All Secrets Known

Chapter 2

Alice looked at the box in front of her, the colour drained from her face with the realisation of what the brothers had found. Cas, still unaware of what was contained in the box looked back and forth from the brothers to Alice in confusion. She looked back at him apologetically and handed him the box without opening it. The angel looked through the contents and then back to Alice disappointedly. "These were to be destroyed like the others, why would you keep these?" He scolded her. "I know, I know I'm an idiot, "she replied. "I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'd been on my own for so long, they were all I had left." She put her face in her hands remaining silent for a minute or two. She could still feel the glare of the Winchesters on her, she was going to have to give them something, tell them something to defuse the situation. She had fantasized about coming clean to them so many times but it had always been under ideal conditions where she was sure the outcome would be favourable, that they would take it well and welcome her back with open arms. But this situation was far from what she wanted. She rubbed her face trying to clear her head as she looked back up, the brothers still stared at her expectantly and the angel was saying nothing, allowing Alice to handle this as she saw fit.

"First off, let me level with you," she began but was interrupted by Dean who scoffed "Well that would be a first." Sam elbowed his brother in the ribs, "Shut up and let her talk." Alice frowned; she knew this wasn't going to go down well. "I have no intention of telling you two the full story, I can give you some info; details I feel are safe for you to know but no more. That will have to be enough." "We'll tell you when it's enough," Dean interrupted again impatient to know what the hell was going on. He pulled up a chair and sat accusingly across from her, "Now start talking." he demanded. "Ok so you've seen the photos," she began, "so I guess I start there, my name, which I'm assuming by now you know is not Alice Staley." The brothers said nothing leaving the floor hers. "My real name is Emma, Emma Singer, Bobby Singer was my father." This got a reaction, "You better watch your mouth girl. We knew Bobby, we knew him better than anyone and he had no kids, short of us to anyway." He was furious at the inclusion of his old friend in the lie. All but ignoring him, she continued. "Regardless what you think Dean, Bobby was my father and Karen my mother. I was seven when she…" she paused and swallowed clearly uncomfortable talking about her mothers death. "...when she died, Bobby raised me on his own since then." She looked up, trying to read the boys faces, they stared at her sceptically. "What she is telling you is the truth." Cas interjected. Emma turned to the younger of the men, knowing he may be easier to convince. "I used to baby-sit you, Sammy, when your dad and brother weren't around." She shot him a smile but he didn't reciprocate. "And you," she said turning to Dean, "We used to steal my dads beer and drink it in a beat up old Caddy at the back of the yard, you some how managed to get the radio to work and we'd sit out there for hours listening to music." Dean stood and towered over her, "Well this is a beautiful trip down fictional memory lane but how about you cut the bull and stop wasting our time." This was going worse than she feared; even with Castiel's endorsement they didn't believe any of it. All she was trying to do was protect these two stubborn jerks for as long as she could, if they kept pushing at this, they could be the masters of their own downfall. "Fine." she said trying her best to sound defiant but disappointed herself with the pain and hurt she heard in her own voice. "A little under five years ago, not long after Cas here pulled you out of hell," Dean visibly flinched at the mention of his time in the pit. Sam placed a hand on his brother's elbow, stopping him before he could lash out at her. "Something, something irreparable happened to us a group; it weakening us, to a point where stopping Lucifer and Michael, or any big bad for that matter, was an impossibility."

She stood, the strength having finally returned to her legs. She walked away from Dean who was standing too close to her and crossed the room trying to get some personal space, room to breathe. She leaned against the desk and continued. "I was the centre, the cause of the issue. It was decided, that it was better for all, if I go. More than that, though or it wouldn't be enough. It needed to be as if I had never been. I needed to be forgotten." She paused again trying to compose herself, remembering that time was more emotional for her than she wanted to let on to the Winchesters. She cleared her throat and went on. "We decided it was for the best, and by we, I mean you two, Cas, Bobby and I. We all realised that it was the only solution."

