Author's Note – Thank you for all the reviews so far. Here is the concluding part of our 'episode one'. Let us know what you all think of the formatting, storylines, etc.
Episode One – Part Three
The Egg-straordinary Case of the
Killer Easter Bunny
x-x-x
"I can't believe you made me wear this." Dean glowered at Jo, jamming his finger down the collar of the pale blue shirt he was wearing and yanking it away from his throat.
"Would you quit fidgeting?" She slapped his hand away from his shirt collar and readjusted the dark blue sweater he was wearing over it.
"Admit it you're enjoying this," Dean's eyes narrowed in suspicion as he watched Jo pick at invisible lint from the fabric.
"Oh, please," Jo guffawed, gesturing down to her own outfit with an arched eyebrow that more than conveyed her disdain, "I look just as much of a dork as you do, Dean."
Dean shrugged and swept his eyes over the dress she was wearing; the red rose print of the fabric was accentuated with a matching red bolero cardigan and a pair of red stiletto heels completed the outfit.
"I think you look kind of hot," Dean stated, chuckling as Jo rolled her eyes at him, and slipped her arm through his. She began to lead him up the path of the large Victorian house they had been loitering outside of.
"You remember our cover story?" she checked, sighing as she slapped his hands away from his collar for what felt like the hundredth time, and stuck out her tongue at him as he swatted back at her.
Dean barely had a chance to respond as the front door was thrown wide open to reveal an grinning middle aged man wearing the most hideous chequered sweater Dean had ever laid eyes on. Suddenly, he was filled with gratitude towards Jo for the outfit she had selected for him; things could undoubtedly have been so much worse.
"Hi, we're the Millers," Dean said, plastering a saccharine sweet smile on his face and offering his hand to the man.
"George Atwaiter," the guy replied, taking Dean's hand in his own but keeping his gaze trained upon Jo, who cut a sweetly pretty figure in her dress. Dean resisted the urge to laugh, wondering if the man before him would ever guess that the woman he was making unwelcome goo-goo eyes at could take him apart in less than a minute. He assumed not, and simply wrapped his arm around Jo's waist in a vaguely protective manner.
"I'm Nick and this is Jessica," said Dean, unable to resist slipping a weak joke into the conversation. Jo dug her elbow discreetly into his ribs and Dean's grin only widened. "We're buying number ninety-two in a couple of weeks, and our new neighbour suggested that we stop by to introduce ourselves."
"Oh, well that's great, come on in," he smiled widely, ushering Dean and Jo inside as he gestured through the house, "you're very welcome to join us, we're just having a few friends over, so come on out and meet everyone. My wife Jeannie has organised an Easter egg hunt for the kids, but I'm sure she'll be thrilled to meet the new neighbours."
George paused and suddenly glanced back at the couple.
"Do you guys have kids? They're welcome to join us, the more the merrier."
Dean shook his head and smiled, "Oh, no... no kids yet." He shot Jo a comically sentimental glance and patted her stomach, "But we're working on it, right sweetheart?"
Their host nodded, exchanging a 'boy's club' chuckle with Dean before he led them out toward the garden. Dean yelped and gritted his teeth as the heel of Jo's stiletto was ruthlessly stamped into his foot, and he knew then that he was invariably going to pay for his comment later on.
"Keep moving Winchester," Jo hissed, sighing as she watched him do his best to remove the amused smirk from his features. They followed George out into the yard, their eyes widening as they observed the thirty or so people that milled about it comfortably. Glasses of champagne and trays of canapés were being offered around by teenagers wearing dinner dress, and Dean could not help but snort derisively at the stuffiness of it all.
"First thing's first, we find the Greysons and keep a low profile," Jo suggested, referencing the surname of the one remaining family on their list. "If their kid is next then it will go down here for sure."
Upon arriving outside the Greysons house that morning in order to determine whether or not they were indeed still in town, Dean had noted the fliers detailing the neighbourhood Easter egg hunt at once. He had rolled his eyes, utterly irritated by the clichéd domesticity of it all, and had left the area after tearing down a flier from the nearest lamppost. The resulting plan of action had been hastily thrown together, and all three of the hunters were concerned about its chances of success. Simply, it involved Dean and Jo keeping an eye on the child for the duration of the party, whilst Sam loitered just outside the grounds with weapons, ready to back the couple up if required. Dean had momentarily contemplated what kind of weapon would indeed be required to kill a humongous rodent, but he had decided that a couple of rounds of buckshot in its fluffy ass would more than likely suffice.
They were still drawing a relative blank as to what the creature could possibly be, and had decided unanimously that perhaps the best course of action would be to set eyes on it themselves before attempting to ID it.
"We should probably... mingle," Dean stated, the disinterest more than evident in his expression as he eyed a waiter approaching with a platter of tiny hors d'oeuvres. Arching an eyebrow, he plucked one of them off the tray and popped it whole into his mouth.
Jo smiled and shook her head as his eyes lit up at the apparent taste sensation.
"They're delicious!" he enthused, now firmly lying in wait for the waiter to make another lap past the couple.
"Dean, we're supposed to be on the look-out for a big ass bunny, not mini blintzes," Jo smirked, scooping two glasses of champagne from another waiter's tray and handing him one.
"You know what those things are?" he raised both eyebrows, clearly hoping for a little Harvelle home cooking. "Can we get the recipe?"
Jo laughed and took a sip of her champagne, shaking her head in amusement as she kept a watchful eye on the group of kids who were being assembled next to one of the tables.
