Harry stood in the shadows, cloaked by his magic so he couldn't be detected by anyone (or anything), and watched as Jo and Hermione kicked some demonic arse. When the Winchesters had called them – or more precisely, Sam had asked Hermione in one of their long and frequent phone conversations – and asked for their help, Harry had been reluctant to aid the two brothers. It was bad enough that he had found out they were withholding important information from him, but he was still seriously pissed off by Dean Winchester. Harry knew he should let the grudge go, especially seeing as he had to work with the brothers to stop the Apocalypse, but Harry was holding onto this grudge, for reasons even he didn't fully understand. Harry didn't want to look too closely at his emotions right now. He wouldn't admit it, but he was scared that if he examined them too closely, he might find something that he couldn't deal with.
Harry saw Hermione give one of the demons a right hook and winced slightly. That sure looked like it hurt, and Harry couldn't help but grin as the memory of Hermione punching the ferret, Draco Malfoy, the same way years ago came into his mind. It seemed like she hadn't lost that amazing punch that she claimed to have learnt at a woman's self-defence class years before. Harry saw Sam finish off the demon with the demon-killing knife.
"Nice work ladies." Dean sauntered over with a bag in his hands and Harry saw his sister roll her eyes in a playful manner at the way Dean had referred to her and Jo. Dean looked at her for a moment, before voicing the question that was in his gaze. "Ezekiel not joining us on this little mission?"
"He said he would be here when he was needed. He said that we could handle this part by ourselves."
Harry saw Dean open his mouth, no doubt to make some kind of smart-mouth reply, when Jo interrupted him. "Shall we?" Jo pulled out a pair of pliers.
Harry watched as the small group entered the building stealthily. He quickly connected with the power of the Hallows and felt for the presence of any souls. He immediately felt his sister, Jo and the two Winchester brothers, easily being able to identify each of them. He could also feel the souls of demons inside the building. Every soul had their own feel, a uniqueness that distinguished them from all else. Harry had learnt the feel of his sister's and uncle's souls long ago and could recognise them without trying. He was just learning the Winchesters', deciding that if he needed to work with them, then he should learn all he could about them. The demons' souls dripped with corruption, so much that it was almost overwhelming. Harry could hardly believe that people could be twisted so much that there wasn't even the smallest spark of humanity left in them. Harry's eyes snapped open when he felt two of the demonic souls inside the impressive building extinguish.
Harry silently appeared in the shadows behind his sister and observed what was happening, ready to jump in if there was some kind of threat posed.
"You wouldn't happen to know where the Devil is, by any chance, would you?" Sam is asking, an almost sarcastic yet hopeful tone in his voice.
Crowley appears to be thinking deeply, a small frown on his lips. "Thursday... birdies tell me he has an appointment in Carthage, Missouri."
Sam nods. "Great. Thanks." He raises the gun, points it at Crowley's head, and pulls the trigger. Nothing happens, and Harry rolls his eyes. He knew that some demons weren't renowned for their genius levels of intelligence, but he was amazed that the Winchesters thought Crowley was some kind of idiot. You didn't get to his level in the demonic world by being stupid.
"Oh yeah, right, you probably need some more ammunition," Crowley says calmly, and walks away to his desk. He smirks as he throws the small bag in his hand to Dean, who catches it with a scowl.
"Uh, excuse me for asking, but aren't you kind of signing your own death warrant? I mean what happens to you if we go up against the Devil and lose?" Dean asks.
"Number one, he's gonna wipe us all out anyway. Two, after you leave here, I go on an extended vacation to All Points, Nowhere. And three, how about YOU DON'T MISS? OKAY? MORONS?" Crowley glowers at the Winchesters and turns away from them. Harry decided that he had enough in the shadows and allowed his anti-detection spells dissolve. He saw Crowley stiffen as soon as he felt Harry's presence.
"Well, maybe you guys have a chance after all." Crowley turned slowly and looked Harry up and down. "I've not felt something as powerful as you in a long time. I don't think Lilith even had the power that is rolling off you in waves."
"It's so good to know that we have your support in this." Harry kept his tone carefree, but there was a dangerous and sarcastic edge to it that everyone picked up on.
