"Holy shit." Dean breathed an hour later. The boys rolled over the border of Souix Falls, Castiel having popped them to an abandoned highway outside the town.

Stretched beyond the windshield is a shimmering, rippling wall of heat, and the brothers could already feel it engulfing the car. The trees they passed seemed dry and withered, quickly dying in the sudden heat wave. Already the grass was yellow, and a sharp breeze whipped sand and dust across the road in front of them. The sun appeared larger than normal, and there was not so much as a single cloud in the sky. As they drove to the center of town, they saw only a small smattering of people, mostly with scarves over their head to protect them from the harsh sun. They all moved slowly, as if all sick or exhausted.

The brothers pulled up in front of the sheriff's house, the old '67 engine rumbling in protest as Dean shut it off.

"No car." Sam noted. "Think she's home?" The pair just stared about for a moment. Then, the older Winchester shook his head.

"Let's find out."

Shoving open his door, the air was so hot he suddenly felt as though he had walked face-first into a brick building. It was dry, and already he could feel his throat aching for water. He grumbled a quiet protest, shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand as he slammed the door closed with the other. Sam clambered out of the car with a similar reaction, squinting about as he pulled out the duffle bag and his laptop before closing his door as well. Dean was already making his way to the front door.

He had barely knocked when the door swung open. "Oh man, are you guys a sight for sore eyes." Jody exclaimed as she swept Dean into a hug. "Come in, come in!" She stepped aside to let him pass.

"Seems like Souix Falls can't ever catch a break." Sam noted with a smile as he climbed up the steps.

Jody hugged him too, smiling tiredly. "Sam! So good to see you." She gestured him through the door. "How have you two been? What have you been up to?"

Sam chuckled softly, dropping his eyes to the ground. "That's a long story. Where are the girls?"

"Claire's away at college, thank whoever's listening. She's actually doing really well. And I sent Alex to stay with Donna while I sort this out." Jody explained, following the boys into the house and then leading the way down the hall.

"Ah, more important question," Dean grumbled, wiping sweat off his forehead "What the hell is wrong with your A.C.?"

Jody shook her head. "Not working. The electricity went out, and no matter what the work crews try to do to fix it, they can't seem to get it back on. Souix Falls is falling back to Ye Ol' Times."

"Well that's just fan-freaking-tastic!" Dean grunted.

"Hey, where are we going?" Sam asked as they passed the living room.

"Basement." Jody told them "It's the coolest room in the house right now."

"When did this all start?" Dean asked as they descended the steps to the basement. He breathed a sigh of relief as a wave of cool air washed over him.

"About two weeks ago." Jody replied "At the start of the new moon." They looked at her, surprised. "Yeah, I checked!" She confirmed, hands on her hips "Ever since the vampires, I've been keeping an eye on the lunar paths, weather fluctuations, cattle death, and anything else that might hint to a rise in supernatural activity." She strode over to a small gas lamp, flicking it on. "Any heads up I can get, you know?"

"Alright, well, if it started at the beginning of the lunar cycle, then that confirms who I think it is." Sam dropped his duffle bag near the bottom of the steps and pulled out his laptop.

"Oh, sweetie, that won't work here." Jody told him, gesturing to the laptop.

"...What?"

"No electricity, no internet." She explained with a shrug. "Phone lines went dead shortly after, and even the signal on cells is sparse. I was lucky to get through to you two."

Sam looked utterly lost, opening and closing his mouth a few times. Dean chuckled. Shaking his head and clearing his throat, Sam tucked his precious laptop away.

"Set." He proclaimed as he dug through the duffle bag, pulling out an old, worn book.

"Of course I'm set. Just tell us already." Dean asked, frowning. Jody looked between them curiously.

"No, not-" Sam gave Dean an exasperated look "Set. As in the Egyptian god of deserts, storms, disorder, and violence."

"Oh, well, that sounds fabulous." Jody exclaimed, putting her hands back on her hips.

"Well, he's no picnic in the park, that's for sure." Sam returned with a chuckle. "Apparently he dismembered his brother, Osiris, and spread the parts all around Egypt. And then he raped both his nephew, Horus, and his sister, Isis."

