Lilith, the last of the 66 seals, has fallen and Lucifer has been unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. Castiel has been excommunicated by Heaven and the Winchesters find themselves struggling to coordinate an offensive, anti-apocalyptic movement in the face of disbelief, distrust and open aggression in the hunting community. In these dark, uncertain times an old friend from the past re-emerges with a tale to tell and much needed guidance for the days to come...

---

Chapter One

"Exodus"

"It's a lot better inside than it looks from the outside," Missouri said coaxingly as she wiped her forehead.

Jesse looked up at the rusted and weathered sign which hung over the entrance. "Singer Salvage Yard," he read aloud, clearly not impressed. "If I were Fred Sanford I'd think I'd died and went to heaven."

"Oh, child, hush!" Missouri chided, with a smile. "Now follow me exactly. There are tripwires and traps all over the place."

They spent the next five minutes waltzing carefully across the automobile cemetery, guided by Missouri's sixth sense. At last they could view the aged house of Mr. Singer in the distance. It loomed large like a skyscraper surrounded by urban slum. Missouri was indeed correct. Bobby Singer was a paranoid man - and that was putting it mildly. Spray painted onto the house's walls were a variety of mystical sigils. Layered on top op each other the house merely looked as if it were the victim of Halloween vandals. Or one of them modern artists. But Jesse and Missouri knew better.

"The phone's still all static," Missouri said as she snapped her pink cell phone shut. "They must be damn close. Don't worry though. This place has got top notch protection. Speaking of which..." She stopped walking and turned to face him. "Jesse, honey?"

"Yeah?" Jesse asked, not liking the look on her face.

"Duck."

In the past three years Jesse had learned well that whenever Missouri said something in that tone a) don't question and b) act fast. So he did. And just in time. The bullet meant for his head ricocheted off a rotting car door. Damn tripwire!

Nervously rubbing his head, Jesse turned to Missouri with a `what the hell' look. "That was freaking close!"

"Sorry. Shouldn't have been channeling and using a cell phone at the same time. Won't happen again. Least that will get their atten-" she stopped mid-sentence.

Standing before them were three hulking brutes - Rottweilers to be precise.

"Oh dear," was all Missouri managed to get out before they lunged...

~*~

"Stay inside," Dean said sternly to Bobby as he grabbed his gun.

Bobby grunted but stayed put. He had no choice but to obey since Sam had quickly folded up the wheelchair and placed it securely in the kitchen and out of his reach. In the stillness of the late afternoon was the sound of one of Bobby's tripwire guns going off. They had company. What kind of company, they were about to find out. As they stepped out onto the front porch Sam and Dean steeled themselves for the worst - demons, pissy angels...or Lucifer himself. What they found was three whimpering dogs suspended from a stack of decaying car bodies by lengths of rusted chain.

"What...the hell..." Dean trailed off, swallowing a lump.

"Don't shoot!" an unknown male voice shouted.

The next moment a middle aged, pleasantly plump black woman came running into sight from around the wall of dead vehicles.

"Missouri?!" Sam and Dean asked in shocked unison.

She bent over and panted, tried to speak but gave it up and merely signaled `five minutes' with her hands. Sam went to help her but Dean stopped him with a look. They had no idea if this really was Missouri Moseley, an illusion...or a demon. There was still the matter of the helpless dogs.

"Missouri? Is it safe to come out now?" the male voice asked. "Have you convinced `em not to shoot yet? I thought these were friends of yours!"

Missouri opened her mouth finally and said breathlessly, "Boys, it's me. Put them guns down."

Dean and Sam shared a look before reaching into their pockets for the bottles they carried so close to hand. Missouri spluttered helplessly as she was doused with holy water. When it didn't burn her skin the boys were finally satisfied and at last lowered their firearms.

Missouri eyed them cuttingly. "Did you two pick up Bobby's paranoia? Or have you taken one too many hits on the head since we last met? This entire place is protected by anti-demon wards. If I were a demon I shouldn't be able to set foot here. Was this really called for?" She sighed. "And my favorite jacket too."

