Dean had long stopped beating on the door, knowing that it would do no good anyway. Now, he sat with is back pressed against the door, his head resting lightly on the hard wood. His eyes were closed; he was trying to get some sleep, knowing that if the demon was going to show, he would need to be rested if he wanted to win the fight. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall asleep. For a split second he thought about walking into one of the rooms and just sacking out on the bed, but he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind, knowing he had to look out for Jo now.
He watched as Jo sat on the bottom stair, slouching over slightly, her blonde hair cascading over her slender legs. She had her hands folded out in front of her, twidling her thumbs slightly. The boredom had set in quick with her, and he could tell. Finally, he figured he should talk to her to keep her from getting too bored too fast.
Jo was already bored out of her mind. The worst thing was, she didn't know how long she was going to be here, in the confined space of the old abandoned mansion. Sure, Sam had gone after the demon, but it was no secret Dean was the better hunter out of the two, and he was stuck in here with her. At least she would have someone to talk to. But Dean wasn't talking. He was just sitting by the door now that he had stopped pounding on it. Suddenly, as if Dean had been reading her mind, he was walking over to her.
He pulled himself to his feet walking over to the stairs. He nudged her with his knee, gently. "Scoot over," he demanded, taking a seat beside her.
She felt a jolt go through her when Dean's knee touched her. It was as though she was hit with a small electric shock. Quickly, she pushed herself as close to the edge of the stair as she could go, and as far away from Dean as possible. She avoided eye contact with him as well, not knowing what would happen if she allowed herself to gaze into the deep pools of jade that caused her to lose her train of thought just thinking about them.
Dean rested his elbows on his bent knees, folding his hands in front of him. He didn't know what to talk about, but at the same time, figured he should talk about something. Anything. Just to make the place seem less quiet. Finally, he looked over at Jo. "So, how are you holding up?"
Jo was so focused on not touching Dean and not looking at him that she almost didn't realize that he was talking to her. She looked up at him when he spoke, careful not to look into his eyes. "Oh, I'm okay."
Dean smiled, knowing that she was just trying to be brave. He could tell she was scared. He looked down at her once again, seeing the raw flesh on her wrists. He reached his hand towards her, holding it out to her. "Do you mind if I take a look at those wounds?" He waited for her to put her hand in his.
Jo looked at Dean's open hand, knowing that he was expecting her to place hers in his palm. Was he really doing this to her? Couldn't he see how hard she was trying to stay away from him? To avoid any contact of any sort? She shook her head. "Oh, it's fine. They're fine. There's no need to look at them," she lied. They were burning like crazy, the air making the burn even worse.
Dean was surprised that she wouldn't let him see her wrists. He had been in her situation before, and he knew from experience that when the skin was that raw, there was no way they weren't burning like a sonuvabitch. He shrugged, moving his hand so he could just take her hand in his. He didn't know what her problem was, but he wasn't going to let her suffer.
Jo jumped slightly when Dean just grabbed her hand, looking at her wrists, but she didn't pull away. God, why didn't she pull away. This could only make things worse. Her hand twitched in his as her entire body began to tense.
"They're okay, huh?" Dean asked, gently turning his hand so he could see every angle of Jo's wrists. "They don't, uh, burn or anything?" He looked at her, wondering if she was going to lie again.
"Well, I guess they do a little bit." A lot. "But I can handle it." She wished Dean would just let her go and walk back over to the door again. Suddenly, she felt cool air blowing over her wrists, making them tingle, causing some of the burning feeling to subside. She wanted to protest, but she just couldn't manage to speak. She then rested her head on the banister, allowing Dean to tend to her wrists.
He continued to blow cold air all over her wrists, hoping the pain would go away. He stopped for a minute, looking at her. "Does that feel better?" She shook her head 'yes', so he continued to blow the air on her. "Why did you do this to yourself, anyway. I mean, once you realized you couldn't get out, why didn't you stop?"
Jo looked at him. "I don't know. I wanted out. I was..." she trailed off, not wanting to admit to Dean that she was scared. "I just wanted to get out of here."
"You were what?" Dean asked, becoming curious. When Jo didn't answer, he let go of her wrist and pushed his body closer to hers, nudging her shoulder with his. "Come on. You can tell me anything, you know that." He flashed her one of his trademark smiles; guaranteed to make any girl tell him anything he wanted to hear.