"Lovely." The sheriff breathed, collapsing into a small folding chair with a sigh.

"How do we find him?" Dean asked gruffly.

Sam cracked open the book, flipping through the pages. "Well, despite having a nasty reputation, he's also the god of oases, and all he eats is... lettuce..."

Dean raised an eyebrow at that. "Lettuce? Seriously? What is he, a rabbit?"

Sam shrugged "That's just what the lore says." He turned to Jody. "Any places in Souix Falls seemingly unaffected by this drought?"

"Or have a sudden rise in lettuce intake?"

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Non-desert wise, only one that I can think of." She said, and her voice sounded a little sad.

The brothers frowned. "Where?" Sam asked.

She looked between them. "Bobby's old place."

Neither said a word. but they both looked at each other before dropping their gazes away. The three were lost in their memories of their old companion for a moment; to the boys, he had been like a second father. To Jody... maybe he could've been more than a friend at times.

"The house was destroyed." Sam said finally, breaking the silence. "Where is Set staying?"

Jody shrugged. "Maybe the old shed or barn? One of the old out buildings? Maybe he's dug a place underground? All I know is the trees and grass there look fine and from the road I thought I saw what looked like a pond or something."

"Certainly sounds like an oasis to me." Sam agreed.

"Alright well how do we kill the bastard?" Dean pressed, tone a little angry.

Sam looked back down at the book. "Well, according to lore, he was kept in iron chains after killing his brother and attacking his nephew, and guarded by one of his wives, Taweret." He turned the page skimming the contents. "So an iron weapon should do the trick, but it looks like its got to be dipped in cow's blood under moonlight."

"Great." Dean replied eagerly "We'll get the weapon made tonight, but we've got a few hours til moonrise so we should go scope out the property in the meantime. And restock on cow's blood."

Jody nodded. "I really appreciate you boys coming." She said with a sigh. "I'm sure you've got enough to worry about without all this crap too."

"Don't worry about it Jody." Dean replied, waving away her fretting. "You know we'd do anything for you."

"Still, after all you two have been through, especially after Mary–" The sheriff cut herself off, biting her lip. The boys' eyes both dropped to the floor, their faces tightening. She cleared her throat. "If anyone deserves a break, its you two."

Dean chuckled darkly. "We weren't exactly on vacation when you called." He muttered bitterly. "Far from it. Just trying to save the world again."

When the older woman looked between the brothers curiously, Sam sighed. "You know how God went off to bond with his sister again, right?" The sheriff nodded. "Well, after...everything with mom...he came back. Just briefly. To let us know he was leaving for good." He shuffled hesitantly "And to give us the God tablet."

"The God tablet?" Jody echoed. "What the hell is that?"

"His back up plan." Dean grumbled bitterly.

Sam glanced at him before continuing. "It was something he had made in secret, without Metatron. So its not really... as clear as the other tablets. But basically he told us that just before he used the last of the beginning of the universe essence to make the archangels and create the ...well, everything..., he saved a tiny portion of it. And when he made souls, he..." Sam dropped off, searching for the words "he wasn't really clear on what he did..."

"Basically, the bastard mixed some of his and his sister's essence into this universe mojo, and set it loose into the souls." Dean interjected. "So that someday, when all the stars aligned and yada yada, this ultimate power would pop into the world."

"Ultimate power?" Jody raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Yeah. A soul more powerful than any soul that ever was or any soul that would ever be." Sam explained.

Jody frowned. "So when's this soul supposed to turn up? And what's it supposed to do?"

Dean and Sam exchanged a look. "That's the thing. It's already turned up. Chuck gave us some clues as to where to find it, as well as the tablet."

"Wait, its already around?" The sheriff shook her head in disbelief. "Where? Or... who?" She frowned again. "Is it a who?"

"Its a she." Dean put in.

"We already found her." Sam told Jody. "She's back at the bunker."

The woman looked interested, but she quickly shrugged, as if it didn't particularly matter. "So what's so special about her soul, other than being super powerful or whatever? And what kind of power are we talking about here?"

