A/N: Finishing up with content from Jus in Bello. Song is Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy.


Chapter 19: Jailbreak


Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak

Somewhere in this town

See me and the boys we don't like it

So were getting up and going down

Hiding low looking right to left

If you see us coming I think it's best

To move away do you hear what I say

From under my breath

Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak

Somewhere in the town

Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak

So don't you be around

Don't you be around

Tonight there's gonna be trouble

Some of us won't survive

See the boys and me mean business

Bustin' out dead or alive

I can hear the hound dogs on my trail

All hell breaks loose, alarm and sirens wail

Like the game if you lose

Go to jail

Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak

Somewhere in the town

Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak

So don't you be around

Tonight there's gonna trouble

I'm gonna find myself in

Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak

So woman stay with a friend

You know it's safer

Breakout!

Tonight there's gonna be a breakout

Into the city zones

Don't you dare to try and stop us

No one could for long

Searchlight on my trail

Tonight's the night all systems fail

Hey you good lookin' female

Come here!

Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak

Somewhere in the town

Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak

So don't you be around

Ty wasn't surprised when the tow truck took the Impala to a police station and unloaded it in their locked impound. She was surprised when she got no answer after repeated calls to Sam. Frowning, she sat in the darked out car up the road from the station, contemplating what to do. Sam not answering was pretty worrisome, but she still felt like she needed to get to Dean before she could start trying to track down the younger Winchester. Maybe she could get in posing as Dean's lawyer. If she could just see him and talk to him, she was sure they could figure this out between the two of them.

She had half made up her mind to go pick up an appropriate outfit for the lawyer disguise when the sound of a helicopter reached her through the broken driver-side window. Her eyes widened as she saw the helicopter descending on the station's parking lot. This was bigger than some local police issue. This was bad. If they were bringing in a chopper, she didn't have time to try and be subtle. Whoever had Dean was clearly planning on transporting him out of here in a hurry.

Ty was already out of the car and heading towards the police station when the helicopter exploded, a large fireball briefly lighting up the night.

"Holy…!" Ty exclaimed, eyes wide.

She started moving faster, instinctively feeling like she should check to see if anyone needed help, but before she reached the parking lot a man in suit pants and a tactical vest ran out of the station. She could just barely hear him speaking into his radio, reporting back to someone that everyone seemed to be dead. However, before he got much further, one of the bodies stood up and came up behind him, snapping his neck. Ty caught a glimpse of his attacker's face in the firelight and saw his eyes were pure black.

"Shit." she muttered, reversing course quickly and hoping that he hadn't spotted her in turn.

Well, clearly she wasn't the only one who knew Dean was here. It looked like the demon bounty-hunters were stepping up their game and they clearly weren't too concerned about collateral damage. Whether they realized it yet or not, everyone in that police station was in serious danger.

Ty retreated to a stand of trees outside the lot and watched covertly for a while as more of the bodies around the chopper got back up. She was positive it wasn't because of any miraculous recoveries. This was more demons than she could handle on her own. Pulling out her phone, she tried Sam again, but still got no answer.

"Damn it!" she swore, shoving her phone back in her pocket, "Okay, think, Ty, think."

She had to find a way past the gathering horde of demons and into that police station. God, what she wouldn't give for the Colt right about now. The Colt! That was it! Moving cautiously through the trees while keeping one eye on the group forming outside the front of the station, Ty edged around the building towards the impound area in the back. Now she just needed to figure out a way to get to the Impala.

Inside the station, Sam swiftly drew Devil's Traps with spray paint on the floor at strategic locations, while Dean marked them on the floor plan Officer Amici had provided. Nancy gingerly continued to try and patch up his bullet wound while he worked, and he had to admit, she was a whole lot gentler than Sam. Meanwhile, Amici and Henriksen returned from the station's small armory carrying rifles and ammo. Dean glanced over at them.

"Well, that's nice, but it's not gonna do much good." he commented.

"We got an arsenal here." Amici protested.

Dean shook his head, "You don't poke a bear with a BB-gun. That's just gonna make them mad."

Henriksen put down the firearm. After what he'd been through, he was inclined to listen to Dean's expertise in this area.

"Okay, what do you need?" he asked.

"Salt." Dean answered immediately, "Lots and lots of salt."

