A Lot Can Happen in Four Months

by waywardbard

Sam and Ruby's Story, wherein Dean Winchester is rotting in Hell. Written in the 2 month Hellatus period of s4, pre-finale; thus making this story AU. Regardless: I still ship them. Co-written with a @Ady.

7. Chapter 7

The bar was narrow and crowded, so much so Ruby felt like she was being suffocated by bodies. The steamy summer rain wasn't making things any better, forcing everyone in from the patio. Still, she didn't have much trouble worming her way to the end of the bar, leaning back against it and looking at the middle-aged man in the last seat. She was relieved that she'd been right from a distance; she didn't know this demon. At least she hadn't been lying to Sam about that.

"So how long have you been working this town?" she said, with her best attempt at sultry yet friendly. The demon worked the middle-aged man's face into a smile, taking a sip from his cocktail and moving so their knees brushed against each other.

"'bout two weeks, and enjoying every minute of it. You passing through, or looking for an alliance?"

She gave him an appreciative once over. "Passing, though I might be persuaded otherwise," she said, shifting closer, one knee sliding slightly between his. "Had a little hunter trouble a couple days back, but it wasn't much of a fight. Came looking to burn off a little steam on the body bags here, but..." Her fingertips lightly brushed his knuckles, her smile holding a very pleasant promise. "I'm open to options."

"Are you now?" he asked, smirking a little and obviously enjoying the attention. "You take out the hunter?"

"Snapped her pretty little neck. Shame it was over so quickly; sometimes I forget to slow down, draw things out," she said, wistful with a side of needy. Her other hand slid along his thigh. "She would have been fun to play with."

"I'm sure you'll recover," he replied, moving his hand to cover hers and drag it a bit more securely upward. "Where you staying?"

She cupped him, her smile unflinching. "Down the road about a mile. Unless your body came with a place...?" Her palm pressed against him. "Someplace quiet where neighbors wouldn't come to investigate any... noises they might hear."

"Did, but nowhere quiet," he replied, inching his face forward to steal a kiss.

Knowing who was watching, Ruby turned her head, the demon's mouth meeting her cheek instead. She leaned in to cover, her breath hot in his ear and her hand insistent between his legs. "Guess you'll just have to find a way to keep me quiet."

"You just tell me where to drive, gorgeous."

---

Ruby was glad the hotel was so close. He'd pressed her hand between his legs as soon as they'd gotten into the car, and had it been much of a drive, the whole seductress scenario might have been pressed further than she wanted to go. She dodged his lips again as they pulled into the parking lot.

"3A," she said, nodding towards it with her chin, her hand giving him one last squeeze before she went for the door. The key card slipped in and out of the insert, the light flashed green, and Ruby slinked in. Even in the complete dark, she could feel Sam on the other side of the archway, just outside of the light. The demon entered, and the door was barely closed before Sam was on him in a chokehold, bringing the chloroform-soaked handkerchief up over his mouth and nose. It struggled briefly before slumping over.

The tension instantly eased out of Ruby's body. It had gone over smoothly, almost better than she could have hoped for. Granted, it wasn't over yet, but the hard part was. "Told you it was no problem," she said, smiling slightly at Sam.

"Yeah yeah, can you get the light?" Sam replied, heaving a breath as he adjusted the dead weight in his arms. When she flipped the switch he started dragging him toward the rolled-out sheet with the devil's trap marked into it. It wasn't the preferred method, but it would be enough for now.

Grabbing the demon's legs, Ruby helped set him fully in the trap, mirroring Sam's silent, all-business attitude. Once the demon was tied to the chair she stood to the side, set for her muscles-at-the-side role in the interrogation. Sam pulled the flask from the inside of his jacket, unscrewing the cap and giving it a swift swing at the demon's body. It all but screamed awake, white smoke rising off its chest.

"The fuck-" it spat, but Sam simply splashed him again.

"Shut up, you'll wake the neighbors," Sam said, his voice even and authoritative.

Managing a snarl instead of a scream this time, the demon glared up at Sam, breathing hard. There were a couple long moments before he opened his mouth, yelling. "Help!"

"My pleasure," Sam said, extending his hand and closing his eyes in order to concentrate. The demon's yell caught in his throat, gagging as wisps of smoke played at his lips.

"There's no help coming for you! You've been a very naughty boy!"

It hadn't been something he'd expected, and Sam's concentration slipped as a laugh threatened to break loose. The smoke sucked back into the demon's mouth easily, leaving him gasping for breath.