"What are you? You're no demon, I can tell that much." Crowley narrowed his gaze. "You have an almost…..pure, angelic edge to you. But there is something darker underneath – a shadow."
"What I am is of little concern to you." Harry turned his back on the demon before him. "You should go and plan that holiday. Lucifer isn't the easiest thing to hide from."
"And yet you manage to remain hidden from him and for this long as well. I'm impressed."
Dean watched as the Seraphim looked at the demon, turning swiftly. Ezekiel's gaze was hard as he evaluated Crowley with emerald eyes. "I will not always remain hidden from him. He will discover me eventually. Sooner rather than later. And when that happens, I expect him to stop at nothing to reach me. For your sake, you should find a hole and hide in it if you value your pitiful, demonic afterlife." The Angel left the room silently, his pace steady and graceful, leaving behind a demon that seemed to have no reply.
Dean chuckled to himself as he watched Ellen pour shots of some form of hard liquor into glasses set before Castiel. Jo was sat with her mother, a mystified expression on her face, and Hermione was sat with Castiel. She had a brilliant smile on her face as she watched the Angel and Dean could easily see why his brother found her attractive. But as pretty as she was, Dean found his gaze wandering to the figure stood behind Castiel, a hand on his shoulder in support. Ezekiel had a blank expression on his face, but Dean could see an almost invisible spark in his brilliant green eyes.
"I think I am beginning to feel something." Dean saw Ellen smirk in humour and confusion and the two younger women giggle.
"You aren't feeling anything, Castiel." Ezekiel's silky voice filled the room, sending an involuntary shiver down Dean's spine. "You know that alcohol affects the human vessel that you are in, not you."
"I don't get it." Jo looked at the Seraphim in confusion. Dean felt some emotion well up in his chest as he saw Ezekiel give her a small smile, but he crushed it before it could be defined.
"The biology of the vessel doesn't normally affect the angelic presence inside it. It takes an external supernatural force to connect the body to the soul of the angel. Just like a bullet wouldn't kill an angel, alcohol only affects the physical body."
Dean turned from the Seraphim and paid more attention to what his brother was saying next to him. Dean gripped his beer tighter and focused.
"It's gotta be a trap, right?"
Dean smiled, amused. "Sam Winchester, having trust issues with a demon. Well, better late than never."
Sam smirks at his older brother and raises his beer bottle in a silent salute. "And thank you again, for your continued support."
"You're welcome," Dean replies. Dean clinks the bottles together and takes a long drag of his beer. "You know, trap or no trap, if we've got a snowball's chance, we've gotta take it right?" Dean says, his gaze turning serious.
Sam shrugs, absently picking at the label on his beer bottle. "Yeah, I suppose."
"Besides, I'm not sure it is a trap," Dean says. "Check it out." He showeds Sam some papers that he had next to him. "I mean, Carthage is lit up like a Christmas tree with Revelation omens. And, look at this. There's been six missing persons reported – in town – since Sunday. I think the Devils there."
"Okay," Sam agrees easily, confident in his brother's research and Hunting skills.
"But if we think about it," Dean says carefully, "you can't come with us."
"Dean," Sam tries to cut in, but Dean keeps talking over him, desperately trying to win an almost impossible battle with his younger sibling.
"Look, I go get Satan and screw the pooch? Okay. Yeah, we've lost a game piece. That we can take. But if you're there, then we are handing the Devil's vessel right over to him. That's not smart."
Sam rolls his eyes. "Since when have we ever done anything smart?"
"I'm serious, Sam," Dean replies.
"So am I," Sam snaps. "Haven't we learned a damn thing? If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it together."
They look at each other for a long moment, until Dean sighs and picks up his beer. He knew it was an impossible argument to win. "Okay. But it's a stupid frigging idea." Dean allows his eyes to wander back to the Seraphim, who was currently downing drinks in what seemed like a race against his angelic uncle. Dean forced his gaze away from the dark-haired angel, determined to get his mind away from the one topic that he didn't want to contemplate in what could be his last living hours. He allowed his gaze to rove over the room, trying to find something else to settle on. He found it in Jo wandering over to the fridge.
