Rating: M

A/N: As always, thanks to everyone for their support and their comments. I must press that this chapter is not the last chapter. We have a ways to go yet. For those that are worried the story will go on to just be about Jo giving birth and then that it's, please rest assured that we have a roller coaster ride ahead for all the characters! :D

‘Prayer In The Night’

“Sam!”

Dropping the knife he had been cleaning, Sam all but tripped over his long legs as he rushed inside the house. He stopped in front of the puddle in the middle of the hallway. “Dean?” He called out hesitantly.

“Here!” Sam stepped over the puddle and turned the corner. He caught sight of his brother and Bobby with their arms around Jo as they guided her towards the basement.

“What’s wrong?” he asked worriedly.

“Jo’s water just broke,” Bobby announced, holding open the basement door so that Dean could help Jo down the stairs. “Can you go and grab the supplies from my car?”

“Dean, I’m fine - just let me clean up the mess,” Jo protested, glancing over her shoulder at the hallway. Dean clicked his tongue impatiently and slid his arm around her waist so that he could support most of her weight.

“Sam?” Bobby prompted, trying to catch Sam’s attention. “The bag?”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll go, sorry.” Sam turned sharply on his heel, and dashed outside, narrowly missing Ruby as she reached to open the front door. Leaping down the steps, Sam ran over to Bobby’s car and threw open the rusty car door. Half inside the car, he searched franticly for the bags Bobby had mentioned.

“Dammit, where is it?” he cried out in frustration, when he could not located anything resembling a bag in the front or back seats. He shoved his arm under the seats and felt around. Nothing.

“Try the boot,” Ruby offered helpfully, reaching into the car and pulling the leaver that would release the catch for the boot.

Sam nodded and climbed out of the car. Inside the boot he spotted two white plastic bags; one containing drop sheets, while the other contained gauze pads, sterile gloves, a thermometer and a silver pan. “Which one?” Sam asked, anxiously turning to Ruby for her advice.

“Sam, calm down.” Ruby insisted, placing a restraining hand on his arm. “It’s ok. Jo’s only just gone into labour. This could take awhile.” Sam nodded feebly, attempting to calm his racing heart -- but his brain was cluttered with all the stories he had read about things that went wrong during home births. “Sam, it’s going to be fine.”

“I know – it’s just… she’s going to have a baby, Ruby. She’s going to have a baby in Bobby’s bunker. It’s not exactly the cleanest-“

Ruby cut off any further argument when she pressed a familiar silver flask in his hand. “Here. Drink this, take a second to calm down, and then come inside. You’re no good to Dean if you’re a mess – you need to prove to him that you’re the strong one. You might as well stay out here with the car if you can’t get it together.”

Sam eventually bobbed his head up and down, and forced himself to take a deep breath. “You’re right - it’s going to be fine,” he said shakily. “I’m sure Bobby has done this kind of thing before.” His heart started to beat too fast again at the very thought of Bobby delivering his nephew, and he unscrewed the cap of the flask, and quickly downed the thick red liquid. He licked his lips, grimacing at the taste he was far from becoming used to, and was careful to remove any traces of blood from his mouth.

Ruby served him a sceptical look, but turned without another word, and disappeared inside with the bags. Once the front door slammed shut, he tucked the flask in his pocket, and tried to take another deep breath. In between inhaling and exhaling, a twig snapped to his right and Sam spun around; his hand outstretched. A tiny squirrel froze in place, its little beady eyes staring at him fearfully. Letting out a relieved sigh, Sam dropped his hands and allowed his tense shoulders to sag. The squirrel scampered off, and Sam shut the boot with his elbow.

When he reached the steps to the porch, he cast a wary glance around the property. The lack of demon activity only served to increase his paranoia; his body trapped in a feverish like state with all the adrenaline pumping wildly through his limbs. He shoved the silver flask deeper inside his pants pocket, and strode into the house.

“Dammit!”

Sam descended down the basement steps in time to see Dean accidentally drop a bucket of ice on the ground. The small ice chips scattered everywhere, and he bounced about trying to scoop them up. “Dean, don’t worry about it - I don’t need any ice,” Jo tried to assure him from the bed in the middle of the room. “Really. Just calm down - I’m the one who’s about to squeeze a watermelon out of their body.”

Bobby chuckled in reaction to the sick look on Dean’s face, and took his gloves off after having inspected Jo’s progress under the sheet Dean had placed over her legs. “Sorry Jo, you’re barely three centimetres dilated, so it’s going to be a while yet.” He stood up, and tossed the used gloves in a bin beside the desk. “I’ll go out and get some more ice since you decided to annihilate my fridge.”

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Jo apologised meekly, smoothing the blanket over her legs before lying back on the pillows propped behind her. “But like I said to Dean, I don’t need ice – I’m going to need drugs.”

“You’re not seriously going to leave, are you?” Dean questioned Bobby, looking aghast at the older mans suggestion. “What if the baby comes before you get back?”