"Where's Lilith?"

"How the fuck should I know?" the demon gasped, glaring but not yelling. "The fuck that I care."

"That right?" Sam asked, brows arched. "You're following in her wake. Don't tell me that's a coincidence."

The demon's glare turned into a grimace, wide and feral. "Nothing you can do to me is worse than what she can."

"You so sure about that?" Sam countered, his expression darkening. "I've got plenty more of this-" he gestured by raising the flask slightly in his hand, watching the demon wince a little, "-a whole lot of patience and a very short fuse. Don't make this any harder than it is."

After a long moment, the demon sat back as though relaxed, his black eyes fixed on Sam, unblinking. "You think that's pain?" he said, his smile sinister. "Just ask your little slut. Ask her what they're doing to your brother down there. They don't call it Hell because of the view."

The moment the demon brought up Dean, Sam's anger boiled up. So it'd figured out who he was. Its words twisted Sam's thoughts, and it was only the knowledge that a human was still trapped inside the shared space that kept him from wanting to do to the body exactly what they were doing to his brother.

"You think I can't torture you, you disgusting fuck?" Sam hissed, his eyes full of contempt and malice. He stalked the circumference of the circle, rage all but radiating off of him. "You think I can't make you beg for me to put you out of your misery? Why do you think your almighty leader is running from me?"

Doubt crept into the demon's eyes, and a glance at Ruby to see her watching Sam uncertainly only flavored that doubt with fear. His expression tried to harden when he met Sam's eyes again, but the cracks had already been made. "You don't have an eternity to waste on me," he said at last. "And anything you do other than your holy spit is gonna hurt this body. Heart's still beating; he's in here with me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Sam said coldly, stopping in front of him and glaring into the demon's eyes. "Answer the damn question."

The demon glowered back, before giving a slow smile. "Longer you keep me here, the harder it'll be on this body. You're the one killing him now." He sat back. "I've heard of you, Sam. Your family. Some hunters will go to any lengths, take down anything in their way, but you Winchesters have a code."

The words were hardly out of the demon's mouth before Sam drew the knife, crossing into the circle and bringing it right against its neck. The pressure was enough to break the skin, but not penetrate. The demon froze, eyes widening with fear, his breath hitching as he tried to inch away from the edge of the blade. Sam didn't let him get far.

"That was before," he replied in a low voice. "I'm not going to ask you again."

Ruby's grip tightened on her arms as she watched, but she didn't say anything. The demon's eyes darted back and forth between Sam's before he finally blurted, "I don't know. I don't know where she is."

"Why should I believe you?" Sam snarled, just barely able to hold back the tremor in his hand from the adrenaline.

The demon tried not to swallow, the sting of the blade all too ever-present. "She's been around since the dawn of time," he hissed, out of fear rather than malice. "She wouldn't have lasted long if we knew where she was all the time. I stayed back to cover her tracks; I only know where she's been."

For a moment, Sam considered forcing the demon to summon her back, to corner her and take her out. But he knew that even if he did, he wasn't nearly ready enough to get her just now. He would need to sneak up on her properly, take her out when her back was turned so he could get up the strength. Without another word Sam pulled the knife back, his hand stretching out within an inch of the demon's face as he visualized reaching into the blackness and yanking it out. The demon gagged, his whole body heaving against the restraints as the smoke poured out, covering the sheet trapped within the circle. The body slumped as the smoke drained away.

Ruby let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, walking up next to Sam.

"I need a minute," Sam said in a choked voice, using the knife to cut the bonds on the man's ropes and using his foot to roll the sheet back enough to break the shape. Wordlessly he moved to the bed, sitting and putting his head in his hands.

Not saying a word, Ruby focused on the man. He was unconscious but breathing. Her hands carefully went over him, looking the signs of breaks and injuries Sam had taught her to look for, but there were none. The demon seemed to have been telling the truth when he said he hadn't been there long, and he seemed to leave the body almost untouched.

"Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with thee," Sam murmured under his breath, low and quiet but with so much feeling his shoulders gave a small shudder. "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Hail Mary, full of grace..."

Though the words were quiet, the room was silent. It took Ruby a moment to register what they were, but when she did, she froze, in the midst of gently laying the man on the floor. She'd heard Sam use such words before, as weapons, as solace when he'd been too late to save someone. But these were different. These sounded like they were meant for someone to hear. Her body tensed, each muscle feeling as though it was hardening to stone, while a sharp heat built behind her eyes. She knew she shouldn't be angry, or even surprised, but it poured through every part of her as she knelt frozen, forgetting what she had even been doing. Sam continued on, oblivious to her, repeating the prayer four more times, the murmur going into an endless-breath spoken so that he could continue the words with inhale and exhale. He finished with the Lord's Prayer before going silent, pressing his palms into his eyes to help relieve the headache and keep from crying.

