It had been six months since the Winchester brothers left Mystic Falls. A lot had changed but seemingly all for the better.

"Hey you ready?" Damon said to Bonnie when he pulled up in front of her house.

"Yeah," she said gathering her bags and laptop and heading toward the car. "Where are we going anyway?" she asked meeting Damon at the trunk.

"Some place special. Stefan and Elena are already there," he said. "Laptop in or out?" he asked holding it out to her.

"Out," she answered grabbing it. Bonnie had been in constant contact with Sam since he and Dean left. That was one of the hardest nights of her life.

"Let's do it." Dean said as he swallowed the stone and bit down on Damon's wrist. Everyone waited in the thick silence as Dean continued to drink. He finally moved away and wiped the blood from his chin before speaking. "What's supposed to happen?" Before anyone got a word out he fell to the floor in convulsions.

"What's happening to him?" Bonnie shouted at Georgia.

"Did you think it wouldn't be painful? His blood's being attacked?" she answered.

"What do we do?" Sam shouted.

"Put this between his teeth." Ric said handing Sam his belt. They all watched helplessly as Dean's body shook and flailed. For hours his body twitched on the hardwood floor.

"The sun's coming up," Georgia said. "Put him in the sunlight."

"Why? I don't think we should move him," Sam said cutting his eyes at her.

"Just do it," she said. Sam, Ric, Stefan and Damon moved him in front of the window as the sun broke. It shone through and the warm glow covered Dean. When he just lay there, the entire room let out a collective sigh. He was cured. He was normal. He was Dean.

"Hey man, you alright?" Sam asked rushing to his brother's side.

"I'm freaking delightful," Dean whispered his voice hoarse. "Help me up." Sam helped Dean off the floor. "How long was I out?"

"About 10 hours," Sam answered.

"Damn. Did it work?" Dean asked.

"You're standing in the su,." Bonnie said pointing out the window behind him.

"Hmph," he said.

"Thank you guys. You didn't have to do everything you did for me and my brother," Sam said shaking Stefan's hand.

"It's really Bonnie you should be thanking. She's got rescuing troublesome brothers down to a scienc,." Stefan said with a laugh.

"You're right," Sam said walking over to her. "Thank you," he said leaning down to hug her. "Not just for saving Dean, but for really saving Dean. He needed it," he whispered. He felt her tears on his shirt as he hugged her tightly. When he released her he saw Dean making rounds to everyone else. He was now standing in front of Damon with his hand out stretched.

"I know we don't like each other but I want to make one thing crystal clear," Dean said as Damon took his hand.

"What's that?"

"Take care of Bonnie. Don't let anything happen to her. If I find out that you hurt her or that she got hurt, I'm coming back here and I'm gon' be chopping some heads off some vamps," Dean said as nicely as he could.

"It's cute how after all this time you still think I should be afraid of you," Damon said raising his eyebrows high on his forehead. "I can promise you that Bonnie will never be hurt by me. Not again."

"As long as we understand each other," Dean said releasing his hand. He moved along the group until he was finally standing in front of Bonnie. He reached out and wiped the tears from her eyes. When the pads of his thumbs touched her cheek, she began sobbing and embraced him tightly.

"I love you Dean," she whispered into his chest. He kissed the top of her head. Everyone, Stefan and Damon carried the still tied up Georgia out of the room, left Dean and Bonnie alone.

"I love you too Bonnie," he said holding her tightly. "Listen," he said holding her at arm's length. "It'll all be fine. I will never forget my time here with you."

"You damn right you won't" Bonnie teased through her tears.

"Friendship is always in the cards for us," Dean said.

"Of course it is," she said smiling. Dean kissed her for the last and final time before leaving her in the study alone.

"Let's go Sammy." were the last words she heard him speak before she heard the front door of the boarding house slam behind them.

It'd been six months since Dean's vampire adventure in Mystic Falls. Being back on the road was an amazing feeling. Although Dean would never openly admit it to Sam, he missed Bonnie. He shared so much of himself with that girl and he had only made a connection like that with one other person.

After being on the road for about three months, traipsing across the country, hunting evil sons of bitches Sam and Dean ran into a fellow hunter and a familiar face.

"Cassie!" Dean said shocked with his sawed off pointed at her.

"Fuck Dean!" Cassie yelled her handgun pointed at him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked lowering his gun.

"Working," she answered lowering her gun as well.

"What?" he asked confused. The last time he spoke with her she was working at a newspaper.