"I think the festivities are about to begin," Jo said, motioning towards the children with a nod of her head. Dean nonchalantly shot a glance in the direction that Jo indicated, raising the glass of champagne to his lips and taking a sip that caused him to grimace.
"Never did like this stuff," Dean complained before tipping the champagne into the bushes behind him and then placing the emptied flute onto a picnic table.
"So how do we do this?" inquired Dean, wondering how best to make tailing a bunch of kids on an Easter egg hunt look innocent. "Maybe you should go. You know, play with the kids or get involved or something?"
"Me?" Jo squeaked, utterly terrified by the prospect of the now rampant children. "Why me? I don't know the first thing about kids."
"Yeah but you're... you know..." Dean trailed off as Jo's eyes blazed. Casually, he scuffed the ground with the toe of his shoe as Jo stood facing him, hands on hips.
"Because I'm what Dean? Because I'm a woman?" she demanded caustically.
"No?" Dean tried, wincing as he realised nothing he could say was going to get him out of the proverbial hole he was steadily digging himself. He smiled affably and shrugged, "What, you don't like kids?"
Dean elbowed Jo playfully and eyed her with slight suspicion. Jo frowned as she saw something that looked remotely like concern flash across his features. Whilst Dean was not entirely sure that raising a family and hunting was a possibility, he was admittedly a little disappointed that Jo might not see it as an option at all.
"I didn't say that, I just said I don't know what to do with them. I've never been around them, Dean, they... they just..." she paused, taking a sip of champagne. Jo had never been around children and as an only child herself, her exposure to kids had been limited to classmates and their siblings, none of whom she had been particularly close to.
Dean smirked and nodded in sudden understanding, folding his arms across his chest as he teased her, "You're afraid of them. You're afraid of a bunch of four year olds."
"Frankly, yeah," she shrugged unapologetically, "so, if you want to play Mary Poppins, knock yourself out. I'll just... stay here. I guess the whole 'mommy' gene bypassed me."
Jo sighed and avoided his gaze, pretending to scan the back yard as she felt Dean hold her in a distinctly analytical gaze.
"Nope, I don't buy that," he shook his head in dismissal of her claims, finally unfolding his arms.
"Whatever," Jo replied with a weary sigh, realising that arguing with Dean was rarely a fruitful task.
"I don't," Dean reiterated, seizing Jo's hand and beginning to lead her into the direction of the waiting children, who were shrieking with laughter at something the hostess had said. The kindly looking woman bent down as she spoke to each child, offering them a genuine smile that showed her true delight at the joy that radiated on the children's faces. Jo felt her stomach clench and dug her heels into the ground defiantly, all the while shaking her head as Dean continued to haul her with relative ease to her doom.
"Hey there, my wife Jessica was wondering if you needed a hand," Dean said, beaming at the woman who was busily distributing baskets, "she just loves kids."
"Oh that would be super!" the woman, presumably George's wife, burbled with a vehement nod that sent her corkscrew curls bouncing around her plump cheeks.
"Dean!" Jo hissed grabbing at his hand with desperation as Dean prepared to turn on his heel and walk away. He was wearing a smug and arrogant grin that Jo dearly would have loved to punch right off of his face. However, there were children in the vicinity and the one thing Jo did know was that violence was generally considered unsuitable around them.
"I can't stay," Dean muttered, his eyes gleaming with triumph, "I'm a dude. That would look all kids of odd. We need to blend in."
Although recognising his point as true, Jo shot Dean a glare that indicated they would be discussing the matter at a later date. She plastered a suitably fake smile on her face as Jeannie handed her a collection of baskets, instructing Jo to hand them out to the waiting participants.
"Uh... here you go sweetie," Jo handed a basket to a little boy, her eyes widening in surprise as he passed it back to her with a thoroughly outraged yelp.
"That's pink! I'm a boy!" he defended, his glare withering as Jo merely smiled by way of apology.
"Oh, right... sorry," she amended, handing him a blue basket which he accepted with a grin.
Jo's back stiffened in abject horror as she was grabbed around the leg; when she glanced down she was somewhat startled to see that her attacker was no more than a small girl who had attached herself to Jo's calf with a ferocious grip.
"Hi," the little girl smiled up at her, her blonde bunches bobbing as she giggled. She showed no indication that she was about to release her captive and Jo wondered if it would be considered mean to attempt to forcibly disentangle herself.
"Hi," Jo managed. Jeannie smiled and patted the little girl on the head, although she made no attempt to intervene and rescue from her new best friend.
Almost immediately, Jo thought of her own mother, who had always been so at ease in the presence of children. She recalled Ellen jokily commenting once that kids could smell fear, and now that she thought about it, Jo wondered if her mom had perhaps been correct. She imagined Ellen watching her now, wearing her best amused smile and finding real mirth in Jo's unease. Straightening up a little, Jo decided to meet the task head on.
"What's your name?" Jo inquired, hesitantly bending to the little girl in order to prise her arms from her leg. Instead, she placed a wicker basket in her chubby hands and received an excited gasp in reward.
"Molly," the child replied, not missing a beat before she pressed, "What's your name?"
"Jessica," Jo answered, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at Dean's creative use of aliases. She shot her boyfriend a glare, which he greeted with a small wave.
"I like your shoes," Molly said, pointing at Jo's red heels, which she had to admit herself were the one saving grace of the entire outfit.
"You do?" Jo smiled, laughing as Molly hugged the basket to her chest and nodded vehemently.
