Okay, so I'm apologizing now. This chapter is REALLY long... one of the longest I've written, but I just couldn't stop writing. It's also really intense, as I'm sure many of you know... it was painful to right and I knew cutting this into two chapters would take away the quality of it. The gravity of this chapter was just too great. Anyways, sorry for the tears that may be shed... I certainly got teary eyed writing this. So read, review, and I'd say enjoy, but, well... :(

Chapter Forty-Five:

The vacant streets of Carthage, Missouri were eerily quiet as the black '67 Chevy and beaten up station wagon drove through town. Missing posters were plastered everywhere, and although nothing appeared broken and boarded up, the lack of any signs of life had all parties on the edge of their seats.

Arms stretching out from the open windows, all of the hunters held their cellphones up, searching hopelessly for a signal.

"You gettin' anything?" Sam asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Nope," Laura sighed.

"Same. Nice an spooky," Dean responded, waving the Harvelle's to pull up beside him.

"This place seem a little empty to you?" Ellen asked, while Jo, who was sitting beside her continued to look for reception.

The Winchesters nodded, as Dean said: "We're gonna check out the PD. You four should poke around and see if anyone's around."

"Four?" Laura asked, but when the eldest Winchester shot her a stern look from the rearview window, she made a face and grabbed her things.

Exiting the Impala, she muttered to herself while Ellen pulled the car to the side and the Winchesters sped away.

The Harvelle's exited the car and walked over to the brunette, who appeared to be intently concentrated on something.

"What is it, sweetie?" Ellen asked, scanning the empty scenery.

"Do you see them too?" Castiel startled everyone.

"Have you ever heard of usin' a door?" Jo scolded him for scaring her.

"Of course I have," he continued to look around at some unseen being.

"What's goin' on, Cas?" Mrs. Harvelle asked, completely unnerved.

"This town's not empty," the psychic practically whispered.

Glancing at her mother, then at the angel, Jo inquired with raised eyebrows: "Do you see something?"

Laura shook her head with an uncomfortable expression: "No, but I can feel them…"

"Them?" Ellen's eyes widened a bit.

"Cas, what are they?" the brunette ignored Mrs. Harvelle's words.

"Reapers," he scanned the packed town, but soon his gaze rested on a particular reaper in the fourth floor window of a building some distance away. It was looking right at him, unlike the hundreds of others who seemed to have blank expressions.

"I can feel hundreds of them, Cas," the psychic felt overwhelmed, finding it harder to breathe due to an intense pressure on her chest.

"That can't be normal," Jo muttered.

"It's not," Castiel responded, still focused on the one reaper staring back at him. "They only gather like this in times of great catastrophe. Pompeii, San Francisco Quake, September 11th… excuse me, but I must find out why they're here…"

With that, the trench coat wearing angel walked off, looking at every reaper he passed, though to his three companions, he was staring into the air. Then, he was gone.

"Well then," Ellen looked at her daughter and the still distracted brunette, "Guess we should drive around and look for people."

Jo nodded as she and her mother headed to the car, but turning around, the blonde noticed Laura had not budged.

"Are you comin'?" she called over from her shotgun position.

After lingering for a little while longer, Laura turned back around and ran over to the car.

"Yeah, let's go," she agreed, jumping into the backseat of the station wagon, as Ellen pulled away from the curb, making her way down the creepily desolate road once again.


Parked in a vacant lot, the Winchesters, Harvelles, and psychic were gathered around, discussing their next plan of action.

"So the station was empty?" Jo asked, though the three women knew what the answer would probably be.

"Was waitin' for a tumbleweed to blow across the hallway," Dean confirmed their assumption.

"Yeah, we didn't make out any better either," Ellen responded morosely.

"Hang on, where's Cas?" Sam asked, wide eyes scanning all around.

"We thought he might be with you guys," Jo responded nervously.

"Well he's not," Dean spoke urgently, and then demanded with raised brows: "Where is he?"

"He went after the reapers," the practically mute brunette finally spoke.

"The reapers?" the youngest Winchester asked, realizing that they definitely underestimated the seriousness of the task ahead of them.

"Yeah. There's hundreds here," Laura folded her arms, still being affected by the heaviness of the atmosphere around her.

"What? Where?" the eldest Winchester looked around.

"Well… apparently… everywhere," Jo shrugged.

As the brothers exchanged glances, the psychic spoke up again: "I'm sure he's fine. He'll catch up with us when he can, but we gotta get goin'…"

As the Harvelles nodded their heads in agreement, Sam and Dean sighed and pulled out their weapons.

