Unbreakable Hope

31. Abandon All Hope...

The young women turned to wait; Jo and Elena. The gate swung open and two men approached.

"Evening pretty ladies," the first man said. "Get yourselves on in here."

"We just need to make a call," Elena told him.

"You two don't need to call anyone, baby." He glanced back at his partner. "We're the only help you're ever gonna need."

"You know what? I think she and I should wait by my car," Jo decided.

Jo and Elena turned to go. The first man grabbed their shoulders, his eyes went black and he said, "We said, get your asses in here."

Jo shook him loose and flattened him. The second man was stabbed through the neck with Ruby's knife by Sam. Elena kicked the man back.

"Nice work, Jo, Elena," Dean complimented.

"Thanks," Jo and Elena replied.

Dean handed Jo a bag and she pulled out wire cutters.

"Okay," Jo said. "Shall we?"

INT. MANSION

Crowley was watching his film when the electricity cut out and he left the room.

"It's Crowley, right?" Sam questioned.

"So," Crowley began. "The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew finally found me. Took you long enough."

Sam was holding Ruby's knife and Dean held a shotgun. Jo was out of sight. Crowley approached, stopping when he saw his rug was rumpled. He looked underneath; a Devil's Trap had been drawn on the bottom of the rug.

"Do you have any idea how much this rug cost?" Crowley asked.

Two men grabbed Sam, Dean and Elena from behind, disarmed them and pinned their arms.

Crowley held up the Colt. "This is it, right? This is what it's all about."

He aimed the gun at Dean, then adjusted his aim and shot both men. "We need to talk. Privately." He led Dean, Sam and Elena into another room.

"What the hell is this?" Dean asked.

"Do you know how deep I could have buried this thing?" He waved a hand and the door slammed shut. "There's no reason you or anyone should know this even exists, except that I told you."

"You told us," Sam repeated.

"Rumors, innuendo, sent out on the grapevine."

"Why? Why tell us anything?"

Crowley aimed at Elena. "I want you to take the thing to Lucifer and empty it into the face."

Elena remained unfazed. "Uh-huh, sure, and why exactly would you want the devil dead?"

"It's called-" He put the gun down. "Survival. Well, I forgot you three at best are functioning morons-"

"You're functioning... morons..." Dean retorted lamely.

"Lucifer isn't a demon, remember? He's an angel. An angel famous for his hatred of humankind. To him, you're just filthy bags of pus. If that's the way he feels about you, what can he think about us?"

"But he created you," Sam said.

"To him, we're just servants. Cannon fodder. If Lucifer manages to exterminate humankind, we're next. So, help me, huh? Let's all go back to simpler, better times, back to when we could all follow our natures. I'm in sales, dammit! So what do you say if I give you this thing, and you go kill the devil?"

Crowley held out the Colt, handle first. Dean, Sam and Elena glanced at each other. Crowley wiggled the gun.

Sam hesitantly reached out to take it. "Great."