"Boy. Talk about stupid ideas," Sam comments, catching his brother's attention. Dean could see Sam raise an eyebrow at him and shook his head silently. He knew what his brother would want to talk about, and it involved a certain Seraphim of the Lord and ridiculously romantic notions. Sam stared Dean down for a moment, before sighing and getting up. With one last look at his older brother, he quietly went and sat next to Hermione, who greeted him with a brilliant and sweet smile.
Dean watched his brother for a minute, before turning his brain off so thoughts of a green-eyed Seraphim couldn't invade them and turned to watch Jo get something out of the fridge. "Good God," Dean says to himself quietly. "Screw that." He gets up and wanders over to where the blonde is leaning against the counter. He didn't want to think right now, he just wanted to act and have some goddamn light-hearted banter and fun.
"Hey," Dean smiles, and gives Jo his classic Dean Winchester smile – the smile that had gotten him into more women's beds across the country than he could count.
"Hey," she replies.
"So. Dangerous mission tomorrow," Dean comments, leaning back on the counter. Jo nods. "Guess it's time to eat, drink, and – you know," Dean says, a flirtatious edge to his voice.
"Make merry." Jo looks at him, an eyebrow raised in question. "Are you giving me the 'Last Night On Earth' speech?"
"What?" Dean says. "No! No. If I was, would – would that work?"
She smiles, then puts her hand on the side of his head, leaning close enough to kiss him and so Dean could feel her warm breath, then stops. "No. Sweetheart, if this is our last night on Earth, then I'm going to spend it with a little thing I call self-respect." She laughs.
Dean shrugs, as though he didn't care. Dean was actually secretly relieved that she hadn't taken him up on his offer. "If you're into that kind of thing."
Jo laughed again, shaking her head in amusement. But she stopped when she raised her head and gave a sigh of appreciation. "However, if it were him who was offering….."
Dean looked up and saw Ezekiel wandering towards the fridge, apparently sent by Ellen to get another bottle of liquor. Ezekiel stopped just before them when he heard Jo's comment and raised a black eyebrow in question. "If I were offering what?"
Jo smirked at him. "If you offered to make my last night on Earth memorable, I would jump at the chance."
Dean saw the Angel's other eyebrow join his other one as he looked over the blonde. What Dean wasn't expecting was a flirtatious little grin to grace Ezekiel's features. Dean couldn't help but stare in amazement at the show of emotion the Seraphim was displaying and had to squash a flare of jealousy that the grin wasn't directed at him.
"Really? I did not know you wanted to jump me Jo. You should have just asked – I would be more than happy to oblige you. Just not in front of your mother eh?"
Jo gave a huge laugh and smiled at Ezekiel. "Oh I would love to get you alone." Jo's gaze swept the Seraphim's body. Dean followed her gaze. The Seraphim was certainly good-looking. "The things I could do with that amazing body of yours…"
Ezekiel opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Bobby. Dean was secretly relieved that Bobby's usual bad timing was working to his advantage. Dean forced those thoughts out of his mind and was pushed into place by his brother, who had apparently seen the entire exchange between Jo and Ezekiel. There was a playful banter going on as Bobby set the camera to automatic, but it was completely ruined by Castiel's bluntness. Dean felt all his tension make a reappearance and couldn't help it as his thoughts turned back to his regrets. And his biggest regret was stood right next to him, scowling at his uncle for ruining the night's fun. Dean caught his brother's eye from where he was stood, his arm lightly wrapped around Hermione's waist. The sympathy and worry that Sammy was directing at him was too much and he had to turn away.
Harry stood still, a blank expression carefully arranged on his face as he looked around him. There were so many Reapers. He could feel them weighing heavily on him, his power as Master of Death automatically weaving around his soul and mingling with his Grace and magical core. He closed his eyes and allowed the powers to combine. It wasn't something he did very often; he preferred to keep them separate. But as the Apocalypse progressed and the End came nearer and nearer, he found himself using all of his powers at once more often.
A car pulled up a short distance from him, and Harry could feel the souls of his sister, Jo and Ellen inside. He kept his expression carefully neutral as they got out of the car and joined the Winchester brothers a few metres away from him. He stuffed all of his emotions into his little mental box at the back of his mind and carefully made his way over to the group.
"Have you seen Cas?" Ellen asks the group, glancing between them, her gaze settling on Harry.
