12

CHOP CHOP

Jo woke up the next day alone. Dean was gone, and she figured he was busy 'working'. After changing, she went to the great hall to be greeted by Jeannie. Remembering the events of the previous day, she saw John Winchester sitting on the couch. He looked out of place and uncomfortable. At her entrance, he set down his drink and stood up. 'Like father like son. Whiskey,' Jo thought to herself. "John," she said, smiling.

"Jo," he whispered. His eyes took in the outfit she wore, and he nervously looked away.

"I'm glad you're here. No! Wait! I mean…I'm glad you're here instead of…instead of where you were before," she stumbled over her words, trying to gauge the situation. The eldest Winchester nodded, and his eyes shown real appreciation.

"I wish it were under better circumstances, but there's not much we can do about that, huh?" John questioned in a strained tone. Jeannie interrupted them with the clearing of her throat. Jo turned to see food spread out on the table, and remembered how delicious it tasted after being on the rack for hundreds of years.

"Come sit," Jo urged. They silently took their seats, and Jo wondered if Dean would be joining them.

"What are you wearing?" he asked in what she could only describe as a fatherly tone. Taken aback, she wasn't sure how to answer him at first.

"I'm…Let's just say Dean has a 'non-conventional' taste in Hell attire," she tried to joke, but John didn't laugh.

"What's the point of eating?" he said, honestly curious. Brushing past the outfit issue, he couldn't help but ramble off his next question.

"Not much else to do down here, is there?" Dean's strong voice was heard throughout the great hall. John stiffened and the hand that was reaching for his whiskey glass froze. "Funny thing about being the King of Hell, you start to miss regular habits like driving, watching movies, and in my case, food. I see you're getting reacquainted," he commented as he took his place at the head of the table. Jo and John remained silent. The fact that Dean's father finally said yes definitely changed things, and Jo wasn't sure where her place was in all of it.

"Since you finally accepted a position at my side, how does it feel? Free from your cell, regular clothes, a place to actually sleep…" Dean questioned, drinking a glass of amber liquid identical to his father's.

"I uh, it's different," John said. All his life he'd followed every command his father gave, was a good soldier, aimed to please his father, and yet now it was the other way around. Dean was the leader, and John was to follow. Dean smirked into his glass, and turned his attention to Jo.

"I have a job for you," he said.

"A job?" her voice raised in anticipation. Something to do besides go through the meaningless motions of organizing shoes and aimless wandering excited her.

"You'll come to my office later, and I'll explain it then. I just need some help with a few…minor issues," he said cryptically.

"No, tell me now," she demanded. Waiting for his beck and call did not sound appealing to her whatsoever. At the glare she received from Dean, her gaze flickered over to Jeannie. His stony expression left no room for argument, so she instead motioned for Jeannie to come closer. "I'll have some water please," she asked.

"Water?" Dean questioned.

"You know, unlike the two of you, I enjoy regular non-alcoholic liquid every once in a while," Jo tried to tease, lightening the mood. John, still awkwardly silent in his spot, had the hint of a sideways smile reach his lips. Dean stared at her with a knowing look, before quickly turning to face his father.

"I'll give you a day or two to get settled before I put you to work. Who would have thought, you working for me?" Dean's evil smirk was visible on his face, as well as a quick flash of red in his eyes. This upset John, as he looked pale as a sheet. Jo watched the interaction, and suddenly felt bad for John. She had adjusted quite well to her new existence, with a little help from the delicious wine. John would be more difficult to crack. Jo felt feelings for Dean for years, making it easier to accept her current position. John raised Dean. Jo could only imagine what it was like to see your child fall from human to King of Hell, ruling the things he fought so hard to keep in the deepest parts of Hell. On the other hand, Jo realized that it was a paradise living under Dean's rule compared to being put back on the rack, or in John's case the isolated cell.

The meal passed with minimal conversation after Dean's remark. After another drink, Dean stood from his spot and moved towards Jo. Leaning down, he kissed her on the cheek before exiting the hall. Jo's fingers brushed the spot Dean's lips were just seconds before. Clearing his throat, John caught Jo's attention.

"Joanna," he started.