"Salt?" Amici repeated incredulously.

"What, is there an echo in here?" Dean asked, annoyed.

"There's road salt in the storeroom." Nancy said quietly.

Dean smiled over his shoulder at her, "Perfect. Perfect. We need salt at every window and every door."

Henriksen nodded and he and Amici left to go ward the entryways. Dean continued to watch Nancy out of the corner of his eye. She wasn't showing any outward signs of panic, but he had to imagine she was feeling it. She seemed like a sweet, gentle sort of person. The last person who should be stuck in here with them facing a full-scale demon attack.

"How you holding up, Nancy?" he asked.

"Okay." Nancy answered with a small smile. She paused for a moment before she said, "When I was little, I would come home from church and start to talk about the devil. And my parents would tell me to stop being so literal. I guess I showed them, huh?"

She offered Dean another small smile before placing a last piece of tape over the bandage on his shoulder.

"That should hold." she decided, taking a step back.

Dean took a look at her work, then gave her another grateful smile, "Thank you."

"Sure." she replied.

Officer Amici returned then, hauling bags of salt. Dean glanced at him. The salt was a start, but what they really needed was their gear.

"Hey, where's my car?" he asked.

Amici nodded with his head, "Impound lot out back."

"Okay." Dean nodded, mentally preparing a list of what he could grab quickly. At the very least, he needed the Colt and something to keep these people from becoming demon puppets.

"Wait." Amici protested, "You're not going out there."

"Yeah, I got to get something out of my trunk." Dean nodded, "You got keys?"

Amici nodded and silently handed them over. Dean looked back at the floor plans, quickly tracing out the best route before he turned to make his way there. Nancy and Amici just stared after him.

Once outside, Dean skirted the parking lot quickly, hurrying over to the gate for the impound lot. He could see the Impala inside the fence and allowed himself a brief moment to be thankful that it didn't look like the cops had damaged her at all. He pulled out the keys Amici had given him and started to unlock the gate.

"Dean!"

Dean nearly dropped the keys, startled by the sound of that familiar voice calling his name. What the hell was she doing here?

"Ty?" he demanded, whirling around to see her running over to him, "What the hell are you doing here? You need to leave! Now!"

"Not without you." Ty replied quickly, shaking her head stubbornly.

Before Dean could argue with her further, flickering lights at a gas station up the road drew both of their attention. Thick black smoke, crackling with unnatural blue lightning, surged past the flashing lights. They were out of time.

"Shit." Dean swore, yanking open the gate and running to the Impala's trunk. He quickly snatched the Colt, shoving it in his waistband. He grabbed a few more things, shoving them into a duffel.

"Dean…" Ty said impatiently as the wind started to pick up and the lights overhead in the lot started to flicker as well.

Dean glanced over the trunk at the flickering lights, then looked over his shoulder and saw the approaching demonic storm. Swearing, he tossed the duffel to Ty and slammed the trunk before they both ran back to the station. As the pair burst through the doors, Sam was just straightening from putting the final touches on a Devil's Trap on the floor while Nancy lined the windows nearby with salt.

"Ty?" Sam asked in surprise.

"They're coming!" Dean exclaimed before Ty could reply, "Hurry."

Black smoke struck the window that Nancy had just finished warding and she screamed, jumping away. The group quickly retreated back to the main office area, rejoining Henriksen. Dean took the duffel bag from Ty and pulled a gun out, tossing it to Sam who caught it easily and stashed it against his back. More black smoke continued to strike against the windows as the lights inside flickered, casting everything in darkness. Nancy clutched her cross necklace as the building shook hard enough to make dust rain down from the ceiling. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the smoke seemed to disappear and everything fell quiet again.

"Everybody okay?" Sam asked.

"Define 'okay.'" Henriksen replied.

"Alright, everybody needs to put these on." Dean said, reaching back into the duffel and pulling out a handful of amulets and handing one to Nancy, Henriksen, and Amici, "They'll keep you from being possessed."

"What about you and Sam and…?" Nancy asked, trailing off as she looked at Ty.

"Ty." she supplied, flashing her a quick smile, "We're covered."

She turned and brushed her hair away from the back of her neck to display her tattoo while Sam and Dean both pulled down on the collars of their shirts to show the matching symbols on their chests.

