4. Back in Black

Night has blanketed the world by the time Castiel, Hannah, and I come to our destination. At first, I think it's a ruse, that the angels have brought me to a clearing to murder me and cover their tracks. I mean, a clearing has no witnesses except the victim and the killers.

But, when we stop the car, I notice we're at some sort of hidden bunker. Bouncing moonlight off of its roof and hood is a beautiful 1967 black Chevrolet Impala.

I wince as my head pushes memories in my face. I remember that car in my last life. I was always in the backseat, I never really drove it a lot.

"Stay here," Castiel tells Hannah. He looks into the mirror at me. "You're with me."

Rolling my eyes, I climb out of the car, shutting the door. I pull out the batons and keep them at my side. I look towards the hidden bunker. "So, the rundown?"

"There's a bit of a situation in there." We start walking for the hidden stairs. "My friend can't handle it on his own. His brother is trying to kill him."

"Well, gee, what'd he do? Steal his brother's girlfriend?"

"It's a long story. His brother is a demon, and he's trying to cure him. He asked for my help, hence the drive here."

"So, what do you want me to do exactly? I don't know these guys you're talking about." We hop down the steps.

"We'll figure that out once we see the situation inside."

Castiel leads us into the bunker, through a small hall before another door. I gasp, pushing myself against the wall as my vision is suddenly full of red. I grit my teeth. Nothing but pained screaming. The sounds of torture. Was I tortured in Hell? I would be shocked if I hadn't been.

"Are you okay?" Castiel's voice sounds like it's in a tunnel.

"No," I hiss.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to move past whatever this is. This doesn't look good."

I chuckle. "What gave that away, Einstein? The silence or the red in the room?"

"All right, it looks like we'll have to split up. Should you run into someone, if you can see his true face, you'll know which one is the demon. Don't kill him, keep him contained. Don't hurt the human you see."

I nod. "I guess if I make a wrong move, you'll smite me, Castiel?"

He frowns. "I hope it doesn't come to that."

"Why are you putting blind trust in me anyway?"

I know what's going on, I know how I want to respond, but I can't. For some reason, I let it happen. His answer is kissing me, which is the last thing I expected.

I wince in pain as something comes to me. I've been in this situation before, but not in this body. But I've already established that this isn't my born body. And to make things even stranger, apparently this isn't my first kiss with Castiel.

I don't know what startles me more: Castiel's kiss or whatever just happened. I look at the angel in slight horror as he lets me go. His eyes watch me expectantly, waiting for something from me. I don't know what I saw. Is it even right?

I slap Castiel so hard across the face I'm surprised I don't take his head off. I wipe my mouth.

"Don't ever do that again," I warn him sagely. "Next time, off goes your head."

"I—"

"I know why you did it, to see if it triggered something. It triggered something all right, just not something you wanted is all." I sigh. "Castiel, I don't know what you're expecting. I don't know why you hold onto this hope that I'm—I'm her."

"Because you are," he insists. "I know this is the worst time for this, but you can't not be her. Something's preventing you from remembering. There has to be something strong enough to break this."

"Look, you brought me here for a reason, to help...er..."

"Sam and Dean, who, if you are who I believe you to be, are your brothers. Sam is the human you don't want to kill, Dean is the demon you don't want to kill but keep contained."

I walk down the steps into the red bunker, pushing aside the noises of Hell from my head. I hear Castiel follow me as we step through what I believe is the library of this bunker. I shake off the flickering images. I've apparently been here before too.

Is Castiel right about me? So far, the evidence seems to point towards his theory, but...do I want to believe it?

We stop in the library, seeing many different doors that probably lead to a maze of hallways. I lick my lips, wondering where to even begin looking.

"Take one way, I'll take another," Castiel tells me.

We branch off into the halls. Red bathes this bunker, making the situation feel that more intense. I stalk through the halls. I don't fully understand the situation, and I probably won't. Castiel seems to have given me the basics to this and nothing more. I wonder if he would've told me the full story had I asked.

I gasp in pain, stumbling into the wall. The redness of this bunker is giving me flickers of Hell again. I remember darkness. Black and red. Begging for mercy, but not from my mouth, someone else's. I close my eyes. This is almost sending me to my knees.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, open my eyes, and keep going. As my eyes open, the red lighting disappears, which makes me breathe a little easier. Less distraction.

I search through any room that's unlocked or open. I come up empty each time. I don't hear any noises that suggest someone's close by either. Is it possible the fight has been taken somewhere else? Like, outside?

When I round the corner, I know who I've found. Well, that certainly didn't take very long.

He stops at the sight of me. I can see what he really is, just like he can see me. He's got a hammer in one of his hands, and he looks like he's out for blood. But not in the vengeful kind of way, more so just-for-sport kind of way. Like this doesn't really mean anything to him other than pure enjoyment.

"Well, now," he says lowly, walking towards me. His voice is low and deadly, but alluring all the same. "How'd you wind up here?"

