Chapter Four

Just before lunch time they passed the border into Illinois. Dean looked over at the passenger beside him. Jimmy was still asleep, leaning against the window. It still greatly reminded him of Sam. Dean shook his head, telling himself to stop it. This sort of thinking wasn't going to help him right now. He needed to stay focused on Jimmy for the moment.

Speaking of which... Dean leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder. Jimmy awoke, jumpy and startled. He quickly settled though when he realised where he was. He ran a hand through his dark hair, making it messier than it was previous and he squinted as he exhaled, looking at Dean.

'Where are we?'

'We just crossed the border,' Dean replied. 'Maybe about an hour or two until we reach your old house.'

'Good, good,' Jimmy said breathlessly, leaning against the passenger seat, his arms splayed beside him limply.

Dean frowned faintly and looked at Jimmy several times in silence before speaking again. 'Are you feeling alright?'

'Yeah, I'm just tired,' he said slowly. 'I don't know why though...'

'Well, I suppose it might be because Castiel didn't sleep when in your body,' said Dean confidently. 'It's probably similar to the eating thing also. Just give it time.'

Jimmy nodded in agreement but he said nothing for a long stretch. He turned his head towards the window and concentrated on the things outside of the car. For some reason, Jimmy felt uncomfortable with Dean suddenly. It wasn't about what happened the other night, it was something else.

'Do you think Castiel will come back?' Jimmy asked, breaking the silence between them.

Dean briefly glanced at him. Jimmy was still looking out the window. He wanted to talk to Dean but not look at him, not show him his feelings on what he wanted to discuss.

'Yeah, he said he would,' Dean said quickly. 'Why? You don't want him to come back?'

'Not really,' Jimmy said calmly.

The answer to the question surprised Dean, causing him to momentarily lose control, the car swerving briefly before Dean gripped the wheel tighter. Jimmy still seemed calm though, seemingly unfazed by the almost loss of control. Dean's eyes widened and he looked back at the road.

'Why?' he asked quickly.

Jimmy shrugged. 'I've had enough of this. When Castiel is here and in control I'm taking a back seat, only being able to see glimpses of things and when he's gone I feel empty, although I'm sure that feeling will pass with time. I want to be with my family, I want my life back. I accepted Castiel's offer but it was only if he could promise me the safety of my family, which by the way, he failed. I don't want to be a vessel anymore. I don't care if he comes back but I don't want him using me.'

Dean took a moment to breathe. 'Is this about what happened with Sam ... and with me ... and...'

'No!' Jimmy said sharply. 'I just don't want this anymore.'

Dean nodded his head slowly, not believing what Jimmy was saying to him. He figured the other man just needed time, that he would come to terms with everything that had happened so far.

'He tried to use your daughter as a vessel when you were about to die, remember that?' asked Dean eventually. 'But you told him that you didn't want Claire to live that life, that he should take you back instead. What if he then wants Claire to be his next vessel?'

Jimmy just shrugged, giving Dean no other answer. When Dean finally focused all of his attention on the road again his eyebrows rose as he huffed. He couldn't believe Jimmy was saying this. A sudden thought flittered across his mind. What if this wasn't Jimmy?

Dean didn't move his head but he looked to the corner of his eye at the man sitting beside him. He looked back at the road and shook his head. No, he was being silly. Nothing had changed, it couldn't have, he would have noticed.

An hour and a half later, they pulled up beside the house where Jimmy once lived. Jimmy stared out the window, his eyes glazed over with an unreadable expression but Dean couldn't escape the notice of longing that lingered in his eyes.

Dean walked to the other side of his car and leaned against the door, standing beside Jimmy. Dean looked at him, worried that this really was a bad idea. Even Bobby said that bringing him back here was a bad idea but somehow he couldn't ignore the look in Jimmy's eyes. It was heart breaking. Dean sighed lightly and folded his arms over his chest.

'How long do you need?' he asked quietly.

Jimmy shrugged slowly, looking up and down the quiet and uneventful street. The silence was suddenly broken when Dean yelped loudly as he fell to the hard ground. A blurred whizzed past his visions, towards the Novak residence. Dean groaned as he got back to his feet. He checked the surroundings making sure there was nothing else involved before he ran towards the two story house.

When he reached the veranda he slowed down, taking his gun from his jacket pocket. He glanced from side to side; nothing had been moved or touched. He looked to the front door. It was wide open, the top hinges broken off. He slowly opened the screen door and walked through to the front hallway. The rug a metre away from him was turned up at the corner and the table beside him had been knocked off, the vase on top of it shattered into little pieces.

