December 1st, 2009 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota
It took them a few days to find Crowley and come up with a plan to get the Colt. Castiel had been following clues on where the crossroads demon was since Dean had called him after they had left the Pineview hotel. Finally, they got a call one early morning, after spending the night in the Impala by the lake.
Dean put the phone to his ear. "Cas?" There was a long pause. "Going down?" Dean scoffed. "Right. Okay, Huggy Bear, just don't lose him."
Sam and Amy were leaning on the other side of the hood. They turned to look at Dean when he said those words, both wondering what the angel had said that had warranted that response.
"What's Cas saying?" Amy asked.
Dean put the speaker against his shirt and turned his head towards her. "He found Crowley making a deal nearby," he said. "Cas is following him right now." He put the phone to his ear again and listened to Cas speak again. "That's okay, you did great. We'll take it from here." He hung up the call and turned back to Sam and Amy.
"Well?" Sam asked.
"Crowley went to a place nearby, but Cas can't get in," Dean explained. "Says there's Enochian symbols all over the place so he can't get in."
"How close?" Amy asked.
"Few miles from here," Dean said. "It's just outside of town. We should head back to Bobby's. Come up with a plan to get inside and get the Colt."
They climbed back into the Impala and headed off towards the old hunter's house.
They reached Bobby's house a couple of hours later. Sam had called him on the way to let them know the current situation.
"So you three come up with a plan, yet?" Bobby asked when they found him in the study.
"Not yet," Dean said. "We need to make sure we do this right."
"Well angelic help is definitely out of the question with all that warding," Amy pointed out.
Dean pulled out his phone. "I'm gonna give Ellen a call. Maybe she and Jo can help us out with this." He dialed a number and put the phone to his ear and Amy sat down on the couch as he began to pace around the study.
"Ellen, hey," Dean said after a moment. "So, listen, we have a lead on the Colt. Cas found the demon who has it, but we need a plan to get in and get it. Do you think you and Jo could-" Dean stopped talking as he listened to whatever Ellen was saying. "It's just on the other side of town." Another pause. "Bobby's." Another pause. "Alright, thanks Ellen." The call ended.
"Ellen and Jo on their way?" Sam asked.
Dean nodded. "Ellen said they should be here soon."
Bobby grunted in response. "You three should start reading up before they get here. Figure out where exactly the devil is so you can put a bullet in his head."
The Winchesters and Amy exchanged a glance, before reluctantly grabbing a paper and sitting down to read.
Later that evening, Jo and Ellen arrived. Sam let them in and they all gathered around in the study. Amy noted that Jo was wearing a black evening dress.
"We could use bait to lure him out," Jo suggested.
Dean shook his head. "No, we're not using bait," he said firmly.
"Why not?" Jo asked. "It could work. I could pretend my car broke down and I need help or something and then, when this Crowley guy comes out, you guys kill him."
"You wanna use you as bait?" Dean asked in disbelief.
Jo shrugged.
"No," Dean said. "We'll think of something else."
"I think we should go with my daughter's plan," Ellen cut in.
"Yeah, I agree," Amy said. "Plus, we don't know how many demons are in that house. If we just sneak in, we're bound to be spotted."
Dean sighed. "Alright, fine."
Bobby rolled into the room, followed closely by Sam. "You four come up with a plan, yet?" he asked.
"We're gonna try to lure him out," Ellen said.
"We're gonna head out there tonight," Dean continued. "Jo's gonna go up, pretend she needs help with something, and then when Crowley's demons come out, you, me, and Amy'll kill them and then all of us will sneak into Crowley's house."
"You really think that'll work?" Sam asked.
"No," Dean admitted, "but I don't see any other options."
Sam nodded. "Okay. Guess we should get going, then."
"Yeah, let's." Dean stood up. "Ellen, why don't you stay here with Bobby? Jo can ride with us in the Impala."
Ellen nodded. "Alright. Just bring my daughter back alive."
"Yes, ma'am." Dean grabbed the keys to the Impala. "Let's go."
They headed out to the Impala. Jo got into the back with Amy and they headed off towards the future king of Hell's house.
It was only a few miles to Crowley's house. The house itself was huge with a black, gated fence surrounding the perimeter.
Dean parked the Impala down the street and turned off the engine. "You ready, Jo?"
"Yeah." Jo reached for the door handle. "Wait for my signal."
The hunters got out of the car. Sam took Ruby's knife while Dean and Amy grabbed shotguns and a can of red spray paint, and they all walked down the road towards the house. As they got near, Sam, Dean, and Amy crouched down into the bushes nearby while Jo approached the gate
Amy watched as Jo pushed a button on the intercom. A second later, she heard a voice coming through the speaker.
"Hello?"
"Hello?" Jo asked. "My car broke down. I—I need some help."
"I'll be down in a minute."
Jo turned away from the gate. A moment later, the gate opened up and two men approached.
"Evening, pretty lady," one of the demons said. "Get yourself on in here."
Jo shook her head. "I just need to make a call."
"You don't need to call anyone, baby," the demon said slyly. He glanced back at the other demon. "We're the only help you're ever gonna need."
Dean signaled for them to move and they slowly crept around behind the demons. Sam took the lead, brandishing the demon knife.
"You know what? I think I should wait by my car," Jo said, getting nervous. She turned back around to leave.
The demon grabbed her by the shoulder. "We said, get your ass in here," he snarled.
Jo shook the demon's hand off and threw him to the ground. Sam quickly ran up and stabbed the demon that was still standing through the neck, before stabbing the first demon as well.
"Nice work, Jo," Dean praised.
