The roll of darkness over the Impala came with a roar and the piercing screams of both the brothers and something else other worldly. Time became something immeasurable and the two of them felt the pressure of it surrounding them. They could see nothing except what was now pressing out from their imaginations. The darkness was stirring the old memories. Dean's mind was awash with images of Hell and torture, both his and other's. His blood soaked hands doling out pain and misery to anyone in his path. He curled in on himself, pressing his hands to his head. He could hear Sam at his side, screaming out into the dark.

The darkness thinned. It did not become light, but they could at least see each other. The pressure lessened. The images faded. Dean could see Sam at his side, arms wrapped around his head in a protective gesture. He was rocking forward and backward in a steady pattern. His mouth was muttering something. Dean leaned toward him. He caught the wisps of Latin. It seemed like he was reciting an exorcism. Dean could not be sure. He reached out to him. Sam shot toward the car door, knocking his elbow into it with a yelp. The Impala had been thrown about in the storm of darkness. It had been enough to knock it out of the ditch. Dean eased his foot down onto the accelerator, and the car moved forward.

Somehow they were on the road, the darkness passing over them in a rush of foreboding. Something more would come of it; that was for certain. For now, though, there was just the lingering fear that it left behind in its wake. The dreams of past horrors long since compartmentalized into safe places were now awake again. They drove on in silence, each too focused on their own nightmares to speak.

The road stretched out dark and long. There were miles behind them now, and a few more ahead of them too. They crossed into Kansas, still too silent. Neither one of them quite ready to talk about all of the things that still needed to be said. Occasionally, Sam would glance at Dean and then Dean would look back. They fiddled with their hemlines and drummed out nervous patterns on the steering wheel and the seat between them. A few miles into Kansas, and Dean felt his pocket sending up a furious buzzing.

Dean pulled the phone out and looked at the name on the screen. He passed it over to Sam and broke their silence with, "It's Crowley. Answer it for me."

Sam held the phone for a second as it continued to buzz in his hand. "I don't think that I should. I tried to kill him a few days ago. Might be better if you took this one." Sam pushed the button to answer it and passed it back to Dean.

Dean just gave him an awkward glare and snapped the phone to his ear. "You'll have to explain that one later." He tossed off at Sam and then to Crowley he said, "Crowley?"

"Where are you?" Crowley went right to the point, which was somewhat unlike him. Dean had half expected a few lines of snark and wit to bridge the gap to serious talk.

"We're back in Kansas. Why?"

"Are you back at the bunker?" Crowley sounded irritated.

"No, we are on the road." Dean wasn't sure he wanted Crowley knowing just where they were, especially given Sam's recent actions where the King of Hell was concerned.

"I have something of yours that needs returning. Where are you exactly? Tell me the road and maybe a crossroad." There was a sound of shuffling coming over the line and a grunt of sorts from Crowley.

"Not sure you should come to us. Sam's here. Heard about your little interaction." Dean glanced over at Sam.

"I don't have time for Sam right now. Bigger fish, Dean. My mother has gotten juiced up and is in possession of the Book of the Damned. Now, tell me where you are, or I'll just leave Cas here."

"What is wrong with Cas?" Dean's words a fast spat sound like a curse.

"Mother threw a curse at him. Tried to sic him on me. I had to shut him down, bind him, so to speak. He's not quite conscious."

"What do you mean by not quite conscious? Is he okay?" Dean felt more worried with each mile.

"I think he'll be fine. Now, where are you?"

Dean slowed the car and looked for a mile marker in the dark. He rattled off the number and road name. He was looking for a place to pull over when suddenly Crowley showed up in the middle of the road with Cas in his arms. Dean slammed on the brakes and came to a stop just inches from them both. "Son of a bitch." The two of them glowed in the light of the headlights. Sam gripped the dashboard in front of him and glanced back and forth between Dean and Crowley.

Cas' arms hung down loosely as if he were dead. The coat was bloody in parts. Dean threw open the car door and looked back at Sam. "I'm staying in here." Sam slid over to the driver's seat.

"You'll be driving," Dean agreed. He got out and let the door slam shut behind him. He stalked over to Crowley and asked, "Is he okay?" He had asked before, but Cas really didn't look good. Crowley didn't look much better.

"Maybe. I had to bind him to keep him from killing yours truly. I believe that I undid the spellwork, but we won't know for certain until the binding wears off. You may want to hold him in a circle of holy oil until you know for sure." Crowley passed Cas off to Dean's arms. They walked to the Impala and Crowley opened the door so that Dean could lower Cas into the back seat. Having done that Dean stood back up and leveled his gaze on Crowley.

