I'M MOTIVATED! ARE YOU MOTIVATED!? Honestly, I'm actually lying in bed doing this, and quite tamely at that but... I'M MOTIVATED!

There it was. There she stood, tall and proud, never to be weighed down by old and terrible memories or scars. She would never give in, always protect those entrusted to her embrace; never again would someone be hurt on her watch.

The black Impala pulled to a gentle stop outside of the house and the four within all stared up at it. It was two stories high and painted white; the lawn had been freshly mown and there, staked into the ground like a plague that never wanted to leave was the For Sale sign.

Dean absently rubbed at the new injury on his jawline; he just knew it was going to scar. Without even looking over his shoulder, he knew that Jo was watching him intently, warily. Sam glanced back at her, sensing the tiniest amount of caution through the tattered remnant of their mind-link.

Castiel was just waking from his sleep and he gazed around drearily at the trio; Dean was facing the front of the Impala, gripping the steering wheel in a death hold. Sam's breathing was laboured and his eyes half-closed with weary. Slumped against her door was Joanna, a strand of that dull blonde hair being twirled through her fingers nervously.

The Angel watched them and his thoughts, if the celestial wave-lengths that he was made of could be called that, drifted.

Flashback

"What the hell?" Jo snapped, crouching quickly to snatch up the Colt in her fist and take the bullets from their chamber. "Why would you do this?"

Sam had backed away, sorting through his own bag of gear casually but keeping an ear out. Castiel was of course awake, woken not soon after Jo had stopped crying and she'd rounded on Dean angrily.

Dean shrugged, looked careless in the face of the sickly blonde. "I just wanted it to all stop."

"And this is how you want it to stop?" She tried to whisper, she really did but it just came out in a growl.

"Yes." He snapped back before holding out a hand to her. "Now give me the gun back."

"No." Jo answered back, almost childishly.

"Now," Growled; demanding.

"No." She repeated even as Dean took a step towards her, towering above her slight figure.

"Now!" Dean thundered, causing Sam to turn around suspiciously.

"Fine!" Jo threw her arms up before throwing the Colt at Dean who deftly caught it one-handed. "There you go, blow your brains out," She sneered, flicking her hair away from her pale face.

With a sigh, Dean held out his other hand, "The bullets."

"No." Jo took a few steps back, handing them over to Sam; she trusted him to keep the bullets away from Dean and he trusted her to control his brother. It was a win-win situation. She crossed her arms stubbornly as Dean narrowed his eyes. Her stance was only broken when she coughed but it was over quick so she resumed her position.

"Don't try and stop me," Dean warned, his knuckles turning white where he held the Colt.

"Don't tell me what to do. I'm not a school girl anymore," She retorted smartly, glancing away before her soft voice whispered so lowly that she almost wasn't heard, "You bloody idjit."

Instantly, as if a switch had been flicked, Dean's expression softened. Then it hardened again and he was back to glaring at her. "You don't get to say that!" He shouted, stepping closer to Joanna menacingly, "Ever!"

"Well someone has to!" She shouted back, taking her own step closer. "Someone has to stop you from doing something stupid. By God, if Bobby or mom isn't here to do it then I might as well." She glanced down at their feet before staring up into his fanfiction green eyes.

"You don't want to do this," She whispered, slowly wrapping her hand around the Colt and prying it from his hand. He instinctively tightened his grip, searching her eyes.

"It's the only way," He closed his eyes for a moment before they blazed open and he sighed.

"No. Not the only way," Jo tugged at the Colt more firmly. Looking down at the weapon, Dean turned back to her.

"First tell me; why? After all I have done to you, why?" Dean whispered, seeking her answer desperately; why would she help him, she deserved better and so that is what he told her.

"You deserve better Jo."

When he told her as such, Jo reached out her hand and placed the palm to his cheek; he sighed and leaned into the contact, relishing it. With a small smile on her lips, Jo leaned closer and whispered.

"Just because someone stumbles, loses their way, doesn't mean they're lost forever."

Jo caught Dean's gaze and she held onto it tightly as he leaned his forehead to hers and they stayed that way for a while; just a little while.

Then a tiny smile curled Dean's lips and he whispered to her, "You're just quoted-"

She smiled in return, "Yeah."

End Flashback

Castiel sighed, drawn from his thoughts when Sam slowly opened his door, getting out like an old man. Staring at the back of Dean's head for a moment, Jo followed suit, perhaps a little slower though.

When the three had gathered at the boot of the Impala, Castiel made his own sluggish way out of the vehicle and to them. He leaned against the car, breathing heavily through his nose as he watched the hunters collect their weapons.

The shotgun went to Joanna as well as her dagger, that same weapon that her daddy had given her. She stared at the dagger for a moment then put it into the hidden sheath in her right combat boot. She looked up at Cass and smiled lightly before grabbing more ammo.

Sam grabbed his own shotgun, handgun at his hip with Ruby's Knife on the other side. He glanced at the Angel before reaching for one of the sawn-off shotguns, turning to give it to him.

"Here," He held out the gun before a hand that was not Castiel's fell onto it.

"No." Dean looked at his little brother for a moment as he took the shotgun and put it back into the boot. "Cass," He drew Castiel a few feet away from the Impala, ignoring the way that Sam stared after them.

Staring at Jo for a few moments, Dean turned back to the Angel, "You can't come with us." He shook out his right arm anxiously, feeling the Mark burn. His green eyes shifted to the boot of the Impala, spying the locked box and glaring at it.

"What?" Cass tilted his head, narrowing his blue eyes in confusion, "Why?"

"You're too weak."

"What about Sam and Joanna?" The Angel argued back, shifting his gaze to the pair in question then back to the human in front of him. Dean followed his gaze, staring at them for a moment then he sighed and turned back to Cass.

"I need you to stay out here; just in case something goes wrong." With his hand on Cass's shoulder, Dean was staring at him intently, pleadingly. "You're the back up."

Castiel gazed at Dean intently, searching for any remnant of the man he once knew. "Okay." He sighed, moving slowly back to the Impala so he could sit in the back seat. Lucifer leapt into his lap and Castiel pet the kitten with a distracted, conflicted expression.

The time had come and so Dean walked over to the boot and grabbed his own shotgun, closing the lid with a final click.

"We've got work to do."

Ba Dum Tis. (Drum noise).