"Thanks." Jo took a bag from Dean and pulled out a pair of wire cutters. "Okay. Shall we?"
"Let's go," Amy said.
They crept around to the side of the house, stopping in front of a panel on the wall by the door.
"Okay," Dean said. He turned to Jo. "Give us a few minutes to get inside and draw the devil's trap, then cut the power and get back to the car. We'll meet you back there after we're done."
Jo nodded. "You guys got five minutes before I cut the power. Now go, hurry!"
Amy followed Sam and Dean around to the front door. They found the door already unlocked and quietly went inside.
They walked down a hallway, keeping an eye out for any demons. In the middle of the hall, they came across a decorative rug.
Amy stood watch with Dean while Sam used the spray paint to draw a devil's trap on the bottom of the rug. As soon as Sam was done, he stood back up, flipping the rug back down, and stood near Dean and Amy. He set the spray paint down on the floor, hidden from view, and took the demon knife back out.
The lights in the house suddenly went out. Jo had cut the power.
"Be ready," Dean whispered.
Amy cocked her gun, ready to fire it if she needed to. Her gaze caught the rug that Sam had put the trap under and she noticed that it was ruffled slightly. She quickly used her powers to straighten it back up again as a familiar demon she knew of all too well entered the room.
Crowley strolled into the room from the opposite side, skipping down a single stair with his hands in the pockets of his tailored suit.
"It's Crowley, right?" Sam asked.
Crowley stopped in his tracks. "So...the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew finally found me. Took you long enough." He started to walk forward, towards the rug.
Amy held her breath as she watched the demon approach, however, Crowley stopped just before the rug again. He glanced down at it, then lifted up the corner to reveal the devil's trap underneath.
"Do you have any idea how much this rug cost?" Crowley asked, straightening back up.
Amy suddenly felt her shotgun forcefully pulled from her hands as her arms were yanked behind her by a demon. Sam and Dean were disarmed as well and all three hunters stood there with their arms pinned behind their backs.
Crowley held up the Colt. "This is it, right? This is what it's all about."
Panic shot through Amy as she saw Crowley aim the gun at Dean's face. She relaxed slightly as the demon aimed his gun slightly away and shot the three demons holding them in the face.
The demons holding them dropped to the ground and Amy looked around, confused at what had just happened.
"We need to talk," Crowley informed them. "Privately." He walked away, leaving the hunters to follow him.
"What just happened?" Amy asked, voicing everyone's thoughts out loud.
They followed Crowley into another room.
"What the hell is this?" Dean demanded.
"Do you know how deep I could have buried this thing?" Crowley asked, setting the Colt on his desk. He waved a hand and the door slammed shut. "There's no reason you or anyone should know this even exists, except that I told you."
"You told us," Sam repeated slowly.
"Rumors, innuendo, sent out on the grapevine."
"Why?" Sam asked. "Why tell us anything?"
Crowley aimed the gun at Dean again. "I want you to take this thing to Lucifer and empty it into his face."
Amy frowned. Had Crowley always been on their side? She couldn't really remember.
"Uh-huh, okay, and why exactly would you want the devil dead?" Dean asked skeptically.
Crowley set the gun back down. "It's called survival. Well, I forgot you three at best are functioning morons—"
"You're functioning...morons..." Dean trailed off.
Crowley glanced at him. "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." Crowley circled around his desk. "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?"
Crowley held out the Colt to Sam, handle first. Amy glanced up at Sam and Dean as they glanced at her. Crowley wriggled the gun a little.
Sam hesitantly reached out and took the gun. "Great."
"Great," Crowley repeated, satisfied.
"You wouldn't happen to know where the devil is, by chance, would you?" Sam asked.
"Thursday, birdies tell me, there's an appointment in Carthage, Missouri."
Sam nodded. "Great." He put the barrel of the gun between Crowley's eyes and pulled the trigger. There was a click, but nothing happened. Crowley stared at them, unfazed.
"Oh, yeah, right, you'll probably need some more ammunition." Crowley stood up and walked to the other side of his desk.
"Oh, uh, excuse me for asking," Dean spoke, "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?"
Crowley looked back up at them. "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," he raised his voice so he was now yelling, "how about you don't miss, okay? Morons!" He tossed something towards Dean, who caught it.
Amy kept her eyes on Crowley. He wriggled his fingers at her, before disappearing in a small puff of black smoke. She heard Sam sigh and looked over at them. Dean was holding open the container Crowley had tossed at him. Inside were bullets for the Colt.
"Well, that was..." Amy trailed off, "interesting."
"Let's get back to the car," Dean said. "Jo should be there."
They quickly left the room and headed out of the house.
Jo was waiting for them next to the Impala as they approached. "Took you long enough," she said. "You get the gun?"
Sam held the Colt up. "Yeah, we got it," he said.
"We didn't even have to take it," Amy said. "Crowley just kinda gave it to us."
"He gave it to you?" Jo echoed as they slid into the car.
"Yeah, it was weird," Sam said. "He just handed it over and told us to empty it into Lucifer's face."
Jo looked confused. "Huh," was all she said in response. "So where is Lucifer anyway?"
"Carthage, Missouri," Dean replied. "Crowley said he'd be there on Thursday."
"That's in two days," Amy realized.
"One day," Sam corrected. "It's after midnight."
Amy sighed as she leaned back in her seat. "One day," she repeated. "Tomorrow."
December 2nd, 2009
They arrived back at Bobby's house shortly after. Amy headed up to her room and closed the door. She kicked off her shoes and sat down on her bed, staring down at the floor. Tomorrow, Jo and Ellen would die, unless Amy could do something about it. She really didn't want either woman to die, but she also knew that there was only so much she could do.