"What? He was with you," Sam replies, a heavy frown gracing his features.
"Nope. He went after the Reapers," Ellen says, a worried frown on her face. It was reassuring that Castiel had people who were genuinely worried about him, but it did nothing to help Harry's apprehension about the entire situation. Castiel was a powerful angel, but they could not normally feel Reapers unless they made a great effort to, even a group of Reapers this size.
"Reapers?" Dean repeats, his gaze darting around, looking unconsciously for something he knew he wouldn't be able to see.
"He saw Reapers? Where?" Sam asks.
"Well kind of... everywhere," Jo replies. The brothers look at each other, concern evident in their gazes.
Harry took a small step closer to the group. "There are many Reapers here. They only come at times of great disaster or if they are forced here by Supernatural means."
Dean watched as Ezekiel continued to look around at the empty space around them intently, almost as if he could see the Reapers. Dean didn't know that Angels could see Reapers; Castiel had never mentioned it to them. Dean was about to turn away from the Seraphim, when Ezekiel suddenly raised his right hand, the black stone on his ring flashed eerily for a second. Dean heard Ellen and Jo gasp, and turned to see what was wrong. Surrounding them were hundreds of familiar looking men in black suits. Before he could react, they faded from sight. Dean forced down all the motions that he was feeling at such a powerful display by the Seraphim, but it wasn't the first time he wondered just how powerful the Angel really was. He completely ignored what had just happened and continued as though the Angel had never even spoken. "Well this is great, we've only been in town for twenty minutes and we've already lost one angel up our sleeve," Dean says, pulling his shotgun higher as the group set off down the road.
"You think Lucifer got him?" Sam wonders, his brown eyes on the stoic Seraphim.
"I dunno what else to think," Dean replies.
"I really hope – as should you - that Lucifer hasn't got to Castiel. And not just because we all know what he would do to him." Hermione's voice was quiet and calm, although there was a worried edge to it. She was right next to Sam, and had only commented loud enough so that the brothers could hear her.
"What do you mean?"
"Lucifer was sent to Hell before Ezekiel was born and so doesn't know that he has inherited his Mother's Grace and rank. If he found out just how much power he has, Lucifer will stop at nothing to get him on his side." Hermione had a frown on her face and her eyes shone with fear and worry for her brother. "He would never join Lucifer. He would rather die first. And that is what I fear more than anything."
Sam put his arm around the brunette. "We aren't going to let that happen. We are a team and we will stick together until the end. Right Dean?"
Dean opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a female voice. "There you are." The group turned and saw a lone woman standing a little way off from them.
"Meg," Sam says, a hard edge to his voice. Sam takes his arm off Hermione's shoulder, but steps forward so that his taller frame is completely shielding her.
Meg smiles and shakes her head. "Shouldn't have come here, boys. And neither should your little friends." Meg glanced at the brunette behind Sam, a malicious gleam in her eyes. Sam glared at her, but it was Ezekiel that stepped forward, anger slipping out from behind his careful mask.
"Yeah, I could say the same thing for you," Dean says, walking forward and aiming the Colt at her.
"Didn't come here alone, Deano," Meg says. Beside her, there's a splash in one of the puddles and growling echoes all around the group.
Dean glances around nervously, the hand holding the Colt shaking almost unperceptively. "Hellhounds."
"Yeah Dean! Your favourite," Meg says, the malicious and manic gleam increasing with every second. "Come on boys. My father wants to see you. And I'm sure he would love to meet your little girlfriend Sam." Sam moved back so he was closer to Hermione, but Ezekiel stepped closer to the demon, his mask almost completely gone. Meg gave him a sweet smile. "But more than them, he can't wait to meet you. He has just found out all about you, Ezekiel. He felt you as soon as you came to the town. So, let's get moving people."
"I think we'll pass, thanks," Sam says.
"Your call," Meg says. "You can make this easy, or you can make it really really hard."
Dean glances back at Ellen, who nods. He looks back at Meg. "When have you known us to ever make anything easy?" He shoots the hellhound next to her even though he can't see it, and blood sprays. The entire group, minus Ezekiel run towards the closest building. Hermione and Sam are the first there, Sam using his height and weight to push open the door.
