A/N: Thank you everyone for the congrats about the wedding, I'm now a Mrs. :) And thank you guys for sticking with the story even though it hasn't been updated in like, a month. I'm going to try to get back on some sort of schedule, even if it is just a post a week, better than once a month, right?

This chapter takes place during 4.22 Lucifer Rising and 5.01 Sympathy for the Devil. I own nothing except Jane and anything you might not recognize, it's not my sandbox, I just like playing in it.


67: Hope

"So this is your game plan?" Jane could only watch as Chuck eyeballed an ad for what appeared to be whores. "You're going to get wasted and… ew."

"Hey," He peered over his glass of whiskey, eyes narrowing slightly. "The world is ending; I think I'm allowed, all right?" He drained what was left in the tumbler and went to fill it again. "Why are you still here?"

"You haven't told me where to go yet." She had been here for a while now, watching Chuck be his nervous, rambling self and wondering why she hadn't threatened him with physical violence yet. Oh yes, because he was protected, he was a prophet, and the moment she even attempted to seriously go after him, some badass angel would appear and take her own ass out.

"Jane, I'm not going too either, I'm not sending you to your death." He informed her. "Want a drink?"

"No…"

He poured her a drink.


"Where is he?"

"Safe."

"Cas," Jane had caved in and drank with Chuck, enough to help her fall asleep, hoping Castiel would make an appearance. She had had a feeling that if she tried calling him with a super charged angel eyeballing Chuck's little domain, well… it would be asking for trouble. She already had plenty of that, no need to court more. "Please."

Castiel was looking around, ignoring the plea. "What is this place?"

Jane had barely acknowledged she was dreaming. She had been aware of it, something that came about when you had a supernatural visitor on a constant basis, it tended to make a person more alert in some not so normal ways. Frowning, she took a look around and then blinked. They were out in some woods, surrounded by snow, and she was now freezing. Jane wrapped her arms around her bare shoulders, wondering why she couldn't have dreamed up some warmer gear outside her tank top and jeans. "Um, a forest?"

He fixed her with a stare, looking annoyed. For an angel, he was also looking rather haggard.

Sighing, she took another look around, frowning when she realized there was a building not too far away and made for it. She was aware he had fallen into step alongside her, though while her bare feet struggled and slipped in the deep, biting snow, he seemed immune to it, walking along as if this were a stroll in the park. Just as a cabin came into proper sight, a blood curdling scream rent the air and made her halt in her tracks. "Baykok." She whispered, eyes widening. For as long as she lived, she would never forget that shriek.

Castiel was studying her thoughtfully.

Jane didn't even think about it, she just took off running for the cabin. When she didn't see her stalker angel following she turned to grab him, taking his rather calloused hand in hers and tried dragging him.

"Jane, this is a dream."

Rationally, she knew that. Irrationally, that was a Baykok and the only reason she had made it through her last encounter with the thing was because she had had Sam there, watching her back. Of course, that was Sam prior going off his rocker completely; current Sam would probably let her liver get eaten as long as there was some demon blood or ass in the deal somewhere.

The shrieks got louder as she pulled Castiel into the cabin, slamming the door shut behind her and automatically looking for a weapon. "Help me!"

"This is a dream." He repeated, making no move to assist as she began barricading the door, simply watching. "I don't have time for this, Jane Winchester."

"Well, if you would have just told me where Dean was…" She panted, struggling with a mattress.

"I cannot, it's-"

"Complicated."

Shaking his head, Castiel walked across the room to stop her from looting the fireplace, his fingers wrapping around the fire poker before she could take it. "Enough."

Jane shook her head, eyes widening as the shriek became louder and something thudded violently against the door.

"Enough."

She reeled away from him, the cabin gone, the shrill cries of Baykok no longer sending fresh waves of fear down her spine, it was just… them. It took her several long moments to calm down, to get her heart to stop racing, and for the irrational fear to dissipate. After all that occurred, she managed to crack a grin with no humor behind it. "Are you going to tell me where he is now?"

"You are with the prophet, you are safe. Isn't that enough?"

She shook her head. "I'm not going to sit here, be safe, and give up, and you can bet your angelic ass I'm not going to forget about Dean."

"It would go better for you if you did."

"Castiel," Jane's already grey eyes hardened, taking on steely hue. "I will tear Earth, Hell, and Heaven apart for him."

His head tilted to the side as he regarded her. He might have even believed her.