Sam blushed. Dean smiled ashamedly.

"It's just water," Dean said.

Missouri raised her eyebrow. "This isn't washable suede." She turned around and shouted. "It's alright, Jesse. You can come out now."

"What did you do to Bobby's dogs?" Sam asked, worriedly.

Missouri shook her head dismissively. "It wasn't me. It was Jesse. And they are fine. Just restrained."

Presently, `Jesse', stepped into view.

Dean looked at Missouri smugly, his sense of humor fast returning as it usually did in times of crisis. "Where'd you pick him up, Missouri? You might not be a demon but you sure are a cradle robber."

Jesse was young, true. But he was also extremely talented, she insisted.

"I bet," Dean said, punching Sam on the shoulder (who smiled and then tried to hide it).

She slapped Dean hard across the face and succeeded in sobering him up. Jesse had by this time joined them on the porch. He looked to be in his early twenties at the most. Like Missouri, he was not dressed for active hunting duty. He wore boots, a simple pair of faded jeans and a plain black tee. He did seem to have a thing for shiny jewelry and body art though. There were several silver rings on both his hands whilst bracelets shaped like red-eyed serpents coiled around each wrist. They paled in comparison to the thick silver chain he wore. On it hung a pendant that took the form of two serpents entwined around a ruby and sapphire studded disk. There were intricate markings on his forearms in black ink, though they were indistinct in the dim light.

"Nice bling," Dean said with an appreciative whistle.

"Thanks," Jesse replied. "So you two are the Winchesters I've heard so much about, eh?"

Sam and Dean glanced at one another.

"Been talking about us, huh, Missouri," Dean said with a smile. "Good things I hope."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You wish. Now will you kindly invite us inside so we can have a conversation like civilized people? And go in first and help poor Bobby. He's crawling across the floor trying to reach his chair...and his gun. He wouldn't want us to see him all undignified like that."

"Um...yeah," Sam said, heading inside quickly.

They gave him a minute and then followed.

"Er, about the dogs..."Dean trailed off.

Jesse gave a dismissive gesture and the canines were lowered to the ground, their chains loosened. They immediately growled ferociously and started running towards the house to attack the newcomer.

"Brave little mutts," Jesse said, "I'll give them that." He turned and stared at them. All three stopped running at once, turned tail and ran off whimpering.

Dean smirked as he remembered the near bite he'd received when Rufus had brought them over the week before. "Cool. After you."

~*~

"Missouri, I have been trying to get in touch with you for two weeks!" Bobby said with a smile as he and Missouri hugged. "But you probably knew that already."

She nodded. "Yes, Bobby. I did."

"Have a seat, son." Bobby motioned for Jesse to take a load off. "So why didn't you call me back?" Bobby asked, turning his attention to Missouri again.

"Well...she said," casting a glance at Jesse, "we only just got back."

Sam looked confused. "We?"

"Yeah, me and her," Jesse helpfully provided, in between bites of the jam tart he'd been offered.

Dean asked the next logical question. "Got back from where?"

"From India," Missouri said, pausing to have a sip of tea.

"India?" Bobby and the Winchester's asked simultaneously.

She grew thoughtful. "Well...more like an alternate dimension whose doorway is in India," she explained (to their shocked faces). "I have a lot of explaining to do. So much has happened since Sam and Dean came to see me back in 2005. I've been kept very busy. At times I even doubted my own gift, the truthfulness of the visions...but now I understand. The time is at hand. No room for doubt or error now."

Bobby sighed. "So you know about Lucifer I take it."

She nodded then slowly said, "I've known for several years."

"Years?!" Sam asked, his mouth forming a perfect `O'. His expression changed from one of shock to accusatory betrayal. Missouri took his hand gently but he snatched it away.

Dean too was upset, and that was putting it mildly. "You mean all these years you knew what was gonna happen and you couldn't find the time to give us a damn phone call?" He got up and began to pace angrily. "I don't fucking believe this!"

