Chapter Text
For Jo, it happens in slow motion.
"Dean!"
She's blasting salt rounds into the hellhound that's attacking Dean when she hears another hound growling as it runs to her. Ellen hears it too and lunges for her daughter.
"No!"
She takes the brunt of the attack, claws gashing deeply across her abdomen, barely grazing Jo's leg. Dean shoots at the hound and runs towards them. He picks up Ellen and they run towards Sam, who is opening up a hardware store. As they rush in and secure the windows and doors, everything speeds up, like the blood gushing from her mom.
Dean gets ahold of Bobby as Jo tries to bandage her mom's guts on the grimy floor. It's not looking good. It sounds like Lucifer is trying to raise Death himself - "The pale rider in the flesh." They need to get to that farm ASAP. And where is Castiel? They could really use his help right now.
With every passing second, with every growl of the hounds at the door, she loses a bit of hope. How are they going to get to Lucifer? This seems like their only chance.
As if to answer her, Ellen speaks up, "Can we be realistic about this, please? I can't move my legs. I can't be moved."
"Mom..."
"Now you listen to me Joanna Beth, we gotta get our priorities straight. I can't fight but I can help. We got everything we need to build a bomb."
"Ellen, I know where you're going with this but..."
"You got another plan? You boys get Jo out of here and I'll take care of those hound. You need to take a shot at the Devil... Now get to work."
So they do. As Dean and Sam build the bomb, Jo tries to comfort her mom in the last few moments they have together. She hesitates -
"Mom, no. I can't leave you. I..."
"You gotta go, Jo, you gotta live," her mother wheezes beside her.
Dean hands Ellen the trigger.
"I got this. I'll blow these motherfuckers away ... but you gotta go."
"Mom..."
"Listen to me! This isn't how you're suppose to die. This isn't the life your dad and I wanted to for you. You get out of here and go back to college, get a real job, meet a nice guy... You get out of this!"
The growling grows more intense and the salt at the door begins to move.
"Help those stupid boys save the world but promise me you'll get out of this."
Jo leans down to kiss her mom's forehead.
"I love you, Mom. I promise."
Dean grabs her to go.
"And Dean, kick it in the ass... Don't miss."
Dean, Sam and Jo head out the back door and down the fire escape. They barely cross the street before the hardware store explodes. The explosion is deafening and she feels the heat all over her body. Dean holds her close and Sam leans into hug her. Tears sting her eyes.
But there's no time to cry. They have a date with the devil.
Jo lays in her dorm staring at the ceiling, remembering the end of the world when she hears someone knocking at her door. She rolls over her textbooks, dazed.
"Come in!"
Her friend - a tall girl with half her head shaved named Belinda - bounces in.
"So are you still joining me for the estrogen fest tomorrow? I found two other girls who wanna go. They'll share gas."
Jo gets up and heads for her closet.
"Sure. Let me pack a bag. I need to get out of here and a little hardcore rock sounds good."
Jo throws a few things into her backpack and pockets a silver knife.
"Well, they're not all hardcore..."
Her fingers fall to the two small bottles of holy water and salt hidden in her drawer. She ponders them for a moment.
"It beats another boring date and business math."
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They drive a few hours to reach the grounds where the music festival will be held. Belinda parks near the tour buses and the other overnight "campers".
It's a good thing she has an SuV, Jo thought to herself. I wonder how Dean and Sam did it in that little car.
As she falls asleep, her thoughts wander back to the year since she last saw them, since the day Sam jumped into the pit, since Castiel resurrected her, and Dean said good-bye.
"Dean..."