"…Uh, I'll take 20 girls for the entire night."

"Honey, I'm not sure you can afford that."

"Lady, sometimes you got to live like there's no tomorrow." Chuck considered that, watching Jane snoring away on his couch. She looked like shit and from the sounds she had been making a few hours ago, she had had one hell of a nightmare. "Better add a guy or two to that list, can uh, can you do that?"

"Well… if you think 20 girls aren't enough…" The woman sounded overly skeptical at this point.

"I uh, I have a friend who-" Chuck's train of thought was interrupted when Dean and Castiel appeared right in front of him, his eyes widening. "T-this isn't supposed to happen."

"Sir?"

"Uh, not you. I'm going to have to call you back." He hung up. "I-"

Dean wasn't even paying attention to Chuck, he was already on his knees by the couch, dragging Jane into his arms and burying his face in her neck.

Jane was already waking, aware of whose arms she was in. "How…" It came out odd, her voice hoarse and she cleared her throat. "How'd you…" She trailed off when she seen Castiel. "Seriously?"

"Dean… made a good argument."

"Damn right I did." Dean kissed the top of her head, taking a moment to enjoy this before they dived back into the shit.


"You're too late."

That was obvious. Jane tossed aside the candelabra she had been using on the doors only moments ago, her wide eyes taking in the scene. They had done an emergency evacuation of Chuck's house when an archangel decided to appear, Castiel having both transported her and Dean her while opting to remain behind to deal with the newcomer. She had a feeling, a bad one, that Castiel was probably dead. When she wasn't panicking about Satan's imminent arrival, she would shed a tear, right now she was busy trying not to wet her pants.

"I don't care." Dean said, drawing his knife, eyes on a very gleeful Ruby.

Ruby glanced at Jane, her smile broadening. "Hear that, Janey? Sammy boy has done the-" She was interrupted by Sammy boy suddenly grabbing her from behind, looking forward in time to see Dean lunging at her.

"I'm sorry."

That was the most pathetic thing Jane had ever heard, and she meant it in the literal sense. Sam sounded… broken, but she didn't spare a look for him, too busy watching Lilith's blood. "Dean?" She whispered, taking a step backwards. She threw her hands up when a blinding white light flared from the pattern on the convent floor, feeling the building beginning to tremble.

"Sammy, let's go." Dean was pulling his brother away, reaching one hand out to his wife.

"Dean…" Sam wasn't really moving, eyes wide. "Dean, he's coming."


"…slamming into the Galveston area…"

"…announced a successful test of the North Korea nuclear…"

"…a series of tremors…"

"…swine flu…"

"Shut the damn thing off Sam." Jane ordered crossly from the backseat. She was sitting with her back to the door and legs stretched out before her as much as she was able, eyes closed though there was no chance she was sleeping. Possibly ever again. The devil had been unleashed, and she wasn't going to lie, she was mildly annoyed with her brother-in-law. Given that he was probably feeling like the world's biggest asshole, however, she was going to keep it to herself and focus on… whatever. Like how they had wound up on an airplane. They had been watching the light and turned to run, then they were on a flight to Baltimore with absolutely no idea how they had gotten there and nobody had seemed to find it odd that three people had materialized out of nowhere.

Sam shut off the radio. "Dean, look-"

"Not a word Sam." Dean cut him off. "Don't say anything."

Sam hung his head.

"Look, it's… okay. We just need to keep our heads down and figure this thing out, right?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "Okay."

"First thing, how the hell did we wind up on that plane?"

"Someone still has a miracle or two up their sleeve." Jane muttered, meeting Dean's eyes in the rearview.

"Angels maybe?" He asked, pretty sure the angels were not overly fond of him at the moment.

"They do have a lot invested in you."

"Castiel?" Sam suggested, swiveling in his seat to look at her. He hadn't seen Jane since the night he had escaped and this wasn't exactly the reunion he had had in mind, not for her or Dean. Considering what he had just unleashed on the world, feeling bad for what he had done to her seemed trivial, but it didn't change anything.

"Maybe… he was getting ready to go a round with an archangel." She didn't want to envision how that would have gone. Castiel had told them about archangels and she doubted he was able to beat one in a fight. From the look on Dean's face, she got the impression that thought had never crossed his mind. Well, she wasn't going to be the one to kick him in the figurative nuts. Right now, hope was all anyone had, she wasn't taking that.