"Yep, red's my favourite colour," Molly informed her, reaching up a pleading hand to Jo as Jeannie begin to lead the children off. A second child seized Jo's free hand as she followed after Jeannie and the others, and Jo could not help but smile at the buoyant grins of the two little girls who were propelling her toward the anticipated treasures.
Dean smirked, nodding at Jo approvingly as she rolled her eyes and bit back a smile of her own. He was going to be unbearable after this, Jo decided.
Dean watched his girlfriend in evident amusement, taking in the sight of her floral dress and altogether prim appearance. Combined with the two chattering rug rats she wrangled in each hand, it was a strangely appealing picture and he cleared his throat half in alarm at his own thoughts.
x-x-x
Sam had made it around to the back of the expansive property without difficulty thanks to the trees that surrounded the fencing. He had favoured a handgun on this instance, reasoning that it would be far easier to conceal from the civilians around than his usual shotgun. Sam hoped that the weapon would do the job just as well.
He found a gap in the fence after walking a distance, and lowered himself down to it. Keeping his body to one side and out of view, Sam poked his head through the hole and surveyed the garden. A copse of bushes in front of the gap concealed his head from sight, but were not dense enough to prevent Sam from being able to see the garden.
People dressed in their spring finery milled about the yard, drinking real champagne from crystal glasses, eating tiny finger foods that contained far too much pesto for Sam's liking, and generally chit-chatting about things like the stock market; Sam was loathed to admit that once upon a time, he had coveted this kind of lifestyle. Given his years of experience hunting that were now under his belt, Sam could now not imagine anything more soul destroying.
Hearing a voice he recognised, Sam blinked twice in disbelief as he watched a long line of children scurry past; the last two little girls held tightly onto Jo's hands as they chattered and skipped along by her side.
"Whoa," Sam furrowed his brow, snickering to himself as he watched Jo in full-on Maria Von Trapp mode. Stifling further chuckles, he concealed himself back beneath the undergrowth and waited for the furry suspect to make an appearance. He assumed a six foot rabbit was going to be pretty hard to miss.
Jo stopped in her tracks as the sound of a woman's voice halted the steps of the dark haired child beside her, and the little girl spun around as the woman Jo assumed was her mother appeared.
"Amy, don't you run off now, do you hear me?" the woman instructed, smiling gratefully at Jo as she saw the child's hand clasped within hers.
"Yes ma'am," the little girl sighed, grinning as she saw a brightly coloured egg hidden beside a planter. She dragged Jo off in haste to claim the prize.
"She has a tendency to wander off," Amy's mother called, watching her daughter closely as the child remained oblivious to any concern.
"It's fine, I won't let her out of my sight," Jo promised, smiling to reinforce her assurances and watching as the woman made her way back towards the refreshments table.
"I got another one!" Amy cheered, dropping the egg into her basket where it rolled into place neatly beside the one other that Jo had already ferreted out for the child. "I'm gonna get lots."
"You sure are," Jo agreed, her eyes sweeping the crowds of children all the while as she mentally conducted head counts to ensure that they were all still present. As of yet, nothing appeared to be amiss. Jo jumped a little as she felt Molly release her hand and suddenly tear off across the yard. However, her foot caught on something unseen in the grass and the child tumbled to the ground, immediately dissolving into tears.
Jo's head whipped around as she desperately attempted to locate a more suitable adult than herself to comfort the child or, better yet, Molly's mother. Finding no one rushing to her aid, Jo approached the wailing little girl.
Tears streaming down her cheeks, Molly reached out toward Jo, waggling her fingers in an instruction to be picked up. Jo chewed hesitantly on her bottom lip and then released Amy's hand so as to scoop up the other child. Molly looped her arms around Jo's neck and pressed her tear streaked face into her collarbone, sniffling miserably as she took solace in the much needed embrace.
Jo hugged Molly to her, rubbing her back and whispering soothingly, ever conscious that she should be watching Amy and the hoards of other children who all remained oblivious to the danger.
"It's okay," Jo assured the child, feeling the grip around her neck tighten, "it's okay sweetie. How about we go find more eggs, huh?"
Jo glanced down at her side and felt an instant wave of nausea overcome her as she realised that Amy was no longer there. Scanning the undergrowth, she called out, carrying Molly in her arms as she tried to locate the missing child.
x-x-x
The tiny white rabbit had appeared from nowhere but Amy had spotted it at once, as had Sam Winchester from his position behind the fence panels. Sam groaned inwardly as the child began to approach the animal, which reared onto its hind legs before lolloping off in the opposition direction to Jo.
The hunter was busy comforting another child who appeared to be only superficially hurt, and Sam cursed the rather sudden and inconvenient appearance of Jo's maternal instincts.
"Pssst," Sam hissed, cupping his hand around his mouth and calling out to Jo, who appeared stricken now that she had finally noted the missing child. Sam recoiled as suddenly, a pair of small eyes thrust themselves into his face.
The little boy stared at Sam for several seconds, confusion registering upon his features, before he shrugged and simply bent down to pick up the foil wrapped egg that had caught his attention in the first place.
"Are you playing hide and seek?" the child finally inquired, mercifully keeping his voice low as though afraid he would otherwise give away Sam's position.
Sam nodded and made a shushing gesture, pressing his finger to his lips as the kid simply shrugged and ran off. Sam called out to Jo once again, relieved to see that she not only heard him, but also simultaneously spotted the rabbit.
"Amy?" Jo called out, placing Molly back on her feet and directing the child to walk beside her.