"Should I be concerned about you?" He closed the door on his brother and Cas, taking two steps away as he asked the question.

"No, you have other issues to deal with. You rid yourself of the mark, but now we have this darkness." Crowley waved his hands above his head. "Looks like Chaos will reign supreme. I, myself, plan to seek out Rowena, deal with her. You boys need to figure out how you are going to fix this." Crowley took a step away from Dean with a smirk. "Stay in touch." With that he vanished.

Dean opened the door again and slid in next to where Cas' head was resting on the seat. He pulled his head up onto his lap. "Drive on, Sam." His hand rested on Cas, across his chest. He stared down at his face and remembered the last time that he had seen him. The patchwork pattern of blood on his face had been haunting Dean for days. He moved his hand up to Cas' face and brushed back his hair. "You're going to be okay. I'm going to fix this."

Claire was sitting on the edge of the bleachers looking out at the soccer game that was playing out in front of her. She wasn't actually interested in the game, but Jody was there to cheer on Alex and had asked Claire to join them. Claire was pretty sure that Alex didn't even want to be there. She thought that perhaps this was a part of some elaborate punishment that predated her arrival at Jody's makeshift home for wayward girls. She didn't question it though. It was a nice enough break from the routine.

Each day she would get up, drink a cup of coffee, pick at whatever breakfast Jody laid out, and retreat back to her room. They hadn't determined yet what her role in this cobbled together family was going to be. She thought about leaving, but had not yet devised a solid plan. Plus, there was Cas. She had promised him that she would try things here. And for some reason, he mattered. She told herself that it was because he looked too much like her father. Really, though, she thought that it might be something else. She felt a bond with him that would perhaps exist even without his appearance. She held his grace once, and maybe that had made the difference. Or maybe it was just him and his newfound bent of kindness.

Jody hollered out to the field, "Yeah, good save." Alex seemed to hear her and gave her a look that was unmistakable even from this distance. Jody glanced at Claire as if to gauge a reaction to the moment then looked back out at Alex.

Alex was running down the field toward the rest of the team. Claire looked at Jody. "How long have you two lived together?"

"Little over a year now. Why do you ask?" Jody reached out and patted Claire on the knee then withdrew her hand, perhaps sensing the need that Claire had for more personal space.

"Just wondered. You two seem like a typical mother daughter pair." Claire let her eyes trail along Alex's wake. She was not giving the game her all, but she ran like a gazelle. He legs were long and lythe and there was a kind of grace to her movements as she darted in and out of the crowds. Her dark hair was trailing behind her in a ponytail. Her white uniform set off against her coffee tan skin gave her a look of a goddess.

"Alex would likely disagree with you on that assessment, but I'm glad you see it that way. I've worked hard to give her the relationship that we have. I want her to feel loved and important and also responsible." The last was said with a different tone, as if Jody was remembering why they were even at this game in the first place.

"So, shouldn't she be done with high school?" Claire was pretty sure that Alex was eighteen, but she hadn't bothered asking.

"Yeah, we decided that she should finish it up despite her being a bit older than the other seniors. It is only a year's difference. She's nineteen, just turned. Plus, she graduates in a couple of weeks, so she's practically done." Jody looked at Claire in a way that seemed to be calculating.

"Don't get any ideas, Jode." She gave the name a twist. She thought that the long o would add to her point. "I am done with school. Sam's gonna send me that fancy diploma to prove it."

"Hmm." Jody turned back to the game. "So, you've made up your mind, huh?"

"Yeah. I don't need to be trapped in another institution that wants to spoon feed me a bunch of things that I don't need. You really think that I need to study a bunch of Shakespeare or Algebra? How's that going to matter in my world?" She felt defensive, as if this would all lead to a fight. She was ready for it though.

"Okay, so no high school." Jody gave Claire's knee another pat and let out a sigh to accompany it. "How do you feel about college?" She smiled with the words.

"Well played." Claire laughed. "Pretty much the same. I think that I would be better off training to be a hunter."

"There's more to living than that. Sam and Dean would be the first to tell you. It's not the kind of life one should choose. It's a short life full of suffering."

"Been there done that, got the scars. It's the life I know, and I think I'll be good at it. My dad died saving the world. I want to make sure that his sacrifice wasn't in vain. If I take out the demons, the evil, then I am continuing his legacy. I'm doing what he did, ya know."