Amy laid back on the mattress, setting her head on the pillow. She needed to get some sleep. They needed to come up with a plan for tomorrow, when they would go up against the Devil himself. Closing her eyes, she tried to drift off to sleep, pushing back the continuous thoughts in her head.
Sam, Dean, and Amy spent the rest of the next day looking for omens that might lead them to where Lucifer was.
Amy had a lot on her mind as she read through piles of papers. The Colt didn't work, that she did know. She also knew the Colt would eventually be useful so getting it was something the hunters needed to do, but what she didn't know was whether or not she should tell them that the gun wouldn't work. She couldn't remember for sure, but wasn't there something important that Sam and Dean found out when they confronted Lucifer.
Amy leaned back in her chair and looked out towards the kitchen where Jo and Ellen were talking and sighed. Jo and Ellen died in this episode, she was sure of it. She didn't want that to happen though. She wasn't sure how, but Amy knew she was going to stop it from happening.
"You okay, kid?" Dean asked, drawing Amy's attention away from the kitchen.
"What?" Amy asked.
"I asked if you were alright," Dean repeated. "You've been staring off into space for a while."
Amy gave Dean a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about something."
"What are you thinking about?" Sam asked, looking up from his laptop.
Amy opened her mouth to tell Sam and Dean what she knew about Jo and Ellen, but closed it. Telling them about Jo and Ellen's demise might not be the right solution. It could go wrong even in both scenarios playing out in her head.
On one hand, Sam and Dean might still bring Jo and Ellen along because they need more guns, and would tell them to be extra careful, which definitely wouldn't work. On the other hand, they would tell Jo and Ellen to stay behind, but Jo would sneak off and come with them anyway, leaving Ellen alive, possibly, while Jo died.
Amy shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "It's not important, anyway."
Dean went back to his papers. "Alright, then."
That night, Amy was still sitting at the table with Sam and Dean. Jo and Ellen were in the kitchen and Bobby was setting something up in the study.
There was a slight breeze and Cas appeared in the room.
"Hey, Cas!" Amy greeted.
Cas gave her a small nod. "Hello Amy." He turned to Sam and Dean. "Sam. Dean."
"Hey Cas," Dean said.
Ellen walked into the room. "So, this must be the angel I've heard about," she said. "Castiel."
"Hello Ellen," Cas greeted. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise."
Jo popped her head out from the kitchen. "Hey, Castiel, come here, real quick."
Cas walked out of the study to see what Jo needed. Ellen followed and Amy was left alone with Sam and Dean in the study again.
Sam opened up a beer bottle. "It's gotta be a trap, right?" he asked.
"Sam Winchester, having trust issues with a demon." Dean chuckled. "Well, better late than never."
Sam scoffed. "Thank you again for your continued support."
"You're welcome."
Amy smiled slightly as Sam and Dean clinked bottles and took a drink of their beers.
Dean sighed. "You know, trap or no trap, we got a snowball's chance, we gotta take it, right?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah, I suppose."
"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." Dean pushed some papers closer to Sam. Amy stood up to get a better look at them. "There's been six missing persons reported, in town, since Sunday. I think the devil's there."
"Looks like it," Amy agreed.
Sam nodded again. "Okay."
"Look, when you think about it," Dean began slowly, "you can't come with."
Amy looked at Dean, confused. "What?"
Sam rolled his eyes. "Dean," he began.
"Look, I go against Satan and screw the pooch, okay?" Dean argued. "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."
Sam scoffed. "Since when have we ever done anything smart?"
"I'm serious, Sam."
"So am I," Sam insisted. "Haven't we learned a damn thing? If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it together." He looked over at Amy. "All three of us."
Sam turned back to Dean and the two brothers stared at each other for a moment until Dean looked away first.
Dean nodded. "Okay," he agreed reluctantly. "But it's a stupid frigging idea." His attention was caught by something behind Amy. She turned around to see Cas and Ellen sitting at the kitchen table with a line of upside down shot glasses in front of them. Jo stood over them, watching.
"Are you guys trying to get Cas drunk?" Amy asked, trying to hold back laughter.
Jo held up a beer bottle. "Trying being the operative word."
Amy chuckled in amusement as she turned back to Sam and Dean.
"Boy, talk about stupid ideas," Sam said.
"Good God. True, that," Dean agreed.
Amy stood up from the table and walked into the study to find Bobby setting up a camera on a tripod. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"The hell does it look like I'm doing?" Bobby asked.
Amy folded her arms and sat down on the desk. "It looks like you're about to force everyone to take a photoshoot. You want me to get some costumes or..."
"Idjit," Bobby muttered, "It's something to remember you all by."
"Yeah, well, count me out," Amy said. "I hate having my picture taken."
"Well, too bad, kid, you're doing it." Bobby continued fiddling with the camera. "Everybody get in here!" he shouted to the others in the next room. "It's time for the lineup. Usual suspects in the corner."
Sam walked in from one side of the room as Ellen entered from the other.
"Oh come on, Bobby," Ellen groaned. "Nobody wants their picture taken."
Sam scoffed. "Hear, hear."
"Shut up," Bobby said as Cas entered the room, looking confused. "You're drinking my beer."
Dean and Jo entered the room as Bobby finished setting up the camera and rolled his wheelchair back. Amy reluctantly got off the desk and joined the group in the corner.
"Anyway," Bobby continued, "I'm gonna need something to remember your sorry asses by."
"Ha!" Ellen laughed. "Always good to have an optimist around."
