Disclaimer: I don't own supernatural.

It was a warm night and Jack's Bar & Pool was crowded, Benjamin was behind the bar, he was a young man also he was kind of handsome, or at least that's what most girls said about him. He bartended at nights and went to college in the morning, but he was more annoying than pica-pica in your pants. He was always showing off, especially with the girls, juggling glasses, on his breaks he did fantasy pool shots to impress the costumers and always wearing a cocky smile, dyed blond hair and blue contact glasses. Benjamin was the reason why Jo was waitressing tonight, serving the regular drunken old farts and some new butt-grabbing stupid men that had come to watch the game and drink until passing out. The schedule Jo was supposed to work the bar tonight but thanks to Benjamin's conversation with Jack, the owner, Jo was stuck waitressing. He had told Jack that tonight was game night and they'd have a full house so the most skilled person should tend the bar, this meaning him. These kind of nights were a nightmare people checking her out, spilling beer on her, a guy on table nine squeezed her but when she was cleaning the table next to him, she had wanted to break the guy's hand but decided against it, she was out of cash, her last hunt had left her out of money.

"Johanna phone!" Benjamin yelled, he was also the only one who called her Johanna, besides her mother.

Jo delivered the last drinks on her tray and went behind the bar to answer the phone, but when she got to it, it was back on its cradle, she picked it up but got nothing, just the dialling tone.

"Did you hang up?" Jo asked pissed to Benjamin who was refilling a young girl's tequila shot.

"Yeah, it was your mom…she said that if you could go home and helper with something, a think she said something about hunting but I not really sure" he replied with his arrogant smile.

"What? Why did you hang up?"

"Well Johanna, this ain't no pay phone, personal calls are not allowed and you know that"

Jo did think it twice, her mom calling and after the huge fight they've had the last time they saw each other, must mean something serious. So she did something she had wanted to do ever since she arrived to this town and got work at Jack's Bar & Pool, she punched Benjamin in the face. She felt his nose move out of place with a loud pop. He didn't saw it coming. Usually when he did this kind of thing to her she just ignored him. He went straight to the floor Benjamin, a stream of blood coming out of his nose. The people went silent, the ones at the bar stared astonished and on the floor Benjamin held his swelling nose carefully, his eyes were watery, he was about to cry. Jo grabbed her bag and left, sure she needed the money, but her mother needed her, she could easily get another job and since Benjamin had been a pain in the ass ever since day one, she felt pretty good with herself.

Months ago, Lucifer had freed the horsemen to walk the Earth. War had decided to have some fun in the calm town of Carthage. He had fooled people into believing the town was infested with demons and made them fight and kill each other, Jo and her mother had been there, but it wasn't until the Winchesters showed up that they were able to determinate who was behind the whole mess. Not long after these events Jo heard a rumour that the demon responsible of her father's death was back.

Back on the days when Jo was around 3 or 4 years old, a man, John Winchester had walked into the Roadhouse, John had lost her wife and was seeking revenge, thus he wanted to learn everything about being a hunter. Bill had been a hunter most of his life, so once or twice he gave John a hand. John was beginning to accept that most monsters from the darkest nightmares you could imagine were real, but still he was catching up as best as he could. One day they went hunting and her father was killed. According to John, he had screwed up the trap and Bill had paid for that. The next day John brought the bad news to the Roadhouse, Ellen Harvelle, Bill's wife, knew that was part the job, you could get killed, and deep down she didn't held it against John, but in that moment she couldn't look him in the eyes, neither could John look into hers.

After that, John's visits to the Roadhouse stopped, and Ellen had to raise her daughter without a father. She did it, and she did it keeping Jo as far away as she could from taking up Bill's occupation. Despite Ellen's best efforts Jo had hunter's blood pumping through her veins, and with the conviction of becoming one, she grew up hating school, having almost no friends, and listening to the histories other hunters told when they stopped at the Roadhouse after a long day.

Then the Winchesters appeared, bringing the news of John's death, and not long afterwards Jo had escaped to Philadelphia to hunt a ghost, against Ellen's wishes, when she dragged Jo back home she told her the truth about how her father had died.

Now the thing that had killed him was back and Jo to go after it, the problem was Ellen didn't. She said it was too dangerous. They fought and split up. Jo had been trying to track down the monster, but always arrived too late. Ellen and Jo didn't talk anymore, they just send messages every now and then, telling one another that they were still alive, sometimes the message included where they were. That was why her mom call, telling her to come home, probably meant trouble and a big one most likely. She didn't like the sound of that. Even more unsettling than the call, was the ride home, Jo had been calling her mother but she only got her voice mail. She drove all night with just the dark sky extending above and the grey pavement beneath her.