"Ready?" Sam asked the now fully armed group.

"As ready as ever," Ellen replied honestly, and with that, all five hunters left the lot and began to walk down the empty streets of Carthage.


They had been walking in silence for at least an hour. Everyone was tense and alert, scanning for any signs of movement.

"Can't believe we lost the angel up our sleeve," Dean grumbled to his kid brother.

"Think Lucifer got him?" Sam whispered back, as both brothers watched the three women ahead of them.

"Man, I don't know what else to think," Dean responded, worry eating away at his insides.

"There you are," sang a female voice from behind the group.

As everyone spun around, they saw a young woman with a round face and curly, dark reddish brown hair.

"Meg," Sam growled aggressively.

"Hiya boys," a dimpled smile flashed as her dark brown eyes twinkled wickedly. "Shouldn't have come here…"

"Hell, could say the same thing to you," Dean smirked cockily, raising his rock salt filled rifle.

"Not here alone, Dean-o…" she smirked maliciously as a group of invisible dogs barked and snarled.

As the Winchesters' and Harvelles' eyes darted around frantically, the psychic responded darkly: "Hellhounds."

Smiling, the demon turned her attention onto the fearless brunette: "Laura, right? My Father would love to see you."

"Sorry to disappoint him, then," Sam spat.

"Oh, Sammy, don't worry… he's just as excited to see you too," Meg grinned even wider as the unseen Hellhounds' barks began to circle the hunters.

"I think we'll pass, but thanks," Sam bantered, stepping in front of the brunette protectively.

"Your call. You guys can make it easy," she responded playfully, though threateningly, "or you can make it really, really hard…"

Looking amongst his companions, Dean stepped up beside his brother and responded snarkily: "Since when did we ever make anything easy?"

At this point, Laura whispered to both brothers that there were two slowly moving dogs towards the rear of the group and one advancing right in front of them. Nodding the group inhaled deeply and cocked their weapons as Meg shook her head.

"Now!" Laura yelled, and immediately Sam and Dean shot the hellhounds on the flanks while Laura shot the one leaping right at them.

As blood spurted from the invisible beings, Ellen shouted: "Run!"

Taking off, they turned every so often at Laura's command, shooting at the unseen beasts chasing after them. Rounding the corner, they continued to run, unsure as to where they could to go lose the hellish monsters.

"Jo, behind you!" the brunette cried, but it was too late.

Gun flying in the air, the blonde was tackled to the ground by the snarling hellhound.

In an instant, Jo let out a blood-curtailing scream as her side was shredded.

"Jo!" Elle screamed, as Dean shot the monster off her daughter, who was now writhing in pain.

"Go!" Laura commanded, stepping forward, in front of Jo and Dean.

Glancing up at the psychic, who was shooting the hellhounds left and right, he knew she had the best chance of holding them off. Without another thought, he scooped up the hemorrhaging Jo Harvelle and ran back toward Sam and Ellen.

As Sam fired at the few stragglers that avoided Laura's shots, Ellen broke open the doors of a hardware store, allowing Dean to carry Jo inside.

Setting her down on the floor, against the counter, Dean kept hearing the incessant gunshots from Laura's rifle.

"Sam, get her ass back in here!" he yelled as Ellen ran over to her whimpering and panting daughter.

The youngest Winchester nodded and called out: "Laura, come on!"

Spinning around, the brunette took off and sprinted to the hardware store, but before she could get inside, she felt a sharp, stinging pain run down her arm.

Yelping, she heard Sam shoot the one that had attacked her. Looking behind her, she saw another two massive black beasts bounding toward the door, and in a swift motion of her unharmed right arm, she sent out an invisible energy pulse, sending the whimpering hellhounds clear across the road.

Feeling Sam's large arms dragging her inside, the panting young woman was pushed into a shelf as the Winchesters chained the doors shut and began to salt all of the entrances and windows.

Looking around, the brunette's blue-green eyes fell on the quickly fading Jo Harvelle, and although her arm smarted something awful, she ignored the pain.

"Okay, okay, baby. Breathe… breathe," Ellen cooed, brushing the matted blonde hair from her sweating and trembling daughter's pale face. "Boys, we need some help here!" her voice cracked a bit.

Finishing up, the Winchesters joined Laura as all three stared helplessly at the massive pool of blood forming under the young Harvelle.

Ellen then peeled Jo's hand off the wound, and immediately a crimson flow of thick blood oozed from the injury.

Mrs. Harvelle's wide, horrified eyes then looked up at the shell-shocked Winchesters and psychic.