"God power." Dean said, spinning a knife in his hand restlessly. Jody looked at him in surprise.

"She's supposed to be mother to the next God." Sam finished.

"Mother to the next God?" Jody echoed. "Is that even possible?"

"Apparently." Grumbled Dean. "And we've been looking for a way to slow down the process or stop it all together. But it looks like the girl's gonna have to pick a daddy soon."

The sheriff looked at Sam for an explanation. "She doesn't just... create a God." He offered. "Its gotta be born. Like a regular baby."

The woman's face became quizzically contemplative. "Which means it needs a father..."

Dean shook his head. "Sounds crazy, right?"

"Yeah..." She replied distractedly "Crazy..."

"So that's what we've been dealing with recently." Sam sighed, running one large hand through his long hair.

"See?" Dean smirked "No picnic. No vacation. Just work work work."

Jody didn't answer, seeming lost in her own thoughts. The brothers exchanged another look, small frowns forming on their lips.

"Jody?" Sam called softly.

Whatever trance she had been in, the officer suddenly snapped out of it, looking over at Sam with surprise. "What? Oh, sorry." She shook her head. "That's just a lot to wrap your head around, you know?"

"Oh, we know." Dean grumbled. "But let's deal with your pissy, old world god first. We'll worry about baby gods tomorrow."

Striding over to the duffle bag Sam had packed, he dug through until he found a pair of old iron daggers. He turned them over in his hands and ran his thumb along their edge. Jody eyed the blades and shifted a little, almost nervously.

"Is there a butcher nearby?" Sam asked Jody.

She nodded. "Yeah. Though everything its got is probably spoiled since the fridges would be down."

"Well, I'd rather start there than going to some field and killing a cow." The younger Winchester said, straightening up and sliding out of his coat.

"That'd be tough. What with all the cattle herds dead in their fields for miles around."

"Great." Sam sighed. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. "Do you have any water?"

Jody nodded, turning to face him. "Though water's in short supply here too. So unless you're on death's door, I'd hold off on drinking what we've got left."

"Deserts officially suck." Dean growled, kicking the duffle bag lightly.

Sam sighed again. "Alright, I guess you and me can hit the butcher's."

"I'm gonna sharpen these." Dean announced, twirling one skillfully in his hand. "Get everything else ready." He glanced at Sam briefly before looking back down at the knife. "Maybe check in with Cas and Hart..."

Sam nodded. "Sounds good. Let's go."

…... …... …... …...

"Dean, you still here?" Sam called out as him and Jody made their way back down into the basement. The sun was getting ready to set, faster than usual it seemed. Sam peered about when he reached the last step.

"Yeah. Right here." Dean scraped the sharpening stone along the blade one last time. He glanced out the tiny window near the ceiling. "Is it getting dark out already?"

Sam nodded, following his brother's gaze. "Seems to be." He looked over at Jody. "That been happening a lot?"

Jody shrugged. "I guess? I hadn't really noticed."

Sam wiped pearls of sweat from his forehead, dropping a plastic bag of half-congealed blood on a nearby table. "Luckily the butcher had some blood left. He was throwing out the rest of the spoiled meat when we popped in."

"Run into any other trouble?" Dean asked, looking up from his work, rubbing his upper lip against his shoulder. The collar of his shirt was damp, and he looked a bit more pink than usual from the heat.

"Just some thirsty, confused townsfolk." Jody sighed, adjusting her coat. "Everyone's been turning to me to try and solve this whole thing." She shook her head. "I don't even know what to tell them."

"Hopefully after tonight things will go back to normal quickly." Dean pointed out, tossing the sharpening stone back into the duffle bag. "God I can't wait to shank this bastard. I can't remember ever being this hot."

Sam pulled his shirt away from his chest, shaking it in an effort to send a breeze of relief to his hot core. "The sooner the moon comes up the better." he agreed.

Jody looked between the brothers. "I'll go get you guys a glass of water." She offered, turning and heading back up the stairs. "You've earned it."

