The chapter follows the events of the episode Jus In Bello. Credit goes to the writers/creators of that episode.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Day 190 continued

'Incoming'

The next hour was spent preparing. Sam helped Andie load the guns Dean had retrieved from the Impala while Dean and Henriksen did the same in Henriksen's office. Officer Amichi and Nancy added extra salt to all the windows and doors.

"Hey; that's Jenna Roobner." Nancy suddenly spoke up as she stared at something out the window.

Sam and Andie went over to her and looked outside. There were fifty or so people standing by the wreckage of the helicopter. They stood in a group and were all staring towards the station. The girl Nancy had named as Jenna stood out from the crowd and Nancy, Andie and Sam could all see her black eyes.

"It's not Jenna anymore." Sam said quietly.

The three of them watched the people a little more and saw that every person had demonically black eyes. "That's where all that black demon smoke went?" Nancy asked.

"Looks like it." Sam muttered.

In Henriksen's office, he and Dean were loading the shotguns with shells full of salt rather than bullets. "Fighting off monsters with condiments." Henriksen almost laughed as he removed his tie. "So...turns out demons are real."

Dean, who was sitting on the couch, nodded. "FYI; ghosts are real, too. So are werewolves, vampires, changelings, evil clowns that eat people..."

Henriksen looked over at him. "Okay then." He said with sarcasm as he loaded a bullet belt with salt pellets.

"If it makes you feel better; Big Foot's a hoax." Dean continued; enjoying himself. He smiled when Henriksen told him it didn't make him feel better.

"How many demons?" Henriksen asked.

"Total? No clue." Dean told him. "A lot."

"You know what my job is?" Henriksen asked.

"You mean besides locking up the good guys?" Dean smirked as he got to his feet. "I have no idea."

"My job is boring." Henriksen admitted. "It's frustrating. You work three years for one break...and then maybe you can save a few people. Maybe." He paused. "That's the pay-off. Been busting my ass for fifteen years; nailed a handful of guys...and all this while there was something off in the corner so big..." He sighed. "So yeah. Sign me up for that big frosty mark who wasted my damn life."

"You didn't know." Dean told him.

"But now I do." Henriksen countered. "What's out there? Can you guys beat it? Can you win?"



"Honestly? I think the world's gonna end bloody." Dean said with a sad smile. "But it doesn't mean we shouldn't fight. We do have choices; I choose to go down swinging."

"Plus you got nothing to go home to but you're brother." Henriksen reminded him.

"Yeah…" Dean mumbled. "What about you? You rockin the white picket fence?"

"Empty apartment; string of angry ex-wives…" He shook his head. "I'm right where you are." He paused. "Only I don't got someone looking out for me."

"You mean, Sam?"

"Yeah, Sam." Henriksen nodded. "And Andie."

"Andie's a friend." Dean shrugged.

"Yeah; because everyone flirts like crazy with their friends." Henriksen laughed to himself. "If you can't see it I'm sad for you."

The unmistakable sound of glass breaking rang through the silent station; alerting everyone. It had come from one of the back rooms and when Dean and Henriksen arrived; Sam was already walking towards the intruder; Ruby.

"Do we kill her?" Henriksen asked as he held his gun to her.

"We don't." Sam told him. "She's here to help us." He stood on the edge of the devil's cage painted onto the floor.

Ruby nodded below her. "Are you gonna let me out?" Sam used his knife to scratch away some of the paint thus 'opening' the cage and allowing Ruby to move freely. "And they say chivalry's dead." She walked out of the cage. "Does anyone have a breath mint? Some guts got in my mouth while I was killing my way in here." She walked through everyone and headed deeper into the station. Dean and Andie followed her while Sam re-sealed the entrance she'd broken through.

"How many are out there?" Dean asked Ruby as they came into the main office.

"Thirty at least." She said. "But that's so far."

"Oh good; thirty." Dean said sarcastically. "Thirty hitmen all gunning for us. Who sent 'em?"

Ruby looked over at Sam who was lingering in the doorway. "You didn't tell him?" She raised her eyebrows. "Oh...I'm surprised."

