Disclaimer: I own no one and nothing except Jack and my writing.
AN: I forget to put this in the first chapter, but this is a future fic. Takes place a bit after the Dream. No determinate place in the timeline yet though.
Something was off. Jack could sense it during the twenty minute drive to Cape Girardeau. After Dean told them where his buddy Parker lived Jack had retreated to the bathroom in the motel office to pick left over glass off her clothes. Part of her knew she'd done it on purpose when Sam stiffened up. After a tough hunt, she really didn't have it in her to witness an argument or any drama.
"So, you come to Missouri a lot before?" Jack asked from the backseat. She had to speak loudly to be heard over the wind shear from the busted windows.
"Don't fish, you're no good at it." Dean replied, smirking at her from the driver's seat.
Jack gave him the finger and nodded in agreement. Subtlety was not her middle name, obviously.
"Why's it so quiet in here?" She asked. Sam snorted loudly.
"Sam thinks I'm glutton for punishment." Dean said. They came to a red light as they entered the town and Jack could finally hear herself think.
"Why again?" Jack asked.
"You are just full of questions today, aren't you?" Dean asked giving her a sidelong look.
"Fine." Jack said holding up her hands.
"Spill Sammy." She said cornering Sam in the men's room when they stopped at a gas station.
"Why so curious?" Sam asked with a teasing tone that didn't reach his eyes.
"When have surprises ever been good for us?" Jack countered. "What's in Cape Girardeau?"
"Cassie." Sam said. Jack frowned.
"She was Dean's girlfriend while I was at school," Sam explained running a hand through his disheveled hair.
"It didn't last long but Dean was serious about her." Sam shrugged.
"Dean? Serious? We talking about the same man?" Jack asked skeptically.
"Yeah, " Sam nodded sounding a bit disbelieving himself, "He told her what we do and everything."
"You're shitting me." Jack said her mouth falling open.
"Hey, you spilled about the big bad too once." Sam said with a gentle voice. Jack gave him a dirty look, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Sorry." Sam said.
"S'kay." Jack said, closing herself off. "What happened with Cassie?"
"She threw him out." Sam said. "Only to call him back to her when she needed our help."
"You know her then?" Jack asked.
"I met her, when we came to help her." Sam said. He didn't want to say that Dean fell right back in with Cassie, only to have her give him the brush off in the end again.
"She did it again didn't she?" Jack asked reading Sam the way only her and Dean could.
"I don't know if they've been talking or what. Who knows? Maybe she'll feel different this time around." Sam said. His expression said he didn't believe his words.
Jack already hated the woman.
Parker took one look at the Impala, whistling low and asked what the fuck Dean spent his time doing.
"My little brother's fault." Dean said knuckling Sam upside his head.
"Ow! Jack did it too." Sam said knocking Dean's hand away.
"Suck it up," Jack called from where she was looking under the hood of a car across the shop.
"Hey, don't mess with that." Parker said when he noticed her.
"Needs a new alternator." Jack said backing away from the car.
"I knew that." Parker said scowling, but his eyes ran over the piece.
"Dean said you could give us a deal on the glass." Sam said following Parker across the shop.
"Yeah," Parker said looking up from the car. "Yeah, I'll help ya'll out. Just what the hell happened anyway?"
"Just an accident." Jack said sitting up on the hood of another car.
"Right, right," Parker considered the two of them and shook his head. If they were anything like Dean, and he could tell by the yellowing bruises and telltale cuts that they were, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what they were involved in.
"Let me show ya what we've got." Parker gestured for Sam and Jack to follow him back to another part of the shop.
"Dean? You comin?" Sam called to his brother, who stood by his precious Chevy, rubbing his finger along what looked like a scratch.
"In a minute." Dean said negligently.
Sam rolled his eyes at him, Jack elbowed him in the stomach and winked. "Lets go."
"Damnit, just had to go shooting up my car…" Dean muttered licking his finger and rubbing at the scratch. He breathed a sigh of relief when it smudge showing it to be just dirt.
"Dean?"
Dean straightened up immediately. He schooled his features, putting on a cocky smirk before turning around.
"Hey Cassie."
"What are you-" She paused looking at the windowless Impala.
"We were a few miles and had some car trouble." Dean explained patting the hood of his baby.
"And that's the only reason you were here?" She asked skeptically.
"Maybe." Dean replied with a grin.
Sam grudgingly handed over every penny he and Jack scraped together, wishing for once, that they were committing fraud for what they needed again. Jack sat with her legs thrown over the side of a waiting room chair and grumbled under her breath about being broke.
"Saved lives, got the freak of the week out of the way…but noooo can't catch a break." She mumbled. Sam slapped on her booted feet and she blew out a breath, her bangs falling into her eye.
Jack got up from her semi-comfortable seat, asking briefly where the hell the damn bathroom was. Parker pointed the way. Sam shook his head looking over the glass that Parker and one of the other body shop guy's were lifting carefully to measure and walked outside.
Sam noticed two things when he walked out of the auto shop, towards the Impala. One: That Dean was grinning that smarmy grin he used when he was lying through his teeth to somebody and Two: That the somebody in question was a certain ex that Dean had "not" driven them fifty miles out of the way to see.