Bobby grinned, and patted Dean’s shoulder comfortingly. “Then you man up, strap on a pair of gloves and get ready to catch your son,” the now cap free hunter instructed bluntly. “Dean, it’s not that complicated. Jo’s the one who is going to be doing all the hard work.”

“As usual,” Jo quipped.

“Delivering babies is not in the hunter manual!” Dean continued to protest, dumping the remainder of the ice onto the wooden table by the door. Sam glanced down at Ruby and saw that she was trying her hardest to hide a smile behind her hand. “Bobby, what if I drop it on its head?”

“Pretend the baby is a beer. I’ve never seen you spill a cold beer in your life,” Bobby responded not bothering to hide his amusement.

“That’s not funny,” Dean argued, crossing his hands over his chest.

Sam noticed that Jo was shaking her head while staring up at the ceiling. Sensing his gaze, she glanced over at him and returned his smile weakly. He realised that despite her calm façade, her eyes kept flicking about restlessly, and suspected the look of concentration meant that she was reciting a silent mantra to herself.

Bobby headed towards the bunker door, a pair of scissors in his hand. “I’m going to grab some antibacterial gel from upstairs,” he explained and Sam stepped aside to allow him entry to the stairs. “Sam, do you mind fetching your brother a dress since he’s determined to act like a little girl?”

“Is anyone taking this seriously?” Dean protested angrily. He pointed at Jo. “She is about to have a baby and you’re all acting like we are just waiting for a football game to start.” Jo huffed a laugh, and he frowned at her. “Lets see if you’re laughing in the middle of your next contraction - you just about broke my hand during the first one.”

“Consider yourself lucky,” Ruby spoke up, looking delighted by the fact that the normally cocky hunter was starting to freak out. “I’m just glad there are no more fridges left in the house.”

“There’s still plenty of windows,” Jo muttered under her breath, her eyes focused on the ceiling once again.

“This is me shutting up.” Ruby promised, holding her hands up in defence. She went to sit on the bottom rung of the stairs, and patted the space beside her. “Might as well get comfortable Sam, the game probably wont start for a while.”

***

“Good Afternoon, Sir. How can I help you?”

“I require a telecommunication device.” Castiel responded politely to the teenager dressed in a blue polo shirt. The girl raised her eyebrows at his formal approach, and waved her hand at the wall of cell phone adorning the walls behind her.

“Okay, is there something specific you were after? The new iphone maybe?”

Castiel nodded, his eyes scanning over the different models. “Yes… *I* require a phone.”

“Ah, funny.” The girl, whose nametag read ‘Lisa’, motioned to a black rectangle shaped phone. “The iphone is the new must have phone this season. Do you own a Mac?”

Head tilted in a curious manner, the Angel responded to the girls’ question. “What is a Mac?”

“Okay, so that’s a no,” She smiled at him, though he understood that the smile was forced. A quick glance at her blue eyes told him that she was bored by her day job, and that she sought better employment once she completed her education. “But that’s ok, you don’t need a Mac to-”

“I need to contact Dean.” Castiel interrupted rudely, growing impatient by the girls continuous babbling. He pointed at the other phones on the wall. “It is most urgent that I speak with him.”

The girl, Lisa, flushed red and tugged embarrassed at her ponytail. “Umm so you just want a phone for calling purposes?” she asked, now paying attention to his non-nonsense stance. “How often do you make calls, sir?”

“This is the first time I have had to use a telecommunication device to contact Dean. Normally I just appear,” Castiel answered promptly, and turned to the wall of phones. He reached out, attempting to pull a cell phone towards him until he realised it was chained to the wall. He frowned at the inconvenience and let go. The phone slapped back loudly in to place. “I have seen one like that on television. It appeared to work adequately.”

“Oh, so you saw the commercial on TV? Alright – did you want a prepaid account or would you like to set up a plan?”

“I already have a plan,” Castiel remarked reaching for another phone. He tugged at it harder and the chain came free. The girl gasped out loud as he deposited the phone in her hand. “This will be suitable. It is imperative that I reach Dean before Joanna gives birth.”

“Umm,” The girl looked frightened by his gruff response, and glanced over at the tall man standing by the cash register. Castiel detected that her heart had started to beat rapidly. He attempted to smile kindly, but the action felt stiff and strange. The girl took an alarmed step back from him. “I’ll… umm… just go and ask my boss what prepaid account he would recommend for you.”

“Yes, tell him I require one that will allow me to contact Dean Winchester.”

“Okay… umm Corey!” The girl all but ran over to her boss who had just finished serving a customer. Castiel turned his back on the two workers, and peered through the transparent walls of the store. Brow furrowed, he studied the humans milling about outside the store. The neon lights inside the heavily populated mall hurt his eyes, yet Castiel remained vigilant while awaiting his purchase.

