AN-This is the last chapter. I'll be continuing with the story for the break between Season 5 and 6 while Jessie has a normal life. If you have requests, feel free to leave them in the reviews.

As always, thank you for reading and reviewing.

It was still dark when we got to Detroit. Dean pulled the Impala into an alleyway and Bobby followed with the van. I woke up when three of the Impala's doors shut at once. The guys had gathered in a huddle just outside the car. Then Bobby took off towards the end of the alleyway, purpose in his step.

"What's going on?" I asked, creaking open the passenger-side back door and sitting with my legs dangling out the door.

"Bobby's going to scope out the building," Dean said, leaning back against the passenger front door. His eyes didn't leave Bobby's retreating form.

I frowned. "How does he know which building?"

"It's a radius of cold weather," Sam explained, leaning against the car next to me and ruffling my hair. "We're checking the building that's smack in the middle."

"Oh," I said, feeling dumb, and then I shut up. All of us just stayed there and waited for Bobby to come back. Eventually, I reached up and slid my hand into Sam's jacket pocket. His big hand engulfed mine and we stayed like that. Worry ate at my heart and I fought back tears. Sam noticed and crouched down in front of me, letting go of my hand.

"You ok, honey?" he asked, wiping from my cheek a tear that had escaped despite my efforts.

I rolled my eyes, trying for dismissive, but tears fell out of their own accord and proved me a liar. "No," I whispered and dropped my eyes. "If there's demons, that's it, you're going and no matter what happens, you're not coming back. If you win, you jump into the pit with Lucifer and if you lose, Lucifer has you and we'll be fighting you."

Sam swallowed hard and pulled me into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Jessie. If there was any other way…"

My voice caught as I spoke into his jacket. "I know. It's to save the world. It's the only way, but it sucks so hard. I don't want to lose you. I'd rather the whole world burned than lose you."

Sam held me even tighter and whispered into my ear, "I love you, too, squirt." He let me go and met my eyes. "I want you to remember, no matter what happens, that I love you and that you are a good girl." He smiled at me, the edges of his lips trembling as he fought to hold it. "And that your schoolwork is important."

I did roll my eyes then and let out a big sigh. "Trust that to be what you're worried about now."

I heard footsteps coming our way and peered through the window in the open car door. It was Bobby finally coming back, binoculars in hand.

Sam ruffled my hair again. "Be good for Bobby and Cas."

"I will," I said, dropping my eyes again and he stood up to lean against the car again.

"Demons," Bobby announced to Dean. "At least two dozen of them. You were right, something's up."

"More than something," Dean said, glaring down the alley at the building. "He's here. I know it." He pivoted away from Bobby and went to the Impala's trunk to open it.

Sam looked at Bobby, and Bobby looked at the ground, sighing unhappily. Then Bobby closed the distance between them, Sam's face crumpling at his approach.

"I'll see ya around, kid," Bobby said, his face earnest, as if reminding Sam that if he lost it so would Bobby.

Sam's chin tightened as he swallowed his pain. "See ya around," he said.

They hugged, and as they parted, Bobby's spoke, his voice breaking. "He gets in," Bobby said through clenched teeth. "You fight him tooth and nail, you understand? Keep swingin'. Don't give an inch."

"Yes, sir," Sam said, and Bobby turned away. I lost it then, tears sliding down my cheeks even though I tried not to let them. I had to scramble back into the car to find the box of tissues left over from my pneumonia. By the time I was done cleaning my face and getting my emotions back under control, I'd missed whatever Sam and Cas had said to each other, and Sam was heading toward Dean at the back of the car. I heard him say to Dean, "You mind not watching this?" and Dean strode past me.

Pulling my shawl over my shoulders and knotting it around my neck, I slid out of the car and shut the door. Dean was standing by the front quarter panel of the car, his expression unreadable, waiting for Sam to finish drinking the bottles of demon blood in the trunk. I leaned next to Dean and slid my hand into his jacket pocket. He dropped his arm around my shoulders and hugged me to him.

