January 28th, 2010
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Five days passed, and there was no word. At one point, Sam and Dean went off, leaving Alex with Bobby. One day, the phone rang. "Got it," Alex called. She picked it up. "'Ello."
"Bobby?" Dean's voice came over the phone.
"Close. Alex."
"Oh. Is Bobby there?"
"Maybes. Why? You got a lead?" Alex guessed hopefully. They had spent the last five days feverishly looking for Crowley, but to no avail. "Did Cas find him?"
"No," Dean replied slowly.
"Are you lying? 'Cause I'll call Cas and he'll tell me if you're lying."
"Okay. Fine." Dean sighed. "Cas found him."
"Where?" Alex asked, interested.
"Not too far from you. We'll get the Colt and be there by tomorrow night."
"Uh, you're going to go in there alone?" Alex scoffed. "Not very smart, sorry."
"Then what do you suggest?" Dean snapped, obviously irritated.
"Just get back here, and we'll think of something. And don't do anything stupid."
"Yes, Bobby." Dean's voice sounded very sarcastic, and Alex rolled her eyes.
"I'm totally serious."
"Okay, okay. Fine. We'll be there sometime tomorrow." He hung up.
Alex did the same. "So you found Crowley, eh Cas?" she asked, talking to Castiel. "Good job, man. Always knew you could do it."
"Thank you." Castiel appeared behind her.
Alex was surprised by how tired he looked. "How are you doing?" she inquired. "You look kind of tired."
Castiel looked down, apparently embarrassed. "It's been harder now that I've been cut off from heaven," he finally admitted.
Alex looked at him pitifully. "I'm sure you'll be fine," she promised. "You ain't dying on me yet," she added as a joke.
"I had no intention of dying," Castiel said seriously.
"Huh? Oh, no." Alex quickly backtracked. "And it's going to stay that way." She let out a lighthearted grin. "We're going to be fine."
"Who called?" Bobby's voice came from farther inside the house.
When Alex glanced back behind her, Castiel was gone. "Uh, it was Dean," she yelled back. "Cas found Crowley, so now they're coming back here for a plan."
"Oh." Bobby paused. "Keep me posted."
"Will do." Alex rolled her eyes, returning to her work.
...
Dean and Sam arrived late the next day. Bobby had called in Ellen and Jo, and now they were all sitting in the library. "How are we going to get in there?" Sam asked.
"We could use bait?" Alex suggested.
"We don't use bait," Dean stated firmly.
"I think it's a good idea," Jo returned. "I could go up to the front door, say my car broke down, and then when this Crowley fellow walks out, you guys could hold that knife to him."
Alex rubbed her shoulder, tugging the sleeve up to run fingers over a large bruise. It was fading, thankfully. She quickly lowered her sleeve.
However, Bobby noticed. "What the hell?" He rolled closer to Alex. "What happened there?"
Alex lowered her eyes. "It's nothing," she promised. Seeing Bobby's face, she sighed and added, "Sam shoved me, and I fell. Landed on a rock. It's nothing, Bobby."
The old hunter, turned on the Winchesters. "What were you thinking, boy?" he snapped. "How many times have I got to tell ya? You got to be gentle with her!"
"Bobby, it's fine." Alex tried to intervene. "I'm okay. I mean, I kind of deserved it. I found the convention funny, and couldn't help myself a couple of times."
"I'm gonna get a drink." Ellen stood up, excusing herself from the conversation.
No one noticed. "A couple times?" Bobby glared at Sam. "How many times did you hit her?"
"Bobby."
"Twice," Dean answered. "I think he kicked her once too."
"It wasn't a hard kick!" Sam objected. "And I didn't mean for her to get hurt, okay?"
Bobby huffed. "You can be rough and all with your brother, but if you touch her again, I'll shoot you."
Alex stood up, tired of hearing this. "Be right back," she huffed before stalking out of the room. She passed Ellen on the way before opening the fridge, staring into it angrily.
After a few seconds, she felt someone behind her. "I'm sorry." That was Sam. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
Alex sighed. "I know. Bobby's just being a bitch. I pissed you off, and I honestly deserved it."
Sam just grunted, and footsteps signaled his leave. Alex grabbed a coke out of the fridge and returned to the library. The other four hunters were still arguing, and Alex settled down on the couch, waiting for them to finish.
"Fine!" Dean threw his hands up. "We'll do it. But you're not going in."
"Fine." Jo seemed happy that she had won.
"Fine," Dean repeated. He suddenly stood up. "Let's go."
"Now?" Alex sprung up.
"Not you."
"Yes me," Alex retorted. "You can't say 'yes' to her and 'no' to me."
"And why not?" Ellen put in.
"Come on! You guys are going to like, kill Crowley or something. Can't let you do that. Not yet, at least."
Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. "You can come," Dean finally said, "but you're not going in either."
"We'll see," Alex muttered. "Let's go." Saying goodbye, she followed Sam, Dean, and Jo out to the Impala. She got into the backseat with Jo, leaning against the window.
...
They drove for only a few hours. The sun set, leaving the road cloaked in darkness. Dean pulled the car onto the side of the road a block away from Crowley's mansion. Dean and Sam got out, and Jo followed. Alex waited a few minutes before following. She snuck through the trees, seeing a flash of orange light. She saw Sam, Dean and Jo standing over two bodies.
Sam handed Jo a pair of wire cutters, and they headed off towards the mansion. Alex followed. Jo disappeared around the house, and Alex ran after Sam and Dean. They disappeared through the front door. Alex entered, and the lights suddenly went out. She followed Sam and Dean deeper into the house, losing them only once.
She found them around one corner, and Alex heard Sam speak. "It's Crowley, right?"
"So. The Hardy Boys finally found me. Took you long enough." Alex heard the familiar Scottish accent. She stepped forward to see Sam holding the demon knife and Dean with his shotgun. "And who's this?" He turned to look at her.
"Hey Crowley." Alex shot him a smile. "How's it going?" She studied him. Black suit, blue tie. Typical.
The demon was slightly shocked by her friendliness, but refused to show it. "Could be going better, thank you very much."
"Hm." Alex turned to Sam and Dean.
"You're suppose to be waiting in the car," Dean growled.
Alex shrugged. "Got bored. Besides, I had to make sure you didn't kill him."
Crowley stepped forward, suddenly stopping. He knelt down, pulling up the corner of the rug. "Do you have any idea what the rug costs?" he asked angrily, turning his attention back to Sam and Dean. Alex looked down at it. A demon trap had been drawn on the bottom.
Before Alex could react, two demons grabbed Sam and Dean. Alex stepped back, feeling the wall behind her. She didn't remember this part. Wasn't Crowley on their side?
