Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters

Chapter Two: King and Lionheart I

And in the sea that's painted black

Creatures lurk below the deck

But you're a king and I'm a lionheart

October 30, 2005

It was late, and although he hadn't had much to drink like everyone else, he was still tired and wanted to rest. Yet, as he laid in his bed and tried to will himself to fall asleep, he couldn't seem to relax. There was a strange heaviness in his chest that he felt—like a weight was being placed on top of him. He did his best to ignore the sensation, but with the dreams he had been having as of late, it was hard for him.

Sam didn't give up on sleeping until his cell phone began to go off.

Quickly, so not to wake Jess, the 22-year-old reached out and grabbed his phone, reading the caller i.d. and blinking; he hadn't been expecting her to call any time soon. He was quick to stand up and walk into the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom, flicking the light on and then cracking the door. "Jayne?"

"Sammy! Hey! Sorry to call so late."

"Uh, no, it's fine," the future law student said with a light chuckle. "It's always great to hear from you," he stated with a small smile.

"Look, I wish this was just a call to catch up, but there's something I need to talk to you about." That made Sam's heart drop.

"What—" Before the young man could ask her what the problem was, he heard a thump from the living room; he was almost sure someone had just opened a window. He narrowed his eyes, his focus now on whoever was intruding into his apartment.

"Sammy? You still there?"

"Hold on, Jaynie."

"Wait—"

"Give me a second."

"Sam—" Jayne's voice went ignored as Sam quickly set his cell phone down and ventured out of his bathroom. He tip-toed out of his bedroom, making sure to be as silent as possible for his sleeping girlfriend. Once he was in the doorway, he gazed through the darkness, letting his eyes adjust to the lack of light. He stiffened when he looked to the window out by the foyer; someone was definitely breaking in.

Narrowing his eyes, the former hunter was quick to examine his surroundings, listening intently for any sudden sounds. He tensed up when a heavy footstep sounded through the silence. Pressing his back against the wall, Sam waited, gazing intently out towards the entryway of the living room, and as he looked past the beading that was hanging from the top of the doorway, his eyes widened as a shadow walked across smoothly. The college student contained himself, though, going around through the other hallway in order to cut the intruder off in the kitchen.

With his back pressed against the wall, Sam waited patiently to strike, the stranger's footsteps creaking against the floor. And when the intruder pushed the door to the kitchen open and stepped through, Sam struck, lurching forward and grabbing the man by the back of his shoulder while he brought his right hand across to try and put his opponent into a choke hold. He was shocked at the way his enemy reacted, quick to block his arm and twist it behind his back. But being flexible and quick, Sam twisted his body around, pulling himself free from the intruder and fighting back.

The pair fought against each other for a few minutes, Sam seemingly a bit slower and less prepared for the moves that were thrown at him. After a few more attempts to kick and punch, the student was thrown to the ground, the wind knocked completely from his chest. And as he took a moment to catch his breath, a hand gripping tightly to the collar of his shirt, his green eyes widened as he found a familiar face gazing down at him.

"Whoa there, easy tiger."

"Dean?"

Jayne sighed as she waited for Dean outside of the impala. She leaned against the black car and pursed her lips, asking herself whether letting her friend go in on his own had been the brightest idea. After all, she knew it had been years since the brothers had spoken. But Dean had insisted—had said that he wanted to do this on his own. And Jayne was going to respect that. She just couldn't shake the feeling that, perhaps, Sam deserved a bit of a warning.

Which was why she had called him.

But then, her friend had ignored her on the phone as he went to deal with Dean, so her attempts to assist had been for nothing. The only thing the 20-year-old could do now was just wait to see how things went.

And as she watched Dean and Sam trudge out of the complex bickering with each other, she knew that things hadn't gone as smoothly as she had hoped.

"We were raised like warriors!"

"So, what're you gonna do? Live some normal—"

"Jayne?" Dean had been interrupted by the Sam's realization that his childhood friend was waiting outside of his brother's car. "What are you doing here?" His expression dropped as he looked to Dean. "Don't tell me you forced her come with you for this."

The 26-year-old rolled his eyes. "No."

