I wake up late in the afternoon - probably the latest I've ever slept. Dean's already been up, but made sure not to wake me.

Lazily, I clamber out of bed and take a shower. When I get downstairs, Sam and Sigrid are in the kitchen making breakfast together. My nerves melt away for a second as I watch them smile and flirt playfully.

"Oh, um...hey Mal," Sam chokes. I give him an amused look.

"Hey lovebirds," I say under my breath.

"What?" They both ask at the same time.

"Where's Dean?" I ask.

"Downstairs," Sam answers. "He's talking to Cas. They were waiting for you to get up before we talk game plans."

I nod and leave them be. I can hear Sigrid giggle as I walk away from the kitchen. I descend the stairs into the basement to go find Dean and Cas, but I can hear them talking, so I wait a minute and eavesdrop.

"You do realize none of this will kill Death, right?" Cas asks. His gravelly voice brings me comfort; I've missed my favorite angel.

"Yeah, I'm aware," Dean snaps. "But it'll hurt him, and kill his buddies. Whatever keeps her safe is what we're gonna use, got it?"

Cas sighs. "Got it."

I smile softly. Despite the situation, I've never felt more secure. I follow the sound of their voices and find them in one of the arsenal rooms, packing multiple bags of dangerous looking weapons.

"Hey," I greet, peeking in the doorway.

Cas's expression lights up. "Mallory."

I grin from ear to ear and pull him into a hug. It's been too long.

"I agree," he mutters. I forget he can hear me think.

"What are you guys doing?" I ask.

"Just gearin' up," Dean sighs. "We've got plenty to kill reapers. Still working on the Death thing, but Sam can read some lore and probably find an answer."

I nod. "We should probably convene upstairs and start talking strategy then."

I can feel Cas's stare burning into the side of me. He knows.

We make our way upstairs. Sam and Sigrid are already at the table. Dean grabs a cup of coffee and sits down.

"Welp, we've got angel blades, demon blades, just about every blood type you can think of, holy water, spray paint for traps..." Dean trails off. "Plenty of killing stuff."

"So what's our plan?" Sigrid asks.

"Well, you said you know where Death and his team have hit, right?" Sam asks. She nods. "I can use that to build a pattern. And I can tap into street cams and security footage to see if they've been running around in public. Whatever trace of them we can find, I can use for tracking. Then we move to wherever is safest until this blows over."

"Bobby has lots of safe houses," Dean adds. "We can buy time and hide in them. I say we move East though, they won't suspect us that way."

"So we're just going to hide?" I ask.

Dean gives me a "duh" look. "Yeah, that's pretty much the plan. We take every weapon we know how to use and hope for the best."

"No," I object.

Everyone frowns at me simultaneously.

"What?" Dean asks.

"That won't do us any good. As soon as they catch wind of us running, they'll be on our trail. The only possible advantage we could take against them is the element of surprise. We...I've been running from this for too long. It'll catch up at some point, we might as well be prepared."

They're all silent for a moment.

"She has a point," Sigrid says sheepishly. "The first time we escaped was hell. It would be next to impossible to outrun them, even here."

I nod at her in thanks, knowing that wherever she stands, Sam will agree.

"We should start tracking then," Sam suggests.

Sam, Dean and Sigrid talk strategy. Everything from finding my father to how they plan to take him down. Dean suggests a binding spell they used once, Sam turns it down for being too obvious. They want to find a reaper trap capable of holding him.

I finally turn to where Cas has been staring me down. I nod to the hallway and he follows me. We dip into one of the spare rooms and shut the door.

"I know," I sigh.

"Mallory, this is certain death for anyone who tries to fight your father," Cas warns me. "You won't make it out of this."

"I know that," I nod. My throat starts to close up. "But they don't. And we're not going to tell them."

Cas looks bewildered. "So you're just going to lead them to their deaths?"

I shake my head. "No."

Cas throws his hands up in frustration. "Explain yourself."

"We lie," I propose. "We throw a wrench in Sam's tracking system, make them thing that my father is somewhere far away from where he really is. We go there, tell them we fight the next day, and overnight...I disappear."

"Forever," Cas adds.

I nod, bitterness tickling my throat and watering my eyes. "Forever."

"You can't go alone," he says.

I scoff. "You're not coming with me."

"Mallory, they will rip you apart on sight if you go by yourself. It's too dangerous."

"Didn't we just establish the fact that anyone who tries to fight them is going to be brutally killed anyway?" I ask. "You're not coming with me. Sam and Dean lost me once and they were okay. This is the only way to do this and minimize the casualties."

"They were okay?" Cas questions me angrily. "You must be out of your mind. Sam had to hold up a lie that hurt him for a year, and Dean? Dean was a mess, Mallory. More than he'll ever admit."

"Then what makes you think they can handle losing both of us at the same time?!" I argue. "I can't do this unless I know you're going to watch over them when I'm gone, Cas. I need you to keep them safe. It's the only way I can go through with this...consider it my dying wish."

I'm in tears at this point without even knowing it. The prospect of death never truly scared me until I had to plan my own demise. Cas's anger disappears; he pulls me into an essence-crushing, soul-shattering, heart-breaking hug. I leave tears on the lapels of his trench coat.

"I just want them to be safe, Cas," I mumble.

"I know."

"I'm scared."

"Me too."

Cas releases me and gives me a pitiful look. "Pull yourself together. We'll be waiting at the table."

I nod. He leaves the room. I sit on the bed and clean the tears from my face. This is a lot to process. I never thought I would be planning the way I would die, but if it means keeping the four most valuable people safe, then I'd do it a million times over.

Once I've gathered my nerves, I rejoin the group. Dean gives me a weird look but I just smile at him, take my place next to him and listen to Sam and Cas talk. Cas is already misleading Sam's tracking plan. He's making Sam believe they're going to Utah. In reality, they'll be in Illinois.

It's not as far out as I'd like them to be. If I had it my way, we'd be separated by the entire country. I want them as far away from Death as possible.

The next day, we start our commute to Utah. Dean and I are in the front while Sigrid is asleep on Sam's shoulder in the back seat. Dean grabs my hand and holds it while he drives. I know he's scared, but the truth is that he's safe this way. For once, Dean Winchester has nothing to be worried about.