The TV screen in the hotel had seen some better days. Ashlinn tiredly flipped through the channels. John had allowed Ashlinn to come with the boys on this hunt because Ashlinn had guilted him into it, but he still wasn't keen on letting her get involved with any of the action. Whether that was because he didn't trust her or because he didn't want her to get hurt, she had no idea. It was better than staying at the house. Bobby was doing a major overhaul of all of the doors and windows. Something about installing a salt line underneath every entrance. Plus… she already knew that it would be hard to sleep in that room without her buddy.

Ashlinn stared out the window as the rain started falling sideways. Tonight was the big night. Rosie would be turning six months old, and Azazel would be there to feed the kid his blood. The thought of it made her queasy. It had taken a few days for her to recover from Tom's blood, and it had not been a fun ride. From what John had told her, it sounded like they hadn't believed his promise to give them the gun and had tried to kidnap a hunter to use as collateral. For Ashlinn, this was the first sign that things were changing. While that meant that things could get better, she felt like things were only going to get worse.

With a quick examination of the room, Ashlinn checked the doors and windows; they were locked and salted. Satisfied, she decided to hit the hay. After crawling into the bed, she watched the rain trickle down the window and wondered about what she'd do after Azazel died. She doubted that would be the end of Lucifer trying to break free, but losing his most fanatical lieutenant would make it quite difficult. From what she could remember, Lilith only became a problem after the Devil's Gate was opened. If she was trapped in Hell unable to break any seals, then Ashlinn could probably take it easy for a couple of years. Maybe even earn her GED. The one thing she didn't want to do was go to school. As someone who'd already been to college, going back to middle school was her own specific kind of hell.

With a sigh, Ashlinn reached up to close the blinds when she saw a familiar car pull into the parking lot. Her blood ran cold. Quickly and quietly, she slipped out of the bed and looked around for a place to hide. Tom had gotten out of the car and had started peering into the windows of nearby rooms. She couldn't shut the blinds now, or it would be too conspicuous. The closet and under the bed were too obvious for a hiding spot, so she settled on crawling into the pantry in the kitchen. She had joked to Sam about how poorly designed the kitchen was when they had gotten to the room, mocking how the back of one of the cabinets was in the corner and damn near inaccessible unless you crawled into it. If her plan worked and she remained undetected, then she'd need to write the designer an apology. As quietly as she could, she unhooked one of the shelves inside the cabinet and held it in front of her. As long as they didn't look too long, they probably wouldn't notice it. At least she hoped.

Ashlinn heard the door to the room swing open. It hit the wall with force, and she could hear talking outside of the cabinet. From the sounds of it, Tom had paid a couple of guys to knock down the door and disturb the salt line. It also sounded like he had no intention of paying them for their service. Gurgling and screaming could be heard outside her door before it all went eerily silent.

"Hello?" Tom called out; his voice was gravelly and threatening. "Damn. Guess I missed them."

The sound of footsteps faded toward the door. The door slammed shut. Ashlinn continued holding the shelf in place; something was definitely not right. How stupid did he think she was? She didn't hear footsteps entering the room, and now he was suddenly heavy-footed.

There was a loud thud. It sounded like someone had fallen to the floor.

"Hmm… not under the bed I see," Tom said with frustration. "Come out, darling, I know you're in here. These wonderful men told me that they saw a little girlie with three men enter the room, and only three men walked out. You see, these lovely fellas were going to break in anyway. A cute, young thing like you left alone and unattended. So really… I'm your savior."

The sound of the closet door being swung open made her almost jump. Ashlinn chided herself mentally; she needed to stay completely still for this to work. Her ears started working overtime, trying to figure out where in the room he was now. His footsteps were soft but audible when she concentrated on them.

"You see… I know what those Winchesters are doing. They think that they can save that little baby, but my father is much stronger than three country boys with a chip on their shoulders. Come on out, princess. My father wants to meet you… The little biter. Not that I'm mad… no… after all this isn't my body. I'll just find a new one. Maybe the body of a little girl who knows too much."

The sound of the cabinets flying open made her steele herself. She held the shelf steady.

"Dammit," Tom growled as he slammed the doors shut. "Where are you, you little bitch?! I know you're in here. Unless these creeps lied… Maybe I should have kept one of them alive. Damn."

Ashlinn held still as she heard things in the motel room being thrown into walls. The crashing became louder with each throw. Tom let out a rage filled scream that chilled her to the bone. A police siren could be heard outside. Ashlinn could feel her body cramping up, but she knew that she needed to stay still or it was all over.

"COME OUT! COME OUT!" Tom screamed; his voice was a gutteral nightmare.

"Sir, I'm going to need you to put your hands up and where I can see them," a woman's voice came from outside.

"Sure thing, Ma'am."

After a few moments, there was a gunshot and a loud thud. Ashlinn kept still and waited.