"Thanks Jody." Sam said as she reached the top. She gave him a little wave as she disappeared through the doorway. He frowned slightly, still staring after her.

Dean sighed heavily. "I know that look."

His brother looked over at him. "What look?"

Dean pointed the dagger at him. "That look. That look right there. It means you've got a nerdy thought, and I'm about to hear about it."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Its nothing." He mumbled, then glanced back towards the stairs. "But... did you notice anything... strange about Jody?"

The older brother considered this for a moment. "No, not really. Why?"

Sam shook his head, shrugging. "Its probably nothing." He sighed again, running one hand through his sweat slicked hair. "But she almost grabbed the wrong bag of blood at the butchers. And the whole way there it was almost like she was stalling."

Dean shrugged as well. "Probably just your imagination, Sammy." He scoffed as he used his shirt to wipe the sweat off his forehead and brow. "This heat's messing with your head. Like she said, townsfolk are keeping her busy."

"Hear anything from Cas and Alex?"

He shook his head. "Couldn't get through... I'm sure they are fine though." He looked up at the sound of footsteps.

Jody returned that moment with two glasses of water. Both boys felt their dry mouths ache at the sight. They grabbed the glasses greedily, gulping down the clear liquid.

"Aren't you having any?" Sam asked Jody, pausing halfway through his glass.

"Hmm? Oh, no, I'm alright." The sheriff replied, waving his comment away with a small smile. "I had a few sips upstairs. Besides, we need to save what water we can."

The water was gone all too quickly, and the brothers returned the glasses to Jody almost sadly.

"Well, let's get this show on the road." Dean grumbled, picking up the daggers again. "The sooner we gank this god, the sooner I can drink my weight in water." He strode past the pair, and up the stairs. "And take an ice cold bath." He muttered under his breath.

Jody followed him, then Sam behind her, grabbing the bag of blood as he passed by it. Outside, the temperature remained sweltering.

"I thought deserts got cold at night." Sam mused, wiping his arm across his forehead with a sigh.

"Apparently not this one." Complained Dean, stomping over to his precious car.

The trio slid into the Impala and Dean turned the ignition, cranking up the air. The vents hissed and groaned.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" He snarled, smacking the wheel.

"What now?" Sam asked, frowning.

"The A.C. 's busted." Snarled the older Winchester, smacking the steering wheel again in frustration. He rolled down the window, grumbling softly, putting the old Chevy into gear and rolling backwards out of the driveway.

Sam groaned. "Of course it is."

"DAMNIT ITS TOO HOT!" Dean shouted, wiping at his brow. "I'm gonna gank this asshole so fast, he won't even realize he's dead til he's at the pearly gates. It's an expression Sam" He added quickly, raising his hand as his younger brother began to comment "Don't be a dork. I don't care where Egyptians believe they go when they die."

Jody just shook her head in the back seat. As the car rolled down the road, it quickly became darker and darker, and Sam stuck his head out the window, checking for the moon. At least, that's why he pretended he was sticking his head out the window. In reality, he just liked the breeze on his sweaty brow.

"Damn. Its been years since we were last here." Dean said solemnly as they turned onto the driveway of Bobby's old property. The old sign still hung overhead, though a few letters had fallen off. What once read Singer's Salvage Yard now read: SIN_ER'S SA_VAGE YAR_. A lot of plant growth had overrun the property, coating the abandoned cars and scrap, and as Jody had mentioned, it all seemed to be thriving, despite the heat.

As they rolled down the pothole filled gravel road, the trio peered out their respective windows at the forlorn looking property. Old car bodies were buried under new plant life like a mechanical graveyard. The out-buildings looked as though they might fall apart at any second, and a variety of wildlife darted out of their sight as they passed.

"We're here." Jody announced softly, nodding to the road ahead.

Where the old Singer house had once stood, a small pond now sat. It seemed almost peaceful with a few soft, young trees growing at its edge and a thin path leading to its bank. Dean pulled the Impala up next to the remnants of the porch, which went up two steps before crumbling away into nothing, and the three climbed out of the car, looking about.

"Seems pretty quiet." Sam noted warily, half-squinting as he peered around.

