Lessons Learned

Pairing: Dean/Jo

Prompt: "Never is a promise and you can't afford to lie"

OOOO

No one knew about the dreams.

No one knew about the prayers.

No one knew how the prayers had lead to the dreams.

The blast that killed Jo Harvelle ran through Dean's mind every hour he attempted sleeping for the first two weeks after her death.

He closed his eyes, and he saw the group picture burning in the fire. He saw the tears that rushed down her cheeks. She was haunting him.

He knew that they probably would have never amounted to anything. She had a nice ass and their banter was amusing-but Dean Winchester couldn't settle down. And besides, Lisa had taken the role of dream life years before Dean had met Jo.

He wasn't sure of his feelings for her at her death...that must explain why she haunted him.

Then he began to pray. Praying to see her again-he knew it was pointless and according to all the asshole angels, no one was listening.

That first night of full alcohol-induced sleep hit his body like a hurricane. He had never felt the need for sleep as he did after two weeks of nothing but an instant-replay of Jo's death.

OOOO

It wasn't heaven. They weren't going to let Dean peek around before his time. It was the Roadhouse.

She wasn't wearing a flowing white gown. In fact, he was sure that a tight leather jacket and jeans that looked like they would have to be peeled off in strips were the opposite of heavenly.

"Dean." She had said gruffly, when she had noticed him.

REO Speedwagon playing softly from the jukebox.

He wanted to laugh. Which ever of heaven's warriors had set this up, wasn't fooling around.

"Jo." he nodded in her direction.

He wanted to look away, but its hard to feign attention on something else when there is only two of you in a place that you've been in a hundred times.

Besides, he wanted to look at her enough to sate himself. He would never see her in real life again.

He didn't feel like laughing anymore.

"I'm sorry." His mouth didn't open enough to make it loud, but she heard him.

"Tell me the truth, Dean." She frowned, crossing her arms in front of her.

"About?"

"Me. Us. Tell me that I didn't die thinking that you felt something, when you didn't." She was getting more worked up by the second. He could tell by the color that spread across her face, she was angry.

"Jo, I..."

She shakes her head.

KEEP ON LOVING YOU

CAUSE ITS THE ONLY THING I WANNA DO

Dean jolted up. He was back in the crappy motel room.

The alarm blaring the music that had just had a more comforting aspect.

He realized it was a dream.

OOOO

The Roadhouse was empty. The jukebox was quiet. Dean sat at an empty barstool, until his alarm woke him.

He almost prayed not to go back there again. But instead, he asked that Jo return.

OOOO

The Roadhouse was the same. Jo wasn't.

She wasn't complete. She was ripped and bleeding, and as Dean stepped closer to her, the less the Roadhouse looked like the Roadhouse and the more it looked like the hardware store.

He watched her bleed silently for a night. Not replying to anything he said.

OOOO

"Are you going to talk to me?" Dean crossed his arms across his chest.

It was again like the first dream, leather jacket, tight pants and REO.

"Are you going to answer my question?" She replied.

"Jo, I-I cared for you...I care for you, but you...you..." He couldn't get the words out.

"I?" She whispered, "I cared for you, Dean. You didn't call."

He sighed, "It would have been bad for you if I would have."

She scoffed, "So, what happened wasn't bad for me? Hello! I was ripped apart by a hellhound."

Dean flinched, "I didn't want you to die. It's my fault you did, its my fault."

"No. You didn't make me go, its not your fault."

"But if I wouldn't have went, you-"

She laughed.

He stared.

"Dean, you may be cute, but you aren't that cute." She smiled, it didn't reach her eyes.

"Jo-" He started.

"Time to wake up, Dean." She interrupted and waved.

OOOO

"This is our last session, Dean. The doctor is going out of business, you need to make sure you've said everything you want to say."

They weren't at the Roadhouse anymore. They were in some field.

More like heaven, he supposed.

"I liked you, Jo."

She nodded, "You liked me?"

"I liked you liked you." He dropped the volume of his voice.

She frowned, "Are we in seventh grade?"

He groaned, "Fine, I cared about you alot more than I should have, I had feelings for you."

Jo smiled, "I thought so."

She moved closer to him, and pressed a soft kiss on his mouth.

"I can't wait to see you again-for real, but make sure, its a hell of a long time away from now, okay?" She was crying.

"You won't see me, I'll never get into heaven." He felt his own eyes get wetter than normal-he wasn't going to cry, but he knew this would be the last time he'd see her.

She smiled, "That's not what I heard."

"What?"

She was fading, he could feel the real world meshing, but he heard her voice, "Never isn't real."

OOOO

AN: I hope this is something like what you wanted. I had a hard time writing this because well, I always feel for Dean/Jo.

Sorry if I didn't interpret the prompt right.

I really like the song that inspired this title so I might use it for more than one fic.

Review.