I didn't think you guys would forgive me if I kept you waiting for the next part. This is probably the most important chapter to date, so bear with it. I hope I was able to convey what's happening here properly. I know what's going on in my head, but whether I wrote it properly is another thing! If you have any queries or comments about this chapter, don't be afraid to ask! Enjoy! :)

There was a pause then, the brothers looked to each other and wondered if somehow that was all they were going to get. Suddenly, Jo – John – spoke once again. There was a grunt of frustration, and the detached voice continued.

"Screw it. Dean, Sam, if you're listening to this, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry.. Heaven's at war. Castiel has become insane with power. " Sam and Dean were speechless. Dean's head fell into his hands as Sam got up to pace the room. Maybe he was trying to calm himself, or maybe he wanted to lengthen the distance from what he was hearing, Dean wasn't sure.

"He's not satisfied with the souls from Purgatory, He's hunting the rest of us down now.. He's consuming entire realities. It's an all-out massacre! Your mother and I escaped when they came for us, we're hiding out with Ellen, Bill and Ash, but we can only hold out for so long." Sam stopped dead as Dean looked to his brother. He could see the same devastation written on his face as Dean himself was feeling. Reeling from the first blow of information, they braced themselves for more.

"We're trying to find a way to get a message to Earth. Ash thinks he can somehow imprint this moment on Jo's soul. If you're hearing this, we got though to the Former God, and the imprint worked, but he's only got limited power. Castiel has shut him out of Heaven. God's reach can only go so far, but he's bringing Jo back. I'm sorry that it had to be her. I'm so sorry. But we needed someone who we knew you'd protect with your lives. Someone who could take care of herself too. You see, we had to search Heaven's library for him. Jo holds the key to opening the gate for God again." Dean clutched Jo's hand. So she was a pawn. A simple messenger sent with a burden of helping every soul in Heaven. Even after she had gone down fighting, Jo still hadn't been allowed eternal rest. Now she was back and on the brink of another war. The enormity of the Herculean task given to this young woman he cared about so much hit him. A stray tear made it's way down Dean's cheek.

Still, John continued.

"The key's encoded in her memory. You need to help her uncover it, only she knows what it is – she chose something close to her heart. And God - you have to find him. He's the only one who can help us. Oh God! God help us!"

With that, Jo's mouth opened wider, and the ringing – that ear-bursting hum which had been plaguing her since her resurrection, was coming out of her mouth. The brothers clutched at their ears, desperately trying to shut out the reverberation. Dean even made an attempt to shield Jo from the sound, but the din was so loud when he was close to her, he felt his ears start to bleed, and fell back.

The 'recording' stopped then, and Joanna's eyes and mouth closed as her fragile body slumped back on to the cot. It was hard to believe such a momentous revelation had come from someone so slight, so delicate, so human. Joanna Beth Harvelle was the key to Heaven. She was the key to the salvation of so many souls. Loved ones, families, fond memories and soulmates. She had to help them all now, and Dean couldn't shield her from that.

Hours passed and Jo still slept. When Bobby returned from Des Moines, they undertook the unenviable task of relaying the events of the day to him. Dean wished for all the world they could keep it from him, so that nobody else would have to know what they did. Understandably, his mind went to one place first.

"Karen? Did he say anything about Karen?"

"No, Bobby, I'm sorry," Sam answered, finally.

The look on Bobby's face, and how his posture slumped reminded Dean of how his Dad had looked in the months after Mary's death. To Bobby, he'd just lost Karen all over again. In that moment Dean wished he could summon Cas and make him answer for everything he was doing. Make him look Bobby in the eye and see the devastation he was causing. But he knew it was of no use. It would be a long time before Cas would be answering Dean's prayers – if ever.

That night, as he sat by Jo's bed, monitoring her vitals, Dean thought back to the moment he'd lost his best friend. His blood had frozen in his veins the first time he saw that vacant look in those normally piercing blue eyes. Castiel had 'checked out'. Each scrap of humanity that he had earned from building their friendship had been wiped clean from him. Cas was no longer an ally – he was now the most powerful foe they had ever faced, and he knew he was out of the Winchester's league. Worse than that, he knew their thoughts, and that Dean and Sam were well aware that they were powerless against him. Ironically, this had been their one saving grace. Castiel didn't wish to waste time on them – he had bigger plans now. Feeling equivalent to a piece of dirt on the sole of a former friend's shoe is not the greatest feeling in life. It's even worse if it's true.

In the months that followed, the hunters looked for signs that things were changing – but nothing significantly had. Crowley had gone missing, and demons and monsters were few and far between. Maybe the presence of a more vengeful God had scared them into hiding, or maybe they realised that the torment of humankind was now a job for someone else. Whatever the cause, hunters all over the world were reporting a drop in cases. Even though Castiel's ascension seemed to spell the end for the forces of good, the reality was the opposite. Goodness was prevailing. Deep down, Dean had hoped that this meant Cas had had a change of heart. After today, he berated himself for being so naive.

Jo's eyes flickered a handful of times before opening wide. They looked around the room, as if making sense of where she was. Finally, they came to rest on Dean. Startled, Jo sat up in the bed, and clutched at her chest with one hand. As her breathing slowed, she stared Dean in the eye. He knew by the look on her face that she had remembered everything. She knew of the burden crushing down on her. She rested her palms on the top of her head and slid them down her cheeks, almost willing the memory to erase itself from her mind again. She looked to Dean once again, and the pain he saw written across her face was almost enough to break him. Although he wasn't responsible for anything happening to her, he knew what that burden felt like. He knew what it was like to be called upon for something you never signed up for. He wanted to tell her that he understood, that she was strong, that they'd figure everything out together. But Dean Winchester was never good with words, so he simply said, "I'm sorry."

And Jo Harvelle broke down.

A/N: If you're a Cas fan and you're not completely happy with where things are going, please stick with me, I love him too and will do him justice :)