The four of us waited together in silence while Sam drank and drank behind the protection of the trunk. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Sam shut the trunk and marched forward and past Dean and me. "Okay, let's go," he said.

Dean let go of my shoulders and looked down at me. "Be good, sweetheart," he said and went after Sam. I watched them until they reached the end of the alley; then I joined Bobby and Cas on the other side of the alley where the van was to wait.

As soon as they were out of sight, Bobby turned to me. "Jessie, get in the car. Cas and I are going closer and you're not getting hurt again on my watch."

I pushed myself away from the side of the van and glared at him. "That's not what I agreed to with Dad," I said, my hands tightening into fists at my side.

Surprised, Bobby raised his eyebrows and tilted up his hat. "Well you and I didn't agree to anything," Bobby said. "So get your butt in the car."

My furnace pulsed once, twice. I took a deep breath and my voice came out deep and calm. "If all four of you die, I'm as good as dead, too. So you might as well take me with you."

Bobby made a face, grabbed his hat off and smacked the top of my head with it, startling me out of my anger. "Who said anything about dying? The world's ending, but I still don't want you hurt, you idjit. Get in the damn car."

Heat and dread washed through me, tears filling my eyes again. "Please, Bobby? If something happens, I promise I'll run, but I can't just stay here. I can't just sit here and think about… about Sam, and maybe even about… about Dad…"

Bobby grabbed my hand, and I stuttered to a stop. "I tell you to do something, you do it right then, no questions. You clear?" Bobby asked fiercely.

"Yes, Bobby," I whispered, the heat fading, but the dread still there. He might be letting me go with them, but that didn't change what was at risk. "Thank you."

"Don't make me regret this, kid," he said.

When we reached the end of the alley, there wasn't much to see, just an old apartment building with dimly lit bay windows. We couldn't see through the windows and we weren't going in, so we just stared at the building, hoping to see some sign of how it was going. But there was nothing for a long while, then the light in the windows grew brighter and brighter, lighting up the street below it like it was daylight. Just as quickly, the light faded back to dim. Bobby and Cas exchanged looks, and Bobby pulled me closer to him. Something had happened but there was no way for us to know what. We went back to waiting.

Eventually, Dean walked out of the building, his body slumped, his head down, his arms shoved into his pockets, and I knew it was bad. I ran to him, and Bobby didn't stop me.

"Dad," I panted as I skidded to a halt in front of him in the middle of the street. "Where's… what happened to Sam?"

He raised his head, his eyes welling with tears, and he just shook his head. My knees buckled and I fell onto the blacktop. "Lucifer got him?" I whispered, tears welling in my own eyes. "No…" Without a word of denial, Dean reached down and helped me to my feet. I looked up into his eyes. "He can't have failed. He just can't."

"Sometimes the bad guys win." Dean's voice cracked over the words and I buried myself into his stomach and cried. He lifted me up into his arms, my legs circling his waist, my arms around his neck, and carried me back to the Bobby and Cas. I cried into his shoulder and he just held me as he walked with Bobby and Cas away from the derelict building where we'd lost Sam forever.

Lost in my tears, it took me a little while to realize that they'd stopped in front of an electronics store. I lifted my head and Dean checked my face before setting me down on my own two feet. He didn't seem to want to let me go either, and pulled me against his side, his arm around my shoulders while I hugged his waist. The televisions in the store window reported the news in a neutral tone.

"Reports are flooding in – a 7.6 earthquake in Portland, 8.1 in Boston, more in Hong Kong, Berlin, and Tehran. The U.S.G.S. has no explanation but says to expect a six-figure death toll..."

"It's starting," Castiel said, walking past us.

"Yeah, you think, genius?" Dean snapped at him, dropping his arm from my shoulder and turning to face Cas.

