The Things Only Time Could Do.
Disclaimer: None is mine; except some super tiny characters you'd find along the way.
A/N: Never really had any guts to write one, let alone to post one - so this is obviously my first attempt; inspired by a bunch of Dean-Jo stories I've read here. Well, I like Jo; though some of her characters need to be improved–my opinion only; but I do enjoy writing her with Dean. Hope you enjoy them as well; and yeah, it's not beta'd which makes all mistakes are mine, so reviews are very welcomed.
Thank you for reading.
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It was six years after Duluth that Winchester brothers met Jo Harvelle again.
They knew she helped her mom rebuilding the roadhouse after it was being burnt down and then she went to collage since she realized that a happy and alive mom was more important than anything. They knew because once in a while after those crazy years, they - more like Sam than Dean actually - phoned Ellen for hunting information, and Jo was somehow became one of the information they shared. But when the last phone informed them that Jo was going out for hunting again; the old guilty feeling came creeping back to the brothers and the phone was become lesser from their part.
And so looking at Jo Harvelle again - hopping from her truck and then hauling her big backpack in one shoulder and a laptop case in another; blond hair, shorter than before, tucked on the top of her head; giving a "hey" when she passed them to take her motel room key from a very casual Bobby and saying that she needed to clean up first and would be back to them as fast as she could, with a solemn yet sincere look - was a very surprising moment for Sam and Dean. And Dean thought she sounded much like Ellen, he even quivered.
The fact that Jo Harvelle was one of the hunters that Bobby contacted to help them fighting a war – another war where the "King of hell" intended to release as many nasty creatures as He could from the gates that he'd created the past months for another nasty plan to destroy the humans - an information that was incidentally being spilled by a demon when Sam and Dean exorcised it and so after a long talk with Bobby, they figured that they needed to gather a small group of capable and trusted hunters to wait at the gate on the certain time to blast those creatures back before they even set their feet on earth; made Sam and Dean wondered about how many other things that they didn't know about Bobby. And Jo.
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The meeting was with another two hunters that came in after Jo – a Hollander Gray; a closed friend of Bobby and had teamed up with the Winchester before and a Jack Andrews – a man that reminded Sam and Dean much to their dad; from his physical features and skills, up to the story of how he became a hunter in the first place - courtesy of Bobby and other hunters all these years - with only slight difference; his little girl died in the flame along with her mommy. And so when Sam and Dean met him face to face for the first time, respect was all that they had for him.
The first bickering between Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle happened when it came to the jobs distribution - who should guard which gate and when; right after Bobby said that they needed to be on their own for the first six gates – making Sam and Bobby exchanged glances and put a confuse face on Hollander Grey.
It wasn't until Jo-can-handle-it-fine-don't-worry-about-it from Jack that made a-what-the-hell-happened-here look formed in Dean's face and Jack's another enough-with-the-bickering-Jo to a one ready-to-bicker Jo that made her pouted like a girl who'd just been scolded by her father; that Sam wondered - and eventually Dean too at the end of the night - about how much exactly that they'd missed in this world they thought they knew.
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And It was Sam who first to know what they'd missed from the hunter world.
It was on his turn to work with Jo on their third round of the plan; right after he got that you'll-miss-all-the-fun-being-with-me-Sammy-do-you-hear-that?! from Dean who looked a little hurt when his younger brother seemed a bit more excited than he expected once Bobby pronounced that Sam had to team up with Jo – not that Sam intended to, but he figured that a change of scenery once in a while would be nice.
That long night driving to Texas made Jo Harvelle shared him lots of story.
It was three years after living a very normal life – well, as normal as she could be - that hunting became a part of her life again. It was three years after Theology and Latin classes, a contented mother and a Dan. A Dan whom she met at the library when she was struggling to understand a Latin book and then asking whether Jo needed any assistance which somehow ended up by asking her to be his assistant as a Latin book translator even though He knew Jo could not even read it right. It was three years after she found him at his apartment - after two hours waiting at hers to be picked up to their favorite restaurant on the "it would be a surprise thing, Jo" occasion when she asked him what was this all about, and so Jo, with her fancy red gown and very high heels decided to go to his instead. She found him there, covered with blood with the ring in a case on his palm, motioning her to take it and when eventually Jo understood the motion, the light in his eyes vanished.
