Title: Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
Author:
SomeoneElsesDream
Rating: NC-17 for violence, coarse
language, blood, guts, debauchery, and death
Author's Note: Jake is played by Ryan Reynolds...think Blade 3...yeah...like that.
Disclaimer: All Iown is debt...you can take that anytime you like. The Matrix concepts and theories are entirely not mine...but they fascinate the heck out of me and they inspired me so I used them a bit.
Summary: Free will, it's a bitch.
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"Almost only counts in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades" - Author Unknown
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Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
Chapter One
The Call
Opportunity, Montana
Early 2007
"Don't worry Ellen, we're on this." Sam's voice was calm and reassuring, while his mind worked a mile a minute "We'll get her back for you."
Just as he closed his cell phone, frowning at it in his hand, the bathroom door opened and Dean poked his head into the room.
"Was that the phone?"
"Yeah"
"A job?"
"Yeah"
Dean was puzzled by Sam's monotone voice. Lately Sam seemed to enjoy jobs more than Dean, seemed to go looking for them in the strangest places too. Dean moved over to the bed across from Sam, getting his brother's full attention.
"So what's the deal?"
"It's Jo, she's missing."
"I thought Ellen said Jo wasn't keeping in touch much these days?"
"Apparently they made a deal about calling once a week"
"Smart" Dean nodded
"Yeah, but Jo hasn't called in two weeks and Ellen is freaking out" Sam motioned to the phone still in his fist
"So what do we know?"
"Ash is going to e-mail us all the information they have."
"Ah, Ash." Dean smiled, trying to lighten the mood "I like him"
"Two weeks is an awfully long time to be missing." Sam was not going to be moved. This was serious.
"We don't know she's been gone that long" Dean said calmly, "Hell, we don't even know she's gone for sure."
"But…" Sam trailed off as he checked his e-mail. "Looks like the last place anyone heard from her was Las Cruces, New Mexico."
"Credit card trail?"
"Dude, Ash checked. Everything stops in Las Cruces twelve days ago."
"Alright so let's get a move on Sammy boy." Dean was up and packing before Sam had even finished reading the e-mail.
"Hey wait" Sam's face scrunched in confusion "Says here we need to stop in Denver and pick up some people."
"Pick up people?" Dean's voice was incredulous "Ellen wants me to put strange people in my car?"
"Says they're going to help and that if we want to find Jo we're going to need them."
"Well if they can find her what the hell did she call us for?"
"I have no idea." Sam was just as baffled as his brother; Ellen didn't seem the 'asking for help' type in the first place, but to have asked from two separate sources? This was bad.
Meanwhile…
Denver, Colorado
Early 2007
"I hate her" Ali hadn't stopped pacing since the call; she alternated between throwing clothes in her duffel and insults at her partner.
"You've said that already…twice" Jake lounged on the bed, keeping a wary eye on the raving lunatic he was unfortunate enough to be stuck with.
"Well it's true" she pouted, gesturing with a t-shirt to make her point
"So what do we know about the back-up she's sending us?" Jake tried not to roll his eyes as he changed the subject, but it took effort.
Unfortunately his tactic backfired, sending her into a full-blown tirade. With her stomping around the room and gesturing madly, it was all he could do to stay out of firing range.
"That's another thing" she fumed "Who the hell does she think she is calling me for help and then sending some strangers like we need back-up?"
"New Mexico is a big state, and she could be anywhere by now"
"Don't…" she spat, suddenly deflated "Don't placate me, I know I'm being a bitch."
"You're really worried about her aren't you?" Jake sat up against the headboard
"I shouldn't be." Ali flopped lifelessly beside him, leaning her head against his broad shoulder for a moment.
"You're allowed to worry Ali" Jake ran a soothing hand along her spine "It's alright to care you know"
Ali sighed, pushing away from the easy comfort Jake offered. It was a constant temptation, the thought of giving in to comfort, allowing herself to feel…human, if only for a moment. Then reality would come seeping back in, and she would remember why she was here, and that the job was far from over.
"Did she say how long they would be?"
"Ellen's never been one for the details Ali, you know that." Jake rose to help with the last of the packing.
"Well how are we supposed to meet up with these people?"
"We have a cell number for a guy named Sam."
"So?"
"What?"
"Call him." she ground out between her teeth, throwing her hands up. Sometimes it was like dealing with a child.
Jake rolled his eyes as he reached for his phone and the receipt he wrote the number on. Whoever their back-up was, he hoped they were up for the task or Ali was going to tear them apart. The phone rang four times before a voice answered.