"Smart." Henriksen commented. He didn't recall any mention of the tattoos in the boys' files so he asked, "How long you had those?"

"Not long enough." Sam replied, a slight edge of bitterness in his voice that Henriksen understood immediately.

"Sam, we're going to need as much holy water as we can get." Dean advised before taking a firm hold of Ty's arm and pulling her towards the sheriff's office, "I need to talk to you."

"Okay, geez." Ty protested, trying to yank her arm free without success. Dean kept his grip on her until he shoved her into the office and closed the door after them.

Sam watched them go before turning his attention back to the others. Everyone was staring into the large glass window of the office at Ty and Dean who already looked like they were launching into another epic fight, but he knew he needed to get them refocused on their preparations. Sending Amici and Henriksen to double-check the salt lines, he decided to recruit Nancy to help him get the holy water ready. He found her staring outside the glass front door to the station.

"Hey, that's Jenna Rubner." Nancy said, looking at a woman with long red hair and dark, demonic eyes as she moved towards the front of the gathering group of demons assembling in front of the station.

"That's not Jenna anymore." Sam corrected gently, looking over her shoulder.

Nancy looked at him, "That's where all that black demon smoke went?"

"Looks like." Sam confirmed. He guided Nancy away from the door, "Come on. We've still got more work to do."

Nancy nodded and followed after him.

Meanwhile, Dean barely waited for the door to shut behind him before he demanded an explanation.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked again.

"Uh…helping save your ass?" Ty replied, crossing her arms over her chest, less than thrilled about being manhandled into the room and this conversation.

"How did you even get here?" Dean continued in frustration. As bad as this whole situation was, he'd at least been relieved that Ty wasn't a part of it and yet here she was, inserting herself right into the middle of the danger once again.

"Saw the Impala getting towed and followed it. Figured you got pinched and couldn't get ahold of Sam." Ty explained succinctly, "Now, what is your problem?"

"My problem? Gee, what is my problem? Besides getting busted by the FBI, getting shot by a possessed agent, and being stuck here in the middle of a demon swarm? You mean, besides that?" Dean snapped sarcastically. He just barely kept himself from saying more. She didn't need to know this had happened because he'd summoned Melchiresa or that he'd intentionally tried to keep her out of it. It would just lead to more trouble.

Ty blinked at him a few times, taking her time to reply. When she finally did, he was surprised to find she wasn't snapping or yelling back.

"You got shot?" she asked, "Where? Are you okay?"

She didn't wait for him to answer, but moved closer and started lifting his jacket, looking for the wound. God, between Jeremy, the demon attack, and now this, Dean had to have the worst luck of anyone she'd ever met. Couldn't he ever catch a break?

Dean's frustration faded away in the face of her concern. He grabbed her hands to stop her search and attempted to offer her a reassuring smile, "I'm fine. For now, anyway."

"Well, let's keep it that way." Ty replied, a small smile of her own trying to find its way onto her face.

A sudden knock on the office door had them both turning their heads quickly towards the sound. At the sight of Henriksen poking his head in the door, Dean quickly released Ty's hands and took a step back.

"Hate to interrupt." Henriksen said dryly, "But there's sort of a siege happening outside. Sam said to bring you this."

He held up the duffel bag Dean had brought from the Impala with one hand and the rifles he and Amici had pulled out of the precinct weapons lockup with the other.

"Yeah." Dean coughed awkwardly, "Come on in."

Henriksen stepped into the office and set the duffel bag and the weapons on the sheriff's desk. Dean noticed him pick up the sheriff's nameplate, staring at it absently. He knew guilt was probably eating at the agent, but he didn't have time right now to offer any reassurance.

"Ty, this is Agent Henriksen. He's recently figured out I'm not a satan-worshipping serial killer." Dean said as he reached in the duffel and passed her a gun.

"Howdy." Ty drawled as she checked the weapon.

Henriksen eyed her suspiciously, wondering where exactly she'd come from and how she knew the Winchesters. Judging by her matching tattoo and the interaction between her and Dean, she was in pretty deep with the brothers and it bothered him that he had no idea who she was.

"And you're…who exactly?" he asked.

Ty opened her mouth to respond, but Dean beat her to it, "Our nutty sidekick. Don't worry about it."

