VII. NO EXIT

"Los Angeles, California," Dean spoke, closing the Impala's trunk.

The Impala was parked outside the roadhouse, and the three had been on their way inside when Dean allegedly caught wind of a new case.

"What's in L.A.?" Asked Sam, walking towards the passenger seat of the Impala. Adelaide followed behind him, her finger grazing over the backseat's door handle.

"A young girl's been kidnapped by an evil cult." Dean explained, peaking Adelaide's interest as she tilted her head.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, equally intrigued. "This girl got a name?"

"Katie Holmes," Dean replied, making Sam laugh in disbelief.

"That's funny," he said sarcastically, placing his hands into his back pockets, "and, for you, so bitchy."

Dean's retort was cut off by a loud crash from inside the roadhouse. Adelaide's head turned towards the noise, clearly hearing Jo and Ellen's shouts.

"Of course, on the other hand, catfight."

As the loud crash resonated from inside the roadhouse, Sam and Adelaide exchanged glances, acknowledging the commotion that had caught their attention.

With curiosity fueling their intrigue, they both instinctively turned towards the bar, where the voices of Jo and Ellen had collided in a heated argument.

"We should probably give them their space," Sam suggested, his voice tinged with hesitation. But his desire to uncover the cause of the disturbance betrayed his words. "Although, we should probably make sure they're okay, right?"

Adelaide nodded, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. "I'm with you on that," she replied.

Sam and Adelaide exchanged a glance before walking towards the roadhouse. As they drew closer, Jo and Ellen's voices grew louder, filled with anger and frustration.

When the door swung open, the sight that awaited them was unexpected and enthralling. Finally reaching the source of the commotion, the three found themselves standing just a few feet away from Jo and Ellen, who were locked in a heated argument.

Their voices tangled in the air, their words sharp and tinged with a hint of desperation. The tension was palpable and the room was in chaos, with broken glasses on the floor and things out of place. Jo and Ellen'a shouts came to a stop, their faces flushed with fury.

"Guys, bad time." Ellen spoke.

"Yes, ma'am," Sam agreed, moving to turn back the way he came.

"We rarely drink before 10, anyway," Dean added, a twinge of playfulness in his tone.

Ellen didn't appreciate that.

The three turned to leave, though were stopped in their tracks.

"Wait," Jo called,

"Adelaide, is it?" Jo asked, arms crossed against her chest as she tilted her head. Adelaide nodded.

"How old are you? Twenty-one? Twenty-two?" The girl guessed, and Adelaide was hardly able to conceal her amusement at the girl's words.

"Twenty-two." Adelaide replied, not specifying exactly how long she had been that age for. The second her words flew off her tongue, Jo scoffed in disbelief.

"That's practically my age, mom," Jo pointed out, her hands on her hips as Ellen shrugged.

"I don't care," Ellen replied.

Jo frowned. She stood still for a moment, before she walked over to the three. "Well, I still want to know what they think about this."

"I don't care what they think." Ellen snapped back harshly.

The room quickly filled with tension, only to be broken as the back door opened. A couple walked in, hips classes with a toddler each. Their bright yellow shirts adorned the phrase, 'Nebraska is for Corn Lovers,' showing they were obviously tourists on a pit stop.

"Are you guys open?" The father asked, clearly noticing the tension in the room.

"Yes!" Ellen shouted, only to be rivaled by Jo's
"no!"

"We'll just...check out the Arby's down the road." The father said seconds later, and the family was gone.

Adelaide could hear the family's reseeding footsteps from outside, listening to the roar of the engine as it sped off into the distance. Her concentration was broken as the bar's phone rang.

Jo glared at it, then at her mother, who rolled her eyes before walking over to answer it. Adelaide was tempted to be nosy and listen in onto the phone call, though her attention was pulled away by Jo's voice.

"Three weeks ago, a young girl disappears from a Philadelphia apartment." She shoved a file folder Dean's way at his confused expression, "take it, it won't bite."

"No, but your mom might." He replied.

Jo's lips pursed, arm still outstretched as she continued to hold the folder. He looked to Sam, then to Adelaide, as the vampire motioned for him to take it.

He took it reluctantly.

