Mal sat on the hood of the Impala, her feet braced against the front bumper. It had finally stopped raining but the sky was still gray and clouded, and the gravel road they were parked on was pocked with puddles. She stared at the ground in front of the car, occupied by her own thoughts.

A gun. A magic gun that could kill anything. Maybe even Lucifer. If they could pull this off, then the Apocalypse would be over. They'd be done. And then what? It wasn't like she could ever go home. After all, Ami had killed two demons right in front of a police detective, and then had gone on to break into the Detroit police department to rescue Sam and Dean from custody. If she tried to go home, they'd lock her up, either in prison or an institution.

Neither of those options were attractive.

And then there was the fact that she didn't want to go home. It wasn't that she was happier here, in the middle of the end of the world, being stabbed and beaten and tortured and thrown off buildings. Her life most certainly wasn't better now than it was before. To be honest, it was probably much worse, even taking abusive fathers into account.

But for the first time in her life, she felt like she was doing something that mattered. Something important. She was helping to save the world. That meant something, right? And there was more. The people she'd met since Amitiel had first come to her, and not just Sam and Dean. Amelia and Claire Novak, now staying with the Valkyries in Maine. She'd saved their lives. And there was Bobby, of course. She'd lived with him during the worst time of her life and he was almost family, now.

Somehow, in all the insanity, she realized there was nowhere else she'd rather be. Who knew being kidnapped would be the best thing to happen to her?

"Hey."

She looked up, blinking her way back to the present, to see Sam looming over her. "Hey," she replied. "What's up?"

"Cas just called in. He found Crowley's hide-out."

Mal nodded. "Ellen and Jo gonna meet us there?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "Ready to hit the road?"

She slid off the Impala. "Why not?" she said dryly.

XxxXxxX

Dean watched Crowley's villa through a pair of night-vision binoculars, the expensive kind he probably got somewhere illegal. Mal helped Sam load the shotguns with salt rounds while Ellen and Jo finished scouting the perimeter with Cas.

"We're gonna need some way past the gate," Dean declared just as the scouts rejoined them.

Cas nodded in agreement. "We'll have to distract the guards," he said gravely. Mal and Jo rolled their eyes at the same time. Turning to the older girl, Mal stuck out her fist and cocked an eyebrow. Jo considered for a moment and mimicked the gesture. They bounced their fists in the air a couple of times.

"Dammit," Jo muttered when Mal's paper trumped her rock.

Ellen hooked her thumb over her shoulder at her red pick-up. "I think there's something in the blue bag," she told her daughter unhelpfully. Jo glared at her mother and crawled into the truck to change.

"Once we get inside the gate, we want to knock out the power," Dean went on. Ellen nodded and handed Mal a pair of wire cutters. She shoved them into a pocket and reached for the leather tube resting atop the other weapons in the Impala's trunk. Opening the drawstring at the top, she pulled out Amitiel's silver sword, the hilt fitting into her hand as if it had been made for her.

Sam eyed her closely. "You gonna be able to use that?" he asked. She gave him a flat look and didn't reply. Jo emerged from the truck wearing a little black dress and heels, twisting her hair into a messy knot on top of her head.

"All right," she growled. "Let's get this over with."

The others got into position before Jo approached the gate, Cas staying behind with the cars due to the angel wards. Mal blinked in confusion as she peered at the walls of the villa. Apparently Kadmiel's gift had lasted longer than she'd thought. The wards glowed with white light in the darkness. Unfortunately, these weren't the kind that could be deactivated with a well-placed sword thrust.

The two guards that confronted Jo were quickly taken care of and they slipped through the gate, Mal handing Jo the sneakers she'd been holding onto so the older girl could replace the heels. Ellen jerked her head to the side and Mal and Jo followed as Dean and Sam headed toward the house.

They found the power box without too much trouble and Ellen crouched in front of it, readying the wire cutters. Jo gave a startled squeak when a shadow grabbed her from behind, throwing her to the ground. Rolling over onto her back, Jo kicked the demon hard in the thigh, forcing him to stumble backwards.