"Jackass." Ty growled at him.

Dean ignored her. He'd explain to her later when they had more time that there was no sense in telling government agents more about her than they needed to know, regardless of whether they'd been recently clued into the reality of the supernatural or not, "Just load your gun, will you?"

He passed Henriksen a bandolier and some rock salt rounds from the duffel then took a seat in one of the chairs to load up his favorite shotgun.

"Thought you said guns were useless." Henriksen said.

"Rock salt." Dean said, holding up the ammo.

"Shotgun shells full of salt." Henriksen said, still sounding like he didn't quite believe it as he picked up a round and inspected it himself.

Dean shrugged, "Whatever works."

"Fighting off monsters with condiments." Henriksen continued as he took off his tie since it was clear that he wasn't about to get much information about the girl at the moment. He picked up the rounds and started loading the rifle, "So, turns out demons are real."

"FYI, ghosts are real, too. So are werewolves, vampires, changelings, evil clowns that eat people." Dean commented.

"Stop bringing that up." Ty grumbled, shuddering at the mention of clowns.

Henriksen glanced from Ty back to Dean again as he filled the bandolier with extra rounds, "Okay then."

"If it makes you feel better, Bigfoot's a hoax." Dean offered with a smile.

"As far as you know." Ty muttered under her breath.

"It doesn't." Henriksen replied, "How many demons?"

"Total? No clue. A lot." Dean finished loading the shotgun and set it down on the chair next to him.

"Too many." Ty added, double-checking her own gun before holstering it.

Henriksen absorbed that in silence for a moment. Eyes still focused on the rifle in his hands, he eventually asked, "You know what my job is?"

"You mean besides locking up the good guys?" Dean asked back as he stood up and walked over to the desk, "I have no idea."

"My job is boring, it's frustrating. You work three years for one break, and then maybe you can save...a few people. Maybe. That's the payoff. I've been busting my ass for 15 years to nail a handful of guys and all this while, there's something off in the corner so big. So yeah…sign me up for that big, frosty mug of wasting my damn life." Henriksen said bitterly.

Ty nodded in understanding. She shot a look at Dean, then nodded towards Henriksen, silently demanding that he say something since it was clear the two had managed to develop some kind of weird rapport.

"You didn't know." Dean offered.

Henriksen looked up, "Well, now I do. What's out there? Can you guys beat it? Can you win?"

"Honestly?" Dean asked. He glanced at Ty, knowing she wouldn't appreciate his answer, "I think the world's gonna end bloody. But it doesn't mean we shouldn't fight. We do have choices. I choose to go down swingin'."

Henriksen shot another calculating look at Ty, "Plus you got nothing to go home to but your brother."

"What about you? You rockin' the white picket fence?" Dean asked back, dodging the unspoken question and pretending he didn't see Ty raising her eyebrows at him.

Henricksen chuckled, "Empty apartment, string of angry ex-wives. I'm right where you are."

"Imagine that."

"Gee, what an epic bromance." Ty quipped dryly, annoyed with Dean for brushing her off.

A crash from the hallway nearby caused them all to leap to their feet and rush towards the sound, Sam on their heels. They turned the corner to find a broken window and a thin blonde woman who clearly just broke in through it, standing inside the Devil's Trap, breathing heavily. Henriksen immediately lifted his rifle, pointing it at her.

"How do we kill her?" he asked quickly.

Sam stepped forward and pushed Henriksen's rifle down, "We don't."

"She's a demon." Henriksen protested.

"This is Ruby. She's here to help us." Sam explained.

Dean sighed in exasperation. As problematic as Ty's unexpected arrival was, having Ruby around was even worse.

Ruby looked pointedly down at the Devil's Trap at her feet, "Are you gonna let me out?"

Henriksen looked at Dean, but Sam immediately drew his knife and knelt to scratch a break in the Devil's Trap.

"And they say chivalry is dead." Ruby joked as she stepped out of the trap and strode past the group towards the main office, "Does anyone have a breath mint? Some guts splattered in my mouth while I was killing my way in here."

Most of the others followed after her, but Sam lingered behind to fix the salt line on the window and the Devil's Trap on the floor, just in case. Ty shot Dean a look and grumbled under her breath at him, "You failed to mention Ruby's a freaking demon."