He was restless. He had sensed the change in Joanna while reporting to Raziel and Raguel, but he had been unable to appear directly by her side. An invisible barrier had been placed around the Singer residence, and he had tried all possible methods of attempting to penetrate the transparent obstruction. There was no doubt in Castiel’s mind that the demon Ruby was involved – yet he had no proof.

Something was very wrong; Castiel knew it with every fibre of his being, but so long as he had no access to Joanna he knew that meant no one else had access either - and that was a compromise he could deal with until the child was delivered.

“Sir, if you could come with me, please?”

***

Tony Billings hated the creepy St Mary’s convent.

As chief security officer for the downtown area of Ilchester, Maryland, he was the first one to respond to the concerned calls from the locals reporting a disturbance in the old condemned convent. Flashlight in hand, he swept through the old rooms draped with endless spider webs and dust. Halfway down the grimy stone hallway his flashlight bounced off a white marble statue of an angel.

Grimacing at the off putting statue, he continued to make his way through the church searching for a sign of mischievous youths or drug dealers looking for a place to set up shop. His trained brown eyes detected the lack of footprints on the dirt-encrusted floor, and he started to suspect the disturbance was nothing more than a trick of the light.

“Howdy.”

Startled, Tony whirled around to face a tall striking blonde dressed in an expensive looking white gown. Confused by her big smile and wide eyes, he switched his flashlight off and dropped his arm.

“Hey lady, this is private property. You’re not supposed to be here.”

“But I’m here for mass,” she replied innocently with a small shake of her head. Her smile widened, and Tony felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as she narrowed her eyes on him. “And so are you.”

He opened his mouth to order her off the premises, when two large men jumped him. Tony cried out in alarm, struggling to fight off the two men. Within seconds they had the upper hand, pinning him to the ground with an unnatural amount of strength, and his shout dissolved in his throat when he noticed that both his attackers had oily black eyes.

The blonde approached him, and it was with horror that Tony watched her eyes roll into the back of her head. “Oh God,” he whispered.

“Guess again.”

***

“Will you just sit down and take it easy?” Dean pleaded from across the room.

Jo ignored him, and continued to pace back and forth inside the bunker. She counted the steps in her head, trying to keep her mind focused on each step and not the desire to scream. The pain from the recent contraction started to ease, and she let out a shaky deep breath.

Leaning against the wall exhausted, she rested her head against her forearms. Enjoying the blissful pain free minute, she tried to concentrate on the clock on the table by the door. It took a mammoth about of effort to convince her pain-frazzled brain to calculate how long she’d been down in the bunker.

“Do you want help getting back into bed?”

“Do you want to be shot?” Jo snapped back, irritated by the constant presence of the eldest Winchester. She noted with a quick glance, that his brother was still stationed quietly outside the door of the bunker with a shotgun in his lap. Beside him, Ruby leant against the doorframe looking bored while she traced an invisible pattern into the dusty basement floor.

Sighing miserably, Jo tried to remind herself that Dean was only trying to be supportive and had been the one rubbing her back through every contraction. However after seventeen hours of never ending labour pains, Jo was no longer in the mood to be reasonable or appreciative, and was instead left feeling tired, sore and in desperate need to kill something. “Where’s Bobby?”

“Bobby!” Sam hollered up the stairs.

Jo listened to the footsteps crashing down the basement steps. “She ready?”

“Why is it taking so long?” Jo shouted, slowly straightening up and shuffling back towards the bed. Dean instantly stood up from his stool by her bed, and held out his arms so that he could support her weight while she lowered back down onto the mattress. Once she was settled, he encouraged her to lean forward so he could bunch up the pillows. She smiled at him gratefully as he returned to his stool, and caught sight of the surprised look on his face.

Bobby entered the room with a fresh bucket of ice and a pitcher of water. He placed the items on the table beside the towels, bowl, string and scissors. Jo grimaced. She couldn’t believe Bobby of all people was going to see her give birth. Not that she had been seriously worried a minute ago. Jo was pretty sure that if she didn’t give birth soon, she wouldn’t care who saw her vagina; she was one hour away from reaching in and yanking the baby out herself.

“You’re doing good, honey,” Bobby assured her, checking to see how dilated she was. Jo noticed that Dean had finally stopped cringing every time Bobby lifted the sheet to inspect her progress. “It shouldn’t be too much longer now.”

Jo groaned, and threw her head back. She was far from delighted to hear his prognosis. “How much longer exactly, Bobby? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? I need to know an exact time frame here.”

Bobby smiled at her sympathetically. “I can’t do that, honey. Your contractions are still too far apart, and I wont know until they are closer together.”

“But it can’t be too far away right? Like an hour? Tell me it’s an hour. I can’t do this for another seventeen hours. I just can’t.” She turned to Dean, and saw the empathy on his face. “Tell him I can’t, Dean. I’m not joking. I really can’t do this any longer. It’s your turn now. I’m done.”