"And this girl wasn't the first," Jo began. "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—"

"Who put this together? Ash?" Dean asked, interrupting Jo's explanation as he began to skim through the folder's contents.

Jo shook her head confidently. "I did it myself."

Dean hummed in reply, not sure whether to be impressed or skeptic. "Hm."

"I gotta admit, we've hit the road for a lot less." Sam considered.

"Good," Ellen spoke, her call a thing of the past as she walked back towards the group, "you like the case so much, you take it."

Jo's eyebrows furrowed together in protest. "Mom—"

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

***

"I feel kind of bad, snaking Jo's case." Dean spoke, as the three had left the roadhouse to go investigate the file Jo put together.

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

Adelaide hummed. "Why? Afraid she'd be better than you?"

Dean rolled his eyes at Adelaide's smirk, walking to the other side of the room. He held out his EMF recorder, awaiting to pick up a signal.

"You getting anything?"

"No, not yet." Sam replied.

As the younger Winchester ran his device near the light switch, the EMF recorder began to beep. His eyebrows furrowed as he walked closer to the empty switch. "What's that?"

"What?"

Adelaide leaned over beneath Sam, her eyes catching what he had been referring to. A thick, black goop was slowly dripping out of the wall.

Sam's finger reached out to touch the substance as his face paled. "Holy crap."

Dean walked over towards the two as he also touched the substance, bringing it close to his face to inspect it. "That's ectoplasm."

Adelaide's eyebrows furrowed at Dean's words. She had a lot to learn about the supernatural world, considering she was a product of it.

"Well, I think I know what we're dealing with here." Dean spoke, effectively intriguing both Sam and Adelaide, "it's the stay-puff marshmallow man."

Sam gave Dean an unimpressed look as Adelaide snickered.

"Look, Dean, I've only seen this stuff, like, twice. I mean, to make this stuff, you have to be one majorly pissed-off spirit."

"Alright, let's find this badass before he snags any more girls."

The three exited the apartment as they walked down the hallway. Adelaide heard the sound of voices coming from the elevator, as she pushed Sam and Dean out of sight.

The two gave her confused looks as she shushed them, concentrating on the distant voices. She could've sworn one of the voices belonged to Jo.

As the voices drew closer, Sam and Dean were able to recognize's Jo's voice, peaking their interest as they stepped out.

"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."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dean spoke, watching as Jo stepped out with the landlord, walking towards the apartment for rent.

"There you are, honey," Jo beamed as she snaked her arm around Dean's waist. "This is my boyfriend Dean, and his buddies Sam and Adelaide."

"Good to meet you. Quite a gal you've got here."

Dean beamed fauxly, squeezing Jo's hip. "Oh yeah, she's a pistol."

"So, did you already check out that apartment?" She asked, "the one for rent."

Dean's confused quickly faded as he cleared his throat. "Yeah—yes. Loved it. Great flow."

"How'd you get in?" Asked the landlord, quickly growing skeptical.

Adelaide found Dean's silent for too long, and quickly made an excuse for him. "It was open."

"Now, Ed," Jo started, taking away from his skepticism, "when did the last tenant move out?

"Oh, about a month ago. Cut and run, too. Stiffed me for the rent."

Jo pressed her lips together. "Well. Her loss, our gain! 'Cause if Dean-o loves it, it's good enough for me."

Dean narrowed his eyes, faking a wide grin once more. "Oh, sweetie." He deadpanned.

There was a beat of silence as Jo pulled out a wad of cash, making Adelaide's eyes widen.

"We'll take it."

***

"I'll flip you for the sofa," Jo's voice rang out through the empty apartment as Dean reloaded his gun.

Adelaide sat besides Sam as she watched Jo and Dean banter back and forth. She found it rather entertaining how easily Jo was able to push Dean's buttons.

"Does your mother even know you're here?" Asked Dean, his eyes narrowed as he spared her a fleeting glance, focused on reloading his gun.

"I told her I was going to Vegas." Jo explained nonchalantly.

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

"I'm not an idiot. I got Ash to lay a credit-card trail all the way to the casinos."

"Wow, impressive," Adelaide chirped in from where she sat.

Dean gave Adelaide and Jo a knowing look.

"Don't encourage her," Dean spoke, scrunching up his face as he turned back to Jo. "You shouldn't lie to your mom. You shouldn't be here, either."