I remain silent. I don't have anything to say to him.

"Ah, the brooding silent type. Say, can you help me out? I'm trying to find my brother. You seen him?"

I purse my lips. "Not sure I should be talking to a stranger."

"We don't have to be strangers, sweetheart. And I really don't want to have to end you. You seem like a fine girl. Now, where can I find my little brother?"

"I don't know."

His eyes narrow at me.

No more talking happens, because he tries to go for my throat. I smack his hand away with a baton, and he jumps back, a sinister smile on his lips.

"Oh, you want to play, is that it?" He rolls his neck. "All right, I'm game."

He comes at me with the hammer, and I duck but catch the weapon with a baton. I kick out at him, forcing him into the wall. I'm catapulted into the wall behind me, the impact jarring me so much that I drop my batons. He doesn't let up.

I sputter as he's got a strong hand on my throat, pushing me into the wall. I pull on his fingers to let me go. "I don't like your attitude."

"Well, that makes...two of us," I cough.

"You're covering for him, aren't you?"

"I don't even know your brother, you prick!" I kick out at him. "Now, let go!"

I drop down, coughing, as I somehow force the demon back. He looks at me in awe, chuckling. "Now we're getting somewhere. I don't know who you are or who you're with, but I'm gonna assume you're trying to change me back." Something catches his attention, and I look where he does.

At the other end of the hall, there's the human Castiel told me to not harm. I need to keep him safe. Sam, I think Castiel called him. So then the demon is Dean. I wince, feeling a sharp pain in my skull.

Wait. Sam. Dean. My mind pulls their faces from my fogged memory. Sam. Dean. But Dean isn't the same, he's not how I remember him. Dean. Dean's a demon now, not possessed, a demon. Sam somehow found himself with a broken arm or something, it's in a sling. Sam. Sammy.

I remember Sam and Dean. I remember how I left both of them.

The factory starts working up in my brain, and now, Avery is just a middle name to me.

With this massive revelation, my mind shifts. Okay, so Dean's a demon, wants to kill Sam. I need to keep Sam safe from our brother. Wow, I never thought I'd tell myself that.

"I'll save you for later," Dean tells me. "Hey, little brother. I believe you and I need to finish something."

Hell to the no. As Dean stalks towards our little brother, I peel myself off the wall, shoving Dean forward onto his stomach with my power. I quickly grab my batons and run for him, ensuring he stays on the ground by tackling him. He twists, knocking hard into my face.

"Sam, run!" I shout. I grunt as Dean wrestles me, shoving me onto the ground. I let out a high screech as he tries to bring the hammer down on my head. My arms shake, and the veins are popping out in his arm and his forehead. "Dean, stop it! It's me."

He just cocks his head and continues to try and bring the hammer down on my face. I kick furiously on the bunker floor, frustrated that I can't kick my brother and get him off me. I assume Sam has run off like I told him to. I want to know how he got his damn arm in a sling.

"Dean," I try louder. "It's Josette, you asshat. Stop."

"Oh, real low, bitch. Trying to make it sound like you're my little sister. No, Josette's gone. She's dead. She's not coming back."

"Oh, for God's sake!" I barely move Dean's hammer away from my face long enough for me to bash my forehead into his. The hammer comes down on my shoulder, and I feel like it's fractured. I use my opposite shoulder to knock into his face again. I send him up, and I use my body to shove him away from me. I hear the hammer drop onto the floor, but I'm having a hard time getting to my feet.

"You one of Crowley's bitches?" Dean asks, picking himself up off the floor. "He pissed that I'm not his adventure buddy anymore?"

"No." I wince, scooting backwards. My shoulder is on fire. "I'm Josette, Dean."

"No, the Josette I know wouldn't have taken up residency at Hotel Hell."

"I wish that were true," I grumble.

"Hey!" shouts Sam.

Somehow, Dean gets pulled away from me by Sam's voice alone. I gasp in pain, feeling my shoulder continue to burn up.

"Sammy, don't," I croak as Dean stalks towards our baby brother. I wince as Dean tries to decapitate Sam. Thankfully, Sam ducks, and the hammer gets lodged into the wall. Sam springs up, putting the knife against Dean's throat.

"Well..." says Dean. "Look at you. Do it. It's all you."

Sam lets the knife fall, and I try to push myself up the wall to attack Dean from behind. But Castiel—no, Cas—has already beat me to it. He's got his arms around Dean.

"It's over," Cas says. "Dean, it's over."

Dean yells, and that's incentive enough for Cas to keep his hold on Dean.

"It's over," Cas repeats.

Somehow, that's enough to get Dean restrained. Cas and Sam drag him back towards probably the dungeon that I now remember. It's like a floodgate has opened up, and everything—including the Hell bits—are all crowding my head.

I'm left alone, and I use the wall to stagger to my feet. I look down at the batons that are now mine but not the first set I ever used. Wait, where's my truck? Did Sam never recover it after the fight with Metatron?