"Like he could make me do anything at all," Jayne retorted back with a smirk before Sam relaxed, chuckling. He opened his arms up and pulled the young woman into a tight hug; he was at least glad to see she was doing well.

"It's good to see you, Sammy!"

"Yeah, you too." Sam sighed, stepping back as he placed his hands on his friend's shoulders. He took a moment to look her over, making sure that she was clean, unharmed and healthy looking. When he was satisfied with the way she appeared, the younger Winchester turned to Dean with a deep frown.

"Why'd you ask Jayne to come with you?" Dean frowned as he glanced to his friend.

"Because I need her here."

"Then what was the point of coming to get me?"

"I want you to come with," Dean stated evenly. "And to be completely honest, I had a feeling you wouldn't want to do this, and I didn't want to have to do this alone." Jayne's eyes softened as Dean met her gaze, and she gave him a small smile. He relaxed, his expression softening before his eyes went back to Sam, who glanced from his brother and then to his friend; he was unsure of what to do with the situation.

"Look, I get it. You want out. But Dad needs us, and I think that he could be in some serious trouble." Sam swallowed, hearing a tone in his older brother's voice that was rare; desperation.

"...What was he hunting?"

He had agreed to help his brother and Jayne on the condition that he would be returned by Monday for an important interview that he had planned for his chances of getting into law school. And although Dean seemed more neutral about the news, Jayne had given Sam another tight hug and an excited grin; she and he chatted for several minutes about that before he went to pack for the next few days.

Jayne stood beside Dean, the two waiting for Sam to return so they could head off for their hunt. The young woman glanced over at her friend, and she could almost hear his thoughts in his head before she scoffed. "Don't be an ass."

"I wasn't!"

"Law school is important to him."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it."

"Oh, so now you can read minds?" Dean rolled his eyes as he shook his head, wearing an exasperated look. Jayne merely sighed in return before she reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Just try and play nice. You two haven't seen or spoken in awhile. The last thing we need while looking for your dad is some big explosion of unfinished family business." Dean stared at the black haired woman before he sighed, relenting and nodding his head.

"...You're lucky you're cute, you know that?" Jayne smirked before she released her friend's hand and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't I know it." Dean narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

The two waited in silence for a few more minutes before Sam walked out, a bag in hand. He smiled at Jayne and nodded, looking to Dean with a more solemn stare.

And then, they were off.

November 2, 2005

Her entire body was still sore. Her shoulders ached, and she was sure she had accidentally pulled a muscle in her thigh while she and Sam had been forced to crash into the home of the Woman in White. Still, there had been no serious damage done to her or the Winchesters, so she was truly grateful for that.

Glancing over to Dean in the driver's seat of the impala, Jayne frowned at his silence. They had just dropped Sam back off at his apartment, and although they had ended things off on a somewhat good note, she could tell that he was disappointed that Sam had decided to stay back and prepare for the interview. It wasn't that Dean didn't want his brother to excel. Dean had always wanted Sam to be happy, and he had always wanted Sam to have the life he deserved. But he had hoped that his younger brother would want to find a way to stay together and make things work with their dysfunctional family.

"...Dean?"

"I'm fine," the 26-year-old immediately answered, keeping his eyes on the road. Jayne rolled her eyes as she shook her head, shutting John's journal that she had been flipping through just seconds earlier.

"It's fine that you're not."

"Jesus—"

"Seriously."

"Look, Jaynie. I didn't try and go all 'Dr. Phil' on you when you had to deal with your shit." Immediately, the woman's eyes hardened. "So don't try and pull that crap with me." Immediately, Dean regretted his words. He stole a glance to the sulking woman, her eyes now gazing out her window and her arms crossed over her chest. The driver let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his eyes with one hand while the other remained on the steering wheel.

"I didn't...Jaynie, look—"

"You're such an asshole, do you know that?" the 20-year-old spat out viciously, causing Dean to groan. "Seriously. God forbid anyone ever worry about your sorry ass." The brunet did his best not to completely snap at the fuming woman.

