╭-°—✞——✞—°-╮

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗜𝗫

𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘴

╰-°—✞——✞—°-╯

"Los Angeles, California."

"What's in L.A.?" Delaney asked Dean as he shut the trunk of the Impala and walked around the side of the Impala with Delaney and Sam on the other side.

"Young girl's been kidnapped by an evil cult," Dean informed as he fumbled in his pockets for his keys.

"Yeah? The girl got a name?" Sam asked.

"Katie Holmes."

Delaney laughed as she exchanged a glance with Sam. "That's funny, Dee. Also, for you, so bitchy."

A sudden loud crash followed by the sound of glass breaking came from inside ELLEN'S ROADHOUSE behind them. Ellen and Jo's argument could be heard clearly even through the closed door.

"Of course, on the other hand — catfight," Dean said before he and Sam both rushed over to the entrance of the Roadhouse.

"Men," Delaney rolled her eyes, slowly following after her brothers. 

The three Winchesters walked in just as Jo and Ellen were coming down from the upper level where a few bar tables stood along with another pool table much like the one in the corner of the bottom level of the Roadhouse. 

"What are you going to do? Chain me up in the basement?" Jo yelled at Ellen as Ellen tried to ready all the tables for when the Roadhouse would open up in a few minutes for breakfast.

"You know what, you've had worse ideas than that recently," Ellen snapped, walking around her daughter to finish taking the chairs off the tabletops. "Hey, you don't wanna stay? Don't - go back to school!"

"I didn't belong there! I was a freak with a knife collection."

Ellen placed the chair down on the floor in front of her, leaning on the back of it as she stared at her daughter as if she had gone insane. "Yeah, and getting yourself killed on some dusty back road - that's where you belong?!" 

Delaney flashed Jo and Ellen an awkward smile when they both glanced in the Winchester sibling's direction. "Heeyy, guys...

"Guys, bad time," Ellen huffed.

Sam held his hands up in defense. "Yes, ma'am."

"We rarely drink before ten anyway," Dean added.

"Wait," Jo called before the three Winchesters could take more than a step towards the exit. "I want to know what they think about this."

"I don't care what they think!" Ellen yelled.

A family of four all dressed in yellow shirts that read NEBRASKA IS FOR LOVERS inside the outline of the state walked in, momentarily ending the argument between the mother and daughter. "Are you guys open?"

"YES!"

"NO!"

The father chuckled nervously as he and his wife exchanged a silent conversation. "Well, just... uh... check out the Arby's down the road."

As the family slowly backed out of the Roadhouse, the phone began to ring and Jo turned to glare at the ringing nuisance. Her eyes trailed to her mother who stalked over to answer it since she knew Jo wouldn't do it.

Jo turned to the three siblings who all wanted to be anywhere but the Roadhouse at that point. The awkward tension in the room was almost suffocating. Delaney thought the fights between her and Dean were bad. However, this definitely topped them by a long shot. "Three weeks ago a young girl disappears from a Philadelphia apartment," she explained and held a white folder out towards Delaney.

Delaney merely glanced at the folder before looking back to Jo with a raised eyebrow.

"Delaney, it's not going to bite."

"No, but your mother might chew my head off."

Jo gave Delaney a look who reluctantly took the folder from the blonde. "This girl wasn't the first. Over the past eighty years six women have vanished - all from the same building, all young blondes. Only happens every decade or two so cops never eyeball the pattern. So we're either dealing with one very old serial killer, or —"

Dean looked over his sister's shoulder as she flipped through all the information that was placed inside. "Who put this together? Ash?"

"I did it myself," Jo replied, looking quite pleased with herself.

The three Winchesters all made impressed humming sounds before looking back at the file in Delaney's hand. 

"I gotta admit, we hit the road for a lot less," Sam voiced.

"Good. If you like the case so much, you take it," Ellen told the siblings as she walked back over to the small circle they had made with Jo. 

"MOM!" Jo complained.

"Joanna Beth, this family has lost enough. And I won't lose you too. I just won't."