Jo looked at his face, seeing the smile that she loved so much flash over his features. She looked down at the ground. "I was just so..." she trailed off again.
"Scared?" Dean asked, looking at the top of her head. He didn't need her to answer him to know that he was right. He wrapped his arm around her protectively, pulling her slowly tensing body closer to him. He put his free hand around the front of her body, holding her elbow, pulling her even closer so that she was resting on his chest. Then, he spoke into the top of her head. "Hey, you don't have to be scared anymore, Jo. I'm here, now. And I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
Jo couldn't help but tense when Dean wrapped his arms around her. It was so sudden. She had never seen Dean express his feelings this way before. She listened to his words, allowing her body to slowly relax as he pulled her into his chest. When he finished speaking, she looked up at him, finally allowing her eyes to meet with his. "I know that," she answered, letting Dean know that she trusted him. She put her head back down, afraid of what might happen if she looked into his eyes too long. She nuzzled against his chest, just enjoying the feel of his body against hers. For the second time that night, she wasn't scared anymore.
Sam looked at Ruby, shocked that she would even suggest they go back to training. He looked to the sky, then back at her. "No," he scoffed. "I told you I'm done with that, Ruby." He pushed past her, despertetly trying not to touch her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a demon to kill so I can save my brother." He began walking to the car, opening the door, throwing his gun into the passenger seat.
Ruby didn't understand why Sam was being so difficult. She turned after him, following him to the car. "And how do you plan on doing that, Sam? It's the Amore, am I right?" When Sam looked back at her and shook his head 'yes', she repeated the gesture. "And if you would have researched a little more, then you would know right now that the Amore is immune to all weapons known to man and God. So, again, I ask, how are you planning on killing this thing, Sam?"
Sam hated it when Ruby did this, but she was right. He had researched the thing, and he had read that, but he was sure he and Dean could find a way to kill it. He turned his head towards Ruby, getting cocky. "Everything dies, Ruby. That's what the internet said about the Shtriga that Dean and I faced, but we found a way to kill the thing. And we'll find a way to kill this thing. Apparently, it had a mate, back in the 1700s, and the mate was killed, which means this one can be killed, too."
Ruby loved dropping Sam down a few pegs once he got cocky. "Yeah, right. Well, you see that thing was killed by a dagger that was forged by a powerful sorceror back in the 1600s." Sam opened his mouth to speak, but Ruby stopped him. "Unfortunately, the dagger broke when the last Amore was killed. Now, there are no weapons on the Earth that can stop this thing. Well, except you and that powerful mind of yours, Sam."
Sam looked into the car as he leaned against it, the drivers side door hanging open as he leaned into the opening, his hands on the roof. If he wanted to save Dean and Jo, he was going to have to use his powers again, no matter how much Dean hated it. Finally, he looked at Ruby and shook his head. "Get in. You teach, I'll drive." Sam pulled himself into the car, grabbing his gun and throwing it into the back seat so Ruby could sit on the passenger seat. Once Ruby was in the car, he sped out of the lot and in the direction of their usual training spot.
Dean was getting tired. There was nothing to do now; Jo had long fallen asleep in his arms. He was beginning to get stiff, but he knew if he moved, he would wake Jo. She needed the sleep after what she had been through. Without even noticing it, he began stroking her arm gently, letting her know he was still there while she was sleeping. Why did the demon have to take her? She wasn't even that involved with the demon world anymore. Ellen had made sure of that, not wanting her to get hurt like her husband had. For a while, there had beem tension between him and Jo because his father had played a part in her father's death. They were fine, now, though, and for that he was grateful. His words that he promised to Ellen ran through his head as he looked at the door blocking them from leaving. Would he be able to do this? Save Jo? It rested in Sam's hands now; to save them both, really. He didn't mind that much, though, knowing Sam could handle himself and get his big brother out of this mess.
Finally, Dean couldn't take the stiff feeling anymore. Moving his right arm from her elbow, he gently placed it against the back of her knees, locking his left arm in position so Jo wouldn't fall backwards as he picked her up off the stairs. He remembered seeing a bedroom on the first floor when he was searching for her, so he carried her to that room. Gently, trying with everything he had not to wake her up, he placed her on the bed. He pushed her hair out of her face, figuring it had to be annoying breathing in hair as she slept. He found a chair sitting in the corner of the room beside the door, and he took a seat, watching Jo as she slept.