“You can do it.” Dean assured her, rubbing her arm soothingly. “You’re doing great. I never would have lasted this long.”

Ignoring his lame attempt to lighten her mood, Jo glared at her surroundings. “Where’s Castiel anyway?” Jo asked grumpily. “Has anyone heard from him yet? Has he got better things to do? Is he getting a freaking manicure or som-”

Pain.

Red, hot, searing pain started to prickle at her lower back, before making its way around to the front of her stomach. Jo leant forward in preparation for the onslaught. “Ohhhh. No…no… no… not again…. God dammmmiiiitttt!!!”

Gasping in agony as another contraction ripped through her, Jo gripped the bed sheets, trying to bite down on her already butchered lip while she road out the pain. Everything hurt. She had never felt so much pain in her life, and yet with each hour the pain increased to levels she didn’t know she was capable of feeling. She longed for it to be over, she longed to sleep, she longed to punch Dean in his stupid concerned face.

“Son of a bii…. Dean, I’m gonna kill you. I swear. I’m going to… ohhh!” Jo closed her eyes, one arm around her waist and the other hand clutching Dean’s wrist.

“That’s it, Jo. Hang in there.” Dean encouraged, his rough hands running up and down her back. “Deep brea-“ He cut himself off abruptly when she growled, and dug her nails into his wrist.

“Owwww…ooohhh… frickin’ dying didn’t hurt this much!” Jo tried to breath, but she could barely inhale before the pain doubled and she froze in place. She counted the creases in the sheets, and when she ran out of creases to count she moved on to how many times she was going to punch Ruby in the face until the contraction finally started to dissipate.

“You’re doing great Jo, you really are.” Dean encouraged her gently, trying to withdraw his bruised arm from her now loose fingers. He tucked her hair behind her ear and rubbed her shoulders. “It wont be long now, and then I promise it’ll all be worth it. You probably wont even remember the pain-”

“Dean?” Jo cut in; slowly easing back into the pillows when she was sure the contraction was over.

“Yeah?”

“Go away,” she ordered.

Dean raised his eyebrows. “What?” He glanced over at Bobby for an explanation. “What did I do?”

“You’re not helping,” Jo complained, turning her head so she could glare at him. “And I’ve decided that I don’t want you to see me give birth.”

Rolling his eyes, Dean snorted. “Jo, don’t be stupid – we’ve slept together, it’s not like I haven’t seen-“

“Out!” Jo commanded, pointing at the door.

“Fine,” Dean snapped, looking hurt. He stood up and placed his stool by the table. “I’ll go. But only for a few minutes and I’ll be back soon.”

Jo nodded, uninterested by his promise. All she cared about was that he was as far away as possible from her face. She closed her eyes and ran a tired hand through her tangled hair. “And take Sam and Ruby with you.”

Throwing his hands up in the air, Dean started to grumble. “They can’t even see you from over there,” he argued. Upon viewing her determined look, he shook his head. “Jo, someone needs to guard the door.”

Using the same puppy dog eyes she had seen Sam use when he wanted Dean to cave, Jo added a pout to her lips. “Dean, please.”

“Jo, come on!” Dean protested in vain. He looked to Bobby for support, but the older man just shook his head. “Bobby, tell her… It’s not safe.”

Jo scoffed, and gave Bobby a warning glare. “Dean, you should probably do what she says for now,” Bobby urged, and Jo smiled victoriously. Crossing his arms stubbornly, Dean refused to budge. “It’s fine, Dean. I’ll be here.”

“No. I want you too go with him, Bobby,” Jo corrected, shaking her head. She ran a tired hand over her enormous belly and tried to sooth the pain in her pelvis.

“What?” Bobby griped. “Are you planning on delivering the baby yourself, are you?”

Shaking her head, Jo ran a fatigued hand over her damp forehead. “No,” she pointed to the door. “I just need five minutes of peace and quiet. Can’t you just give me that?”

“You should probably do what she says, Bobby.” Dean reiterated, looking smug. Jo sensed that he didn’t feel as victimised now that he wasn’t the only one Jo couldn’t stand to be in the same room with.

“Boy, you better not-“

“OUT!” Jo hollered, clutching her stomach.

Grumbling under their collective breaths, all three men and the demon left the bunker sullenly. As soon as she was sure she was alone, Jo sunk down into the pillows heavily, and let out a worn-out sigh. She stared at the fan moving sluggishly above her head, and realised that the lack of light streaming down meant that night had fallen already.

Face scrunched up, Jo shifted against the pillow in an attempt to find a comfortable position. What had once felt like a soft mattress and fluffy pillows, now felt akin to lying on the slab of cement. She shifted, trying to adjust her body awkwardly, but a persistent burning sensation followed her movements.

Desperate to avoid the pain from yet another contraction, Jo struggled to roll onto her side. The pillows felt like lead. Tossing them onto the floor she rested her head on the mattress. The baby shifted and she moaned into her arm. “Come on baby, you gotta come out. You can’t stay there forever.”