"A bunny rabbit!" Molly's eyes widened in excitement and she made an attempt to release Jo's hand. A small pout formed on her lips as Jo shook her head; she found herself contemplating picking the child up again in an unusually protective gesture.
Jo held Molly's hand in a vice like grip as she stalked after Amy, who was now just within reach. Amy ambled a few feet behind the rabbit, which appeared to be leading her to a hole hidden beneath a row of trees.
"Oh, crap," Jo's eyes grew as wide as saucers as the rabbit suddenly turned and within seconds had grown to a height that rivalled Sam's.
Molly gasped beside her, her arm shooting out accusingly at Jo, "You said a bad word!"
"I know, I'm sorry," Jo amended, smiling to the best of her ability as Molly nodded. She was relieved to see Dean striding towards her, his hand buried within his jacket where he clutched his gun. "Hey Molly, I think I saw a heap of eggs over the other side of the garden, right where the dessert table is. Why don't you see how many you can find whilst I get Amy?"
Molly gasped, all reprimand for Jo forgotten as she ran full pelt towards the laden dessert table, her eggs bouncing in her basket.
"Holy..." Dean muttered, drawing up alongside Jo and taking in the sight of the enormous rabbit. The hunters and their prey had ventured into a secluded section of the garden that was protected from view by all manner of trees and tall hedges. Dean shot a glance around to see if anyone had noticed the bizarre gate crasher, and was relieved to see Sam jogging towards them after having climbed through another, larger hole in the fence.
"Amy..." Jo called out, approaching the child hesitantly. The little girl stared transfixed at the rabbit, which for the moment made no threatening movements. It simply cocked its head and stared at Jo, both ears standing erect as though it were listening.
"Come here sweetie," Jo coaxed, holding one arm out to the child, who seemed not to have registered Jo's voice at all.
"It's the Easter bunny!" Amy whispered, her head tilted back as she gazed in awe at the rabbit.
"No, no Amy, that is not the Easter bunny, that's a very, very bad bunny," Dean said urgently, watching with baited breath as Jo edged closer to her. Just as it seemed that she was within range of Jo's outstretched hand, the rabbit disappeared down the hole and Amy took off in a sprint toward it.
"Amy no!" Jo yelled, running after her with Sam and Dean following seconds behind.
Cursing as her heels spiked the dew dampened ground, Jo kicked off her shoes and tossed them to the ground, arriving at the edge of the rabbit hole mere seconds after the little girl crawled in and promptly disappeared. Jo paused for a split second before taking a deep breath and following soon after.
"Jo!" Dean yelled, his breath catching in his chest as he sped to reach his girlfriend. However, she had already disappeared from view before Dean could so much as blink.
"We're going down there," instructed Dean, his tone leaving no room for disagreement. Sam simply nodded and, clutching Dean's elbow, the two brothers jumped into the rabbit hole. Behind them, the ground sealed itself closed.
x-x-x
Jo landed hard on her elbow, groaning as a jarring pain shot through her bone. She gritted her teeth and rolled onto her side before leaping to her feet, her eyes scanning the darkness for the missing child. The room she found herself in was almost like an underground cavern, and Jo could see tunnels leading off in all directions. She sighed and began to follow the closest turning.
"Amy?" she called out, keeping her voice to a minimum as she feared attracting the attention of the rabbit, or whatever the creature turned out to be. As she walked, Jo slid her hand up her skirt and removed the handgun from the holster she had attached to her thigh.
Flicking off the safety catch, Jo held the gun close to her side, calling out to the child once again. Amy did not answer, yet a curious sound greeted Jo's ears as she inched further and further down the tunnel. She paused as she listened to what sounded very much like children at play; their laughter and whoops of excitement momentarily reassured her that perhaps Amy was not in any imminent danger.
"Jo?"
She turned as the sound of a voice echoed around the tiny chamber. Jo was somewhat relieved to spy Dean and Sam hurrying toward her, apparently less than impressed by her actions.
"You wanna give me a heads up next time before you decide to vanish into a hole in the ground?" Dean hissed, reaching her side and glaring at her pointedly.
"What was I supposed to do? Watch the kid disappear?" Jo spat back, narrowing her eyes as she glowered up at him.
"Can you guys do that later?" Sam interrupted, gesturing down the tunnel with a tight smile. "You know, after the rescue?"
Dean shrugged at his brother apologetically, ignoring the glare Jo still directed at him as they began to head down toward a light source at the end of the tunnel.
"Be vewy, vewy quiet..." Dean quipped with a smirk, earning a sigh from Sam and an amused yet disdainful smile from Jo.
No sooner had the group rounded the corner than they found themselves suddenly flung to the ground as something large and heavy barrelled into them. Dean, Jo and Sam landed in a tangled heap of limbs, Dean spluttering as Sam's knee flew into his stomach.
"What the..." Sam muttered, scrambling to his feet and hauling Jo up behind him. Dean remained on the ground, somewhat winded, and simply stared at the figure of the tall, naked woman that now stood before them. Golden blonde hair tumbled down past her shoulders, helping to preserve at least a degree of her modesty. Sam immediately looked away, ever the gentleman, whilst Jo stared aghast at the figure. Her hips were wide and even matronly, but her features were delicate and indescribably beautiful.
Dean gaped at the figure for several seconds before finally managing to locate his voice, "You didn't happen to see a... a big... fluffy..."