"As a precognitive," she said soothingly, "the first lesson one has to learn is to accept the things we cannot change. Just because we see what is to come does not mean we have it in our power to stop it from happening."

Bobby patted Sam's shoulder and he seemed to loosen a bit. "Both Heaven and Hell were gunning for Lucifer to get loose, kid. It was bound to happen."

Sam looked at Missouri and mumbled, "Sorry." He didn't look or sound genuine though. Missouri let it slide.

"It's okay." She smiled weakly. "And no Dean, I wasn't lazing around flat on my ass these past few years."

"I...I didn't say nothing," Dean stuttered. "And I wasn't even thinkingthat! So you can't -"

"You were about to think it," Missouri said in her `I am always right' voice. "About a year after you left Lawrence, I had a visitor. From the moment I laid eyes on him I knew he was special."

Sam's eyes narrowed. "Special? Like a psychic?" One of Azazel's special children perhaps?

Bobby looked intrigued. "You sensed something about him."

"That's just it," Missouri said cryptically. "I sensed nothing about him. I hadn't even sensed his arrival on my front porch. He said he'd come to see me and...well I was afraid. I was trying my all to read him and kept coming up blank. I told him I wasn't working that day and locked the door. When I turned around...instead of facing an empty living room...he was standing there."

Jesse stopped eating for a moment to say, "She almost peed herself."

Missouri was aghast. "Jesse!"

"What? You told me you almost peed yourself," the boy defended.

"Figure of speech." She went on. "The next five minutes I swore I was going crazy. It was like something right out of Sunday school. He actually said fear not in this booming voice and this...this light seemed to shine from behind...no...no it seemed to shine from him. And wings...a whole bunch of wings. Well, I fainted." Missouri closed her eyes, recalling that fateful day.

Dean leaned forward. "You saw an angel?"

She nodded. "I woke up to him fanning me. With his wings. It felt like a strong, cool refreshing breeze in the outdoors. Nothing in the room was disturbed though. Which is why for days after wards I thought I'd dreamed the whole thing...until the next visit."

"What did he say?" Bobby asked gravely.

"He said that I had work to do. That there was much to be done and he needed my help to do it," Missouri answered. "Things are going to go from bad to worse, to worser before it gets better, Bobby. The things Raziel revealed to me -"

Bobby's brow furrowed. "Raziel?"

Missouri nodded. "Yes. Does the name sound familiar? It should if you have been catching up with your Eschatology given recent events."

Dean and Sam looked totally lost.

"Raziel is one of the four Ophanim," Bobby explains. "It means wheels. In a metaphorical sense. The four Ophanim support the chariot of God. They're the second most powerful class of angels and Raziel was their strongest. In Hebrew angelic lore Raziel is the angel of mysteries. He sits at the feet of God and hears and sees all that God says and does. He wrote a book, um..."

"Sefer Raziel Ha Malach," Jesse offered. "Compiling all of Heaven's secret knowledge. Unlike most angels, Raziel loved humanity. He saw humanity struggling just to survive so he stole the secrets of Heaven and gave it to mankind in that book. So we could find our way back home and better understand God."

Dean looked impressed. "That musta pissed `em off."

Bobby chuckled. "Yeah. They took the book from mankind and threw it into the sea. Then they dragged Raziel to God's throne for punishment. "Scholars say God himself forgave Raziel and ordered the angels to return the book to mankind."

Missouri was in agreement. "Raziel has been exiled for over twelve thousand years. My guess is when God left Heaven after the war his brothers did with him as they saw fit and...basically threw him out of the house."

Sam finally spoke. "How do we even know any of this is real?"

Missouri turned to Jesse. He nodded and motioned to his backpack which hung on Bobby's coat rack. It immediately unzipped itself and a large, cuboid object flew out of it and landed on Bobby's coffee table with a thud. It was a book. Bound in black, scaly leather, it's covers were secured with a thick, ornate clasp and some sort of lock.