"Hello? Anyone in here?" the woman's voice called out. "It's okay to come out now. It's safe. I'll take you to the station, and we can wait for your parents. Hello?"

Ashlinn didn't move an inch. No way. As soon as she got the Colt, Tom was going to get a bullet right between the eyes. There were several gunshots that echoed in the room. Ashlinn kept one of her hands over her mouth and prayed that her hiding spot was good enough. A loud sigh could be heard from inside the kitchen.

"Goddammit!" the woman's voice sounded more masculine now. "You little witch! I know you're in here. There's no way that they would take you with them. Meaty jocks with a savior complex. Come out while I'm still willing to be gentle. Or should I–"

There was one more gunshot and then silence. Ashlinn heard heavy footsteps enter the room quickly.

"Ashlinn!" John's voice called out, and Ashlinn hesitated.

The boys had gotten the anti-possession tattoo, but that didn't mean it couldn't be burned off. She waited for a second until she also heard Sam and Dean's voices calling out her name. Bursting out of the cabinet, she fell onto the floor as her joints ached. "Tom's" body was on the floor beside two other male bodies. A woman in a police uniform was also dead on the ground, and a cop car outside the door had its lights flashing.

"We need to go! Now!" John shouted and headed for the car.

Sam and Dean helped her to her feet and steered her towards the Impala. John got into the driver's seat as Sam got into the back with Ashlinn. As soon as Dean was inside the car, John peeled out of the motel parking lot. Ashlinn clutched onto Sam and breathed deeply.

"What happened?" Ashlinn whispered to Sam.

"We were able to save Rosie and her mom, but… the demon got away."

Ashlinn groaned and asked, "It wasn't because of me, was it?"

"No!" Sam said with emphasis. "In fact, we were coming back to get you when we heard the gunshots."

"Tom really didn't like me," Ashlinn said, trying to deflate the tension and reassure Sam that she was at least somewhat okay. "I guess I owe that designer an apology letter."

Sam looked at her in confusion before he remembered their earlier conversation and laughed. "I guess you do."

"It was such a dumb design flaw that the demon couldn't even imagine there being a cabinet there."

Sam laughed and gave her a hug. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too. Glad that you're okay, I mean. Although I am also very happy that I'm okay."

Ashlinn glanced at the front seat. John was white-knuckling the steering wheel. Ashlinn briefly wondered if John was blaming her for Azazel getting away… or for the shot wasted killing Tom.

"Why didn't you call for help?" Dean asked irritably. "If that bullet had gone any further right…"

Ashlinn had been in such a rush to get out of there that she hadn't even noticed where the bullets had ended up. She guessed that at least one had been quite close.

"Killing the yellow-eyed demon was more important," Ashlinn said, ignoring Dean's look of disapproval. "And I didn't think you'd be answering any phone calls. Plus once they'd broken inside, I didn't want to make any noise. Those two guys… they were human. He paid two humans to break down that door…"

Ashlinn trailed off. She felt a hand on hers and looked up to see Sam giving her a worried look. Dean looked angrier than before.

"This family…" Dean muttered. "And you're no better, kiddo. We can always try again, but we can't if you're all dead."

Ashlinn was stunned for a moment but replied, "You're right, Dean. I'm sorry."

Dean turned around and gave her a look as though expecting a sarcastic quip.

"I mean it. I should have thought about the possibility of Tom coming after me. Clearly, they were trying to attack me from the get-go. Although… I don't know if it would have been much better if I'd stayed at Bobby's. But… I think I'll leave the staying in a crappy motel to you guys for a while."

Dean seemed to be struck silent by her apology and nodded while looking out the window.

Sam also spoke up, "I think… maybe I also owe you an apology, Dean. You were right… Dad and I have been so caught up in getting revenge that… I'll take better care of myself, Dean. I promise."

Ashlinn and Sam looked expectantly at John. With a sigh, John said, "Fine… perhaps… I could… learn to be more careful."

"And?" Ashlinn said in a tone that said he needed to give more.

"And… maybe… I put too much pressure on you boys."

"Especially Dean."

John gave her an irritated look in the mirror, but Ashlinn held his gaze. With a sigh, John continued, "Yes… But I expect that much out of you because I believe in you boys. And I need for you two to be strong just in case… Nothing in this world is certain. I just want to know that if one day I'm not there… that you can carry on."

Ashlinn stared at him but knew that was probably the best she was going to get. With a sigh, she leaned on Sam's shoulder and closed her eyes. Her entire body ached. She couldn't have been in the cabinet for more than thirty minutes, but the tension in her muscles had worn her out.

Ashlinn opened her eyes and looked out her window. An odd chill had gone up her spine. She was missing something. As Sam and John chatted, she tried to remember the ending to season one. Dean was in the hospital in season two. Two headlights caught her attention as a semi barreled at the car. Pushing out her hands instinctively, she felt a strange power come from within her body. There was a barrier of light. A loud crash was all she could hear as her vision quickly faded to black.