After leaving Meg to babysit Castiel in the hospital's psych ward, the Winchesters took a couple of days to process everything that had happened. Sam especially had it hard. Getting his mind back in order after having Lucifer as a bunking buddy for that long left an impression on him. Allegra's presence was the only thing that helped him through it.
Dean noticed how she was with his little brother. Protective, caring, concerned... everything she'd been with him once. He knew she didn't want to stick around him, but she did - for Sam.
Turning Bobby's flask in his hands, Dean kept an eye out on the horizon. He could almost hear Bobby's voice behind him. Calling him an idiot. Telling him to get his act together and just fess up to Allegra once and for all. But Bobby was gone. Passed on to the good side. Probably drinking a beer with Ellen and Jo up in Heaven's version of the Roadhouse. Another Hunter surrendered to the flames. Another father they lost.
Though in some things, tiny things really, Bobby Singer had been more of a father to the boys than John Winchester ever had. He'd played catch with them. He'd taught them how to drink whiskey when their dad had been away. Heck, Bobby had even bothered to give them 'the talk,' for crying out loud. No matter what he was dealing with himself, Bobby had always been there when they needed him.
After a couple of strange occurrences, the boys believed that Bobby was possibly still out there. They'd tried several ways to connect with him, but it was a bust. Sam called out to Bobby on a Ouija board and got jack-squat. EMF was spinning out of control one moment and then nothing the next. The only thing they hadn't tried yet was asking Allegra to reach out to Bobby's soul, but they had no idea how she would react to them asking. Without any tangible proof, the general consensus at the moment was that Bobby was dead and gone. Which just made Dean feel more miserable than he already was.
"I wish you were here, Bobby." He sighed gloomily. "I'm at a loss. I know what you meant with what you wrote on my hand, but... I can't. I've hurt Allegra too badly. She doesn't want anything to do with me, and I can't hold that against her. She's better off with Sam. He'll treat her right. I know he will. Hell of a lot better than me anyway."
There was a thud inside the Impala. Dean leaped off the top and walked to the passenger side. He raised a brow when he saw the glove compartment open. The jewelry box had fallen out onto the seat and seemed to be staring at Dean. How the hell had that happened?
He reached in to pick up the box. It felt heavy, like a ton of bricks weighing it down in his hand. A chill went up Dean's spine, making his whole body shiver. So freakin' weird... Just when he was about to put it back in the glove compartment, he heard Allegra's voice behind him.
"Dinner's ready."
Dean spun around. He dropped the jewelry box back onto the seat and stood in front of the window so Allegra couldn't see it.
"I'll be right there," he said.
Allegra pursed her lips. Dean tilted his head to her. Her lingering expression told him she clearly wanted to say something.
"You okay?" he asked, hoping she had come to talk to him.
She looked back to the cabin. The front door was closed, and Dean saw his brother through the kitchen window, putting everything on the table.
"Sam's doing better," she said. "Much better, really. He euhm... He won't be needing me anymore, so I'll be leaving soon. Tomorrow maybe."
"What? No! Alley, you can't leave!"
Allegra's mouth twitched at his nickname for her. Dean held out his hand in apology.
"Sorry, I... You can't leave. Look, we need to stick together. Dick Roman is still out there. He and his possé of ooze-balls are out to have our heads. We're stronger if we stay together."
"Dean, I can't stay. Trust me, it's better if I leave."
"No, it's not. Allegra, please, don't..."
"I kissed Sam!"
The words resonated through Dean, banging inside his mind. Inside his heart even. He stared at Allegra. She hung her head, running one hand through her red hair before dropping it back against her body.
"I've... I've been hearing Sam's thoughts." Her voice broke as she spoke. "I heard him the first time when I was in Heaven, and on and off since then. You were right, Dean. Sam's... He's..."
"In love with you," finished Dean. "And you? Are you in love with him?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "He's different than before. I've grown to like him. But he's... It's not like... with you."
He gasped inaudibly at those words. His heart was beating in his throat.
"Staying with you, with Sam... It's tearing me apart, Dean. I need to figure things out and be alone for a while. Really alone. No angels, no Crowley, no other freaks and creeps. Maybe then I can find the answers I've been looking for."