Silence.

Jo closed her eyes, and attempted to seek the comfort of sleep. Despite the weariness clinging to every muscle in her body, she could not find peace and after a few minutes, she leant forward to retrieve her pillow. As her fingers closed over the edge of the pillow, she felt something digging in her side. It took her a couple of minutes, but eventually Jo was able to pull herself into a sitting position.

Fingers hunting for the disturbance, Jo pushed against the foreign object imbedded in the mattress. Intrigued, she pulled the sheets back from the bed and searched for the lump. She eventually found a small slit in the mattress, and stuck her fingers inside the stuffing.

Something furry brushed against her fingers tips, and Jo feared for a second that she had detected a rodent. Snatching her fingers back she peered down at the hole and spotted a piece of leather string. Tugging on the string, a small brown bag popped free.

Before Jo could inspect her discovery, a contraction surged forward, forcing her to cling to the side of the bed frame. She moaned painfully, squeezing her eyes shut and counting down the seconds until the contraction would end. The contents inside the bag in her hand shifted, and she began tugging at the strings to distract herself from the relentless pain.

Halfway through opening the bag, her clumsy fingers slipped over the bags strings and spilt the contents onto the floor. The contraction increased in strength, forcing Jo to close her eyes and pray that it would be over soon. Her teeth locked down, preventing a distressed scream from escaping her throat.

“Oh God,” Jo rasped out as the pain declined. Gasping from the effort, Jo remembered the bag she had procured from the mattress, and glanced at the floor. What she saw there nearly brought on another contraction.

Scattered across the floor, Jo spied several tiny charred bones, and a few other items she didn’t recognise. She gulped, suddenly aware of why Castiel had been absent for the last couple of days.

“Looks like you found my Angel ward.”

Jo raised her eyes from the floor. Ruby stood at the door of the bunker, her black eyes filled with amusement. Jo opened her mouth to retort when Ruby surprised her by taking a bold step over the demon ward. Horrified, she watched the demon pass unhindered through the devils traps, until she came to a complete stop in front of the bed.

“It’s show time.”

***

“Bobby, you read my mind,” Dean gushed as Bobby handed each of the men a shot of whiskey. Dean knocked the amber liquid back quickly, and offered his empty shot glass back out for more. Bobby refilled the glass obligingly, and replenished his own.

Bobby turned to refill Sam’s glass, when Dean noticed that his brothers’ extended hand was shaking. He raised a curious eyebrow at Sam. “Dude, what’s with you?” He quipped with a smirk. “You’re not getting queasy over the birth are you?”

“I’m fine,” Sam snapped back, shoving his hand deep into his pockets. “I’m just tired.”

Confused by his siblings’ sudden change in mood, Dean shared a sceptical glance with Bobby. “Tired?” he repeated. “If today has taught me anything, Sammy - we don’t know the meaning of tired.” He grinned, and knocked back another shot of whiskey. He let out a grunt of appreciation, and placed his shot glass on the kitchen table. “I wouldn’t trade places with Jo for a trillion dollars.”

“What? Hell wasn’t painful enough for you?” Bobby teased, replacing the lid on the bottle of whiskey. He placed his own shot glass next to Dean’s, and held out his hand to take Sam’s glass. Sam’s shaking hand was still clenched around something in his pocket.

Dean snorted in reaction to Bobby’s question. “Not quite, Bobby.” He glanced around the room; craning his neck so he could peer around his brother. “Speaking of hell… Where is your demon bestie?”

Sam slammed his shot glass down on the table, and glowered at his brother. “How should I know? We aren’t attached at the hip.”

“Oookkkayyy,” Dean replied, giving Sam a bewildered look. “Where is the black eyed-“

“Her name is Ruby!” Sam exploded, reefing his hands out of his pocket. As he did so a small silver flask clattered to the ground. Oblivious, Sam rounded on his brother, his face twisted with an ugly scowl. “I don’t call your girlfriend names.”

Dean frowned, jerking his head back. “Excuse me? She’s your girlfriend now?” He remarked, surprised by the revelation. “I must have missed that funeral notice.” He glanced at Sam’s curled fist. “My condolences bro, I didn’t realise you were demon whipped.”

“That’s it! I’m gonna-” Sam made to lunge at Dean, but was intercepted by Bobby, who had anticipated the younger man’s reaction. He pushed Sam away roughly, and was surprised by the amount of effort it took to restrain the man.

“Boys, cut it out.” Bobby interceded. “Everyone is just tense, but it’s no excuse to-“

“What’s with the flask?”

Sam froze. Dean swept the fallen silver flask off the kitchen floor, and shook the object. “Dean, give it back!” Sam shouted desperately, and made to grab at the flask. Dean quickly held the item above his head, while Bobby pushed Sam backwards.