Crowley held up what Alex recognized to be the Colt. "This is it, right? This is what it's all about." He pointed it towards Dean, then pulled the trigger. Twice. The two demons fell dead. Alex let out a pent up breath. Good.
"We need to talk. Privately." Crowley motioned them to follow. They did. Alex let Sam and Dean walk in front of her, trailing behind. He led them down a hallway.
"What the hell is this?" Dean exclaimed, casting a glance at Sam and Alex as they entered a office room.
Crowley examined the Colt. "Do you know how deep I could have buried this thing?" he asked them. He looked up and waved his hand, and the door behind them slammed shut. Alex jumped, glancing back. "There's no reason you our anyone else should know this even exists, except that I told you."
"You told us," Sam repeated slowly, looking over at Dean.
"Rumors, innuendoes, sent out on the grapevine," the demon said, his lips curving in the faintest hint of a smile.
"Why? Why tell us anything?"
Instead of answering, Crowley lifted the gun, pointing it at Dean's face. He spoke. "I want you to take this thing to Lucifer and empty it in his face."
Alex looked around, remembering it would do absolutely nothing. But she said nothing.
"Uh-huh, okay." Dean sounded skeptical. "And why exactly would you want the devil dead?"
Crowley lowered the gun and put it on the desk. "It's called survival," he explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Well, I forgot you three at best are functioning morons-"
Alex pulled an offended face. Dean cut him off. "You're functioning . . . morons . . ." He trailed off.
Crowley glanced at him, his point made. "Lucifer isn't a demon, remember?" He looked over at Alex. She met his gaze. "He's an angel. An angel famous for his hatred of humankind. To him, you're just filthy bags of pus." He turned his back to them, picking up his drink that was sitting on the desk. "If that's the way he thinks about you, then what does he think about us?"
"But he created you," Sam argued.
"To him, we're just servants. Cannon fodder. If Lucifer manages to exterminate mankind, we're next." He circled the desk, sitting down on the edge. "So help me, huh? Let's all go back to simpler, better times, back to when we could all follow our nature. I'm in sales, dammit! So what do you say if I give you this thing and you go kill the devil?" He picked up the gun as he spoke, holding it out to Sam. Alex watched, shifting her weight to the other foot.
When no one took the gun, Crowley wiggled it a little. Sam hesitantly took it, holding it in his right hand. "Okay."
"Great." Crowley seemed 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 glanced at Dean, who nodded. "Great." He swung the gun up, pointing it between Crowley's eyes, and pulled the trigger. There was a click, but nothing happened. The demon remained unfazed.
"Oh yeah, right, you'll probably need more ammunition." Crowley stood up and walked to the other side of the desk. Alex snickered at his cleverness.
"Oh, uh, excuse me for asking," Dean put in, "but aren't you kind of signing your own death warrant? I mean, what happens if we go up against the devil and lose?" He glanced at Alex, who just shrugged.
Crowley watched their exchange curiously. Then he turned back to Dean. "Number one, he's going to wipe us out anyways. Two, after you leave here, I go on an extended vacation to all points nowhere, and three," his voice raised into a yell, "how about you don't miss, okay? Morons!"
He tossed a bag to Dean, who caught it. Then he disappeared. Alex snickered again.
Sam sighed. He turned to Alex. "Does this work?" he asked.
Alex narrowed her eyes. "I honestly can't remember," she lied smoothly. She hated lying to them, but they wouldn't take believe her, and she knew they needed to go to Carthage. She shrugged innocently.
Sam sighed again. "Let's go find Jo." He quickly led them down the hallway and out of the house. Jo was waiting for them by the entrance.
She looked quizzically at Alex, who smiled. "Hey."
"Hey," she answered, looking up at Dean.
He shrugged. "Let's go back to Bobby's," was all he said. Alex silently agreed.
They walked down to the Impala and got in. "You got the Colt?" Jo asked.
Sam nodded, showing it to her. "Yeah. Actually, Crowley just sort of, gave it to us."
"Wait. He just gave it to you?" Jo looked between Sam and Dean before getting into the backseat with Alex.
"Yeah. Just like that." Sam glanced back at the two girls, eyes dark with confusion.
"Okay." Alex leaned forward between Sam and Dean. "Thursday, eh? It's Monday. So we got three days before we meet the devil."
That quickly silenced Sam and Dean. Even Jo was quiet. Dean started the car, and drove off.
...
They arrived back at Bobby's within the early hours of the morning. Alex immediately headed to bed. She only slept for a few hours, dreams plagued with nightmares. Around six, she went back downstairs. Ellen and Bobby were sitting in the kitchen. Sam was fast of sleep on the couch, and every once and a while his right hand would unusually twitch. Dean was sitting at Bobby's desk, eyes drooping, a glass of bourbon next to him.
"Morning," Bobby glanced over at her.
"Morning Bobby," Alex mumbled, walking over the them. "Where's Jo?"
"She's in my bed," Bobby explained.
"Mm. You guys get any sleep?" Alex grabbed a box of cereal walked over to the fridge. "Bobby."
"What?"
"Milk?" Alex turned back to him. "I mean, honestly? I just got a new gallon yesterday." She tossed the empty jug onto the counter.
Bobby shrugged. "Use beer," he suggested.
"Gross." Alex pulled a face. "You're nasty."
"Whatever. And no, I haven't slept. Gimme a beer." Alex rolled her eyes, but did as he said. "And go wake Sam. We need him."
Alex walked over to the sleeping hunter. "Rise and shine, Sammy," she said loudly, shaking the hunter awake.
Sam opened his eyes, glancing up at her. He muttered something inaudible, rolling off the couch.
Alex smiled. "Cereal?" She held out the box.
"No thanks." Sam stood up, stretching his back. He walked over to Bobby and Ellen. "What'd I miss?"
"Not much." Bobby glanced at Ellen, who shook her head. "Just been doing a little research."
"Hm. Anything yet?"
"Nope." Bobby shook his head.
"Great."
...
Two days quickly passed. The time was spent gathering supplies, and, overall, doing research. Alex tried to be useful, spending a lot of her time racking her brains, trying to remember exactly what happens. But, for the most part, she was unsuccessful. Colt didn't work, lots of demons and reapers, but she was almost completely sure that this was something they needed to do. Lucifer told them something invaluable there, right? This had to be it, but for the life of her she couldn't remember what they were suppose to learn. Alex shook her head. She couldn't tell them the gun didn't work.
...
Wednesday night came, and Dean returned from town with even more beer. They had run out earlier that evening. Castiel had appeared only a few minutes before Dean walked through the door. "Hey, Cas."
"Dean."