"Hello?" the voice sounded weary
"Sam?"
"Yeah" now there was genuine confusion in Sam's voice
"I'm Jake," he tried to explain "Ellen said she was gonna call you?"
"Oh, yeah."
"So we were wondering if you know about when you'll be getting to the city."
"Hang on"
Jake could hear a muffled conversation and the crinkling of what he assumed to be a map.
"We're just coming up on Buffalo, and I think we're gonna stop here for food and gas."
"Buffalo? Where the hell are you guys coming from?" Jake was baffled, Buffalo was days away and this case was getting colder by the minute.
"Oh" Sam instantly understood the confusion "It's Buffalo Wyoming, and we're fresh from Opportunity Montana."
"What the heck is in Opportunity Montana?"
"Well nothing interesting now"
"Oh"
"Yeah"
Just as Jake was about to answer, Ali let her impatience get the best of her. It was hard enough to follow one side of a conversation, but to listen to these two idiot's bond over their mutual idiocy was too much for her already frazzled nerves.
"How long?" she all but barked into the phone, neatly startling Sam
"Um, hello"
"Hi. How long?"
"As I was about to tell Jake, it's about another four, maybe four and a half hours before we reach you."
"Oh. Well then I guess I'll keep the room for another night."
"Probably for the best. Las Cruces is another seven hundred miles from Denver."
"Six hundred and seventy-four"
"Oh"
"Yeah"
"So I'm Sam by the way"
"Ali"
"Pleased to meet you Ali"
"Pleasure I'm sure"
"Is this number good to call?"
"Yeah"
"We'll let you know when we hit the city limits so you can tell us how to get to where you're staying."
"Don't bother. Take the second exit for Denver, first motel on the right…I think it's the Sleepy something or other, room 13."
"Good enough. We'll call if we get lost then."
"Alright"
"Bye"
"Bye"
Ali flipped the phone shut with an irritated flick of the wrist. The thought of sitting around for another four hours made her skin crawl.
"Jake?" she called, seeing that he had retreated for a shower
"Yeah" came his muffled reply
"I'm going for a run. They're gonna be four hours plus"
"Alright"
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As her long legs ate up the sidewalk and the chilly Colorado air hissed into her lungs, Ali had seldom felt so alive. There was something about running that made her feel...human. There were few cars on the road on this late morning, and fewer pedestrians, so her commune with the world was largely solitary, which was just how she liked it. As the crisp breeze blew her hair around her face she thought about Ellen. It was almost eight years since they had seen each other, and they parted on the same terms they often lived on. Harsh. If Ellen was calling for help now, for Jo of all people, it was bad...really bad.
Turning down a shaded road, Ali turned her thoughts as easily as her body. Who were these young men Ellen was sending along? Hunters for certain, and probably familiar with Jo, but that described a lot of unsavory people from that damn roadhouse. The Roadhouse. For more than ten years it had been her home, or at least it was the closest thing she ever had to a home. What do they say about home? It's the place that, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. Well Ellen never felt the need or desire to do any such thing, though there were times over the years that she should have.
Ali shook her head as she turned back towards the motel. These thoughts were getting her nowhere. What she needed to focus on was Jo. That girl had always been a magnet for trouble, seems it's not something she managed to outgrow. From what little they managed to get from Ellen, she had been on a hunt and gone off grid almost two weeks ago. Shit. Anything can happen in a day, let alone two weeks. The first order of business was going to be figuring out what Jo had been hunting. The rest would have to wait.
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Meanwhile...
"Bye" Sam stared at the phone in his hand, still trying to figure out what the heck just happened.
"Sam?" Dean glanced over at his brother, having heard one side of the conversation he was intrigued
"Yeah"
"What was that?"
"That was Ali"
"Ali?" Dean made it a question, not knowing what Sam meant
"Yeah. Jake and Ali"
"So what do you think?"
"I think this job just got a lot more complicated."
"Why?"
"Ali's a chick"
"Dude" Dean grinned
"I think she'd eat you for breakfast man" Sam smiled "But good luck with that"
"I love ballsy women" Dean sighed
"Yeah I know"
As they entered Buffalo, Wyoming, Dean immediately pulled into the first gas station. While he was refueling and checking all his baby's fluid levels, Sam ran inside to get the necessary provisions. This was probably the last stop they were going to be getting until they reached Denver, time was too essential for them to waste, so Sam made sure to get all the Winchester food groups. This meant chips, chocolate, candy, and gallons of pop. Dean really preferred coffee, but it never stayed warm long.