Adelaide furrowed her eyebrows at Dean's words. She looked to Jo, whose distasteful expression matched hers.

"Well, I am, so untwist your boxers and deal with it."

"Where'd you get all that money from, anyways?" Sam asked, diffusing the tension growing within the room. 

"Working at the roadhouse," Jo replied.

Dean gave her a knowing look. "Hunters don't tip that well," he defended.

"They aren't that good at poker, either," she contested.

Adelaide let out a dramatic sigh as Dean's phone rang. Sam nudged her disapprovingly beneath the table.

"Yeah."

"Is she with you?" Ellen's voice rang over the phone, as Adelaide was easily able to hear the woman's worried tone.

"Oh, hi Ellen." Dean replied, giving Jo a look.

"She left a note she's in Vegas. I don't believe it for a second."

Dean was silent for a moment as he held the phone away from his mouth, turning to Jo. "I'm telling her."

Jo shook her head quickly, and Adelaide watched with amusement as the two engaged in a furious, muttered argument.

"Dean?" Ellen's voice brought Dean back to reality as he put the phone back to his ear.

"I haven't seen her." He lied.

"You sure about that?" Ellen questioned, sensing his dishonesty.

"Yeah...I'm sure."

"Well, please. If she shows up, you'll drag her butt right back here, won't you?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay. Thanks, honey."

Jo grinned cheerfully as Dean hung up the phone. Adelaide let out a small whoop that the blonde was staying. She noticed Sam's confused expression from beside her.

"What? I've been drowning in testosterone for like, a month."

***

Adelaide sat besides Jo as the two sat at the table, staring at the blueprints laid out across the wood. Dean paced behind them.

"This place was built in 1924. It was originally a warehouse, converted into apartments a few months ago," Jo explained, flipping a small knife around in her hand.

"Yeah? What was here before 1924?" Dean quizzed, seemingly curious.

Adelaide could tell he was trying to prove she hadn't done enough research. Typical.

"Nothing," Jo replied. "Empty field."

"Huh," Adelaide commented.

"So, most likely scenario, someone died bloody in the building, and now he's back and raising hell." Sam pieced together.

"I already checked. In the past eighty two years, zero violent deaths." The blonde paused, crinkling her nose. "Unless you count a janitor who slipped on a wet floor."

"Wonder who cleaned that up," Adelaide commented, clearly amused.

No one else, par Dean, seemed to find her comment funny. He gave her a half smile as be resumed his ansty pacing.

Adelaide didn't mind Dean's movements, but it had clearly started to frustrate Jo. She huffed and turned to him.

"Would you sit down, please?" Jo asked Dean exasperatingly.

Dean lowered his head slightly and moved to take a seat. "So, have you checked police reports, county death records..."

"Obituaries, mortuary reports and seven other sources. I know what I'm doing."

"I think the jury's still out on that one," Dean replied.

He shifted uncomfortably as he eyed Jo fiddling carelessly with her weapon. "Could you put the knife down?"

"Okay!" Sam intervened, noticing the tension quickly growing. "So, uh, it's something else, then. Maybe some kind of cursed object that brought a spirit with it."

Jo nodded at his suggestion. "Well, we've got to scan the whole building. Everywhere we can get to, right?"

"Right," Dean agreed. "So, you and me, we'll take the top two floors."

"We'd move faster if we split up," Jo tried.

Dean shook his head. "Oh, this isn't negotiable."

Jo frowned. "How come Adelaide doesn't have to stay with Sam?"

Adelaide looked up from where she had been sitting at the table, briefly glancing over the files. She straightened her posture as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Not the spirit's type." She dismissed.

Adelaide stood up to leave, however felt a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. She turned to see Sam giving her a knowing look.

"Maybe it'd be safer if we stayed together," he advised, noticing the way Jo visibly approved at the suggestion.

"Great! Then it's settled," Jo spoke, a triumphant grin on her face, "we'll meet back here in a few hours."

Adelaide bit the inside of her cheek as Dean and Jo turned to leave. She waited for their footsteps to retreat down the hallway before facing Sam.

"What the hell was that? What were you thinking?" Adelaide scoffed, her voice a whisper-yell as Dean and Jo were just barely down the hall.