—✞——✞—

Delaney quickly picked the lock on the apartment door of the now missing girl's apartment and pushed it open. She placed Dean's lock picking stuff back in his pocket and entered with her brothers trailing behind her, Sam holding out his EMF reader. "I feel kind of bad taking Jo's case."

"Yeah, maybe she put together a good file, but could you see her out here working one of these things? I don't think so."

"You said the same thing about me, Dean. Yet here I am. Jo's a tough girl and I think she'd be able to do it," Delaney defended the girl, taking out her own EMF meter and turning it on. "You guys getting anything?"

Sam waved his EMF around the area he stood in and shook his head. "Not yet."

Delaney moved closer to the wall next to her and stopped when the EMF meter whirred in her hand. She bent down and looked into the open wall socket and furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed a black liquid inside. Dipping her finger in it, she held it up for Sam and Dean. "What is this?"

Sam gently grabbed his sister's wrist so he could inspect the black goo on her fingers closer. "Holy crap."

"That's ectoplasm," Dean informed as he also inspected the goo closer and Delaney scrunched up her face, wiping her finger on her jeans. "Well, kiddos, I think I know what we're dealing with here. It's the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man."

Sam gave his brother his famous bitch face, shaking his head at him. "Dean, I've only ever seen this stuff twice. I mean, to make this stuff you have to be one majorly pissed off spirit."

"Let's find this badass before he snags any more girls."

"Thank God I'm not blonde," Delaney mumbled.

After agreeing to come back once they got more information, the siblings exited the apartment and making sure to lock the apartment behind them so it was like  they hadn't been there. Rounding the corner, the landlord for the apartment could be heard from the next corner with another girl's voice speaking back. Dean grabbed Delaney and pulled her behind a piece of wall that stuck out, placing her between Sam and him.

"It is so spacious. You know, my friend told me I absolutely have to come check it out, and I have to admit, she was right. You did a really good job with this place," Jo said to the landlord as they rounded the corner.

The three siblings immediately stepped out of their hiding spot as Jo and the landlord approached.

"What are you doing here?" Dean asked Jo, not looking too pleased she went against Ellen's wishes.

"There you are, honey," Jo smiled as she walked up to Dean and wrapped an arm around his waist. "This is my boyfriend Dean, his buddy Sam and his little sister Delaney."

Delaney and Sam stood to the side as they tried not to send Jo scolding glances for coming.

"Good to meet you," the landlord greeted, shaking hands with Dean. "You got quite the gal here."

"She's a pistol," Dean grit through his teeth with a fake smile, slapping Jo on the back to show he wasn't at all happy with her.

"So, did you already check out that apartment?" Jo asked, looking between the three. "The one for rent."

"Yes. Loved it," Dean chuckled nervously. "Great flow."

Delaney shot Sam an amused look as they both mouthed great flow at each other.

"How'd you get in?" the landlord questioned.

"It was open," Delaney swiftly lied. "Sorry if we kind of just barged in there like that."

"Now, Ed, um, when did the last tenant move out?" Jo inquired.

"About a month ago. Cut and run, too. Stick me for the rent."

Jo flashed a bright smile as she cuddled closer to Dean's side. "Well. Her loss, our gain! 'Cause if Dean-o loves it, it's good enough for me."

"Oh, sweetie!" Dean slapped her back again to tell her to knock it off.

Jo held up a wad of cash to the landlord. "We'll take it."

—✞——✞—

Once they were set up in the apartment, Jo turned to Dean with an innocent smile. "I'll flip you for the sofa."

Dean handed Delaney the gun he just finished loading so she could wipe it off and make sure it was clean. "Does your mother even know you're here?"

Jo shrugged, fiddling with the file in her hand. "I told her I was going to Vegas."

"You think she's gonna buy that?" Dean scoffed.

"I'm not an idiot," Jo retorted, tossing the file onto the table where there wasn't a weapon. "I got Ash to lay a credit card trail all the way to the casinos."

Dean shook his head disapprovingly at Jo. "You shouldn't lie to your mom. Shouldn't be here either."

