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Chapter 7

Season 3, Ep. 12 Jus in Bello

Monument, Colorado

Jenny speed hazardously through the streets to get to the small backwater town. The word had just gone out. Sam and Dean Winchester were in FBI custody and awaiting transport to a Supermax prison. She had to hurry or risk losing the only friends she really had. She may not have been able to save Dean from Hell, but she could get the pair of them out of their current situation… maybe… hopefully.

Dean dug through his trunk for everything he could use against a demon with effect. Every creak in the distance, every snapping twig and rustle of a leaf forced him to look over his shoulders. He knew what he was doing was stupid, but he also knew it was his best chance.

Heavy footsteps sounded loudly around him. Dean's body froze and tingling took over every limb. His body was aching for a fight as it filled with adrenaline. Someone was coming and they were coming fast.

He gripped the edge of a loaded shotgun. The steps came closer. Thunder echoed in the background and the air turned electric with the approach of demons. Closer and closer they came until Dean knew whatever was trying to sneak up on him was right behind him. Counting in his head, Dean spun and aimed. Fingers wrapped around the shaft of his weapon and thrust it into the air the same instant he pulled the trigger. The pellets ripped through open air and Dean was confronted with who he'd nearly hit.

"Jenny?!"

"Come on!" she yelled. Purple lightening and thunder rolled in behind her, circled by a thick black cloud of evil. Dean's face and stomach dropped. "They're almost here."

Without waiting for him to comply, she grabbed the gun she was holding and his jacket, too. Jenny began to pull giving Dean barely enough time to slam his trunk shut before forcing him to follow after her and back into the police station.

"They're coming!" Dean bellowed when he was within the station. Jenny slammed the doors shut behind them and followed him into the main office. She was immediately met with more pointed weapons.

"Jenny?" Sam asked, lowering his gun as he stared at her in shock. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"She snuck up on me in the parking lot." Dean said shortly as he dropped his bag on a nearby desk. "I almost took her damn head off."

"Again." Jenny muttered under her breath. She shot Dean a sideways glance, but said nothing further as she approached Sam. "Hey, Sam." She sighed. Jenny wrapped her arms around him and hugged the stunned young man tightly.

He returned the action, but couldn't wipe the dominating emotion from his features. Sam looked to his brother who could do little more than shrug and continue to stare at Jenny disapprovingly.

"So," Henricksen began as he stepped forward. He was sure to keep holding his shotgun to show he could end her if need be. Jenny released Sam and gave her attention to the FBI Agent she viewed as little more than an inconvenience. "Who are you?"

"Jenny." Dean answered without bothering to give the young woman in question a chance to do it for herself. When she gave him a questioning eye, he didn't bother to hide his irritation with her. "She's a friend."

"How the hell did she even know to come here?" Henricksen asked. It became obvious they were more content to talk about her rather than to her.

"Hello?" she asked in order to get their attention. "She can speak for herself." She said in annoyance. "And I found you because the bulletin went out nation wide."

"What bulletin?" Sam asked.

"The one through the FBI saying you guys were caught and being transferred from here."

"That report is only a couple hours old." Henricksen said as he took a step closer. "And that channel is secured."

Jenny spun lazily on her heel to face the agent.

"It's adorable you think so." She told him sarcastically.

Without warning, the building shook as the cloud of demons slammed into it. The windows grew dark and every hint of exterior light was knocked out. Glass clanked, things toppled from desktops, but the salt held and no one made it through. After a few moments, the shaking stopped and the cloud disappeared from their immediate sight.

"Everybody okay?" Sam asked tentatively.

"Define okay." Henricksen muttered under his breath.

"Alright!" Dean declared loudly. His outburst drew attention to him. "Everybody needs to put these on." He instructed as he dipped into a small leather pouch and pulled out a handful of necklaces. "They'll keep you from being possessed."

Each of the frightened humans without protection took the charm laced on the simple string and threaded them on.

"What about you and Sam?" Nancy asked when her necklace was securely in place.

Neither brother spoke, but each took hold of the necklines of their shirts and pulled them out of the way to reveal tattoos.

"Smart." Henricksen said. "How long you guys had those?"