While Sam paid for everything, with a fake credit card of course, Dean let his thoughts drift to Jo. Once, he thought there might have been a moment between them, but now he found it hard to think of her as anything more than a slightly bratty little sister. Something about her just grated him the wrong way. Jo was a trouble magnet, living with Sam for more than twenty years taught him to recognize the signs quickly, and the last thing he needed was another one of those to look after.
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Once they were back on the road, Zeppelin blaring from open windows, Sam pulled out the map.
"We need to get to Denver as fast as we can" he murmured to himself
"That's why I'm driving" Dean quipped
"I'm laughing on the inside" Sam deadpanned
"So what do you suggest oh map questy one"
"Drive faster" was his only response.
Dean never hesitated, if Sam said they needed to go faster, then by god he would go faster. Glancing quickly at his brother, Dean was disturbed by the dark circles under Sam's eyes. They hadn't been there before, Dean would have noticed, he was a big brother, it was his job to notice. When he glanced again, the circles were gone.
Ever since that morning when Ellen's call woke him, Sam hadn't been able to shake the feeling that something more was going on. He wished he could put his finger on what bothered him, but it was like it was there, just beyond his reach.
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It was just coming up on mid-afternoon when the Impala pulled into the parking lot of the Sleep Easy Motel. While Dean was getting them registered, Sam went to meet their new partners. Knocking on the door, Sam could swear he heard a baby crying, just for a moment, then it was gone.
The door whipped open revealing a rather strangely intimidating man. He looked to be a little shorter than Sam, though not by much; same haircut as Dean, but his eyes were a haunting amber brown. He was built though; Sam made a mental note not to challenge this guy to arm wrestle.
"Jake?" he wished his voice hadn't sounded so timid just then
"Yeah" Jake replied running a hand brusquely through his hair "Sam?"
"Yeah"
"Come in" Jake held the door open in invitation, frowning when Sam hesitated, wanting to wait for Dean "I promise not to let her bite"
"Huh?" Sam snapped his attention back to Jake just as Dean strolled around the corner
"Close your mouth Francis, you'll catch flies" ducking under his brother's arm, Dean strolled into the room like he owned the place. "I'm Dean" he offered Jake his hand
"Jake"
"Who bites?" Dean questioned, noting the salt at the door and windows, these guys were professionals. Good.
"What?" Jake asked, clearly not following
"You said you wouldn't let her bite" Dean clarified, sitting down at the little table "Who is 'she'"
"She's…"
Jake's answer was cut off by a sudden scream from the bathroom. He went pale instantly before he sprung into action. He banged twice on the door before shoving it open. Steam bellowed out into the room, the damp heat making Sam feel momentarily claustrophobic. Jake came out of the bathroom carrying Ali in his arms, towel hastily draped around her. He set her on the bed gently, and the Winchesters could see that she seemed to be having some kind of seizure. Her breath came in harsh pants, and she seemed to convulse as though she was restrained.
"Get the lights" he barked at Sam, who immediately moved to obey
"What can I do?" Dean asked, doing a visual assessment as he spoke
"Nothing" Jake sighed, "No one can do anything until it passes"
"What is it?" Sam asked softly
"A vision" Jake replied just as soft, reaching to take her pulse
"I get visions too, but never like this"
"No one gets visions like this." Jake didn't even flinch when her flailing arm caught him in the face
"What do you mean?" Dean asked, suddenly afraid for his brother
"Most psychics who experience this kind of vision don't survive."
Jake looked at his watch, it had been almost two minutes. He gestured for the small shaving kit on the nightstand; Dean passed it over without a word. Jake pulled out a syringe and vial, prepping the injection. It had never gone this long before. Three minutes was the longest her body could handle without risking true death. Three minutes.
Just as Jake finished prepping the shot Ali convulsed, gasping for a moment, and died. Jake didn't say a word; he just reached over, took her pulse, and sighed. While Sam and Dean looked on in growing horror, Jake continued to do nothing. He just stared at her, long fingers curling around her wrist.
"Jake" Sam whispered softly
"Shhh. Just wait"
"Wait?" Dean was getting agitated "Screw that"
Dean pushed Jake roughly off the bed, and as he was about to begin C.P.R. Ali sat upright with a gasp. She screamed when she saw Dean, a stranger, so close to her, but she calmed when Jake crawled back onto the bed. Dean hit the floor with a thud, legs no longer working to support him. He had seem some strange shit in his life, but this was a new level of freaky. Jake had pulled Ali into his lap, soothing her as she cried into his chest. Soon enough she calmed, pushing her sopping hair out of her face.
