Following the first ever 'Supernatural' convention, Becky informed them that the demon Crowley had gotten the Colt from Bela. So, with a little help from Jo Harvelle, Sam and Dean managed to break into Crowley's mansion to get the Colt. While there, Crowley informed them that Lucifer would be in Carthage, Missouri on Thursday. So, the Winchesters, Harvelles and Cas all gathered at Bobby's to get ready to go kill the devil. Ellen and Cas were having a drinking competition with shots.

"Alright, big boy," Ellen challenged him after flipping over her fifth shot glass. "Well," Cas said, reaching out and draining all five of his shots without missing a beat. Ellen just stared at him. "I think I'm starting to feel something," the angel announced. Jo gawked, grinning at the interaction between the angel and her mother.

Dean set down his barely touched beer, heading over to sit with Mack on the couch in Bobby's study. "How you doin', bug?" he asked her quietly. "I wanna come," she said, looking up at him. "I'm sick of staying here." Dean sighed. "I know, but it's going to be dangerous, sweetheart. I don't want you getting hurt."

"But what if something happens to you and I don't see you again?"

"You're going to see me again, bug. I'm going to come back."

"You don't know that," she insisted. "Please, let me come. I'll stay in the car so I won't see anything. Please." Cas had come in, listening to the conversation. "I think your father is right, bee," he spoke up. "You should stay here where you're safe." Dean's chest constricted as he realized that this was almost the exact same conversation from 2014 that they had had with Mack before going after Lucifer. "A-actually," he said, drawing both Mack and Cas's attention, "m-maybe you can come... if you promise to stay in the car."

Cas gave him a curious look, wondering what made him change his mind all of a sudden. Dean shook his head subtly, letting him know it wasn't the time to talk about it. Mack's face lit up excitedly. "Okay. I promise."

"Everyone get in here!" Bobby yelled. "It's time for the lineup. Usual suspects in the corner." He was setting a camera up on a tripod. Sam entered the room followed by Ellen. "Oh, come on, Bobby. Nobody wants their picture taken," she complained. "Hear, hear," Sam raised his beer bottle. "Shut up. You're drinking my beer." He finished fiddling with the tripod as Jo trailed in and rolled his wheelchair back.

They were positioned with Sam on the end with Cas on his left and Dean on the other side of Cas with Mack in his arms. Jo was to Dean's left, Ellen stood in front of Dean and Cas and Bobby's wheelchair was in front of Jo. "Anyway, I'm gonna need something to remember your sorry asses by," Bobby added. Mack clung tighter to her father at that and Dean subtly reached out and grabbed Cas's hand, hidden behind Ellen. "Ha! Always good to have an optimist around," Ellen joked.

"Bobby's right," Castiel spoke seriously. "Tomorrow we hunt the devil. This is our last night on Earth." The camera flashed as everyone's smiles disappeared.

The next day, the Impala drove into Carthage followed by the Harvelle's car. Cas had ridden with the Harvelles. Sam and Dean had rolled down the windows, sticking their phones out. "You getting a signal?" Sam asked. "No, nothing. Nice and spooky," Dean replied. He waved the Harvelle's car up next to him so they could communicate. "Place seem a little empty to you?" Ellen asked. "We're gonna check out the PD. You guys stay here, see if you can find anybody."

"Okay."

Dean drove off while Ellen parked. Jo climbed out, turning to look at Cas in the backseat. "Ever heard of a door handle?" she quipped. "Of course I have," Cas replied, then simply appeared outside the car without opening the door. Jo rolled her eyes. "What is it, Cas?" Ellen asked as he looked around the deserted street. "This town's not empty." From the angel's perspective, the town was filled with dozens of old men in suits, their gaze fixated on a specific point in the distance. "Reapers."

"Reapers?" Ellen echoed. "As in more than one?" Cas frowned, "They only gather like this in times of great catastrophe. Chicago Fire, San Francisco Quake, Pompeii. Excuse me, I need to find out why they're here." He walked off, weaving through the reapers. Finally, he noticed one inside of a building, who turned away from the window as soon as he spotted it. He appeared inside the building at the window, heading down the corridor and entering a room. "Hello, brother," a voice greeted him. There was a blinding flash of light.

Ellen and Jo had gotten back in the car, driving to meet Sam and Dean further into town. "Station's empty," Dean informed them. "So's everything else," Jo nodded. "Have you seen Cas?" Ellen asked. "What? He was with you," Sam said and Ellen shook her head. "Nope. He went after the reapers."

