A/N: Hello there! It's been a while since I've written any fanfiction. I have recently rekindled my love for Supernatural and I have in mind a story with this OC, but I'm not sure if I'll ever publish it. This one-shot is just something that developed as I was writing a chapter for my SPN story. All you have to know about this OC is that her name is Jacqueline Higgins and she's around 18 years old (my OC doesn't actually die in the real story, so this one-shot is actually AU in relation to that).

If you'd like to make this reading experience a lot more emotional for yourself, I recommend listening to some sad music. In my case, I listened to "Von" by Yoko Kanno and "The Seal Lullaby for Band" by Eric Whiteacre.

Anyway! I hope you enjoy and maybe shed a few tears. And if you'd like, leave a review to let me know what you thought of this.

Happy reading!

"Dean!"

"Jacqueline!"

He tried to crawl as fast as he could. Tried to push himself up off the floor. He could barely feel the searing pain in his leg. All he could feel was panic and fear as he heard her terrified, anguished screams. He could see her being dragged away. He had to get to his gun.

Her nails clawed at the floor to slow the creature down but to no avail. It's jaw clamped down tighter on her leg and she howled in pain. Her vision was blurring, from the tears or the pain, she couldn't tell. All she could see was the blurry outline of Dean's figure, struggling to get up off the floor. Another tug on her leg caused her shout. Keeping one hand firmly braced on the floor, she swung her fist backward. She felt her knuckles collide against a solid form and heard the creature grunt in response. Her attack had only caused the thing to tighten it's hold on her until she heard a deafening crack come from its jaw. Jacqueline let out a chilling scream.

"Get away from her, you son of a bitch!"

The bang of a gunshot rang out. She could feel the bullet whiz past her head and heard it make contact with its target. The monster gave out a loud yelp before releasing its hold on her leg. Not wasting any time, Dean quickly grabbed the girl's collar and dragged her back into the room they had just been in.

"It's l-leaving." Dean turned at Jacqueline's words. "What?"

The girl's eyes stared at the creature only she could see. It had done it's job and now it was going back to its master.

Several tears fell from her eyes, "It did i-its job." She coughed seconds later, blood rising from her throat.

Dean threw down his pistol and fell to his knees next to the young brunette, "Hey, hey, come on. You're okay, kiddo. I gotcha...I gotcha."

He gently looped his arm under her neck to lift her onto his lap. His heart dropped down to his stomach as he took in her injuries. The whole front of her shirt was almost black with the amount of blood that had soaked through her shirt. Her arms were riddled with cuts and bruises, and her leg -he had to stop himself from gagging at the sight- was bent at an odd angle. His eyes focused back onto her face. Her skin was becoming paler by the second, her body trembling from shock.

Still Dean tried to pretend that she would be alright, "You'll be okay, kiddo. We just gotta call the ambulance. They'll patch you up nice and good, okay?"

Another cough racked through her body, blood leaking through her mouth. She knew what Dean was trying to do. She knew that it was futile. More tears flowed down her cheeks. She tried to squint to see his face better, but without her glasses...

"Dean, can-," she coughed, "...can you get my glasses. I...can't r-really see you." She tried so hard not to let her voice break.

Dean nodded, looking up and around for her fallen glasses. They weren't too far away and he grabbed them quickly and looked down at Jacqueline again. He gently slid them onto her face. She blinked, trying to clear the tears that were blurring her vision. She looked up at Dean.

Dean gave her a watery smile, doing everything in his power to not show how badly his heart was breaking right now. He knew there was no way for her to get help on time. He was fooling himself. He was a stupid to think that they could've stopped the hell-hounds from taking their target. He had learned that the hard way.

But Dean was stubborn. It was the Winchester in him. He had thought that surely, surely they'd be more prepared this time. But he knew. Deep down, Dean knew.

He knew that this was the last time he'd ever lay eyes on Jacqueline Higgins, the young girl who had captured the hearts of the Winchester brothers. This young girl, despite not being blood, was as much his sister as Sam was his brother. This brave girl continued to fight against monsters and demons even after her parents were killed. This beautiful, intelligent girl that became his other reason for fighting against all things evil.

He would never again feel the hugs that she gave he and Sam as they'd walk through the doors of the safe house. Never again would he hear her excited chatter as she and Sam went back and forth, bouncing off research info that they had dug up. Never again would he see that adorable motion, wherein she'd comb the hair out of her face, causing her large oval glasses to slide down her nose, which she promptly and subconsciously push back up with her middle finger.