"Sam, its nice to see you again." Cassie said with a smile. Sam nodded back politely.
"Hey, they're settin it up right now." Sam said jerking his chin towards the interior of the shop.
"Yeah, I have to get back to the office." Cassie said gesturing across the street, where her office was conveniently located. Sam had to check himself so he wouldn't roll his eyes.
"See ya round, Cassie." Sam said more than ready to get to work and get gone.
"Actually, are you going to be in town for a couple of days?" She asked Dean.
"Till the car's fixed, but we really don't have anywhere else to be right now." Dean said after a moment's consideration.
"Good, um, I need to talk to you later." She said chewing her bottom lip.
"Is everything okay?" Dean asked concerned.
"Its fine, I'll call you later, okay?" She said.
"Sure." Dean nodded.
"Bye Dean, Bye Sam." She waved over her shoulder, headed across the street.
"Hey," jack trotted out seconds after Cassie disappeared.
"We doin this or what? You're guy's got a space cleared for the car, just gotta be quick, he said."
"Yeah, right," Dean nodded tossing his keys in the air and catching them.
"Don't know what you're bitching about, we were the ones who had to go broke for your precious car." Jack said helping Dean hold one end of the windshield steady while he fitted it into place.
"Cause you shot it out." Dean shot back.
"You'd have done the same." Jack said.
"You have done the same." Sam piped in from his seat on a work table in the corner of the shop.
"That was different, I shot one window, one small window." Dean argued.
His phone rang and he cursed under his breath, "Sammy, come hold his here and try not to break it with your giant King Kong hands." Dean called to his brother.
"You're hilarious." Sam retorted sarcastically.
"I try." Dean said with a smirk, he reached into his pocket grabbing his phone.
"Cassie," He greeted after checking the caller I.D. Jack looked up and raised an eyebrow at Sam, who half shrugged while holding the windshield in place.
"Dean, I was wondering if I could meet you and Sam at my house after work. I have this friend and she sorta needs your help, I think." Cassie said into the phone.
"What's the problem?" Dean asked turning serious. Looked like they might have another job fast.
"I'd rather not talk about it over the phone." She said dropping her voice to a low whisper. Mean, Dean thought, that she didn't want anyone at her job hearing her talk about paranormal goings-on and thinking she was crazy.
"Alright, what time should we be at your house?" Dean asked.
"Six is fine." Cassie said sounding relieved.
"Okay," Dean agreed, then he glanced over at Jack, "Our friend Jack is coming too okay?"
"Jack? Is Jack a hunter too?" Cassie asked.
"Yeah." Dean said with a smile that reached his voice. He heard someone calling Cassie in the background at her job.
"That's my boss, I have to go. I'll see you six." Cassie said hastily.
"See you at six." Dean replied before hanging up.
"Got a hunt." Dean said pocketing his phone.
"Cassie having trouble?" Sam asked.
"A friend of hers, she wants to talk at her house tonight." Dean answered.
"Will this be ready by then?" Jack asked looking down at the windshield, they still had the back window to get up.
"I don't think so, we'll hoof it there, leave my baby for tonight." Dean said without relish. He hated to leave the car in someone else's care. Fuck, this sucked out loud, he thought.
"So I get to meet the infamous Cassie." Jack said slyly.
"Sam," Dean sent him a look.
"Shut it up, you got to meet my ex. So long as I don't have to put a bullet to her, I think I win at the evil-ex lover game." Jack rolled her eyes, a teasing glint in her eyes.
"Be nice." Dean told her. Sam noticed that Dean didn't bother to refute the 'ex' title.
"I'm always nice." Jack responded. Sam didn't try very hard to cover the snort and Jack wished she had a free hand to smack him one.
Jack and Cassie standing in the same zip code isn't something Sam thought should ever happen. Yet, here the two women were about to come face to face in her home. With his brother in the middle. Sam didn't envy him as they walked across town to the house. He glanced at Jack, who shuffled along between him and Dean. Her torn jeans, her hooded white Henley and the military style vest, guarding against the slight rainy chill. Why was it always wet when they arrived in a town, Sam wanted to know. He shook his head, Jack was the anti-thesis of Cassie, who wore nice if casual office clothes and went to college. Who he'd bet had never thrown a punch in her life.
"What are you thinking about Sammy?" Dean asked, glancing to his right, at his brother.
"Wondering why its always so damn rainy when we stop somewhere for more than a night." Sam said glancing up at the dark clouds that made the twilight grey and dismal.
"Always sunny when we leave." Dean shrugged.
"That was so corny." Sam laughed.
"Still true, Sammy Boy." Jack said kicking at a stone on the ground.
Dean shrugged, whistling a Johnny Cash song as they walked the rest of the way to the house.
Jack was not what Cassie was expecting and she made damn sure the younger woman knew it from the start.
Dean knocked on the front door to Cassie's home and waited for her to answer.
"Dean, hey. Thanks for coming." Cassie greeted him as soon as she opened the door.