About an hour after he put her to bed, she woke up. Dean pushed himself forward, resting his elbows on his knees so he could see Jo better in the dark, ready to get her anything she might need to make her feel more comfortable. "How was your nap?" he teased, smiling a little at his own joke.
Jo awoke, feeling the pressure of a bed underneath her. Had everything been a dream? Was she home in her own bed, safe, warm. She pushed herself up into a sitting position, looking around the room. She heard Dean's voice, and she knew everything hadn't been a dream. He was smiling again. Why was he always smiling? She felt her heart skip a beat as he looked at her. God, he was so hot. She had been crushing on him since he first walked into the pub two years ago. She could never tell him, though. She knew he didn't feel the same way about her; Sam had made sure she knew that when he was possessed. She didn't even bother answering his question, just repositioning herself on the bed so she was laying on her stomach, facing Dean, holding her head in her hands.
His smile faded as he noticed Jo was acting strange. He scooted forward so he was barely on the chair, looking intently into Jo's eyes although she wasn't looking at him. "Jo, what's the matter?" He searched her face for any signs of what she was feeling, but she was just blank.
"We're never getting out of here, are we, Dean?" Finally, she looked into his eyes, brown clashing with green as she felt her heart drop.
"Hey, hey," he said, moving off the chair and kneeling on the floor in front of her, putting his hands on the bed beside her elbows," don't think like that, okay? We've only been here a couple of hours. Sam went to hunt the thing down. He'll have us out of here in no time." Dean attempted to smile at her to let her know he believed what he was saying, so she should, too. As he looked into her eyes, he noticed that all hope had been stripped away from them.
Jo chuckled. She didn't have as much confidence in Sam as Dean had. Then again, Sam had tried to chop her up like a Christmas turkey a couple of years ago. She just didn't think Sam could handle this one alone, and she had already made peace with the idea that she was going to die. She looked at the ground again, wrapping her arms around herself as she repositioned herself so she was laying back on the bed, her head resting on the fluffy pillow just inches from the headboard. As she held her body in her arms, she felt like she was going to cry.
Dean pushed his hands off the bed, helping to propell his body backwards to the chair he was sitting in earlier. "Yeah, you should get some sleep," he said. "You look exhausted." He turned to walk back to the chair, planning on sleeping in it through the rest of the night, hoping Sam would come to the rescue early the next morning. Before he sat down, he looked back at Jo. "Hey, do you, uh, want anything before you fall asleep? I think there might be food in the kitchen if you're hungry."
As Dean spoke, Jo felt him push off the bed, knowing he was going back to his chair. She wanted him to stay with her; stay on the bed. She wanted to feel his body pressed close to hers again. Did she want anything before she fell asleep? Yeah; she wanted to kiss Dean's soft, pink lips until they were swollen and red. She wanted Dean to act out every dream she had ever had about him. She wanted his strong, muscular arms wrapped around her petite frame, holding her like there was no tomorrow. But she could never tell him any of those things. Instead, she just shook her head 'no', watching Dean take his seat. Finally, she closed her eyes, not really sleeping, but not caring to have another conversation.
They had been completely silent for at least an hour. Dean looked over at Jo, figuring she was asleep. His stomach growled, and he put his hand on his abdomen to stifle the noise. He hadn't eaten all day, and God was he hungry. He and Sam had been driving all night looking for Jo which meant no breakfast, and then he and Jo got locked inside the house meaning no lunch and no dinner. Now, he was paying for that. Suddenly, he remembered that he grabbed a couple candy bars from a gas station where they stopped and thrown them in his pocket for later. Quickly, he reached inside his jacket and pulled out his chocolate. Faster than he thought possible, he peeled the packaging away and shoved the candy into his mouth. He sighed after completing the second one, feeling accomplished and a little more full than earlier.
Suddenly, there was a sound outside the room. Jo's eyes shot open and she pulled herself to a sitting position, letting her eyes tick towards Dean. Seeing his body tense, each muscle in his body moving as he lifted his gun to a position of attack. She was about to speak when Dean shushed her.