Dean is just about to run after the group, when a Hellhound is too quick for him and pins him to the floor, its putrid and hot breath scorching his face. He vaguely hears Jo shouting his name as he struggles to keep the snapping jaw away from him. He screams at the blonde to run, but she ignores him. Dean struggles harder as the Hellhound is getting dangerously close to his face and neck. But it suddenly slumps and Dean looks at Jo in surprise as she finishes it off with a few more rounds. His surprise turns to horror, however, when an invisible force knocks into her from behind. Blood pours from her stomach as the Hellhound claws her roughly. Jo's screams pierce the air.
Dean rushed forward as Jo falls to the floor, the Hellhound put down by shots from his brother and Ellen. Dean tries to stem the blood flow, but there is just so damn much! Sam and Ellen are still a distance away from them, and Dean freezes when he hears growls, low and menacing, really close to him and Jo. Dean braces himself as the growls get louder and closer, but a figure is suddenly between him and the Hellhound. Ezekiel stands in front of them, his right hand raised, shadows weaving out of the black stone on his ring. Dean looks up and sees that the Hellhound has appeared as a shadowed form when the tendrils from the ring reach it. Meg is shouting in rage and the Hellhound makes to jump at the Angel. Dean moves to help Ezekiel, but before he can, the Hellhound is on the Seraphim, one of its claws catching his shoulder. Dean can do nothing but gawp as a silver blade appears in the Seraphim's hand and he efficiently kills it, the shadowed form slumping to the ground.
Dean picked up Jo and they run to join the group in what appears to be the town hardware store. As Sam chains the door shut, invisible weights bounce off the door and frustrated howls echo around the group. Dean ignores the trail of blood behind him and gently lays Jo down on the floor. Dean feels the worry well up inside him as he takes in just how badly hurt she is. He shakes his head and moves out of Ellen's way as she swiftly moves to her daughter's side.
After Dean has quickly and efficiently salted all the doors and windows, he looks around. Sam is fiddling with the radio, Ellen is whispering to Jo and trying to stop the bleeding, and Hermione is stood with a shirtless Ezekiel. They appear to be arguing about the deep scratch on his shoulder. Not a second later, Hermione is shouting at her brother.
"Harry, it is going to hurt like hell. If we just bandage you, we can heal it properly later."
Ezekiel didn't even acknowledge the slip of the name 'Harry'. He grabbed his sister's hand and rubbed soothing circles over the back of it, whispering calmly to her. She reluctantly nodded a minute later and pulled a small glass vial out of her back. She looked at it for a second, before handing it to Ezekiel. Hermione didn't even glance back as she walked over to help Sam. Dean turned from where he was watching his brother and Hermione and saw Ezekiel watching him. The Seraphim beckoned him over with a slight wince of pain.
"I need your help with this. Hermione refuses to, because she thinks I'm stupid to do it this way."
Dean nodded, but couldn't help the question that slipped out. "Why doesn't she agree?"
"Because this way is extremely painful and will leave a scar." Ezekiel suddenly met Dean's gaze. "But I have to heal as fast as possible. The scratch from a Hellhound is sapping my energy gradually as my body tries to heal it. I need as much as my energy as I can gather – to find my Uncle, avoid Lucifer and…to help Jo."
Dean looked over to where the blonde was being hugged by her mother, and nodded silently to the Angel. "Good." Ezekiel handed him the glass vial. "I can't reach it properly, but I need you to pour all of the contents of this over the scratch. Don't stop until it is empty."
Dean uncorked the vial and almost jumped his shock when the Seraphim grabbed his other hand in his own. Dean shook himself and tried to ignore the contact as he quickly tipped the lime green liquid over the scratches. He watched, in morbid fascination, as the wounds began to bubble and smoke. He saw the skin knit together, but couldn't watch anymore, because the hand gripping his own tightened a hell of a lot and he looked up at the Seraphim's face. Ezekiel had his eyes clenched shut, he was biting his lip so hard he was almost breaking the skin and his breathing was shallow. As soon as it started, it was over and Dean glanced at where the wound was, only to see fresh scars. Ezekiel's breathing evened out and he suddenly seemed to realise that he was gripping Dean's hand. He pulled away and put his t-shirt back on.