Dean reached for Allegra's hand. She didn't pull away from him, but her eyes were begging him not to touch her. So he didn't. His fingers brushed her sleeve, but he didn't take hold of her.
"You euhm... You got a place to go to?" he asked her, barely able to disguise the croak in his voice.
"I'll find something. Lonely mountain maybe..."
"What about home?"
Dean hadn't forgotten about his promise to the future Allegra. Maybe this way, he could at least make sure she got to where she needed to go.
"I mean your old home. Where you grew up as a kid. Maybe... I-I don't know. Maybe it'll help. Being in a familiar place might give you some peace of mind. And there's gotta be a protection on the place, right? Gabriel kept you unharmed for 13 years; it could still be up and running."
A dark streak crossed Allegra's face. Her eyes were darker even, almost black. Dean took a step back from her. Mentioning Gabriel probably hadn't been the best idea.
"I'm only gonna say this once, so you better pay attention, Winchester." Allegra's cold voice made Dean's neck hair stand straight. "I am never going back to that place. I don't know where you get the nerve to even speak to me about it, but you better not do it again, got it?"
Dean nodded his head vehemently. Allegra's future self had warned him she wasn't gonna go easily, but damn...
"Guys! Come on, food's getting cold!"
Sam called from the kitchen window. Allegra shot Dean one last glare before turning on her heels and walking back to the cabin. Dean exhaled when she'd walked far enough. Knocking her out and taking her to Linwood hogtied in the back of the car was the last thing he wanted to do, but he had promised Allegra's future self he would get her home. He'd promised he would save her. And their son.
***
"You sure you wanna leave? You don't have to."
"I know, Sam. But it's better if I do."
"Hmm, if you say so..."
"Hey, you know I'm just a call away if you need me."
"Phone or mind?"
"Take your pick, smartass."
They smiled at each other. It was extraordinary how much Sam had changed since first meeting him 4 years ago. Allegra had known him as a demon-blood addict, a soulless bastard, a possessed and broken man. But if she forgot all that, he was really just a sweet straight-up guy. Not like Dean.
No, not like Dean at all.
Despite having had the room to themselves a couple of times when Dean was out, Sam hadn't tried anything. He wasn't treating her differently or 'claiming' her as his girlfriend. There hadn't even been any more kisses. Allegra knew he wanted to; his thoughts (which he still couldn't control and reminded her of how Dean's had been at first) were plenty clear about that. Yet she also gathered Sam wanted to give her some space. And time. Time to process and get over his brother. And Allegra had grown even more fond of him for that.
Her arms wrapped around him. She felt Sam stiffen a little at her sudden affection, but he returned the embrace after a few seconds. Allegra's head rested against his chest. Sam's breathing was calm, and his heartbeat was steady. No stress, no Lucifer threatening to take over. He was perfectly fine. At last.
Sam gently stroked her hair. He pressed a kiss on top of her head. Allegra tightened her grip on him. She couldn't understand why she felt so attracted to him all of a sudden. She never had before. She'd firmly believed no one would ever mean more to her than Dean. Maybe...
"Sam..."
Allegra met his wondering gaze as she raised her head to him.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"For what?" Sam furrowed his brow.
"Understanding. And being you."
She suddenly became very aware of Sam as he smiled down on her. His eyes, which strangely always seemed to be changing color from hazel to green and sometimes even blue, were looking deep into Allegra's own eyes. She felt every muscle on his upper body. Sam wasn't as muscular as Dean, but he still felt pretty damn impressive.
"You have no idea how much I wanna kiss you right now," he spoke softly, leaning in a few inches.
"I do, actually," said Allegra, breathing in his scent. "And... I'm not stopping you."
Sam lowered his head a little more when she reached up to meet him. Their lips touched very briefly, very gingerly. But enough for them both to want more. Allegra gripped Sam's shirt as their mouths met again. The taste of him filled her with excitement. But... she didn't feel it. That immediate click she had when Dean first kissed her.
Allegra had hoped it had been Lucifer's influence on Sam that kept them from feeling it in the hospital. Now that Lucifer was gone, she had no more excuses. It just wasn't the same.