Well, why would he have? He'd lost Dean and me in the span of less than twelve hours. He would've been overwhelmed and mourning. Retrieving his then-dead sister's truck would've been the last thing on his mind.

How much did Sam hear? I know my baby brother is a smart guy. I have no idea how our reunion is going to be.

Speaking of reunions, I really need to apologize to Cas for slapping him earlier.

Since everything's come back to me, I figure out where I am in the bunker and mindlessly search. I find my room, my room that doesn't look like it's been touched. I lick my lips. Just how long have I been gone? How long did I stay in Hell? I know I felt like I was there for a century.

"I owe you an apology," I say to the approaching feet. I half turn to see a tired Cas in my view. I pull his face down by his chin and kiss him softly.

"You...have your memories back?"

I nod. "I do."

His ocean-eyes squint. "Prove it."

"Before we tried to take out Metatron, we kissed. And I also crowned you 'Cassie' that day too." I clear my throat. "Listen, Cas..."

"It's all right, Josette." His brows come over his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"My shoulder..."

"I can heal it for you."

"Cas, you've got limited Grace. No." I shake my head.

"I did for you before. Just let me do it."

"Cas," I groan, but he places a hand on my shoulder, and I feel a cool sensation through it. It's like Dean didn't put a hammer down on it to begin with. "Thanks. How is he?"

"Cured. Well, cured in the sense that he's no longer a demon. The Mark of Cain..."

"Right, that damn thing. Well, I guess that's the next step, right?"

"Yes, it is. Go see him, Josette. Sam went out to get some food."

"Okay." I rub the back of my head. "I don't know how they'll feel about this, though. New body and everything."

"We'll adjust. Unfortunately, I won't be staying for much longer."

"Right, you've got Hannah waiting in the car. Well, you can tell her the good news." I offer a small smile. I sigh. "Just when you think you'll be around a while, and then I lose you to another woman." I snort.

"We'll run into each other again soon. That's the nature of our lives." Cas kisses me softly. "It's good to have you back, Josette."

"I'm happy to be back."

"I'll see you soon."

"I'll see you soon, Cassie."

I guess we aren't addressing the fact that I'm still a demon until probably tomorrow since Dean's curing wiped everyone out. I feel slightly mentally drained, not really physically tired.

As Cas and I go our separate ways, I find Dean's room. He's sifting through whatever pictures he's managed to keep over the years.

"Mind some company?" I ask.

Since Dean is cured, like Cas said, all I can see is his natural looks. Those familiar, tired, aged green eyes. He's acquiring stubble on his face now.

"You weren't lying, were you?" he asks me softly. "About who you said you were...are?"

I nod. "I'm back, bro."

I know he's trying to smile, but whether it's fatigue or not, the smile doesn't blossom to full strength. "You want to explain yourself?"

"I went to Hell, broke out, and came back in a new body, and as a demon." I shrug.

"You know, there is a cure for that, Jo."

I bite my lip. "I'm not sure I want to say goodbye to it, though."

"Well, you should."

"Dean, think about it. I—we—can use this to our advantage on hunts."

"Jo, you saw what happened earlier."

"But I won't end up like that," I say adamantly. "Give me time to prove it. I'll turn this power around and use it properly, how it should be. This is an opportunity we can't afford to push away."

"Jo..."

I look to him wearily. "Trust me on this, big brother. I can get a grip on this, I just need time. If things get too out of control, you can cure me. Sound like a fair bargain?"

Dean runs a hand through his hair. "You really think you can control this? Just how long have you been out of Hell, Josette?"

"A few days."

Dean shakes his head. "And you really think that's a smart idea?"

"I learn fast." Franco told me so.

Franco. Well, since I've got my memories back, I can gank him when I see him next. If I ever do.

"If you're wrong..."

"Nothing will go wrong," I assure Dean. "This will benefit us all."

"I hope to God I didn't just agree to letting you do something drastic like get out of control and murder us all."

I roll my eyes. "Don't be so dramatic. You'll see, Dean. You, Sam, and Cas will."

**One of the chapters had to have this title, right?

Didn't think the amnesia was gonna last long, did you?

Well, thank God for that, am I right? I have to say, this chapter (more like the fight scene with Dean and Jo) was one of my most favorite to write. Yeah, the boys might be too quick to trust that it's Jo again, but the signs are all there. (Yeah, it was a little bit weird that Dean was kind of hitting on Jo, but in all fairness, he didn't know it was his little sister...)

And add a sprinkle of Cassette in there. But it doesn't feel the same, does it? Trust me, it's supposed to feel that way. Jo's different now, so everything's gonna change.

What do you think, guys? Is it smart for them to let Jo remain a demon? You think she can handle it like she claims she can? Or should she have had the cure rammed down her throat already?

And the big one: how long until Sam finds out her secret? Think he'll take it so easily like Cas and Dean have?**