28

"So, the Colt?" Dean asked as they sat at the table in the motel room. "Becky knows where it is? How the hell does she know?"

"Anyone who's read the books knows where it is."

"We could have known where it is this whole time if we'd just read the damn books?"Abbie realised.

"You know what this means, right?" Sam smiled, "We get the Colt, we kill Lucifer, no one has to say yes and the boys won't get involved."

"It's that easy? Really?" Abbie looked at Dean to see what he thought.

"It's gotta be worth a shot." Dean nodded, "It'll save Beth, the boys won't have to be separated."

"So, reveal all Sam, where is the elusive Colt?"

"Bela took it, remember?"

"Hard to forget that thieving bitch." Dean muttered, "But yes, I remember."

"And we assumed she'd given it to Lilith." Abbie finished.

"Yeah, Cas told me that demons had it, but he wasn't more specific than that." Dean remembered the conversation just before Zachariah had zapped him to 2014.

"I got more specifics, she gave the Colt to Lilith's right hand man, the new Crossroads demon, trying to save her own ass I bet."

"And his name is?" Dean was getting impatient.

"Crowley."

"So, how do we find him?"

"I got an idea." Sam told them, detailing how he planned to retrieve the Colt.

(2 weeks later)

Abbie was sitting with Beth and the guys, enjoying a quiet couple of days when Dean's cell rang, "Hey Cas. Going down? Right. Okay, Huggy Bear, just don't lose him." He hung up, "Cas found Crowley, he's following him as we speak."

"Good, fingers crossed we can get the Colt back and end this." Abbie smiled, "Uncle Cas did good, Beth."

Dean's cell began to ring, "It's Cas again." He frowned.

"I followed him. It's not far, but—it's layered in Enochian warding magic. I can't get in." Cas informed Dean.

"Ok, we'll take it from here, you did good." Dean told him, "Just need the address."

Castiel took note of the address and returned to Bobby's. "So, we need a plan on how to get in there." Abbie summed up the next hurdle.

"I might have an idea." Dean looked thoughtful, "No one can resist a damsel in distress."

"Damsel in distress?" Abbie repeated, "You want me to just walk into a demon's house?"

"Not you, I'm thinking time to call in reinforcements." Dean answered, grabbing his cell and dialling a number, "Ellen? It's Dean. How'd you and Jo fancy helping us stick it to Lucifer?" Dean grinned, "Good, good. Just head to Bobby's and we'll fill you in."

"Reinforcements." Sam nodded, "Let's face it, we need all the help we can get."

(2 nights later)

"So you get them to open the gate, we'll handle the rest." Dean explained to Jo, as they drove to Crowley's.

Jo got to the intercom on the gate, and pressed a button, Crowley answered, "Hello?"

"Hello. My car broke down. I—I need some help."

"I'll be down in a minute."

The gate swung open, and two men approached Jo, "Evening, pretty lady. Get yourself on in here."

"I just need to make a call." Jo told them, acting nervous.

"You don't need to call anyone, baby. We're the only help you're ever gonna need."

"You know what? I think I should wait by my car." Jo turned to leave but was grabbed back by one of the men, who now had demon black eyes.

"We said, get your ass in here." Jo fought herself free and punched him, while the other man was stabbed through the neck with Ruby's knife by Sam, who then killed the man who had grabbed Jo.

"Nice work, Jo." Dean nodded, as they headed towards the main house, Jo pulled some wire cutters out of the bag Dean handed her.

"Okay. Shall we?"

Crowley, annoyed at the loss of electricity thanks to Jo's cutting, walked out of the room, only to be met by the three hunters.

"It's Crowley, right?" Sam asked him.

"So. The Hardy Boys finally found me. Took you long enough." He noted that his rug was crumpled, and underneath it, a devil's trap had been drawn, trapping him. "Do you have any idea how much this rug cost?" He asked Sam and Dean as two demons grabbed them from behind, disarming them. Crowley produced the Colt from his jacket, "This is it, right? This is what it's all about." He aimed the gun at Dean, but instead shot the two men holding them. "We need to talk. Privately." He led them into another room.

"What the hell is this?" Dean asked him, thoroughly confused by Crowley killing his own guards.

"Do you know how deep I could have buried this thing? There's no reason you or anyone should know this even exists, except that I told you."

"You told us?" Sam asked, no information had come from Crowley so far.

"Rumors, innuendo, sent out on the grapevine." Crowley explained.

"Why? Why tell us anything?" This didn't make any sense to Sam.