It was a month after that damned night – a month full of researching, after she found out that the cause was supernatural and it was simply a random attack - that Jo Harvelle found one particular abandon house and a man with the same bloody wound with Dan's; dead on the floor. She shot the creature dead and felt the victory washed over her. Too bad that when she spun around to pack her things; another one attacked her. They were couple; a fact that Jo missed on her research – "what a stupid thing to do", She added casually to a struggling-to-digest-information Sam who was sitting on her passenger seat.
By the time she thought it was her time to die, someone blasted his way and shot the thing down. And when the same man looked solemnly at a trembling Jo lying on her back; at the shotgun beside her, a knife on her hand, and rock salt that was scattered on the floor, and said would-you-like-to-hunt-with-me to her; Jo knew that she was going to be the old normal Jo Harvelle again, and somehow along the way she was also becoming a Jack Andrews' little (hunter) girl.
"And that, my friend, was the beginning of the adventure of Jo Harvelle; the big bad hunter" - She said, smiling to a still-stunned Sam Winchester; adding "well, not before He gave me the damned hard training, days and nights for a year that almost cost me my book agent because exhaustion sometime made you simply couldn't translate anything; not even a word for a week – and yeah, she was taking care of Dan's business. Three years of being pushed to speak in Latin earned you something, she said.
And when Sam Winchester met his brother and other three hunters on the motel where they set as the next meeting point, He had this bewildered look that annoyed the hell out of Dean because I'll-tell-you-what-the-fun-you've-missed-Sammy was responded with Sam's wait-'till-you-hear-mine!.
And so it was not very surprising to Dean that the night after the long talk with a still bewildered Sammy about Jo and how she fought the creatures, when he somehow became restless and the thought of getting some fresh air outside the room might help; he found Jo, sitting on the terrace of her motel room – doing very much the same thing like he was and so he approached her and the next thing they knew they exchanged their hunting stories in a way they never did before.
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The request came out of nowhere. It was asked when the first time Dean had to team up with her on their way to get the creatures in California; in the middle of discussion of their hunting and the car – his baby, not Jo's - was passing a cemetery. He'd like to ask whom she would like to pay the respect to, but the memory of the long talk with Sam some nights ago stopped him.
She was gleaming and smiling, hopping from the car and almost bouncing with every step to one particular grave – absolutely not like someone who would visit a grave; more like someone who was going to a party or carnival and worst – with her first date; because she acted like she was nervous too. She was standing there, and talking to that particular grave, putting a flower that she picked up on the side of the road on her way there, and then rushing back to the car.
Because really, on Jo's part, visiting that important person in her life always brought back the first-date sensation to her, and at the end of every visit she made; the fact that the man was six feet under, sent her to the-first-date-gone-sour sensation she needed to forget as fast as she could.
So when she came back and saying let's-go, she continued to talk about the hunt like the whole grave-visit thing was never happened. And Dean wondered if she was the same Jo Harvelle that he ever knew.
The night they faced the creatures, Jo's movement surprised him. She thrown her knives precisely - not even one knife missed the target - and she took every blow calmly; sent them back fiercely; and damn-she's-good was what crossing his mind when he saw her with the gun. It was a very quick fight; one fearless night for them and with the very least casualty on their part.
The only thing that surprised Jo that night was the look on Dean's face when one of the creatures saying hello to Dean, told him that it was his old-mate-from-hell and how good old days it had with Dean on the last month Dean was there. The look was malice. And Dean finished his round for that particular creature only.
After they got back to their motel, Jo was the one who stitched the nasty wound on Dean's left arms and she did it easily and calmly – even the snap of "God-you're-still-a-butcher-Jo earned only a chuckle from her. The wound on her right tight was stitched by herself too after she dismissed the you-want-me-to-stitch-you-'cough'-there?-Jo from a grinning Dean.