The house appeared silent until a shriek of fear filled his ears. Without thinking Dean ran into the living room but he stopped quickly, startled by the scene before him. Amelia lay sprawled on the floor a few feet from Jimmy while he pressed his daughter against him, holding her neck tightly, and a silver knife in his other hand. Dean licked his lips quickly taking it in before speaking.

'Jimmy,' he said calmly. 'Let go of Claire.'

'This needs to end now!' Jimmy shouted. 'I will no longer be a vessel for an angel and neither shall my child,' he spat angrily.

'Castiel isn't even here,' said Dean trying to calm the other man down. 'Come on Jimmy, it doesn't need to be like this.'

'Doesn't it...' said Jimmy, trailing off.

'This isn't like you. What's happened since we left this morning?'

'Many things have changed, even before this morning,' Jimmy said. His fingers tightened around Claire's neck making her eyes widened in fear. 'Jimmy is now mine. The angels cannot have him any longer. Castiel will need a completely new source for a vessel.'

Dean spluttered air for a moment, wondering what the hell Jimmy was talking and why he was talking about himself in the third person. His eyes then widened in realisation. When he almost lost control of the car, Jimmy didn't even flinch. How could he not have seen it earlier?

'How long have you been in him?' Dean asked, his anger rising.

Jimmy's facial features darkened as a wide feral smile crossed his lips. He blinked slowly and looked up at Dean again. Dean's mouth hung open in shock as all he could see was black in Jimmy's eyes. A demon was possessing him.

'Much longer than you can imagine,' was the vague response he received.

'Who the hell are you?' Dean asked angrily, ignoring the reply.

'I am Jimmy,' he spoke confidently but the voice was definitely not Jimmy's anymore. It had changed. It was now deep and full of malevolent intent. The eyes faded back to normal, the blue had turned dull and almost lifeless.

'What do you want with him?' Dean asked, trying to stall for a little time until he figured out what to do.

'We had hoped to capture the angel but we now have his vessel, it is no longer necessary.'

'He doesn't know anything,' said Dean quickly. 'He won't be able to tell you anything.'

'That point is irrelevant,' the demon said assertively. 'He must know something; he just doesn't know it yet.'

'Well, you're in his head right now,' Dean said instantly, a slight smirk growing on his face. 'Let me guess... haven't found anything?'

The demon seethed with building rage. 'Don't get too high up on your horse just yet,' he hissed. 'We have been chasing after this vessel for a while. While the angel was here it was too dangerous to get anywhere near close enough but now, now the time is perfect.'

'What do you want?' Dean asked sharply.

'To leave here, alone and without being followed,' the demon said quickly.

'And if I decide to not allow you to leave...?' asked Dean feigning curiosity, his head cocking to the side.

The demon chuckled, obviously amused by the hunter in front of him. He moved his other hand towards Claire and pressed the blade into the side of her neck that he wasn't holding. Claire gasped but remained quite still.

'Then I shall end another vessel's life by spilling her blood onto the carpet,' the demon replied. 'Could you live with the little girl's blood on your hands...? I don't think my vessel will appreciate it too much...' He trailed off faintly. 'Aren't you supposed to be protecting him...?'

Dean's jaw hardened as he looked at the smug look on Jimmy's face. He kept whispering to himself that it wasn't really Jimmy. Dean slowly put his gun down causing Amelia to whimper softly. 'Alright,' said Dean, holding out his other hand, palm up to show he wasn't a threat. 'Just let her go and I'll give you a head start,' he added slowly.

The demon chuckled again. For a split second Dean thought the demon was going to back out and kill Claire anyway but very slowly, he moved away, keeping his arm that held the knife stiff and in front of him. He backed away from all of them, his eyes unblinking. Once he was free he run towards the back door and Dean immediately followed. He glanced around rapidly but Jimmy was gone. Dean swore loudly looking at the ground.

He stormed back inside and into the living room where Amelia and Claire remained. He avoided looking in their direction as he whipped his mobile phone out. He instantly dialled Bobby's number and almost straight away he got an answer.

'Yeah, what?' Bobby said hoarsely as he answered the phone.

'Bobby, I need some help,' Dean said, his words tumbling from his mouth rapidly. 'I broke my promise to Cas; I said I would look after Jimmy and...'

'Listen to me, boy, you haven't broken anything,' said Bobby quickly. 'We're gonna find him, we just need some help. You need to come to me. I'll send you my coordinates.'

'Alright,' Dean muttered as he hung up the phone.

The coordinates came in almost immediately. He walked to the front door but quickly came to a stop. He turned and looked at Jimmy's family. Amelia stood behind Claire, holding her tightly, her wide, wet eyes focused on Dean. She appeared quite shaken although Claire seemed alright in comparison. His mouth opened a few times before anything actually came out.