Finally she arrived at her mom's motel, she asked the clerk; indeed her mother had taken a room three days ago. Ellen's truck was parked outside her room, the sign "Do not disturb" hanged from the doorknob. Jo knocked, getting no response she turned the doorknob. The door was open. She let herself in, the bed was unmade and cold, hadn't been used in a while, her mom's bags where on a chair by the corner of the room. To the right side of the bed was a nightstand with a lamp and a glass of water on top, Jo approached it and noticed a note under the glass, it read:

Mommy's in the clearing in the woods. Come at midnight or I'll cut her throat open.

Jo picked up the note, she went to her car and prepared, she armed herself with a reliable short shotgun, a silver knife, holy water, salt and her newest acquisition a Desert Eagle .50. She asked the motel clerk for directions then was on her way to the woods. You could get to the clearing by following a dirt path a couple of miles down the main highway. Wasting no time she got to the clearing, it was early but she wanted to know the ground, which would be impossible once the night fell. Under other circumstances, the place would have looked beautiful to her, the middle was filled with green high grass and sunlight, around it gorgeous wild flowers grew, all colours and sizes, it looked calm and peaceful. A ring of trees spread around the flowers, providing a cool shadow to rest, the weather was perfect, not too hot, not too cold. Jo found a good place among some trees to wait for midnight. As night came, the place changed, the beautiful and peaceful place transformed into a creepy and unsettling, the air was cold and it made her shiver, the clearing was awfully quiet, the animals didn't made a sound, there weren't even crickets singing. When it was almost time for the meeting, Jo turned off her lights, with only the moon and the stars as illumination, she waited holding her shotgun tight. As soon as the clock hit twelve; she felt a great force swing her away from her hideout and into the high grass. She stood up quickly, with her shotgun ready to fire, in the dark she could make out two people approaching her, she chose to shoot now and ask questions later. She shot twice at the one in the right, then she reloaded, faster than she'd ever done in her entire life, and fire at the other. Suddenly a bright white light hit her face blinding her. She saw two familiar faces, but before she could react, she was thrown against a tree, the blow made her drop her shotgun, she couldn't move, she was stuck to the tree. With no floor beneath her she tried to focus her sight on her attackers, one she recognized as her mother, only her eyes were completely black.

Ellen picked up her daughter's shotgun "What have I told you about playing with guns?" she said with a sly smile and a mocking tone.

"You're not my mother bitch!" Jo snapped back.

With a fast move the demon slapped Jo "Johanna Beth Harvelle! Don't you use that tone with me!" she scolded her with the same mocking tone of voice.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Jo asked angrily

"I like that, straight to the chase, just as I had imagined!" A new voice to her right said, Jo turned her head to see who it belonged to but before she could, her mother smacked her with the butt of the shotgun, leaving her unconscious.

The smell woke her up. She slowly opened her eyes, her cheek hurt but it was nothing compared to her head. She felt her hair, face and neck wet, she assumed it was blood, when she finally got her eyes completely open she realized what the smell was, she was no longer in the forest, she was in an old sewer, the walls were moist and filthy, the air was stale and unbearable, she could see it like a poisonous cloud rising and hovering around the room. Two torches one next to her the other on the wall in front gave her a faint visibility. Her arms hurt too, they were stretched above her and chained to the wall. An endless passage extended to her right, to her left the room made a right turn, she heard footsteps coming from it. A man entered, he had chocolate colour hair combed back, he was wearing a black coat and pants, white shirt and a dark cane, he wasn't too old, maybe in his forties, certainly he didn't need the cane, it was just for show. Following him other tree people walked in, a woman about her age with long auburn hair, wearing jeans and a red blouse, behind her Benjamin with his swollen purple nose and finally her mother. Benjamin and her mom had black eyes.

"Glad you're awake" the man with the cane said with a calm voice.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Jo asked in a low voice.

The girl and the two demons looked at the man with the cane waiting. "Leave us" the man finally said, the others obeyed and within seconds they were alone, for a moment they just stare at each other.

"My name is Nicholas Chambers, I'm an illusionist. I'd shake hands with you but I see you're a little indispose" the man introduced himself.

"What do you want? Why did you kidnap my mother?"

"Right to it huh? – he walked from right to left and from left to right – I like that" his eyes never leaving hers, he approached and searched her back "What do we have here?" - he took out her Desert Eagle from its holster – What's a girl doing with such a weapon?" Nicholas asked

"Give it to me and I'll show you" Jo snapped back

The man laughed and continued to walk back and forth analyzing the gun "I must admit you have a good taste fro guns – Jo didn't replied so he kept talking – Jo I… can I call you Jo or do you prefer Johanna?"

"Go to hell!" was Jo response.