Jo glanced to Sam and Delaney who both silently agreed with Dean. Sure Delaney thought that Jo could handle this kind of thing, but she also didn't want the poor girl getting hurt. They weren't even sure if she had even done a hunt before. "Well, I am, so untwist your boxers and deal with it."

"Great, Sammy, there's two of them now," Dean grunted, motioning between Jo and Delaney.

Delaney rolled her eyes as Sam chuckled in response, ignoring her brothers as she placed down the newly cleaned rock salt gun. "So where did you get all that money from anyway?"

"Working at the Roadhouse."

"Hunters don't tip that well," Dean argued.

Jo sent him a cocky smirk as she crossed her arms. "They aren't that good at poker, either."

"You are my new best friend," Delaney cheered, high-fiving Jo.

Dean's cell-phone ringing cut off whatever response he had for Jo and he picked up. "Oh, hi, Ellen."

Jo gasped and quickly rounded the table, poking a finger in his chest. "Don't you dare tell her."

Sam and Delaney watched on in amusement as the two had a quick and quiet back and forth argument before Dean was placing the phone back to his ear and telling Ellen that he hadn't seen Jo. After another few short words with Ellen, Dean was hanging up and giving Jo - who wore a wide grin - an exasperated look.

"I swear, I don't know which one of you is worse. You or my sister."

"Both," Jo winked and walked over to the table to grab the file again so they could figure out what was going on.

—✞——✞—

A bit later, Dean paced the length of the apartment while Jo, Delaney and Sam sat at the table in the middle of the room dividing the living room and kitchen. A blueprint was spread out on the table while Jo flipped around a knife in her hand while Sam and Delaney read through the information in the file that Jo made.

"This place was built in 1924. It was originally a warehouse, converted into apartments a few months ago," Jo informed the siblings, glancing over her shoulder at Dean.

"Yeah? What was here before 1924?" Dean asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Nothing. An empty field," Jo replied.

Delaney sighed as her eyes continued to scan the page in her hand. "So, most likely scenario - someone died bloody in the building, and now he's back and raising hell."

"I already checked. In the past eighty-two years, zero violent deaths, unless you count a janitor who slipped on a wet floor," Jo corrected. "Would you sit down, please?"

Dean's jaw ticked, but he obliged and sat down next to Delaney and across from Jo. "So, have you checked police reports, county death records..."

"Obituaries, mortuary reports and seven other sources. I know what I'm doing," Jo cut Dean off, flashing him an annoyed glance.

"I think the jury's still out on that one," Dean countered and draped his arm across the back of Delaney's chair next to him. "Could you put the knife down?"

"Okay!" Sam said loudly before the two could get into an argument. "So, uh, it's something else, then. Maybe some kind of cursed object that brought a spirit with it."

"Well, we've got to scan the whole building. Everywhere we can get to, right?"

Dean nodded and smiled at Jo. "Yep and you and I will take the top two floors while Sam and Delaney do the other floors."

Jo stood up from her chair with a scoff. "Yeah, but we'll cover more ground if we split up."

"Oh, sweetheart, this isn't negotiable."

"Jo, just do as he says. He's really annoying when you try to argue with him," Delaney piped up and shot her brother a lopsided grin when he shot her a stern look.

—✞——✞—

The next morning, Delaney and Sam had woken up around the same time and walked into the front area to see Jo sat at the table still from when both went to bed. Jo mentioned not wanting to sleep so Sam took to sleeping on the bed with Delaney while Dean took to passing out on the couch.

"Still going over all that?" Delaney asked, shrugging her jacket on.

"Yeah it's a lot," Jo responded, still flipping the small knife in her hand. "You guys are up early."

Delaney chuckled and shrugged. "You kind of get used to it after a while of being in this life. Sammy and I are about to head out for coffee, you want any?"

"Sure, thanks," Jo replied with a polite smile before turning back to the spread of information on the table.

After exiting the apartment and making their way half way down the hall, Delaney turned to Sam as he hit the button for the elevator. "I think Dean has a crush."