"I'm working a job," she said settling her gun back in the holster under her leather jacket. She looked good. Her dark brown hair was straight now but pulled up in a ponytail and she was dressed a lot like Dean. Skinny jeans, ladies Carthartt boots and a dark gray Henley, topped off with a leather jacket. "Are you and Sam trying to steal my case?"

"What are you talking about?" Dean asked. "You're a hunter?"

"Wow, you're new," she teased. "Yeah, I'm a hunter. For the past five years now. And I'm currently Special Agent La Belle with the FBI."

"I can't believe this," Dean said. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I didn't need you," she said. She could tell those words stung him so she tried to be more clear. "I just mean; I didn't run into anything I couldn't handle; and I figured if you could do it, I definitely could do it." Dean laughed.

"Let's get out of here," Dean said.

"But what about the case?"

"I don't think this thing is going anywhere. Come on. Sammy's outside," Dean said. The pair drew their guns again and exited the building.

"Cassie?" Sam inquired when she appeared outside of the building.

"Hey Sam," she said holstering her gun as he picked her up off the ground into a hug.

"What are you doing here?" he asked setting her down.

"She's working a case," Dean said opening the trunk.

"Wait, you're hunting?" Sam asked.

"Yep. For about five years now," she answered smiling.

"Really?" Sam asked amused.

"Yeah," she said. "I've got the knife cuts and the off angled fingers to prove it," she said lifting her shirt to show scars on her sides and then raising her hands to show him her fingers.

"Wow. That's kinda bad ass," Sam said giving her a high five.

"Where's your car?" Dean asked.

"It's a rental," she said pointing to the parked car hidden behind some bushes.

"Leave it," Dean said getting in the Impala. "Let's go."

"I don't want to leave it. Why can't I just turn it in the morning?" she argued.

"Cassie, get in the fucking car," Dean said angrily.

"Fine," she said annoyed. She got in the backseat and slammed the door. She had been traveling and hunting with the Winchesters ever since.

Now at the six-month mark, Dean had to admit to himself that he had missed her. She really was like a missing puzzle piece in his life. When he made his move, he was surprised that she returned his feelings. Being able to call Cassie his again made Dean feel like a new man.

"Hello?" Damon answered his phone groggily.

"Hey it's Ric. I know you guys are on vacation but you need to come home," Ric said.

"What? Why?" Damon said blinking awake.

"Sheriff Forbes is having a... a pretty bad week," Ric said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Caroline came over this morning panicked," Ric explained. "She said her mom cornered her and was asking her about the Winchesters, and when she told her she didn't know who she was talking about, well..."

"Well what?" Damon asked, now sitting up in the bed.

"She said her mom's eyes turned black and she said, 'You shouldn't lie to mommy.'," Ric informed him.

"What the fuck?" Damon said. "Alright, we'll be back tonight. Keep Caroline with you."

"You got it," Ric said before hanging up.

"Damnit," Damon said sighing deeply.

"Hey. Morning," Bonnie said stirring awake. She could tell that Damon was tense. "You ok?" she asked as she sat up behind him and kissed his shoulder.

"We've gotta go home," Damon said turning to look at her.

"Why?" she asked.

"Get dressed. I'll pack up and I'll meet you outside," Damon said moving like lightening around the room.

"Uh ok," Bonnie said heading toward the bathroom.

XxX

"What's going on?" Bonnie heard Elena say as she walked toward her and two Salvatore brothers.

"I'd like to know that too," Bonnie said standing beside her best friend.

"Ric called me this morning," Damon told them. "He said that Liz is in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Stefan asked concerned.

"He said that she cornered Caroline asking her about the Winchesters and when Caroline said she didn't know who she was talking about her eyes turned black and she told her 'you shouldn't lie to mommy'," he told explained.

"Black eyes," Stefan said. "What happened to her?"

"I have no idea, but I told Ric we would come home and check it out," Damon said.

"Are you sure he said her eyes turned black?" Elena asked the worry showing in her voice.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure," Damon answered.

"No, Damon. You have to be absolutely positive," Bonnie said urgently. "Did he say her eyes turned black?"

"Yes Bonnie. That's what he said," Damon said. Bonnie and Elena shared an apprehensive look.

"I'll be right back," Bonnie said taking a few steps away from the other three. She pulled out her cell phone out, dialed a number and waited.

"Hello?" the voice said.

"Hey Sam. It's Bonnie. I need your help."