Bobby extended his hand.

"Don't touch it!" Missouri warned. "It's magically protected. The only ones who can touch the book are those with Raziel's blessing. It repels all others. Angels, demons and humans alike."

Dean leaned over the book and scrutinized its cover. "What is that? Alligator?"

"Dragon hide," Jesse answered easily.

"You're shitting me!" Dean exclaimed, now simply dying to touch it.

Missouri shook her head. "No. The pages are made from sheafs of paper from Heaven's own library. They were originally scrolls. But Raziel was kind enough to bind them into book form for us. Completely indestructible. Lucifer -"

"Samael, actually, is his real name," Jesse corrected her with a smile. "According to the book that is. Lucifer is a misnomer - a Roman god."

Missouri sighed. "Yes. Samael...Samael would move Heaven and Earth to get his hands on this. Well...to get this out of our hands more like. Raziel said it was Samael who snitched on him to Michael and the others in the first place."

Dean could not help but laugh. Lucifer seemed to be a prick from the outset. How embarrassing to have his snitching come to nothing. To have God yet again pick the welfare of humanity over his ego. A look from Sam silenced him forthwith.

"This could be just what we need to help turn things around," Sam declared, eyes beaming with hope. "This book has Heaven's secrets. And information is ammunition. Maybe there's something in there we can use against Lucifer."

"Um...Sam," Jesse said, garnering the younger Winchester's attention. "Information is ammunition. But ammo also needs the right kind of gun too. The book plainly states that an archangel cannot die except by the hand of another archangel. There are spells in the Sefer to exorcise even archangels so long as the host consents."

Bobby's eyes widened. "Really?"

Jesse nodded. "Only temporary. They allow the vessel the opportunity to change their minds and send the archangel's essence away. But that doesn't stop the archangel from returning in another vessel or convincing the previous vessel to agree again. There's also spells to weaken and temporarily bind archangels. But none that can kill them. And in Lucifer and Michael's case...it's complicated by the fact that they are the oldest and most powerful and can fall only by each other's hand. You don't just need the right weapon, but enough force behind it to deliver a killing blow."

Sam's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Don't lose hope, Sam." Missouri said, her eyes flashing. "We are not as lowly as the angels and demons would have us believe. There is a reason why God favored us."

Dean sighed. "Really? Aside from the fact we're his youngest?"

"Angels and demons can do nothing on Earth without a HUMAN vessel. A vessel that, unlike them, was made in the image of God," Missouri said, spelling it out for Dean. "Demons are nothing more than corrupted HUMAN souls. Azazel, the Yellow Eyed Demon, needed to use HUMANS to release Lucifer from his cage. His special children..."

Several minutes passed by in silence.

"Dean, go see to dinner," Bobby suddenly ordered in a tone that brooked no argument. "Sam, Jesse - help him."

Taking their cue, Sam and Dean left the room.

Jesse frowned. "I'm a guest." The look Bobby gave him sent him out of the room trailing after the Winchesters leaving Bobby and Missouri alone.

~*~

"How do you put up with her?" Dean asked snidely as he rummaged about Bobby's cupboards.

"Put up with? You make it sound like she's a nagging wife or something. She's cool," Jesse answered honestly.

Dean laughed at that. "Cool isn't a word I ever associated with Missouri."

"You knew her what...for all of two days?" Jesse asked pointedly, clearly offended.

Sam, alone at the stove, merely listened on but said nothing. He was still recovering from Missouri's revelations. They had shaken him to the core of his being. Just how much did she know? Did she know about the demon blood fiasco? How could he ever look her in the face again?

"Sam!" Dean shouted, snapping his brother back to the land of the living.

Sam was clueless. "Huh?"

Jesse pointed to the stove. "Thy pot hath runneth over."

"Shit!" Sam swore, causing Dean to raise his eyebrows in surprise. It was rare to hear Sam use swear words. He grabbed a towel and hastily began wiping the frothy mess before it set and became harder to clean.