Cas stopped, facing away from us, looking out at the empty street. "You don't have to be mean," he pointed out.

"So what do we do now?" Dean asked, his expression determined. I buried myself against Bobby instead, anxious for comfort. Dean may still be hopeful, but I felt lost. Bobby closed his arms around me absentmindedly, not turning away from the televisions.

Cas shook his head, still looking off into the distance.. "I suggest we imbibe copious quantities of alcohol, just wait for the inevitable blast wave."

Deans shoulders trembled with frustration. "Yeah, swell. Thank you, Bukowski," he snapped. "I mean, how do we stop it?"

Cas turned around slowly and regarded Dean with compassion. "We don't," he said. "Lucifer will meet Michael on the chosen field, and the battle of Armageddon begins."

"Okay, well, where's this chosen field?" Dean asked, his voice rough.

Cas shook his head and turned away, his eyes raised up to the sky. "I don't know."

His voice almost panicked, Dean said, "Well, there's got to be something that we can do."

Cas turned back to Dean, "I'm sorry, Dean. This is over."

Bobby let me go then and walked slowly towards the two of them, stopping behind Dean. I trailed behind him, my stomach in knots, chewing on my lip."

Dean wasn't done with Cas. "You listen to me, you junkless sissy, we are not giving up! Bobby!" He turned to Bobby, who hadn't raised his head. Taken aback, Dean said again, "Bobby?"

Bobby raised his head at last, tears glittering in his eyes. "There was never much hope to begin with," he said. "I don't know what else to do."

Dean finally got it then. He looked from Bobby's broken expression to Cas's compassionate one, his face twisted in grief. Then he lifted his face to the sky.

"I've got an idea," he said. Taking my hand, he turned and strode back down the alleyway to the Impala. "Get in," he said to me, and I obeyed, climbing into the front seat.

He pulled his phone out and made a call… to Chuck. After a quick conversation about someone called Mistress Magda, who Chuck was apparently expecting a call from, Dean asked where the fight between Lucifer and Michael was going to happen. Chuck told him it was at high noon the next day at Stull Cemetery, which was outside Lawrence, Kansas. After asking if Chuck knew anything else (he didn't), Dean hung up the phone.

Before Dean could do anything, I put my hand on his arm. "I'm going with you," I said calmly and firmly.

"No you're not," Dean started, harried and annoyed. He turned to face me. "One of those bastards will kill you without a second thought. I'm already losing Sam. I'm not going to lose you too."

I grasped his arm with both hands then and looked up into his eyes. "Dad, there's no time and there's nowhere to put me. We don't have motel room and you're about to drive to another state. You can't just leave me here."

"No, I can't just leave you here, but I can leave you with Cas and Bobby."

"Daddy, please?" I begged, tugging on his arm, tears filling my eyes yet again. "Take me with you, please? You can leave me outside the cemetery. I don't have to go in with you, but please, please don't send me away now, not when I might lose you too."

"There's too much chance of you dying," Dean said, his voice low.

I swallowed. "I know." I looked down at my hands intertwined in my shawl and my voice broke. "But like I said before, if you all die, there's nowhere for me to go. There's no point in me even being here."

The shawl descended into cold faster than it ever had before, and I fought back a gasp and a shiver, trying not to give it away. Thankfully, it was too cold in the Impala and there was too much on his mind for Dean to notice. "I'll think about it," he growled, and climbed out of the car to go dig in the trunk.

I left him be for a minute but when I saw Bobby and Cas coming back down the alleyway, I got out of the car and scurried to Dean's side. Bobby got in Dean's face right away.

"You going someplace?" Bobby asked as he approached. "You're going to do something stupid. You got that look."

Dean looked away at first but then decided to answer. "I'm gonna go talk to Sam."

Bobby looked at Dean like Dean was an idiot. "You just don't give up."

"It's Sam," Dean pointed out, anguished.