"Not now." Dean shot back. He turned to Ruby, figuring that as long as she was here, he might as well get what intel he could from her, "How many are out there?"

"Thirty at least." Ruby answered, "That's so far."

"Oh, good." Dean said sarcastically, "Thirty. Thirty hit men gunning for us."

"Not us. You, Dean." Sam corrected as he rejoined them.

"Whatever." Dean said, rolling his eyes, "I don't think they'll be inclined to let everyone else go scot free."

"Yeah, but the point is that you're in the most danger." Sam argued, "So, we should keep you out of the line of fire."

"How about the two of you talk about this later?" Ruby interrupted impatiently, "We'll need the Colt."

Dean drew the gun and lifted it up, but Sam was still frowning.

"How is one gun going to make a difference against thirty demons?" he demanded, "We need another plan. One that doesn't count on the Colt."

Ruby glared at him, "I'm sorry. I must have blood in my ear. I thought I just heard you say you want to take on an army of demons without your best weapon."

"Ruby…" Sam began. He didn't want to talk about this in front of Dean, but if he could do something with his powers, something that could protect them all, then he would do whatever he had to.

"Shut up." Ruby cut him off, swiftly raising her hand to ward off whatever he was about to say, "Fine. Since I don't see that there's any other option, there's one other way I know of to get you out of here alive."

"What's that?" Dean demanded.

"I know a spell. It'll vaporize every demon in a one-mile radius. Myself included. So, you two screwed up and got yourself caught and now I have to die. So next time, be more careful. How's that for a dying wish?"

Sam was silent, but Dean just asked, "Okay, what do we need to do?"

Ruby was hardly surprised that Dean wasn't exactly heartbroken over her sacrifice so she transferred her sharp gaze to him when she replied, "Aww…you can't do anything. This spell is very specific. It calls for a person of virtue."

"I got virtue." Dean protested.

Ruby chuckled dryly, "Nice try. You're not a virgin."

Dean couldn't help but laugh, "Nobody's a virgin."

Dean followed Ruby's eyes as they tracked over to Nancy. Nancy looked away, an embarrassed expression on her face. Dean's eyes went wide in disbelief.

"No. No way. You're kidding me. You're…"

Nancy shrugged defensively, "What's? It's a choice, okay?"

Dean couldn't help himself. He just couldn't wrap his mind around how a cute girl like Nancy could actually be a virgin, "So, y-you've never… Not even once? I mean not even… Wow."

Nancy ignored him and focused on Ruby, "So, this spell. What can I do?"

She smiled at Ruby, eager to help. Ruby didn't return the smile.

"You can hold still…while I cut your heart out of your chest." she answered.

Nancy's smile drooped, and her eyes shone with confusion as she looked from Ruby to Sam and Dean, "What?"

Ty grabbed Nancy's arm and pulled her further away from Ruby, while Dean took an aggressive step towards the demon.

"What?" he demanded, "Are you crazy?"

"I'm offering a solution." Ruby snapped.

"You're offering to kill somebody." Dean growled back.

"And what do you think's gonna happen to this girl when the demons get in?" Ruby growled back.

"We're gonna protect her." Henriksen interjected, "That's what."

"Excuse me." Nancy said softly from behind Ty.

"Very noble." Ruby sneered at Henriksen.

"Ex– excuse me." Nancy stammered, again trying to get their attention.

"You're all gonna die." Ruby said in exasperation, looking around at the assembled humans, "Look, this is the only way."

"Yeah, yeah." Dean replied dismissively, "There's no way that you're gonna…"

"Would everybody please shut up?!" Nancy finally yelled, causing everyone to stop and look at her. She briefly felt embarrassed for raising her voice before she returned her focus to the issue at hand, "All the people out there…will it save them?"

Ruby's frustration left her since apparently at least one person here was being rational about this, "It'll blow the demons out of their bodies. So if their bodies are okay…yeah."

Nancy paused for a long moment, considering, before she nodded, "I'll do it."

Dean and Henriksen both launched into vehement protests.

"Hell no." Henriksen said flatly.

"No, no." Dean said as well, "You don't need to do this."

"All my friends are out there." Nancy said.

"We don't sacrifice people." Henriksen insisted, "We do that, we're no better than them."