“Stop it, you two!” Bobby grunted, giving Dean a warning glare. “Dean, just give him back his-“

Dean unscrewed the lid of the flask, and sniffed the contents. His features screwed up in disgust and he wrenched the offending item away from his face. “You wanna tell me what the hell this is?” Dean ordered Sam, his jaw hardening.

Bobby peered over his shoulder confused when Sam suddenly stopped struggling. The taller Winchesters’ dilated eyes zeroed in on the flask, and his cheeks flushed red. “Dean,” Sam croaked out. “It’s not what it looks like.”

“Really?” Dean snapped. “Because you better have one serious explan-“ He was cut off when Sam suddenly burst forward, and made a grab for the flask. Dean side stepped his brother smoothly, and was quick to duck under his brothers flying fist.

“Give it!” Sam shouted, and made another grab for the flask.

“Sam, what in the hell-“ Bobby shouted, and backed behind the kitchen table seconds before Sam went to shove him aside. He glanced at Dean nervously. “Dean, what’s going on?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Dean growled. “Sam?” Dean tipped the flask upside down. Scarlet liquid slid from the flask, and splashed across the tiled floor. The stench of sulphur filled the room.

Bobby gapped at the liquid, before slowly dragging his eyes up at the shaken Winchester. “Demon blood, Sam?” he said quietly. “What-“

“He’s been drinking it.” Dean surmised, glaring at his brother, his eyes filled with repulsion. “Haven’t you, Sam?”

Sam, who stared at the mess on the floor with a devastated look on his face, ran a shaking hand through his messy hair. “Dean, I- I-“

“Just answer the damn question, Sam!” Dean bellowed.

Dean’s cell phone in his pocket started to ring. Sam glanced at his brothers pocket grateful for the distraction – until he spotted the level of revulsion frozen on Dean’s face. “You’ve been drinking demon blood to increase your psychic powers haven’t you?”

“Dean, It’s… I’m only trying to protect you-“

“Bullshit!” Dean roared, and pitched the flask at his brother. It bounced off Sam’s chest and clattered nosily onto the floor.

“It’s not! I’m doing this for you, Dean – I’m trying to protect our family,” Sam pleaded, and took a step towards Bobby with an earnest expression. The cell phone continued to ring. “Let’s just talk about this,” Sam urged softly taking another step forward. Booby stepped backwards hesitantly; his confused and betrayed eyes searching Sam’s face for reason. “I’m the only one who can do this,” Sam insisted, struggling to hold back the look of hurt as Bobby continued to shy away from him. “I’m the only one strong enough to protect Jo and the baby-“

“The hell you are!” Dean exclaimed, charging towards Sam. “If you think turning into some junkie is helping me, than you have lost your mind!”

“DEAN!”

A blood-curling scream shook the walls of the two-story house.

***

Castiel growled with frustration and hurled his phone at the swing set in front of him. It was useless. Dean was not going to answer his phone and he was out of time. He tried again uselessly to reach out with his mind and arrive by Dean’s side - But just like every other time he had tried, he was met with a solid wall.

A loss at what to do next, Castiel began to pace. His plan was unravelling faster than he could have anticipated. He frowned. He knew it had something to do with the demon Ruby, and realised with sickening regret that he had underestimated the evil serpents ability to interfere with his mission so effortlessly.

It was in between worrying over his next course of action, that the atmosphere around him abruptly changed. His brown eyes swept the deserted park until he was sure that the shadows cloaking the surrounding trees were of no threat. Sensing that he was out of choices and was in desperate need of assistance from the Archangels, Castiel turned ready to abandon the park until he spotted it.

The colt.

Castiel quickly snatched the long sought after item from the park swing and pressed it to his chest. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of bright red hair and whirled around.

The park sign by the road swung back and forth gently in the cold night air. The fading sign read ‘St Ellen’s Park’. A genuine relieved smile tickled Castiel’s plump lips and he ducked his head in gratitude.

“Thank you,” he breathed and disappeared into the night.

***

“Scream all you want Jo, but this baby is coming, and when he does I’m taking him home to daddy,” Ruby crowed, her hands latching around Jo’s ankles like manacles.

Jo twisted and attempted to kick the demon away, but it was a waste effort. After a small fight, Ruby had easily overpowered Jo while fierce contractions continued to batter the already exhausted blonde. Now pinned against the far wall, Jo continued to squirm, claw and kick the demon’s attempt to force her into giving birth.

“How – how did you get in?” Jo demanded between gritted teeth. Another contraction had hit, and Jo was using all her strength to fight the instinct to push.

“A friend left me the key to the place,” Ruby answered using her head to point out the small acid burns in the concrete. It was barely bigger than a hairpin, but the small slits were enough to render all the devil traps useless. Jo moaned. “But don’t worry it’ll be over soon enough,” The demon assured her with a sly grin. “Well not really. After the baby is born you’ll be taking a back seat in your body. That’s my reward. My boss promised I could have any meat suit I wanted if I delivered him his vessel.”