Cas interrupted. "If you couldn't reach him here, you're certainly not gonna be able to on the battlefield."

Dean's face hardened. "Well, if we've already lost, I guess I got nothing to lose, right?" He looked from Cas to Bobby, but Cas wasn't done.

"I just want you to understand," Cas said, and Dean looked back at him. "The only thing you're going to see out there is Michael killing your brother."

Dean didn't even flinch. "Well, then I ain't gonna let him die alone." He turned away from Cas and said, "Jessie, get in the car."

I scrambled to open the passenger-side front door while Dean got in the car and started the engine. Bobby banged on the driver-side window, and Dean reluctantly rolled the window down. "What?" he demanded.

"You're taking Jessie?" Bobby asked. "Are you insane?"

"She's not going into the fight," Dean grumbled. "But I want her with me until then." He turned to me. "Get your seatbelt on." I rushed to obey while Dean drove off, leaving Cas and Bobby staring after us.

It was a long, long drive. Dean wanted me to sleep while he drove, but there was no chance of that. I sat next to him in Sam's spot for a while, until I couldn't take it anymore, and I took off my seatbelt and slid sideways to press against him. He let me, once I put the middle seatbelt on, and we drove forever like that, only barely making it by noon. Dean stopped outside the cemetery and turned the car off.

"Ok, kiddo," he said. "Get out and stay here, and once it's all over, if I'm gone, you call Bobby and Cas and go with them. You got me?"

"Yes, sir," I said and went to open the door, but I paused with my hand on the door and looked at Dean. "Dad, please don't die," I said, my throat tight. "I can't lose both of you. I just can't."

Dean's face softened and he reached out and ran his hand down my hair. "I'll do my best, sweetheart." I got out and watched him drive away.

Once he was out of sight, I started the hike into the cemetery, following the Impala's tire tracks. I'd been walking for several minutes when I heard Def Leppard's Rock of Ages start in the distance and I started running. Turning the corner around some trees, I saw the Impala in the distance, and in front of it, Lucifer in Sam's body, Michael in Adam's body, and Dean. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but as I ran up, I saw Castiel and Bobby come out of the woods behind Lucifer and Michael. Castiel was holding a lighter to a Molotov cocktail.

I reached the back of the Impala and crouched down behind the trunk, looking through the rear and front windows, finally close enough to hear Michael say "You little maggot. You are no longer a part of this story!"

"Hey, ass-butt!" Cas said, and Michael turned. Cas threw the bottle at Michael and Michael went up, screaming, in flames. I took a step back but I couldn't take my eyes away.

"Ass-butt?" Dean asked.

Cas shrugged. "He'll be back, and upset, but you got your five minutes."

Lucifer glared at Castiel. Despite the fact that Lucifer was in Sam's body, Lucifer's angry face was not the same as Sam's. "Castiel," Lucifer said, "Did you just Molotov my brother with holy fire?"

Cas started backing up, suddenly realizing how in danger he was. "Uh… no…" he lied, holding his hands up to try to indicate his innocence.

Lucifer didn't buy it. "No one dicks with Michael but me," he said and snapped his fingers. Castiel exploded into bloody bits that splashed all over Bobby.

Gasping, I stepped backward in shock. Cas was gone. Cas was an angel. I mean, he was weak right now, but he was an angel, and Lucifer had just snapped his fingers and destroyed him. Fear fought with terror. I wanted to run, I wanted to hide. But I didn't want to not know and I didn't want to not be able to help. I dropped to the ground and crawled around the car to the driver's side where Lucifer wasn't, fighting tears the whole way. The shawl flashed hot and cold, clearly as confused as I was about what I should be doing.

What I should be doing… What was I doing? Dean wanted me safely away from here, and he was right. Oh god, he was so right. I never should've followed him in here. This was so high above my pay grade, as Dean would've said. I lay on the ground by the Impala, panting, my heart beating a thousand times a minute. Why had I followed him?