"We don't have a choice." Ruby replied, "You want to save everyone, this is the way to do it."

"Yeah, well, your choice is not a choice." Dean continued to argue.

Ruby turned to Sam who'd remained silent the whole time, "Sam, you know I'm right."

Dean followed her lead, also turning to look expectantly at his brother, certain that Sam would agree that there was no way they could sacrifice an innocent girl to save themselves. When Sam didn't immediately chime in with his support, Dean frowned and pressed him, "Sam? What the hell is going on? Sam, tell her."

"It's my decision." Nancy argued into the momentary silence.

"Damn straight, cherry pie." Ruby agreed.

Exasperated, Dean threw up his hands, "Stop! Stop! Nobody kill any virgins. Sam, I need to talk to you."

Dean marched quickly into the hallway and Sam followed reluctantly after him. As soon as they turned the corner away from the others, he whirled back around to face his younger brother.

"Please tell me you're not actually considering this. We're talking about holding down a girl and cutting out her heart."

"And we're also talking about thirty people out there, Dean." Sam replied, "Innocent people who are all gonna die, along with everyone in here. Heck, even if somehow you get them to all line up single-file, you still want to shoot thirty people dead?"

Dean could hardly believe what he was hearing. He'd noticed changes in Sam for a while now. He'd called him on it back in Massachusetts and Sam had claimed it was a side-effect of this war they'd found themselves in, but this was different.

"It doesn't mean that we throw away the rule book and stop acting like humans." Dean insisted, "I'm not gonna let that demon kill some nice, sweet, innocent girl, who hasn't even been laid. I mean, look, if that's how you win wars, then I don't want to win."

"Then what? What do we do, Dean?" Sam demanded. He didn't want to fight. He really hoped that Dean could tell him how they could get out of this without losing anyone, but he didn't really think it was possible. Something had to give. Either they sacrificed a person who was willing to give their life for everyone else or Sam revealed the secret he'd been keeping before he was ready, before he'd ensured Dean's safety by taking out Lilith, and risked Dean stopping him from finishing what he'd started. Those were the only two viable solutions he could see.

Dean turned away for a moment, thinking. He could hear that lost, desperate tone in Sam's voice, pleading for his big brother to know what to do. He couldn't let him down.

"I got a plan." he said, turning back to him, "I'm not saying it's a good one. I'm not even saying that it'll work, but it sure as hell beats killing a virgin."

"Okay," Sam said, trying to keep from sounding too hopeful, "so, what's the plan?"

"Open the doors, let them all in and we fight."

"With nothing but the Colt, Ruby's knife, and exorcisms?" Sam asked, "And if we don't want to kill all those possessed people, that just leaves the exorcisms. I talk fast but that's a lot of exorcisms, even for me. How are we going to handle that many demons at once?"

Dean started to shake his head when his eyes caught on something hanging from the wall that he hadn't noticed before. He took a couple steps closer, then gestured up at it to draw Sam's attention to what he'd spotted.

"That look like a PA system to you?" he asked with a grin.

When Sam eventually returned to the main office, Dean was starting to feel anxious. He hated waiting, trapped in here like a rat. He'd already sent Nancy and Amici up to the roof with instructions to use the remaining salt they had to seal the demons inside the building once they'd let them in. Now they just needed Sam and Ty to finish setting the last part of their trap.

"Get the equipment to work?" he asked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded, "Ty's ready and waiting."

"So?" Dean pressed, taking in Sam's reserved expression.

"So, this is insane." Sam retorted.

"You win 'understatement of the year.'" Ruby remarked.

"Look," Dean glared at her, "I get it, you think…"

"I don't think, I know. It's not going to work." Ruby interrupted. She waved over her shoulder and headed for the door, "So long, boys. Nice knowing you."

"Wait," Sam protested, "You're just going to leave?"

Ruby turned around again, eyes flashing with anger, "Hey, I was going to kill myself to help you win. I'm not going to stand here and watch you lose."

She stalked closer to Sam, glaring at him, and Sam could tell there was a lot more she wanted to say that she was keeping to herself. Instead, she just said, "And I'm disappointed because I tried, I really did. But clearly I bet on the wrong horse. Now, do you mind letting me out?"

