I'm not sure where I'm going with this. Honestly, I'm not even sure if I'm gonna keep writing it. But something told me that I had to, and it's been so long – so damn long – since I've been able to write anything I decided it was a good idea. It's short, but hopefully future chapters will be longer.

If you recognise it, it's not mine.

"Mom, I'm not leaving." Jo's voice was low as she stared her mother in the eyes, refusing to give up,

"Joanna Beth, you listen here. You a...and those boys are gonna get out of here, and y'all are gonna stop death. Do you understand? You do not disobey your momma. Not now." Ellen's voice cracked at the last syllable. She held the fuse in her left hand, her right was still putting pressure on the bites in her side.

"Momma...momma, please. Don't do this." Jo started crying, tears streaking through the dirt and blood on her face. She hated crying, hated seeming weak in front of her mother, even worse about being weak in front of Sam and Dean.

"Jo...come on. Jo, we need to move. For once in your life, do what your mom says and come with me."

"I CAN'T. I can't leave my mom behind, Dean. If it was your mom sitting here, what would you do?" Jo croaked out, tears filling her eyes when her mother smacked her cheek.

"You listen right here to me, go out, stop that goddamn Lucifer and go live your life. Now you git, while I talk to Dean. Understood?" Ellen was using the last of her strength to make Jo realise how important it was to her that she live.

Jo kissed her mother's forehead, before standing up, defeated. Sam wrapped an arm around her and walked out to the back of the store, leaving Ellen and Dean there. Dean got onto his hunkers, looking Ellen evenly in the eye.

"Dean, y...you look out for my girl. I..if she wants t...to keep hunting...you let her. And you h...help her. K...keep her safe."

Dean looked down at the woman whom he had come to regard as a mother to him. No matter how tired or defeated he'd been, Ellen had been there. And now she wouldn't be, and it was all his fault.

"O...oh Dean? Y...you have my permission. But I...I mean it. If you h...hurt my little girl, I'll haunt y..you from w...wherever I end up. Now, D...Dean...kick it in the ass." She grasped his hand in hers, squeezing once before letting go, and giving him a pointed look. Dean handed her the brush and string contraption that they'd rigged up. Pulling the first string moved a brush to clear some salt away. Pulling the second would open the doors.

Dean got to the door at the back room, before turning. "Thank you, Mom. Thank you for everything." He'd refused to call anyone that, but knew that Ellen was the one woman most deserving of that title he'd met. Opening the back door, he saw Jo, her eyes red but dry. She had her gun in hand, a knife tucked into her belt. Sam hadn't wiped away the last tear that was slowly trickling down his cheek, but his eyes were normal. They all looked at each other before climbing onto the roof, and down the fire escape.

Jo had just jumped down when the blast came, the front windows smashing outward from the sheer force of the head and energy. There was a couple of screeches from hell hounds, and then nothing. The only noise was a few car alarms going off thanks to the blast. Jo stood there, unmoving, staring at the scene before Dean grabbed her arm and pulled her.

"Jo, all I wanna do now is cry for your mom, but we need to do this. Then we'll cry." She blinked back a few tears as she realised that Dean was right, that they needed to defeat Lucifer, stop Death. Then she could cry.

They got to the site where Lucifer was beginning his ritual. Hiding behind a tree, Dean started giving out orders.

"Jo, stay here. Stay safe, you understand me? We have one shot, and I don't want you hurt." She just nodded, and watched.

It was blurry as she watched Sam walk up to Lucifer, to the meatsuit he was wearing, trying to reason with him. Sam still thought that he might have a chance. Dean took the moment of surprise and fired, but the Colt only stopped Lucifer for a moment. He stood up, and continued chanting. Jo was about to get up, to run, when Castiel stood in front of her, motioning for her to stay there. Dean and Sam were pulled over by Cas too, before the three of them landed in a heap on Bobby's floor. She heard his surprised yell, and heard the wheels on his chair come closer. Sam and Dean had stood up by now, and she felt Dean's hands around her arms, pulling her up onto her feet. One strong arm went under her knees, lifting her into a fireman's lift. The other was behind her head, supporting her. Dean sat on the couch, holding Jo to him, her face to his shoulder as she cried for the mother she had just lost.