Chapter 29

Dean and Jo made it back to the hotel a while before Cas and Meg. Sam and Sarah were in the middle of moving weapons and supplies from Baby to Sarah's car. When they were finished they all went up to the hotel room. Dean and Sam decided they would leave the same time as Sarah and Jo so they all started packing up.

"Dean, I think Coal and Lava should keep an eye on you," Jo said.

"We have the whistle and I can ask Scorch to call any of his brothers and sisters if we need them. You don't keep all the hounds with you at all times; they will come in a matter of seconds so we will both be OK. And Scorch says he doesn't want to share any glory with his siblings," Dean said with a smile.

Jo shook her head.

"I am going to have a few of his brothers keep an ear out for him though, he does get a little over excited on occasion," Jo replied.

Dean laughed and kissed her forehead, then he handed her a wad of cash, some fake credit cards and a cellphone. She put them in her jacket pocket and put her arms around Dean. He put his arms around her and held her.

"Are we interrupting? It isn't like the fate of the world hangs in the balance or anything," they heard Meg say.

Dean just glared at her over Jo's head. Cas gave Jo and Sarah some instructions on keeping the tablet safe.

"Remember if you can close the Gates of Hell the other angels promised to resurrect Ellen and Bobby as a reward," he said at the end of his instructions.

"What?" Sam, Dean and Jo all said at the same time.

"I don't remember much about actually being brought back," Jo said.

"Were they telling the truth?" Dean asked Cas.

"Yes," replied Cas.

Dean thought briefly about his daydream and what having them back would mean for his future with Jo.

"I hate to take anything from other angels, but I am definitely going to help Jo collect on that one," Dean said.

Meg pulled out an angel blade from her jacket.

"I have a few extra of these," she said giving it to Jo.

"Now you can have your own."

Jo looked at Meg in shock.

"Thanks."

They all walked down to the cars together.

"Call me if you need me. We will be trying to locate more tablets," Cas told them all before disappearing with Meg.

Sam and Dean walked Sarah and Jo to Sarah's car. Dean took Jo's face in his hands and kissed her tenderly as she rested her hands on his chest. On the other side of the car Sarah and Sam were also kissing goodbye. When Dean and Jo finally broke apart, they both had tears in their eyes.

"Be careful. Go straight there; don't stop for any cases. Just get it there, make sure it is safe then hurry back to me," Dean whispered as he hugged Jo tightly.

"I promise. You be careful too," she replied.

"I love you," he told her before kissing her check.

"I love you, too," she whispered.

As he relaxed his hold on her he slid his hand down her arm. Their fingers twined for a moment as Dean stepped away. Their hands were still reaching for each other as he slowly walked away.

He looked at Ember as he walked away, "Keep her save," he said.

Ember nodded and walked to stand next to Jo. Jo absentmindedly scratched Ember's head as she watched Dean walk away. She climbed in the car. As Sarah drove away, Jo watched Baby disappear in the distance. Neither Jo nor Sarah spoke for a long time, neither commented on the other's tears either. Jo looked down at Ember's head in her lap. Odd. She looked different. She had tough leathery skin and bristly hair. Her eyes still flickered like fire though.

She wished she had kissed Dean one more time. It was a three-day drive to Kevin's hideout. Dean and Sam were going to stay as far as possible from Garth's part of the country, so they were looking at at least a week and a half apart but most likely two. She missed him already.

'I miss you too," she heard Dean in her head.

She smiled. This might be bearable after all.

The time apart turned into three and a half weeks. Although Sarah and Jo made it there in two and a half days and only stayed 6 hours to hand the tablet to Kevin and wait for him to start translating it, their reunion was delayed. Jo left Flame there with strict orders to stay invisible and keep an eye on Kevin and report in every 12 hours or if anything unusual happened. They ended up working four cases on their way back to Dean and Sam.

They had had it better than the brothers though; Dean and Sam had fought almost every monster they had ever encountered all in the short time they were apart. Scorch lived up to his promise of bringing glory to Dean and himself. He had killed a wendego, two werewolves, two more skinwalkers, a jinn, and two shifters by himself as well as a vampire nest and zombies with the brothers. Scorch let Dean in on a secret; Hellhounds could kill demons. He demonstrated it by pulling a demon off of Dean and tearing him to shreds as Dean watched. The demon disintegrated just the same as when killed with Ruby's knife or an angel blade.

