A/N: Hello again! Here is the first official chapter of the story. It just jumps right in, so hopefully you like it!

"HELP US!" A shrill voice called out from a dark alleyway just as Dean Winchester and James Novak were passing by on their way to the Institute after a long day of hunting.

Dean was the first to spring into action, pulling his seraph blade from his belt and clearly stating the name of an angel to access its power before turning to his companion. "Ready to gank some demons?"

Jimmy also had his seraph blade out and was just naming it when Dean practically skipped into the alley toward the source of the screaming. Jimmy couldn't help but admire his best friend as he followed him into battle. Dean always became energized at the prospect of killing demons no matter how exhausted he actually was; this got Dean into a lot of trouble which Jimmy always had to get him out of. Not that Jimmy would ever complain about saving Dean from a sticky situation.

Jimmy finally caught up to Dean at the end of the alley and found a Drevak demon snarling at two frightened girls. Dean was already advancing on the beast, verbally taunting it which of course only made it angrier. Luckily, that was all the distraction Jimmy needed to get the girls safely out of harm's way before helping Dean send the damned creature back to hell.

When the demon was slayed, Dean wiped the ichor off his blade and re-sheathed it before flashing a giant, white grin at his parabatai. "What a rush! I gotta say though, I'm a little disappointed there was only one."

Jimmy put his blade back in his belt and placed a hand on Dean's shoulder. "I'm not. You need your rest, Dean. It's not good for your health to fight at half strength."

Dean waved his best friend off. "I'm young, I'll live. Besides, I have enough adrenaline pumping through my veins right now to keep me going for days!"

The two walked out of the alley to find the damsels waiting for them. There was no longer any fear in their eyes once they got a clear look at Dean's face. This came as no surprise to Jimmy who was accustomed to being a third wheel around his parabatai and attractive young women.

One of the girls, a blonde with dark brown eyes, spoke first, "You saved our lives! How can we ever repay you?"

"We're just doing our part to keep the city safe, ladies." Dean replied nonchalantly.

The second woman, a brunette, then spoke up and batted her hazel eyes at Jimmy. "That's a shame, after a near death experience like that I'm feeling a little bit… revved up." She added with an overly seductive wink for emphasis, in case he didn't get the hint.

Dean smirked and raised an eyebrow in Jimmy's direction. "Well, I am still high on adrenaline right now. What d'ya say, Jim?"

"I think I'm actually going to call it a night. You three have fun though." Jimmy smiled awkwardly and started off in the direction of the Institute.

Dean called after him, "Alright then, your loss!"

Jimmy could hear the girls giggling as Dean no doubt turned on the charm to max power. Jimmy had gotten used to Dean's nightly liaisons even though he found the lifestyle a bit distasteful himself.


When Jimmy arrived at the Institute he found the main room mostly empty save Sam, Dean's younger brother, who had his nose buried in a book. Jimmy started to skirt around the sofa toward the stairs, but he wasn't aloof enough and Sam caught him.

"Where's Dean?" Sam asked Jimmy the minute the preteen noticed that the older boy was alone.

"He met up with some… friends." Jimmy covered, almost forgetting for a second that he was talking to an impressionable thirteen year old boy.

"So why didn't you go with him?" Sam asked innocently.

Jimmy sighed, trying to keep his voice steady to keep his real feelings from showing through. "I'm pretty worn out from hunting. Dean may have a limitless supply of energy, but I actually need some sleep or I will be useless to him tomorrow."

Sam nodded in understanding and turned back to the book in his lap.

Jimmy couldn't help himself and asked, "What are you reading?"

"Romeo and Juliet," Sam responded without looking up from the pages. "We're reading it in lit. It's pretty fascinating actually."

Jimmy stared at the book, confused, "How so?"

Sam finally looked up at James. "It's about a guy and girl from two different families that are feuding, but despite that they fall in love."

"Sounds like a recipe for disaster." Jimmy stated in a monotone.