"Um...Sam?" Jesse carefully began.

Sam kept wiping furiously. "What?"

"Had Missouri told you guys about -"

Sam spun around, his face a mask of anger. "What? Are you reading my mind now too?"

Jesse raised and shook his hands defensively. "No. I am not psychic in the least! But it's pretty easy to guess what upset you -"

Sam scoffed. "I am not upset. I am fucking pissed off."

Dean whistled low. The `F' word. The last time Sam had said that word was during demon blood withdrawal.

"Not to gang up on you," Dean said evenly, "but I gotta agree with Sam. Things might have ended up -"

"Worse," Jesse interjected. "Lilith wasn't just some typical hell-twisted human soul. She was an archdemon. Made by Samael himself. And she was merely the first of many."

Dean felt that irritating knot in his throat again. "There's...there's more of them?"

Jesse shook his head gravely. "Oh yes. Sefer Raziel says Samael fathered a bunch of kiddies with Lilith before he got sent to the big house. Archdemons. Plagues of mankind. An archdemon has never been exorcised by anyone. Human or angel. There was just one way to deal with Lilith and that was to KILL her. Had Sam not killed her...she would have laid waste to city after city, state after state, country after country...until you DID. If Missouri had told you what she knew, that Lilith was the last seal, you probably would have decided NOT to kill her. How many would have died before you were forced to kill her anyway? Just to stop her bloodbath? It was the lesser of two evils."

Dean was forced to admit Jesse was right.

"The angels wanted Armageddon to happen. You think THEY would have killed her?" Jesse asked, venom dripping from his words. "No. It had to be you. The angels would have made life VERY tough on you, Sam, if you refused to kill Lilith. Missouri knew this." Jesse looked pointedly at Dean. "Even the strongest of men can be broken given enough time...and effort. Missouri wanted to spare you angelic attempts at...persuasion."

Images of Alastair filled Dean's mind. Thoughts of Sam tortured in a similar way came unbidden. He willed them away and squeezed Sam's shoulder but could find no words to say.

"I'm...sorry," Sam said, more calmly, and turned his attention back to the stove.

Dean left the kitchen, pausing at the threshold. "I...I'm gonna call Castiel." So saying, Dean left.

~*~

"That was lovely, boys," Missouri said as she put down her fork. "Now, we have little time to waste. As soon as the food settles in our bellies we need to get a move on."

Bobby nodded. The demonic omens had been increasing in intensity for almost two days.

"We were in the middle of preparations before you turned up," Bobby informed her. "There's just so much to pack. I mean...we don't know what we could be facing, what could come in handy...there's no time or room to take it all."

Dean had been looking on pensively. "Missouri, how did you get here? You drove?"

She shook her head. "No. We were...brought here directly from India once our business there was finished. By one of Raziel's friends. And Lord...let me tell you...my insides haven't been right since."

Sam could not help but smirk. "We know the feeling. What business did you have in India?"

Missouri, for want of a better word, got cagey.

Bobby came to her rescue. "I'm sure when the time is right, Missouri will fill us in."

Like she filled us in about Lucifer? Sam thought, then quickly caught himself. It was obvious she and Bobby had been discussing it when the rest of them had been ejected from the room. Considering Jesse too had been sent away Sam had to wonder just what it was Missouri was hiding that she could only trust Bobby with. Maybe he could get some information out of Jesse.

"Running away to something is a lot better, strategically speaking, than running away from something," Missouri's voice faded in.

Jesse looked thoughtful. "Maybe we could use your place, Missouri. The demons don't know about you since you've been working in the background all these years."

Dean was agreeable. "Now there's an idea."

Bobby and Sam, however, begged to differ.

"I think the best idea is to keep mobile," Sam said confidently.

"I concur."

All heads turned sharply to the doorway of the dining room. A man in a trench coat stood solemnly at the threshold. He was drenched from head to foot but seemed to not take notice of it.