“Get away from me!” Jo howled, hugging her stomach in agony. She was close. She knew that the next contraction would force her to push no matter how determined she was not to.

“Don’t you want to know why I chose you?” Ruby asked. She wrestled Jo’s bent legs against her thighs and kept them locked in place. Jo whimpered, shaking her head back and forth. She relentlessly searched the room for some way to help her escape the demon’s clutches.

“Burn in hell, bitch.” Jo snapped. She took a deep breath and tilted her head back so she could scream for help, “DEAN!”

Laughing, Ruby delighted in continuing to explain her traitorous actions. “The reason I chose you is because I can.” Her eyes flickered black. Jo promised herself that if the demons’ face moved within arms reach, she would gouge Ruby’s eyes out with her bare hands. “That and nothing would be more satisfying than hearing you scream for my mercy.”

“I swear to God I’ll kill you,” Jo vowed, grunting from the strain of struggling against the vice like grip Ruby now had on her.

“Big threat from someone who can’t even stand right now,” Ruby pointed out. “And we both know that Sam has a bit of a thing for you, so your body is going to help me in oh so many ways.”

The contractions in Jo’s stomach started to tamper off, and Jo knew she didn’t have much time to act before the next wave. Taking a deep breath, she tilted her head back and screamed for all her worth. “DEAN!!!!!!”

She heard feet pounding down the stairs, and she opened her eyes with relief… until Ruby smirked and nodded her head. The heavy steel door slammed shut, and Jo screamed in horror.

“Don’t waste your breath,” Ruby snarled, and spread Jo’s legs wider. “That baby is on his way down. So get ready to push.”

“No!” Jo shouted and shook her head. She bit her lip and tried to restrain the urge to push. The contraction hit quicker than the last; Jo screamed and leant forward.

“I can see his head!” Ruby exclaimed excitedly. Jo sobbed, stars dancing in front of her eyes as she tried breathe. “Push you idiot!” Ruby shouted impatiently, and reached forward and jammed her fingers down Jo’s throat. As anticipated Jo gagged against the sharp fingers, her muscles pushing down involuntary.

The pain was unbearable. Between gasping for air, and screaming herself hoarse Jo felt her muscles give way and the baby slid free. Momentarily stunned by the sudden relief, she slumped backwards, coughing and gasping for air.

A traumatized screech filled the air.

“He’s gorgeous!” Ruby declared, and tied off the umbilical cord. Jo struggled to remain conscious, blood leaking from her mouth. Tossing Jo’s legs aside, the demon grabbed the sheets from the bed and bundled the baby in them. “Rest up sweetie,” Ruby ordered, trying to sooth the wriggling howling newborn baby. “I’ll be back for you and Sam later.”

There was a mighty crash, and the bunker door flew open.

***

She was never going to make it.

Squinting through the heavy rain pounding the windscreen of her truck, Ellen sped through the darkness. It was the most violent storm Ellen had witnessed in decades, which only served to confirm her fears that something big was going down. Something so big that it required a trench coat clad businessman to break into the Roadhouse, thrust the infamous colt in her hand, and insist that she arrive at Bobby’s house as soon as humanly possible. Upon questioning the man, he explained his presence had to do with the Winchesters, a demon, and her deceased daughter. A second later the man disappeared, and Ernie threw her truck keys at her as she raced out the door.

Slamming her foot down harder on the trucks gas pedal, Ellen pushed the engine as hard as it would go. With each mile the storm grew worse until finally she spotted the turn off to Bobby’s property. Passing through the steel archway, she could just make out the familiar black Impala parked around the side of the house, and she stamped down on the brakes. Once the truck was parked, Ellen grabbed the colt, and propelled herself into the raging storm.

A fork of lightning split the sky in half, illuminating her muddy path toward the dark house. By the time she barged through the back door, a monstrous clap of thunder muffled her loud entrance. Slick boots squeaking over the tiles, Ellen surveyed her surroundings warily.

A puddle of blood stained the kitchen floor.

“Ruby!”

Recognising Sam Winchesters horrified cry, Ellen raised the gun in her hand, and crept towards the open basement door. With the aid of a dull light bulb swinging from the ceiling, the elder Harvelle spied Sam standing at the entrance of the bunker, his hand out stretched. Beside him, Dean and Bobby stood with their guns drawn. Ellen inched further down the steps; she could just make out a black-eyed brunette holding a screaming newborn baby in her arms.

“Sorry Sammy boy, but this package has already been signed for by my boss.”

With a furious growl, Dean charged passed his brother. “You evil whore!” He bellowed, his voice murderous. “You’re not going anywhere with my son!”

Ellen baulked, but before Dean could take another step, the demon raised the squirming baby in front of her. “Ah-ah! I wouldn’t!” she warned, eyes flashing in amusement. “You don’t want to risk missing and shooting your son instead, do you?” Her smug grin grew wider as Dean hesitated in front of her. “That’s what I thought. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got places to-“

BANG!