Ruby's hands shook as she stood. She almost wished the man was severely injured; then she'd have to take him to the E.R. Then she'd have an excuse to get out of there. "He'll be fine," she finally said, quiet though each word was an effort. "Probably dehydrated, though. I'll get him some water."

She headed towards the bathroom, closing the door behind her and hoping Sam was too distracted to notice. Sam sat up straight when the door closed, the pain still throbbing now that the adrenaline had drained from him. He stood on weak legs, going to roll up the sheet and pack it into the duffel. He thought vaguely of just leaving the man there, anything to put the moment into the past rather than the present. He was alive, and breathing, and Sam had no energy left in him to explain it out to another civilian. He just wanted to get out of there as fast as they could. After a few minutes, Ruby came out. She'd forgotten the glass of water, but she was no longer shaking.

Glancing around, she was a bit surprised to see Sam packed but the man still on the floor. "Are we going to leave him?" she asked, her voice a bit dry.

"Yeah," Sam replied, already hefting the duffel onto his shoulder. Not knowing what else to add he simply turned to glance back at her before heading for the door.

She followed, her jaw tightening as she closed the door behind them. He'd hardly looked at her. What was he thinking? What else would a man who prayed to God think of a demon? She slid into the passenger seat, silent and stewing, wanting everything she was feeling to be left behind as they drove but feeling it settled heavily inside her, like an unwelcome house-guest. They were just getting to the entry ramp on the highway when Sam finally broke the silence, glancing sideways at her briefly though there was a worried frown between his brows.

"Did he do anything to you?"

Ruby felt her whole body tense, feeling stretched to bursting at the same time. "No, Sam," she snapped, her eyes furious as they glared at the road. "He didn't do anything."

Her words made the worry lines change to confusion, and it wasn't until he'd managed to merge into oncoming traffic that he was able to speak again.

"What's that s'pose to mean?"

The wave of words crashed inside her head, and it was a moment before she could drag anything from the incoherent mess. "How the hell can you believe in God?" she snapped, turning to face him, the anger and betrayal written on her face. "Do you think it can hear you? Do you think it even gives a shit about what your saying? It doesn't, Sam. Whatever God is, it can't help you, it won't help you! The only people who will are in this fucking car!"

"Ruby-" Sam started, his voice silently pleading. Not only did her words sting, but the smallness of the car made it so she was literally shouting straight into his ear, making his headache throb worse.

"Don't! Don't, I- How could you?" The burning behind her eyes grew hotter, spreading. "Where was this fucking belief when you were drinking yourself into oblivion months ago? Where was God then?"

Sam closed his mouth audibly, his jaw clenching as he continued to drive, pressing his foot down on the pedal and switching into the far left lane. He only just remembered to flip his blinkers on and check the rearview mirror; another car blared its horn indignantly at him as he cut it off. Ruby jumped at the noise, reality swimming back, her angry thoughts slowly draining away. How could you? How could you leave me alone again? She covered her face, taking a breath before she spoke again, quieter.

"You've done stupid things before, Sam, but at least those I could understand. This... I can't."

"It isn't stupid," he said in a similar tone, a hint of misery in his voice. "You think this is easy for me? You think this was ever easy for me?" He gave a hollow laugh, driving as fast as he could get away with. "I can't change what I am. Hell, I can't even ignore it. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. It's the only way I can fight them without hurting anyone. Robbing Peter to pay Paul."

She stared furiously out the front window. It was weak and stupid and she couldn't believe she'd thrown away anything she might have been able to salvage for a man who- But there she stopped. She wouldn't go back, and she wouldn't change what she'd done. This didn't mean the end of everything. But she didn't have to like it either. "Never do that in front of me again," she said, quietly but fiercely.

"Fine," he said without preamble, his ears still ringing a little in addition to the throb in his head. The silence was immediate and uncomfortable, and Sam found himself unable to even put the music on to drown it out. It wouldn't have helped anyway; he recognized what the ringing was, after a few moments. It was Dean, in his last moments, screaming in agony.