Her hands were on her hips as her eyebrows knitted together.

"What was I thinking? What were you thinking?" Sam asked, his tone matching hers.

He took a breath as he calmly explained, "Jo thinks you're human, a human her age, at that. I didn't want her getting suspicious."

"...Oh." Adelaide expelled a sigh at his words.

She knew he was right, though it pained her ego to admit it. She didn't say anything more as she grabbed his jacket and shoved it into his chest on her way out the door.

"Come on, Winchester. Let's go."

Sam smirked as he followed her down the hallway.

***

Sam and Adelaide walked through the dimly lit hallways, their footsteps echoing off the walls. They had been walking through each floor as Sam checked his EMF detector for any signs, while Adelaide relied on her supernatural instincts to pick up on something. So far, they'd found nothing.

Adelaide let out a dramatic, bored sigh as she flicked her long hair over her shoulder, giving Sam a sideways glance.

"This is taking forever," Adelaide complained. "I'm ready for some excitement."

Sam chuckled under his breath. "Be careful what you wish for."

Adelaide raised her eyebrows. "You know, if you're so smart, why haven't you found anything yet?" She teased, nudging Sam with her elbow.

Sam scoffed at her witty jab. "I'm methodical. I don't make something out of nothing, so I like to take my time and consider all the possibilities."

"Translation: you're slow," Adelaide fired back, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Sam rolled his eyes, trying not to let her playful words get under his skin. "You're impossible."

Adelaide bit the inside of her cheek, searching for a witty response. However, just as she opened her mouth, she heard a thump echo throughout the hallway.

"Did you hear that?" She asked Sam, stance outstretched and alert.

Sam furrowed his eyebrows. "Hear what?"

Adelaide heard a thud once more as she turned to Sam. "That! You don't hear it?"

Sam strained to listen once more, yet was still met with silence. "I don't hear anything. What is it?"

"It sounds like thumping," Adelaide said, her eyes narrowing as she tried to pinpoint the source of the sound.

They followed the noise, their footsteps quiet as they moved closer to the origin. Suddenly, they rounded a corner and came face to face with a small vent at the edge of the hallway. Had Adelaide not heard anything, she probably would've thought nothing of the rusted metal, but instead, she found herself walking towards it.

Sam followed behind her, utterly confused on Adelaide's plan. The vampire knelt down at the vent, noticing the way the grate was falling off the hinges. In the small crack where the grate grew wobbly, a black gooey substance was slowly leaking onto the floor.

More ectoplasm.

"Bingo," Adelaide whistled, nudging Sam. "What do we do now?"

Sam took a closer look at the ectoplasm, glancing back to Adelaide. A surprised hum left his lips.

"Nothing. We'll tell Dean and Jo when we get back to the apartment, but for now we'll just keep looking.

***

The next morning, Adelaide had been going over the files of the case. Sam had fallen asleep beside her, a stack of papers still in his lap. Adelaide had placed the papers on the coffee table and allowed him to sleep, knowing he needed the rest.

He was no fun to bother when he was grouchy and tired.

The vampire hummed lowly to herself as she flipped through the same papers over and over, trying to find a connection in the case—something that could reveal the ghost's motive. However, she had come up with nothing.

"What time is it?" Sam's raspy voice came from beside her as he stretched his arms out above him. He blinked sleepily.

"Morning, sunshine," Adelaide chirped, "it's seven thirty-three. You slept for a whopping four hours! Congrats."

"Yeah, yeah," Sam waved off, concealing a yawn, "we should get coffee before Dean and Jo wake up. Keep everyone on their toes."

Adelaide nodded in agreement. "I think Jo would appreciate that. She only fell out about twenty minutes ago."

"She didn't sleep?"

"Nope, we just went over the case a few times," she explained, "still got nothing."

"Alright," Sam spoke, "we'll just have to keep looking. Between the ectoplasm and the lock of hair Jo and Dean found, I'd say we're about one major fact away from figuring out the case."

Adelaide agreed. "I'd say you're right. Come on, let's get coffee before they wake up."

Sam and Adelaide went out into the hallway, their footsteps echoing throughout the quietness of the morning. The two barely made it down the elevator before they were bombarded with flashes of red and blue, along with the all-too-familiar markings of caution tape.