By the time they both closed their eyes to rest on their respective beds, both of them wonder how death was not as scary as before, and how six years changed someone that much.
When the morning came, and Dean found Jo's having breakfast at the café while doing her Latin work on her laptop; and upon seeing him, gave her full smile and throw him that hello-princess greeting which made him chuckled and thrown his witty words back at her; He thought maybe, just maybe, she was still Jo Harvelle after all.
And He wondered why sitting there teasing her was much more interesting compared to charming that leggy, hot, who'd-just-winked-at-him waitress.
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It happened in Impala; one night after a week full of rough hunting with Jo - because Sam was left to be teamed up with Bobby again; after an immediate plan changing from Bobby, an improvised new strategy by Jack, a very hard objection from Dean and so, another changing plan.
On their way to find a motel; Dean pulled over on the side of the road, surprised by the wonderful sight of the sky at that night and at the motion of his hand, Jo looked up too. They gazed at it almost an hour with a complete silent surrounding them. In the end, without realizing it, his hand was caressing her hair. She looked at him solemnly and He had the longing look that she sworn she never saw before. She closed their distance and snuggled against him and he held her. All she could muster was three words and they were Dean, Dean and Dean – each word after another with considerate pause and a tighter hugging. He didn't understand what was running through her head when she said it, but every time he heard his name, he held her tighter too. Maybe all these years of life had taken its toll on them, and maybe, the hugging helped them release the tension. There was no hot steamy sex that night; no touching, not even kisses. They just hugged each other and fell to sleep in Impala. It was surprising but somehow it was not.
When Jo stirred because the sun shone directly to her face, she looked up seeing a Dean Winchester still holding her and smiling. She smiled back saying that this was too good to be true.
When Dean asked her what she meant by that, she gave him her long explanation that, finding him in the morning, still being with her after they slept together sex-free, and still holding her without offensive maneuver to get away nor bickering with her - which almost made him to bicker - was too good to be true, adding "one might think you were possessed". The next it's-too-good-to-be-true came out her mouth was cut by his "Oh, come on" and his nonchalant move to start the engine – a lousy attempt to hide his real feeling, which made Jo sat straight back on the shotgun; giving him a see-what I-mean look with a ghost of smile in it. But then after two hours of driving, when Dean found himself tucking a strand of Jo's hair behind her ear which earned him a sleepy but smiley Jo and when he pulled her so she could rest her head on his shoulder; He wondered himself whether this was really too good to be true.
By the time they met with others, Sam surprised on how they both acted like a natural couple. There was no awkwardness in their closeness, and his brother - the Dean, acted like a man; not a boy he used to be – well, except one time when he told Sam that he might catch a fly - ended with his patented smirk - when Sam was so wowed with the sight in front of him that he didn't realized he left his mouth hanging opened.
It was one year– one year after they eventually closed all the gates, one year after Jack gazed at Jo so long before they promised to contact each other regularly - Dean even winced at the sight and over the feeling he never admitted to anyone including himself, one year after the three of them made a constant hunting, becoming a good team even before they realized it; one year after once in awhile Dean left Sam sleeping alone at their motel room, saying He would be with Jo and be back in the morning, without shyness or awkwardness – when one important moment happened.
No fancy restaurant or romantic plan involved. It was at the diner and the three of them were having breakfast. Sam excused himself to the toilet, and that was when Dean fished out something from his pocket and put it in front of Jo and all He said was "this is for you." He wasn't smiling that goofy smile, not even scratching the back of his head like he used to on the heart-to-heart moment. He just continued eating his breakfast, like nothing happened. So, Jo took the ring; lingered too long to the inscription carved on the inside of the ring; realizing that it was a perfect replica of the one he was wearing, and She put it on. She gave a thank-you look, not even believed in herself to say any word. The thought of him backing off too quick on her if she pushed him was still on the back of her head after all.