---

It was a long drive, made longer by the fact that they hadn't spoken since they first left Rochester. Most of their arguments had fizzled out, not so much with apologies as with them just pretending they didn't happen. Sam knew that routine like the back of his hand, mostly because Dean had written the book on it. The thought made Sam's chest tighten with freshly-renewed grief, a feeling he fought back as hard as he could muster. He should've exorcised the demon the moment it hadn't immediately answered the question, instead of letting it get as close to his anguish as it did. Shouldda-couldda-wouldda. The long hours were finally taking their toll however, and when they reached Erie, Pennsylvania, he finally pulled onto the exit, looking for a Super 8 or something similar. The Tally Hotel was the first off the highway, and with an eyeroll he pulled into the parking lot. He just hoped they were cheap.

Ruby smirked slightly as they pulled up but didn't say anything, waiting in the car until he came back out with the keys. They pulled into a parking spot nearer the room, getting out and entering in silence. Once they were inside Sam pulled off his shoes and shrugged out of his coat, tired and stiff from the drive. He started toward the bathroom when a ringtone started up from inside the duffel. Not Sam's ringtone; a few bars of Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple. Sam froze, his face going a little pale before he lunged for the bag.

Ruby quickly stepped back, not entirely sure what was going on and not a little startled at Sam's sudden reaction. He pulled out a phone she didn't recognize from the bag without looking at the caller ID, flipping it open to answer it.

"Hello?" he said into the receiver. His face only paled a little more. "Jo."

Frowning slightly, Ruby walked over to him, concerned and confused as she watched his face. For a moment he was silent, his head shaking a little from side to side before he spoke.

"Yeah. I'm... yeah," he said hollowly. There was a brief pause before a female voice rose up on the other side of the phone, tinny and angry as she shouted at him. Sam winced a little.

"Sorry. No, I'll call him. Jo-" the voice cut him off again, just as sharply, and Sam's expression darkened a little. "Well forgive me, I think I'm allowed a bit of time to try and sort my shit out. Are you done?"

Ah. Ruby went for the duffel bag, unpacking various toiletries and taking them to the bathroom. This was a call from his other life. She didn't have much of a part in that. There was a pause before he spoke again, his tone changed this time when he spoke.

"Pennsylvania," he said, "Are you gonna be okay to get here, or do you-" Ruby's heart jump-started. Someone's coming here? "Yeah. No, yeah, I'll stay here. Erie. Yeah. Call me when you're getting in the city. This one's fine." He sighed. "I'd rather you not. Yes. 'Kay. Thanks." There was the sound of the phone closing and Sam sighed again, laying back on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

She stepped out of the bathroom, watching him for a moment. "I guess I'll be staying someplace else?"

"She's not coming here here," Sam said by way of clarification, the words thick with weariness. "I'll meet her at a diner or something. She said she had a few things she needed to give me; a black eye apparently being one of them." The last bit he said with a hint of dry humor and a breathless snort. "And some info her boyfriend hooked her up with."

Inwardly, she chastised herself for her relief at the word 'boyfriend.' "Sounds good," she said, going back to sorting the bathroom. With a small smile, she added, "Hope she has a quick right hook."

Sam's lips twitched in a smile but he remained silent, turning on his side and curling into the pillow a bit, his hand still clutching the cellphone.

---

About five hours later the phone rang again, waking Sam from the halfhearted doze as he sat up to take the call. Jo was just getting into downtown, and gave him the address of a bar on the main drag through the area. He wrote out the directions twice - once for himself and once for Ruby, just in case - before heading out. It was dark again, the hour just chasing the tail-end of dusk as he drove the Impala down the street and into the nearest parking space to the bar.

It wasn't hard to find her, tucked into a corner but still visible, her eyes on the door as she drank her beer. She looked exactly how he remembered her, though the images his mind conjured were filmy at best from being possessed. Though as he crossed the distance over to her he noticed some of the softness had melted from her face, leaving hard lines and sharp angles. Her expression as she saw him changed as well, from neutral to somewhat cold, something he inwardly cursed Deumos for. He'd always been fond of Jo, and the idea that she distrusted him now even after learning that he hadn't been himself made him all the more bitter.

She didn't bother to attempt any kind of warm welcome. "Sam," she said, nodding at the seat across from her. Her narrowed eyes followed him as he sat, her hands cupped loosely around her beer but the rest of her body tense.

"Nice to see you too," he replied, not so much sarcastic as a little affronted. He didn't bother getting anything to drink; Ruby would notice if he had. "Your mom told you, then?"

"After Bobby told her," she said stiffly. "Good to know where I sit on the Winchester phone tree."

"I was pretty sure you didn't want to hear from me," Sam said, trying not to gnash his teeth.