"Jo it is, just like your friends and family –he made a pause – As I was saying, I need your help"

J was surprised at his statement "Kidnapping my mom and chaining me up isn't the best way of asking" she said sarcastically.

"Don't be silly of course it isn't, I know that, the thing is I don't think is the kind of help you'd want to provide willingly" he explained. Jo was quiet. "I want you to help me kill Dean Winchester" A nervous laugh escaped Jo's throat "What's so funny?" he asked her.

"Oh just that either you don't know me or are incredibly stupid. I'll never harm the Winchesters"

Nicholas came closer to her "Don't be so sure, I consider myself to be very persuasive" he trailed her face and neck with the gun.

Jo broke eye contact and looked up. Nicholas looked up too and saw Jo's middle finger raised, he laughed and immediately hit her with the gun. The blow busted her lip open. He stood still as if waiting for her to change her mind, Jo took advantage of the moment and spit on Nicholas's face, his arrogant expression changed, his face turned red, he stepped back, suddenly raised his hand and shot at her. Jo closed her eyes, she was waiting for the pain to take over, but nothing, for a second she thought he had failed, but then she felt it, heat right next to her neck, he hadn't aimed at her, it had been a warning shot. He placed the gun on her cheek, it was still hot from firing.

"Changed your mind?" his voice was still upset.

"You can suck it and go to hell 'cause I wont hurt Dean"

"Go to hell? That's the only thing you can say? – he made a pause, lowered the weapon and stepped back – perhaps I haven't made myself clear, did you see the demon wearing your mother's flesh – Jo didn't respond – that demon obeys me, that means if I ask her to jump off the roof, she'll do it, and Ellen inside there would feel everything, her bones breaking, her head splitting, same goes if I tell her to shoot or stab herself, I don't know, but trust me when I don't get what I want I get very creative"

"You're a pathetic son of a bitch – Jo said with a knot in her throat, she took a couple of seconds to regain control on herself – Why do you want to kill him?"

"I'll tell you that when I trust you better" Jo gave him an angry look then turn her head away "Oh come on is not like I want you to go wherever the hell he is and put a bullet in his head – he approached and gently turned her head so she would be looking at him – what I want you to do is to just lead him to me when the time is right" Jo tried to keep her gaze away from his "Do that and mommy would be safe and sound"

"Why me?" Jo asked after a long pause, the knot in her throat made speaking hard.

"Easy! With all the crap that's going on, the Winchesters trust very few people, and you my dear, are one of them" Jo thought about this, she didn't want to lose her mother and less to whatever this creep was planning on doing to her, but Dean was her friend, to her even more than that, still she had to make a decision and she had to make it now.

"When?" she finally asked

Nicholas was charmed at this, she was giving in, soon she'd agree "I'm not sure there are still some details I have to work on, and that might take a while" he said licking his lower lip. Jo considered this as a good thing, with time she could think of a way to get out of this whole mess without her mom getting hurt and without harming the Winchesters.

"What am I supposed to do? Are you going to keep me here until then?"

"Oh do I hear a yes my dear?" Nicholas said, the eager in his voice was annoying. Jo made a pause is this really the only way she thought but sadly realized that yes it was, it was the one and only way.

"Yes" she said hating herself

"Pardon me dear you have to be more specific" his eyes were shinning.

"I'll help you kill Dean Winchester"

"Lovely! – his voice was full with joy – I know I'm no demon but let's close this deal properly" after he said this, he grabbed Jo's face with both his hands and kissed her. Filled with disgust, Jo kept her lips and mouth shut into a tight line and struggled to get her face free from his grip. After a moment he backed away.

"Now let my mom go!" Jo demanded, keeping herself from spiting at his kiss.

"I'm sorry dear but, Ellen is my insurance, I can't let her go just yet" he explained

"What? But how do I know you won't kill both of them?" The horrible feeling of impotence made her want to cry, but he could give him the pleasure of seeing her broken.

"Well you don't… but you really have a lot of options here, now do you?" In that moment Jo hated the guy with every fibber of her body. She wanted to grab his little annoying head and smash it again, again and again against the hard stone wall. "Now concerning your previous question, for the time being, you'll keep an eye on him, I was told of some bizarre murders in a small town, not far from here, I'm sure it will get the brother's attention, you'll be there and you'll tag along with them" he explained.

Suddenly fresh air hit her face, clean air, she didn't understand it, the room was closed, there wasn't any gap where the air could leak in. It didn't make any sense. Then she blinked and she saw it, she was still in the woods, then she remembered My name is Nicholas. I'm an Illusionist. It had all being an illusion. She looked up her hands weren't tied up, she lowered them and threw a punch at Nicholas. But as she turned, she saw he had his palm stretched out. He simply blew. She noticed a sweet smell, immediately passed out and dropped to the ground.