Sam shrugged. "I think it's interesting. And Jess says it's romantic."

Jimmy almost rolled his eyes. Of course this had to do with a girl, and not just any girl, but the only girl Sam has had a crush on since kindergarten. Dean often complained about the wicked temptress that was turning his own brother against him. James however did not have a problem with Sam's love interest. Truth be told, he was actually a little bit jealous.

"I'll be in my room if you need me." Jimmy dismissed himself and Sam went back to reading avidly.


Dean returned from his escapades to find the Institute dark and deadly quiet. Sam was curled up on the sofa in the den with a book clutched to his chest. Dean held back a chuckle at his studious little brother. For as much crap as he gave the poor kid for being a nerd, he loved him to death and would go to the ends of the Earth if it guaranteed his safety.

Dean slowly untied his shoelaces and slipped off his boots so that he could creep up to his room without waking anyone. As he stealthily slunk up the stairs, he noticed a stream of light coming from underneath one of the bedroom doors.

Just as Dean was sneaking passed the room, the door swung inward and there she stood wearing a frilly white night gown and fuzzy slippers with her hair in pigtails.

Dean cringed as he turned to face her. "You shouldn't be awake," he scolded, though there was no authority in his tone and she knew it.

"And you should have been home hours ago." The girl stated flatly.

"Jo, your mom will kill me if she finds out I kept you up, so just go back to sleep, okay?" Dean pleaded.

Jo stuck out her bottom lip, exactly the way she always did to get her way with Dean. "I couldn't sleep. I was too worried."

Dean sighed. "I can take care of myself, Jo."

"I know you can, but I feel safer when you're here to protect me." Jo admitted.

Dean knelt down to the girl's level so that he could look her in the eyes. "We've been over this. The institute is the safest place you can be. This place is warded against demons and your mom would never let anything happen to you."

Jo's bottom lip quivered slightly. "I know that, I just get so scared, especially at night. And it's even worse when dad's out hunting with John."

Dean pushed one of her pigtails behind her ear and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Tell you what, on nights when our dads are away on hunting trips, I will make sure to make it home before dark, but you have to promise that you will actually go to sleep; deal?"

Jo wrapped her arms around Dean's neck, "Deal!"


Jimmy laid awake on his mattress, straining to listen for his parabatai's footsteps to fade away as Dean continued walking down the hallway toward his own bedroom. When he could no longer hear the familiar pitter patter, he closed his eyes and tried to lull himself to sleep with happy memories.

Jimmy was petrified as he stood cornered by a fierce Kuri demon. The vicious beast was snapping its sharp pincers at him and eying him hungrily with eight equally frightening eyes. The small boy could no longer keep the tears from falling down his cheeks and splashing onto the pavement below. This was it; James Novak was going to die at the ripe age of twelve.

Just then, as if sent from the Angel above to answer Jimmy's dying prayers, a stout blond boy covered in marks came to his rescue. The boy couldn't have been any older than Jimmy, but he wielded his seraph blade coolly and confidently, as if he had been born with it in his hand.

"Adriel!" the boy shouted and his blade blazed to life. "Come at me you big, ugly goon!"

With that, the Kuri skittered over toward the boy, forgetting about his previous prey. Jimmy had been so distracted by the sudden appearance of his new ally that he didn't even consider drawing his own blade to help slay the demon until he heard the boy shout again. There was something about the boy's voice that yanked Jimmy out of his trance and gave him an extra jolt of energy to spring into action.

He called upon the angel, Camael, to power his seraph blade which instantly glowed. While the Kuri was preoccupied with the blond boy, Jimmy drove his blade through its abdomen. The giant spider demon bellowed in pain and tried to spin around to face Jimmy, but the other boy hacked off its head before it got the chance. All that remained of the demon quickly melted into a puddle of oozing black ichor and the blond boy shouted triumphantly.

"Nice moves!" the boy exclaimed excitedly.