"Oh God" she muttered, shifting away from Jake while trying to keep herself covered with the towel
"What?" Jake asked, standing to give her space
"Please tell me that strange men didn't see me naked."
Dean burst out laughing; he leaned against the bed and howled. Sam tried not to laugh, he really did, but the deep belly laugh from his brother was contagious.
"What?" Ali asked "What's funny?"
"You" Dean panted, trying to get himself under control "You died…and you're worried because we saw you naked?"
"You saw me naked?" she shrieked, jumping off the bed and running for the bathroom.
She got about two steps before she landed on her butt. Jake moved to help her up and she looked at him like she would chew his arm off before she'd take the hand. Muttering to herself about the general pissy nature of the universe, Ali managed to crawl to the bathroom. No sooner had the door shut behind her when she whipped it back open.
"I'm gonna need the kit" she held her hand out expectantly
"How bad is it?" Jake asked, withholding the kit until she answered
Ali rolled her eyes "Remember the Rakshasa?"
"Yeah"
"Worse" she lunged forward and snatched the first air kit from his hands. "Don't worry, I'll scream if I need you."
"That's what worries me" he muttered as she closed the door on his face
Sighing, Jake turned to face his baffled companions. Sam and Dean were sitting side by side on the bed, both staring at the bathroom door, both thinking about the crazy woman banging around behind it.
"What were you going to give her?" Sam asked, gesturing to the kit on the nightstand
"Adrenaline"
"You were going to shoot her up with straight adrenaline?" Dean sputtered "Are you nuts?"
"What the hell was I supposed to do?" Jake demanded, pacing in his agitation "Three minutes"
"Three minutes?" Sam placed a warning hand on Dean's arm, they did not need to antagonize the situation.
"The vision and the…death were almost three minutes." Jake hesitated "Three minutes is the maximum her body can withstand without risking true death."
"Oh." Suddenly Dean could understand, hell he even sympathized.
"True death?" Sam asked, wanting to understand more about this strange visionary
"When Ali 'dies' in her visions she is just experiencing the death of whoever she is having the vision about" Jake explained "It's real to her body, but part of her mind remembers that it isn't real so she comes back."
"So if she's in the vision for more than three minutes…" Sam trailed off
"The body can't live without the mind Sam" Jake sighed
The bathroom door cracked open and Ali poked her head into the room.
"Jake?" she asked, fidgeting in the doorway "I need your help"
"Yeah, of course" Jake moved to join her in the bathroom, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest.
"We're going to need the bed, I have to lie down."
As Ali hobbled her way to the bed wearing only a pair of short shorts and a camisole, she caught Sam eyeing a rather impressive bruise on her hip.
"Don't worry Cowboy, I've been hurt a lot worse for people I love a lot less."
"Cowboy?" Sam questioned
"You always wanted to be a cowboy when you were little Sammy." Ali smiled as she lowered herself onto the bed. Flinching a little, she moved to lay on her stomach.
"What did I want to be?" Dean asked perversely
"A fireman" she replied
"How could you possibly know that?" Dean murmured
"Asks the guy who just saw me come back from the dead" Ali quipped "Man you really need to get your freak standards checked Dean."
As Dean opened his mouth to speak again he was brought up short by the sight of impressive deep tissue bruising spreading slowly across Ali's torso. It was like watching a flower bloom, you could tell it was happening, you just couldn't see it. There were some angry welts developing at her wrists and ankles as well, rope burns. Ali moaned into the pillow under her head as Jake raised the back of her shirt to inspect the damage. It looked like a mild electrical burn, like what you would get from a tazzer, but larger, spread out over most of her back.
Jake hissed sympathetically, but skeptically "I don't think we've got anything in the kit that can handle this one love"
"No hospitals" Ali shook her head
"Ali…"
"How the hell would I explain to them that I have electrical burns, with no source and no residual energy output?" Ali wasn't angry, not really, she was tired. "You know why I can't go to the hospital Jake."
"Yeah"
"Sam?" Ali looked over her shoulder just in time to catch Sam looking a little sick over the condition of her back. "Don't worry honey I'll be right as rain in a day or two."
"Doesn't it hurt?" he asked, immediately wanting to smack himself, of course it hurt
"No doofus, it tickles." Ali deadpanned. "Can you do me a favor Sam?"
"I'm not a doofus, and yeah, sure."
"In the largest green duffle there is a little pink duffle."