Never again.

Dean blinked, trying to rid the stinging in his eyes as he looked down at Jacqueline's face. Her breath was labored, her eyes clenched in pain. He had to see those eyes one last time. Slowly, he brought his hand up and laid it gently on her cheek.

The warmth of his hand caused her to lean into it, her eyes fluttering open. She looked up at him through those giant glasses. He had always loved how the lenses seemed to magnify her light brown eyes, making her seem adorably bug-eyed.

Jacqueline smiled up at him. She shakily brought her hand up to the one that was on her cheek. She held onto it and ran her thumb across the back of his hand.

This was her only chance to say everything she needed to say. Taking in a shaking, pained breath, she started, "You better make s-sure to do the laundry every week."

A strained laugh rang throughout Dean's body, tears threatening to spill from his eyes, but he still nodded. She continued on, "You gotta start eating healthy t-too. Go easy on the cheeseburgers, okay?"

Dean bit his lip as he lifted his gaze up to the ceiling to try and hold it together before looking back down at her and nodding rapidly, a guttural "Mhm" making its way past his throat.

She stared at him for few seconds before lifting her hand up and gingerly patting his cheek. He lifted his own hand to meet hers and held it against him. Another cough escaped her lips, followed by another, and another.

She wet her lips and swallowed to clear her throat. She felt so weak. The arm she had outstretched to Dean was only held up by his own hand. Little by little, she was beginning to fade. She could no longer feel anything bellow her hips and the feeling was slowly creeping up through the rest of her body.

"I'm sorry," came Dean's gravelly voice. She stared up at his beautiful green eyes as he continued, "I'm so sorry, Jacks."

She shook her head slowly, "This isn't your fault Dean. Its never...never been your fault. I don't regret saving your l-life. I would do it all over again if I could."

She smiled up at him again, "You and Sam gave me something I thought I'd never have again."

He frowned and looked at her, disbelieving, "What in the hell could our screwed up lives ever give you?"

A strangled laugh left her lips, tears streaming down her eyes, "A family."

Dean felt his heart soar at her admission. The three of them had never voiced their connection as family, they had never needed to. And to hear it now, it had Dean wanting to grin from ear to ear but also left him cold knowing that he was about to lose this, lose her.

"You and Sam...regardless of blood, you guys are my f-family. You two are my..." Another tear fell from her eyes as she desperately tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "My brothers."

The swell of warmth and affection shot up in Dean's chest as he slowly hiked up her body so that her top half was cradled in his arms. A dull throb of pain rushed across her body at the movement but her only response to it was a small grimace. Instead she focused on Dean's strong arms around her and the heat from his body that warmed her cold form.

Her eyes fluttered closed, no longer able to hold them open. She could feel her grip on consciousness fading. This was it.

"...you, Dean," she mumbled quietly.

Dean looked down at her, "What?"

Her eyes remained closed but she sent him one last smile and took in a shuddering breath.

"Love you," she said, almost like she was sighing. And just like that, her smile inched away and her chest failed to rise again.

Dean felt like the world was ripped from under him. He held his breath, silently praying that it was just a trick of the light, that her time wasn't up yet. Once it was clear that she was gone for good a choked sob tore from his lips as he tightened his grip around her body. His face pressed into her hair and his shoulders began shaking uncontrollably as warm tears trailed down his cheeks onto her small shoulders.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair for someone like her to die this way. She was too young, too sweet, too good for this kind of ending. She was supposed to grow up, get a job, get together with that guy she had a crush on, get married, have a few kids, retire and grow old with her husband. She was supposed to have the apple pie life, instead here she was, in his arms, broken and mangled; dead at the hands of a hell-hound.

Dean gently stroked her hair away from her face before a sorrow-filled laugh erupted from his lips when he noticed how her glasses slid down her nose. He brought his hand up to the bridge of the frames and slowly -almost reverently- pushed them back up on her nose, just like she had always done.

He looked down at her peaceful, scarred yet beautiful face. He breathed in through his nose and wiped away his cheeks with one hand. He gazed down at her, taking in all her features before placing his hand on her cheek. He brought his forehead down on hers and closed his eyes. He stayed that way for a few seconds before lifting his head and bringing his lips down on her hair. He firmly pressed his kiss onto her head before gazing down at her, and spoke the words she would never hear.

"Love you too, kiddo."

End.