? Why didn't either of you think to tell us about your 'miraculous' return?"
"I wanted to," Dawn said meekly.
"I had Willow do a spell so that no one could tell Dean I was alive until I wanted him to know."
"And then there was your father," Dawn muttered under her breath.
"My dad? What's he got to do with this?"
"When he found out, he threatened to, um," Buffy sighed. "Let's just say he made it clear I should stay away from Dean."
"He knew?"
"Yeah. Not right away," Buffy explained. "Do you remember when he came back to Sunnydale because of someone using black magic? It was the spring after I died."
"No," Sam said quietly. "I was at Stanford at the time."
For a moment, Buffy's expression brightened with that reminder. "I forgot you went there." A wave of remorse washed over her. If Sam was in school, it meant Dean had been all alone. Sam's demanding expression forced her to continue. "Well, Willow began using powerful dark majics after Tara was killed. Your dad rode into Sunnydale, intending to put a stop to it and found me. He wasn't too happy."
"I don't believe it." Sam shook his head in disbelief and collapsed onto the bed. It was like his father to keep a secret like this, but that didn't make it right. "I mean, I do, but, I didn't think he'd do something like that to Dean."
"He thought it would hurt Dean more to know I was back because of black magic."
"Is that your reason, too. You thought it would hurt Dean?"
"No. I don't have a good reason, Sam. I just felt wrong." Buffy's voice was unassertive and Sam knew there had to be more.
"Oh, come on, Buffy. You've got to do better than that."
Exhausted from the anger she'd been holding for so long, Buffy stood and looked him straight in the eye. "I hated him," she began more calmly than she thought possible. "I hated him for not being there when I got back. For not staying with Dawn like he promised he would. I hated him for letting them drag me from heaven. I hated him for not bringing me back himself. I hated him for getting over me, for forgetting me and for moving on!" Her voice had risen and her breath was shaky. "Dean promised he'd," she took a stuttering breath, "We were supposed to be..." Again, she stopped herself; for some reason she was panting. There was not enough air in the room and her tears blurred her vision.
Sam blinked in shock. "Heaven?" He looked at Dawn who nodded. "I thought you went to hell. Everyone thought you went to hell."
Buffy's eyes fell on the box of pictures and letters Dawn rescued from the Impala's trunk and she stared. That was hers; it belonged to her. It had been under her bed in Sunnydale. She moved away from Sam to shift through the items in the box. Suddenly she was sobbing. For a moment she thought that if the box had still been in her room, maybe she would have called Dean when she was brought back.
The next thing she knew she was wrapped in plaid flannel.
"Shh, Buffy, it's going to be okay. You and Dean always work stuff out," Sam cooed as he let her cry into chest.
Not willing to take his comfort, Buffy pushed Sam away. "Don't, Sam. Don't forgive me. I don't deserve it." She calmed her breathing and wiped her eyes. "I made Willow do spell to stop anyone from telling Dean I was alive or you know Dawn would have called right away. Or Xander would have. I just couldn't face him. After a while I didn't want to, I knew I wasn't the same as I used to be. I knew we were never going to be what we were. Dean was better off without me."
"You should have let him make that decision. Buffy, you were everything to him. He loved you so much."
Buffy smirked. "Past tense. He wouldn't love what I became." Seeing Dawn about to argue, Buffy shook her head. Taking the box, she left them, shutting the door to the adjoining room behind her.
Shiloh County Hospital 2004
Dean raced back to Tessa's room. He found the room had changed and she was dressed differently. "Hi, Dean," she said quietly from her seat on the bed
"You know, you read the most interesting things. For example, did you know that Tessa means 'harvester'? It's another name for reaper."
Tessa gave him a condescending smile. "I was wondering when you would figure it out."
"I gotta say, you're much prettier than the last reaper I met, but what's with the dying patient illusion?"
Tessa shrugged. "You didn't give me much choice. You saw my true form and you flipped out. Kinda hurts a girl's feelings. This was the only way I could get you to talk to me."
Dean took a breath to brace himself. "Okay, fine. We're talking. What the hell do you want to talk about?"
Tessa drew closer to him. "How death is nothing to fear. It's nearly your time to go, Dean. And you're living on borrowed time already."
Despite her gentle reassuring voice, Dean backed away. "Look, I'm sure you've heard this before, but... you've gotta make an exception, you've gotta cut me a break. I'm serious. My family's in danger. See, we're kind of in the middle of this, um, war, and they need me."
"The fight's over for you. Dean. You're not the first soldier I've plucked from the field. They all feel the same. They can't leave. Victory hangs in the balance. But they're wrong. The battle goes on without them."
Dean shook his head, "My brother. He could die without me."
"Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Nothing you can do about it. It's an honorable death. A warrior's death."
"I think I'll pass on the seventy two virgins, thanks. I'm not that into prude chicks anyway."
"That's funny. You're very cute."
"There's no such thing as an honorable death. My corpse is going to rot in the ground and my family is going to die! No. I'm not going with you, I don't care what you do."
"Well, like you said. There's always a choice. I can't make you come with me. But you're not getting back in your body. And that's just facts. So yes, you can stay. You'll stay here for years. Disembodied, scared, and over the decades it'll probably drive you mad. Maybe you'll even get violent."
Shocked at her suggestion, Dean asked, "What are you saying?"
Tessa looked at him. She knew how he must feel, but she had a job. "Dean, how do you think angry spirits are born? They can't let go and they can't move on. And you're about to become one. The same thing you hunt."
Dean nodded as he thought about her words. "You said 'nearly time'. How much time do I have?"
"Less than twenty-four hours."
Much of the dialogue between Dean and Tessa is taken directly from the SPN episode IMToD
Chapter 7