Sam said nothing in reply but walked to the front door, using his knife to once again scratch away a piece of the Devil's Trap, then using his shoe to break the salt line across the doorway. He desperately wanted to ask Ruby to wait, to demand that she at least give him another dose of demon blood before she left, but there was just no way to do it without the others seeing. Ruby strode past him towards the assembled horde of demons waiting outside. Sam closed the door behind her, but he watched as she drew her knife and walked right up to them, calling out, "I'm leaving. Who wants to stop me?"

The demons shifted aside, making a path for her to pass, and she vanished into the night. Sam sighed and replaced the wards before rejoining the others.

"So much for her being here to help." Henriksen said.

"Good riddance." Dean grunted, "Alright, let's do this."

Dean moved to the front door, while Henriksen went to the rear. Sam retreated to the middle of the main office.

"All set?" Dean called, loud enough for his voice to echo through the building.

"Yeah!" Sam called back.

"Ready!" Henriksen added.

"Let's do this." Dean said, already feeling the adrenaline starting to surge through his veins.

Dean and Henriksen both broke the salt lines and Devil's Traps protecting their entrances. Henriksen threw open his door and was surprised when, at first, nothing happened. He was just stepping forward to look outside when a demon suddenly swung from the doorway, planting both feet in his chest. The blow knocked him backwards and sent his rifle clattering to the floor. Meanwhile, demons surged in the front door towards Dean. Dean resisted the impulse to use the Colt and instead pulled a flask of holy water from his pocket, using the spray to keep them back just enough. Even if he hadn't promised Nancy before he sent her up to the roof that they would try and save these people, it was pretty clear at this point that the Colt wouldn't be enough to handle all these demons anyway. Just like Sam had worried from the beginning, there were just too many of them.

While Henriksen wrestled with the demon that had knocked him back from the rear door, more demons ran past him into the office. One tackled Sam to the ground, forcing him to fight back hand-to-hand. Henriksen found himself pinned against the wall, so he reached into his pocket for the flask Dean had given him.

"God, I hope this works." he mumbled as he opened it and splashed holy water on the demon. The demon screamed like he'd been hit with acid, reeling back away from the agent. Henriksen used the opportunity to grab his gun and move further back down the hallway. Dean's plan had been clear. If this was going to work, they had to make sure to draw all the demons inside.

Another demon piled on top of the first that had tackled Sam and he decided that he had no choice but to use his power. Hoping that the others were all too preoccupied with their own fights to notice, he summoned the ability inside him. It responded immediately and it seemed the more he used it the easier it became. Although he could tell he wasn't at his full strength it was still enough to fling the demons off of him and send them crashing into the nearby desks. Sam leaped back to his feet and quickly scanned his surroundings. He could hear Henriksen still in the hallways leading off the main office. Dean was backing into the room from the other direction, at least a dozen demons following him. Just as Sam had anticipated, it was clear by the number of demons coming after Dean that he was their main target. He hurried to his brother's side, pulling his flask of holy water from his pocket.

Sam and Dean both flung holy water at the approaching demons as they backed into the center of the main office. For every demon that faltered when the holy water hit them, more came up to replace them at the front of their line and they continued to advance. When the brothers finally found their flasks empty, the demons gathered around them, blocking any path for escape. The demon that Nancy had pointed out earlier, the one possessing her friend Jenna, climbed over a desk and approached, smiling viciously.

"End of the line, Dean." she said as she flung out her arm, sending both brothers flying across the room to impact with the wall. They both gasped in pain at the impact before exchanging a look.

"Ty, now!" Dean yelled, hoping that Nancy and Amici had had enough time to seal the building.

Back in the control room where Ty was waiting with the audio system and the security cameras, she could hear Dean shouting for her to start the recording, but she was busy with her own problems. A demon had discovered her location and was doing his damndest to get his hands around her throat. She fought him off enough to lunge for the control panel and slap her hand down on the button to start the recording. Sam's voice poured from the speakers throughout the building, reciting the exorcism they'd recorded earlier. The demon in the room with her shrieked, covering his ears as if he could block out the sound, but as the recording continued, he collapsed to his knees.