He shook his head, unable to finish his sentence as she woman smiled at him witheringly. Jo remained open mouthed. The serene expression that graced the woman's features was unnerving and Jo shot a questioning glance at Sam, who demonstrated his own ignorance with a shrug. Dean was suitably transfixed, and he only blinked when Jo flung Sam's jacket at the naked stranger.
"Lady, you might want to cover up," Jo spat, attempting to glance past the woman towards the children.
"My body offends you?" the stranger frowned, gesturing to her naked form as she regarded Jo intently; her discomfort seemed to prove bemusing.
"No," Dean replied almost instantly, "No! Us? Offended? No."
He winced as Jo slapped him hard across the back of the head.
"I asked for that," he admitted, rubbing his head as he climbed to his feet and appeared to regain his senses.
"What are you?" demanded Jo, tiring of wasting time with small talk. Over the woman's shoulder, four children played together, laughing and shrieking as they attempted to tag each other. Jo recognised Amy, and the faces of the other children were undeniably familiar. She breathed a sigh of relief, realising that they had finally located the missing victims. Now all that was left to do was to kill the bad guy before delivering the children safely back to their respective parents.
"What am I?" the woman repeated, an eyebrow arched and her tone clearly affronted.
"Who are you?" Sam interjected quickly, sensing the mystery creature's disdain for Jo, who crossed her arms over her chest and glared.
"I am Eostre," was the reply in a syrupy sweet tone that almost made Jo gag.
"Yeah, sorry..." Dean scratched his head and shrugged, now becoming similarly irritated by her elusive attitude and simpering smile, "who?"
Eostre's nostrils flared and it became apparent to the three hunters that a nerve had been touched upon.
"Who am I? Who am I?" she mocked, "I'm only the reason your miserable species has not become extinct. I am the creator of new life and the protector of maidens. It is I who bring forth new life into the world; I who grant the prayers of the infertile and the barren."
"Okay," Jo smiled tightly, gesturing back toward the children as she kept her gun trained on Eostre, "so that was you running around in the rabbit costume? Kidnapping small children... and..."
"I am merely taking back that which I gave," Eostre defended, smiling in almost maternal pride as her gaze swept over the children, who appeared not to notice the adults in the tunnel and indeed the confrontation that was occurring before them. It was eerie and Jo found herself suspicious that the children were under some form of enchantment.
"Eostre is the Germanic goddess of the spring, new life, and fertility," Sam said, his gaze ticking to Dean and then back to the apparent god, who now peered at Sam with a delighted smile.
"A fan!" Eostre cooed, her hands pressed together. Sam shook his head, hiding his disdain impressively. The little he knew of the goddess depicted her as a maternal figure, granting fertility to those who otherwise would be childless. He could not begin to fathom why she would then turn to kidnapping the lives she had in essence created.
"Without me, none of these beautiful little darlings would even exist," Eostre insisted, shooting a sad glance towards the children. "They are my best works of art, and art should be appreciated, should it not?"
"Those kids are appreciated," Jo snarled, her voice was marred with disgust and her upper lip curled into a sneer. "Their parents are worried half to death about them. You had no right."
"I had every right," the goddess hissed, and within the blink of an eye she had come to stand directly in front of Jo. Eostre pushed her face into the hunter's, her green eyes flashing dangerously. However, Jo refused to be cowed, keeping her gun trained on Eostre's chest.
"I made them and then I gifted them to the pathetic specimens that call themselves parents. None of them were worthy. They looked at those children as gifts from above and they were thankful, but once the children grow older, science gets all the credit. It was the doctors or the drugs or the intensive therapies... creating life in a Petri dish? Who ever heard of anything so ridiculous?"
"You're Doctor Torese," Sam interjected, shaking his head and wincing as he suddenly recognised the glaring clue he had overlooked. "It's an anagram."
"Too obvious, you think?" She frowned, considering this before she cast her gaze back at Jo and Dean, who now stood side by side.
"We're taking those kids home, so step aside and nobody needs to get hurt," Dean directed, grimacing at Sam who seemed to be the only hunter not to have a weapon trained on the goddess. Sam hastily followed suit and Eostre folded her arms across her chest, peering at each of the hunters in turn.
"You cannot kill me," she laughed, gesturing emphatically with her hands as she reached toward the heavens. Dean blushed as the motion exposed her bare chest and he somehow managed to avert his gaze.
"I have already told you, this world of yours would not continue to exist without me," she reminded them, arching a blonde eyebrow and smiling with unabashed confidence.
"Those children belong with their parents," Jo stated, thoroughly bored with attempting to reason with her. She was hoping that they would soon be entering the shooting and banishing part of the hunt.
"And what would you know of it?" Eostre regarded her closely, evaluating Jo with clear derision. With a snap of her fingers, a silken robe of cornflower blue suddenly appeared to swathe the deity's figure. The colour was exquisite, succeeding in highlighting the deep emerald green of her eyes, and Eostre visibly preened as though aware of her own natural beauty.
"Alright, enough," Dean snapped, his finger hovering above the trigger as he aimed the barrel square at the centre of her chest, "let them go."
"Now," Jo chimed in, pleased to see the goddess' smile fade as she glowered back at them; her eyes flashed with annoyance.
"Do you know how it feels to have your work ignored? To see the wonders that you create attributed to some other ridiculous invention of mankind?"
"Woman, please," Dean scoffed, "we're hunters. We save their ungrateful assess every day of the week, we avert an apocalypse at least once a year and, we've still gotta pay taxes."