Sam laughed as he stared at Delaney as if she had gone nuts. "Since when has Dean ever really had a crush?"

"That Cassie girl," Delaney reminded him as the elevator dinged and they stepped onto it, pressing the button for the lobby. "Jo likes him, too. I can tell."

"Why are you trying to play matchmaker?" Sam questioned, leaning against the rail on the wall of the elevator.

"I just want Dean to be happy, you know? Plus he'd have someone else to project all his frustration," Delaney teased. "You can't tell me you don't sense the sexual tension."

Sam crossed his arms, his right arm bulking out still from the cast that sat around his wrist. "I do, but I think we should just let whatever will happen between them happen as it does. No need to force it."

Delaney pouted as the elevator doors opened to the lobby and the two stepped out. "Oh come on, Sammy, why can't we - " She broke off when there was a swarm of cops and cop cars outside the apartment building. "Well, that's not good. I guess no coffee for us."

—✞——✞—

A few hours later, Delaney stood in the apartment around the table with Jo and Sam while Dean ran out to investigate the next girl that went missing. They needed to be quicker with going through the information before another girl disappeared. 

"Teresa Ellis, Apartment 2F," Dean explained as he walked into the apartment, closing the door behind him and walking over to the table. "Boyfriend reported her missing around dawn."

"What about her apartment?" Delaney asked, looking up from the file in her hand.

"Cracks all over the plaster, walls, ceiling. There was ectoplasm, too."

Sam tossed the photo in his hand onto the table, leaning his hands onto the wood. "Well, between that and that tuft of hair I'd say this sucker's coming from the walls."

"But who is it? Building's history is totally clean," Dean reminded, not knowing where they could go with this.

Jo picked up a photo of an empty lot that was hidden beneath a bunch of different files and tilted her head in thought. "Maybe we're looking in the wrong place."

"What do you mean?"

Jo held the photo out for Dean to take. "Check this out. 

Delaney rose an eyebrow as she glanced at the photo before looking back to Jo. "An empty lot?"

"It's where this building was built. Take a look at the one next door. The windows."

Next door to the vacant lot was the side of a brick building, the windows on the side having bars over them. 

"We're next door to a prison," Delaney noted, pointing to the bars on the windows so her brothers could see what her and Jo were talking about.

"I'm going to call Ash," Jo whipped out her phone and calling up Ash. She explained the situation to Ash who quickly got her the info. "Thanks, Ash. If you breathe a word of this to my mom... That's right. I will. With pliers."

Delaney grinned as Jo hung up the phone. She swore the more she hung out with the blonde, the more she loved her. "So, what did he say?"

Jo walked back over to the table and sat ontop, grabbing the photo of the vacant lot again and holding it up. "Moyamensing prison. Built in 1835, torn down in 1963. Get this - they used to execute people by hanging them in the empty field next door."

"Well, we need a list of all the people executed then," Sam said.

Jo placed the photo back down on the table and gave the siblings a knowing smile. "Ash is already on it."

Not even twenty minutes later, Delaney was already sat in front of Sam's laptop as she scrolled through the long list of names that Ash emailed over. "Hundred-fifty-seven names?"

"We have to narrow that list down or we're gonna be digging up a hell of a lot of stiffs."

Delaney ran a hand over her face as she continued to scroll down the list until Sam stopped her, using his non-injured hand to click on the name Herman Webster Mudgett.

"Isn't this H. H. Holmes' real name?" Sam asked, glancing to Dean.

"You got to be kidding me," Dean dropped his head for a moment as he let out a long breath. "Della, move."

"Please would be nice," Delaney huffed only to be pushed out of the way, punching Dean's arm when she caught herself before she hit the ground.

Dean ignored Delaney's complaints and quickly typed whatever he was trying to look up. He clicked onto the first article that popped up and quickly skimmed through it. "Holmes was executed at Moyamensing May 7th, 1896."

"H. H. Holmes himself," Sam said in disbelief, an excited grin spread across his face. "Come on. I mean, what are the odds?"