Dean and Scorch had learned to fight together seamlessly. Not to be out done, Coal learned to fight with Sam. By the end of the three weeks, Coal considered Sam his First Master over Jo and Dean. With Sam able to hear Coal, Sam and Dean could use the Hellhounds to communicate with each other when they needed to be silent, like when they ambushed the vampires. If Coal was not within a few miles of Sam he still needed the whistle to call him, so he started wearing the whistle around his neck for the few times Coal wasn't close. Scorch on the other hand had to be forced to leave Dean's side, he was even riding in Baby next to Dean and sleeping on motel floors at the side of Dean's bed. If it were cold sometimes he would sleep on the foot of the bed. His coat was now thick, wild masses of soft black fur with a darker patch around one eye. Coal's fur was still bristly. Jo and Dean couldn't figure out why the Hellhounds appearances where changing and weren't sure if it was rude to ask. Ember and Lava had coats almost as thick and long as Scorch's while Flame's was bristly like Coal's but sparser. Some of Ember's children had very short black fuzz on them, but most looked like Flame.

Jo and Dean talked to each other almost hourly, relaying what they were doing. They had decided not to tell Sarah or Sam yet that they could speak to each other this new way; they wanted to have something that was just theirs for a little while. If they thought about each other as they fell asleep both would swear it felt like they were sleeping in the other's arms.

The little side trip also made Jo and Sarah friends quickly. They learned to count on and trust each other. Jo taught Sarah the finer points of conning and hunting while Sarah taught Jo what it was like to have a best girlfriend, something Jo had never had. She was a bit of a tomboy growing up-that mixed with her family being seen as a little odd she hadn't ever had a really close girlfriend before. When they were only a two days drive from each other, Jo was startled out of a fabulous dream by Dean's voice in her head.

'Son of a bitch!' he said incredulously.

'What? Are you Ok?'

'Scorch is holding a vengeful spirit! He can't kill it, but he can hold it in place away from us and the spirit can't hurt him! I should have asked my Dad for a Hellhound for Christmas when I was ten!' Dean said.

She could just about see him and Sam burning bones.

'Sorry I woke you and scared you, babe. I was just so surprised. Hunting is so much easier with Scorch and Coal helping. I almost don't need to give Scorch instructions anymore.'

Jo laughed silently.

'I am going back to sleep. Talk to you in the morning.'

She thought about kissing him and it felt like his lips were really on hers for a moment.

'Goodnight, Jo.'

Exchanges like that had made the time apart bearable. She still wanted to sleep next to him or hold his hand but when they spoke she felt like he was in the room with her. If they didn't run into anything supernatural, they would be together soon.

Jo and Sarah were waiting at a dive bar in Wyoming. Dean and Sam were only fifteen minutes away. Jo mentally asked Dean to play a little game with her and he had laughed but agreed. She told him that they were getting hit on so much it was getting annoying and she wanted to mess with the patrons' heads a bit. On a trip to the ladies room she asked Sarah to pretend like she didn't know Dean. If Sarah and Sam didn't want to join in the fun, that was fine, but she didn't want to ruin hers. She had her back to the door but knew the second Dean walked in.

'Damn. I love that skirt on you.' he thought at her.

'Why do you think I wore it?' she answered they same way.

Dean took the empty stool next to her at the bar as Sarah walked to a booth to join Sam and watch the show. Several men in the bar were nudging each other, waiting to see the latest guy get shot down. Dean was still in a suit from the case they had finished that morning.

"Was your father a thief? I think he stole the stars from the heavens and put them in your eyes," Dean said to her.

It was actually the third time that night she had heard that line and he knew it.

"That is original, " she replied mock testily.

"Mind if I sit down?" he asked.

"Be my guest, it is your face."

"What? Jealous boyfriend?" he asked.

"The worst. He has a nasty temper and he is very possessive."

Dean took a swig of beer before replying. "I think I will take my chances. Five minutes next to you would be worth it."

Jo smiled. "I'm Lita Ford and you are?"

Dean smiled his best come hither smile. "Agent John Corabi."

Jo nodded appreciatively. "Agent? Hmm?"

Dean half smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

Dean saw a jukebox against the wall and went over to it and selected a song. He was back to Jo before the song started. "Can I have this dance?" he asked.

She smiled and took his hand as 'Can't Fight This Feeling' started playing."REO Speedwagon?" she said skeptically.

"Reo sings it from the heart," he replied.

"More like the hair," she said.

Dean leaned down and kissed her passionately. She kissed him back. Dean pulled back.

"I'm sorry Lita, I just couldn't help myself. Your boyfriend is..."

Jo cut him off. "He is probably at a bar hitting on some blonde. I say let's get out of here."

Dean escorted her to the door. "You don't have to ask me twice."

Sarah and Sam tried not to laugh at the disbelieve on the faces of all the men that had hit on Sarah and Jo unsuccessfully. Sam took Sarah's hand and they went to her car. Sam had won the coin toss with Dean and was going with Sarah back to the hotel.

Baby was parked in a cornfield, guarded by several Hellhounds as Jo and Dean said 'Hello' the same way they had said goodbye. Just like a few weeks ago, Jo was in the back seat laying on Dean's chest as he caressed her bare back. He kissed her shoulder then adjusted a little so he could see her eyes.

"Marry me, Jo.