Jo and Sam nodded their agreement, and Eostre cocked her head as though contemplating Dean's words. Her expression grew wistful and she released a heavy, dramatic sigh.
"I used to be worshipped, my praises were sung by every couple wishing for the blessing of a child, and when nature failed, I was called upon," Eostre murmured, nostalgic. Her eyes almost appeared to have glazed over as she reminisced about her supposed 'glory days'. Dean and Jo exchanged tired glances, but Sam decided to humour the goddess for the time being.
"That must be awful," Sam soothed, his face a pantomime of sympathy. Eostre's head whipped in his direction and a surprised yet pleased expression settled across her features.
"All I want is a little recognition," she murmured, her eyes wide and her bottom lip almost trembling. "Is that really so wrong?"
Jo let out a snort of laughter, which Eostre chose to ignore, tossing her head instead. Her honey golden mane whirled over her shoulder with the gesture, tendrils of it flying into Jo's face.
"Can we just get with the shooting already?" Dean demanded, nudging Sam with his elbow to signify that he should raise his gun once again.
"Kill me and your pathetic race falls by half," Eostre said coldly. "You have no idea how often I am forced to intervene. Perhaps one day you yourself may have cause to call upon me."
Dean stared at her, utterly indignant, and guffawed loudly in response as suitable words of outrage escaped him. Jo rolled her eyes at his testosterone fuelled display, although she was mildly amused at the expression that crossed his features at Eostre's insinuation.
"Hey, I don't fire blanks," he smiled at his own double-entendre and then glanced down pointedly at the gun in his hand. "Let them go. I won't ask again."
Eostre yawned and her fingertips fluttered at her mouth, "I am not holding them here, and they are free to go as they wish. Yet I suspect they would want to remain here, free to laugh and play and embrace the beauty of childhood, away from your cynical, cold hearted world."
"Cynical and cold hearted as it might be," Sam attempted, holding up his hand and retracting his gun in a placating gesture, "that's where they belong. And if you love them as much as you say you do... as much as I know you do... then you'll let them go. Their parents miss them, they love them... they prayed for them."
Dean rolled his eyes, irritated by Sam's sudden apathy for the creature who was masquerading as a giant rabbit in order to lure small children down a hole. The absurdity of the situation was not lost on him by any means.
"Why not stay on at the hospital?" Sam suggested, wincing as both Jo and Dean growled in protest.
"Since when do we actively encourage practicing medicine without a license?" demanded Jo, shooting Sam an incredulous glance that he deflected with a shrug.
"You can't deny she's effective," Sam argued, "we can't exactly kill her and doom half the human race to infertility."
"Yes, I'm sure your brother would like to be a father one day," Eostre quipped, shooting Dean a sober glance.
Dean laughed, although without humour and he glared in annoyance at the deity, "You're hilarious, a real comedian."
Sam turned momentarily to Dean and shook his head, "Dude, just... don't rise to it, seriously."
"Intriguing choice of words," Eostre murmured, the faint traces of a smile appearing on her face.
Dean bestowed his brother a thoroughly withering glare. Clearing his throat, Sam hid a smirk, and turned to Eostre once again.
A muffled giggle drew Dean's attention to his side where Jo hid her amusement behind her free hand, before mouthing at him a clearly unrepentant 'sorry'.
"Laugh it up, Harvelle," Dean whispered, keeping a watchful eye on Eostre who appeared to be weighing up her options, "I haven't heard you complaining."
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't simply kill you?" Eostre finally demanded, brows knitted as she glanced in turn at each of the waiting hunters.
"Because you give life, you don't take it away," Sam countered with ease, "death goes against your very nature."
"Touché," the goddess conceded, her eyes clouding with unspoken sorrow as she gazed at the children, who were immersed still in their game.
"I bet they miss their parents too," Sam said, carefully. "Let them go home. Go back to the hospital and to your work. Whether people are gracious or not, it doesn't change everything you have achieved."
The goddess sighed, staring after the four little souls she had created.
Jo seized the opportunity to negotiate, realising the creature's ego was too enormous for threats to prove successful. Perhaps Sam's approach had been right all along.
"Why don't you ask them?" Jo asked quietly, her tone neither challenging nor hostile.
"Fine," Eostre agreed, raising her hand toward the group of children and beckoning Emma toward them. The little girl blinked and looked over at the hunters with trepidation, yet she slowly made her way over to the deity's side and peered up at them uncertainly from behind wide eyes.
"Now, my darling child, are you having fun with your friends?" Eostre placed her hand to the little girl's cheek and regarded her affectionately. Certainly the child did not seem at all afraid and Jo could not help but notice the warm, nurturing aura that the being radiated.
"When can I see Mommy?" the child lisped, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth as a sad sigh emanated from her little body.
Eostre closed her eyes for a moment and simply nodded, "You miss your parents, little one?" Her question sounded more like a statement and she sighed in quiet resolution. Emma nodded, fidgeting with the hem of her pretty blue party dress as she stood regarding Eostre.
"Soon, you shall see them soon," the goddess promised with a kindly air, meeting Jo's gaze finally. After a pause, Eostre's expression grew to one that resembled gratitude.
"I'm not a parent," Jo glanced down at the little girl and she found herself able to envision herself at the same age with surprising ease; there had been one person she could never have imagined being without, "but I was somebody's daughter."
"I could never hurt them," Eostre whispered, laying her hand on Emma's shoulder and squeezing it with gentle affection. "I just wanted to be needed... celebrated again."