Dean placed the drinks on the counter. "You stopped combing your hair," he pointed out. "Things getting hectic?"
Castiel shook his head, glancing at Alex. "I like it better this way," he said plainly.
"Cas!" Jo pointed to the empty chair around the table. "Come on, let's play!"
Alex nudged him towards the chair, and Castiel acquiesced. Ellen approached with a bottle of whiskey. "This is how you play the game," she told Cas, turning to the cupboards behind her. "You get shot glasses and-hey! Where'd they go?"
"Other cupboard," Alex told her, glancing around. Dean and Sam had retired into the study, talking quietly. Bobby was nearby.
"Why are they there?" Ellen asked, bring Alex's attention back to the scene before her. "I just washed them and put them away this morning."
"You did," Alex acknowledged, "but you put them in the wrong spot."
"I put them where I found them."
"Yeah, I know. Bobby put them there." She raised her voice teasingly, "It's all his fault."
"It's my house, girl," Bobby called back. "I'll put them wherever I damn want."
Alex chuckled, and watched Ellen take out the ten shot glasses. She put five in front of Cas and five in front of her. Alex walked over to the fridge. "Beer anyone?" she called.
"I'll take another," Dean called.
Alex pulled out four. She handed one to Dean, one to Bobby, nicely gave Sam one, and kept the other for herself. Then she returned to the kitchen. Ellen had already taken five shots, and Castiel, while a bit confused at the point of this, was finishing his five as well. He glanced over at Alex, not the least bit affected by the alcohol. Ellen glanced at Castiel, then refilled the ten glasses.
"What's the point?" he ask Alex, referring to the game.
"The point?" Alex snorted. "The point's to get drunk."
"Oh." Castiel turned back to Ellen, watching her slam down five more shots. Then he drank his five, turning the glasses over when he finished like Ellen had done. "I think I'm starting to feel something," he told them. Ellen smiled, and Jo gaped unbelievingly.
Alex just laughed, pulling up a chair. "Oh, Cassie, I love you," she laughed.
Castiel glanced around awkwardly. "I, uh, . . . . I love you too."
Alex grinned. "Right response." A strange response, but it was technically what people would say back anyways. She'd give it to him. So she let it slide by, patting him on the back before taking another sip of her beer. Still didn't like the taste. She looked at the brand. El Sol. Like always. She sighed.
In the other room, Dean and Sam were talking. Jo stood up, walking over to the fridge. They stopped, and footsteps told Alex Dean was approaching. He walked past her, stopping by Jo. Alex watched them out of the corner of her eye. Ellen refilled the shot glasses.
"Hey," Dean spoke.
"Hey," Jo replied.
Alex saw Dean lean against the counter next to the fridge. "So, dangerous mission tomorrow. Guess it's time to eat, drink, you know, make merry." Alex held back laughter at Dean's flirting.
"Are you giving me the last-night-on-earth speech?" Jo asked.
"What?" Dean asked, going on the defense.
"What?" Jo repeated.
"No," Dean said, and they both laughed a little. "But, uh, if it was, would it work?"
Alex turned her head slightly to get a better view. Jo had put a hand on his cheek, leaning in close. Alex's eyes flitted away for a second.
Jo pulled her head away. "No. Sweetheart, if this is our last night on earth, I'm going to spend it with a little something I call self-respect." She let out a small laugh, then walked away.
Oh, Alex thought. That's where that quote came from.
Dean seemed stunned. "Uh, if you're into the kind of thing," he called after her. He shot a glance at Alex, who barely held back a snicker.
"Everybody get in here!" Bobby called. "It's time for the lineup. Usual suspects in the corner."
Everyone stood up. Dean walked next to Alex. "A little something called self-respect?" he repeated. "Fairly certain I'd heard that line before."
Alex shrugged. "Sorry," she whispered. "Wibbly-wobbly."
Dean shrugged back. They entered the study, where Bobby had set up an old-fashioned camera.
"Oh, come on, Bobby." Ellen entered the study as well. "Nobody wants their picture taken."
"Hear hear," Sam jokingly agreed.
"Shut up. You're drinking my beer."
"Which you bought with my money," Alex reminded him lightheartedly. Castiel stood behind her, and Alex stepped forward to let him through.
Bobby set the camera and rolled back in his wheelchair. Alex took her spot standing in front of Castiel and Ellen. Glancing behind her, she saw Sam standing behind them, one arm around Cas' shoulder, and next to him, Dean, one arm on his brother's back, the other around Jo. In front of Jo was Bobby. "Anyways," the older hunter spoke, "I'm going to need something to remember your sorry asses by."
"Ha! Always good to have an optimist around," Ellen glanced over at him.
"Bobby's right," Castiel spoke. "Tomorrow we hunt the devil. This is our last night on earth." At that, everyone's smiles faded.
Alex elbowed the angel. "Cas," she scolded him. The camera flashed, and Bobby rolled forward to retrieve the picture. Ellen and Jo left the room, and Sam returned to the desk. Alex strolled forward to see the picture. No one was smiling. "Cas," she scolded the angel again. "Now everyone looks depressed."
"My apologizes." The angel seemed throughly upset at Alex's words.
She sighed. There was no way she could stay mad at him. "Don't sweat it." She smiled to show she was fine. "Come on. Let's get something to drink." She led him back into the kitchen, and he sat back down at the table. Alex sat across from him. "So. Last night on earth, eh?"
"For us, at least," Castiel nodded. "You and Bobby should be fine."
"Me and Bobby?" Alex looked up at him. "I get why Bobby will be fine. He ain't coming. But how come I'll be safe?"
Castiel looked at her, blue eyes dark with concern. "Because you're not coming either."
"What?" Alex looked shocked. "What do you mean I'm not coming? I am too!"
"No, you're not."
"Dean!" Alex called the hunter over. "I'm coming too, right?"
"Why wouldn't you be?" Dean approached, confused. "You're our biggest asset. Apart from the Colt, of course."
"She is not going!" Castiel snapped, standing up. "It's too dangerous."
"Oh, well, I'm glad you feel the same concern for us," Dean snapped back. "She's coming, Cas. That's the end of it."
"What if she doesn't want to go?"
"Then she can stay. But if she wants to come with, she can come with."
Castiel looked like he was going to argue, but sat back down, eyes glowering. Dean left. Alex abruptly stood up, leaving the room. Castiel followed her up the stairs. "I don't care what Dean says. You can't come."
"And why not?" Alex spun around to face the angel. "I have as much right to come as you do."
"We're going up against Lucifer. He's powerful, and he's dangerous."
"And how does that make it okay for you to go?"
"He's my brother."