"Cas is gone?" Mack piped up through the window of the Impala. She was sitting in the back while they talked outside the cars. "We'll find him," Dean assured her automatically. "Where'd he see reapers?" Jo and Ellen exchanged a look. "Well, kind of everywhere," Jo replied. "Well, this is great, been in town twenty minutes and already lost the angel up our sleeve," Dean grumbled. "You think, uh," Sam glanced at Mack before continuing, "you think Lucifer got to him?"

"I don't know what else to think."

"There you are." The adults all turned to see Meg standing in the middle of the street. Mack had retreated into the Impala, ducking so she wouldn't be spotted. "Meg," Sam glowered. "Shouldn't have come here, boys," Meg grinned. "Hell, I could say the same thing for you," Dean glared, raising the Colt and pointing it at her. "Didn't come here alone, Dean-o." Dean's blood ran cold as something splashed in a puddle near Meg's feet accompanied by the sound of dogs growling and barking. He glanced around with the others, putting on a calm mask to hide the fact that he was terrified.

"Hellhounds," he stated. "Yeah, Dean. Your favorite," the demoness grinned. "Come on, boys. My father wants to see you." Dean's eyes flickered to the puddle again as Sam spoke. "I think we'll pass, thanks."

"Your call. You can make this easy or you can make it really, really hard." Dean glanced back at Ellen, who nodded. He turned back, "When have you known us to ever make anything easy?" Meg's grin widened and she shook her head. Dean shifted his aim, firing in the direction of the hellhounds, and blood spurted next to Meg's feet. "Run!" Sam shouted. As they all took off, the hellhounds chasing them, Meg turned to stare at the Impala. She smirked as she spotted a head peeking out the rear window. "Hello, there," she purred.

Heading over, she opened the back door, finding Mack there. "Why don't you come out to play?" she grinned at the child. "No. Get away from me," Mack shook her head, backing up across the seat until she was against the other door. Meg reappeared on that side, wrenching the door open and grabbing her before she had a chance to react. "Gotcha." Mack screamed as Meg took her away. They appeared in the same building Cas had gone into when they arrived. Keeping a firm grip on Mack's arm, Meg dragged her into the room where Cas had gone.

The angel was trapped inside a ring of holy fire and on the outside stood Lucifer. Both angels turned at the demoness' entrance. "No!" Cas cried when he saw Mack. "I got the Winchesters pinned down," Meg informed Lucifer, ignoring Cas. "For now, at least. Got the little one like you asked. What should I do with the others?"

"Leave them alone," Lucifer told her. "I-I'm sorry, but are you sure? Shouldn't we-" Lucifer cut Meg off, "Trust me, child. Everything happens for a reason." He stroked her face. "Leave her here." Meg nodded, letting go of Mack and bowing her head before retreating from the room. "Well, Castiel," Lucifer smirked, "you have some time. Time to change your mind?"

"Let her go," Cas growled, unable to do anything whilst trapped in the ring of fire. "Oh, her?" Lucifer asked, turning his focus on Mack. "I'm afraid I can't do that." Mack swallowed, staring over at Cas and then back at Lucifer. Her eyes were wide with fear and she was shaking, but couldn't move. "I've got plans for this little bug-a bee." Mack whimpered as Lucifer stepped forward and grabbed her arm. The spot where he grabbed her began to smoke and she yelped in pain. "Lucifer!" Cas yelled.

The devil dragged Mack over to a chair, forcing her to sit and yanking her hands behind her back. Tears were streaming down Mack's face and there was a new black handprint burned into the skin on her arm where she'd been grabbed. Lucifer finished tying her up and then straightened. "Well, I'd love to stick around, but I have places to be, Death to summon..." He vanished from the room. "How does it feel, bee? What hurts?" Cas asked her.

"I-it's so cold," Mack cried. "I-it burns..." Cas swallowed, glancing around the room. From what he could see, it looked like Lucifer had seared his handprint on her with frostbite. He needed to get out of the fire so he could help her. Meg had come back into the room, studying both of them. He began subtly spinning a bolt in a pipe on the ceiling. "You seem pleased," he glared at the demoness. "We're gonna win. Can you feel it? You cloud-hopping pansies lost the whole damn universe. Lucifer's gonna take over Heaven. We're gonna take over Heaven, Clarence."