"Hmm." Jody let out the non-committal hum and added, "I understand, but maybe you can do both. You need to be educated, but I can see the value in other sorts of training too." Claire looked at her in shock. She had not expected even half of a compromise. Weren't parents supposed to be all against fighting and such?

Then a darkness took over the sky. It was rolling over everything. "Is that a storm?" Claire stood and stared off at the darkness that was getting closer. Jody grabbed her arm.

"No, we need to run." She pushed Claire toward the bottom of the bleachers. "Alex!" She yelled out to the field. Everyone stopped in their paths. The clouds rolled closer and closer. "Run!" Alex ran off the field of now frozen people just staring at the sky. "Go to the car." Jody pushed them both to the cruiser and turned back to the crowds. "Take cover, it looks like a tornado!" This seemed to spur the crowds into action as they were now yelling to their children and parents. They ran in a swarm toward the parking lot. Jody sprinted ahead, catching up with the girls at the car. "Get in damn it." Claire and Alex were just standing there staring open mouthed at the sky. Jody practically ripped the door open and shoved them in the back.

She started the car. Claire yelled up, "What the hell is it?"

"I don't know. Never seen anything like that." Jody threw the car in reverse. Claire and Alex looked out the back window as the darkness rolled closer and closer. Jody shifted into drive and with a squeal of tires roared out of the parking lot. She kept glancing back into the rearview mirror. "That's no tornado. I don't know what it is, but it is not a tornado."

Alex leaned into the front seat. "Where are we going? What are we going to do?"

"I don't think that we can outrun it. I think that we need to take cover somewhere." Jody had the car floored. The darkness was gaining on them.

"I don't think that it is natural." Claire chimed in.

Jody took a fast turn and headed toward Bobby's old place. Even though it had burned to the ground, she had managed to preserve a few things. One of those preservation projects had been the panic room. Accessing it was different now, but it would do in a pinch. "I don't know if we'll make it, but I've got a spot for us at Singer Salvage. When I stop the car, we have to run. Run like there is no tomorrow. Don't get separated, no matter what. Got it? The girls looked to each other then Jody and nodded. Jody turned into the yard and swiftly shut off the engine. The darkness was a small distance off, maybe a mile from them. Jody went to the trunk and pulled out several weapons, a bag of salt, and a duffle of supplies. She handed several of the items off to the girls.

They ran now to the far end of the burnt out husk of a house. Jody lead them through the remains to a rickety, half burned staircase. "Be careful here. It might collapse under us." She took the steps quickly and gingerly at the same time. The world was growing dark. She got to a large metal door and spun the handle. "Come on, come on!" She waved her arms in wild arcs. Claire and Alex rushed past her. The billowing dark was nearing them at the door. Jody stepped inside and threw all of her strength into closing the door at the absolute last minute. The light from the ceiling dimmed and became dark. Everything became dark. Jody pulled out a flashlight from the duffle and switched it on. There were screams and a roar of destruction surrounding them. The noise permeated the wall and seemed intent on shaking the entirety of the space that held them.

"Is it a demon?" Claire asked as she reached out for the salt. "Or is it a spirit?"

"Never seen a ghost like that. That looked more like a demon to me. A big-ass demon." Alex stood in the center of the semi-dark room. The light from the flashlight giving them all the appearance of gaunt spectres.

"What do we do now?" Claire's voice was calm, but she felt nervous here in the dark with virtual strangers and the world's largest demon hanging on their walls.

"We wait. It can't get in if it is a demon." Jody walked over to them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"What if it doesn't leave?" Claire asked. Alex nodded next to Jody as if she had wondered the same thing.

"Well, you said you wanted to be a hunter. No time like the present to start fighting." Jody let out a long sigh. "I rather hoped you'd get a little break first though." She moved her hand up to Claire's cheek and cupped it slightly in a moment of endearment. "Guess none of us was ever meant to have it easy." With that they all turned to the door that gave a mighty shudder as if some large beast were ramming it from the other side. The pounding noise alone would be enough to terrorize anyone, let alone the knowledge that whatever was doing it was not a part of the natural world.

Claire took Alex's hand with one of hers, and Jody's with the other. "You're right. We got this." She gave their hands a little squeeze then released them. They each grabbed their weapons and braced themselves against the darkness that beat furiously at the door, the walls, and the world.

AN: This is not fully fleshed out, but I have the general idea in my head. Hopefully, I can make it go somewhere. For now it is what I imagine a cross-over pilot for what a spin-off could look like if it happened at the beginning of the season. Much love to you all. Also, if you follow my Dean the Dangerous fic. I am still working on the final chapter of that, so I'll get it posted soonish.