The breakfast continued with Sam who after got back from the toilet, upon seeing the ring on Jo's finger and those two holding hands, trying very hard to cover his surprise and happiness and acted like nothing happened; and failed miserably.
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The spell of good-to-be-true was broken thirteen months after that night.
They'd just finished another long hunt - with Jo had another victory over the brothers, become the one that slaughtered the creature, and with each of them with their glory souvenir which was a splinter shoulder for Dean; a nasty wound on the forehead and stomach for Sam and a ten bloody knuckles for Jo because of the hit that she made to the creature's jaws which suddenly, out of nowhere, transformed into a jaw that full of spikes. They were nursing their wounds on the brothers' room when Dean laughed very hard upon hearing Jo spilled out a bunch of sworn words that even Dean never heard them before when She was trying to put off her ring out of her bloody knuckles; but the sight of her finger without the ring stopped his heart a bit.
It happened after she dismissed herself to her room to clean herself when both brothers hearing a loud God-damned-y'all from Jo's room and a blast that made them charged directly to her room. A broken window, three knives stabbed on the back of the door, and a bloody ring were all that they found. And the way his brother looked at the bloody ring made Sam felt sorry for any demons and spirits and creatures that would get on their way.
Eventually they found her after four weeks of searching and researching; four weeks of Sam watching his brother restless; a guilty look appeared too obvious in his feature; four weeks after a nasty blow between Dean and Jack that happened when they broke the news to the elder hunter – with Bobby stopping Sam when Sam was trying to separate both men from the heavy fight; "they need that" was all that Bobby said to Sam; the fight that eventually stopped when both men were exhausted and the blood running from both of their noses - but it surely made all the tension gone; It was three weeks after Dean had the guts to tell Ellen, and watched the woman held her breath and then looked at all the four hunters in front of her saying the word "found-her!" with so much anger that Sam wondered if a voice could kill, the four of them would've died right there.
They found her in an opened coffin in an abandon warehouse, with cuts and blood all over her body. The creatures that captured her were not strong but they were fast and they had this nasty ability to paralyze human and fed the blood slowly to keep their strength. Apparently Jo was the third prey and it was a random attack – they were hunting for their prey and they smelled the blood from her knuckles. They were keeping Jo longer than others because it seemed that Jo could survive longer, so they didn't have to find other prey sooner; and also because they wanted her to suffer as long as possible since they'd lost three of their kind on her knives.
Dean shot every one of the creatures when they found them; even before Bobby, Sam and Jack could raise their guns. And he kept shooting at them until they'd been long vanished and stopped only when Bobby's hand was on his shoulder. He then rushed to Jo who was holding on to Sam with a hard look on her face, and who then passed out in his arms on the back seat of impala while Sam was driving them to the hospital.
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The first thing Jo Harvelle said after waking up at the hospital was "give me back my ring"; to a stunned Dean Winchester who was sitting beside her bed with a haggard face, crumpled hair and worry expression. Dean directly fished the ring out from his pocket where he kept it since six weeks ago – six weeks ago when he promised to himself that putting it back to where it's belong was the first thing He'd do when he met her; He dismissed the word "if" at that time – and here he was, really putting the ring back on her.
To her surprise, He held her close and burying her face in her messy hair and almost sobbed, saying with a husky voice of "never disappear like that again", making Jo wondered what kind of disappearing way that she was allowed to, but replying in a weak tone that "no, at least not willingly".
A month after Jo checked out from the hospital, Dean popped up the long-over-due question while they were sitting on the stool bar of the roadhouse; and Jo's answer – accompanied with a very cute fake surprise expression and a hearty laugh – was "I thought we already have!". Dean's face was red; happy and shame - all at the same time and everyone around him was laughing and clapping.
The weeding was to be held in The Roadhouse, and that was not surprising at all. Ellen was a very happy wedding planner who found her self wondering a few times about how she thought that this day would've never come; well, the part where Jo eventually got married, of course; not the part that after all, it was Dean Winchester whom finally Jo would marry to. She was also a strict wedding planner - not that Jo and Dean minded, because mostly they went out hunting with Sam and they said yes to almost everything Ellen suggested; not that there were many things to be suggested; after all, Ellen realized that they were hunters and wedding was not exactly on the priority list.