"Strange, because I heard a different theory from a demon named Crowley," he mentioned casually. "You don't know Crowley," Meg accused. "He believes Lucifer is just using demons to achieve an end, and that, once he's done, he'll destroy you all." Meg clenched her jaw, obviously not liking that theory. "You're wrong. Lucifer is the father of our race. Our creator. Your god may be a deadbeat. Mine- mine walks the Earth."

Cas finally got the bolt loose and pulled the pipe free of the wall. It knocked into Meg, sending her through the fire into his arms. He pressed a palm to her forehead, but nothing happened. She began to laugh, "You can't gank demons, can you? You're cut off from the home office and you ain't got the juice. So, what can you do, you impotent sap?"

"I can do this."

He shoved her down on the fire, using her as a bridge to cross out of the circle. He hurried over to Mack, untying her and flying her to the edge of town with less than a minute to spare on the clock. If he hadn't gotten her out of town before midnight, she would have died just like the other women and children that were part of Lucifer's sacrifice to summon Death. He put his hand over the ice burned spot on her arm, attempting to heal her. The spot lessened, going from black to more of a white color, but he couldn't heal it completely.

"We'll have to warm it up back at Bobby's," he informed her gently. "It will be okay, bee." She sniffled, clinging to him while tears continued to stream silently down her cheeks. He pulled out his phone, calling Dean. "Cas?" the hunter picked up. "Where are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Dean. I've got Mack with me. We're just on the edge of town," Cas informed him. "You've got Mack? But I thought she was in the Impala. She told me she-"

"Meg brought her to Lucifer and he threatened her in front of me," Cas growled, cutting him off. "He said he has plans for her, Dean." He heard Dean swear softly and could picture the father scrubbing a hand over his face. "We'll wait here for you to pick us up. She'll need medical attention when we get back to Bobby's house."

"Medical attention? What the hell happened?"

"Just hurry, Dean." Cas hung up, holding Mack close while they waited for the Impala to come pick them up.

"He said he had plans for her?" Dean growled, glaring over at Cas. "What the hell does that mean?" Cas shook his head, "I'm uncertain. He didn't get too specific." Dean fumed, turning back to focus on Mack. He was holding a warm washcloth to her arm to try and combat the ice burn. She had stopped crying, but continued to whimper softly as he tended to her, glistening tear-tracks staining her cheeks. "Well, what can we do about it?"

"I'm not sure we can do anything about it."

Dean rounded on the angel, glaring with all his might. "Lucifer threatened my daughter, Cas. My daughter that, last I checked, you were pretty invested in keeping safe. So don't you dare even suggest that we stand by and do nothing!" Cas averted his gaze, frowning. "The Colt didn't work, Dean. Lucifer is still alive, and now he's summoned Death. We are running out of options." Dean made sure Mack was holding the washcloth in place and then stood up, getting in Castiel's face. The angel looked up as he got close.

"I. Don't. Care. What. It. Takes," Dean snarled. "I don't want to see your face again until you find a way to stop the devil. This got personal the second he laid hands on my daughter. Now get out."

"Dean-"

"Go!"

Glancing over at Mack, Cas disappeared with a rustle of wings. Dean walked back over to sit next to Mack. "Let me see, bug," he coaxed her softly. He took the washcloth from her, lifting it away from her arm. The spot looked a lot better than it did, but it was clearly still painful. She would most likely have blisters there within the following twenty-four hours. Dean punched himself internally. He should have known better than to leave her by herself in the Impala. Hell, he shouldn't have even let her come in the first place. If she had just stayed behind at Bobby's, this never would have happened, and Lucifer wouldn't have threatened his child.

The whole mission felt off, not just because the Colt didn't work and they hadn't succeeded in killing Lucifer. Jo had gotten severely injured by the hellhounds, and she and Ellen ended up sacrificing themselves to kill the hounds so Sam and Dean could get away. The loss was tangible, and he hated adding two more names to the list of friends they'd gotten killed in the name of stopping the damn apocalypse. The sooner they could come up with a plan to get rid of the devil for good and knock the whole thing off the rails, the better.

"You shouldn't get mad at Cas, Daddy," Mack told him as he went to reheat the washcloth. "He saved me." Dean frowned with his back to her, watching the cloth spin within the microwave. The microwave beeped, and he took out the washcloth, coming back and putting it back on her injury. "I'm really happy Cas was there to help you, bug. I just got scared because you got hurt and I wasn't there to protect you, and I don't want you to get hurt again."

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" she asked him, looking up pleadingly. "Of course you can, sweetheart." He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "I love you so much, you know that?"

"I love you, too, Daddy."