Being the shortest, Amy stood in the front, next to Bobby. Ellen stood behind her, between Cas and Jo. Dean stood behind Jo and Ellen, putting his arms around both of them and Sam stood in the very back with his arms around Cas and Dean.
"Bobby's right," Cas said as the timer on the camera counted down. "Tomorrow we hunt the devil. This is our last night on earth."
Amy sighed. "Way to kill the mood, Cas."
The camera flashed. Amy hadn't been smiling and she didn't think anyone else was either.
"We should get some sleep," Dean suggested. "We got a long drive ahead of us tomorrow and we gotta leave early.
Amy set the photo down. "Yeah, alright," she said, stretching her arms. "Night guys."
"Night, Ames."
Amy made her way upstairs. She stopped at the landing of the second floor and turned back to the group downstairs, focusing specifically on Jo and Ellen. She needed to come up with a plan fast to save them. She didn't remember how they died, but she did remember that Jo died first. Even if it meant dying herself, Amy would make sure that wouldn't happen.
December 3rd, 2009
Amy was woken up the next morning by a loud knock on her door.
"Get up," Dean shouted from the other side. "We gotta get an early start."
Amy groaned but reluctantly slid out of bed. "I'm up, I'm up. I'll be down in a sec, just gotta get dressed."
"Alright, well, hurry up. We're leaving in five minutes."
Retreating footsteps told Amy that Dean had left to go back downstairs. She made her way over to her dresser and threw on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt along with her tennis shoes before checking to make sure her duffle bag was packed and heading down to join everyone.
"Ready to go?" Dean asked when Amy entered the room.
Amy adjusted the bag on her shoulder. "Ready."
Dean nodded. "Alright, Cas is riding with Jo and Ellen. Let's get going."
"You guys call if you run into any trouble," Bobby told them.
"Will do, Bobby," Amy promised. "See you soon."
Amy followed everyone out of the house. Jo and Ellen led Cas to their car.
"It's about an eight-hour drive," Dean informed Ellen. "Just drive behind us, we should get there by this evening."
The hunters climbed into their respective cars. Cas got in the backseat of Ellen's car and Amy got into the Impala with Sam and Dean.
Dean started the engine and they began the long drive to face Lucifer.
Carthage, Missouri
They reached Carthage by 5 p.m. The town seemed deserted. Several missing posters were tacked to a telephone pole.
Amy pulled out her phone. "I don't have a signal here," she noticed. "Do you guys?"
Sam and Dean pulled out their phones as Dean slowly drove down the street.
"Nothing," Sam said.
"Yeah, me either," Dean confirmed. He rolled down the windows and Amy stuck her phone out to try and get a signal as Sam and Dean did the same.
"You guys getting a signal?" Sam asked as they drove past a sign that said "ANTI-GOD IS ANTI-AMERICAN" on an American-flag background.
Dean shook his head. "No, nothing."
"Nothing here either." Amy pulled her hand back into the car and rolled up her window.
"Nice and spooky." Dean stopped the car and waved Ellen up next to them.
"Place seem a little empty to you?" Ellen asked.
"We're gonna go check out the PD," Dean declared. "You guys stay here, see if you can find anybody."
"Okay."
Dean continued driving down the street. They came across the police station at the end of the block. He parked the Impala in front of the building and they got out.
Amy looked up at the police station. The main entrance doors were almost torn completely off its hinges and many of the windows looked like they had been smashed. "Well, this looks promising," she commented dryly.
Sam handed her a shotgun and a flashlight. "Come on. Let's see if there's anyone inside."
The three hunters made their way inside the dark building. It was easy enough getting through the damaged doors. They squeezed through the narrow opening, only to be met with several overturned desks on the floor and lights dangling from the ceiling by a single wire.
Amy turned on her flashlight as Sam and Dean did the same. Dean signaled for Sam to go one way and Amy to go down the hall in front of them. They split up and Amy headed down the hall Dean had told her to go down.
Obstacles lined the long, dark hallway, but Amy made her way around them as she continued on. At one point, she thought she saw something move in the corner of her eye, but spun around to find nothing there.
Eventually, Amy reached the end of the hallway, not having seen any sign of anyone else in the building. She turned around and made her way back, meeting back up with Sam and Dean by the entrance.
"Find anything?" Dean asked.
Amy shook her head. "I don't think there's anyone here."
"Sammy and I didn't find anything either," Dean said. "Come on, let's get back to the others."
They headed outside and got back into the Impala. Dean drove them the other way down the street and they headed back to where they had left Ellen, Jo, and Cas.
Dean stopped the Impala along the curb and they got out to wait for the others.
A few minutes later, Ellen drove her car up next to them.
"Station's empty," Dean informed Ellen.
"So's everything else," Jo said.
"Have you seen Cas?" Ellen asked.
"He's not with you?" Amy asked.
Ellen shook her head. "Nope. He went after the reapers."
"Reapers?" Dean repeated.
"He saw reapers?" Sam looked around the empty street. "Where?"
"Well, kind of everywhere," Jo said.
Amy exchanged a glance with Sam and Dean. This was bad.
"Alright, everyone grab a shotgun," Dean ordered. "We gotta find Cas."
Ellen parked her car in front of the Impala and got out with Jo. Dean handed shotguns out to everyone. Amy made sure hers was loaded, before grabbing a few more rounds and putting them in her pocket. Once everyone was ready, the five hunters began walking down the street.
"Well, this is great," Dean muttered, "been in town twenty minutes and already lost the angel up our sleeve."
"You think, uh, you think Lucifer got him?" Sam asked.
"Maybe." Amy shrugged.
"I don't know what else to think," Dean added.
"There you are."