Alex glared at him. "I'm coming, Cas. It's my responsibility to make sure everyone's okay. Because if someone dies, and I could have stopped it, I won't be able to forgive myself."
Castiel stood his ground. "I don't know why I'm even arguing with you about this. You're too young."
"I don't care what you think!" Alex snapped. "Dammit, Cas. Why do you have to be so difficult?"
"I'm trying to protect you!'
"I don't need your help!" Alex yelled.
Castiel stopped. He growled out a, "fine," then was gone, leaving Alex alone.
She heard footsteps, and Sam appeared. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Just leave me alone," Alex hissed, stomping off to her bedroom.
Sam took a couple steps after her. "Are you sure you want to be fighting with him?" he asked.
"He started it." Before Sam could even answer, she added, "And if you're even thinking about suggesting he likes me, no."
"He's seems different around you -"
"Different as in awkward?" Alex let out a huff. "He's awkward around all woman, Sam. Ellen winked at him earlier today and he looked like Lucifer himself wanted to fuck him! He treats me like I'm a damn child, Sam." She cut herself off, shaking her head.
Before Sam responded, Alex disappeared into her room, slamming the door behind her. She sat down on her bed, arms and legs crossed. He couldn't tell her what to do. What did he know? She could hear voices below her in the study. Castiel and Dean were arguing; about her undoubtably. She sighed angrily, resting her head against the wall. It didn't matter what Cas thought. She was going with.
...
She woke when Dean knocked on her door. "It's open," Alex muttered, struggling to sit up.
Dean looked in on her. "Get up. We're leaving in half an hour."
Alex grunted a response, getting to her feet. She tiredly followed Dean out into the hallway and down the stairs. Bobby was up, wheeling his way into the study. Alex felt the familiar tug of pity at the sight of the wheelchair. Sam walked in through the front door, letting the cool morning air in. "Oh. Brr!" Alex exclaimed. "Shut the door!"
Sam let out a grunt of amusement, but did as she asked. "You almost ready to go?"
"Stuff's packed," Alex said, glancing at her bag that was at the bottom of the stairs. "Where's Cas?"
"Outside." Sam picked up her bag. "He's riding with Ellen and Jo. You're with us."
Alex groaned. "Not you guys again," she joked.
"Yeah us." Dean shot her a light-hearted glance. "I'm thinking Zeppelin."
Alex groaned again. She said good-bye to Bobby, promising she'd come back, then grabbed a jacket and walked outside. She got into the backseat of the Impala. "And off we go," she mumbled, pulling out her MP3.
...
February 2nd, 2010
Carthage, Missouri
It was almost an eight hour drive to Carthage. They arrived at 4 pm. Light rain drummed on the street, making the day absolutely yucky. Alex straightened up in her seat, reaching for the last of the already-cold fries. Sam pulled out his phone. Then paused. "Dammit," he cursed. "No signal."
Alex looked out the window. Except for the two cars, the entire town was deserted. Not a single sign of people anywhere. However, she couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched. She slumped down in her seat. She heard Dean roll down his window, sticking his hand out. Upon closer inspection, he was holding his phone. Sam copied his brother as the car slowly rolled forward. "Getting a signal?" Sam asked.
"No, nothing," Dean replied. "Nice and spooky." He pulled the car over to the far curb, waving Ellen's car forward. It did so, coming to a halt. Alex glanced over. Nothing had really changed. Ellen was still driving, Jo had shotgun. And Castiel was in the backseat. He was staring ahead, eyes distant.
Alex rolled down her window. "You okay, Cassie?" she called.
At her words, the angel looked up, but didn't respond.
"Place seem a little empty to you?" Ellen asked them.
"We're going to go check out the PD. You guys stay here, see if you can find something."
"Okay."
Dean drove off farther into the deserted town. Alex nervously flicked her knife blade in and out, finding the motion relaxing. A few blocks later, the reached Carthage Police Department. Dean parked the car, and got out. Alex followed, grabbing her gun off the floor. She put it in her waistband, looking warily around.
"Damn it's creepy," Sam said, breaking the silence. Alex hummed in agreement.
"Come on." Dean led them into the building. It was as empty as the rest of the town.
Alex stepped lightly. "Just wait," she said. "Something's going to jump out at us." She meant it as a joke, but all three shot a quick glance around. Dean motioned for Sam to go off down one hall. Alex followed Dean farther into the building. They checked every room, every closet, every nook and cranny. Every time, Alex expected someone; either dead or alive. But there was nothing.
They returned to the front room, where Sam was waiting. "Anything?" Dean asked him, voice carrying his frustration. Sam shook his head. Dean sighed. "Let's go find Ellen and Jo."
They walked back out to the Impala. By now, the rain had stopped. The sound of a car approaching made them look up. Ellen and Jo drove up to them. Ellen rolled down her window.
"Station's empty," Dean reported.
"So's everything else." Jo looked around.
"Have you seen Cas?" Ellen asked.
"What?" Sam exchanged a glance with Alex. "He was with you."
"Nope. He went after the reapers."
"Reapers?" Alex repeated.
"He saw reapers?" Sam asked at the same time. "Where?"
Jo answered, "Well, kind of everywhere."
Alex saw Sam and Dean exchange a glance. "Well, we better go find him," Dean grumbled. He walked over to the Impala, popping the trunk. Ellen turned off the car and got out. She pulled two shotguns out of the Jeep's trunk, one for her and one for her daughter. Dean handed Alex and Sam a shotgun as well. "Rock salt."
Alex checked the ammunition. "Rock salt," she confirmed. She shifted her weight, remembering she still had her handgun on her. "Colt?"
Dean nodded. "Yeah. Got it." He led the way down the street.
"You lost the angel," Alex muttered. She repeated herself, louder this time. "You lost the freakin angel."
Sam grunted in agreement, and Ellen pulled an offensive face. "He wandered off," she snapped back.
"Castiel?" Alex called out. "You okay?" No answer.
"Cas?" Dean tried. Still nothing. Sam said nothing; everyone knew Cas only answered to Alex and Dean. "Cas?" Dean tried again. "Well this is great, been in town twenty minutes, and already lost the angel up our sleeve."
Alex huffed in agreement.
"You, think, uh, you think Lucifer got him?" Sam dared to suggest.
"I don't know what else to think," Dean admitted.
"Where did you last see him?" Alex turned to Ellen and Jo.
"He disappeared into that building." Ellen pointed a few blocks down.
"There you are." A voice sounded behind them. All five of them spun around. Alex quickly recognized the person.
"Meg." Sam spoke the demon's name.
"Shouldn't have come here, boys," the demon Meg told Sam and Dean.