"Not long enough." Sam said softly.

Dean stepped around them and to Jenny who'd taken perch near one of the front windows a few feet away. He held up the necklace.

"Jen."

She shook her head and waved off the gift while her eyes remained fixed outside.

"I don't need it." She told him.

Dean shot his brother a glance over his shoulder and knew Sam was thinking the same thing. Dean took a step back while Sam came forward with a gun loaded with rock salt.

"Jen," Dean repeated. His voice had dropped and turned cold. It made her stiffen and slowly turn to see not only the brothers, but everyone else in the station eying her suspiciously. Sam raised his shotgun. "Take the necklace."

Jenny cocked a brow to the ones staring at her as though she were the enemy. It donned on her quickly that despite passing through a salt line and a Devil's Trap, they were jumpy enough to assume she was possessed.

Scoffing and shaking her head, Jenny's eyes trained once again out the window. With her attention elsewhere, Jenny gripped the hem of her shirt and lifted it to show the others why she didn't need a necklace. She pulled the shirt up high –nearly reaching her bra- to reveal a tattoo on the side of her ribcage about seven inches beneath her armpit. Dean was the closest and took marginal steps towards her to better see the ink.

"The 28th Seal of Solomon," Jenny replied. Dean reached her and tilted his head a bit to the side to take in the symbol. Jenny knew he was reading it to make sure that was indeed the seal chosen. After a moment, she lowered her shirt again. "To protect against evil spirits." She turned to look at Dean. "I don't need a necklace."

"Fair enough." He replied before he could stop himself.

She leaned a bit to the side to see around him and speak to Sam.

"And stop pointing shotguns at me." She said. Sam immediately lowered the weapon. Jenny sighed and shook her head. "What is it with you two?" she asked herself.

The bothers shifted uncomfortably on their feet for a moment, but didn't say anything. It did seem to be a habit anymore, pointing a shotgun at Jenny.

An hour or better had passed and nothing was happening outside. Everyone continued to check the salt lines, ensure they were thick enough and nothing was trickling off the windowsill while the demons outside gathered, but did nothing more than linger.

"Killing demons with condiments." Henricksen sighed as he loaded another shotgun with the shells Dean brought in from his car. "Who'd have thought?"

"Salt represents purity in most religions." Jenny said. She drew his eye, but she didn't notice. She was still standing vigil at the window. "It was used to cleanse things back in the day. You'd be surprised how many things salt will protect you against."

Henricksen scoffed. It wasn't that he didn't believe her. It was that the whole situation seemed unbelievable.

"Yeah but… demons… they're real."

"Yeah." Dean sighed. "Oh, and FYI, ghosts are real, too." Henricksen raised a brow. "So are werewolves, vampires, changlings, evil clowns that eat people." They heard Jenny laugh under her breath when he said that one.

"Okay, then." Henricksen mumbled as he looked from Dean to Jenny and back again.

"If it makes you feel better," Dean chimed. "Bigfoot's a hoax."

Henricksen looked up and noticed Dean smile wide.

"Not really." He replied.

"Yeah," Jenny said. She pushed off the wall and stepped towards them. "I kinda wanted that furry guy to be real, too."

Dean chuckled to himself and Henricksen remained blank. He was being given a lot of information with little place to put it.

Dean had stood by the time she reached them. Jenny touched his shoulder and kept walking by.

"I'm going to check on Sam." She said as she headed down the hall.

Dean nodded, but said nothing else to her as she left. A moment later, the sound of breaking glass filled their ears. Everyone raced towards it to find what might have crossed the border only to find a blond stuck in the trap.

"Do we kill her?" Henricksen asked with his gun raised.

"No," Sam replied as he stepped between them. "She's here to help."

"Are you kidding me?" Jenny asked with an edge. "She's a demon, Sam."

"Don't bother." Dean sighed. "I've been pimpin' that same speech for weeks now."

Jenny couldn't hide her shock and the expression only grew when Sam knelt down and scratched out a portion of the seal.

"Unbelievable." She growled under her breath. Jenny turned to Dean at her left. "Seriously, I turn my back for two minutes."