"Who is this guy?" Jo questioned, motioning to the photo of Holmes that was apart of the article Dean found. He looked like a person void of emotion just from the photo alone. His face held no emotion to it as he stared into the camera. It was almost unsettling.

"The term multi-murderer - they coined it to describe Holmes. He was America's first serial killer, before anybody knew what a serial killer was."

"Yeah, he confessed to twenty seven murders, but some put the death toll at over a hundred," Sam added.

"And his victim flavor of choice? Pretty petite blondes. He, uh, he used chloroform to kill 'em," Dean continued and looked up to Jo who looked unimpressed. "Which is what I smelled in the hallway last night. At his place, cops found human remains, bone fragments, and long locks of bloody blonde hair. Boy, you sure know how to pick 'em."

Delaney sat on the table next to Sam's laptop and shrugged. "Well, we just find the bones, salt 'em and burn 'em, right?"

"Well, it's not that easy, Delly," Sam answered.  "His body is buried in town, but it's encased in a couple tons of concrete."

Jo rose an eyebrow. "Um... why?"

"The story goes that he didn't want anybody mutilating his corpse. 'Cause, you know, that's what he used to do," Dean explained.

"You know something?" Sam spoke, chuckling to himself as he pushed himself off the wall he was leant against and walked over to the table with all the photos and files on it. "We might have an even bigger problem than that."

Jo scoffed and crossed her arms. "How can it get any worse than that?"

"Holmes built an apartment building in Chicago. He called it the Murder Castle. The whole place was a death factory, they had, uh, trap doors, acid vats, quick line pits... he built these secret chambers inside the walls. He'd lock his victims in, keep them alive for days. Some he'd suffocate, others he'd let starve to death."

Delaney perked up a little at this. "So Teresa could still be alive. She could be inside these walls, right?"

"We need sledgehammers, crowbars. We've got to smash these walls, anywhere thick enough to hide a girl," Dean informed, pushing himself out of the chair in front of the laptop as the four split up again to get the necessary items.

—✞——✞—

Delaney whined as she picked dust and dirt out of her hair. "God, I'm going to need a serious shower when we're done."

"Yeah, just don't tell Dean I let you go squeezing through the smaller holes by yourself," Sam reminded his sister as he dusted off his own jacket, balancing the hammer under his armpit so he wouldn't have to use his injured hand to dust himself.

"I'm not blonde, Sammy, he wouldn't take me anyway."

"Like Dean would care."

Delaney thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Okay, yeah you're right."

As if he knew they were talking about him, Dean came rushing down the hallway the two youngest Winchesters were walking down, bumping into Delaney. Sam quickly caught Delaney before she could crash to the ground and they both looked at their brother with confused glances. 

"Dee, seriously, what the hell?" Delaney huffed.

"He's got Jo."

Delaney's eyes widened as she felt the anxiety begging to bubble in her stomach at the thought of her friend being captured by the psychotic killer. "You lost Jo?!"

"I wasn't with her; I left her alone. Dammit!"

"What?" Delaney snapped, jogging so she could keep up with Dean and Sam's quick steps. "How could you leave her alone?"

"Not helping, Delaney!"

Sam put his arm between his two siblings before they could attack each other. "Hey, hey, look, we'll find her, all right?"

"Where?" Dean yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

"Disney World," Delaney retorted, earning a dark look from Dean that told her she was pushing his buttons. "Inside the walls, Dean."

"We've been inside the walls all night. None of the other girls were there, she won't be either."

Delaney followed Dean into the apartment and tossed her sledgehammer onto the counter into the kitchen. "No need for negativity. We've just gotta take a beat and think about this. Maybe we got Holmes' M.O. wrong."

"Yeah, well, we better friggin' think fast," Dean said, pulling out his phone once it began to ring. "Crap, it's Ellen."

Delaney and Sam both gave him exasperated looks. After apologizing over and over to Ellen and mumbling a very confused what at something she said, Dean hug up in a huff. "DAMNIT!"

"Don't beat yourself up, Dean. There's nothing you could have done," Sam assured him.