"So," Dean said, partly out of curiosity and partly to cover up his disappointment at the loss of contact with the Angel. "Why can't we use some of that on Jo?"
The Angel turned back to the Hunter and answered, a sad look on his features. "That was a potion and it requires a magical core – something that one is born with –to make it work. It only works on myself and Hermione. But I'm going to try and heal Jo."
Ezekiel walked away and knelt next to Jo, indicating that Ellen should move back to make room for him, which she did reluctantly. Dean moved closer, careful not to disturb the Angel. Sam and Hermione were still at the radio, telling Bobby what had happened and getting information out of him about where Lucifer could be and what his plans could be. A blinding light filled the room, and Dean looked quickly at Jo, hoping that the Seraphim had healed her. But Jo was just as pale and injured as before. Dean felt his grief well up inside him again.
"Why didn't it work? What is wrong?" There was an edge of desperation in Ellen's voice.
"The Hellhound bite works its way into a person's body. As I try to heal her, the bite fights my Grace from the inside. I need to get behind it, and close it in somehow. But, I can't get my Grace inside her, the bite resists it!" Ezekiel stood and ran a rough hand through his hair in frustration.
"Don't" Everyone turned and looked at the pale blonde as Jo tried to sit up straighter. "Don't blame yourself. This is nobody's fault. If I can give you the chance to kill Lucifer, I would die a thousand times to stop the Apocalypse."
"You're not going to die! You hear me? I won't let that happen!" Ellen had tears running down her cheeks.
"Mom, please." Jo gave her a weak smile. "I could maybe take some of the Hellhounds with me – give you guys a chance." Jo turned a forced smirk to Ezekiel. "You know, I should have followed through on that offer that I gave you."
Ezekiel looked down at Jo from where he was stood a few metres away. The smile on his face was forced, but still breath-taking. "I knew you wanted to jump me, Jo. I'm just too damn good-looking."
Jo gave a stuttering laugh. "Yeah, just so damn sexy." The sarcasm was dripping from Jo's words. "I didn't even get a kiss."
Ezekiel suddenly froze. "A kiss….." he muttered. No one, not even Jo, could predict his next move, With grace, Ezekiel suddenly knelt down next to Jo, placing a softly glowing hand on her stomach over the bloody wound. He gently held her face with his other hand and pressed his lips to hers. Everyone just stood gawping as a faint light emitted from their joined lips. A second later, Ezekiel pulled away and stood up, swaying slightly on his feet.
"Jo…" Shock was evident in Ellen's voice and everyone turned to see that Jo was completely healed. Jo stood slowly and looked down at the unmarred skin on her stomach.
"You…..you healed me."
"Yes. I told you that I needed to heal you from the inside and outside, but the Hellhound bite stopped me from going through the wound. Then you mentioned a kiss and I thought that I could use my Grace in my breath and send it through your lungs. It was the only way I could think of."
"Thank you." Jo stared at the angel for a moment, before he cleared his throat. She hastily continued. "So, we still need to get out of here and find Lucifer."
"Bobby has found out where Lucifer will be raising Death." Sam tore his gaze away from Jo and Ezekiel and continued. "We just need a distraction for the Hellhounds."
"I'll do it." Everyone, once again, turned to stare at the Seraphim.
"No way!" Hermione stalked over to him and poked him in the chest. Dean had to admit, she looked scary when she was angry. "You have used loads of energy to heal Jo. You can't do this as well! I'll do it."
"There is not a chance in hell I'm letting you do this Hermione. Besides, I have enough energy for this. And I'm the only one who can see them and make them visible." Ezekiel tapped the ring on his finger and stared his sister down. Everyone saw the moment Ezekiel won the silent argument when Hermione's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Besides," Ezekiel's voice was soft. "I need you to go and find Castiel and make sure he is ok."
"Ok, so now that we have that sorted, we need to get to work." Sam, ever the voice of reason, took over the situation. "Hermione, Jo and Ellen will go and find Castiel. As soon as you find him, get him to zap you straight to Bobby's house. Dean and I are going to go and face Lucifer and hopefully stop the Horseman of Death."