"Hell, I could say the same thing about you." Dean pointed the Colt at Meg's head.
She remained unfazed. "Didn't come here alone, Dean-o." There was a growl by her feet, and Alex's gaze snapped downwards. There was a splash in the puddle, followed by another growl. Hellhound. The word flashed through Alex's mind. She didn't remember this part. Growls sounded from all around. Okay. Hellhounds.
"Hellhounds," Dean stated the obvious.
"Yeah, Dean. You're favorite. Come on, boys. My father wants to see you." Her eyes flitted across Alex. "Except you. He doesn't need to see you, and I think you'd make a good snack for my friends here."
Alex stiffened slightly at her implications. "That's too bad," she said coldly. "I was looking forward to seeing your father." Here eyes darted around, desperately trying to remember. Was this even the right episode? Dammit.
Beside her, Dean stiffened, and so did Sam.
"Very well." Meg's eyes glinted. "Now come."
"I think we'll pass, thanks." Sam shifted, adjusting his grip on his gun.
"Your call. You can make this easy, or you can make this very, very hard."
Dean looked around. Alex nodded. "When have we ever been known to make things easy?" he pointed out very, very, dryly.
Meg just shook her head. Dean pulled the trigger. There was a yelp, and blood appeared next to Meg's feet. Alex quickly realized he had shot a hellhound.
"Run!" Sam yelled. They did. There was a thump, and Alex glanced back to see that Dean had been tackled. She spun around, aiming her shotgun. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jo had done that same.
"Dean!" Jo yelled.
"Jo, stay back!" Dean yelled to her. Jo didn't listen. She fired multiple shots, knocking the hellhound off of Dean. Suddenly, one tackled her from the side, knocking her down. Alex raised her gun, firing two shots in succession. They hit the animal dead on. Behind her, Sam and Ellen came running back to help. There was the sound of ripping flesh, and blood poured out of Jo's side. Ellen screamed her daughter's name. Alex fired one more shot, knocking the creature away. Dean scrambled to his feet, scooping up the young hunter. Shots were fired, filling the air with the horrible noise. They retreated into a hardware store.
Dean set Jo down, her back leaning against the counter. Sam pulled the door closed. Ellen hurried over to her daughter. "Okay okay okay okay okay," she repeated, "breathe now." Behind her, Sam grabbed a large chain, using it to hold the door closed. Dean rushed over, grabbing a bag of rock salt, lining the doors. "Okay," Sam stepped back.
"Boys, need some help here!" Ellen called, voice filled with desperation. Sam and Dean rushed passed Alex, and her mind whirled, then sunk.
She knew what happened next. She stood blankly as the two Winchesters salted every door and window in the place. They hurried back, stopping before Ellen and Jo. Jo was breathing heavily, a small whimper escaping her lips. She peeled back her hand, stained red, and blood poured out of her side. Ellen looked up at Dean, horrified.
Alex couldn't breathe. This couldn't be happening. She took a step back. Sam wordlessly walked deeper into the store, returning with a first aid kit and several boxes of bandages. He handed them to Ellen. "It's okay," she whispered, using what she had to try and save her daughter. Jo didn't respond, staring up at the ceiling, her breathing shallow and shaky. Every once and a while, she'd glance around, eyes wide. Sam disappeared, returning with a large bowl filled with water. He handed it to Ellen.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Sam walked over to Dean. Alex didn't follow.
"How's she holding up?" she heard Dean ask quietly.
It took Sam a few seconds to respond. "Salt lines are holding up."
Dean took the hint. "Safe for now."
Sam huffed. "Safe. We're trapped like rats."
"Hey, you heard Meg. Her father's here. This is our one shot, Sammy. We got to take it, no matter what." Dean turned back to the shelf, and Alex noticed he was working on something. She sighed, walking over to them. Dean finished fiddling with his device. "Here we go." He turned it over.
"Sam, some help here please?" Ellen called the hunter. He left them with a sorrowful glance.
The device Dean was holding let out a squeal. "K C 5 Fox Delta Oscar, come in," Dean spoke into it. "K C 5 Fox Delta Oscar, come in." Still no response. Dean tried again. "K C 5 Fox Delta Oscar, come in."
"K C 5 Fox Delta Oscar, go ahead." Bobby's voice came over the gadget.
Dean sighed in relief. "Bobby, it's Dean. We've got problems." Dean glanced behind him at Jo.
They heard Bobby sigh as well. "That's why I'm here, boy. Is everything alright?"
"No. It-it-"
"Is Alex okay?" Bobby quickly asked.
"I'm fine," Alex spoke slowly.
"It's Jo, Bobby. It's pretty bad."
There was silence for several seconds. "Okay," Bobby finally spoke. "Copy that. So now we figure out what to do next."
"Bobby, I don't think she's-" Dean trailed off, not wanting to finish his thoughts. Alex closed her eyes, unable to take it anymore. She walked farther into the store, slumping against the wall. She put her head in her hands, staring blankly.
"Right, okay, right." Dean said quietly.
"Okay. Tell me what you've got."
Dean quickly recounted everything they had encountered so far.
Suddenly Bobby cut him off. "Wait. Before he went missing, did Cas say how many reapers?"
"I don't - he said a lot of things, I guess. Does the number matter?"
"Devil's in the details, Dean."
"Bobby, it's Ellen." Alex didn't look up as she spoke. She couldn't care. Couldn't think. She could only listen. "The way he was looking, the number of places Castiel's eyes went, I'd say we're talking over a dozen reapers, probably more."
"I don't like the sound of that," Bobby mused.
"Nobody likes the sound of that, Bobby," Dean retorted. "But what - w-what does it mean?"
"It sounds like Death, son. I think Satan's in town to work a ritual. I think he's planning to unleash Death."
"You mean, as in, this guy and taxes are the only sure thing?"
"The horseman Death," Alex snapped, temper short.
"The pale rider in the flesh," Bobby added.
"But unleash? I mean, hasn't Death been tromping all over the place? Hell, I've died several times myself."
"Not this guy. This is-this is the angel of death. Big daddy reaper. They keep this guy chained in a box six hundred feet under. Last time they hauled him up, Noah was building a boat. That's why the place is crawling with reapers. They're waiting on the big boss to show."
There was a slight pause. "Got any other good news?" Dean asked dryly.
"In a matter of speaking." There was the sound of pages turning through the radio. "I've been researching Carthage for the past couple days, trying to suss out what the devil wants there. What you just said drops the last pieces of the puzzle in place. The angel of death must be brought into this world at midnight through a place of awful carnage. Now, back during the Civil War, there was a battle in Carthage. It was so intense the soldiers called it the Battle of Hellhole."