"Shut up." Dean grumbled. He pushed through the others and left Jenny shaking her head and wondering what the brothers had gotten into in between her visits.

Everything that came out once the demon arrived only added to their situation, and not in a good way. Jenny was left sitting in the background shaking her head. The things Ruby said, like the Colt for example, meant nothing to the others, but Jenny knew what it meant.

"Ruby," Sam said.

"Shut up." She interrupted, silencing him quickly.

"Ya know what," Jenny said as she pushed herself up from her seat. Ruby turned and eyed her sternly. "I've had about enough of your bullshit."

"Excuse me, but where in this conversation were you included?" Ruby asked rudely.

"Why don't you shut your damn mouth, you Devil Skank, before I shut it for you?"

Ruby cocked a brow. Jenny squared herself against the demon waiting –itching- for a fight. Dean had to admit, he kind of wanted to see it too, while Sam was worried something bad might happen.

Ruby was about to open her mouth to speak, but she stopped herself. Her eyes narrowed on Jenny and her head tilted a bit to the side. She'd gone from glaring angrily to examining Jenny within seconds and it made the other young woman uncomfortable. Finally, she met the red-head's gaze.

"A lot of talk from a corpse." She said plainly enough the others heard.

"A what?" Jenny asked before the others could. She was as stunned by the random declaration as everyone listening.

A wicked smirk touched her lips. "You heard me. You're hollow inside, empty, just like a dead body."

Jenny opened her mouth to speak, but she didn't know what to say. Any fight she had in her was wiped out by nothing more than a single sentence from the demon. It was so off-putting, she wasn't sure how to proceed, but Ruby did.

"Okay," she declared as she stepped around the now silent woman. "I think there's something we can do."

Ruby went about explaining the spell she'd need to perform in order to kill the demons, but only most of the people in the station were listening. Jenny had long-since lost focus in her surroundings. Ruby called her empty and hollow. She couldn't help wondering if the demon was right.

When she finally looked up to at least feign interest, Jenny noticed Dean was staring at her. She met his gaze apprehensively. Dean's face was blank, completely unreadable, and it was more frightening than if she saw anger. Jenny could tell he was reliving what happened in South Dakota, and he was. At Ruby's odd statement, Dean was forced to remember his confrontation with Jenny about her ability to see Death. Maybe the demon could see just a bit more…

"We're not sacrificing anyone!" Henricksen bellowed, snapping those who hadn't been listening into the conversation. "That'd make us no better than them."

When the requirements for the spell were made clear, so was everyone's protest. Well, almost everyone. Sam seemed a bit reluctant on the issue which enraged Dean and rightfully so.

"You can't be serious?!" Dean demanded.

"We can save everyone out there, Dean." Sam defended.

"At the cost of not only her life, but your soul, Sam." Jenny snapped angrily. He looked at her like he didn't understand. "Do you realize what that'll do to your soul? It'll blacken it to the point you're no better than her," she pointed openly at Ruby. "And there's no coming back from that."

He fidgeted on his feet like the problem with the plan was slowly beginning to sink into his mind, but it still wasn't a set idea. He was struggling with it.

"I can't believe this." Jenny muttered when she realized he was uncertain. "What the hell happened to you?"

The question was rhetorical, but the look she got from him was nothing shy of angry. It didn't register with her. She was at a loss he was even considering killing someone who was perhaps the most innocent they would ever come across.

Shaking her head, Jenny took a few steps away to ensure she was no longer in the collective group. She didn't want to be apart of it, not when killing poor little Nancy was a serious consideration.

Dean ordered Sam to follow him into the back where the cells were shortly after Jenny stepped away. Evidently he shared her outrage and she was grateful for it. At least one of the two was thinking clearly. She just hated that it was the one who wouldn't be around much longer.

With the plan of killing the secretary completely squashed, they decided on one that was much worse. Suicide. How fun…

Jenny was standing in the main offices alongside most of the others loading a weapon. She –just like those stupid enough to remain behind- had to be as prepared as possible. As she loaded another shell into the chamber, Jenny felt someone lingering at her side. She didn't have to bother a glance to know it was Dean.

"What?" she asked as she slid the sixth and final round into the police issue weapon. She racked a round into the chamber.