"You're needed," Sam said, and it almost seemed to Jo that he felt genuine sympathy for the deity now. "And every day of those kids' lives, their parents are thankful, even if they're not entirely sure who to."
Eostre nodded and with a wave of one hand, the three remaining children ceased their game. Their little heads whipped around the cavern in confusion, fear and surprise dominating their features. The smaller of the children was the first to react, dissolving into hiccupping sobs that were interspaced by a babbling that none of the adults in the room could decipher.
"I guess I should get going, work to do and all that," Eostre commented, squaring her shoulders and tensing her jaw as she attempted to brush off the hurt that was clearly threatening to consume her. She could not resist one last barb however, quirking a brow as she demanded, "Unless of course, you wish to shoot me still?"
"Don't tempt me, lady," Dean muttered under his breath, eyeing the woman as she smiled back at him with a gleeful expression. Eostre's attention was momentarily stolen by one of the children; as Amy recognised Jo she instantly threw her arms around the hunter's waist, sobbing into the folds of Jo's dress as she wailed for her mother.
Jo handed her gun to Sam and scooped the crying child into her arms, reassuring her gently that they were taking her right back to her mommy. Dean smirked, clearing his throat as Jo shot him a glare and merely continued to rock the girl in her arms.
"We're taking this one with us," Jo stated, leaving no room for argument. Jo was hopeful that Amy's mother would be none the wiser to her disappearance and the little girl could be deposited back in the garden along with the three hunters.
"As you wish," Eostre sighed, her expression toward Jo softening as she observed her tender interactions with the child.
"You'll put the others back where you found them?" Dean checked, watching as Eostre lifted the smallest of the children into her arms and brushed tears from the toddler's chubby cheeks.
"You have my word," she agreed, beginning to lead the children toward the entrance of the tunnel, Sam, Dean and Jo following closely behind.
Eostre waved her hand over the wall and instantly a large portal appeared; the hazy landscape of the garden they had left became clearly visible through the ether.
"Well, I'd like to say it's been a pleasure," Dean observed, shrugging as he found himself unable to continue the sentence. Jo shook her head and simply stepped through the hole, all the while holding Amy to her chest as she whispered in the child's ear in an attempt to calm her.
"Likewise," Eostre replied, nonplussed by Dean's obvious hatred.
"I gotta ask," Dean said, pausing with one hand massaging the back of his neck. "Why the giant rabbit get up?"
Eostre laughed; a high tinkling sound that echoed around the cavern.
"Perhaps your brother can answer that for you, I must be getting the little ones home," Eostre directed a pointed smile at the hunters, before gathering the three children into the folds of her cloak and clapping her hands once. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared, leaving Sam and Dean alone. The brothers wasted no time in clambering through the portal, where they found Jo wiping tears away from Amy's cheeks and readjusting the ribbon that held her hair.
"You know what she was talking about?" Dean asked, his interest peaked now; he loathed not understanding even the smallest aspect of a case.
"The story goes that Eostre found a wounded bird that couldn't fly anymore, so unable to heal it, she turned it into a white rabbit so it would survive the winter. The rabbit found that it could lay eggs still, and it would leave them at the beginning of spring as gifts," Sam said, watching Dean's astonished expression with amusement, "in theory, she created the Easter bunny."
"Wait, wait... that was the Easter Bunny?" his eyebrows shot up incredulously and he shook his head in disbelief, "son of a..."
"Dean!" Jo clamped her hands over Amy's ears and gestured down to the little girl, who was glaring at Dean with contempt.
"Sorry kid," he smiled by way of apology, his eyes suddenly drawn to Jo as she holstered her gun, and exposed the top of her thigh in the process.
"Amy, let's go find your Mommy, huh?" Jo suggested, reaching out a hand to the child who readily accepted and skipped beside the hunter in the direction of the house.
Dean strolled behind with Sam, obviously deep in thought over something or other.
Sam stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow in questioning at his brother, "Dean? You okay, dude?"
A strangely embarrassed tinge of pink appeared on Dean's cheeks as he first shrugged and then cleared his throat in discomfort. Clearly there was something still playing on his mind.
"Eostre, she uh... she was just kidding back there, right?" Dean checked, a slightly worried expression overcoming his features, which he tried to undermine with a nervous chuckle.
Sam shook his head, not comprehending Dean's question, "About?"
"You know... my... the... swim team," he motioned in a downwards direction and sighed as understanding finally registered upon Sam's face.
"Oh!" Sam shook his head as he replied with confidence, "no man, she was just messing with you. I mean, she probably knows how sensitive some guys are about that kind of thing."
"Some guys?" Dean replied, his eyes narrowing at Sam, who was hiding his amusement well.
"Oh yeah, you know," said Sam, slapping Dean on the back good naturedly before walking off back towards the yard, his grin immense, "short guys."
x-x-x
The hunters had returned to the motel, weary but in surprisingly immaculate condition. Generally speaking, hunts tended to end with all manner of blood and grime adorning clothing, and at least several new scrapes and bruises in interesting places. Dean had to admit that although facing down a giant rabbit had been surreal, it had had some advantages. The main one being that Jo's outfit had remained in tact.
Sam had disappeared to fill up the car with gas before they began the journey back to the roadhouse, leaving Jo and Dean alone in the motel room. Jo was busily packing her clothes and various texts she had borrowed from Bobby, whilst Dean watched with an odd expression on his face.