'I'm sorry,' he said quickly. 'I'll make sure Jimmy's alright.'

'Whatever happens... don't let him come back here,' Amelia whispered as two tears rolled down her cheeks.

Dean felt his chest tighten at the sound of her voice. He was just glad Jimmy wasn't here to hear it. Dean cleared his throat lightly and nodded before bolting out the front door and back to his car. He hopped into the driver's seat and took out a map from the glove box. He looked the coordinates up and saw he was heading towards Bixby, Oklahoma. Without giving it anymore thought Dean turned the key and revved the engine once before speeding away.

Just before midnight on the same day, Dean pulled up outside a motel. He frowned in disgust as he looked the place over. To say it was run-down would be a major understatement. Dean quickly recognised one of Bobby's many cars and trucks and he parked beside. Before walking up to the room in front of checked his surroundings slowly, making sure he wasn't being watched.

His frown deepened when getting closer to the motel. The red neon sign was missing a couple of letters which had busted and the paint on and around the door was chipped and faded. Dean shook his head and knocked firmly on the door. It was wrenched open almost immediately and Dean stared up into the face of Bobby. He quickly grabbed Dean and yanked him inside the room before firmly closing the door.

'Aw, yuck!' he muttered under his breath. The outside of the motel no longer seemed that bad. The wallpaper was almost completely stripped, showing the white mucky paint underneath, the carpeted floor looked stained by everything under the sun and the smell... the smell was just toxic. He breathed deeply through his mouth hoping it would make a difference.

The other sight in the room made Dean stop though. Both Sam and Ruby were sitting in wooden chairs, tied to them with thick rope, a devil's trap drawn on the ceiling to keep Ruby in place. Dean's frown returned as he looked at the older hunter.

'Is that really necessary?'

'I think so,' Bobby replied. 'Sam attacked me as soon as I walked in the door.'

'Well you shouldn't have just barged in demanding that I hand myself and Ruby over,' Sam yelled, gaining the attention of both hunters.

Dean turned to Sam and stood in front of him. As he looked down at his little brother, he studied his face. This wasn't his Sammy anymore. This man was slowly turning into a monster and it was because of the blood drinking. With every new day Dean was sure the man was becoming less and less his brother. The once sensitive and caring Sam was gone replaced with something cold and heartless. Dean just wished he knew what to do.

His jaw hardened as he looked at his brother. 'Do you know where Jimmy is?'

'Lose him already? Oh, Dean, that's just no good. I think a certain angel will be disappointed that you broke your promise,' Sam taunted.

'Answer my question,' Dean said tightly.

'What for?' Sam asked with a small smile. 'The longer it takes you the more we can learn. I don't think they're gonna kill him.'

'That is beside the point, kid,' chimed in Bobby. 'Doing all this is taking time away from our business with Lucifer.'

'Lucifer is our saviour,' Sam hissed through his teeth. 'He will bring on the apocalypse and make the world a better place for everyone...'

'Saviour?' Dean questioned in disbelief. 'Are you freaking kidding me? Sam, his gonna tear this world apart. The demons will rule the earth and all people that rebel are going to be killed!'

'I guess I should get ready to say my goodbyes...'

Dean raised his fist threateningly. 'You son of -'

Bobby grabbed his arm and pulled him away from his brother's leering face. 'This isn't helping!' he spat loudly. 'Just tell me, do you know where Jimmy is?'

'Yes,' Sam replied curtly.

'Tell me where?' Dean asked, his jaw clenched.

'Hmmm,' Sam hummed indifferently. 'I think we can wait a little while...'

'Alright, what do you want?' asked Dean instantly, the tiny portions of patience left fading.

'I don't want anything from you,' he responded calmly.

He took his eyes off Dean and down to the floor. Dean stepped away all people in the room, pacing a few times over as he thought. He could feel the urgency of the situation in his chest. It currently gripped at his heart like a vice and every second that passed it seemed as though it worsened. He promised to look after Jimmy. He need to and he knew that right now, that promise was breaking. As Dean turned to look at his younger brother he silently prayed that Castiel wasn't aware of this yet.

As his green eyes gazed at his brother they slowly moved to look at Ruby. Perhaps there was a way to make him talk. Slowly, Dean pulled his flask of holy water and strode over to Ruby. Grabbing her jaw roughly he forced her mouth open and tipped the holy water inside. The instant contact made Ruby shriek but before she could spit any of it out he dropped the flask and covered her mouth and pressed her nose together.