The demons’ eyes widened in surprised as a bullet pierced through her skull, a red and gold flicker of light causing her body to shudder. Ellen slipped out from behind Bobby just as Dean lunged towards the brunette, his hands sliding through the demons’ stunned arms in time to catch the baby. The deceased brunette slumped heavily to the ground.

Ellen maintained a firm grip on the colt as she crept towards the body on the floor. “Is that what I think it is?” Dean exclaimed staring at Ellen in awe while trying to hold on to the hysterical baby in his arms.

“Mom?” Ellen whirled around at the sound of her daughters strained voice. Her hand covered her mouth in shock; dark blood seeped from between Jo’s legs, and pooled on the floor beneath her.

“Baby girl, I let you out of my sight for two minutes, and this is what you get up to?” Ellen rushed to her daughter’s side, and engulfed her in an enormous hug. “I knew you were alive, I knew it.”

“Sam, grab me those towels!” Bobby barked, already lifting Jo’s stained t-shirt to inspect the damage. When Sam did not respond, Ellen tore her eyes away from Jo’s pale, sweat coated features. The taller Winchester had disappeared. “Elle!”

Ellen clambered to her feet, and snatched the stack of towels off the table and rushed back to Bobby’s side. He took them from her without a word and quickly began trying to cease the bleeding.

“Is he ok?” Jo whispered, her eyes roaming around deliriously. It was with a sickening feeling that Ellen recognized the symptoms of someone who was suffering too much blood loss. “Dean? Is he ok? Is our baby safe?”

Surprised, Ellen looked up to see Dean walking towards them carefully. “He’s perfect, Jo. Just perfect,” he assured her, crouching so that he could show her the baby. “You did it.”

Jo nodded, smiling through the exhausted tears spilling from her eyes. She reached out with a fatigued hand, and grazed the side of the baby’s face. The reaction was instant, sensing his mother, the baby shifted against Dean; it’s tiny wrinkly fingers clawing at the air. He started to wail until Jo slipped her index fingers in between his bloody fingers. Jo smiled adoringly at her son as he latched onto the rest of her hand, his grip surprisingly strong.

“You ready for one final push, Jo?” Bobby asked gently. Ellen looked down stunned to see that Bobby now had on a pair of gloves, and was placing a silver pan between her daughters’ legs.

Jo looked at her mom confused; until a wave of pain smashed into her body. Jo arched her back and cried out panicked. “Wha? What’s happening? Why… I already had the baby!” The baby started to cry at the sound of Jo’s panicked sob and Dean quickly stood up to rock the child back and forth comfortingly. “Castiel didn’t say anything about twins?”

“It’s not twins, honey,” Bobby soothed, and glanced at Ellen. “It’s the afterbirth. The placenta needs to come out.”

“What?” Jo moaned horrified, and started to squirm away from Bobby. He took her legs and bent her knees, trying to prop her up against the wall again. “But… This never happens on TV!” Jo continued to protest, tears screaming down her face. “Why didn’t anyone warn me? I can’t do anymore pushing, I can’t-”

“Elle, help me here!” Bobby tried to pry Jo’s legs open again.

Wrapping an arm around Jo’s shoulders, she tried to sooth her petrified daughter. “I know, sweetie - I know.” Ellen crooned, running her fingers through the blondes’ hair. “But you have to listen to Bobby. You have to push.”

Jo’s fingers found Ellen’s, and she gripped her wrist painfully. “Please, Mom. I can’t-“

“Come on, just once more. You can do it.”

Jo shook her head defiantly. “No. It’s too much. I can’t-“ she sagged against the wall, her eyes fluttering dangerously. Ellen reached out and squeezed her daughters’ arms, trying to keep her awake. Jo moaned, and abruptly sat up as the final contraction began building in strength.

“Joanna Beth, push!”

“No!” Jo hollered and leant forward, bracing her feet against Bobby. The room was thrown into sudden darkness. Jo opened her mouth to scream at the same time thunder boomed overhead, and cyclonic winds began to beat against the side of the house.

“What in the hell?” Bobby exclaimed.

“That seriously can’t be good-“ Dean was abruptly cut off by the sound of his cell phone ringing in his pocket. Ellen caught sight of a flashing blue light as Dean struggled to pull a phone out of his pocket, and nurse the crying baby. “Cas?”

“Mom?” Despite the darkness, Ellen sensed her daughter was looking at her pleadingly.

“It’s okay, honey - everything is ok. The storm just knocked the power out.”

“I’m sorry.” The fingers that had been digging into her wrist suddenly loosened, and Ellen gasped.

“Jo?” She urged, her hand blindly seeking out her daughters pulse. “JO?!”

Okay, now that I've officially scared myself out of EVER having kids LOL Thoughts? Questions? Threats? :D