Dean quickly pulled his gun up into position, wondering what the noise was. When he noticed Jo was about to speak, he pressed his index finger to his lips, letting her know he wanted her to be quiet. He stood up, whispering for Jo to stay in the room, slowly walking out of the room, keeping his eyes and ears open for anything unusual. Suddenly, he heard a noise by the window. He turned to look at it, noticing it was just a cat. He lowered his gun and let out a soft chuckle. He heard a voice behind him, and he raised his gun again, turning to see what was behind him.
Jo had walked out of the room, not wanting to be alone. "What was it," she asked Dean when she saw him lower his gun. Quickly, she put her hands up in the air when he turned his attention towards her, gun at the ready. "Whoa! Dean, it's just me."
Dean lowered his gun when he realized it was Jo that had been talking to him. "Dammit, Jo!" he yelled. "I thought I told you to stay in the room. I almost shot you."
"I didn't want to stay in there. And besides, it's just rock salt. It's not like you would have killed me if you shot." Jo rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, but it would have hurt like a sonuvabitch." Dean smiled when she rolled her eyes. She was so cute when she was annoyed. He walked over to Jo, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Come on, let's get some sleep before sun up." He walked her into the room and to the bed. He turned to walk back to his chair once Jo was on the bed, knowing he would pay for this in the morning when suddenly, Jo's hand snapped out and grabbed his. He looked down at her hand wrapped tightly around his.
Jo couldn't stop her hand from shooting out and grabbing Dean's, her fingers wrapping around his calloused palm. When he looked at her, she knew she had to explain herself. She looked into his eyes, practically begging him to stay. "Stay here...with me. Please?" she begged. "Just wrap your arms around me and hold me while I sleep." She looked to the ground, then back into his eyes. "I...I just want to feel safe again." She shrugged a shoulder. "At least for a little while."
Dean heard the despiration in her voice as she asked him to stay; saw her eyes begging. How could he deny her what she wanted when he felt about her the way he did? He couldn't. He nodded, turning to face her again, his hand slipping out of her loosened grasp. He waited for her to scoot over, then took his spot on the bed. He lay down, his head resting on the pillow pressed tightly against the head board. He threw his arm around her shoulder, waiting for her to nuzzle up against his chest before he wrapped his arm around her waist. His breath caught in his throat when she snuggled closer, her head fully on his chest. She was so close he could breathe in her sweet scent. Finally, he allowed his body to relax after she put her hand on the right side of his chest, her hand rested on the material over his chest. His nipple hardened as her palm pressed down against it.
Jo allowed all of the tension to leave her body as Dean wrapped his arm around her. All of her doubts to just melt. As long as Dean was there with her, there was hope she was going to be okay. She made sure she pressed her body so close to his there was absolutely no space between them. When he wrapped his other arm around her, she scooted closer, moving her head so it rested completely on his left pectoral muscle. She felt a rush go through her body as she felt his nipple harden against her touch. He smelled like leather, salt, soap and chocolate; normally what would sound like a gross combination, but smelling it on Dean, she loved it. Slowly, she closed her eyes, falling asleep shortly after in the comfort of Dean's arms.
Sam stared at the demon in front of him, knowing what he had to do. He had never done anything like this before, actually killing a real demon with his mind, but Ruby said he could do it if he tried. Since she was right about him being able to exercise demons with his mind, he figured she knew what she was talking about by now. Slowly, he reached his hand out in front of him, trying to steady it even as it shook slightly. He concentrated, listening only to the sound of Ruby's voice.
Ruby watched as Sam raised a shaky hand towards the demon. "Steady," Ruby instructed. "Good. Just relax, Sam. Concentrate. Let your abilities flow. You can do this, Sam. I know you can." She smiled as she watched Sam struggle to kill the demon. He had been making such progress in their training before Dean came back. Now, Sam was reluctant to try anything new, worried Dean would catch him and get upset. Seeing how badly Sam was struggling, Ruby knew he wasn't going to be able to kill the demon tonight. Without another word, she walked over to the demon and smashed it's head with a pipe. She made sure she didn't kill it, however, saving it for Sam to kill once she was finished helping him get stronger.