Ruby's eyes widened in fear as the holy water burned as it travelled down her throat. Once Ruby swallowed most of it Dean released his grip on her face. Her features instantly etched into rage as she spat out the small remaining contents at Dean, who ignored it. He just silently revelled in watching as the holy water coursed through her veins making her body convulse violently

'What the hell are you doing?' Sam yelled at his older brother.

A smug look crossed Dean's face as he turned his head towards Sam again. 'It's easy, Sam,' Dean said consciously. 'Just tell me where Jimmy is and I'll leave your bitch alone.'

'You asshole,' Sam muttered roughly.

'That's not very productive, Sam,' said Dean instantly.

He turned back to Ruby. He picked up the flask as he pulled a silver knife from his pocket. He doused it in holy water before stabbing Ruby in the left thigh. A high pitch squeal filled the room but both Dean and Sam didn't flinch. Bobby took a few steps away from them as he clapped his hands over his ears.

Eventually, Dean pulled the knife out painfully slow, watching as Ruby's black eyes looked at it desperately, silently begging for the knife to be removed already. Dean took a step back and the only sounds that could heard were Ruby's hard pants and sobbing and Sam's breathing which had greatly increased from anger.

'All you have to do is tell me where Jimmy is,' said Dean simply.

'No,' Sam spat but he quickly continued. 'But I'll take you to him.'

It went silent and Bobby moved towards Sam to untie him, agreeing with his terms but Dean quickly grabbed the older hunters arm to stop him. 'Wait,' he hushed. He looked at Sam. 'And after we get Jimmy and get out of wherever he is, what are you gonna do? What will you be expecting?'

'Well, because we helped you I expect to leave,' said Sam calmly. 'Do you want your precious Jimmy back or not?'

Dean bit back his retort as Bobby pulled him to the side, whispering so the other two occupants wouldn't hear. 'Look, Dean, we may need to do as he wants on this one. Getting the vessel back in one piece is the most important thing right now.'

'We can't let Sam just roam around like this...'

'And we cannot afford to have the demons torturing Castiel's vessel,' retorted Bobby. 'We need to get Jim back as quickly as possible and the longer we stand around here arguing about it, the more time we're wasting. We need to leave now before the demons move on and take him somewhere else.'

Dean ran a shaking hand through his short hair as he exhaled heavily. He glanced briefly at the floor before meeting Bobby's eyes. Slowly, he nodded, knowing that getting Jimmy back was the most important thing here. With Sam, he, they still had time to bring him back. He didn't want an innocent human vessel to die because he had been careless.

'Fine,' he breathed heavily. He turned back to looked at his brother and his demon girlfriend and he made a quick decision. 'We take you along Sam, and if we get Jimmy back safe and sound, I'll set Ruby free.'

'No, I don't think so,' Sam replied.

'Sam, I wouldn't lie about something like this. If you help me then I'll help you.' He paused but Sam remained quiet. 'Please, Sam,' he begged quietly. 'Please...'

The tension and silence in the room grew as Sam's dark eyes bore into Dean's, questioning whether or not to trust his older brother. He had never really been given a reason not to trust him but he also knew that Dean wanted him to change back to the way he used to be and he couldn't do that... he just couldn't.

Also, Sam had liked the new person that he was becoming. It had turned him into a better hunter. He was faster, stronger, smarter and he was able to heal much quicker than before. It was definitely a huge advantage. He did, of course, have his doubts at first but they quickly subsided when Ruby talked him around. She could be quite persuasive. And now Sam had to admit that when he first realised what he could do with his improved powers, the ideas excited and motivated him to do and learn more.

'Alright,' Sam said slowly. 'But I want your absolute word that you will release Ruby when you get Jimmy back.'

'I promise...'

'Bobby will stay here,' Sam continued, ignoring his brother's promise. 'You and I will be more than capable of getting Jimmy back and once it's done you will call Bobby and he will release Ruby. Agreed?'

Dean thought for a moment. He nodded slowly. He was sure he and Sam could handle most things. They never seemed to have much trouble in the past when it was just them or if they did find trouble they always seemed to find a way out of it. 'Alright, I promise,' he whispered sincerely.

'Good. Now, untie me,' Sam said instantly.

Dean looked at Bobby. The older hunter nodded and Dean moved towards Sam and cut the ropes with his knife and stepped back. Sam rubbed his wrists gingerly before standing up to stretch his long legs. He then looked at Dean and smiled faintly before clearing his throat.

'Well, then, let's go!' he said almost happily.

Dean nodded and as they walked out the door he turned and gave Bobby a doubtful look. A heavy, dead feeling in the pit of his stomach told Dean that somehow this wasn't going to end well.

A/N: Chapter is shorter than I wanted and I'm not sure that it's very good but I'm okay with it.