"This is total bull." Dean erupted no longer able to hold his anger or his tongue. "If you knew Bobby like you say you do," He crossed the room and stood threateningly close once again. "He would never have agreed to that, he would never have allowed it. Family was everything to that man, blood or otherwise." Emma feeding off his rage and her own anger at herself for the tears she could feel welling up inside her also lost her composure. "Now you listen to me, you stupid, stubborn, son of a bitch, that man was my world and I his. Letting me go was the hardest thing he ever had to do, second only to putting my mother down. But he did, we both gave up everything, everything we had for you, to protect you two and the whole friggin' world for that matter." She paused, trying to steady herself before she said more than she should. "I don't want to tell you any of this; the only ones who want this story told are some sick twisted demons and you two idiots." She ran her fingers through her hair. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. "You don't have to believe any of it, to be honest it is probably better you don't. But it's the truth and it's the only one you're getting." Dean was about to retaliate but Sam stepped in. "You said we all agreed, so Dean and I just went along with it, let Bobby daughter walk way, I find it hard to believe?" She finally broke her glare from Dean and turned to Sam. "Yes, we all had to consent or Cas wouldn't agree to it." She answered. "It was a big task, it wasn't enough that you lot forgot, everyone who ever knew me, every hunter we had met or helped, everyone who knew that Bobby had a daughter, everyone in Sioux Falls, from kindergarten teachers to my high school class. No paper trail, no history, no evidence that I ever existed. I was ghost." Sam turned to Castiel, "That's huge, I mean even for you, that would be a massive job." "It was," the angel said, "It wasn't easy, I needed to enlist help from a number of loyal angels to complete it. They in turn agreed, for the greater good, to their memories of it wiped also." Cas explained.

"Ok so say we believe you." Sam said, playing devils advocate, "Why would the demons want with us remembering now? I mean both Lucifer and Michael are in the cage, we defeated them and stopped Armageddon." "I don't know to be honest, I don't think they even know the full story, otherwise why not just come along and tell you out right." Emma said, "We don't know their reasoning behind this, I don't need to, I know that if you two find out the full truth, it will not end well, for anyone involved." Without acknowledging her Dean turned and addressed Sam, "We've seen and heard some bat shit crazy stuff in our time, but this, this is just insane. You're not buying any of this crap? Are you Sam?" Sam looked uncomfortably at his brother, he know he wasn't going to like his response but he answered honestly anyway. "Look, I don't know how I feel about any of this, but like you said we have seen some crazy things, is this so hard to believe? Besides she has a point, if there are demons out there who want us to remember the truth for what ever reasons, it can't be good." Sam took a small step towards Dean, "Maybe we should learn from our mistakes and not 'pick at the wall'." Sam's reference to the wall Dean had Death put in his brother's head to protect him reminded him of all the reasons he had given to Sam at the time, begging him to leave it alone. But this was different, he tried to convince himself, but he felt like he was quickly being backed into a corner, he hated being kept in the dark about anything but could see he was losing Sam, so he lashed out in defence. "Ok, so I beg you not to go poking at something and you blatantly ignore me, almost killing yourself in the process but when some random stranger shows up saying she is Bobby Singer's daughter and suddenly your willing to follow her blindly." The anger in Dean's voice as he spat the words 'random strange' caught Emma off guard. She felt physical pain shoot across her heart. Here she was standing, feet away from two of the three people who meant the most to her in the world and they couldn't have been further away.

She wanted to scream, she was sorry, she wanted to throw her arms around both of them and never let go again. But instead she did her best to appear cold and indifferent even though every second around them was killing her inside. "Come on Dean," Sam said, "It's not like that and you know it. Think about it, right now we have God knows how many angry homeless angels walking the earth looking for someone to blame and a knight of hell building an army set on creating hell on earth." Sam looked at his brother, hoping he was getting through to him. "Maybe, just maybe, we take Cas and Emma here at their word and leave this alone, for the time being anyway. We have more than enough on our plates at the moment. Why chance it?" "You have got to be kidding me? How can you consider anything she is saying to be true?" Dean hissed at his brother, "I need some air," he said as he stormed out the door of the cabin into the night. Sam looked somewhat apologetically at Emma, "Give him some time, he'll calm down."

In the quiet of the room some obvious realisations were finally hitting home. "Should we not be high-tailing it out of here? Demons led Dean and me to you, they know where we are." Emma answered; relieved to talk about anything that wasn't about her and her secret. "No, we're safe here, for the time being anyway. This cabin is an old hunter hide out. We are surrounded by a fence of devils traps made out of pure iron, the frame and rafters of this house itself are covered in all manner of wardings. They may know where we are but they haven't a hope of getting to us." She spoke as she walked into the kitchen and grabbed some beers. She returned and handed one to Sam and then one to Cas who looked at it then placed it unopened on the coffee table next to him. "That's why they waited until she got to town to make a move on her." Castiel added. "That's another thing," Sam asked, "why shoot you? Why try to kill you? Surely if you die your secret dies with you." Again it was Cas who spoke. "I believe I can answer that, "he began. "if she was to die, with heavens doors tightly shut, her soul would be up for grabs. In the right demons hands a soul is like a history book, everything they want to know right there for the taking. Without the possibility of possessing her, it would be the only other way to get to her secrets. Short of torture, of course but they may assume that that route would be destined to fail." Emma shot him a glare that let him know he had said too much. Sam spotted their interaction but said nothing.