Dean got to his feet and hurried over to him. "Er, Missouri, Jesse...this is Cass...er...Castiel."

Everyone respectfully got to their feet.

"It is an honor to meet..." Missouri began but was ignored as Castiel strode out of the dining room and into the living room. Everyone followed him, Bobby lagging a little behind.

Castiel paced the length and breadth of the room before turning to ask, "Well, where is it?"

"Not one for basic good manners is he?" Jesse asked sarcastically.

"Where is the book of secrets?" Castiel asked Jesse more directly, and with some heat.

Dean glanced nervously back and forth between Castiel and Jesse. "Um, Cass, that can wait. This is Missouri. She's-"

Castiel shrugged him aside and approached Missouri with an angry swagger. Jesse quickly got between them.

"Cass, dude, chill..." Dean trailed off, getting to his feet.

A change seemed to come over Jesse. He seemed taller, buffer...dangerous. In an instant an inexplicable dread washed over Sam, Dean and Bobby, as if a bucket of ice water had been thrown without warning over them. The gemmed serpent eyes on the pendant as well as those on Jesse's bracelets seemed to flash fire and Bobby's suspicion was confirmed - they were not worn for style but served a magical purpose.

"Don't take another step," Jesse warned, his voice low and menacing as a serpent's hiss.

To Bobby and the Winchesters' surprise - Castiel paused. "I demand to see the book," the angel declared.

"All you had to do was ask," Jesse said with an amused look. He pointed to the coffee table.

The dragon hide bound book lay on its surface once more, though nothing of the sort did mere moments before. Castiel approached it eagerly and, before anyone could utter a word of warning, tried to open it. An angry, electric blue discharge flashed over the angel and he was flung clear across the room to impact solidly with the wall. He landed with a sickening thud, several of Bobby's mounted picture frames falling on top of him.

"Cass!" Dean exclaimed, running to the angel's assistance. "Shit! You're bleeding!" Castiel had a small scratch on the forehead from his impact with the wall. "How can you be bleeding?"

"Because..." Castiel began wearily. "My powers are diminishing further. It's becoming worse the longer I remain cut off from Heaven."

Sam and Dean helped him up and sat him on the couch. Their most powerful ally now appeared crippled. A couple weeks ago he had revealed he could no longer heal others (and hence, could not heal Bobby). But at least Castiel's ability to repair his vessel's wounds had not been impaired.

"I...was hoping there might be something in the book..." Castiel trailed off, miserably.

Jesse had Missouri take Bobby back into the kitchen and approached the now sulky angel carefully. "I'm afraid there's nothing that can be done. For an angel of your class...your power is tied to Heaven's will."

Castiel looked up at the boy despondently. "Just how much weaker will I become?"

"You mean you don't know?" Dean asked, surprised.

Castiel shook his head. "Lower ranking angels don't know every single one of Heaven's secrets. There are things in the book that even the archangels don't know. Raziel practically lived in the library's archives and was an excellent eavesdropper."

Considering what Bobby had said about Raziel hanging around the throne of God a lot and writing down all that he saw God say and do, that made sense.

"Your invulnerability and power to heal yourself and others will be among the first to go," Jesse explained with an apologetic smile. "Your teleportation and ability to use the angel spiritual network for communication will probably be next."

A sudden frightening thought struck Sam. "Can he be killed?"

"In his weakened state...yes," Jesse replied. "Not by conventional means. But through sorcery or demonic power, certainly. Guns and knives, sticks and stones might not kill him...but they can sure hurt him though."

Castiel touched the scratch on his forehead and winced. "I do not enjoy this sensation."

Dean punched his shoulder. "It's just a scratch, Cass."

"I have never felt...physical pain before," Castiel revealed. "Angels carry out their duties without fear of it. We do fear death and the thought of not existing. But not pain."

Jesse took up the book and held it securely (as Castiel was eying it once more). "I'll...um...go see where Bobby keeps his first aid supplies," he said, quickly exiting the room and heading for the kitchen.