"Ezekiel needs a distraction for the Hellhounds." Ellen's voice was even and calm, although she still had tear stains over her face and kept glancing at Jo, almost as if to reassure herself that her daughter was really ok and still alive. "We can build a bomb out of the stuff in here, and he can blow it up once everyone is out of the building and he can zap himself out before the bomb goes off if we set it up right. That should be distraction enough for him to kill the last few Hellhounds still out there."
"Sounds like a plan." Sam nodded. "Let's get to work."
Dean had almost finished building his portion of the multiple bombs that they were placing around the building when Jo came and stood next to him. Ellen was explaining to Ezekiel how the trigger and timer worked, and Sam was showing Hermione how to build the bomb, explaining each individual part. They were out of hearing distance and distracted, just as Jo seemed to want it.
"So," Jo watched as he fiddled with a few wires. "What is going on with you and Ezekiel?"
Dean's hands stilled on the wires, before he carried on. "I have no idea what you mean."
Jo rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't. You can't pretend that something isn't going on between you two."
Dean finally looked up. "There isn't anything going on between us and nothing ever will. So, if you want him, go ahead."
Jo stared at him for a moment. "Dean, I don't want him. That was a bit of banter between friends. I saw how you looked when he was flirting with me last night. And when he kissed me today. And you keep sending him these looks – I think he is the only one who doesn't notice them because everyone else sure as hell has. And I think he feels the same – although it is a little difficult to tell."
"I…" Dean saw Jo raise an eyebrow when he started to protest and knew that he couldn't lie to her. "Ok, I like him. But nothing is going to happen. He definitely doesn't feel the same about me. And there is the fact that he is an angel without a body. The meatsuit he is wearing has its original owner still stuck inside. There is no use pining over something that can never happen."
"Dean, you should at least try. Who knows how much time we have before the world officially ends? You deserve some happiness, more than anyone I know. Talk to him, and you will see that I'm right. What's the worst that can happen to you?"
"How about he smites me and throws my ass back into the hotbox downstairs?" Dean stood up. "This is done. Let's get going."
Harry panted as he killed the last of the Hellhounds. The Hardware store behind him was still roaring with flames and he allowed the knife that he had conjured to channel the power of the Hallows so he could kill the Hellhounds dissolve. He had used a hell of a lot of energy so far, and everything was becoming an effort. Most of his Grace was used healing Jo. The first time he tried, he had used the usual amount, but as he became more frustrated and upset that it wasn't working, he forced more and more of his Grace to heal Jo. By the time he had actually healed the blonde, his Grace was low and would take time to build back up. His power from the Hallows was low as well – killing Hellhounds wasn't as easy as one might think and he had to put a lot of effort into killing them, whilst trying to save enough energy for when he faced the Horseman. Harry pooled together as much power as he could and transported himself to where he could feel twisted soul of Lucifer.
"Don't feel too bad, Sam. There's only five things in all of creation that that gun can't kill, and I just happen to be one of them. But if you give me a minute? I'm almost done." Harry watched from behind the Winchester as Lucifer turned away from the brothers and goes back to digging the hole he was standing in. Harry sees Sam cross to where Dean is laying on the ground and check on him. "You know," Lucifer continues, "I don't suppose you'd just say yes here and now... end this whole tiresome discussion. That's crazy, right?"
"It's never gonna happen," Sam snaps loudly, standing up.
"Oh I dunno, Sam. I think it will," Lucifer says, going back to his work. "I think it'll happen soon. In six months. And I think it'll happen in Detroit."
"You listen to me, you son of a bitch," Sam says. "I'm gonna kill you myself! You understand me? I'm going to rip your heart out!"
"That's good, Sam. You keep fanning that fire in your belly," Lucifer says calmly. "All that pent up rage? I'm gonna need it." Lucifer suddenly smiles and carries on digging. "You can come out now."
Harry stepped up next to Sam, his hard gaze rapt as he watched Lucifer. "So, you are the little thing that is causing a stir in the family. The little rebel." Lucifer stops and leans on his shovel, his stance casual as he looks Harry up and down. "I've wanted to meet you for a while now, but Castiel just wasn't forth-coming today with information about you. You are so like your Mother. I remember what her Grace felt like. I've missed her most out of my family."