"All I'm saying is—"

"I get it. 'My name is Dean, and I think I'm tough and don't have to talk about my feelings because I'm a man—when in reality it eats me away inside because I just bottle it up, and then I just get angrier at myself and at the world'!" the woman managed to get out in one breath. Her immaturity surprised her, but she couldn't seem to force herself to care as she childishly tightened her hands into fists. Her eyes widened, and she let out a yelp while Dean slammed on the brakes of his car. He then turned his head to Jayne and glared, the woman collecting herself before she looked at her friend with an incredulous expression.

"Dean! What the hell?!"

"You're acting like grade-A bitch right now, you know that?"

"What did you just call me?"

"I didn't say you were one. Just that you're acting like one."

"What the hell's the difference, you shit-head!"

"Jaynie! Can we focus? Jesus Christ!"

"I'm just tired of you being like this!"

"Being like what?!"

"Being so damn stubborn about things when it comes to your family and how you feel and what you want!" Jayne exclaimed as she threw her hands up in frustration. "It's like talking to a brick wall when it comes to the Winchesters and any of that stuff!" Dean scoffed as he shook his head, gripping tightly to the steering wheel.

"You don't..." The brunet trailed off as his green eyes caught sight of smoke rising into the sky in his rear-view mirror. The hairs on the back of his neck began to stand as a chill ran down his spine; instantly, he knew Sam was in trouble.

"Sonofabitch!" Jayne blinked as she frowned, Dean's abrupt change in mood quite unsettling for her. She quickly looked out the window as the older hunter pulled a u-turn in the empty street and sped back towards Sam's apartment. And when the dark haired woman realized why he was in such a rush, her heart dropped.

There was a fire in the distance.

November 6, 2005

The air was tense and heavy with dread—which seemed to match the storm clouds that hung in the sky. Rain fell hard and fast, anything and everything in its path becoming drenched in a matter of seconds. A set of brown eyes gazed at the lightning flashing in the sky before a voice startled them out of their lost stare.

"We're gonna head out soon." Jayne let out a deep breath through her nose as she found Sam leaning against the doorframe, his empty eyes glued to the storm outside.

"...Sammy, I really don't think this is a good idea." The 22-year-old shook his head.

"I have to do this—for Jess."

"I know that. But it's—Don't you think it's too soon? You should take some time—"

"I don't have time, Jaynie," Sam whispered, finally meeting her gaze with his own teary-eyed one. "...After I left dad and Dean, I thought I had my whole life to finally just be safe and happy. I thought I had all the time in the world for all the things I wanted to do...And then I met Jess, and everything was just so great...but the truth was always right under my nose," the mourning student said as he shook his head.

"I never had any time. No matter how far I run, this life...it's always going to catch up to me."

"Sam..." Jayne swallowed a lump in her throat before she reached out and pulled Sam close by the hand and hugged him tight. She could feel him trembling in her embrace, but she didn't mention it. She merely held him and gave him the support that he needed—that he had always given her when she had needed it. "...I'm sorry," she whispered before stepping back and looking up at him. She took time to really look at him, seeing his healthy skin and the bag-less eyes and his perfect posture; he had come so far, and now he was just falling back into the life he had tried to escape.

Forcing herself to smile, the 20-year-old nodded, holding Sam by the arms and giving them a reassuring squeeze. "Well, I'll walk you guys out." Sam nodded, heading out of her bedroom and down the hall to the stairs. He glanced back at Jayne before he cleared his throat, trying to switch the subject to something that was less disheartening.

"You're welcome to come with, you know." Jayne smiled at the offer. "I know Dean obviously wouldn't care, and I think it'd be nice to know you have our backs."

"I'll try and meet you guys up. Bobby already asked me to work a job for him," the female hunter explained with a sigh. "And anyways, this will be good for you and Dean." Sam blinked, reaching the bottom of the staircase and turning to give Jayne a confused look.

"What'd you mean?"

"I mean, this will be a good time for you two to catch up and work things out." There were still a lot of unsaid things between the brothers that needed to be addressed.

"So go out, find your dad, and make sure to call me so I know you're alive." Sam chuckled and then nodded.