Outside, the cool air had done little to calm Dean's anger and frustration. Secrets never ended well, he knew he was right. They had been bitten on the ass too many times to think anything different. He wanted; he needed to know the truth. He knew Cas could pull off what had been suggested but he could not imagine a situation where he, Sam and Bobby would allow it to. But doubt set in, logic trying to get a hold of him, what if it was her chance to get out of the life, then maybe. What If they had done it to protect her, Bobby would have wanted his daughter to have a normal life, free of the supernatural. Flip flopping back again he thought, what sort of life did she have, alone, hold up in safe houses, her only company an occasional visit from an absent angel. She hadn't been out of the life at all; she had been exiled to some solitary nomadic existence. Hiding from everyone she supposedly knew and loved. That was if any of it was true in the first place.

He pulled out his phone; he did have a hot line to the King of Hell after all. Surely Crowley could shed some light on what was true or not. Dean knew he couldn't really trust a word that came out of the slippery bastard's mouth but what else could he do. He pushed the button and dialled the number, Dean looked at the screen no signal at all but it started to ring anyway. It didn't seem to matter where you were; when you called the king of hell you weren't reliant on cell towers. The call clicked over to voice mail, the demon spoke into his ear. "You're through to Crowley, the one true leader of the under world. If you have managed to kill that bitch Abaddon, well done great riches await you in my kingdom, If this is Abaddon, Screw you. "

Dean hung up without leaving a message. He unhappily turned to head back to the cabin, before he could take a second step a familiar British accent spoke to him through the dark. "Hey, I hope that was a booty call." Dean spun around to see Crowley standing on the opposite side of the devils trap fence. "Nice place, bit of Wako feel to it though." "Crowley." Dean said. "In the flesh," he replied, "You do realise you are under siege here, there are easily three dozen of Abaddon lackeys surrounding the place. "And yet here you are." Dean replied gruffly. Crowley gave him a smug smile "Yeah, I may have picked off a baker's dozen or so on my way in. Purely for shits and giggles, mind you." He looked up and down the length of the fence, "Don't worry if I can get in those brainless Judas's haven't a hope, you're quite safe." Crowley regarded Deans demeanour, "I'm guessing from your premenstrual mood you're not about to try and seduce me so how about you cut to the chase, I do have a life beyond the Winchesters you know poling the electorates, if you get my meaning." "And the blade of course. " Dean shot back at him. "Of course" Crowley replied. "I'm working on it." Dean rolled his eyes, "You ever heard of Emma Singer?" he said getting to the point. Crowley face dropped, "More importantly, what have you heard?" he asked, "I asked first." Dean replied impatiently. He was in no mood for a run around with him. "Ok, Boy, you listen to me and heed my words very carefully." All humour and jest had left his voice. "Poughkeepsie, a thousand times, Poughkeepsie," Dean was startled at Crowley's use of his and his brothers 'go' word. "You grab that oversized brother of yours and you go, don't just walk away from what ever is going in that cabin back there, you run and you don't look back." Dean stared at the demon in front of him trying to decide if it was fear, concern or just really good acting he was seeing. "This, what ever this is, is not going to help you. We, as in Hell, Earth and Heaven need you fighting fit to take down Abaddon and the road you are on now, will destroy you." The demon straighten his jacket and continued, "Now, come back to me when that ginger bitch is headless and I'll happily help you self destruct and tell you everything you want to know but until then let it go, focus on the task at hand." Before Dean could question him any further he was gone. "God damn it!" Dean cursed to himself and headed back to the cabin. Just before he reached the door his mobile buzzed as it received a text message. "Poughkeepsie" was all it read.