Jimmy finally got a good look at the boy and nearly gasped. His face was peppered with freckles which were almost hidden beneath a layer of grime. Yet still, the boy was beautiful. His eyes were perhaps the most striking of all. They were a light green and appeared to actually be sparkling. Jimmy had to forcibly look away so that he could come up with a comprehensible reply. Unfortunately, all he could muster was a sheepish, "Thanks."

"I'm Dean by the way." the boy held out his hand for Jimmy to shake; such a gentleman.

Jimmy shook Dean's hand. "My name's James, but you can call me Jimmy… I guess."

"Jimmy… That's a little too babyish for me. How do you feel about 'Jim'?" Dean asked.

Jimmy smiled shyly. "I like it."


Jimmy awoke the next morning to the smell of bacon wafting from downstairs. He peeked open a single eye and was instantly blinded by a stray ray of sunshine that had snuck in around his curtains. Groaning, Jimmy pushed himself up from the mattress and stumbled across the room to his dresser where he pulled out a plain white t-shirt to put on before drudging downstairs to find a giant mug of coffee.

Dean was already awake, humming as he fried eggs in copious amounts of bacon grease. There was already a plate of bacon on the counter, so Jimmy helped himself to two slices. Dean turned around and smiled warmly at his parabatai. "Good morning."

Jimmy merely grunted in response. As adorable as Dean was in the mornings, James would never be as perky as him upon first waking up. Fortunately, Dean was aware of his best friend's handicap and provided him with an already made cup of liquid energy. Jimmy gratefully accepted the piping hot beverage and took a generous sip.

Dean wrinkled his nose. "I don't know how you drink that stuff. It's basically sugar milk."

"It beats the alternative which is way too bitter for my liking." Jimmy countered.

Dean shook his head and set a plate of eggs in front of Jimmy. "Well, eat up! We've got a big day ahead of us."

Jimmy slowly began to dive into his breakfast, but kept a wary eye on Dean. "What do you mean?"

"I was looking into the recent demon activity reports and there is supposedly a shitload of the dirty scum about a block away from Mabel's Diner. I figured we could pop in there, gank a few demons, then get some pie on the way home to celebrate." Dean said, rubbing his palms together.

Jimmy had stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth and was studying Dean anxiously. His parabatai was a bit worse for wear lately, with dark gray circles permanently residing beneath his eyes, of which had lost their sparkle and now just looked dull and tired. "I'm not sure that's such a great idea, Dean." Jimmy finally said.

Dean immediately became defensive, "Why not?"

Realizing that Dean's masculinity was very fragile, Jimmy decided to tread lightly around the topic. "I'm still pretty worn out from the week we've had. I just need a day to recuperate, that's all."

Dean nodded in understanding. "Sure Jim, take as much time as you need. You know where to find me if you need me."

Jimmy nearly choked on his coffee. "You're still going?"

"Well sure, why not? Evil doesn't take a siesta." Dean replied.

"But Dean, you shouldn't go without backup. It's not safe. What if something happens?" Jimmy argued.

Dean was visibly agitated. "Relax; I can take care of myself. I was doing a fine job of it before you showed up."

Jimmy frowned. "That's not the point, Dean. Even the most experienced shadowhunters can't fight alone. Look at your father!"

Anger suddenly flashed in Dean's eyes. "You leave him out of this."

"Why? Your father goes on hunting trips with Bill all the time because he recognizes it's not safe to go alone. Why can't you take a lesson from him?" Jimmy pleaded.

"I am not my father." Dean barked.

Jimmy could tell that his parabatai was slipping away from him. He had to reel this argument in, fast. "Dean, I only meant that you need me as much as I need you. We're a team, that's what you agreed to when you asked me to become your parabatai. Please, just wait one more day. We can go tomorrow when we're both feeling refreshed."

Dean sighed, "Fine. I'll be at the diner if you need me."

"Thank you, Dean." Jimmy said. Dean nodded absentmindedly and wandered out of the kitchen, leaving Jimmy alone to finish his breakfast.

A/N: Thanks for reading!