"No," she interrupted and held her hand up. A confused expression crossed the elder Winchester's face, and Jo shook her head.

"I know you're going to go on about if I'm okay, if I'm being forced into anything, or how to escape. Don't waste your breath. Even if there was a way, which there isn't, I wouldn't leave. I can't leave him," she said, emotion leaking through her words. John's defensive gaze faltered and he looked at her with confusion. A few seconds passed before recognition clicked into place.

"You care for him," he said, astonished. Nodding, Jo's lips curved into a small smirk. Pushing her blonde hair behind her ear, she cleared her throat.

"There's no way to change anything. Dean being King of Hell is a lot better than Lucifer. Dean was born human, and there's still a part of that left in him. It just has to share him with the Devil part," she tried to explain with a raised eyebrow.

"I see," John quietly said. A few minutes of silence passed between them before Jeannie stepped forward.

"You're dismissed," Jo whispered, not making eye contact. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts.

"Must I be?" the servant asked.

"No, you're welcome to stay. You know that," Jo said, eyes focused on her glass. Memories of her human life flooded her mind, and she tried to suppress them. Showing emotion in Hell was one thing, but showing emotion in front of John Winchester just wasn't something she could let herself do. He was technically in some sort of weird thing like a father-in-law to her now. She didn't want him to think she was weak, in any way. "I need to freshen up a bit," she excused herself and returned to her and Dean's room.


Entering her closet, she sat at the vanity and looked in the mirror. She needed just a minute by herself and away from John. Things were difficult, and she wasn't sure how to act around him. Was he going to turn into a rude demon like Arirca? Or would he continue the classic Winchester vendetta to save his family? A jewelry box sat on the left side of the vanity. It must have been placed there by Dean or Jeannie, because she didn't remember seeing it. After toying with the trinket, she jumped at the sound of Dean's throat clearing.

"Are you okay?" he asked. His tone indicated that the more 'human' side of him was present.

"I'm fine. Just needed a minute alone. A lot of stuff to process," she explained, not meeting his eyes, but instead focusing on her reflection. His face was soon next to hers, and in the mirror she could see his true form. Bright, cherry red eyes shown in his reflection beside hers.

"You ready to help me for a bit?" he purred in her ear, slowly kissing down her neck. A heat of excitement shot through her, and she turned to face him. Leaning in, she pressed her lips against his in a soft and tender kiss. It soon turned into a hard and needing kiss, before Dean pulled back. "There's plenty of time for that later. You're distracting me," he teased, pulling her to a standing position and running his hands up and down her sides. "Jeannie's just finishing cleaning up, and she'll be helping you," he explained.

"Helping me do what?" she asked, but was quickly transported to Dean's office where a few demons stood off to the side. Harvey was next to Dean's desk, looking over at the couple as they appeared.

"Miss Jo," the Devil's assistant greeted.

"Harvey," she returned.

"Okay, here is a list," Dean said, moving towards his desk. Snapping his fingers, Jeannie appeared in his office as well. Slightly off balance from being unprepared, the servant looked around anxiously before seeing her two masters staring at her. "Right then," Dean continued. "Take this list," he handed it to Jeannie, "and visit each room. "I want you to check to make sure that the demons are actually working, and not just fooling around. They won't expect you to be checking their 'work performance' so you're my 007."

"You want me to check up on your demons to make sure their doing their job? What jobs? This isn't the rack is it?" she asked with anxiety creeping into her voice.

"No," he assured her, taking one of her hands. "It's not that bad. More like…." Dean turned to Harvey for help.

"Intermediate," the assistant offered.

"Intermediate. More like intermediate torture. Just pop your head in, see what's going on, and bring your results back to me," he said with a careless wave of his hand.

"But why do you need me to do it? Can't one of them do this? Not that I'm complaining, I've been bored," she pondered.

"Because they aren't as trustworthy as you. Plus, I need all my trustworthy demons to help me with other things today. Busy schedule, chop chop, get going," he said in a fake cheerful tone. The other demons in the room looked at her with fascination while Dean looked to Jeannie. "Don't get lost," he said more seriously. Snapping his fingers, the two women disappeared.