Sam and Adelaide exchanged a glance, as Adelaide strained her ears.

"—another female just disappeared out of thin air. Door was locked and all, no idea how she just seemed to vanish."

Adelaide furrowed her eyebrows at the cop's words as she turned to Sam and repeated what she heard. The two got right back into the elevator and made their way upstairs.

As the door swung open, the now-awake Dean and Jo looked at the two of them.

"Where's the coffee?" Dean asked with a frown, taking notice of the two's empty hands.

Sam disregarded Dean's question as he caught his breath. "There are cops outside. Another girl disappeared."

***

Dean and Adelaide had gone out to find more information about the case while Sam and Jo continued to study the notes.  Adelaide and Dean hadn't been able to get much out of the police officer, and the only information they received was because Adelaide began to flirt with the deputy.

"Teresa Ellis, Apartment 2F. Boyfriend reported her missing around dawn." Dean spoke, closing the door behind him as he approached the two sitting around the table.

"And her apartment?" Asked Jo.

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

Adelaide perked up at his words. "Just like from yesterday," she commented.

Sam nodded. "Between that and that tuft of hair I'd say this sucker's coming from the walls."

"But who is it?" Dean wondered. "Building's history is totally clean."

Jo furrowed her eyebrows, digging through the mess of old photos before plucking out one from the bottom of the pile. "Maybe we're looking in the wrong place."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"Check this out." Jo spoke, gesturing to the photo.

"An empty field?" Sam questioned, sounding slightly unimpressed, but mostly confused.

"It's where this building was built," Jo explained. "Take a look at the one next door--the windows."

"Bars."

"We're next door to a prison?" Dean questioned.

Adelaide sighed. "Nice."

***

Jo had called Ash moments prior in order to get more information about the prison. They had found out that it was called Moyamensing prison, built in 1835 and torn down in 1963.

Ash had provided them with a list of names of everyone who had been executed there, and Sam was in the process of scrolling through all the names.

"A hundred fifty seven names?" Sam asked exasperatingly.

Dean nodded. "We've gotta narrow that down, or else we're gonna be digging up a hell of a lot of stiffs."

Dean's comment went unaswered as Sam continued to scroll through the nanes, before pausing on one in particular. Adelaide blinked in confusion.

"Herman Webster Mudgett," Sam spoke to himself.

"Herman Webster Mudgett?" Adelaide parroted.

"Wasn't that H. H. Holmes' real name?" He asked.

Dean sighed. "You've gotta be kidding me."

***

"Yep. Holmes was executed at Moyamensing, May 7, 1896." Dean confirmed, after having pulled up an old newspaper.

"H. H. Holmes himself," Sam spoke, sounding oddly fascinated. "Come on, I mean, what are the odds?"

"Who is this guy?" Jo asked.

"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." Dean explained.

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

"How charming." Adelaide deadpanned, briefly wondering if her kill count could rival his.

"And his victim flavor of choice? Pretty petite blondes. He, uh, he used chloroform to kill them," Dean began, going quiet for a moment before speaking out his realization. "...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, he sure knows how to pick them." Adelaide whispered to Jo.

Jo gave Adelaide an unimpressed look. "Well, we just find the bones, salt them and burn them, right?

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

"What? Why?" Jo huffed frustratedly.

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

"You know something," Sam sighed, "we might have an even bigger problem than that."

"How does this get bigger?"

"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."

"So Teresa could still be alive. She could be inside these walls." Jo realized.

"We need sledgehammers, crowbars. We've got to smash these walls, anywhere thick enough to hide a girl."

***

Sam and Adelaide had been walking through the first floor, yet were unable to find much of anything.

Just as they were discussing their next move, Sam and Adelaide turned a corner and nearly collided with Dean, who was rushing down the hallway.

"Whoa," Sam sighed.

"He's got Jo," Dean spoke anxiously, continuing down the hallway as Sam and Adelaide began to follow him.

"What? How'd that happen?"

"I wasn't with her, I left her alone. Dammit!" Dean stressed.

"Hey, hey, look, we'll find her, all right?"

"Where?" Dean pressed, his tone growing louder.

"Inside the walls," Sam explained plainly. Dean shook his head.