"We wouldn't have to call you if you wouldn't be so damn stubborn and just came with us." Jayne smirked as she looked to the front door, Dean walking in with a flippant smile on his face.

"I already told you—"

"Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time." Looking at Sam, Dean raised a brow, his younger brother nodding in return. He looked back at Jayne and forced himself to smile. He then stepped forward for one last hug.

"I'll see you around, Jaynie."

"Be safe." Sam nodded before he pulled the hood of his sweater up over his head and sprinted out to the impala. Dean, already soaked from when he packed the car, gazed after him before he turned his attention back to the young woman.

"Last chance to runaway with us."

"Bobby would just kick my ass and your ass."

"I wouldn't push it past him." Jayne chuckled before her expression fell, a concerned look taking over.

"Please, take care of each other." Dean stared at her before he smiled and nodded, placing his hand on the top of her head.

"You got it."

"And please, be safe, Dean." The man didn't reply to that. He merely pulled Jayne into a tight hug, one hand weeded into her hair while the other was wrapped tightly around her waist. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply; the smell of her shampoo always seemed to make him feel at ease.

After a moment, Dean pulled back, staring down at Jayne before he gave her a stern look. "Take your own advice, Jaynie." Said woman laughed before she nodded, resisting the urge to grab on to Dean once more as he stepped away. He lingered in the doorway for a second, his eyes never leaving hers, and then he was running out to his car.

Listening to the way the impala roared to life, Jayne watched silently as the black car slowly pulled out from the gravel driveway and sped down the road. The young woman remained standing for a few more seconds, letting the last few days process in her mind. Slowly, she walked out to the porch, her hair sticking to her face and her clothes clinging to her body in a matter of seconds.

For the next hour, Jayne remained seated in the rain.

February 28, 2006

"You still keep in touch with your college buddies?"

Sam and Dean had been on the road for several weeks straight. It was hunt-after-hunt, motel-after-motel, diner-after-diner. And although Sam had grown up through this same routine, being out of the game for a while made jumping back into it a bit more difficult. Still, he didn't complain and focused on what his purpose was; helping others, finding his father and then finding the thing that had killed his mother and Jess.

Currently, he and his brother were stopped at a gas station. Although he knew he should have been more focused on what Dean was saying, the curiosity of his old life and how the people from it were doing got the best of him. And so, he opened up his email to see what exactly was going on. A few friends were still sending him condolence emails about Jess; he skipped right past those. A handful of others sent him funny little messages either with stories about what he was missing in class or about things that were happening on campus.

But there was one specific email that had truly caught his eyes.

Before reading more into what his friend had sent him, Sam let Dean's words register fully into his mind before his brows furrowed. "Why wouldn't I?" He leaned his head out the opened window of the impala in order to look back at his older brother—who leaned down at the end of his car in order to fill his baby up.

"Well, what exactly do you tell 'em about, you know, what you've been doing?"

"I just tell them I'm on a road trip with my big brother," Sam answered offhandedly. "I tell them I needed some time off after Jess." Dean made a face of mock-realization as he nodded his head.

"So you lie to them."

"...No. I just don't tell them everything."

"Yeah, that's called lying." Sam rolled his eyes. "But I get it. Telling the truth is way worse than lying," Dean stated dryly as his younger brother let out an exasperated sigh.

"So what am I supposed to do? Just cut everyone out of my life?" Dean mulled the idea over in his head before he shrugged. Sam blinked, surprised at that reaction. "You're serious?"

"Look, it sucks, but a job like this—you can't be close with people, period." Sam stared at Dean before he narrowed his eyes.

"What about Jaynie?" That made Dean pause.

"What about her?" the older hunter asked as if his brother had asked him the dumbest question of all time.

"We're close with her," Sam pointed out before Dean removed the nozzle from his gas tank and stuck it back where it belonged.

"That's completely different."

"Because she's a hunter."

"Exactly."

"Okay, then what if she wasn't?" Dean blinked, turning to give his brother a puzzled look. "What if she was exactly the same kind of person—same personality, same annoying traits, same great traits—but she wasn't a hunter. We just cut her out too?" Dean thought hard for a moment, surprising Sam; he hadn't expected the 27-year-old to take the idea so seriously.