Back inside Emma and Sam, much to Dean's annoyance, were in the kitchen preparing dinner together. Sam was such a sucker for a sob story, Dean thought to himself, always got too attached, way too quickly. He couldn't bear to be around those two, playing happy estranged families, so he side stepped silently into the living room to avoid them. There was no sign if Castiel, but Dean wasn't in a rush to see him either and was thankful for the peace and quiet. He picked up the unopened beer from the coffee table, it was no longer cold but he had drunk worse. It was certainly better than venturing in to the kitchen for a fresh one. He popped the lid and sat into more than on to the old couch.

Their host had set up a fold out cot in the living room for them. Cas had still not returned and with a forest full of demons they weren't going anywhere without some angelic intervention. Dean opted for the couch, letting Sam take the cot. He was still sulking and although he had accepted the food that had been prepared, he drew the line at allowing her to make up a bed for him. After the first hour on the uncomfortable couch he regretted his decision. His mind was racing with too many unanswered questions. He spent the next few hours just staring at the ceiling getting more and more frustrated. A little before dawn he admitted defeat and heading into the kitchen looking for a medicinal aid. To his delight he found a half empty bottle of whiskey in the larder. "Bingo" he whispered. He poured a large one and leaned against the kitchen table, staring blankly in the darkness of the living room. He spotted Emma's door open a crack and through the gap he could make out her bed and it was empty. Curiosity got the better of him. He crept through the living room, past the still sleeping Sam to the bedroom, his drink still in hand. He leaded against the frame of the door and slowly pushed it open a little bit further, trying to get a better look. Craning his head closer to the gap he finally spotted Emma, curled up; sound asleep on the cold floor beneath the window. She had no pillow or blanket with her. Dean frowned to himself as he pulled the door back to its original position. "What the hell?" He said before returning to the couch, finishing of the last of his whiskey he lay back down.

He must have fallen asleep at some point because the next time he opened his eyes the sun was up. He sat up, not feeling any better for having gotten some shut eye. He looked around the room, Sam was still out cold but the door to Emma's room was now wide open. From the couch he could smell fresh coffee coming from the kitchen and headed in the direction of the aroma. The room was empty so he helped himself to a cup and went outside.. He found Emma standing on the porch leaning against the fence nursing her own cup. He stood next to her, both of them staring out into the dense forest in front of them. She fished a flask out of her pocket and offered it to him. "You wanna Irish up that coffee?" she said as he accepted it and poured a healthy dose into his cup. Handing it back he noticed dark circles beneath her red blood shot eyes. "Rough night?" he asked. She put the flask back in her pocket and muttered, "Something like that." "Maybe try the bed next time." He said. She turned and glared at him. "Sorry, the door was open, I wasn't prying, it was just strange." He fumbled annoyed by his own big mouth. Her face softened some what, still too tired to argue with him. "Nightmares, its nothing really, it's just the floor, the coldness of it, helps me remember what's real and what's not." That was all she was going to say on the matter as she quickly changed the subject.

"Cas was here." "What? Where is he now?" She didn't turn to look at him "Gone, again." She answered. "He believes that it is safer for us all to remain here for the time being until he can figure out who is behind all this." She didn't seem happy about it but neither was Dean. "That's ridiculous." He snapped, already suffering form cabin fever as it were. "What good are we to anyone here? There is a war mounting out there and he wants us to sit it out, hiding in the middle of nowhere." She finally turned to him. "You are free to leave anytime you want Dean. Your car is right there. There is just the matter of, oh I don't know, a small but well armed army of demons between here and any sort of decent road." She picked up her cup and disappeared through the cabin door. She turned back before the door closed behind her. "It's a small cabin, I'm painfully aware of that but how about, while we are stuck here, you and I try to say out of each others cross hairs. She let the door slam behind her.

Crowley was not happy either; he had been in a fowl mood since he had spoken with Dean the night before. Nothing he had found out since then had done anything to help his mood, quite the contrary in fact. He had sent feelers out in every direction and he was certain he knew who was behind it all. Abaddon was the one pulling the strings on this. How had that cow found out about the long lost Singer? It had taken him a couple of years and some heavy duty dark mojo to find the missing pieces of his memory, everything pre the angel wipe and he had been there, he had been a key player. He had been holding on to this doozie for sometime now, keeping it in back pocket for when the boys became more of annoying than useful. He was getting info back from all corners of Hell and Earth, trying to figure out how much Abaddon knew and it wasn't looking good.