Ellen spun around and chucked the heavy wire cutters at the demon's head, but he caught them easily, his feral grin gleaming in the moonlight. He stepped forward, hefting the makeshift weapon, only to pause with an uncertain frown on his face. A trickle of dark blood ran from the corner of his mouth and he dropped to his knees, revealing Mallory standing behind him with the angel sword in one hand, blood gleaming on the blade.

"Hurry up," she hissed at Ellen, who retrieved her wire cutters and finished shutting down the power. As the lights vanished inside the house, the three women retreated back to where Castiel waited. The angel looked over them in concern, noting the dirt on Jo's back and the blood on Mal's sword, but he said nothing, shoving his hands into his coat pockets as they waited.

They didn't have to wait long. Dean and Sam appeared only moment later, Sam thoughtful and Dean disturbed. "What's wrong?" Castiel demanded, stepping forward into Dean's personal space. Dean took an automatic step back, holding up a hand to fend the angel off.

"You're never gonna believe what just happened," Dean told all of them.

XxxXxxX

It was a subdued caravan that arrived at Bobby's house a few days later. They had the Colt and the dubious blessings of a crossroad demon, but their plan for the next step was still tenuous. As Mallory clambered stiffly out of the back seat of the Impala, the front door swung open and a big, black German Shepherd bounded out onto the gravel drive, heading straight for Mal.

She laughed and went down on one knee to greet the dog, allowing him to lick her face as she scratched his neck roughly. "Hey, buddy, you miss me?" Crow wagged his tail enthusiastically as he nosed her cheek with a low whine and lapped at her chin.

Dean and Sam began unloading the Impala as Ellen and Jo grabbed their bags from their pick-up. Mallory didn't have anything to bring into the house and was therefore the first one in, Crow leaning against her thigh as she walked. Bobby met her in the doorway and nodded at the big dog. "Damn thing was moping around like he'd been kicked," he told her. Mal laughed again and fondled Crow's ears. The dog had been her closest companion during her blindness, and though she no longer needed a seeing-eye dog, she still adored him.

"Bobby, good to see you," she said, smiling at the retired hunter.

"You, too," he replied, moving his wheelchair aside so she could get inside. "How you holding up?"

Mal rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm fine," she said in exasperation. "Would you guys quit asking?"

"The last time you lost Ami, you didn't do so well," Bobby reminded her.

"The last time I lost Ami, I thought she was dead," Mal retorted, retreating to the kitchen. "You got anything to eat in here?"

There wasn't much conversation as the hunters settled in, taking turns in the shower and getting fed after the long hours on the road. It was Dean who pulled out the first six-pack, but no one complained, not even Castiel, who sighed faintly when Dean shoved a bottle into his hands.

Mallory looked up in surprise when a bottle appeared in front of her. She blinked at it for a moment before glancing up at Dean. "Uh, I'm only twenty," she reminded him. He shrugged.

"Yeah. And?" was all he said. Mal hesitated before finally accepting the bottle, slowly taking her first sip. She grimaced at the bitter taste and Dean laughed at her, reaching over to take the bottle back. Mal hugged it to her chest and glared. Dean laughed again and wandered off into the library to talk with Sam, leaving Cas alone in the kitchen with the womenfolk.

Mal took another cautious sip and grimaced again. Jo looked over at her, eyes sparkling. "First one?" she asked.

"Hey, I was a good kid before all of this," Mal said defensively. She took a third swallow. "You guys have corrupted me."

Castiel tilted his head at her, his expression unreadable. "That isn't the word I'd use to describe it," he said gravely.

Ellen leaned back in her chair. "If we've got the angel drinking, sweetheart, I don't think you need to worry about corruption," she told Mal.

Cas made a noise suspiciously similar to a snort and lifted his half-empty bottle. "This has no effect on me," he informed them. He'd already finished his first beer, only to have Jo insist he take another.

Ellen raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Really? Well, in that case, why don't we try something stronger? Jo, honey, I think there's some vodka in the cabinet over there."

Jo jumped up with a mischievous grin but Mal stared at Ellen with wide eyes. "I don't think trying to get the angel drunk is a good idea," she stage-whispered.