Shaking his head, Dean walked around the front of his car before he sat back inside. "No. Cutting Jayne out is never an option." And Sam could see it in his eyes—just how serious he was about that.

Deciding to drop the topic, Sam turned his attention back to the email he had originally been trying to read while Dean turned the ignition to his car. He thought back to the idea of having to cut Jayne out of his life, and he nearly cringed; a life without Jayne almost made no sense to the man.

Sam's sharp intake of breath broke Dean from his thoughts as he looked to his younger brother and raised a brow. "What is it?"

"A friend of mine from school—Rebecca, she sent me this email about her brother..."

March 2, 2006

"Well, from what you just told me, it could be a few things. Doppleganger could be a possibility."

"That's what we were thinking."

"Can I ask a question now?"

"Shoot."

"Why the hell are you calling me at three in the morning?" Dean blinked before he pulled his phone away to check the time. He smirked, clearing his throat when he placed the phone back to the side of his face.

"Where are you again?"

"Oregon City."

"Whoops."

Sam had woken Dean up at the crack of dawn, dressed and ready to work. The older Winchester had tried his best to convince his younger brother to give him a few more hours, but after going back and forth with each other for several minutes, Dean relented and tore himself from his bed. He threw on a set of clothes and rushed to brush his teeth and wash his face; the sooner he got coffee in him, the sooner he'd be able to function properly.

He'd driven to the nearest coffee shop, and after ordering his drink, Sam stated that he was going to use the bathroom. Dean merely waved his brother off, waiting impatiently for his coffee. And after waiting for a few minutes, the young man thoughtlessly pulled his phone out, dialing a phone number without even asking himself why.

After three rings, Dean was greet by a loud and croaky groan and a sluggish "Hello?" from Jayne; and now here they were.

Sighing, the woman shut her eyes, doing her best not to fall asleep on the phone with her friend. "What dragged you to Oregon City?" she heard Dean ask.

"A small nest of vamps who were feeding off of kids." That made the 27-year-old narrow his eyes.

"Fucking blood-suckers." Jayne nodded, but didn't vocally reply, the sound of Dean's voice lulling her slowly back to sleep. "I'm guessing you took care of it?"

"Obviously."

"Good. And you're still in one piece?"

"Awe, I didn't know you cared so much." Jayne yawned, smiling at the sound of her fellow hunter scoffing.

"Shut up." Moments after that, Jayne opened an eye, the sound of Sam's voice in the background catching her attention. She tried to make out what he was saying, but it was difficult when he so far away.

"Who you talking to?" Sam inquired to his brother as he returned from the bathroom, Dean showing the 22-year-old the number on the screen. Immediately, a smile spread across the younger Winchester's face.

"Hey, Jaynie."

"Sammy, next time if you're gonna wake Dean up early, make sure he doesn't have his phone to call me and wake me up too," the girl scolded playfully. Sam chuckled, nodding at her request.

"I'll do my best, but can't make any promises." The eldest Winchester shook his head before he placed the phone back to his ear.

"Alright, you big baby. Go back to sleep." Sam watched as Dean smiled slightly, nodding his head. "...When am I not?" The man chuckled at whatever the female hunter was saying. "Yeah, yeah. Sweet dreams, Jaynie." And with that, he hung up.

"What was that about?" Sam asked curiously as Dean raised a brow, confused by the question.

"What'd you mean?"

"Dean, how many times a week do you call Jayne?" The hunter shrugged, not thinking too much on it.

"I don't know. How many times do you call her a week?"

"Not as much as you, I'm guessing."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Before Sam could retort back, his name was called, his and Dean's coffee ready; whatever he was about to say had been forgotten.

"Alright, let's go check this out." Dean sighed, taking a long sip of his drink before he let out a satisfied hum. He quickly followed after his younger brother, glancing down at his cup before he paused. He blinked at the phone number written with a name, and he quickly looked back at the barista—who was smiling back at him and throwing him a quick wink. He smirked before nodding, heading out the door and catching up to his brother.

Guess his morning wasn't turning out so bad.