"Della, tell me you got something."

Delaney shuffled the papers around on the table so they sat around the blueprint of the building. "Uh, maybe. Look. You look at the layout of the Holmes murder castle, there's all the torture chambers inside the walls, right?"

Dean walked over to stand behind Delaney's chair so he could look at the blueprint properly. "Right."

"There's one we haven't considered yet. The one in this basement."

"This building doesn't have a basement," Dean countered.

"You're right it doesn't. I just noticed this. Beneath the foundation, it looks like part of an old sewer system that hasn't been used for —"

Dean quickly grabbed his jacket and books, making his way towards the door. "Let's go!"

Sam and Delaney both exchanged a glance before shrugging and rushing out after their brother.

—✞——✞—

Delaney crawled through the narrow sewer tunnels behind Dean and in front of Sam. She offered to go first, but neither of her brothers were having it. She may not be blonde, but they also didn't know what the guy would do even without her having the blonde hair.

"You know, the last time I was in a sewer, a creepy version of Dean tied me up and then tried to kill me at my best friend's house," Delaney recalled, groaning in disgust when her hand hit something in the murky water beneath her. "Much rather deal with that than a psycho obsessed with blondes."

"Della, I thought we promised never to bring that up," Dean panted, not liking the memory of her almost dying because they had to split up. If him and Sam had been just a few minutes later, Delaney would have been dead no doubt.

"Sorry," Delaney sheepishly replied as the three stood to their full height once in the prison like setting outside of the tiny tunnel. 

Creeping along slowly, the three siblings shined their lights around the place until they rounded a corner and saw a gray looking man with dirty, shaggy hair and shaggy clothing, holding his hand through the cell door and a girl's muffled screams coming from inside.

"Hey!" Delaney shouted and fired the gun into Holmes' chest, sending him flying backwards and out of sight for the moment. 

"Jo?!" Dean yelled and rushed over to the cell that Jo's response came from. "You okay?"

Delaney ran over to the cell across from Jo's to shine her light through and found Teresa peering up at her, dirt and grime covering her person. "Hey, Teresa? My brothers and I will get you out, okay?"

"Della!" Dean called and he tossed her the iron crow bar to break open Teresa's door.

Delaney caught the crow bar and struggled a bit, but eventually got Teresa's cell open. The girl quickly scrambled out of her cell and clung onto Delaney for dear life, thanking her over and over for saving her. She giggled softly and pat the petrified girl on the back. "It's gonna be okay, Teresa."

"Can we get out of here before he comes back?" Jo asked as Dean helped her out of her cell.

"Actually, I don't think you're leaving here just yet," Dean said, flashing her a sheepish look. "Remember when I said you being bait was a bad plan? Now it's kind of the only one we got."

—✞——✞—

Delaney, Dean and Sam all hid in the grate that lead to where the cells were. Jo was sat in the middle of the room with her knees drawn to her chest as she waited for Holmes to come back. It was taking a bit longer than they wanted, but eventually Holmes appeared behind Jo. He took her in from behind for a moment before he slowly stalked his way over to her. Once he was a few steps away, Dean shouted for Jo to duck.

The three Winchesters stuck their guns through the grate holes and shot at the wall above it, several bags unroll and spill salt in a perfect circle around HOLMES, trapping him in the middle. Dean opened the grate door and pulled Jo to safety as HOLMES turned in a circle, gibbering and screaming in terror as he realized they had trapped him.

"Scream all you want, you dick, but there's no way you're stepping over that salt!" Jo yelled at Holmes.

A grate slid down, sealing off the room and cutting off Holmes' screams. 

Finally, they were done.

—✞——✞—

Delaney stood above the sewers with Jo as they both stared into the dark hole below. "So? This job as glamorous as you thought it would be?"

"Well, except for all the pee-your-pants terror, yeah. Sure. But that Teresa girl's gonna live a life because of us. It's worth it, isn't it?" Jo asked.