Amy recognized the voice instantly. She turned around with the group to see Meg standing behind them.
"Meg," Sam snapped.
"Shouldn't have come here, boys," Meg taunted.
"Hell, I could say the same thing for you." Dean aimed the Colt at Megs face.
"Didn't come here alone, Deano."
A puddle near Megs feet splashed and Amy heard several dogs growl and bark around them. She looked around for the source as her heartbeat began to get faster.
"Hellhounds," Dean said nervously.
"Yeah, Dean." Meg smiled. "Your favorite. Come on, you three. My father wants to see you."
"I think we'll pass, thanks." Sam shifted on the spot.
Meg shrugged. "Your call. You can make this easy or you can make it really, really hard."
Dean looked back at Ellen, who nodded. He turned back to the demon.
"When have you known us to ever make anything easy?"
Meg shook her head. Dean aimed towards the puddle and fired the Colt. Blood spurted from the hellhound next to Meg's feet.
"Run!" Sam shouted.
Amy spun around and took off in a sprint down the street as the other hellhounds took off after them. As they ran, she heard Dean scream and turned around to see him lying in the street, fighting off a hellhound that had tackled him.
"Dean!" Jo and Amy shouted in a panic.
"Jo, Amy, stay back!" Dean ordered.
Jo began firing her shotgun in Dean's direction. She kept firing, walking closer to Dean with each shot.
Amy heard something running towards them. Running towards Jo. Her feet were moving before she could come up with a plan. She ran towards Jo, shoving her out of the way just as the Hellhound reached her.
Jo fell to the ground, away from the attacking hellhound, but Amy wasn't so lucky. She let out a scream as the hellhound tore into her side and warm blood soaked through her shirt.
"No!" Dean shouted. "Amy!"
Amy heard gunshots as Sam and Ellen kept firing at the hellhounds. She felt Dean scoop her up off the ground and run down the street. They entered a building and Dean set her on the ground against the counter. Amy had her hands pressed against her side, whimpering at the immense pain.
Sam chained up the doors as Ellen dropped down next to Amy.
"Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay," Ellen repeated, "breathe now—"
"Okay." Sam finished chaining up the doors and walked over to them. He and Dean grabbed bags of rocksalt and began lining the doors and windows with them.
"Boys, need some help here!" Ellen shouted. She peeled Amy's hand away from her side as Jo knelt down on the other side of her. Blood began spurting out of Amy's side again and began pooling in the palm of her hand. She groaned in pain and put her hand back on the wound, pressing on it firmly.
"The hell were you thinking?" Dean snapped at Amy.
Amy shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "I don't know."
"Find me some gauze and bandages," Ellen instructed frantically.
Sam and Dean took off to find what Ellen needed.
"You saved my baby girl's life," Ellen said. "You..." she took a deep breath. "Thank you. You're gonna be alright now, you hear?"
Amy shook her head. "No I won't," she said quietly.
"Yes, you will," Ellen insisted.
Amy shook her head. "No, I won't. I know I won't."
"What do you mean, you know you won't." Jo asked.
"Because that hellhound would have killed you," Amy admitted. "I already know it would have."
"Be quiet now," Ellen snapped. "You couldn't have possibly known that."
Sam and Dean hurried back over with the bandages and handed them to Jo.
"I'm gonna have to remove your hand again," Ellen told Amy. "Get you bandaged up."
Amy nodded and Ellen peeled her hand away from the wound again. Amy began whimpering again as the pain began to worsen.
Ellen placed three big gauze pads against the large wound, before wrapping an ace bandage around Amy's stomach to hold them in place. "Sam, I need a bowl and cotton balls," she said.
Dean stood over Amy, tapping his foot nervously. After a moment, he walked over to a shelf and began fiddling with something on it.
"Gonna be all right," Ellen assured her.
Sam handed Ellen the bowl and some cotton balls.
"Thank you."
Sam nodded and walked over to Dean. They began talking about something that Amy couldn't hear.
Ellen began cleaning the blood off of Amy's face and around the wound.
"What did you mean earlier, when you said you knew you wouldn't be fine," Jo asked.
Amy opened her mouth, hesitating slightly. Did she really want to tell Jo and Ellen about their fate? It was now or never, she supposed. "I knew because...because I'd seen it before," she admitted. "I don't think I've ever told you guys this, but I'm not exactly from around here."
"Sam, some help here, please?" Ellen turned back to Amy.
"Not from around here?" Jo repeated.
Amy nodded as Sam walked over to them.
"What do you mean you're not from around here?" Jo asked.
"What do you need help with?" Sam asked.
"Keep cleaning her up," Ellen instructed. "I'll be right back."
Ellen and Sam switched spots. Sam began using the cotton balls and water to clean Amy up.
"Amy, what did you mean?" Jo repeated.
"What?" Sam asked.
"She said something about knowing she wouldn't be fine, and that she wasn't from around here," Jo explained.
"Amy don't talk like that, okay?" Sam snapped.
Amy shook her head again. "Sam, there's something you need to know."
"Save it, okay?" Sam asked. "Save it for when we get you healed up."
"Sam, no," Amy snapped, groaning in pain at the sudden violent movement. She turned to Jo. "When I said I wasn't from around here, I meant I'm from another universe. Where I'm from, all of what's happening right now, happened on a fictional TV show."
Jo looked up at Sam. "What?" she asked in disbelief.
Sam nodded solemnly. "She's telling the truth. We met Amy a few years ago. She's from the year 2016 and another universe where this is all a TV show."
"So, you knew about the hellhound," Jo realized.
Amy shook her head. "I forgot about that, to be honest. But I pushed you out of the way because..." she trailed off.