"Maybe you shouldn't have rebelled then."
Lucifer smiled. "You have her fiery nature as well. And how could I not rebel – humans don't deserve to be treated better than us! You have seen what they are like. I know it will be hard for you considering what you are, but you have experienced first-hand how cruel they can be."
"I'm not going to join you." Harry's voice was quiet, but Lucifer had touched a nerve. "I will die first and I'm going to fight you all the way."
"That is a shame Ezekiel. But I know you will join me eventually. Just like Sam will say 'yes' to me." Lucifer picked up his shovel again. "Besides, your power is down right now – no doubt wasted on humans. You can't fight me, let alone stop me right now, Nephew."
Sam was glancing at the people standing, watching, completely still. "What did you do?" he asks. "What did you do this town?"
"Oh I was very generous with this town," Lucifer replies, his attention turning from Harry to Sam within a second. "One demon for every able-bodied man."
"And the rest of them?" Sam asks.
Lucifer chuckles and points at the hole he's filling in. "In there. I know, it's awful. But these horsemen are so demanding. So it was women and children first." He leans on the shovel. "I know what you must think of me, Sam. But I have to do this. I have to. You of all people should understand."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asks.
Lucifer puts down the shovel and walks closer. "I was a son. A brother. Like you. A younger brother. And I had an older brother who I loved. Idolized, in fact. And one day I went to him, and I begged him to stand with me. And Michael – Michael turned on me. Called me a freak. A monster. And then he beat me down. All because I was different. Because I had a mind of my own. Tell me something, Sam. Any of this sound familiar?" Sam doesn't reply. "Anyway. You'll have to excuse me. Midnight is calling. And I have a ritual to finish. Don't go anywhere. Not that you could if you wanted to." Lucifer turned bright eyes to Harry. "Not too late to join me. Then I wouldn't have to go through with this stupid ritual – we both know that the Horseman is just a cheap imitation of you and your powers."
Harry shook his head. "No, that will never happen, Lucifer."
Sam turns back to Dean as Lucifer raises his hands above the grave and begins to chant. He then turns to the crowd of people watching. "Now repeat after me. We offer up our lives, blood, souls..." Dean starts to wake up as the people repeat the words and leans back against the tree, panting. "To complete this tribute," Lucifer goes on. One by one, the people fall down dead. Lucifer looks over at Sam, who's staring in horror. "What? They're just demons." Lucifer looks at Harry intently. "You could have prevented that Nephew. Now I'm going to have to release the Horseman. Got to do this by the Book after all." Lucifer gave a laugh at his own joke, and Harry clenched his fists in frustration.
Harry watched as Dean slowly stood up, supported by Sam. A sudden thought occurred to him and he rapidly sent out the last of his Grace, searching. He almost sighed in relief when he couldn't feel his Uncle, sister, Jo or Ellen anywhere close by. Castiel had thankfully taken them to Bobby's and was waiting for them there. Harry was shook from his thoughts when the ground shook and a figure rose from the mass grave that Lucifer was chanting over. The figure turned its featureless face towards Harry and the Winchester brothers. Harry felt a sudden surge of shadowy power reach out with its sly tendrils and moved rapidly to block it with his powers. The Hallows ring flashed weakly and Harry reinforced it with his magic, directing it into the ring from his very core at the centre of his soul. Sweat gathered on his brow as he tried to find as much power as he could as the Horseman increased the energy he was throwing at Harry.
Lucifer laughed. "I was right Nephew. He is just a cheap imitation of you. Even running on the last dregs of your power, you can still hold him off. I can't wait for you to join me."
Harry gritted his teeth and poured more magic into the ring as the pressure increased as the Horseman became angry and frustrated. "I. Will. Never. Join. You." Harry spat.
"Yes you will. Because you are more like me than you will ever know Nephew."
Harry decided he had to do something and went with the first plan that he could think of. Hermione would kill him for doing something that he hadn't thought through first, but he was accustomed to doing rash things in the face of imminent death. Harry dropped his shield and grabbed the Winchesters. Forcing his remaining magic around them, he apparated them to Bobby's house. As soon as he saw they were in Bobby's living room, safe and relatively unharmed, he let go of the brothers. And promptly fell into darkness as he passed out.