Dean was trying to talk to Sam now, despite the fact the Lucifer was wearing him. I'd reached the driver's side car door and I opened it as quietly as possible, as little as possible, and crawled in, pulling the door shut behind me the same way I had when I'd snuck into the car the last time. Bobby saw me and his face paled, but no one else did. I was safe as I could be considering the circumstances.

The only way I could've been safer was if I'd run away.

I'd barely settled in the backseat when Dean crashed against the windshield. I barely stifled a scream and started shaking, cold all over. I could see Dean's back and Lucifer advancing and I slid across to the passenger side of the car. Then I heard two shots and looked up in time to see Lucifer turn his hand in twisting motion. Bobby's head whipped to the side and he fell dead on the ground. I bit my lip hard to keep from screaming again, tasting blood.

Lucifer yanked Dean off the Impala's hood and punched him so hard in the face that Dean swung around, falling back against the hood. I couldn't stand it anymore. The shawl was freezing, but I opened the passenger door anyway and got out. Dean fell to the ground at my feet and I opened my furnace and pushed with everything I had.

My fire hit Lucifer and it blew against his body like a hot wind, but nothing on him lit on fire. He was immune! It wasn't holy fire, but at least he wasn't beating on Dean right then. Lucifer turned his eyes to me and raised his hand.

And Bree came screaming out of nowhere, barreling down on Lucifer from his right. At the last second, she grabbed his face in both hands and screamed into it. Lucifer took a step back and snapped his fingers. Bree went up in flames, dissipating just like someone had burned her bones, but by the time she was gone, I was back in the Impala, lying trembling on the floor. Outside, I could hear Lucifer beating on Dean. Hit after hit thudding against him, and I cried for him. Then I did something I never did.

"Please, God," I prayed. "Please don't let him kill Dad. Please don't let him kill me. Please let Sam come out. Please, please?" I said over and over, weeping against the backseat. I raised my head to see Dean pressed against the passenger door, Lucifer still landing punch after punch. "Oh, God, please?" I whispered, getting to my knees in the middle of the floor.

Dean wasn't fighting back, though. He let Lucifer beat on him and when Lucifer paused, Dean reached out and grabbed Sam's jacket.

"Sam," he said. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm here. I'm here. I'm not going to leave you." Lucifer looked at Dean with confusion and then punched him two more times, but Dean still repeated, "I'm not going to leave you."

I watched Lucifer cock his fist back for another punch, a hard punch, and Lucifer blinked his eyes like there was light in them. He blinked again and looked at the glass in the window, then through the window. His eyes met mine for a long moment and then slid to my right and behind me. I turned and saw the little green army man that had always been stuck in the ash tray there. I looked back up to see Lucifer staring at the army man, and his fist unclenched. His face softened and he dropped Dean. I heard Dean hit the ground with a thud, leaning against the passenger backseat door.

And Sam was back. He wasn't Lucifer anymore. He stumbled backward, confused and disoriented, his eyes shooting from right to left as he took in the scene. I rolled down the window and stuck my upper body out in time to hear Sam.

"It's okay, Dean. It's gonna be okay. I've got him," Sam said. He reached into his pocket and took out the Horsemen's rings that were all connected together. Tossing them on the ground, he recited the spell to open the gateway into the cage.

The ground crumbled beneath the rings, sucking in air and random debris. Sam watched the hole form, then he looked back at Dean and at me. Working up his courage, he nodded at Dean to let Dean know it was still him.

And that's when Michael came back, yelling out to Sam over the wind even though they were only feet apart. "Sam, it's not going to end this way! Step back!"

Sam was having none of it. "You're gonna have to make me."

"I have to fight my brother, Sam! Here and now! It's my destiny!" Michael insisted.

His face carved with grief, Sam looked at Dean and then closed his eyes and leaned backward to fall into the pit. Michael tried to stop him, lunging forward and grabbing Sam's arm, but Sam just grabbed him back and yanked, pulling Michael into the hole with him, and they fell out of sight.