"What'd Ruby mean?"

"About what?" Jenny asked under her breath. She tried to feign ignorance, but no one was fooled.

"You know what I mean." He replied. The edge in his voice forced her to look up and see him staring at her with the same distant and cold eyes as earlier. "She said you were hollow and empty."

"I know what she said." Her voice still hadn't risen to normal volume.

"What'd she mean?"

Jenny shrugged and that seemed to be the wrong answer. Without warning, Dean slammed his fist down onto the desk he was leaning against and shoved off it to stand. Everything jostled and the lamp even fell over, but Jenny didn't move.

"I don't need this shit coming from you, too." He said low enough no one would over hear them completely. "I've already got Sam to worry about, and now I've got a demon telling me you're not better than a dead body. What'd she mean?"

"I don't know." Jenny repeated her uncertainty, but it didn't seem to be an answer he wanted. "Well I don't." she snapped in a hushed tone. "And just because some demon whore says I might as well be dead, doesn't mean she's right."

"Maybe." He replied to her surprise. "But it's got me wondering what you are."

"Again?" Jenny shot back sarcastically. "I already told you, I don't know how I can see the things I see. I don't know what that Ruby chick saw when she looked at me and I don't know what you want from me."

Dean's jaw tensed. He was agitated, annoyed and scared. All were emotions swimming around inside him for more reasons than just Jenny. The entire situation made him uncomfortable, but like before she seemed to be the one he could focus it on. And then he remembered something important, something he actually wanted to know… sort of.

"We going to survive this?"

Jenny had taken her eyes from him so she could assess her surroundings until he spoke again. Slowly, she turned her attention back to him and noticed he was completely serious.

"What?" she asked, not because she didn't understand, but because she wondered if she'd heard him correctly.

"We going to walk out of this, or not?" he asked. This time, Jenny could see real worry darken his eyes.

"I don't know." She answered sadly.

His face immediately tensed again. "You said you can see Death." He growled.

"And I can." She snapped. "But it's not always that clear."

"The hell's that mean?"

"Look," Jenny sighed. She glanced around the room briefly to see if anyone might overhear them. She took a half-step closer to him to ensure only Dean would. "Death isn't always certain, okay?" His face twisted into confusion at her cryptic answer. "If someone's going to die for sure, if it's a certainty, the mist that forms around them is blacker than night." Her face grew sad. "It is cold and empty and there's no coming back from it. But this, what they are, that's different."

"How?"

The animosity and anger towards her and the situation was gone from Dean's voice which Jenny was grateful to hear. It meant that perhaps he realized she didn't choose who lived or died, she simply had the misfortune of knowing before they did.

"When it can go either way, it's a different color." Jenny said. She hated how ridiculous it sounded having to explain what she saw to someone else. "It's gray, almost silver. When I see those, it means they might make it."

His face relaxed and with it so did the air around them.

"So we could survive this whole thing, walk away from it tonight?"

"They could, yeah." She agreed.

"And me?" He pressed. He saw Jenny's face drop and lose a shade of color. It didn't bode well for what he was going to ask, but Dean had to know. "What do you see when you look at me?"

Jenny's brows slowly came together. Dean noticed her eyes dart around him as though there was something surrounding his head and shoulders even though he knew there was nothing. But Jenny didn't answer. Instead, her head dropped and she tore her eyes from him. She didn't want to tell him and Dean wasn't brave enough to keep pressing.

He felt himself nod as though it would give him strength for what was coming. She heard him mutter something along the lines of they should get ready, but she didn't really hear it. The truth was the shadow around Dean was there and it wasn't silver. Having sold his soul, it was blacker than black, and while it was faint and almost unnoticeable a few months ago, it was growing denser the closer he came to the end date.

"Ready?!" Dean yelled so everyone standing near a door could hear him.

Everyone solidified their stances and waited for the order to be given. Jenny jogged lightly to the front door of the office and caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. When she saw it, it made her freeze with fear.

Hesitantly, Jenny took soft steps backward to ensure she saw the fleeting image her mind caught. It was a mirror secured tightly to the wall only a few feet from the door she was to guard and when her reflection came into view, Jenny knew she'd been right. A deep black, pulsating cloud surrounded her.