~*~

"Everything alright in there?" Bobby asked as soon as Jesse walked in.

Jesse nodded and placed the book down on the kitchen table. "Yeah. I think he's coming to terms with his new position. Where's Missouri?"

"She went to tend to his wound...er...scratch. The first aid kit is in the bathroom by the way," Bobby helpfully provided. "I think it might be smart if we keep that book a secret from now on."

Jesse smiled shakily and agreed. "Well it is the book of secrets. You betcha."

Bobby looked at him probingly. Jesse no longer seemed fear inspiring in the least. In fact he seemed pretty harmless now. "What was that back there?" Bobby asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Jesse smiled shyly. "I'm surprised it worked on Castiel. I guess in his weakened state he couldn't see through it. It's a glamor. A sort of hybrid magic. A cross between an illusion and an empathic spell."

Bobby was impressed. While no sorcerer, he was no slouch when it came to the mystic arts. But his expertise lay more in the field of time consuming high ritual and sigil magic together with some exorcisms. Jesse, however, seemed to have an innate ability to conjure the mystic forces quickly enough to use on the field as a primary means of attack and defense. A skill that Bobby had not been able to master and always envied the few hunters who did.

"Nice trick," Bobby said with a smirk. "We're gonna have to have a talk soon, kid. I'm gonna go tell the boys to get a move on," With that he wheeled himself back towards the living room, leaving Jesse alone with his thoughts in the kitchen...

~*~

"Storm rolling in," Bobby said in disgust as he switched off his new cordless phone. "That's what the sheriff thinks is messing with the signals in the area."

Everyone was in the midst of packing. For the past week Sam and Dean had been using Bobby's place as a home base of sorts, coordinating their anti-Armageddon effort from the most protected place they knew. Now, however, demons were swarming and while Bobby was confident they couldn't get in...if they stayed much longer then they themselves would not be able to get out.

"Nice swords," Jesse said, eyes shining, as he lifted and swung two medieval blades.

Bobby turned to face him. "Leave `em. We ain't got the room."

Jesse frowned but obediently tossed them aside. The front door swung open and a sweaty Dean strode in with Castiel in tow. Both of them were in charge of packing the weapons. Sam was busy with Bobby's various magical supplies. And Missouri was occupied monitoring the area with her second sight.

"How much time do we have Missouri?" Dean asked, concern etched into his face.

Missouri, who had been sitting silently in the corner, opened her eyes. "We have at the very least two hours before they are upon us."

Bobby grew concerned for Alvin, Simon and Theodore - his three dogs.

"I've taken the liberty of placing them in their transportation vessels," Castiel said, pacifying Bobby.

Jesse looked up from the pile of unsorted books at his feet. "Um...Castiel, given your current situation...you might want to be more careful. Those beasts are dangerous. And mean."

Cass looked perplexed. "On the contrary, I found them quite charming."

Dean grumbled incoherently. He had narrowly escaped being bitten shortly before. "The last of the weapons are packed away. I got enough water stocked in the Impala and the jeep. There's some canned food - heat and eat stuff. We can get some more eats and drinks along the way."

"Great," Bobby said. "Sam's about done with the magical supplies."

Sam nodded, dropping a bunch of amulets and medallions into a box. "Yep. Now all we need to do is -" Sam stopped short as the all the lights in the house suddenly went out, leaving them in pitch darkness.

"Please tell me you forgot to pay the electric," Jesse said in a low whisper. "Missouri?"

"I...don't know..." she answered, worrying them all further.

Loud howls could be heard outside. The dogs were clearly upset.

"Sam, get the knife," Dean ordered. He himself picked up several bottles of holy water and grabbed his shotgun and salt cartridges.

Sam obeyed but had to say, "Demons shouldn't be able to set foot here."

Bobby, by now, had his shotgun too. "We don't know what Lucifer is capable of. Or what he might have brought out of Hell in the meantime. He's been quiet but busy no doubt. My wards won't help us against hellhounds."