Jo Harvelle was limply propped up against the counter, head resting on her mother's shoulder. Eyes closed, her breathing was shallow, and one could only assume each breath was extremely painful. Ellen Harvelle merely stroked her daughter's hair with a blank expression while Laura finished putting on a bandage as tight as possible, though she knew nothing would stop the bleeding.

"You're gonna be all right," Ellen's voice was soothing, but her face was anything but at ease.

Glancing up at the heartbroken mother, Laura wondered how her own mother would handle watching one of her babies slowly dying in front of her. She couldn't even imagine that kind of torture.

Dipping a rag into a cool bowl of water, the brunette rung it out and began to dab Jo's forehead, but Mrs. Harvelle soon reached out for the cloth.

"I got it. You go check on the boys," the woman's voice was flat.

Pausing, Laura looked at the pained expression on both Harvelles' faces, and then she slowly rose from the dusty tile floor.

Walking across a few isles, she saw Sam and Dean talking amongst each other beside some electronic device that the eldest Winchester was fiddling with.

Deciding not to bother them, the brunette made her way toward the neighboring isle. Grabbing another rag, she wrapped it around her now pulsating and still bleeding arm. The cut was deep to say the least, with multiple tendons showing through the massive claw marks. Putting pressure on it, she bound it as tightly as possible, clenching her teeth and wincing a bit in pain.

Looking around, she then spotted some duct tape and ripped it open with her mouth. Yanking it, the brunette tried to find the best way to tape the makeshift bandage down.

"Want help?" Samuel Winchester's voice asked from directly behind her.

Jumping a bit, Laura turned and nodded with an empty smile: "Thanks."

Taking it from her, the youngest Winchester tightly secured the all ready soaked rag, causing the brunette to hiss in pain.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"No, it's fine," she tried to block out the stinging sensation. "The tighter the better."

"That thing got you pretty good," he observed as fresh blood from the squeezed cloth began to trickle down her all ready reddened arm.

"I'll live," she responded, putting her aching arm back down once he was done.

"How's she doin'?" Sam asked in a low voice, eyes focused on his boots.

Rather than voicing how truly dismal Jo's situation was, Laura changed the subject: "The salt lines seem to be holding up."

"So we're safe… for now..." he responded, slicking his thick brown hair back and out of his face.

"Think they'll be able to get in?" the psychic asked.

"It's only a matter of time," he mused darkly. "We're trapped in here like rats."

Laura could tell how frustrated the youngest Winchester was, and she couldn't blame him. This was probably their one shot at killing Lucifer and ending things, but now they were locked in some hardware store, surrounded by hellhounds with a friend dying right in front of them. Maybe this was what all of those ominous nightmares were warning her about… this event right now.

"Can I get some help over here, please?" Ellen's shaking voice called out.

"Go talk to Bobby about the reapers. I'll go to Ellen," Sam said before rushing over to the Harvelles.

Laura then turned down the isle and saw the clearly upset eldest Winchester trying to remain calm on the radio he fixed. Pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes shut tight, Dean tried to steady his breathing while Bobby's voice aggressively said: "Focus, Dean. What do we got to work with!"

"Not much, Bobby," he cleared his throat and opened his eyes.

"Well did Cas say how many reapers there were?" Mr. Singer's voice asked through the static.

"I don't think… he said a lot of things… does the number really matter?" the discouraged and panicking eldest Winchester's voice wavered.

Walking up to him, Laura placed a gentle hand on his back and took the microphone.

"Bobby, it's Laura. From where he was looking, and from what I sensed, I'd say there's well over a hundred," her voice was calm, though her insides were screaming.

Bobby Singer sighed and responded: "Well I can't say I like the sound of that."

"No one does," Dean seemed to be more collected while he looked down at the focused brunette beside him. "But what does it sound like?"

"Sounds like Death, son… sounds like Satan's in town to do a ritual."

Looking up at Dean with wide eyes, both hunters knew this could not mean anything remotely good.

"He's plannin' to unleash Death," Mr. Singer continued.

"Wait… you mean this dude and taxes are the only sure thing?" Dean asked, finding this news unbelievable.

"Yeah, as in Death… the Horseman… the pale rider in the flesh," the surly hunter responded forebodingly.

"But hasn't Death been runnin' around all over the place? Hell, I've died several times myself, remember?" the eldest Winchester pointed out.

"Not this guy… he's the big daddy reaper. He's been chained to a box 600 feet under, and the last time they hauled his ass up, Noah built a floatin' zoo," the certainty in Bobby's voice was beyond worrisome.

"So that's why all the reapers are around… waitin' for the big boss to show," Dean responded thoughtfully.