Sam wasn't Dean.
***
Allegra slowly closed the door on her way out of the cabin. It was still early, the sun had barely come up yet, but it was better this way. She'd already said goodbye to Sam yesterday, and Dean... Well, she didn't want him to have the chance to stop her. She swung her backpack over her shoulder and started to make her way to the woods.
When she passed the Impala, something caught her eye in the grass. Allegra walked over to take a closer look. Her breath caught when she saw Bobby's flask lying next to the front wheel on the passenger side. She shook her head with a sigh, realizing Dean probably dropped it yesterday when they were talking. She picked the flask up, stroking it with her thumb.
"I miss you, Bobby."
"Yeah, I miss you too, kid."
Allegra froze. She slowly turned around. Bobby Singer stood right in front of her, as clear as day, his cap on, arms crossed, and with a morose look on his face. When he noticed her staring, he dropped his arms.
"Allegra? Kid, can you see me?"
But Allegra was too flabbergasted to formulate a proper response. She reached out, her hand trembling in anticipation. When her fingers touched Bobby's chest, they both recoiled with a silent gasp. Then Allegra jumped toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck to take him into a big hug.
"You're here! You're really here!" she sobbed.
"I never left."
"Wha- How?!" Allegra looked him over, trying to wrap her head over this discovery. "You're... aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am, kid."
"Then how the hell are you still here? Why aren't you in Heaven?"
Bobby shrugged at her.
"Couldn't leave you idiots dealing with this crap on your own, now could I?"
"You ditched your reaper." Allegra clicked her tongue when she put the pieces together. "Bobby..."
"Don't give me that look, girl." Bobby met her reprimanding eyes. "Like I said, you can't handle this crap on your own. Well, maybe you just might, but those boys are way in over their heads. I'm helping out as best I can."
"Do they know?"
"No. I've been trying to get their attention for a while, but they can't see or hear me. Yet."
Allegra eyed the flask that was still in her hand.
"You're tethered to your flask, aren't you?" she concluded aloud. "That's why their EMF readings have been so wonky lately. Dean keeps that thing with him almost all the time. I need to tell them."
"No, no, don't do that." Bobby gave a slight push against her shoulders, surprising himself that he was actually able to stop her from walking away. "Not yet. I wanna talk to you first. You gotta smooth things over with Dean."
"What? No, Bobby, I..."
"Shut up and listen. I know what happened with that Amazon, okay? I was the one dropping the clue that they were up against those bitches in the first place. You don't wanna forgive him for what he's done; I don't blame ya. Were it any other girl he cheated on, I'd have even helped her pack. I can't begin to tell you how damn disappointed I am in that boy. But despite what happened, you two belong together. You are never gonna love anyone else but Dean. Look me in the eye and tell me that everything you felt for him is just gone. Tell me you don't love him anymore, and I'll drop this right now."
Allegra pinched her lips and dropped her head as she faced what she could no longer deny. To tell Bobby she didn't love Dean anymore, that she didn't dream of him or long for him anymore... it would've been a stone-cold lie.
"Listen, kid, I know you wanna try and see how things go with Sam. And some part of me wished for you to be happy with him. Lord knows he's better boyfriend material than his brother. But you're not in love with Sam. You said so yourself yesterday, and, despite being dead, my eyes and ears ain't lying. It ain't the same with Sam like it was with Dean, and if you're not careful, you'll only end up hurting both of ya."
"I can't, Bobby." A tear rolled down Allegra's cheek. "Dean asked me to trust him, and I did. I loved him with everything I had and more, and he... It wasn't enough for him."
"I know, kid." Bobby rubbed the tear away. "And I know it's not fair to ask you to take a dead man's word on it. But believe me when I say Dean is your future. Just hear him out. He may yet surprise you."
Allegra took a deep breath. She wanted to believe him. He'd always given her good advice in the past. He'd been more of a father to her than Gabriël ever was, and they'd only known each other a couple of years. But...
"I'm sorry. But I can't afford to give my heart to anyone anymore. It's been broken too many times. I've lost too many people I cared about, and that includes you too. I just... I can't."