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

"Look. We've just gotta take a beat and think about this. Maybe we got Holmes' M.O. wrong." Sam began as the three entered the apartment, the door swinging shut behind them.

"Yeah, well, we'd better friggin' think fast." Dean began, before he was cut off by his phone ringing in his pocket.

"Yeah," he spoke, bringing the phone up to his ear.

"You lied to me. She's there." Ellen's voice echoed from the phone, making Adelaide raise her eyebrows in surprise. This was going to be hard to explain.

"Ellen—" Dean said, turning to Sam and Adelaide. Sam gave him a knowing look.

"No. Ash told me everything. Man's a genius, but he folds like a cheap suit. Now you put my damn daughter on the phone."

"She's gonna have to call you back, she's taking care of, uh, feminine business." Dean lied.

Adelaide rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder. Was that really the best lie he could come up with?

"Yeah, right. Where is she?" Ellen started, growing worried when the silence persisted on the other end of the line. "Where is she?!"

"Look, we'll get her back."

"Get her back?" Ellen repeated, her breath caught in her throat. "Back from what?"

"The spirit we're hunting," Dean sighed out. "...It took her."

"Oh my god."

"She'll be okay, I promise." Dean tried, but Ellen wasn't having it.

"You promise," Ellen mocked with a scoff. "That is not the first time I've heard that from a Winchester."

"What?" The older Winchester asked confusingly.

Ellen didn't reply to his question. "If anything happens to her..."

"It won't." Dean said quickly. "I won't let it. Ellen, I'm sorry, I really am."

"I'm taking the first flight out. I'll be there in a few hours."

"Damnit!" Dean shouted as he placed he phone back in his pocket.

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

"Tell me you've got something." Dean hoped with a shake of his head.

"Uh, maybe," Sam replied, shifting so Dean could get a better look at the photos, "look. You look at the layout of the Holmes murder castle, there's all the torture chambers inside the walls, right?"

"Right."

"But there's one we haven't considered yet. The one in this basement." Sam said.

"This building doesn't have a basement." Dean reminded, but Sam only shrugged.

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

Sam's brief explanation seemed to be good enough for Dean as he grabbed his jacket and books and headed for the door.

"Let's go."

***

Adelaide winced as the sun burned against her skin. She walked with Sam and Dean throughout the empty lot as Sam ran his metal detector over the grass.

They hoped to find the entrance to the sewer, that way they could rescue Jo from the outside. Holmes would never see it coming.

The metal detector beeped mildly at the start of the lot, and the three had been following the trail as the detector's whining grew louder. Adelaide couldn't deny the high pitched sound pierced her ears uncomfortably.

Suddenly, they came to a stop.

"Here." Sam spoke.

Dean dropped his bag and began to dig with his shovel. Sam followed suit as Adelaide kept watch for any bystanders. After a few moments, they began to dig with their hands—eventually uncovering the metal trap door.

As soon as Dean pulled the trapdoor open, Adelaide was hit with a whiff of numerous odors. She could smell decay and rot, but underneath those smells she was vaguely able to make out Jo's scent.

Adelaide contemplated going down the sewers for a moment, not wanting to deal with the bastle of spending days washing the odor off her skin.

It seemed Sam was able to decipher what she was thinking as he gave her a sideways look. Adelaide rolled her eyes and began descending into the sewers, with Sam and Dean following behind her.

***

Adelaide had been in the sewers for no longer than fifteen minutes, her nose desperately attempting to keep track of Jo's scent. Without human blood, her vampire abilities had been dulled immensely, and everything that had once come so easily grew difficult.

"Hey, sweetheart, we almost there?" Dean's gruff voice sounded from behind Adelaide.

It was clear he was out of breath and growing uncomfortable in the small space. Adelaide briefly paused her wiggling and glanced behind her. Jo's scent was growing stronger, which meant it wouldn't be much longer before they uncovered where she and Teresa had been stashed.

"So, what's the plan once we get them out?" Adelaide asked, her voice sounding strained as the three wiggled through a particularly narrow part of the tunnels.

"Can't exactly burn his bones," Dean gruffed, "we'll have to salt the son of a bitch."

"How exactly do you plan to do that?" Sam asked from behind Dean.

His brother paused.