Her brows came together as she stared at the mist that was so thick it blocked everything behind her from sight. Her eyes began to tear.

"Of course." She whispered to herself.

"Set?!" she heard Dean call followed by a chorus of agreements.

Jenny shook herself back into the task at hand and called back that she was ready too when she made it to the front door. Along with the others, she kicked the salt away and broke the seal's line.

Gunshots echoed through the station. Demons filled the halls. Chaos reigned and it didn't end until every black-eyed bastard was reduced to flaming smoke as they were sent back to Hell.

Everything slowly began to settle again and those who'd been possessed were slowly beginning to rouse. Henricksen said his farewell to the trio who'd come from nowhere and helped them when the demon hoard arrived. Sam, Dean and Jenny shook his hand and left with little more than a wave to Nancy and the remaining Deputy.

As they trudged towards the car, Dean couldn't fight the laugh that broke free from his lips. Sam looked at his brother with a weak, crooked smile, but Dean glanced sideways to Jenny.

"You were right." He said after a moment.

"What was that?" she breathed.

"Don't make me repeat it." He groaned with a chuckle. When he glanced sideways he noticed her giving him a sarcastic, expecting stare. "You were right." He grumbled despite the grin.

Jenny gave him a half-smile and breathy laugh as she continued to walk beside him.

"Yeah well," she uttered softly. "It was bound to happen sometime, right?"

He nodded and reached for his keys when they made it to the Impala. Dean was ready to offer Jenny a ride, but when he turned around to ask, he noticed something. Her skin –while fair- had gone sickly pale. She was still cradling her stomach, something he quickly realized she'd been doing since the fight, and her clothes were glistening. He thought at the time she simply spilled something or was drenched in Holy Water since it was being flung around the police station without care, but her expression made him think otherwise. Cold gripped his gut.

"Jen," his voice was thick. She hesitated to meet his eye and when she did it was clear she had trouble focusing.

"What?" Sam asked when he noticed something unsaid pass between his brother and Jenny.

She glanced from one Winchester to the next before settling on Dean.

"Remember when I said everyone would make it out okay?" she asked. Dean nodded even though he didn't want to. Jenny tenderly pulled her hand away from her gut. Her palm was crimson and it was then Dean realized that what he thought could've been water was actually blood. She gradually looked back up. "Looks like I lied."

"Oh god…" Sam breathed.

The same moment, Jenny's knees buckled and she fell. Dean swooped in to grab her. He barely managed to catch her before she slammed into the ground. He adjusted her until he could cradle the young woman in his lap. Sam was at his side in an instant and looked as lost as Dean.

"The hell happened?" he asked. Dean might have thought he was keeping the panic from his voice, but he wasn't.

"Lucky shot." She said softly.

Dean pressed his hand to hers to keep as much pressure on the wound as possible.

"It's going to be okay." He told her. "We're at a police station, right? We can get an ambulance. Sam,"

"Right." He nodded. Sam stood; ready to rush off, when he felt something snag his pant leg. He glanced down and noticed Jenny had grabbed him.

"Don't waste the energy." She said. Jenny's voice was getting weaker. Sam shot Dean a frightened look which his brother shared. "It's too late."

"No," Dean shook his head and pressed his hand into her harder than before. "No, there's plenty of time. You'll be fine."

A frail smile graced her lips and Jenny shook her head.

"I'm already dead." The words were barely more than an exhale of breath. Sam and Dean felt their eyes burn when confronted with the death of someone they'd known for years. She could see it and she tried to smile bravely. "Hey," she sang softly. "It'll be okay."

Dean felt himself shaking his head. Sam continued to look on and couldn't help but feel useless. There was nothing either of them could do and they all knew it.

"I'm so sorry." Dean muttered. "I should've-"

Jenny began to shake her head and silenced him quickly.

"Hush," she said as sharply as her weakened body would allow. "It'll be okay…" she was having trouble breathing and she knew time was not on her side. "Don't worry guys," her voice grew softer and they could see the light in her eyes dwindling. "I'll be right back."