"No," Ellen admitted. "But it will be fun."

Jo returned with the vodka and two stacks of shot glasses, pouring out the small glass cups. Castiel watched with interest as Ellen tossed the first shot back. Without missing a beat, Ellen finished her line of shots.

"Okay, big boy," she told Cas. "Go."

Imitating Ellen, Cas drank each shot in one swallow, turning the glasses over as he set them down. His expression didn't change as he waded through the vodka. Jo glanced at her mother for permission, and then refilled all of the shots. Again, Ellen went first, wincing slightly as the last one went down. Cas reached for his first shot. He fumbled slightly when he picked up the second, but finished the line with a straight face. He set the last cup down with more force than necessary and paused for a moment. Then he shot Mallory a sheepish look.

"I think I'm starting to feel something," he admitted.

"Yeah, you think?" she replied, her eyes round.

Bobby called them into the living room, and Mallory was grateful for the opportunity to leave her beer behind, only to discover Bobby was setting up a camera.

"Oh, come on, Bobby," Ellen protested for all of them. "No one wants their picture taken."

"Hear, hear," Sam piped up.

"Shut up," Bobby told him. "You're drinking my beer. Anyway," he went on. "I'm gonna need something to remember your sorry asses by."

"Ha!" Ellen said with a wry smirk. "It's always good to have an optimist around."

As they got into position in the corner, Mallory found herself in front of Sam, his arms draped loosely around her shoulders. She leaned against him and summoned a smile, only for it to die at Castiel's words.

"Bobby's right. Tomorrow we hunt the Devil." He squared his shoulders and looked straight at the camera. "This is our last night on earth."

No one was smiling when the camera flashed.

XxxXxxX

Sam was the only one who noticed Mal slip out the back door. He waited a few minutes until Dean was distracted, trying to explain some aspect of humanity to Cas, and followed her. He found her on the back porch, Dean's cellphone to her ear.

"Mom...um, it's me." she was saying hesitantly. She sighed and hunched her shoulders. "Yeah, I know what you're thinking right now. And...I don't really know what to say. Look, the reason I haven't come home...I can't tell you, but it was my choice. No one's making me do anything I don't want to. I just wanted you to know that. And if you don't hear from me again, then I want to say, I love you. Okay? Okay. Um...So, I guess I should just say goodbye." She hesitated a long moment, and then hung up, clutching the phone tightly in one hand.

"You okay?" Sam asked softly. Mal startled and whirled around, hiding the phone behind her as if she'd been caught doing something wrong. She looked down at her feet and then back up at Sam's face.

"She's the only one I wish I could tell the truth," she explained quietly.

Sam nodded but didn't really have anything to say to that. He didn't have a point of reference to empathize with her situation because this was the only life he'd ever known. All the important people already knew the truth.

"So, what's going on with the plan for tomorrow?" Mal asked, slipping the phone in her pocket. She'd try to get it back to Dean before he noticed.

"Dean thinks Crowley was on the level," Sam told her. "Carthage is covered with Revelation omens. It looks like our best bet."

"Great," Mal said, her voice flat and unreadable. She turned her back on Sam and leaned her elbows against the porch railing. "You think Cas is right?" she asked over her shoulder. "Think we're all gonna die tomorrow?"

Sam went to join her, leaning down next to her. "I don't know," he said honestly. "I'd like to think we're gonna make it through this." He snorted. "But on the other hand, I didn't think any of us would survive this long already."

Mal huffed and gave him a twisted smile. "Yeah," she agreed. "Weird how that works out, isn't it?" She tilted her head back to look at the stars. "I wish Ami were here," she said suddenly. "She'd be more useful than me, anyway."

"You'll do fine," Sam told her. She shook her head.

"Would you think less of me if I told you I'm scared?" she said softly. "We're going up against the freakin' Devil, Sam. How are you not scared out of your head?"

Sam shrugged. "Who said I wasn't?" Mal threw him a startled look. "You fight anyway," he went on. "That's what this job means."

"Yeah, well, this job sucks," Mal muttered.

"Can't argue with you there," Sam admitted. "But someone's got to do it."

Mal stared at her hands and said nothing.