After a few seconds, the hole exploded in a flash of light, blinding me, and when I could see again, the Horsemen's rings were lying on the grass right where Sam had tossed them. Dean closed his eyes and leaned back against the Impala below me. I rolled the window back up, scrambled back across the car, and climbed out the driver's side, rushing back around to kneel at Dean's side.

"Daddy, are you okay?" I asked, reaching out to touch his swollen cheek.

"I will be," Dean said, catching my hand before I could touch him, even though his eyes were still closed. "But you are in so much trouble, little girl."

Relief flooded me. If he was okay enough to threaten me, he wasn't going to die any time soon. I clutched him around his waist and buried my face against his chest, ignoring the blood there. We stayed like that for a little while, and then Dean got to his knees and crept forward to stare at the place where Sam had disappeared. I went with him, sitting next to him in the grass as we both thought about our loss, unsure what to do now that everything was over and we were both still unexpectedly alive.

The sun crawled across the sky and the shadows lengthened. I don't know how long we'd been sitting there when a shadow fell over us from behind. We both turned to look and Cas was standing there, to Dean's left, watching us. I gasped and scrambled to my feet, throwing my arms around his waist. Dean seemed very confused by Cas's presence, almost lost. Still kneeling, he asked Cas if Cas was alive, and Cas said that he was better than alive. Then with a single touch to the forehead, he healed Dean's wounds.

"Thank you," I whispered to Cas, still attached to his waist. "Thank you, thank you."

Still a little lost, Dean climbed slowly to his feet and asked Cas if Cas was God and Cas said no, but he thought God brought him back. Cas gently unwound my arms from his waist and left me next to Dean. He brought back Bobby next with another gentle touch on the temple. Bobby sat up, tense at first, but then relaxing as he realized it was over and Cas was helping him. I wanted to run back to Cas, hug him some more, thank him some more, but Dean took my hand and I couldn't abandon him now, not with all that had happened. Besides, there was no way to express how grateful I was to Cas for healing Dean and saving Bobby, and really just being there, being him.

If only he could bring Sam out of the cage, but we knew there was no way to do that.

Dean watched Cas and Bobby with wonder on his face and then looked down at the Horsemen's rings in his hand, turning them over and over.

"Dad?" I said, watching him, worried. "What now?"

Dean didn't say anything. He just shoved the rings into his pocket, kissed the top of my head, and headed to the car. After a couple seconds, I followed.

It turned out that we were headed to Bobby's next, to get our stuff, to say goodbye for now. It was after dark before Dean finally collected himself, but even before that, he realized I was showing signs of shock, shaking, pale, and cold. Cas fixed me up with a touch, but Dean still insisted that I get some sleep and untied the shawl from around my neck to spread over me in the backseat.

"Bree's gone," I told him, stroking the shawl softly. "She took the hit that Lucifer meant for me."

Dean reached over me and I lifted my head so he could shove a pillow under it. "Yeah, she did, and don't think we're not talking about that later. You knew she was still in there and you kept it from me."

"I shouldn't have followed you," I told him, looking up at him. "I should have listened and stayed where you left me." The fear I'd felt washed through me again and tears welled in my eyes. "Oh, god, Daddy, I was so scared." I sat up and scooted toward where he was on the driver's side back door. The shawl slid off me and he crouched down and held me while I cried against him.

"It takes a fight between two archangels to scare you into admitting you should've listened to me," Dean teased. "I think this is the first time you've ever admitted you were wrong to follow me without a spanking first." I giggled a little at his joke, but it just led to more tears. He held me a little tighter. "This is why I wanted you to get some sleep, sweetheart," he crooned to me, stroking my back, my hair. "You've been through way too much today… again." He sighed and I barely heard him when he murmured, "At least this will be the last time."