She knew something big had gone down, that it required both Heaven and Hell to work together on something. Crowley always knew that one day he would kill both the Winchesters, never doubted it. But a part of him respected the boys and wanted to see them arrive in his hell with a little dignity. What this bitch would do if she got what she wanted would rob the boys and him of an end befitting everyone involved. He felt cheated. Before him on his massively oversized mahogany desk were pages and pages of intel on his new nemesis. Where she had been sighted, occurrences linked to any demon suspected of being loyal to her. All of whom were added to an ever going list of idiots to flay once this was all over. He scanned the pages again, the link between what was in front of him and what Dean had told him earlier finally clicking into place. "That crafty bitch!" he shouted as he jumped up and stormed through the doors of his office. "I've got to find me an angel."

Castiel popped into existence in an old abandoned warehouse some where along the coast of Florida. This wasn't where he had been headed, this wasn't his doing; he had been summoned here. Expecting to be surrounded by a host of avenging angels he was still annoyed to see the king of hell before him. "Crowley" he rasped. "You shouldn't have the power to call and trap an angel." Crowley raised his hands in an attempt to show he meant no harm. "Call yes, you would be amazed what enough money can buy when you have a world of lost and confused angels to bargain with. But trap, no, I come in peace." Castiel frowned as Crowley continued, "We, I believe have a common enemy once again and I thought, wouldn't it be nice to get the old team back together again. You know, fight the good fight and all that." "Abaddon is no concern of mine. I will happily stand aside and allow you two to destroy each other. It is of no consequence to me." Crowley stepped forward. "Thought you might see it that way, but Abaddon you see, she is a multi-tasker. She is out for more than my crown. She has also turned her attention on your dynamic duo, and I believe the Singer girl is back on the scene too." Crowley let this sink in.

"Do you..." Castiel caught himself just in time, he was about to ask him if he remembered, if he remembered the part he played in this whole mess. "Do you know what Abaddon is planning?" he asked instead. Crowley had already decided to level with the angel, put all his cards on the table. There was little or nothing Castiel could do about it now anyway, not enough angel power on his side. "Castiel, I hoped we were past the whole cloak and dagger stage of our relationship. No lies, no secrets, I know everything, what you did, what I did, our little deal. Throwing, that little Winchester wannabe, to the wolves to save his soul." Castiel shifted uncomfortably. "If you had a hand in any of this, Crowley." Again he raised his hands, this time in defence. "No, no, no." he reassured the angel. "That's why I'm here, this is all Abaddon's doing. I don't know how much she knows but she certainly knows enough to be dangerous. Believe me I have nothing to gain by taking the Winchesters out of the game at this juncture." How does she know any thing? Castiel demanded, "How do you for that matter?" "We demons are a curious and resourceful breed. Look I don't know how she knows any of this stuff but I do know her next move." Get to the point, Crowley." Cas snapped at him, he found the demon extremely annoying. "Right, right, that's why I asked you here." Cas frowned at the demons use of the euphemism 'asked' but said nothing not wanting to prolong the demon's long winded conversation style any more that was necessary. "Abaddon knows how to reverse it, all of it. She is going to make the boys remember." "That's impossible I am the only one who can reverse it as I am the one who took it. And with Heaven as it currently is I doubt I even have the power to undo it if I so wished." "I don't know what to tell you, my intel is sound. She believes she knows how, she has uncovered a ritual and she is going for it, tonight." Crowley said. "Tonight?" Cas asked. "Yeah it has to be tonight, planets, stars, alignments all that technical stuff, tonight at eleven sixteen to be exact. It doesn't matter where or when you hide the boys, they don't need to be anywhere near her, if she manages to pull this off she will scramble there heads in ways I could only dream of. Memories good bad and worse will come flowing back all at once." "Where is she? She must be stopped." Castiel asked. "I have no idea; I was hoping you could use your angelic radar to locate her." Crowley said. "No. Knight of Hell are hidden from us, courtesy of Lucifer. What about the First Blade?" Cas asked. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot," the demon made a show of searching the pocket inside his coat and pulling out an empty hand. "Do you think that bitch would still be possession of her head if I had managed to find it?" Not impressed with Crowley's mocking tone Castiel to a couple of steps closer to the King of Hell. "Well then, might I suggest that you spend the next twelve hours doubling your efforts to finding it then?" Crowley bowed in false submission and was gone. Castiel rolled his eyes and muttered "Demons" to himself in exasperation, before he too disappeared.