"Its not a problem." Dean said with a gesture of his hand. He leaned in and gave Cassie a brief hug, before stepping back. Sam made a coughing sound and sent a pointed look at Dean. Dean rolled his eyes at his brother for thinking he forgot. Jack smirked at Sammy Dean smiled at his ex, gesturing at Jack, who stood next to Sam with her arms crossed casually over her stomach.
"Cassie, this is Jack. Jack this is Cassie." Dean introduced them. Neither woman made an immediate effort to come forward and exchange pleasantries. Mostly because Jack just didn't have any to exchange. She nodded at Cassie, one side of her lips curving upwards.
"Hey." She said shortly, her voice a low rumble, raspy from her midnight activities the night before last.
Cassie's eyes zeroed in on the near invisible healing bruise on Jack's chin and the little telltale nicks that her collar and hair didn't conceal. She didn't much hide her disapproval.
"Nice to meet you." Cassie said without smiling. She glanced in Dean's direction, cleared her throat and ushered them inside with a, "Please come in."
Dean walked in first followed by Jack and Sam, Sam closing the front door behind him.
"Were you in an accident?" Cassie asked Sam with a little smidgen of concern on her expression. Sam, who had similar cuts to the ones Jack brandished shook his head.
"Tough hunt." Sam told her. Cassie stiffened, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Glad everyone is alright." She said. "Have a seat please." She waved a hand towards the living room.
Sam sat down, Jack took a seat on the arm of the couch next to him and Dean just leaned against the entryway frame, crossing his arms over his chest. Cassie sat down in the arm chair across from the couch.
"Cassie, why don't you tell us about your friend's problem." Sam said leaning forward a little as per habit.
"Her name's Melanie and we work together," Cassie started. "She said ever since she moved into her new place, she's been hearing strange noises."
"What kind of strange noise?" Dean asked.
"Shuffling, groans. She wasn't all that specific. Just that the whole place gives a bad feeling and its usually at night." Cassie said, a frown creasing her brows.
"Does she live in a house or apartment?" Sam asked.
"A house," Cassie answered.
"Is this place new or has it been around for awhile?" Jack asked next.
"Is that important?" Cassie asked.
"Because if its an old place, it might have some history for us to look into," Sam answered.
"Or it could just be a place settling itself." Jack mused. "Old places can do that, spook a body."
"That could be the case if its new too." Dean pointed out.
"Does Melanie think it might be something up our alley?" Sam asked.
"No, she hasn't mentioned anything like that, but I know its been bugging her and I thought maybe while you guys are in town you could take a look." Cassie said.
"Think she'll pay us?" Jack asked, earning herself a kick by Sam.
"Ow!" Jack said slapping his arm, "What the hell was that for, Sammy?"
"We don't charge people for hunting." Sam said slowly like she was mentally challenged.
"Maybe we should, we're broke now." Jack grumbled rubbing her shin. She glared at Sam, who rolled his eyes at her.
"What its true." Jack said under her breath. She caught Dean's girl-toy looking at her oddly and bared her teeth a little.
Dean cleared his throat and sent her that look that meant behave or die. It was a look she'd only ever seen on John. Turned out, Dean was good at it too.
She sent a cold look in Cassie's direction just to annoy him. She was hungry, tired and broke. And she didn't like Cassie asking Dean for a favor after blowing him off a year ago.
Sam shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He didn't like being there. He didn't like this hunt, and he hated that his brother was already on the path to getting hurt again by Cassie. Sam was sure that as soon as this was done, she would do the same song and dance as before. Start naming all the reasons she didn't want to see Dean again.
"Maybe if I talked to her you could work something out." Cassie said frowning, she did that a lot, Sam noticed.
"What's Melanie's address, we can swing by there, after we pick up the car and do a scan of the place before writing a bill for a creaky floor and rodents scampering." Dean said. Jack sent him her most innocent smile.
"Melanie is still at the office, Dean and I can go talk to her get the keys." Cassie told Sam.
"Don't need a key." Sam said.
"You can't break in." Cassie said disapprovingly.
"We won't break anything, just some sleight of hand." Jack said leaning back and putting her feet up on the coffee table.
"That's against the law." Cassie stated the obvious.
"It would be better if it was done our way Cas," Dean explained. "Your friend might be creeped out but she might not be ready for the whole, 'The truth is out there' speech either. Besides if we find anything we'll give her the heads up and do our jobs."
"She isn't going to be at the office much longer. What if she comes home while they're in there?" Cassie asked him. Sam did not miss they 'they're'. Dean did.
"Maybe you should give her a call, ask her out to dinner tomorrow night or something. Do whatever it is girl's do together." Dean said with a shrug. "We'll be free to do a walk through."
"I'll see." Cassie reached for her cordless phone, walking into the next room.
A few minutes later she returned with a guilty smile.
"When?" Dean asked before she could say anything.
"Tomorrow night at eight. House will be all yours." Cassie said. She looked in Jack's direction, giving her an appraising look that the redhead knew well.
"Don't worry I'll try to curb the impulse to steal anything. Although all that Ikea furniture and twins sets will be tempting." Jack purred giving Cassie a once over. She smirked, arms crossed over her chest.
TBC……
AN: This was supposed to be a one-shot but now its turned into more than that. R&R. I need 'em.