"We'll need...bait." Dean decided. "You think Jo would be up for it?"

"I'm sure she'd be thrilled," Adelaide deadpanned.

Adelaide could practically feel Dean's eye roll. "You got a better idea?"

Adelaide was quiet for a moment as she huffed, "screw you."

Adelaide could hear Dean's triumphant chuckle as they continued down the sewer. Adelaide's jeans were soaked in the remnants of sewer water, her night vision barely aiding her in leading the three throughout the sewers. The rest of their journey was quiet, aside from the occasional grunt or squeak of a mouse. However, after a moment, Adelaide heard the sound of a muffled shriek.

"This way," the vampire called, hurrying her shuffling down the sewer.

It didn't take long for the three to eventually reach the end of the sewer, to which revealed Holmes' hand wrapped around Jo's mouth, silencing her screams.

"Hey!" Dean shouted, as he aimed his gun loaded with rock salt at the spirit.

He fired his gun into Holmes' chest, sending him flying backwards as he disappeared into thin air. Adelaide knew he'd be back.

"Jo?" Dean called as he opened the sewer gate.

"I'm here!" The blonde replied desperately.

Adelaide watched as Dean rushed to grab an iron bar and pry open where Jo had been trapped.

After a few seconds she joined him, easily yanking open the metal with her bare hands. The vampire turned to see Sam struggling with opening Teresa's cage, so she stepped in to aid him as well.

Once Jo had been let out, Dean helped the girl to her feet. "You all right?"

Jo shook her head, her damp hair in her face as she caught her breath. "Been better. Let's get the hell out of here before he comes back."

Dean and Adelaide shared a look as Dean winced slightly "Actually, I don't think you're leaving here just yet."

"What?" Jo questioned exasperatingly.

"Remember when I said you being bait was a bad plan?" Dean began, "now it's kind of the only one we got."

The older Winchester turned to Sam, who was holding Teresa in his arms. The girl was shaking as she buried her face into his shirt, leaving him unable to help as he shrugged.

Moments later, Adelaide had helped put up numerous bags of salt around the ceilings of the sewers. She sat with Sam and Dean as they watched from inside the sewers, where Jo sat in the middle of the chamber. Adelaide could tell she was trembling from where she watched, though gave the girl credit for keeping up a brave front.

Holmes drew closer to Jo slowly, up until he was right behind her. Before he could harm her, Dean shouted the cue for him and Sam to shoot down the bags of salt. Adelaide grabbed Jo out from the salt circle into safety, as Holmes began to scream in terror.

"Scream all you want, you dick, but there's no way you're stepping over that salt!" Jo shouted, as the sewer grate slammed shut, sealing off the room.

***

By the time the ordeal had been over, the sun was still up as Adelaide attempted to hide her painful wince. She stood with Sam and Jo as they looked over the sewer entrance.

"So?" Sam began, "this job as glamorous as you thought it would be?"

Jo laughed sardonically. "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?

"Yeah." Sam agreed. "Yeah it is."

Jo was quiet for a moment as she glanced down the sewer. "Hey, what if somebody finds that sewer down there, or a storm washes the salt away?"

Sam nodded in agreement. "Both very fine points. Which is why we're waiting here."

"For what?" Jo asked.

"For that." Adelaide spoke, giving the girl a cheeky grin as she motioned towards the cement mixing truck behind them, which began to beep loudly.

It stopped just over the sewer entrance, as the three got a look at the truck's side mirror. Dean stood in the driver's seat as he slowly drew closer to the entrance, until Sam cued him to stop the truck.

Dean got out of the truck as he and Sam set up the cement mixer over the entrance.

"You ripped off a cement truck?" Jo questioned with wide eyes.

Dean shrugged. "I'll give it back."

The cement truck began to pour the mixture down into the drain. Adelaide watched with fascination.

Dean sighed. "Well, that ought to keep him down there until hell freezes over."

***

Later that night, Adelaide had found herself in a very awkward situation.

Ellen had stayed true to her word and booked the next flight out, and somehow found out the apartment the group had rented days prior. When they returned from the sewers to the apartment to freshen up, they were all shocked to find her there—looking much less than happy.