Dean looked between his brother and Ruby. "Tell me what?" he asked.

"There's a big, new up-and-comer." She said. "A real pied-piper.

"Who is he?" Dean asked.

"Not he." Ruby said irritably. "Her. Her name is Lilith."

"Lilith?" Dean repeated.

"And she really, really wants Sam's intestines on a stick." Ruby looked back over to Sam. "Guess she sees him as competition."



"You knew about this?" Dean asked his brother. Sam looked guilty. "Well; geeze, Sam is there anything else I should know?!" Sam just continued to look guiltier than ever.

"How about the two of you talk about this later?" Ruby spoke up. "We'll need the colt."

Andie scoffed out loud.

"Something funny, sweetheart?" Ruby asked her.

"Oh; if you only knew." Andie shook her head.

Ruby looked from Andie to Dean and Sam. "Where's the colt?" she asked.

"It got stolen." Sam muttered.

"I'm sorry; I must have blood in my ear." Ruby spat. "I thought I just heard you say you were stupid enough to let the colt get grabbed outta your thick, clumsy, idiotic hands." When no one replied, Ruby turned away in a huff. "Fantastic." She said through gritted teeth. "This is just peachy."

"If it makes you feel better we think it's faulty." Dean spoke up. "Andie here got shot."

Ruby turned around as Andie lifted her shirt to show her purplish bruise. "You were shot by the colt and you're still standing?"

"No; I'm dead." Andie said sarcastically. "We figure the colt wasn't restored properly after-"

"I made sure that colt was in perfect working condition before Bobby and I sent it back to you louts." Ruby snapped bitterly as she turned her back on them again.

"Ruby-" Sam started.

She held up a hand to him. "Shut up." She paused for a moment and turned back. "Fine. Since I don't see that there's any other option; there's one other way I can get you out of here alive."

"What's that?" Dean asked.

"I know a spell." Ruby told him. "It'll vaporize every demon in a one mile radius; myself included." She walked back into the centre of the room purposefully. "So you let the colt outta your sight and now I have to die. So next time; be more careful. How's that for a dying wish?" She muttered as she fell heavily into a chair.

"Ok." Dean got to his feet. "What do we do?"

"Aw, you can't do anything." Ruby told him with a smirk. "This spell's very specific. It calls for a person of virtue."

"I got virtue." Dean said immediately.

Andie laughed out loud. "You don't got virtue."

Ruby joined in on the laugh. "Nice try; you're not a virgin."

Dean chuckled and glanced around the room. "Nobody's a virgin." Ruby gave him a know-it-all look and glanced over towards Dean's left. Dean turned beside him to Andie. "No. No way."

"Oh; you wish, Dean." Andie snapped, folding her arms. "Dumbass." She muttered under her breath.



"No; not her." Ruby nodded at Nancy. "There's you're winner."

Dean looked to Nancy. "You're kidding me; right?"

"What? It's a choice, ok?" Nancy said defensively.

"Wait so you've never..." Dean started. "Not even once. I mean not even..."

"Dean." Andie snapped. "Leave her alone."

"Wow." Dean said quietly.

"So; the spell." Nancy got them back on topic. "What can I do?"

Ruby got up and walked towards her. "You can hold still." She told Nancy. "While I cut your heart outta your chest."

"What?" Nancy yelped.

"Whoa; what are you, crazy?" Dean told Ruby.

"I'm offering a solution." Ruby said reasonably.

"You're offering to kill somebody." Dean corrected her.

"And what do you think is gonna happen to this girl when the demons get in?" Ruby asked Dean.

"We're gonna protect her; that's what." Henriksen piped up.

"Very noble." Ruby told him.

"Excuse me?" Nancy said in a quiet voice.

"You're all gonna die." Ruby told the group. "This is the only way, trust me."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah; yeah. There's no way I'm-"

"Would everybody please shut up?!" Nancy asked loudly. Everyone turned to look at her; surprised by her sudden outburst. "All the people out there...will it save them?"

"It'll blow the demons outta their bodies." Ruby told her. "So if their bodies are ok...yeah."