"Because what?" Sam asked as he dropped another cotton ball in the bowl.
Amy turned her head to Sam. "Because if I hadn't Jo and Ellen both would have died," she admitted.
Jo let out a shaky breath next to her as Sam stopped cleaning up the blood. "What?" she asked.
Amy turned to Jo. "I'm sorry, Jo," she said. "Really, I am."
"Ames, no," Sam snapped. "You're not going to die, okay?"
"Jo did when the hellhound attacked her in this episode," Amy argued. "Why the hell would I be any different?"
"I don't know," Sam admitted, "but we're not going to let you die, you hear?"
Dean and Ellen walked back over. "How's she holding up?" Dean asked.
"She'll be okay," Sam said reassuringly. "But, uh...Dean, I need to talk with you. Ellen, could you-?"
Ellen nodded, taking Sam's place.
Sam and Dean walked further away to talk. Amy couldn't hear what they were saying, but a moment later, she heard Dean shout. "What?" and walk back over to them.
"What the hell do you mean, Jo and Ellen were supposed to die?" he snapped.
"I'm sorry, what?" Ellen asked.
Amy sighed. "Jo and Ellen both died in this episode," she admitted.
Ellen turned to Dean. "Can she see the future or something?"
"No, mom," Jo corrected, "she's from the future. She and Sam both told me while you were over there."
"She's from another world too," Sam added. "Where all of this is happening on a TV show."
"So, you've seen all this before?" Ellen asked. "Without you in it, I'm guessing?"
Amy nodded. "Yeah. And I watched Jo die because of the hellhound that attacked her...that attacked me."
"Damn it, Amy!" Dean snapped. "How could you be so stupid?!"
"Would you rather, I had let Jo get attacked instead?" Amy asked. "Cause the way I see it, that might have been my only option!"
"You could have told us!"
"And how well do you think that would have worked, huh?" Amy asked. "If you had told Jo and Ellen to stay behind," she turned to Jo, "Jo I know I haven't known you for that long, but let's be real here. You would have protested about that and probably would have snuck along anyway. And if not, then it would just have been me, Sam, and Dean, and something much worse would have happened."
Amy could feel her legs going numb. She tried to move them, but her side hurt too much to do so.
Dean pounded his fists on the counter as Ellen let out a shaky breath. "So what?" he asked. "Now you're gonna die?"
Amy shrugged. She turned her head away from Dean. He was right, she knew he was. Cas was still missing and Amy was quickly bleeding out. Unless some miracle happened, it would only be a matter of time before she couldn't hold on any longer.
Dean shook his head and began pacing around. "No. No, that's not going to happen." He walked down the aisle in front of them. "Cas!" he shouted. "Where the hell are you? Amy's in trouble."
Silence filled the building as they waited for any sign of the angel. Nothing.
A random thought made Amy chuckle softly. If she died and went to heaven, she'd probably be the only person who knew God himself personally. Of course, Chuck could very easily bring her back to life like he did with Sam and Dean, but she didn't want to think about that right now.
Dean walked back over to the others.
"What are we going to do?" Sam asked.
"I don't know," Dean admitted. He began pacing again. Finally he stopped. "Shit," he hissed.
"What?" Sam and Amy asked.
"I can't believe I'm about to do this," Dean said, "but right now I don't see any other option."
"What are you talking about?" Ellen asked.
In response, Dean walked back into the aisle. He turned his head to the ceiling. "Gabriel!" he shouted to Amy's surprise. "We're in a department store in Carthage Missouri! We need help. It's Amy, she-" he let out a shaky breath. "She's in trouble."
"So, let me get this straight, you two find out who and what I am and you just think you can call me for help?"
Amy heard Gabe behind her, but couldn't turn her head far enough to see him.
Dean walked past Amy as he made his way over to the archangel. "No," he said, "but Amy's in trouble and Cas is nowhere to be found."
"Amy's in trouble?" Gabriel repeated. Amy could hear the worry in his voice. "Where is she? Did Lucifer get her?"
"No," Dean said. "She's over there, behind the counter."
Gabriel walked around the corner, finally coming into Amy's view. At the sight of her, he dropped down to his knees. "No," he said in a panic, "Amy."
Amy smiled weakly. "Hiya Gabe."
Gabriel looked up at Sam and Dean. "What happened?"
"She got attacked by a hellhound," Sam replied.
"She saved my life," Jo said at the same time.
Gabriel looked over at Jo and Ellen. "Who are you guys?"
"I'm Ellen, this is my daughter Jo. Who the hell are you?"
"This is Gabriel," Dean replied. "He's an archangel and friends with Amy."
"A hellhound went to attack me," Jo continued. "Amy pushed me out of the way, but she got attacked instead."
Gabe turned to Amy. "Playing hero now, huh?" he joked.
Amy smiled weakly again, before letting out another pained groan. She could feel herself getting weaker. It was getting harder to keep her head up and she had started to get extremely lightheaded earlier.
"Can you help or not?" Dean snapped.
Gabriel nodded. He turned back to Amy. "Let's get you fixed up, kiddo," he said softly.
Amy moved her hands away from the bandages. Gabriel pressed his hands against her side. "This might feel a little weird," he said.
Everyone watched as Gabriel's eyes began to glow and a bright light emitted from his hands. Amy's side felt like it was burning for a moment, before it died down and the pain stopped completely. Amy could feel her strength returning.
The light in Gabriel's hands went away and his eyes stopped glowing. He took his hands away from Amy's side and removed the bandages from around her. The large wound on her side was now gone and so was the blood. She lifted up the side of her shirt to see a large scar running down her side where the wound was.