His head ached. His body was almost entirely numb, and it was difficult for him to breathe; with rope tied securely around his neck, it made it difficult for Sam to comfortably take even a single gasp.

"Where is he?" the young man asked as he glared at the shapeshifter who was merely impersonating his brother. "Where's Dean?"

"I wouldn't worry about him. I'd worry about you," the fake Dean stated smoothly. Sam tensed, instinctively pulling on his bindings and trying to free himself.

"Where is he?" the Winchester asked once more, the shapeshifter looking back at him as he walked past.

"You really don't want to know." He then began to continue packing, going about his business as if nothing was astray. Sam stared with rage burning in his eyes, Dean scoffing as he looked back at him.

"I swear, the more I learn about you and your family..." Sam watched the imitation shake his head while he approached a wooden table and began stuffing a few things inside his bag once more. "I thought I came from a bad background." Sam thought about the creature's words for a moment before his brows furrowed.

"What do you mean, learn?" Tensing, the 22-year-old swallowed, the shapeshifter holding up a long dagger and examining it closely. He then looked at Sam, smirking before wincing in pain. Sam watched intently, taken slightly aback by the scene playing out before him. Suddenly, the moment passed, the look-a-like staring at Sam before he let out a whistle.

"He sure got issues with you." Sam felt a jab of pain in his chest at that. "You got to go to college. He had to stay home—I mean, I had to stay home." The shapeshifter smirked, approaching Sam and standing before him; it was eerie, just how well he seemed to be getting Dean's character down.

"You don't think I had dreams of my own?" Sam tried not to let the small pang of guilt grow. He reminded himself that this was merely a creature—not Dean. Yet, he couldn't help himself as he stared up at the face of his older brother. "But dad needed me. Where the hell were you?"

"Where. Is. My. Brother?"

"I'm your brother," the shapeshifter whispered as he leaned in close and gazed deeply into the younger Winchester's eyes. They gazed intently at one another before the imposter narrowed his eyes.

"You see, deep down, I'm just jealous," he began. "You got friends, you could have a life. Me? The only thing I've got is Jaynie, and even then, I have to share her with you—the one who left her behind and ignored her whenever you felt like it. But she always made excuses for you. No matter what, she just always had to defend you...And I honestly hate it. You were never there for her like I was. You don't know her like I do. You don't care about her like I do." Sam swallowed, slightly shocked at just how attached Dean seemed to be to their childhood friend. Perhaps it was just the shapeshifter twisting his brother's thoughts; or perhaps his brother's feelings for Jayne weren't the way Sam thought they had been.

Dean leaned in closer, his gaze hardening. "No matter what, she'll never understand that. And just like everyone else, she'll leave me." It was hard for Sam to swallow the shapeshifter's words. He continued to tell himself that this person in front of him wasn't his brother—that it was a trick, but he couldn't get the logic in his mind to connect with the emotions in his heart; he was beginning to feel pity for the imposter.

"What'd you mean?" Sam asked quietly while Dean scoffed, standing up tall and walking away so he could take a seat by the small fire he had created.

"You left me. Hell, I did everything dad ever told me to do, and he still left me too—no explanation, nothing! Just whoo." The disdain in Dean's voice was very obvious as he glowered at Sam. "...He left me with your sorry-ass."

Sam was unsure of how to feel. He knew that this man in front of him was not his brother, but the way he spoke and the way his words seemed to be filled with such anguish and pain—it was hard for him to doubt that Dean was truly sitting before him; it was just all too real.

The younger Winchester stiffened when Dean stood to his feet, pulling a tarp along with him. He approached the bound man, smirking as he nodded his head. "Still, this life? It's not without its perks. I mean, I meet the nicest people!" Dean said with a chortle. "Like little Becky." Sam's jaw clenched at the mention of his friend's name while Dean took note of his reaction.

"You know, Dean would bang her if he had the chance. Let's see what happens."

March 9, 2006

"I can't let you two go anywhere without supervision!" Dean and Sam rolled their eyes as Jayne glared at them, the three sitting outside at a cafe. The young woman slammed the article she had read on to the table top, the eldest Winchester leaning forward to get a better look at it. "I mean, this is something you should have told me about! I had to read about this in the goddamn paper?!"