Delaney stuffed her hands into her back pockets as she bounced slightly on the balls of her feet. "I used to think that it was awful because no one should be subjected to this life. However, it's worth it because now that girl is safe and sound again. She'll have nightmares, sure, but at least she's alive, you know? I think that beats out all the cons of this."

"How did you get to do it? I know you're just as new as me and Dean - who is quite literally the king of overprotective with you - doesn't even bat an eyelash about it, yet my mom does."

Delaney chuckled and scratched the back of her neck. "It's a long story."

Jo nodded, not bothering to pry any further. "Hey, what if somebody finds that sewer down there, or a storm washes the salt away?"

"Both very fine points. Which is why we're waiting here," Delaney informed the blonde just as a cement truck backed up beside them, stopping a few feet from the sewer hole. Both girls turned to see Dean and Sam hopping out from either side of the cab. She reached up to unpin the mixer and set the tube right over the entrance to the sewers.

"You ripped off a cement truck?"

Dean shrugged as he backed away, his arms stretched to either side of him. "I'll give it back."

Jo grinned as the cement from the truck flowed down into the sewer.

"Well, that oughta keep him down there till Hell freezes over."

—✞——✞—

The drive back to the Roadhouse was filled with a tense silence. Ellen had showed up just as they were all getting ready to head back and ever since she joined them in the Impala for the journey back, it's been nothing but silence. Ellen sat up front with Dean while Delaney sat squished between Sam and Jo in the back.

"Boy, you, you really weren't kidding about flying out, were you?" Dean tries to joke, but he received no reaction from Ellen. The three in the back exchange an unamused look. "How about we listen to some music?" He reached forward to flick on the radio.

Ellen let a single line from whatever song was playing on the radio to flow before she shut the thing off. The three exchange another look while Dean glances in the mirror desperately for their help, which he gets none of.

Dean sighed and placed his head in his hand as he continued down the dark, empty road. "This is gonna be a long drive."

The rest of the drive was spent in the same silence and as soon as the Impala pulled up in front of the Roadhouse, Ellen got out of the car and dragged Jo into the Roadhouse behind her.

"Ellen..." Dean called as he jogged after the mother and daughter into the Roadhouse with his siblings follow. "This is my fault. Okay? I lied to you and I'm sorry. But Jo did good out there, I think her dad would be proud."

"Don't you dare say that - not you," Ellen quipped at Dean, shocking all three siblings as they didn't know what she meant by that. "I need a moment with my daughter. Alone."

The three siblings slowly backed out of the Roadhouse and went to wait by the Impala until the two were done. Dean leaned his arms on the roof of the car while Sam and Delaney sat on the hood of the car.

It was only a few minutes until Jo came storming out of the Roadhouse and the three turned to her, grimacing at the angry look on her face.

"That bad?" Dean asked Jo.

Jo just stood there as she glared at Dean who glanced to his siblings for help, but they were just as lost as him.

"Uh... okay, obviously you don't wanna talk. So we'll just see you around."

Jo ran a hand through her hair as she let out a loud sound of frustration. "It turns out my dad had a partner on his last hunt. Funny, he usually worked alone - this guy did too, but... I guess my father figured he could trust him. Mistake. Guy screwed up, got my dad killed."

"What does this have to - "

"It was your father, Dean," Jo sharply cut him off.

The three Winchesters' faces fell at the information. They all exchanged surprised glances before they turned back to Jo. "What?"

"Why do you think John never came back? Never told you about us? Because he couldn't look my mom in the eye after that, that's why."

"Jo..." Delaney trailed off, not really knowing what to say after finding out something like that. Sorry wouldn't cut it, that's for sure.

Jo shook her head as she backed away from the siblings. "Just... please leave."

Delaney frowned as she watched Jo walk off down the road to let off some steam. She looked over to Dean who twitched slightly as if he wanted to run after Jo and make it all better. 

However, nothing would ever make anything in the Winchester lives better.

AUTHORS NOTE

Hi hey hello

So.... that happened. Looks like Delaney's plans to get Jo and Dean together won't be happening anytime soon, sorry Della. The Winchesters' lives just keep going more and more down the drain doesn't it? Good times.