He did finally get me calmed down and settled in the backseat. Worried that I wouldn't be able to sleep, he offered me a Benedryl, but I countered that I'd rather wait and see if I needed it. Turned out I didn't because I fell asleep almost immediately, the entire tragedy having taken its toll on me.

Dean's angry tones woke me. He and Cas were in the front seat and Dean was saying that God gave Cas shiny new wings and suddenly Cas was God's bitch again, and then Dean told Cas that Dean was coming for God next. That was when Cas realized Dean was angry and tried to point out that God helped, probably more than they even realized. Dean said that all he got out of God's help was his brother in a hole and Cas shot back that Dean got just what he asked for: no paradise, no hell. Just more of the same. Then Cas was gone and Dean was still mad.

"Are you okay, Dad?" I whispered.

"No, Jessie, I'm not," Dean sighed. "But you can't help." He looked at me through the rearview mirror. "Go back to sleep, okay?"

"Okay," I said and closed my eyes, only to open them a few seconds later. "Um, Dad?"

"What, sweetheart?" Dean asked, trying for patience.

"I, uh, I'm hungry and I have to pee," I admitted.

Dean sighed again. "I'll find a place to stop."

We reached Bobby's house in the middle of the night and we stayed there while Dean fixed the Impala's windshield with Bobby's help. I got the spanking that I deserved for not staying put, too, but Dean seemed more sad and tired than angry during, and afterward, he hugged me for a really long time, even though I wasn't crying that much. The rest of the time, I just kind of sat around or looked through Bobby's books. My schoolbooks sat unused on the kitchen table even though the test I was supposed to take was in a week. I couldn't open the books. They made me think too much about Sam.

I couldn't cry either, not about Sam. I'd cried about Bree, but when I thought about Sam, there was just a huge, knotted ache in the pit of my stomach and my eyes just stayed dry. All I knew was that I missed him, and that this time, it wasn't that he was away on a hunt. This time, I'd never get to see him again. It was almost enough, that thought, but it wasn't enough. I guess some losses are just too big for tears.

We'd been there a day and a half when Dean came in from outside and told me to pack up my stuff. I'd been poking through the books on the bottom shelf next to the fireplace behind Bobby's desk. I gathered my shawl from the floor, got to my feet without a word, and headed toward the stairs.

"Jessie, bring everything that's yours," he called after me. "We're not going to be back here for a while."

I stopped with my foot on the bottom step and turned to look at him in the library's doorway. "What? Why not?"

"Because we're going to do what I promised Sam I'd do, and if it works out, we won't be coming this way anymore."

I crossed my arms over my chest, basically hugging the shawl. "We're going to Lisa's?" I asked. "You don't even know…" I stopped. There were too many feelings swelling up inside me, confusion, disappointment, fear… I didn't know how to explain.

Dean's expression softened. "I have to try, Jessie. I promised Sam."

"Ok," I said, and turned away from him to run up the stairs. While I packed, my stomach churned and churned, but I made sure I got everything. Then I shut the door and shook out my shawl. A small brown leather-bound book fell onto the bed with a soft thud. I picked it up and ran my hand over the cover. The words were so faded that you couldn't really see them, only feel them, but when I'd opened it, it had spells throughout, written in a small, tight hand in older English. The ink was only a little faded. I flipped through the pages, running my hand down one reverently. "Resurrectionem", it read at the top of the page. Underneath was written "A rising again from the dead."

"Jessie! Get a move on, kiddo!" Dean yelled from downstairs.

I jumped and wrapped the book tightly in the shawl, yelling back, "Coming!" Shoving the shawl and book deep into my duffel, I hoisted my overfull backpack onto my back and grabbed the duffel bag. Dean met me downstairs and took the backpack away from me to carry. He went to grab my schoolbooks from the table and I caught my breath.