Dean reached back into the car, pulling out the daggers. "Maybe he's not here. Or not back for the night yet." He suggested. Hazel eyes glared glanced up at the sliver of moon, then he whistled softly to his brother. When Sam looked over, he tossed him one of the iron daggers. "Better get these prepped."

Sam nodded his agreement, and ducked his head down to grab the blood bag from the car. A small frown filled his face when he realized it wasn't where he had left it. Maybe it had slid to the back? As he searched, Dean wandered a few paces from the front of the car, while Jody stood watch near Sam.

"I'd feel better if I had a knife too." She called to Dean, who glanced over his shoulder at her.

He chuckled. "Better if you leave the dirty work to us." He returned, starting to turn back to the car. Then something tan caught his eye a dozen yards away.

Frowning, he pivoted back towards it, striding a few feet closer. When he recognized the car hidden behind a bush, his whole body stiffened.

"Dean, did you move the blood?" Sam shouted, torso still bent into the car.

Suddenly, a branch whacked into the back of his head, then the car door slammed against the back of his knees. The tall man crumbled into a heap, dazed and in pain. Dean spun, raising the dagger, his other hand going for the gun tucked into his belt.

"Looking for this?" Jody asked, holding the back of blood in one hand and Sam's dagger in the other. She smirked wickedly.

"Let me guess" Dean growled. "You're Set."

The sheriff's grin widened. "Bravo, Winchester." She sliced the dagger across the bottom of the bag, pouring out the blood on the dirt ground. "Want to see what you've won?"

"Where's Jody?" Dean shouted. He took a threatening step forward, brandishing the gun before him. Sam slowly gathered his feet under him, keeping low and searching for some sort of weapon without letting his eyes leave the imposter.

The old god spread Jody's arms wide. "Why, she's right here, sweetie!" It scoffed. She stomped through the blood, striding closer to the hunters. "Don't you want to come say hello?"

"Set was said to have helped ferry souls to the other side." Sam told Dean as he rose to his feet, drawing the demon knife from his belt. "He must be possessing her, or at least her body."

The three squared off. "Jody! If you can hear me, we're gonna get that thing out of you!" Dean roared, gravelly tones reverberating through the air.

Set/Jody smirked again, tossing aside the dagger. It landed a half-dozen yards away, skipping in the dirt. "I think I want to kill you arrogant pricks with my bare hands." It teased, then paused, looking down at its hands. "Well, these hands anyway. I think Sheriff Mills will really love the experience of ripping out your throats herself" She raised one finger, as if just remembering something. "Oh, and, by the way. Thanks for the information."

"What do you mean, what the hell are you talking about?" Snarled Dean angrily.

"Well, about the girl. This, mother of God you told me all about." A twisted smile filled Jody's face. "Now I know exactly where to go next, after I reduce this pathetic little town to sand and dust." She studied her fingernails. "I'll just make her do what I want, same as your friend here. Take that powerful soul of her's all for myself." She shrugged and laughed wickedly. "Maybe I'll even father the next God, who knows!"

"So she's not possessed." Sam breathed, then looked around desperately. "Which means he must be nearby, controlling her somehow."

"What do we do then?" Dean hissed.

"Why do you just shoot me?" Jody offered. "I'm sure it'll really poke a few holes in your relationship with Jody though." She/he laughed at his own joke.

"Maybe he's not fully corporeal." Sam reasoned quickly "If he was, he'd be here in person himself. He wouldn't need Jody. Or they'd both be here, divide our attentions"

"Well you'd better figure out what he's tied to, and fast." Dean said through gritted teeth.

"You're beginning to bore me." The old god sighed, and flicked a wrist. Dean was sent crashing through the undergrowth in front of the Impala, Sam tumbling away to the right. "Perhaps I should just kill you quickly, then go find this ultimate power you mentioned."

Dean rolled back to his feet quickly, backing away as he searched desperately for something he could use. His thigh bumped into Jody's car, and he glanced at it briefly. But then a thought occurred to him, and he peered into the windows.