"Pink?" Dean snorted
"Dude, shut up." She rolled her eyes, "and in the duffle is a pretty blue mason jar. Jake is going to need the jar."
Sam rummaged through the pink duffle until he found the jar. It was a medium size mason jar painted dark blue with some symbols etched into the lid. It weighed almost nothing, but it felt full of something heavy. When he handed the jar to Jake he noticed the other man's hesitation in reaching for it. As Jake opened the lid he gave Ali one last chance to change her mind.
"Are you sure you want to use this stuff?"
"There's pain you can live with and pain you can work with…this is neither of those things."
"There's no taking it back"
"Just do it."
Jake tipped the jar over the worst of Ali's back and a thick liquid poured out. It had a texture like honey, but it smelled like wildflowers. Ali gasped as it came into contact with her skin, face going pale as if she were in pain. The liquid seeped over her gently coating the burns and nothing else.
"What the hell is that?" Dean demanded, a bit freaked out about magical paste
"It's a potion" Jake replied, screwing the lid back on the jar
"What does it do?" Sam asked leaning in to get a closer look at Ali's back
"It takes away pain" Jake answered, moving to wash his hands "But like with most things, it comes with a cost."
"What cost?" Dean asked, suddenly more curious himself
"I won't be able to feel any pain for a few days" Ali said, pulling her shirt back down
"That's it?" Sam was incredulous, where the heck could they get some of that magical goo?
"No pain means that I could trip and break my leg and not notice."
"Not notice?"
"Well if I did it right now I would probably notice, but in the heat of battle? In a fight for my life?" Ali shook her head "You could gut me and I wouldn't even flinch."
"But you only put it on your back" Sam noticed
"I don't want to risk losing feeling on the rest of my body, but generally you take a spoonful internally to take care of everything."
Ali stood, wavering as the room tilted at an alarming angle for a moment. Sam reached out to steady her and they both flinched as a psychic connection was made. For a moment they could see inside each other, see the truest parts of each other, and it was scary as hell.
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It was still hours before dawn when Dean knocked at the door. Although he was by no means a morning person, he knew time was against them. It took less than fifteen minutes and they were on the road.
Metallica was turned on low, Dean tapping the steering wheel with the bass, Jake singing along softly in the back seat with Ali half asleep on his shoulder. Sam poured over the map again, trying to find a faster route to Las Cruces, sighing when he came up with nothing.
"Jo!" Ali sat up so suddenly that, if not for Dean's quick reflexes, they might have ended up in the ditch.
While Ali struggled to catch her breath, Dean pulled the car off on the shoulder.
"What did you see?" Jake asked softly, running his hand soothingly down her back
"Is Jo alright?" Sam's voice was tentative
"There's a warehouse" Ali started, "At least I'm pretty sure it was a warehouse"
"Do you know what took her?" Dean asked, grabbing John's journal
"Vampires."
"Are they bleeding her yet?" Jake asked, still rubbing her back
"Yes" Ali whispered, wrapping her arms around herself
"Jesus" Sam breathed, closing his eyes
Dean didn't wait, he put the car in gear and merged back onto the highway. Time was definitely against them.
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Las Cruces, New Mexico
Six Hours Later
"Does anything look familiar?" Dean asked, looking at Ali in the rearview mirror
"Not yet." She shook her head, "Head for the industrial end of town"
"Why start there?" Sam asked
"I saw a warehouse with distinctive windows, I'll know it if I see it again."
"Industrial division it is."
A couple of dead ends later and the frustration was rising.
"I thought you said you would know it when you saw it" Sam said angrily, turning in his seat to glare at Ali
"I will, I just haven't seen it yet." She replied, tone matching his.
"Look guys, this isn't helping" Dean said with a false calm "We need to..."
"There!" Ali pointed to a building on the left "That's what I saw in my vision"
"Are you sure?" Dean asked, already pulling the Impala into a tight turn
"Positive."
They parked at a building a few blocks over, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to themselves. Dean opened the trunk and started loading himself and Sam with all the weapons they could carry. When Ali leaned over him to grab a sawed off shotgun, Dean gave her the look.
"You're not coming with us." His voice was firm as he reached out to take the gun from her
"The hell I'm not" Ali replied, jerking back
"You're a liability Ali, I can't watch your back and get Jo" Dean used his best cajoling voice
"I've been training since I was twelve, hunting since I was fifteen. Knives, guns, small sword, you name it, and I can fight with it. Nothing scares me and I'm not afraid to die. I'm coming with you."