"Dad," I said softly. He looked at me, and I shook my head, my eyes pleading. "No, please? It's too, they're too…"

"Ok, sweetheart," Dean said. "But don't think it's getting you out of school once we're settled." He turned and led me out of the house. We'd see what happened about school. If I were him, I wouldn't place any bets on anything just now.

I trudged after Dean out to the junkyard where Bobby was waiting for us. Dean took my duffel from me and I hugged Bobby as hard as I could. "I love you," I told him. "I'll miss you."

"I love you too," Bobby said into my hair. I climbed into the car and watched Dean say goodbye to Bobby, too. Then with a couple of last glances, we were on the road.

Dean put music on, a sign that he didn't want to talk. I was fine with that and pulled out my PSP to play with. We rode like that for an hour, then Dean turned his music off, then back on, then off again. I looked up from my game to find him looking at me with concern.

"What?" I asked, relaxing my grip on the PSP. I didn't like his expression, but I knew I hadn't done anything that he could've caught me for.

"You know where we're headed, right?" Dean asked, glancing between me and the road.

"Lisa and Ben's?" I asked, dropping my PSP on the floor and turning to face him. "Not that I know who they are… and what happens if they don't want us?"

Dean sighed and watched the road. "If they do take us in, and there's actually a good chance of that, then we're going to be living with them and we're not going to be hunting anymore."

I stared at him. "You mean you were serious when you promised Sam you'd give up trying to rescue him? That you'd give up hunting altogether? That's nuts, Dad!"

"It's not nuts, little girl," Dean said. "I promised him and yes, we're not going to try to rescue him and we're not going to hunt anymore. We're going to live with Lisa and Ben. I'm going to get a job, you're going to go to school. We're going to have cookouts, you'll go to school dances, we'll make friends with the neighbors, and you'll have to do chores. We're going to live a normal life with no hunting, no monsters, no more death."

I had nothing to say and just stared at Dean until he glanced at me and then reached over to gently push my chin up to close my mouth.

"It's going to be hard for you, sweetheart," he said.

"And it's not going to be hard for you?" I demanded.

"It's going to be hard on me too," Dean said. "It already is hard on me and we're not even there yet. All I want to do is find a way to save my brother, but I made a promise and I'm going to keep it."

I turned back to face the front of the car. I hadn't made any promises.

"You're not going to be the only kid now, the only one I have to take care of. There's Lisa and Ben now."

"Lisa can take care of herself and Ben," I sulked. "She doesn't need you for that. She's done just find up until now."

Dean sighed. "That's not what I mean. Lisa and Ben will be our family and that means helping out and taking care of them when they need it."

I shrugged, shaking my head. "So?"

"Jessie, all I'm trying to tell you is that I may not be able to give you the attention you're used to. We won't always be traveling. I'll be spending a lot of time at work and with Lisa and Ben, not just you."

"I'm not a spoiled brat," I snapped, crossing my arms over my aching stomach and staring out the rain-speckled window. "I don't need you to pay attention to me all the time."

Dean pulled the car over and put it in park. He turned to face me and reached out, grabbing my arms and turning me to face him. "You're not a spoiled brat, but this is a big change. But what I want you to know is that if I can't pay as much attention to you as you want doesn't mean anything. I still love you just as much as I did yesterday and the day before, if not more. Nothing will make me love you less. You will always be my little girl, no matter how old you are. Do you get me?"

"I get you," I whispered.

"If you need me, you can call me or come get me, not matter what I'm doing. Ok?"

"Ok," I said, meeting his eyes.

"I want you to promise me, Jessie. Promise me that you'll try as hard as you can to make this work. That you'll remind yourself of what I just told you when you feel bad and that you'll come get me when you need me. Promise me you'll try to be happy in a normal life."

"I promise, Daddy," I said, my voice cracking.

"Good girl," he said, pressing the button on my seatbelt and pulling me into his arms. He held me for a few moments and then let me go. "Put your seatbelt back on."

Then Dean put the Impala back in drive and pulled back onto the highway headed toward our new life.