The other hunters let out a sigh of relief.
"Told you you were going to be just fine," Ellen said.
Amy smiled at Gabriel. "Thank you," she whispered.
The next thing Amy knew, Sam and Dean were both at her side, pulling her into a group hug. After a short while, they pulled away and carefully helped her to her feet.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Dean asked.
Amy nodded. "I am, yeah."
Dean nodded. He turned to Gabriel, who was now standing next to Amy. "Thank you, Gabriel, really," he said. "We owe you one."
Gabe smirked. "I'll be sure to hold you to that, Deano."
"Now what are we gonna do?" Jo asked. "The hellhounds are still out there."
"Crap, you're right." Dean turned to Amy. "Anything you remember?"
Amy shook her head. "I think I remember something about a bomb, but that's it."
Jo looked around the store. "We got everything we need in here to build one." She started listing off items. "Propane, wiring, rock salt, iron nails."
"Yeah, but someone needs to set it off," Amy realized.
"Or," Gabriel spoke up, "I could fly you guys out of here."
"You'd really do that?" Sam asked.
Gabriel nodded. "I can get all of you guys out of here safely. Or, you guys build the bomb anyway and I'll set it off. It won't hurt or kill me and you guys can run out the back."
"A bomb won't kill the hellhounds," Dean pointed out.
"No, but it'll slow them down," Gabe said. "Look, I'm offering to help you guys here, which is something I don't usually do. I suggest you take it."
"Gabe's right, Dean," Amy said. "And right now it might be the best option we got."
Dean thought for a moment, then finally nodded. "Okay. Let's build a bomb."
The hunters got to work. They grabbed everything they needed to build the bomb and set it on the counter.
While Sam and Dean were working on building the device, Amy walked over to Gabe.
"Hey," she said quietly.
"Hey kiddo." Gabriel gave her a small smile. "Are you doing okay?"
Amy let out a sigh. "Well, I'm alive and not slowly dying on the floor anymore, so I say yes." She flashed the archangel a smile. "I can't believe you actually came when Dean called you."
"He said you were in trouble, otherwise I probably wouldn't have," Gabe admitted.
"Alright, we're ready," Dean announced.
Gabriel and Amy walked over to the group. Sitting on the counter was a small bomb, ready to be set off.
"We need to hurry up and get out of here," Ellen said. "This bomb will only give us a few minutes at most."
"We can head out the back," Jo said. "It'll be faster."
Dean nodded in agreement. He turned to Gabriel. "You still gonna do this?"
"Keep asking and I'll change my mind," Gabe challenged.
"Let's get going then."
"Gabe, meet us outside once the bomb goes off?" Amy asked.
"Sure thing, kiddo."
Amy followed Sam, Dean, Jo, and Ellen out the back of the store. As they ran down the street, a loud explosion could be heard from behind them. The ground shook violently and Amy turned around to see the store they had just come out of engulfed in flames.
"Whew!"
Amy turned to see Gabe standing behind her, covered head to toe in ashes.
"Guess we owe you two favors now."
"Don't mention it, Deano," Gabe said. "I've gotta get out of here." He pointed at Amy. "Keep her safe, alright?" In the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving the hunters on the street.
"You know what?" Ellen interrupted. "Jo and I should probably get going."
"Mom!" Jo protested.
"Joanna Beth, don't even think about arguing with me!" Ellen snapped. "I just found out that you and I would have died tonight if that hound had attacked you. I'm not gonna risk anything else like that happening tonight."
Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. Finally, Dean nodded. "Alright, just be careful getting back to your car." He turned to Amy. "I've got half a mind to tell you to go with them."
"Dean, I'll be fine," Amy insisted. "But we're wasting time. We need to get going."
"She's right, Dean."
"Alright," Dean agreed, "Jo, Ellen, head back to Bobby's. We'll head back there once we're finished here."
"Good luck, boys."
Jo and Ellen headed one way down the street while Sam, Dean, and Amy took off running in the other direction.
They reached a field close to midnight. Sam led them through some bushes out of sight so they could get a good view.
Dozens of men were standing around the field. Off to the side, another man, who Amy instantly recognized as Lucifer, was filling up a hole on top of the hill.
"Guess we know what happened to some of the townspeople," Dean muttered.
Sam took a deep breath. "Okay."
"Okay," Dean and Amy repeated.
"Last words?" Sam asked.
"I'm good," Amy declined.
Dean looked at his brother for a moment. "I think I'm good," he said.
"Yeah. Me too."
Dean nodded. "Here goes nothing."
Amy followed Dean in one direction while Sam went in the other. They snuck behind Lucifer and hid behind a tree while Sam snuck up from the other side with his shotgun.
"Hey!" Amy heard Sam shout.
Sam approached Lucifer, readying his shotgun as he did.
Lucifer turned around, dropping the shovel.
"You wanted to see me?"
"Stay here," Dean whispered to Amy.
Before she could protest, Dean snuck off towards Lucifer, the Colt in his hands.
Lucifer sighed. "Oh, Sam, you don't need that gun here. You know I'd never hurt you. Not really."
"Yeah?" Dean asked. "Well, I'd hurt you."
Lucifer turned around and Dean aimed the Colt directly at his forehead.
"So suck it." Dean fired the gun and Lucifer collapsed to the ground. Amy sighed. She wished it could be that easy and that this could all be over here and now.
Sam and Dean stood over Lucifer's body for a moment. Finally, Lucifer inhaled deeply and shifted on the ground.
"Owww..." Lucifer groaned. He stood up, much to Sam and Dean's horror. "Where did you get that?" He asked Dean, before flinging him into the tree Amy was behind.
