The rest of the drive to Bobby's was uneventful. Sam took over driving for the final hour, it seemed as if Dean' mind was elsewhere, and he missed several turns which added time on to their journey. Jo alternated between sleeping and staring out the window, wondering how the world could have changed so little when the Apocalypse had come and gone. As they approached Singer Auto Parts, the sign alone filled Jo with a strange relief. This place was a sanctuary. A place to run to in times of hardship. A family home.

Sam opened the door as Dean helped her out of the Impala. The smell of gasoline and metal in the air only added to their welcome. Jo settled herself on the couch, not planning on moving for a while, and asked Sam for a beer once she spotted the two he was taking from the fridge.

"You sure you should be drinking yet?" Dean gingerly enquired. The look she shot back at him gave him his answer. He kicked off his boots and settled down beside her. He was at the far end of the couch and she could tell he was wishing it was longer. Maybe it was a mistake bearing her emotions to him in the car. She started to understand why nothing had progressed between them. He had fallen silent after their discussion, muttering to himself, frowning in reflection. Was he always this emotionally unavailable?

They stared at the TV after Sam had excused himself to another room with his laptop. He had said it was research, but Jo knew the tension and silence in the room was making him uncomfortable. Hell, it was making her uncomfortable.

Dean jumped out of his seat and headed towards the kitchen. She heard him banging around, taking ingredients out of the fridge and slamming doors.

"Making a sandwich, Want one?"

She declined, knowing it was just a reason for him to keep busy in case she got all chick-flick on him again. Fucking men.

He settled down beside her again and she could feel his sidelong glances as she stared at whatever reality show was making a fool out of celebrities.

"Got something you want to say, partner?" she finally asked. She couldn't take the discomfort anymore and was frankly curious as to what the hell he was thinking.

"Yeah, well. no. Later."

"Stop wrapping me up in cotton wool, Dean. Spit it out. You've been weird as hell since I told you about my dream."

"I was... I was just wondering what you know. About why you're back, I mean."

She sighed. He smelled a hunt, and he wasn't going to rest until she gave him something to go on.

"I keep having dreams. Little parts of my life, and my time in heaven keep coming back. I told you I saw your dad."

His gaze averted. She knew it was a difficult subject, especially when she mentioned it. She still wasn't sure why.

"The image of him that keeps flashing back, it's intense."

"Intense like.. how? Is he hurt?"

"No, but he's panicked. He's holding my shoulders," she frowned, closing her eyes to recall the image. "He's almost shaking me, as if what he's saying is so important that he has to shake it in to me." Her hands grasped at the air, mimicking John's actions as the memory played out. "It's difficult to hear him because of that god awful ringing. I was more reading his lips than anything."

"Can you make out what he's saying?"

Jo frowned harder, desperately trying to recall the memory.

"GAH! It's so frustrating!" she spat.

"It's okay, it's understandable, you're still getting your memory back. Don't stress yourself. Although.."

"Although what?"

"There is something we could try. If you wanted to speed things up. But ONLY if you wanted to. "

"What is it?"

"I'm not trained, I've only seen it done once, and that was on an angel.."

"Spit it out, Dean."

"Hypnosis.."

She sat back in her seat. Did she want Dean Winchester poking around in her head unsupervised?

"Can Sam be there too?"

"Of course."

"What would it involve?"

"Just a deep sleep, we can jimmy free some of those memories that you can't quite grab yet. I wouldn't ask but we need to know if you're in danger. Whoever sent you here used a lot of power, I just want to know that we don't owe anyone a debt. "

She reflected for a moment, weighing up what could happen if she said yes. Clearly her mind was protecting her by blocking out some memories. But her friends could be in serious danger. She couldn't live with herself knowing she had the key to their survival locked away in her head, and hadn't done enough to find it.

"Okay. How do we do this?"