The Trio back at the cabin were doing their best to distract themselves with busy work. Both Dean and Sam had taken the opportunity to go through some of the more unusual texts in Emma's library. Sam had noted to Dean that it was easily on a par with Bobby's old collection. Emma had done her best to avoid the brothers for most of the morning, knowing full well it wasn't in either of their natures not to attempt questioning her further. She had hidden herself outside at the rear of the cabin needless chopping wood for over an hour now. Her arms were sore and tired and but she continued regardless. It was reliving some of the frustration that was bubbling just under her surface. A little before noon Sam rounded the corner of the cabin with a bottle of water for her. He glanced from the pile of newly chopped wood to the already over flowing store house. "Planning on staying a while?" he asked sarcastically, they both knew that as the cabin had been compromised when she left, she would more than likely never return here again. "Thanks." She said as he handed her the bottle. Now that she had stopped chopping her arms felt like dead weights.

She sat on the tree stump she had been balancing the logs on and drank deeply. "How are you holding up?" he asked reading the tension on her face. She shook her head but smiled warmly at him. "I'll be honest; it hasn't been the easiest couple of days. Certainly not the reunion I had visualised." Sam returned her smile. "You're tough, I can see that. It's a trait you share with Bobby." The comparison to her father, mean more to her than she let on, but it caused her lip to quiver and she hoped she had managed to steady it before Sam picked up on it. He immediately apologised, "Sorry I didn't mean to…" he said, obviously noticing the emotions he had inadvertently caused. "I just wanted you to know that my gut wants to believe you. I think you are someone Bobby would have been proud to have as a daughter." She stood and attempted to turn away before the tears took hold. But Sam's arms were around her before she could escape them. Her face pressed against his chest she relented giving in to the embrace. Holding tight she wished more than ever that the last five years had been no more than an elaborate nightmare, that she had never left, that they had found a different way to fix everything.

"Well isn't this cosy." They both released at the sound of Deans voice. Sam turned to face his brother while Emma when the opposite direction, desperately wiping the tears from her face. Sam shot his brother a thin lipped frown, "You can be a real dick sometimes, Dean." He said as he passed him heading back inside. Dean mouthed the word 'what?' and went to follow but changed his mind and approached Emma instead. Realising he wasn't going anywhere Emma turned to face him. "You have something to say, Dean?" she asked making no attempt find hide the displeasure she took from his arrival. "Look, Sammy seems to trust you," he began "Although his track record in that area isn't great." He added somewhat spitefully. "But seen as we are all stuck here for the time being I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt."

She looked at his handsome face, a face she used to find such joy in. Now she was just so conflicted, she still missed and loved him dearly. He wasn't just an old friend, he was family, well he used to be, anyway. But he also terrified her, she knew first hand of the cruelty he was capable of. Of the pain he had so willingly and wilfully inflicted on her. How selfishly he had acted when everything went to shit and how much hurt he caused those who cared for him the most. She knew he still fought daily to live with the evil he had done, but the calm coldness in his voice reminded her of a different Dean, a darker Dean. She didn't want to be here, she needed to somewhere else, anywhere else. "Don't do me any favours." she retorted as she pushed passed him. His had shot out and grabbed her arm pulling her back and preventing her exit. "But let me tell you this, when the truth comes out and it will. When I find out what your game is here," his eyes were dark and his voice biting, "you had better pray that you are not within striking distance. Lady or not, I will put you down. Bobby was more than a father to me and Sam, and I don't take kindly to you using his memory to play out your sick game." She pulled her arm free and stumbled, backing away from him in fear. The pure terror in her eyes made Dean do a double take.

She quickly composed herself and her terror was replaced by rage. Her anger boiled, years of convincing herself that she was ok with how things had played out, that she had done the right thing for the right reasons washed away in a sea of red. "Everything I've done, every sacrifice I've made was to protect you, to help you! I left everything, everyone, to fix what your stupidity and stubbornness had broken. I left my dad, I left him with you. I let you have him and you were supposed to protect him. You were to keep him safe, but you couldn't do that, could you? It wasn't bad enough you got your own father killed, you had to do the same with mine." Her voice began to crack, she didn't really believe any of what she was saying but she wanted him to hurt, to feel the pain she was feeling. Her anger was receding giving way to a sense of loss, a loss she had never truly allowed herself to give into. She spoke slower, more quietly when she eventually continued, "Do you know how I found out, how I learned that my father was dead? Her eyes filled with tears but she didn't break her gaze on him. "A group of hunters were at the table next to me in a dingy bar in the back hole of nowhere. I knew a couple of them by name but of course I was just a stranger, a face in the crowd. I was eavesdropping; trying to get news on you lot as Cas had been AWOL for some time. Then one stood and raised a glass to toast the late great Bobby Singer. I was completely alone in a world that had forgotten my name, I had no one."