"Where'd the massacre go down?" Dean asked.
"On the land of William Jasper's farm."
"William Jasper's farm? Where's that?"
"Few miles south of town. Take the main road, and you should reach it."
Dean let out a huff. "Okay. Thanks Bobby."
"Does Alex remember anything?"
Alex felt Dean's gaze on her. She adverted her eyes, studying her shoes. She heard Dean cuss. "Looks like it. Doesn't look like it's good either." Dean approached, looking down at her. "Want to share?"
"No." Alex closed her eyes, unwilling to show her pain.
Dean sighed, and sat down beside her. "What is it?"
Alex turned to look at the older hunter. "I'm sorry. I should have remembered. I could have stopped it." Anger flooded through her, and she clenched her fists. "The whole reason I'm here is to keep you safe. But now they're going to die. Why didn't I remember?" Tears flooded her eyes, and she blinked them away. "I should have remembered."
Dean held her gaze. "Alex, look at me. It isn't your fault, okay? Our lives aren't your responsibility. You can't save everyone-"
"I can't save anyone!" Alex interrupted. "And believe me, I have tried."
"It's not your fault," Dean repeated. "Sometime, shit happens. There's nothing we can do."
"They're going to die." Alex closed her eye again, leaning her head back. She opened them, meeting Dean's green eyes, her voice little more than a whisper. "I don't want them to die."
He was silent for a few seconds. "Them?"
"Ellen and Jo," Alex mumbled.
Dean stiffened. "Then they won't die," he decided. Jo let out a pained noise, and Alex screwed her eyes shut.
"Alex," Dean's voice reached her ears. "You need to pull it together What can we do to save them?"
"You can't do anything!" Alex snapped. "You don't understand. There is nothing we can do to save them!" Her voice rose in desperation. "We shouldn't have come. This whole thing is pointless! Who are we kidding? This is never going to work."
Dean didn't give up. "Don't say that. Come on. Think, Alex," he urged. "There's still hope."
Alex didn't respond, studying the ground.
Dean sighed. "You think of something, then get back to me." Then he stood up and was gone.
...
They left her alone for several minutes. At one point, she felt someone's gaze on her, and she looked up. Sam was watching her. He didn't say anything, but his brown eyes were filled with something between desperation and hope. Then he was gone, and Alex was alone again.
She could hear Sam and Dean, deep in conversation. "Now we know where the devil's going to be, we know when, and we have the Colt," Dean was saying.
"Yeah. We just have to get past eight or so hellhounds and get to the farm by midnight," Sam retorted.
"Yeah, and that's after we get Ellen and Jo the hell out of town." Dean let out a long sigh, studying the ground.
Sam agreed. "Won't be easy." Alex could tell they both knew it was hopeless.
There was a short silence. "Stretcher?" Dean suggested.
Sam nodded. "I'll see what we got." He headed deeper into the store.
"Stop." Jo spoke up. "Guys, stop." Sam stopped. "Can we, uh, be realistic about this please?"
Alex stood up, slowly walking over to them.
"I can't move my legs. I can't be moved. My guts are being held in with an ace bandage. We gotta - we gotta get out priorities straight here" Jo let out a shaky breath. "Number one, I'm not going anywhere."
"Joanna Beth!" Ellen cut in sharply, "you stop talking like that."
"Mom, I can't fight, I can't walk. But I can do something. We got propane, wiring, rock salt, iron nails, everything we need." At those words, Alex closed her eyes.
"Everything we need?" Sam repeated.
"Bomb," Alex whispered, glancing up at the hunter.
"No." Dean looked at Alex, then down at Jo. "Jo, no."
"You got a better plan? You got any other plan?" Jo's voice shook, and she make no attempt to steady it. "Those are hellhounds, Dean. They got all of our scents. Those bitches will never stop coming after you. We let the dogs in, you guys hit the roof, make a break for the building next over. I can wait here with my finger on the button, rip those mutts a new one. Or at least get you guys a head start, anyways."
"No. I - I won't let you."
"That's why we're here, right?" Jo glanced up at her mother, who was shaking her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "If I can get us a shot on the devil, Dean, we have to take it."
Alex flinched, guilt tearing through her. This was all her fault. All of this, for nothing. It wasn't worth it. They shouldn't have come.
"No!" Ellen looked up at Dean, desperation written across her face. "That's not-"
"Mom! This might literally be your last chance to treat me like an adult. Might want to take it?" Jo struggled to hold back tears at the thought of death, but forced out a smile. Ellen broke down, sobbing.
Alex closed her eyes, emotions fighting to get out.
Finally Ellen looked up. "You heard her," she whispered. "Get to work."
Dean and Sam exchanged sorrowful glances, then set off into the store. Dean roughly pushed past Alex, and she shrunk back, knowing he was blaming her; and rightfully so.
...
They spent the next several hours gathering supplies. At one point, Alex approached Jo, who was sitting alone. She opened her eyes, looking up at Alex. Alex sat down beside her. "How are you doing?" she asked.
"Couldn't be better," Jo muttered sarcastically.
Alex sighed. "I'm sorry," she began. "I should have known. I could have saved you, and you should be fine-"
"It's not your fault," Jo cut her off. "Why would you think that?"
Alex took a deep breath. "Because. Sometimes, I-I know things before they happen. I should have known about this!"
"Alex. I'm not your responsibility. You can't blame yourself for this." Jo turned her head to look at her. "It's not your fault."
Alex leaned back up against the counter next to her, looking out towards the door. "Everything's going to be fine," she promised.
"Don't start with all that crap," Jo scoffed. "I'm going to die."
"I know," Alex murmured. "But afterwards. Heaven's going to be great. I've seen it. In my - visions."
Jo didn't answer.
"Don't you worry." Alex's voice shook, but she forced it into steadiness. "Just a little while longer, then everything is going to be fine. Forever this time." Her mind drifted off, and her voice grew soft. "Imagine. No more hunting. No more fear, or nightmares. Surrounded by the people you love. Everything's perfect." They trailed off into silence.
...
Night came. It was a little past nine o'clock by the time Sam and Dean had finished wiring the bomb. As Dean wired up the button, Sam sat beside Jo, holding her hand.
"Okay. This is it," Dean's voice shook. "I'll see you on the other side. Probably sooner than later." He tried to force a joke, but no one laughed.
"Make it later," Jo smiled up at him through the pain. Tears slid uncontrollably down her face.
Dean handed her the button, clasping her hand in his. He knelt down, pressing a kiss on her forehead. Then he kissed her lightly on her lips before resting his forehead against hers. Alex felt her heart twist in agony at the sight. I could have stopped this, she berated. Dean got up, taking a step back.