Missouri picked up one of Bobby's swords and Jesse fetched the Sefer.

Dean bade everyone be silent. "Shh." Movement could be heart outside in the yard.

"Stay inside," Dean said commandingly to Jesse, clearly not in a mood to be challenged. "Keep Bobby and Missouri safe! Castiel, Sam, with me."

The Winchesters and the angel sneaked out the back door, leaving Bobby, Missouri and Jesse inside.

Bobby wheeled over to a window. Missouri followed suite and took up a position at a window in the opposite side of the room. Jesse pored over the Sefer's pages which seemed to radiate their own pale glow. "Vayo'mer 'Elohiym yehiy 'or vayehiy 'or!" he whispered raising his hand to the ceiling. There was a deafening roar from above, like thunder, and in an instant the house and its immediate surroundings were bathed in white light. "And God said Let The Be Light, And There Was Light..." Jesse trailed off, translating what he'd just said for Bobby and Missouri's edification.

Gunshots tore through the stillness of the night. Sam and Dean could be heard shouting. But what they were saying was indistinct.

"Kid, behind you!" Bobby shouted, now able to see clearly.

But it was too late. By the time Jesse turned around his neck was seized in a vice grip and he was lifted off the floor. A muscled `man' with protruding fangs was staring Jesse in the face, smiling sadistically as his mouth drew closer to the boy's neck. Bobby didn't have a clear shot.

Missouri let out a war cry reminiscent of a berserk Viking. She swung her sword and slashed through the back of his leather jacket. The vampire roared in agony and dropped a gasping Jesse to the ground.

"Silvered steel," Bobby said with a grin. He wasn't grinning long. The window behind him shattered and a skimpily clad female vampire threw Bobby onto the floor, simultaneously gyrating on him and reaching for his neck. Bobby struggled unsuccessfully to reach his gun which had been thrown out of his hands.

The first vamp had recovered somewhat and cornered Missouri. It turned on her, its face a mask of rage and its eyes pure black. She gasped in shock and tried to make a run for it but was seized by the jacket and thrown several feet into the air. She landed with a painful thud, her sword falling to the ground with a clatter. The vamp grabbed her by the jacket once more and was about to bite when...

"Hey, Dracula, don't you know dark meat's bad for your health?" The vamp turned around only to have the Sefer's open pages shoved into his face. Blue electricity coursed over his body and and threw him straight through the window and clear across the yard outside. Jesse then turned to Bobby and flung the Sefer at his attacker. Like an electric sledgehammer it knocker her across the room, landed open on her chest and proceeded to fry her in a shower of sparks and blue flame. She screamed in unholy agony and was consumed to ashes before their eyes.

Bobby leaned against the wall and shielded his eyes. "Good work, kid," he said to Jesse, who was helping Missouri up with one hand and rubbing his neck with the other.

"I'm not sure Raziel would condone the manner in which you treated the Sefer," Missouri panted out. "But I sure ain't gonna be the one to tell him."

The gunshots outside had stopped and the front door swung open once more. Bobby, Missouri and Jesse jumped in surprise. But it was only Castiel. His coat was torn and his angel blade was drawn and covered in dark blood.

"Vampires," he said, stating the obvious. "I would have sensed them were I at full strength. It appears Lucifer is making allies."

Sam and Dean re-entered the house from the back door. Their clothes were ruffled, but they seemed otherwise unhurt.

"The UFO floating above the house?" Dean asked.

"That would be me," Jesse said, kneeling over the ash pile that was once a vampire. He dusted off the Sefer. "I figured since they shut off the lights it meant darkness worked to their advantage. Lots of creatures have night vision."

"Including vampires," Missouri said, tenderly stroking her now torn suede jacket.

Sam immediately picked up the box in which he had packed the last of the magical items. "I think we better get the hell out of here. Like now."

Without another word everyone grabbed a box and ran (or in Bobby's case wheeled) out the front door and straight for the waiting vehicles.

~*~

To Be Continued...