Amy let out a gasp, accidentally putting her foot forward. A branch under her foot snapped and Lucifer quickly turned his head towards her.
"And what do we have here?" the Devil asked. He waved a hand and Amy was thrown out from behind the tree. She hit a different tree further away and collapsed to the ground.
Amy wasn't sure how long she was out, but she woke back up to the sound of chanting. She slowly opened her eyes to see the men they had seen earlier standing around Lucifer.
"We offer up our lives, blood, souls—" the demons chanted.
"To complete this tribute," Lucifer said
To complete this tribute," the demons repeated.
Amy watched as the demons flashed gold and fell to the ground.
Lucifer turned to Sam, who was now surrounded by dead bodies.
"What?" he asked. "They're just demons."
Amy slowly stood up. Nearby, Dean got up as well. They made their way over to Sam and stood next to him, watching in horror as Lucifer stood over the mass grave.
The ground began to shake. Castiel suddenly appeared next to them and held a finger to his lips.
The next thing Amy knew, she was back next to the Impala with Sam, Dean, and Cas.
"Nice timing, Cas," Dean said with a smile. "Where the hell have you been?"
"Lucifer got me," Cas explained.
"I'm just glad you're alright," Amy said.
"We should get out of here," Sam pointed out.
"Cas, can you meet us back at Bobby's?" Dean asked.
Cas nodded. "I'll be there."
Amy climbed into the backseat of the Impala. Sam and Dean got in the front and they took off away from the town.
December 4th, 2009 - Sioux Falls, SD
They reached Bobby's house the next morning.
Dean led them inside the house.
Amy smiled when she saw Ellen and Jo both sitting at the kitchen table. "You guys are okay!" she said in relief.
"Glad to see you are as well," Ellen said. "How'd you three make out?"
Dean dropped the Colt on the table. "Colt didn't work," he said angrily. "All that was for nothing."
Bobby rolled his wheelchair in from the study. He made his way over to Amy. "You stupid, stupid girl!" he snapped. "What the hell were you thinking pulling a stunt like that?"
"I'm sorry, Bobby," Amy said meekly.
"You should be," Bobby continued angrily. "You could have died!"
Silence filled the house. Amy shifted on the spot. Bobby was right. If Dean hadn't made the decision to ask Gabriel for help, she would be dead right now.
"Bobby, she saved my life," Jo pointed out quietly.
"And almost lost hers doing it," Bobby countered.
"I really am sorry, Bobby," Amy repeated.
Bobby held Amy's gaze for a moment. After what seemed like an eternity, he let out a deep breath. "I'm just glad you're alright," he said quietly.
Dean flipped the TV on to the news station. The screen showed a tornado with a caption underneath it that read "STATE OF EMERGENCY, Paulding County" and "KOUA 16".
"Just received an update that the governor has declared a state of emergency for Paulding County," the news anchor was saying, "including the towns of Marion, Fetterville, and Carthage. The storm system has reportedly touched off a number of tornadoes in the area."
Bobby held up the photo they had taken a couple days earlier. Nobody in it was smiling because of what Cas had said just before the flash.
"Death tolls have yet to be estimated," the news anchor continued, "but state officials expect the loss of life and property to be staggering."
Dean turned off the TV.
"Why don't you get rid of that picture, Bobby?" Ellen asked. "We can take a better one now."
"For once, I'd actually be on board for another picture," Amy said.
Bobby looked at the picture once more, before tossing it into the fireplace. The hunters watched as it burned away.
"You wanna get the camera ready now, Bobby?" Ellen asked.
"You might as well because my willingness to take this photo will only last so long," Amy added.
"Give me a few minutes." Bobby rolled over towards the camera.
Amy heard the flutter of wings and looked over to see Cas standing in the room. "Cas!" she exclaimed.
"What took you so long buddy?" Dean asked.
"My apologies," Cas said, nodding his head.
Bobby continued fiddling with the camera. "Might as well get in the picture, Cas. Since you're here and all."
"You can stand next to me this time, Cas," Jo suggested.
"Everyone get in position," Bobby ordered. "Camera's almost ready."
The hunters and Cas got back in the corner they had taken the first picture in. Cas stood next to Jo with Ellen slightly behind him. Amy stood in the front, next to Dean, and Sam stood in the very back. Bobby rolled his wheelchair next to Amy.
As the timer ticked down, Amy felt Dean out his arm around her shoulder and Sam put a hand on her other one. She smiled as the flash went off.
After the picture was taken, the group disbanded. Ellen and Jo headed into the kitchen to talk, dragging Cas along with them.
Amy smirked as she watched them disappear into the other room. She sat down on the couch. Sam sat at the desk and Dean leaned against it. They exchanged a glance, before turning to Amy.
"So, we were thinking," Dean began, "after what happened last night, I think it only seems fair that I keep that promise I made to you a week ago."
Amy's face lit up. "You mean-?"
Dean nodded. "I'll take you to meet your grandparents," he promised. "Tomorrow, alright?"
Amy smiled. "I can't wait. Thanks, Dean!"
"Don't mention it, kiddo."
"Grandparents?" Bobby asked.
"Oh yeah, I guess we forgot to tell you," Amy realized. "Chuck told me that I still have family left alive in this world. My grandparents live in Lebanon."
Bobby stared in shock. "Huh. Well I'll be," he said.
"We'll go tomorrow," Dean repeated. "That sound good to you?"
Amy nodded. "Yeah, it does."
"Good."
Amy put her feet up on the couch and stretched out across it. She put her arms behind her head and looked up at the ceiling with a smile, excited for the day to end and the next one to come.