As the exorcism continued to air over the loudspeakers, the demons flailed and screamed. Some ran towards the doors, pounding against them to try and escape, but the salt lines that Nancy and Amici had managed to lay behind them after they'd entered the station kept them from being able to leave. Black smoke began to pour from the demons' mouths and more and more people collapsed to the ground as the smoke gathered on the ceiling. Finally, as Sam's voice reached the end of the ritual, there was an explosion of light across the black cloud on the ceiling, like a flash of lightning. When it cleared, the demon smoke was gone. The force holding Sam and Dean against the wall vanished, as well, and they both slide back to the floor.

Henriksen walked back into the office just as the boys were climbing back to their feet, both emitting groans. He chuckled as he caught Dean's eye, wiping blood from his lip. Dean shrugged in reply.

The electricity flickered back on as the possessed people started to stir. Ty poked her head around the corner, then joined them, skirting the reviving locals.

"I just saw Nancy and Phil." she said, "They said one of the demons got away, but otherwise everything seems to be okay."

"Phil?" Dean asked, his brow furrowed a little at the unfamiliar name, "That Amici?"

Ty nodded, "They're already helping some of the other people who are coming around. I'm guessing we should get out of here pretty quick."

Dean nodded. He looked back at Henriksen, nodding towards one of the back offices. The three hunters made a quick retreat to meet the agent there before anyone was alert enough to notice them.

"I better call in. Hell of a story I won't be telling." Henriksen said.

"So, what are you gonna tell them?" Sam asked curiously.

"The least ridiculous lie I can come up with in the next five minutes." Henriksen answered.

"Good luck with that." Dean commented, "Not to pressure you or anything, but what are you planning to do about us?"

Henriksen grinned, "I'm gonna kill you. Sam and Dean Winchester were in the chopper when it caught on fire. Nothing left. Can't even identify them with dental records. Rest in peace, guys."

He held his hand out and both brothers shook it. Ty just smiled her gratitude.

"Now, get out of here." Henriksen said as he grabbed the phone to make the call.

The hunters nodded and headed for the back door to get the Impala and make their escape. It felt almost oddly surreal to be walking freely and unopposed out of the police station, but they were all too tired and relieved to comment on it.

Later, back at the motel, Sam was lying on his back on his bed, looking idly up at the ceiling. Ty was in the shower and Dean was sitting on the edge of his own bed, texting Bobby. A knock on the door had Sam sitting up and Dean moving to open the door. Both brothers were surprised to find Ruby standing in their doorway.

Ruby shouldered past Dean and without any preamble snapped, "Turn on the news."

Sam looked at her questioningly, but picked up the remote and turned on the television.

"The community is still reeling from the tragedy that happened just a few hours ago. Authorities believe a gas main ruptured…" the reporter on the television said while footage played in the background. Dean sat heavily down on the bed next to Sam while he watched, "...causing the massive explosion that ripped apart the police station and claimed the lives of everyone inside. Among the deceased, at least six police officers and staff, including sheriff Melvin Dodd, deputy Phil Amici, and secretary Nancy Fitzgerald as well as three FBI agents, identified as Steven Groves, Calvin Reidy, and Victor Henriksen."

The boys both frowned as pictures of each of the victims were displayed on the screen.

"Two fugitives in custody were also killed." the reporter continued, "We'll continue to follow the story here at the scene, but for now, back to you, Jim."

Ruby leaned down and hit the power button on the remote, turning off the TV. Both brothers were silent, clearly upset over the news, but she fixed them both with a look that clearly said 'I told you so.'

"Must have happened right after we left." Sam said quietly.

"Considering the size of the blast, smart money's on Lilith." Ruby said, tossing what looked like hex bags to each brother.

Dean caught the bag she threw to him and looked down at it skeptically, "What's in these?"

"Something that'll protect you. Throw Lilith off your trail…for the time being, at least." Ruby said.

"Thanks." Sam said, feeling like at least a little of the weight he'd been carrying had been lifted now that Ruby had managed to come through with some protection magic.

"Don't thank me." Ruby shook her head. She gazed from one brother to the other, eyes hard, "Lilith killed everyone. She slaughtered your precious little virgin, plus a half a dozen other people. So after your big speech about humanity and war, turns out your plan was the one with the body count. Do you know how to run a battle? You strike fast and you don't leave any survivors. So no one can go running to tell the boss. So next time…we go with my plan."

With that, she turned and left, not waiting for a response from either hunter, slamming the door behind her.