There was nothing Dean could say to that, the argument was finished.
As they crept down the alleyway, guns at the ready, they moved with the fluid grace of a well trained unit. There was no need for communication, they were so in-tune with one another. Dean picked the lock, wincing when the door opened with a muted squeal. They slipped in quickly, each taking a section and fanning out. Thankfully the vampires were sleeping for the day, it was only a matter of finding where they were keeping Jo and getting the hell out of dodge.
Easier said than done.
Jo was tied to a small cot in the dark corner of the room, a dark stain of drying blood down her side. Her normally pale face drawn tight with pain not even sleep could erase.
Dean eased forward, shifting past a vampire asleep on guard duty. Reaching out he pressed his hand over her mouth. Jo's eyes flew open in panic before she realized who he was. He motioned her to silence as he pulled out his knife and set to work on her bindings. Once free, Jo threw her arms around Dean, holding him tightly for a moment while she shook.
"Can you walk?" he whispered, looking around for the others
"I think so" she replied uncertainly
Dean hooked her arm over his shoulder and together they moved towards the exit. They were no more than half way there when all hell broke loose. Something had woken the sleeping vampires and they were not happy to be losing their new toy. Dean braced Jo against his side before leveling his gun at the nearest bloodsucker and opening fire. Sam used his machete to cut a path for himself and Ali. Jake was already at the door holding it open and preventing any of the vampires from escaping.
A vampire circled around, coming at Sam from behind while he cut down another.
"Sam!" Dean shouted, too far away to help "Behind you!"
Sam turned, but it was too late. The vampire had him in a choke hold before anyone could blink.
Dean handed Jo over to Jake and moved toward his brother.
"Not one more step Winchester" the creature hissed "I will kill him"
Dean faltered, Ali didn't. In a smooth motion she drew a 9 mil from the small of her back and fired in a single motion. The bullet bit into Sam's shoulder and drew a surprised moan from the hunter.
"Silly girl, you have killed him" the vampire hissed "I will bleed him dry for this"
To his credit, Sam didn't flinch as he felt the stinging bite of fangs. Dean was terrified enough for the both of them. Ali stood still, passively waiting. Suddenly the vampire drew back from Sam with a scream that shattered the windows and left the hunters cowering. A black rot was spreading from the vampire's mouth, his eyes were fading. In less than a minute, it was dead.
"What the fuck was that?" Dean yelled, shoving past Ali to grab his brother "You could have killed him!"
"Dean" Sam said weakly, falling to his knees "Let's just get out of here."
Slinging Sam into a fireman's carry, Dean hauled ass for the door, leaving Ali to follow. Jake had taken Jo to the car and was patching her up as best he could. Leaning Sam against the trunk, Dean turned his fury on Ali.
"What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded, "Shooting at a vampire with Sam so close?"
"I..." Ali began
"And your aim sucks" Dean interrupted "I'm gonna have to dig the bullet out of him myself you know"
"First, I was aiming for Sam" Ali held up a hand, leaving Dean sputtering "and second, I'll take care of Sam."
"Take care of Sam?" Dean was incredulous, "You shot him!"
"I saved his life"
"You risked his life!"
"You put his life at risk everyday!"
"I take care of him!"
"Banner job of that Dean, cause he looks great right now!"
"You shot him!"
The two hunters were almost nose to nose, shouting into each other's faces. Jake looked on in amusement as he gently placed Jo in the front seat.
"Guys" he tried, but neither of them listened
"Guys!" he bellowed, startling them out of their argument "We have to go, now."
Ali gently helped Sam off the trunk, and with Jake's help she got him into the back seat. Ali and Jake worked quickly, pressing gauze to the still bleeding wound. Sam moaned at the pressure, but managed to remain conscious.
"Does he need a hospital?" Dean asked, meeting Jake's eyes in the rearview mirror.
"I don't know" Jake murmured, "Ali?"
"He'll be just fine" she replied, concentrating on keeping pressure on the wound as Dean made a wide turn.
"What the hell do you know?" Dean demanded
"I took paramedic training." she said "I would say I know a lot more than you."
It wasn't long before they pulled up to a motel, Dean running inside to get them a room. Ali and Jake got Sam inside, leaving Dean to help Jo.
"I didn't think she's come" Jo whispered, still half out of it
"What do you mean?" Dean asked, shifting her weight in his arms "You two know each other?"
"She's my sister"
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Author's Note: Confused yet? Me too. The plot bunnies ran away with my brain. As soon as they bring it back I'll have the next chapter up for you.