Ellen approached, sitting down next to Jo. Their eyes met, and Ellen smiled gently.
"Mom, no." Jo realized what her mother was doing, and her voice shook.
"Somebody's got to let them in. Like you said, you're not moving." Tears ran down her face, and she made no attempt to brush them away. "You got me, Jo. And you're right, this is important." Jo nodded, and Ellen continued. "And I will not leave you alone."
Sam looked over at Dean, shocked. "Dean-"
"Get going, boys."
"Ellen-" Dean started to protest.
Ellen cut him off. "I said, get out."
Sam and Dean exchanged sorrowful glances, and Alex briefly closed her eyes. They no longer argued, but headed for the back exit.
"And Dean?" Dean turned back to look at Ellen. "Kick it in the ass. Don't miss."
Dean nodded and walked away. They went out the back, and Sam pulled down the ladder. He climbed up first. Alex started after him, but Dean roughly pushed her out of the way. Alex let him. She trailed slowly behind. She clambered over the lip of the building, looking around. Sam and Dean were already on the other building, running fast. Below, Alex heard hellhounds, their barking and growling chilling her to the bone. Alex pulled herself to her feet and started running. She leapt over the small wall that divided the two buildings. Sam had already reached the other side, and was climbing down the fire escape. Dean followed. When Alex reached it, she looked down to see it was a small alley. She hurried down.
She had taken three steps on the solid ground when an explosion ripped through the air. Sam and Dean stopped, and Alex skidded to a halt beside Sam. They turned, yet unable to see the building. Alex's heart broke, and she let out a shaky breath. Then Sam and Dean were moving again.
...
They ran through the town, weaving in and out of the buildings. Alex's lungs burned from running in the cold air, but she pushed on, too numb from the shock and sadness to care about the pain. She deserved the pain. Finally, they stopped in the shadow of a building. Sam pulled out his phone. "Damn," he whispered. "Still nothing." He flicked it shut, turning to Dean. "So where is farm?"
"Bobby said it was a few miles south of here," Dean replied. He turned to Alex. "You okay?"
Alex took a breath before nodding. Her eyes hardened into icy determination. She knew what she had to do. "I'm fine, Let's go shoot the devil."
...
It was a two hour hike to William Jasper's farm. They walked along the side of the road among the shadows. By the time they reached the farm, light rain had started to fall, and thunder clapped distantly above their heads. Alex checked her phone. 11:46. Almost perfect timing. "Quarter to midnight," she informed them.
Dean nodded. He led them onto the farm, carefully looking around.
Ten minutes later, they found themselves among trees, creeping through the bushes. Suddenly Dean stopped, motioning ahead of him. Alex peered over his shoulder to see a large field, filled with rows upon rows with men. Alex knew they were demons. They were staring at something in front of them, but from Alex's vantage point, she couldn't see. But she was confident she knew what.
"Guess we know what happened to some of the townspeople," Dean muttered.
"Okay."
"Okay." Dean let out a long breath.
"Last words?" Sam glanced at his brother.
Dean thought. "I think I'm good," he finally said.
"Me too."
Alex nodded in agreement.
Dean nodded, his voice containing only the faintest hint of fear. "Here goes nothing." He pulled out the Colt, repeating the plan they had come up with on the walk there. "You distract him, I'll sneak up behind and shoot him." He glanced at Alex. "And you stay here."
Alex huffed. "I'll go with you, Dean."
Dean glared at her, but didn't bother to argue. He knew she could walk more silently than either him or Sam. He nodded, motioning for her to follow. She did. Sam slipped off in the other direction. Dean and Alex circled around, silent as shadows.
"Hey!" they heard Sam yell.
The stepped out from the trees, and Alex finally got a view of what those demons were looking at. She recognized Lucifer, standing before a large hole, shovel in hand. As she watched, he turned to Sam, dropping the shovel.
"You wanted to see me?" Sam continued.
Dean and Alex snuck up behind the archangel, trepidation gnawing at their stomachs. Alex knew the Colt wouldn't work, and quickly planned in her head. If she could stall him past midnight, that would at least buy them a little time. Might get her killed. Alex pushed the thought away. She wouldn't care if he killed her.
"Oh, Sam, you don't need that gun here," Lucifer said kindly, studying the hunter. "You know I'd never hurt you. Not really."
By this point, Dean had reached the devil, Colt in hand. He spoke. "Yeah? Well I'd hurt you." Lucifer turned to see Dean pointing the Colt at his forehead, point-blank. Dean continued, "So suck it." He pulled the trigger.
The sound of the gun discharging echoed through the farm, and Lucifer crumpled to the ground. Alex circled to stand on the other side of Dean, glancing at Sam, then down at Lucifer. For several seconds, no one moved. Dean and Sam exchanged glances, premature relief on their faces.
Then, Lucifer let out a pained breath, eyes fluttering open. "Owww . . ." he gasped, rolling onto his back. He lay there for a few seconds, breathing heavily. Then he pulled himself to his feet, still making a pained noise. He turned to Dean, whose face was one of disbelief and terror. "Where did you get that?" Without waiting for an answer, he punched Dean, who flew backwards into a tree. Alex turned to watch him hit the trunk, flinching, then turned back to Lucifer. He had turned his attention back to Sam. He opened his mouth to speak, but Alex interrupted him.
"Now, tell me this." Alex spoke clearly, not wanting to be ignored. Lucifer turned, noticing her for the first time. "You said - or will say, wibbly-wobbly, - that there are five things that gun can't kill, yourself included. But, by 'you', do you mean you-Lucifer, or you-archangels?"
"How did you know I was going to say that?" Lucifer stepped towards her, interest gleaming in his pale blue eyes.
"You knew the gun wasn't going to work?" Sam snarled at the same time, stepping towards her as well, his terror replaced by anger. "What the hell? I swear, if we get out of this, I am going to murder you! I will rip your heart out, do you hear me!?"
Alex knew he was telling the truth, but chose to ignore him. Lucifer let out a wicked grin, turning back to Sam. "That's good, Sam. You keep fanning that fire in your belly. All that pent-up rage. I'm going to need it. But, unfortunately, you won't be able to kill her." He turned to Alex. "I'm afraid I'm going to kill her first."
"Kill me?" Alex pulled an offended face, trying not to show her intimidation. "That's a little harsh. What did I do?"
"You let them shoot me in the head." Lucifer rubbed his forehead to emphasis his point.
Alex's gaze hardened. "You killed Ellen and Jo. I need to blame someone."
Lucifer tilted his head to one side. "You blame yourself," he noted.
Alex let out the smallest hint of a smile. "Well, I can't shoot myself, can I? But you were a good close second. I mean, sure I knew it would do nothing. But it was tremendously satisfying."