"Great, so not only are we dealing with Lucifer, but we got the damned Angel of Death coming to the party, too," Laura shook her head.

"You got any other good news for us?" Dean asked, glancing down at the stunned young woman.

"In a manner of speakin', yeah…" Bobby sighed. "I've been researchin' Carthage since you all left… tryin' to suss out what the Devil might want there, and what you just said drops the last piece of the puzzle in place…" he paused.

"Well get on with it Bobby," Dean snapped.

"The Angel of Death must be brought into this world at midnight in a place of terrible carnage… Now, back in the Civil War, there was a huge battle in Carthage… a battle so intense that soldiers ended up callin' it the Battle of Hellhole," Mr. Singer finished heavily.

"Where'd this massacre go down?" Dean's eyes narrowed.

"On the land of William Jasper's farm…"


"We know where He's gonna be and when… and now we got the Colt," Dean spoke to his younger brother in a hushed voice, while Ellen continued to comfort her extremely weakened daughter.

"Yeah. Now we just gotta get past a dozen hellhounds and reach the farm by midnight," Sam spoke bleakly.

"After we get Ellen an Jo the Hell out of dodge," the eldest Winchester added.

"Won't be easy," Sam scratched the back of his neck, looking down at the two Harvelles sitting in a pool of Jo's blood.

"How 'bout a stretcher?" Laura suggested, trying to ignore the blonde's whimpers of pain and Ellen's soft, comforting words.

Nodding in agreement, Sam turned to leave: "I'll see what we got."

"Guys, stop," Jo croaked. She had been relatively silent the entire time, and the sound of her voice captured the entire room's attention.

"Honey," Ellen tried to speak, but her ferocious daughter cut her off.

"No, mom… Can we, um, be realistic here, please?" her glassy eyes were burning with determination.

As the three hunters walked closer to Jo and her mother, the extremely pallid blonde continued: "I can't move my legs," she groaned. "I can't be moved… I mean my guts are being held in by an ace bandage… we gotta… we gotta get our priorities straight here…"

Everyone glanced around at one another, fearing what the young Harvelle was going to suggest.

"Number one, I'm not goin' anywhere," she spoke with an odd amount of calmness.

"Joanna Beth, don't you start talkin' like that," Ellen's voice was shaking as her eyes began to tear up.

"Mom, I can't fight. I can't even walk… but I can do something," Jo turned away from her mother's heart wrenching gaze and looked around the hardware store. "We got propane, wiring, rock salt, iron nails… everything we need."

"Everything we need?" Sam repeated, completely lost as to what she was getting at.

"To build a bomb," Laura stared sadly at the blonde.

Nodding her head, Jo tried to force a small smile, but couldn't.

Horrorstruck, Dean protested: "No, Jo. No…"

"Anyone else got a better plan? Or any other plan at all?" she cried. "Those are hellhounds out there, Dean. That got all our scents and those bitches… they won't ever stop huntin' you," her forlorn eyes locked with his green ones. "So we let the dogs in while you guys hit the roof and make a break to the nearest building. I can wait here with my finger on the button and rip those mutts a new one… or at least get you all a few minutes head start…"

"No," Ellen shook her head frantically as tears fell freely down her cheeks. "No, I won't let you!"

"If I can get us a shot at the Devil… Dean, we got to take it," Jo continued to stare at the man she had always loved.

"No!" Ellen argued, looking up at the torn eldest Winchester. "We can come up with somethin'…"

"Mom," Jo's voice cracked. "This might literally be the last time you can treat me like an adult… Might wanna take it?" she smirked weakly.

Looking at her brave little girl's smile, Ellen Harvelle broke down. Sobbing, she couldn't look at the three hunters standing before her: "You heard her. Get to work."

Right away Sam and Dean rushed throughout the store, gathering all of the supplies, but Laura found herself unable to move. Gazing down at the two women, Laura ached to help them.

"Are you deaf? I said get," Ellen said sharply, trying to feign strength.

"I… I can help," Laura knelt, looking between both mother and daughter.

Jo chuckled a bit before coughing: "Unless you can wave your magic wand and pull a miracle out of your ass, Sabrina, I'd say don't waste the energy."

Turning from Jo back to Ellen, Laura looked the mourning mother square in the eye.

"I can't save her, but I can do the next best thing," the brunette pulled the amulet over her head. "I can take her pain away."

"Mom…" Jo tried to protest, but her mother ignored her.

"For how long?" Ellen Harvelle asked desperately.

"I give her this," Laura held up the precious necklace, "and it'll last until… well…" her voice dropped off.