Nancy paused for a few moments before nodding defiantly. "I'll do it."

"No." Dean said immediately.

"Hell no." Henriksen cursed.

"You don't need to do this." Dean told Nancy.

"All my friends are out there." Nancy told them.

"We don't sacrifice people." Henriksen said firmly. "We do that we're no better than them."

"We don't have a choice." Ruby told them.

"Yeah, well your choice is not a choice." Dean snapped.



"Sam?" Ruby turned to him. "You know I'm right."

Dean looked to his little brother and a surprised look. "Sam." He said. His brother said nothing. "What the hell is going on? Sam; tell her!" He still said nothing.

"It's my decision." Nancy said.

Ruby smiled. "Damn straight; Cherry Pie."

"Stop!" Dean yelled. "Stop! Nobody kill any virgins!" The room fell silent. "Sam; I need to talk to you." He walked towards his brother and passed him into the hall. Sam followed.

Ruby nodded at Andie. "Wondered if I'd meet you again."

"Technically we've never met." Andie reminded her. "You just tortured me from afar using a demon posing as my dead mother and tried to make me kill myself." She gave her a simpering smile.

Ruby shrugged. "I likes me some power. And yours is a good 'un." She sighed. "So who shot you?"

"Some chick named Bela." Andie told her. "She's who we were chasing when we wound up here."

"She's got the colt?" Ruby asked.

Andie nodded. "And she specializes in stealing and dealing."

"Wonderful." Ruby closed her eyes tiredly.

Dean and Sam returned moments later with a new plan that would prevent them killing Nancy; open the doors and fight whatever came through. The plan was to let the demons come in and then play a recording of the depossession spell on the loudspeaker and play it throughout the station. Sam recorded the spell and then came out to Ruby, Dean and Andie.

"You get it to work?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "This is insane."

"Understatement of the year." Ruby muttered.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Look; we get it. You think-"

"I don't think." Ruby snapped. "I know. It's not gonna work." She got up and walked towards the door. "So long ladies."

"So you're just gonna leave?" Sam asked her.

She turned around; anger in her eyes. "Hey! I was gonna kill myself to help you win. I'm not gonna stand here and watch you lose." She took a few steps towards Sam. "And I'm disappointed...because I tried. I really did. But clearly; I bid on the wrong horse." She paused. "Do you mind letting me out?"

Neither Sam nor Dean said anything. "I will." Andie offered. She then walked with Ruby towards the front door of the station. "Why are you so sure our plan won't work?" she asked her.

"Andie, honey, I'm a demon. So I know demons. And even with your nifty power; it won't be enough to hold them." She jeered her head towards the outside of the station.

"Do you know why I'm not dead?" Andie asked Ruby suddenly. She didn't trust Ruby as far as she could telekinetically throw her but if she had answers; Andie was all ears.

"Nothing definitive." Ruby shrugged. "My experience? If you live through something that's guaranteed to kill you; means there's something a whole lot bigger planned for you later on." She nodded towards the devil's cage on the floor. "Break me out; would ya?"

Andie quickly opened the cage and broke the salt shield just long enough for Ruby to leave then covered them all back up quickly. As it turned out; she needn't have. By the time she got back to the main office, Dean and Sam were already passing out orders to Henriksen, Amichi and Nancy; telling them what exits and doors to open up. Henriksen took the back exit while Officer Amichi and Nancy were sent up onto the roof to keep track of how many demons came in and when it looked like they were all inside; the two of them were supposed to seal of the station with salt. Sam took the double doors out towards the impound lot while Dean and Andie headed towards the front of the station.

"I'll take up there." Dean nodded towards the main entrance. "You take the back." He pointed towards the end of the hallway.

"Ok." Andie, who was armed with the smallest gun since she had her telekinesis, turned to leave but felt Dean's arm grab her wrist and spin her around. Before she knew it; he was kissing her. It was brief but tender. When he pulled away, Andie looked completely confused.

"Now its two-to-one." Dean smiled.

Andie grinned back as he let go of her wrist. She took a few steps back and then quickly jumped forward and pecked his cheek. "Three-to-one." She smiled before running off down the hall.