Sam went to jump back up, but Jody was already there, and she delivered a quick kick to his face as he moved to stand. He fell backwards again, and before he could even roll over she had grabbed him by the front of his sweaty shirt.

"Tell me, Sammy." She purred, hoisting him up with more strength than a woman her size should ever have. "You've been soulless before. Wanna do it again?" She grinned wickedly again, and brought her other hand to his face.

As her fingertips hovered near his temples and forehead, a slicing, ripping pain shot through him. He screamed in agony, and a thin, wispy blue light began to emerge from between his slightly parted lips.

"HEY DICKBAG!" Dean shouted.

Jody turned, face scrunching up in rage. Dean stood behind them, near the Impala, holding the bloodied dagger she had sliced through the cow's blood. In his other hand, he held a canopic jar, the set-animal carved lid already removed. When she realized what he had, her eyes widened in fear and shock.

"NO!" She screamed, dropping Sam and spinning towards the other Winchester.

Dean upturned the urn, and a pair of withered, black lungs fell out, bouncing to the dirt ground. As her hand raised, the older Winchester dropped to his knees, plummeting the blood drenched dagger into the ancient organ. It burst and spun like a tiny tornado of sand.

A primeval scream erupted from Jody's mouth, steadily growing in volume until it became like a howling wind. A thick, tan colored smoke poured from her gaping jaw, like a sand storm, rising and twisting as if in pain up into the air until it ripped apart. Just as soon as it appeared, it dissolved into nothingness, and Jody collapsed onto the ground.

"Jody!" Dean called, running over.

Sam managed to claw his way closer to the sheriff, barely propping himself up. "Jody!" He gasped, voice hoarse and strained.

Dean reached the pair, dropping back to his knees and pulling the woman onto his lap. For a moment, she remained horribly limp, and both brothers feared the worse. All of a sudden, her body jerked and spasmed, and she began to cough.

"Jody!" Sam breathed in relief, smiling weakly.

"Dean," Jody heaved "Sam!" She reached out, grabbing Dean's shirt "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"It's ok. It's alright." Sam whispered, voice still sore and thin.

"It's over." Dean reassured her, taking her hand in his. "Everyone's fine. Let's just get you back to your place."

The sheriff nodded weakly. Dean helped her to her feet, where she stood by herself so the older Winchester could help his brother clamber up as well. As one the three hobbled to the Impala, past the tiny pile of sand on the ground by the canopic jar.

"What happened? I mean, what really happened?" Dean asked, once he had made sure the woman was settled into the back seat.

She winced painfully as she pulled her legs into the car. "An ancient Egyptian exhibit was passing through town, complete with a mummy and its canopic jars." She breathed, easing herself further into the car. "Some town miscreants stole one of the jars" she nodded to the open jar on the ground "Must have brought it here and opened it or dropped it." She groaned, drawing one hand to her head. "The heat and sand came shortly after, and I came out here to investigate after I sent Alex to Donna's and called you two."

"You found the jar, and as soon as you touched it, Set possessed you." Sam concluded, slowly settling into the front seat.

Jody nodded. "Or something to that effect. It was more like... distant mind control... I could see and hear everything, and he was in my head...reading my memories...pretending to be me...but..."

"It's ok. We've all been there." Dean reassured her again. "You're not a real hunter until you're possessed and trying to kill your friends at least once." He picked up the jar off the ground, replacing the destroyed remains of the lungs and the top. "Best make sure no one else opens this one." He said, offering it to her.

"Or the other three." Sam added "They come in sets of four." He noted when Dean shot him an incredulous look.

"Fucking great." Grumbled the older Winchester, wiping at his brow as he made his way around to the driver's side.

"I'll pack them up tight and send them off." Jody promised, quickly unzipping and removing her jacket. "God its hot!"

"Feels a bit cooler already though," Sam pointed out, rubbing at his throat with one hand.

"How about you, Sammy?" The older Winchester asked with concern, eyeing his brother. "You ok?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." A weak smile slipped across his lips. "Still have my soul."

"Sorry, again, about that..." Jody interjected guiltily. The boys just laughed softly.