Lucifer stepped closer, anger flashing through his eyes. He studied her, and it faded. "You must be Alex. Meg said you wanted to see me."
"Maybe I did want to see you, maybe it was just a lie," Alex said coldly. "Hard for you to say, mm?"
"Hard indeed." Lucifer studied her closely. "Maybe I won't kill you just yet. You amuse me."
Alex let out an indignant huff. "The same to you."
Lucifer chuckled.
"Alex, what the hell are you doing?" Sam interrupted them. "We have to get out of here! He's the devil!"
Lucifer looked over at him, Alex forgotten. "You're right. And I have a ritual to finish."
Alex turned to Sam. "The hell, man? Have you never heard of stalling? We just needed to keep him distracted past midnight, buy us a little time!"
Sam glanced at all of the demons. "What did you do to this town?" he asked, forcing himself to remain calm.
"Oh, I was very generous with this town," Lucifer promised. "One demon for every able-bodied man."
"And the rest?"
Lucifer paused, glancing down at the pit. Alex felt her heart sink at the realization. "In there," the archangel said quietly. "I know, it's awful, but these horsemen are so demanding. So it was women and children first." His voice grew almost apologetic as he continued. "I know what you must think of me, Sam. But I have to do this. I have to. You of all people should understand."
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"I was a son. A brother like you; a younger brother, and I had an older brother who I loved, idolized, in fact. And one day I went to him and I begged him to stand with me, and Michael - Michael turned on me. Called me a freak. A monster. And then he beat me down. All because I was different. Because I had a mind of my own. Tell me something, Sam. Any of this sound familiar? Anyway. You'll have to excuse me. Midnight is calling and I have a ritual to finish. Don't go anywhere. Not that you could if you would." Lucifer let out a chuckle, and picked back up his shovel.
"Well, alright. Well, I suppose we'll be seeing you around, eh?" Alex started to back away after Sam. "How does a couple months sound? Detroit, maybe?"
Lucifer looked up at her, shock and confusion only visible for a brief second. Then he laughed. "I'm still not sure whether I like you or not," he told her honestly, "but do I hope we will meet again." Then he turned around, finishing filling in to the hole.
"Yeah. Okay. Good talk." Alex ran off after Sam. Lucifer glanced back at her, a smile forming across his face.
Sam had hurried over to Dean. Alex stayed back, placing herself between the Winchesters and the devil. Lucifer chanted something, then turned to the rows of demons before him. "Now repeat after me. We offer up our lives, blood, souls-"
"We offer up our lives, blood, souls-" the demons chanted.
"To complete this ritual."
"To complete this ritual." As Alex watched, the demons flashed with a golden light, one by one, then fell over dead.
Lucifer turned to glance at the three of them. Seeing their shocked looks, he shrugged. "What? They're just demons."
Alex looked over at Dean. He had come to, staring at the devil, shocked and terrified. Alex knelt down beside him. "You okay?" she whispered. He nodded yes.
Lucifer turned back to the pit, staring at it. Something moved behind them, and Alex turned. Relief flooded through her. It was Castiel. He put his finger on his lip, motioning for them to remain quiet. Then he flew them away. The last thing Alex heard was Lucifer's sing-song voice, chilling her to the bone. "Oh, hello Death."
...
Castiel flew them back to the Impala. "Are you okay?" he asked them. All three nodded. Without needing any words, Dean unlocked the door got into the driver's seat. Sam and Alex got in too, and Alex jumped when she turned to see Castiel was already in the car. No words were said, and they drove away.
...
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The must have drove all night, because when Alex awoke, they were only a few minutes out from Bobby's. She had fallen asleep on Castiel's shoulder, and she awkwardly sat up. Castiel seemed unaffected. They pulled up into the Singer Salvage Yard, parking the Impala and getting out. Castiel wordlessly disappeared, and Alex led the way into the house.
"Hello?" she called.
"Alex? Is that you?" Bobby rolled into view. He stopped, staring at her. "Thank God," he breathed. Sam and Dean followed her in. Alex heard the familiar hum of the tv, and hurried into the study. Glancing into the kitchen, she saw with a sharp twinge of pain the shot glasses from two nights ago, still sitting on the table.
"Where's Ellen and Jo?" Bobby asked hopefully. Neither Sam or Dean responded, and the whole house went silent. Alex sat down at the kitchen table, eyes closed. She buried her head in her hands.
She vaguely heard the news over the tv. "Just received an update that the governor has declared a state of emergency for Paulding County, including Marion, Fetterville, and Carthage. The storm has reportedly touched off a number of tornados in the area. Death tolls have yet to be estimated, but state officials expect the loss of life and property to be staggering."
Alex put her head down on the table, blocking out everything else. Who was she kidding? She could have stopped this. The fire crackled in the fireplace, and Alex glanced over her shoulder. All three were standing in front of it, and, as Alex watched, Bobby dropped something into the flames. Even from the room over, Alex recognized it as the picture from two nights ago. Another wave of pain shot through her, and she abruptly stood up, the chair sliding across the floor.
Suddenly Sam stormed up to her, pinning Alex against the wall. "What the hell?!" he yelled. "You knew the damn gun wouldn't do a thing? You let Ellen and Jo die!"
Tears rolled down Alex's face. "I'm sorry, okay?" she tried to say.
Sam wouldn't have it. "They're dead because of you! Damn you, Alex."
Then he was being yanked away from her. He kept yelling, and it took all of Dean's strength to hold his brother back.
Alex ran.
She hurried through the front door and out into the salvage yard. She ran through the cars and into the large shed filled with tools. There she sat, head buried in her hands, crying. She couldn't help it.
...
After a few minutes Dean came out, and Alex shied away. "Please don't kill me," she whispered, then paused. "Never mind. I don't care." She closed her eyes again.
"I'm not going to kill you." Dean knelt on the ground in front of her. "It's not your fault, okay?" When Alex let out an unbelieving noise, he continued, "Our lives aren't your responsibility. Ellen and Jo knew the risks when they came with us."
"I should have remembered!" Alex cut him off. "That show is the only thing I've got, Dean. If I can't even remember that, what else have I forgotten? How could I forget that Ellen and Jo died?"
"You're not perfect, Alex. No one blames you. We all know you're doing your best, and that's all we ask from you. You can't let this get to you. Something just are meant to happen." He stood up, extending his hand to her.
Alex took it, and he pulled her to her feet, and then into a hug. Alex accepted it, her tears wetting his shirt. They stood there for several minutes, and Alex was thankful that he was there. "Thanks," she muttered.
"Come on. Let's get something to drink."