Sam and Dean could muster little more than a lip twitch in the ways of a smile before they heard Jenny take her last breath. They waited for another, but it never came. Dean felt the weight of her body sink deeper into his lap and knew she was gone.

Their eyes burned, their chests hurt and both knew they'd lost yet another person they cared about. Dean hugged her tightly before having no choice but to let her go. Sam swooped in and picked the young woman up. They had only a few minutes to get out of the station before more cops would come, so Dean took the driver's seat and Sam slid into the back with Jenny in his arms. They weren't going to leave her behind. She deserved a proper burial, a real burial, and a funeral with her friends.

When Ruby finished her tirade, she seemed to finally notice the unmoving body on the other bed wasn't a sleeping Jenny. She cocked a brow to the obviously cold and dead woman.

"Do I even want to know why you have a dead body in the room with you?" she asked uncaringly.

Dean shot a glare at the blond through his lashes. It was a silent warning she needed to get as far away from them as possible before he killed her despite Sam's wishes. Ruby was smart enough to take the hint and did.

Silence stretched back between the brothers. They were exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep, but they couldn't manage the simple task. Lilith laid the station to ashes killing everyone inside. It meant everything they did amounted to nothing and Jenny died in vain.

"Dean," Sam's voice sounded as broken as they both felt. The eldest barely managed to shift enough his brother knew he was listening. "We need to do something."

"Yeah." He mumbled.

They both knew that the proper Hunter burial included burning the body just to ensure they wouldn't return as a vengeful spirit and were put to rest, but Dean couldn't imagine burning Jenny.

As he sat on his bed across from her body, he found himself replaying everything that should have been said and done while he still had the chance. Regrets filled him. He should have apologized sooner. He shouldn't have pointed a shotgun at her in the first place. He should have spent more time around her instead of wallowing in his embarrassment whenever she came back around after their failed tryst. Hell, he should have tried again.

He regretted not getting to know her better and dragging her into their life. He regretted not trying to talk her out of helping them and not kicking her ass out of whatever case they were on when she had. He regretted things he'd said and things he didn't. But most of all, he regretted her dying before him.

As selfish as it was, a part of Dean was relieved he was dying in a few months. It meant he'd never had to see Sam, or Bobby, or anyone else he cared about die again, but that didn't happen. Despite his wishes, someone was shuffled loose this mortal coil before him and he had to mourn one more time before he was gone.

Dean propped his elbows on his knees and buried his head in hands. He felt his shoulders drop and knew he wanted to cry, but he wasn't sure he could, which made him feel worse.

"Dean,"

"Yeah?" he chimed, raising his head as though he hadn't been wallowing. Sam looked sadly to his brother and he knew what he needed to do. With a nod, Dean pushed himself up. "Yeah…"

Sam and Dean took positions on either side of the bed. They planned to wrap her in the hotel's blanket so they could later give her the burial she deserved. With Dean on the right and Sam on the left, they found themselves hesitating.

"I feel like we should say a few words, or something." Sam said softly. His voice shook like a frog had formed in his throat. "But I don't know what to say. I mean, we've known her for almost three years and… I don't think we even know her last name."

Dean could do little more than shake his head.

"She was a pain in the ass," Dean admitted. His voice broke which forced Sam to look up. Dean's eyes were tinted pink and looked like they were on the verge of tearing. "But she was fun."

Sam shared his brother's soft laugh. As though internally agreeing, the two brothers bent over and gripped the edge of the comforter. As they lifted it, ready to wrap her body, something happened.

Jenny's back suddenly arched as she took in a deep, gasping breath. Sam and Dean shot back from her. One fell onto the spare bed while the other slammed his back into the wall. They watched in horror as the corpse gently laid on the bed once again.

Their hearts thundered in their chests as they waited for something else. Soon, her eyes shot open and Jenny rose once more to sit upright. She groaned and planted her palms against her temples as though she had a migraine.

"Oh," she moaned painfully. "That sucks." Jenny rubbed her temples a few times before daringly opening her eyes to survey her surroundings. She recognized nothing but the two men staring at her in horror. A weak, almost embarrassed smile daringly crossed her lips. "Hey guys." She greeted apprehensively. "What'd I miss?"