Dean turned the key in the ignition, and suddenly cold air came blasting out of the vents. All three passengers sighed in relief. They all leaned closer to the vents, just enjoying the cool air.

"Deserts fucking suck, man." Dean reiterated.

As they made their way back to town, the ride was pleasantly quiet and blessedly short. They had just reached Jody's neighborhood when she finally broke the silence.

"So...was all that true?" She asked.

"Which part?" Dean asked, much cheerier with the A.C. on.

"The part about the mother of God, and something about finding a baby daddy."

Sam sighed tiredly. "Yeah. All true."

"Damn." Breathed Jody, leaning back. She studied the backs of their heads, as if she could see their faces. "...what's she like?"

Dean shrugged. "She's tough, a real spitfire, and stubborn. And god is she hot." He laughed at himself.

Sam rolled his eyes, glancing back at Jody. "She's really nice, and kind-hearted." Sam added fondly "Smart too."

Jody raised an eyebrow. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two had a crush on her." The sheriff poked, laughing a little.

The brothers' faces both fell a little as her words settled into them. Dean opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if to deny the fact. But he didn't. And Sam turned as if to argue with her. But he didn't either.

The older woman looked back and forth between the two of them, her eyes slowly widening. "Oh my god." One hand rose to her mouth.

They looked at each other, both again searching for words to say, but neither being able to. They pulled into Jody's driveway, where Dean parked and cut the engine. They sat together in silence for a moment, no one quite sure what to say.

"Although I'm sure this girl is as wonderful as you guys make her seem" Jody piped in finally, again the first one to break the silence "I hope you guys talk this out... weird as it may seem." She looked back and forth between them. "Better to be honest than to keep quiet to try to make things easier. It'll blow up in your faces in the long run." She reached out and patted their shoulders, one with each hand. "Just remember all you guys have been through. Together."

Dean chuckled softly, opening and closing his mouth again, and Sam cleared his throat noisily. Again they sat in silence for a moment.

"Right... Well, thank you guys again for everything." Jody said as she opened her car door. "I think I can take the rest from here."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked anxiously, climbing out his door, leaning heavily to support himself.

"You took quite a beating back there." Dean pointed out, opening his door as well.

The sheriff raised her hand, giving them a small smile. "Less than Sam did. And nothing I can't handle. You two have enough on your plate as it is. I can deal with the clean up."

"Well, you have our number if anything else comes up." Dean said, patting the roof of the Impala gently.

"Of course." Jody smiled, "Or you guys could just stop by for dinner sometime."

"I'd like that." Sam smiled back, bending down gingerly as she walked up to him, giving her a gentle hug.

"I'm in." Dean agreed, stepping to the front of the car to hug their friend as she walked around towards him.

She patted the side of his face fondly when they pulled apart, then looked over at Sam. "Don't be strangers. And...maybe bring this girl by sometime." A mischievous grin replaced her friendly smile "I'd like to meet her. After all, I missed out on meeting God."

Both brothers laughed, and Sam rubbed the back of his neck embarrassedly. "I'm sure you will, someday." He assured her.

They waved as she made her way up the steps to her front door. Suddenly a soft chime buzzed in Dean's pocket.

"Looks like the phones are back up." He commented, digging out his cell phone from his pocket.

"Who's it from?" Sam asked curiously, leaning against the Impala and looking over its top at his brother.

Dean's face scrunched up in confusion as he peered at the screen. "I think... its from Cas..."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You think?" His brother passed the phone over to him. Sam looked down at the message there. "Deeean, smiley-face, come mountain…. Back... blue...to bunker? ...miss...moose goose...arrow...too?" He guessed, trying to decipher the horrid combination of letters and symbols scrawled across the screen. It looked as though someone had smashed the keys and used whatever autocorrect had suggested to compose the message.

Passing the phone back Sam shrugged, just as confused as his brother. "I'm gonna call." Dean declared, punching a few buttons and shuffling nervously as he slid back into the driver's side of the car. Sam followed suit, dropping back into his own seat.

"Cas? What's going on? What the hell was that message, man?"