Dean offered to drive the two back to the roadhouse, which led Adelaide to her current situation. She was sandwiched between Sam and Jo in the backseat of the Impala, feeling the tension heavily. Ellen sat in the passenger seat with her eyes dead-set on the road ahead, her jaw clenched angrily.

"Boy, you—you really weren't kidding about flying out, were you?" Dean asked in an attempt to lighten the mood throughout the silent car.

Ellen paid no mind to the older Winchester's comment as she continued to stare straight ahead. Her jaw was clenched tightly as Adelaide raised her eyebrows, giving Sam a look. He returned it.

"How about we listen to some music?" Dean tried again after a few seconds, flicking the radio on. Adelaide shifted in her seat as the song lyrics began to sound throughout the car.

You're as cold as ice...

Adelaide had to stifle her laugh as Ellen leaned forward and flicked the radio off. She exchanged another look with Sam, then with Jo.

Dean sighed.

"This is gonna be a long drive."

***

By the time they had finally reached the roadhouse, it was well into the next morning. Ellen dragged Jo to the bar by her elbow as Sam, Dean, and Adelaide followed behind,

"Ellen? This is my fault. Okay? I lied to you and I'm sorry," Dean began, glancing towards Jo, "But Jo did good out there, I think her dad would be proud."

"Don't you dare say that. Not you," Ellen seethed. The woman took a breath as she gestured to the door, "I need a moment with my daughter. Alone."

As Sam, Adelaide, and Dean began to walk outside, Adelaide sighed. She felt bad for putting Jo's life at risk—finding a certain fondness for the blonde. 

It wasn't until nearly an hour later Jo emerged from the roadhouse, glaring at Dean harshly. Adelaide and Sam shared a look as Dean moved to follow Jo, the two delving into a pensive argument.

"I probably shouldn't eavesdrop, huh?" Adelaide commented, making Sam chuckle.

"Probably not."

After a few minutes of mindless conversation between Sam and Adelaide, Ellen emerged from the roadhouse. She was walking towards the two rapidly—anger practically rolling off of her.

"Who are you?" Ellen demanded, staring straight at Adelaide as she planted her hands firmly on her hips. "I checked with a few of my contacts—there ain't no damn blood specialist by your name."

Adelaide exchanged a look with Sam, maintaining a confident demeanor despite the tension in the air.

"I'm only going to ask once," Ellen seethed. "It'd be in your best interest to reply honestly."

Adelaide met Ellen's gaze without flinching. "My name's Adelaide. And who I am is someone indebted to Sam and Dean for saving my life."

Ellen's frustration was palpable as she shot a stern look at Adelaide. "This ain't a joke, missy. I don't take kindly to strangers with secrets."

Sam stepped forward, attempting to ease the tension. "Ellen, we didn't mean to cause any trouble. We wouldn't have brought her with us if we thought she'd cause harm."

Ellen's gaze remained fixed on Adelaide, who maintained her composure despite the severity of the situation.

Her patience wore thin. "Cut the crap. What's your game here?"

Sam hesitated for a moment as Ellen's gaze bore into him. He sighed, realizing it was time to be straightforward. "She's a vampire, Ellen. She's staying with us until she can repay her debts—then she's off and out of our lives forever."

Adelaide shot Sam a glance, clearly unhappy that he spilled the secret she was trying to keep. Ellen's eyes widened in surprise at the revelation.

"A vampire?" Ellen's disbelief quickly shifted to anger. "You brought a vampire into my roadhouse?"

Adelaide maintained her calm demeanor. "I'm not here to hurt anyone. And I certainly wouldn't bite the hand that saved me."

Ellen's eyes narrowed. "I've heard that one before."

Sam stepped between them, trying to mediate. "She's really not dangerous. She's not the enemy, Ellen."

Ellen's stern gaze moved from Sam to Adelaide and back. "You better not be playing games with me."

Adelaide met Ellen's gaze evenly. "I don't play games when it comes to my life. And neither do they."

A moment later, the tension in the woman's shoulders lessened.

"I'm keeping an eye on you, Adelaide," Ellen sneered, "one wrong move and your head'll be sliced clean off."

Adelaide raised her eyebrows, nodding. "Understood."

— argentsires
tysm for 800 reads! as always lmk if you have questions, comments, or suggestions <3
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