"Relax, Jaynie. It wasn't actually me," Dean pointed out, reading further about his "death". His words failed to calm the dark haired woman down as she glared harder at him.

"I thought it was! I can't even believe you!"

"Stop acting like my babysitter," the 27-year-old snapped while Sam sighed, leaning back in his chair and letting the two hash things out on their own.

"Well, I wouldn't have to act like one if you didn't act like you were some rookie, dumbass!" Jayne was fuming.

She had read about Dean's case through the newspaper. She had been searching for new hunts on her way back from Oregon when she had stumbled across the urgent news of a serial killer nearly getting caught and then found dead; Dean Winchester. The second her eyes had found his name, she immediately began calling the brothers. Her anxiety shot through the roof when neither answered, but when Sam finally called her back and explained what had happened, she was filled—first—with relief, then with rage.

"And I mean, I expect this sort of thing from Dean, but you, Sam?"

"Hey!" Dean's indignant cry went unnoticed.

"I would've thought you'd call me and at least let me know everything was okay!" Sam smiled sheepishly before he scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah. That was my fault. Sorry about that, Jaynie." The woman glared from one brother to another before she let her shoulders sag and her racing heart slow. Her facial expression softened, Dean relieved that her episode was finally over.

"Yeah, well, you guys better be lucky I love you so much or else I'd kick your asses." Dean scoffed, but quickly winced afterwards, Jayne kicking him solidly in the shin. He shot her a glare but let the motion slide, deciding that he had put the young woman through enough already—even if it was accidental.

"You know what they say—everything happens for a reason." The 20-year-old let out an exasperated breath while Dean smiled cheekily to her. "Seeing as you're here, you might as well look into this next hunt with us." Sam glanced to his brother, taking note of the way his eyes gleamed at the thought. He then looked back to Jayne, the young woman mulling the idea over in her head before she reluctantly shrugged.

"Well, Bobby's got nothing for me, and I was searching for another lead on a hunt before I drove here, so I guess—"

"It's settled, then." Jayne gave the oldest hunter a deadpanned stare while Dean turned his laptop towards his brother and friend.

"Wait, before we do this, I need to pee." Standing up, Jayne scurried into the coffee shop, both of the Winchesters looking back at her before Sam looked to his brother. He stared intently for a few seconds, recalling what the shapeshifter had said to him. And although it hadn't technically been his brother, Sam was beginning to see that there was a possibility that the creature's words had some truth to them.

"What're you staring like that for?" Dean inquired, having done his best to ignore his younger brother's intense gaze. Sam blinked, freed from his thoughts, and he quickly shook his head while taking a sip from his coffee cup.

"I was just thinking."

"About what?" the older hunter asked. Sam swallowed a lump in his throat, trying to decide whether or not confronting his brother about what had been said would be a good idea or not.

"...Just about where dad could be." He opted to remain quiet; after all, ignorance is bliss.

Hello! Chapter two out, and I'm happy to say that it didn't take me forever to update like it has been as of late. For whoever is reading this story, please do not hold it against me if it takes me longer to post chapters. I apologize ahead of time just because it may happen more often than I would like, but I only thought it'd be fair if readers are warned earlier than later LOL.

So, for starters, each chapter has an excerpt of song lyrics that fit the chapter and the story as a whole. Just a little thing I wanted to try out with writing this story! And as the story progresses, the chapters will go by dates, rather than episodes of the series. I felt it would be easier to write the story and fit more in to each chapter. If there's anything that I need to improve on or should change or fix, please feel free to let me know! I am always open to feedback and advice!

Thank you to those who decided to give this story a chance! Thank you for reading, favoriting and following! I appreciate the chance given and the support!

Reviews:

SPN: Hello! Thank you for reading and reviewing! Appreciate you taking the time to read my story! I don't want to reveal too much of how much will be the same and how much will change, but seeing as this story is going to be branched from the series with Dean not going to hell, you may already know that a lot will be changed LOL Thank you so much, again, for reading!