She paused again, the anger having drained the last of her energy. She stared off into the distance and when she continued Dean got the impression she was no longer addressing him. "I always just assumed, naively I suppose, that there would be time. That the world was fair and just and that he would get to remember me even for day or just long enough to say goodbye." She turned to him once again, her pain and loss for an instant at least turning back to anger. "But I guess that was something else you managed to take from me." Dean's mouth opened and closed in an attempt to formulate a response but nothing manifested. The pain she felt, the loss she spoke of were too raw not to be real he could see that clearly now. But more than that, the sheer terror he had caused when he grabbed her, he knew that look, he had seen it before. He had caused it before, it was etched into his mind, it was the fear he saw on the faces of every poor soul he had taken his blade to in hell. It was a look he could never forget. A look, he relished, longed for in the pit but would now wake him in the dead of the night filling him with shame and remorse. Emma hurried away, swiftly turning the corner of the cabin.

Dean remained where he was, rooted to the spot, a chill resonating through his body, all the way to his core. He gave himself a minute or two before going back inside, he was still raw from her out burst, and could feel years of repressed guilt sitting back on to his shoulders. He knew he couldn't simply shake it off, so he decided to carry it with him; it was little penance for what he had done. He had already blamed himself for both John and Bobby's deaths. However he now had no choice but to believe her, he knew in his heart that if nothing else she certainly believed the story she was telling and if, as he was beginning to suspect, it turned out to be true he had indeed taken her father from her. He slowly made his way back to the cabin; he had managed to piss off both Sam and Emma but with no where else to go, he reluctantly open the door and went in.

The Sam and Emma were standing in the kitchen greeting the newly arrived Castiel. Dean's relief at the angels return was short lived as it was evident from his face he hadn't arrived with good news.

"I know who is behind your reunion. Abaddon is the one pulling the strings." He walked into the living room, giving the four of them more space. "I don't know how or why but I am assuming she originally hoped an impromptu meeting would be enough for the truth to come out or spur you two on to finding the truth out for yourselves." "We did our best to be honest, but everything led us to a dead end." Sam admitted to Cas and Emma. "Never the less" the angel continued, "it turns out she no longer has to rely on your detective skills as she has gotten her hands on a ritual that will restore your missing memories for her. If she pulls this off, you two will remember everything that I have hidden from you, in excruciatingly minute detail, it will not be pleasant." "Ok" Sam said "So let's see if Crowley has managed to get his hands on the blade and Dean can take the bitch out." "Crowley has yet to locate it." Cas said at the same time Dean said "He hasn't found it yet." Dean looked at the angel surprised that he had details pertaining to the King of Hell but decide to let it go for now.

"There is more bad news; we are on a tight schedule. Abaddon has to perform the ritual tonight." "Well that's just ridiculously convenient, isn't it." Emma scoffed. "I find things in life often are." Cas replied philosophically then added, "We have until eleven sixteen." Emma spoke again, "And if she was to miss her window of opportunity, what then?" "It would buy us another year." Cas answered. "So, long enough for Crowley to find the blade and put her down for good." Dean voiced what Emma was thinking. "We don't have to kill her, just stop her from finishing the ritual." He continued. Always the realist Sam interjected, "Do we even know where she is? Is there a particular location she needs to be to pull this off?" "No and no, I'm afraid, I have no way of tracking her and the ritual does not seem to be site specific." Cas answered.

"Right then," Dean said taking control of the situation, "First things first, get us back to the bunker; there must be something there about locating a Knight of Hell." Everyone automatically snapped into action, packing up the few belongings they had with them. Collecting his things from around the couch, Dean came across the shoe box. He picked it up and stuffed it into his hold all. Within a couple of minutes they were all ready to go. Cas would move the rest of Emma's belongs once this was all over and she had a new semi-permanent base; until then they were perfectly safe to remain in the cabin.

In a blink they were in the bunker, Emma whistled looking around, "Nice digs boys." She said, "Really puts the old Singer homestead to shame." She added spying the library. They had less than eleven hours to find and stop Abaddon and they spent a good chunk of it pouring through the Men of Letters files, everything they could find about the Knights of Hell and then some