Hell, once Dean even thought to drive to Vegas and do it there, but somehow something in his head telling him that this was too important to be messed up in a place like that.
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On her wedding day, Jo was wearing a simple knee-length white gown. She wore her hair down with the flower on her left ear, as beautiful as ever in Dean's opinion – but hey, lately it was all the opinion he had for her.
Dean was in a tux, which he was wearing in a hurry since He just got back from an unexpected hunt with Sam and Bobby; earning every glare and sworn Ellen could throw at him while Sam helped him dressing. But He had that goofy smile plastered on his face all the time that once Ellen caught it, she cleared her throat to hold back her tears. It was a sight that she could never forget in her life. Maybe, she thought, maybe; life eventually was fair to the Winchester.
All the hunters that they knew were there. Bobby and Jack was the host and welcomed everyone – not that they welcomed many. The priest was Jack's long friend who was known among the hunters.
It was Ellen who gave Jo away to a still-goofy Dean Winchester with Sam Winchester besides him; obviously became the best man – the best man that was looking gleaming and happy as ever. One would wonder which one the groom was. But Ellen knew the look, knew the feeling that caused the look; the same feeling that she felt.
By the time the Priest pronounced that the groom may kiss the bride, Dean eagerly took Jo's arms. Jo halted him, placing her palms on his chest saying "Promise me something" with a hoarse voice that full of emotion - a very low tone which made all people held their breath; made Sam even cringed. Promise-me-that-you-won't-sell-your-soul-to-any-demon-for-anything-or-anyone-anymore;-once-the-loved-one-died,-the-left-ones-grieve-and-survive were her next words. Upon that words, gone that goofy smile, replacing by a hard and unreadable face; It was a full Dean Winchester's back-in-business expression. And Jo was perfectly mimicking it.
The next word of You'd-sell-your-soul-and-go-to-hell-I'd-sell-mine-simply-to-slap-you-there was accompany with Jo's full-bright-all-teeth smile that clicked something in Dean's mind and forced him delivered the word I-promise then proceeded what the Priest had told him earlier. But then they both wondered whether it was a promise worth to say.
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The last two couples that were still dancing on the floor on Jo's wedding night were Jo with Sam and Dean with Ellen with the music pouring out from the juke box none other that REO Speedwagon – much for Dean's objection. Other hunters were gone with their business; only Bobby and Jack were left nursing their whiskey. Ellen was a very happy bride's mother, telling Dean every embarrassing Jo's childhood moments that she could remember and Dean was listening to her and laughed forgetting at the moment that she was his scary but respected mother in law. Jo and Sam held each other close, not saying a word; another unique way they found for saying thank you to each other. Once in a while Dean would cast a glance at them, smiling a contented smile. And for a moment Dean felt that somehow, hunting was like another life time.
By the time the music finished, Sam's gaze was following Jo's wedding ring. Jo offered him to take a look at her wedding ring; flashing it in front of his eyes the way a bride would flash her ring to her friends and tell tales about it; but Jo had none of them. So Sam took a good look at the ring on his palm, half expected to find an inscription like "love forever" or "forever yours" on it but instead – to his surprise, it stated only JW, and then he thought it suited Dean's style better. But then again it was more surprising to him when he realized that this ring was given almost half and a year ago; when marriage was not even a word for both of them – but then maybe, Sam thought, maybe, that word had been there all along. He looked at that inscription again, and pretty sure it didn't mean John Winchester – his dad's name – carving on his brother's wife's wedding ring. But then again, following his train of thought, it also suited the thought – The thought of the two people that could really have the power to rein Dean Winchester in and – after taking a quick glace to his brother who was now holding his wife in his arms, he thought of the word happy.
And happy, was the word that had been long not being associated with Winchester.
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