"I want you to take this thing to Lucifer and empty it into his face." Crowley answered.

"Uh-huh, okay, and why exactly would you want the devil dead?"

"It's called survival." Dean and Sam stood speechless, not understanding. "Well, I forgot you two at best are functioning morons. Lucifer isn't a demon, remember? He's an angel. An angel famous for his hatred of humankind. To him, you're just filthy bags of pus. If that's the way he feels about you, what can he think about us?"

"But he created you." Sam argued.

"To him, we're just servants. Cannon fodder. If Lucifer manages to exterminate humankind, we're next. So, help me, huh? Let's all go back to simpler, better times, back to when we could all follow our natures. I'm in sales, dammit! So what do you say if I give you this thing, and you go kill the devil?" He held the Colt out, Sam took it.

"You wouldn't happen to know where the devil is, by chance, would you?"

"Thursday, birdies tell me, there's an appointment in Carthage, Missouri." Crowley told him.

"Oh, 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 asked, still unsure of Crowley's intentions.

"Number one, he's going to 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 disappeared, leaving Sam and Dean with the Colt and a location for Lucifer.

(Bobby's – Wednesday night)

"So, tomorrow, you go toe to toe with Lucifer?" Abbie asked Dean, as they sat feeding Beth her dinner. "Do you really need to, Dean?"

"You know what happens if I don't, Abs." Dean sighed.

"Why can't this Crowley guy go and empty the Colt into his face?"

"We let him out, we need to stick his ass back in it's cage." Dean explained, "I don't wanna do this, I'd much rather be here, with you and Beth, doing the whole happily ever after thing, believe me, but this is our mess and we need to clean it up."

Sam sat watching, "Talking about messes, how about I give Beth her bath tonight?"

"It's ok, Sam. I got it." Abbie replied. "Why don't you guys crack open a couple of beers? Looks like Ellen and Cas already started." She nodded to the lounge where Ellen was downing whisky shots along with Castiel. "C'mon, Beth."

"You want a hand?" Jo asked, noting Abbie carrying Beth away.

"No, best if she just soaks one of us." Abbie laughed, while Beth waved goodbye to everyone in the room.

Castiel downed five shots. "I think I'm starting to feel something." Castiel admitted, much to Jo's amusement.

"Abbie ok?" Ellen asked, watching as Dean stared sadly at the door she had just left through.

"Yeah, just worried." He answered, "She'll be fine. Anyway, you wanted to talk about tomorrow?" He turned to Sam.

"Yeah, It's gotta be a trap, right?"

"Sam Winchester, having trust issues with a demon. Well, better late than never." Dean smirked.

"Thank you again for your continued support."

"You're welcome." Dean laughed, they clinked bottles and drank, "You know, trap or no trap, we got a snowball's chance, we gotta take it, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Sam conceded, not looking forward to the faceoff.

"Besides, I'm not sure it is a trap. Check it out. I mean, Carthage is lit up like a Christmas tree with Revelation omens. And look at this." He pushed some newspapers towards Sam, "There's been six missing persons reported, in town, since Sunday. I think the devil's there."

"Okay." Sam nodded in agreement.

"Look, when you think about it...you can't come with." Dean started, Sam rolled his eyes, "
Look, I go against Satan and screw the pooch, okay. 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."

"Since when have we ever done anything smart? And I'm not watching Abbie and Beth lose you again."

"I'm serious, Sam."

"So am I. Haven't we learned a damn thing? If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it together."

"Okay. But it's a stupid frigging idea." Dean sighed, "I'm gonna see how bath time's going. Help Abbie put Beth to bed."

"Don't put Bug to bed just yet." Bobby told him, "Bring her back down for a bit."

"Might be the last chance you have to see her, Abbie and Bobby." Castiel told them all, "You should spend as much time together as you can."

"K, I'll not tell Abbie that." Dean mumbled, walking out, returning a few minutes later with a sleepy Beth and quiet Abbie.

"It's time for the lineup. Usual suspects in the corner." Bobby announced fiddling with his camera and tripod, and everyone stood together. Dean holding Beth, other arm around Abbie.

"I'm gonna need something to remember your sorry asses by." Bobby explained, then smiled sadly, as he noticed Abbie's face fall.

"Ha! Always good to have an optimist around." Ellen tried to lighten the mood.

"Bobby's right. Tomorrow we hunt the devil. This is our last night on earth." Castiel noted, making everyone, except Beth's, smile disappear.