"Do it," Mrs. Harvelle blinked back tears.

Shifting closer to the blonde staring back at her, Laura inhaled deeply.

"I don't need your help…" Jo interrupted proudly, not wanting to go out like some wimp.

"I know you don't like me much, Jo… and I get it. Some stranger walkin' into my family would bother me, too…" Laura looked into the blonde's tear-filled brown eyes. "But we're in this fight together, and if I can't save you, I can at least make it a little easier," she spoke sympathetically, and then smirked: "Besides, I want you to be able to enjoy blowing those bitches sky-high."

Grinning in spite of herself, Jo nodded her head and gave in.

Inhaling again, Laura closed her eyes. Reaching out, the psychic took the blonde's limp hand and forced her thin fingers open.

As her blue-green eyes opened, Laura placed the amulet in Jo's palm and placed her own hand over it. Then, the brunette intertwined her slender fingers with the young Harvelle's, and the second their grips tightened, a massive wave of excruciating pain flooded her nerves.

As first Laura thought she might black out, but on top of the white hot agony penetrating her now sweating and panting body, the psychic soon felt the sorrowful determination that was fueling Jo.

Locking eyes with one another, the two young women finally understood one another. They saw each other's true colors… their dreams, hopes, fears, everything… everything that lied within the deepest recesses of their hearts and minds. In that brief moment, their souls connected and as tears ran down the brunette's pained face, Jo allowed herself to cry in relief.

Jo's body was no longer tense or throbbing, and as she watched the psychic's condition deteriorating, she spoke softly: "You can stop."

Forcing a smile, Laura stubbornly shook her head: "No way."

At this point, the Winchesters had come back, and both brothers couldn't help but pause, seeing the exchange occurring between Jo and Laura. Ellen's puffy eyes looked scoldingly at each of them, silently commanding that the boys continue setting the bomb up.

Obediently doing so, Dean kept stealing glances between the brunette and blonde. Although he was happy Jo was no longer in agony, he was also equally worried about what this was doing to Laura. Pushing his thoughts aside, the eldest Winchester focused on the task at hand.

Then, finally, as the sun finally set in the sky, everything was ready.

"Hold onto this," Laura let go, closing Jo's bloodstained fingers around the amulet.

Jo looked up in surprise that the pain did not come back the moment their contact with one another was broken, but observing the expression on Laura's face, the young Harvelle knew that the brunette was still absorbing all of her pain.

"Thank you," the blonde said in a low, sincere voice as her head plopped back onto her mother's trembling shoulder.

Laura grinned grimly before turning her attention onto the still sobbing Mrs. Harvelle, who merely gave her an appreciative nod.

Returning the curt gesture, Laura stepped aside as Sam stepped forward and announced that it was time.

Nodding, Jo looked towards her mother, who wasn't budging.

Realizing what was going on, Jo began to weep: "Mom, no."

"Someone's gotta let 'em in and like you said, you can't move. You're right, this is important, but you're not doin' this alone. You got me, Jo. I won't leave you," she smiled sadly.

Tears streaming down both of their faces, they gazed at one another with love.

"Dean," Sam spoke up, hoping his brother could convince Ellen to come with them.

"Get goin', boys," Ellen said gruffly.

Sam's head hung as he bent down and said his good-byes, whilst Dean stared blankly at both Harvelle women. Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, Laura silently gave him the strength he needed to go over to them.

As Sam backed away, Dean stepped forward and handed Jo the trigger. The longing and pitiful look the blonde was giving him was unbearable. Closing his eyes, he kissed her forehead, but when he pulled away, he saw that she needed, no deserved, a better good-bye. Lightly kissing her on the lips, he felt her swell up with a renewed amount of strength.

Turning from his sister to his mother, Dean tried one last time: "Ellen…"

"I said go," she looked him hard in the face.

Nodding woefully, the eldest Winchester stood up and joined Sam and Laura as they made their way towards the back exit of the hardware store.

"Oh, and Dean?" Mrs. Harvelle's called sternly with a determined expression. "Kick it in the ass… don't miss."

After one last look at his two close family members, Dean Winchester turned and ran up the emergency exit steps. Adrenaline pumping, he blinked back tears as his sorrow was transformed into vengeance. He wasn't gonna miss. He was gonna put a bullet in the Devil's head. He was gonna be the last thing Lucifer ever saw.

And as the three hunters exited the neighboring building, a loud explosion was heard as a massive blast of fire, gas, heat, and debris was sent high into the twilight sky, taking the hellhounds and the heroic Harvelles with it.