"You just gonna sit there and stare at me Dean?" she asked as she tossed books into a large gym bag, that Dean was amused to note was hot pink. Although not typically feminine in many respects, there was a softer girly side that lurked beneath Jo's hard exterior that delighted Dean no end. In so many ways, she reminded him of a young Mary Winchester.
Dean wondered how Jo had even known that he had been staring, but he sometimes got the impression that like her mother before her, Jo was strangely all seeing and all knowing; particularly where he was concerned.
"You know, there's this little Italian place we passed by in town," Dean suddenly announced, smiling charmingly as Jo shot him a confused glance.
"Okay," she planted her hands on her hips and then waited for him to continue. Shrugging the red cardigan from her shoulder, she tossed it on top of the gym bag and reached around to the side of her dress to lower the zip.
"Wait, just a second," Dean stood and walked over to her, picking up the cardigan and placing his hand over hers as he pulled the zip back up and adopted his best persuasive smile.
"Dean Winchester, trying to talk me into my clothes..." Jo mused out loud, looking up at Dean as if he had completely lost his mind.
"Well, I was planning on helping you out of them later," he admitted, his eyes roving appreciatively over her before he shook himself out of his now escalating daydreams and draped the cardigan over her shoulders.
"I just thought that since we're, you know... dressed up like normal people, that maybe we should go do normal people things... 'couple' things," he explained, slapping Jo's hand away playfully as she examined his head for signs of a bump.
"Dean, are you asking me out to dinner?" she checked, unprepared to let herself believe that he wanted to take her on an actual, honest to goodness date.
"Well, yeah," Dean muttered, jamming his hands into the pockets of the smart grey trousers that he had decided he did not loathe quite as much now. "We've never really done that before."
"I guess we haven't," Jo admitted, the realisation of that sad fact dawning on her now also. The couple seemed to have fallen into a comfortable relationship pattern with ease, never really having required the customary 'dating' period that others did. After their showdown with Lucifer, the rebuilding of the roadhouse had consumed most of their time, leaving little to dedicate to other pursuits.
"I think I'd like that," Jo finally admonished, a sweet and somewhat coy smile breaking out across her face. Dean reached for her hand and tugged her towards his chest, pausing to run his fingers through her hair before laying a kiss against her forehead.
"I'd like it too," he agreed, pressing the tip of his nose against Jo's and grinning as she stood on tiptoes in order to initiate a kiss. Dean responded hungrily, his thoughts now having well and truly shifted from the hunt to much more pleasant considerations.
x-x-x
Shivering against the chill of early evening, Jo wrapped her arms around her body as she peered up at the frontage of the roadhouse. A pair of arms suddenly enclosed around her and she bestowed an excited smile upon Dean as he too stared up at the bar with an impatient expression.
"Alright Sammy, light her up!" Dean shouted, his eyes focused on the sign which almost immediately flickered to life. The words 'Harvelle's Roadhouse' were now lit up in neon orange above the main entrance.
Jo clapped her hands in delight and spun around, looping her arms around Dean's neck as she hugged him exuberantly.
"You did it," Dean stated, glancing back at the roadhouse and nodding his approval.
"We did it," Jo corrected, rewarding him with a quick kiss before Sam joined them, three bottles of beer in his hands.
"Shouldn't this be champagne?" Sam queried before doling out the beers.
"You've seen the people who'll drink here, right?" Jo checked, one eyebrow arched. "You think I ordered any champagne Sammy?"
Sam nodded in understanding and grinned as he added, "Point taken."
"So," Dean began, raising his bottle skyward and gesturing for both Sam and Jo to do likewise, "to the new Harvelle's Roadhouse."
"May it be as successful, as profitable, and as welcoming as the last," Sam added, clinking his beer bottle with first Dean's and then Jo's.
With a smile, Jo finished, "And may it not be blown up, burned down, or otherwise raised to the ground."
"Amen to that," said Dean, wincing at the thought.
Holding their bottles aloft in one final gesture to the heavens, Jo, Dean and Sam each took a gulp of beer before a reflective silence interrupted the festivities. They remained in quiet contemplation as their thoughts drifted to the woman they each owed their life to.
Jo sighed, glancing up at the brothers as she took a deep breath and smiled resolutely, grateful for the chance at a future, and excited at the journey that lay before them.
"So I guess tomorrow we throw open the doors and roll out the welcome mat," Dean murmured, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the sign; the figurative final stone in their mammoth construction project.
"I guess," said Jo, shooting a glance in the growing darkness at the sapling that stood to the right of the new roadhouse building. Jo was facing the prospect of reopening the business with evident trepidation, knowing that the place would never feel the same without Ellen around. However, as long as the tree stood watch over the building Jo would always feel as though some part of her mother remained by her side.
"Well, I'm gonna turn in," Sam said after a pause, stretching his arms above his head as an exaggerated yawn spilled from his lips. "Promised I'd help Bobby at the car yard tomorrow. Goodnight guys."
Jo and Dean mumbled their responses to Sam, who set off to spend his first night in his new room within the living quarters of the roadhouse. It would be a strange experience for them all, especially Jo who would now not only be occupying the largest bedroom but who would also be adjusting to sharing her quarters on a permanent basis.
"You coming?" Dean inquired, shooting Jo an understanding yet tired smile as he began to walk towards the entrance following Sam. A beat, and then Jo nodded, reaching out a hand to Dean as she walked through the darkness and up the steps of the front porch.
With a final glance up at the sign that she had once thought would never again be more than a memory, Jo Harvelle grinned and turned out the lights.
The End of Episode One
(Next Episode – 'The Female of the Species')