Sam was grateful when he saw Ruby knock the demon out cold. He knew he wasn't going to kill it after about ten minutes of trying, and he was starting to get a little bit of a headache. He relaxed, allowing his hand to fall back down to rest at his side. He hung his head a little. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I just can't do it."
Ruby walked over to Sam. "Don't apologize, Sam," she ordered. "You're just out of practice. You'll get there. Trust me."
"Yeah, but Dean and Jo are trapped inside that house, and he's looking to me for help," Sam protested. "That Amore won't stay away forever, and then it'll kill Jo and Dean and I'll be right back where I started when he went to Hell." Sam couldn't bear the thought of losing his brother again. Something had happened to him when he lost Dean. He became harder, darker. He was a better person when he was with Dean and he knew it. There was no way he was going to let Dean die when he had the power to stop it.
Ruby stepped closer to Sam. "Well," she cooed. "I could make the process go faster, if you'll let me." She looked into Sam's eyes, cupping his chin in her hand. She wasn't going to let Sam struggle like this. She knew what he needed, and deep down, she knew he did, too. Whether or not he was going to allow her to give him what he needed, though was a completely different story.
Sam looked into Ruby's eyes as she cupped his chin in her hand. He knew she was right. If he wanted to save Dean and Jo, he was going to need a little help killing the demons with his mind. Finally, he shook his head, closing his eyes to hide the shame that was forming behind them. As he kept his eyes closed, he felt Ruby press her body closer to his, leaving almost no space between them. He pushed aside his feelings, becoming an emotionless form, not caring what he had to do to get what he needed to save his brother. He reached around her body, holding her tight against his muscualr form.
Ruby pressed her forehead against Sam's waiting for the moment she thought was right for her to swoop in and taste him. As he wrapped his arm around her and held her tight, she gasped, feeling his muscles tense. Finally, she ducked her head, devouring Sam's lips. Her tongue darted out of her mouth, sliding across Sam's teeth, waiting for him to open his mouth and let her in. When he didn't she pulled away, instead kissing a line down his jaw and onto his neck. She slid her tongue over Sam's pulse point, liking the way his pulse sped up with each new lick.
Sam moaned to himself as Ruby licked his neck. He loved it when she worked that particular spot, and she knew it. He threw his hands up to her face, gently pulling her towards him until their mouths met. Without hesitation, he pushed his tongue into her mouth, stroking hers before he tangled them together, sucking slightly. Quickly, he pushed his body closer to hers, causing them to move backwards until Ruby hit the wall, hard. Sam broke the kiss as Ruby's body made contact with the plastered board, groaning as she gasped from the impact. As Sam groaned, he pulled Ruby's wrists above her head, pinning them there with one of his massive hands. Their eyes met for a brief moment, Ruby's eyes completely black, unable to hide the demon inside of her.
Ruby closed her inky black eyes, fighting the demon inside her. With ease, she slid her wrists out from under Sam's hands, pushing him back to the bed on the other side of the room. She lowered him to a half-seated, half-laying postion, reaching over to the night stand, picking up the knife that lay there. She straddled Sam, pulling the knife across the tender flesh of her forearm, gasping as it cut through.
Once Ruby had cut her arm, Sam reached up and took it in his hands, placing his mouth to the open wound and drinking deep. Dean would kill him if he knew what he was doing right now. However, this was necessary. He needed to be at his best, and it had been weeks since he had drank Ruby's blood. He knew that when he was done here, he would be able to kill the demon without even thinking.
As Sam drank from her, Ruby stroked his shaggy hair. "That's it, Sammy," she coaxed. "Take as much as you need." She loved the feel of Sam's tongue pressing against her skin as he drank her blood. To her, it was the best feeling in the world. She gasped as he continued drinking, throwing her head back in pleasure, moaning.
Moving one of his hands from Ruby's forearm, her reached around her waist, using his strength to pick her up and flip her around so she was laying flat on the bed. He planted his open hand firmly beside her, holding himself up, still drinking. Finally, he pulled away, lapping the stray lines streaming down her arm. "Okay," he breathed. "I'm ready." Luckily the demon had woken while he was drinking, and it was ready too. Sam reached his arm out in front of him, concentrating on killing the demon. As he concentrated harder, the demon began to choke and groan until it finally died. Sam smiled at his success, very proud of himself.