"Don't pretend, Sam," she snapped. "Unless that's why you haven't returned any of Bobby's calls either. You hunting alone now?"

The swift topic change left a bad taste in his mouth, but Sam just went with it. "Yeah." It was a lie on both sides - he wasn't exactly hunting, and he wasn't exactly alone - but he ignored his conscience.

She gave a sniff of a laugh. "Figured." Her expression softened slightly, her eyes falling to the beer a moment. "You should at least talk to Bobby more."

"When I finish this case," Sam said, frowning slightly. He ran a hand through his hair, giving a sigh and letting his shoulders sag a little. "Was this the only reason you came all the way to Pennsylvania?"

"No," she said, taking a drink and sitting back. "Jimmy was doing some research, basic stuff, and he found...a pattern, I guess. You should see it for yourself."

"Pattern?" Sam asked, immediately interested. "A pattern for what?"

She shook her head. "I want you to see it for yourself, see if you find the same thing we did." Downing her drink, she got to her feet. "Alright to go to my hotel room? Didn't really want to bring anything here. In case."

Sam chewed the inside of his cheek in thought before nodding slightly and standing. It made sense for her not to have brought it along, in all actuality. A bar had too many people, and nowadays with the increase in demons body-surfing so to speak, it was a safer plan.

"I'll follow you, I guess."

She paused, tapping her thigh in thought before looking at him. "I could just drive you. It's not far, and it's not like you'll have to take off in a hurry." She raised an eyebrow in question. That brought a wry smile.

"Sure, why not."

The drive back to her hotel was mostly quiet save for a small prod into whether or not he was staying in town. Sam dodged the question artfully, already uncomfortable that she'd found him despite disconnecting his phone. She'd known to call Dean's when even Bobby hadn't. It made him wonder whether she'd be able to glean more from him the longer she was around. By the time they arrived, he suddenly wished he had followed her instead. Sam watched as she killed the engine and slipped out, though it took him a few moments to properly unfold his large frame out of the car she had without tripping on the floor of the cab. It was a nicer hotel than his. He wondered if this was paid on her bartender's wages or something else, but he didn't ask.

Sam followed behind her as they took the stairs up, watching her ponytail sway softly from side to side on each step. Would she try to slip in under the radar, and make him take her along? How would he decline without making her more angry with him? The questions ran through him without pause as they stopped in front of her door and she slid the cardkey into the lock. Inside was dark, but she didn't go through, holding the door open for him with a slight smile.

There was a distinct sensation of trepidation on the back of his neck, too much like deja vu except that he'd been the one hiding in the dark, ready to pounce on the person walking inside. Without walking straight in he reached in sideways, finding the light switch and flipping it up. The room was empty; hardly occupied, except for a military shoulder bag on the end of the bed. With that, he walked in.

Closing the door carefully behind her, she pointed at the bag. "Go ahead, see what you think." As he leaned down to open the bag, she brought her fist down hard on the back of his head. There was sharp pain, a flare of white, and then blackness.

---

Everything was murky when he came to, his vision swimming and the distinct feeling of cotton mouth. When he moved he felt the ropes, fibrous and painful on his legs. His wrists were cuffed behind the chair, however, and a tug at them brought a tug at his feet as well; she'd tied a line from the linked metal chain to his feet from underneath the chair. Damn good binds. He inwardly cursed himself for being the biggest idiot on the planet.

"Ah, I was afraid I'd hit you too hard," came Jo's voice, fingers twining in his hair. "Glad you're awake so I have some time with you before we're interrupted."

"You shouldn't have taken her," Sam said roughly. "You stupid, stupid fuck. I'll kill you."

That got a laugh, her grip tightening on his hair as she moved around to look at him, her smiling face close to his. "You always knew how to greet old friends," she said.

There was something about her tone, and about how she was touching him, that was too familiar. A panicked feeling rose in his chest. "Meg."

She smiled, sliding a leg over his to straddle him in the chair. "Good to see the fear in your eyes, Sammy." Her hand slid up his chest, playing around his neck, her words hot against his jaw before she nipped at his ear. "You know, I picked her hoping to take you again. To see her expression when she woke up and found you, again, but this time not holding back. She truly believed I was you a year ago. Even when I had her pinned, grinding her hand in the broken glass." She tisked. "What does that say about you, Sammy?"

He knew what she was doing, trying to get a rise from him, anything to get her rocks off. What was worse was that it was working, and it was taking all his self-control to keep from screaming in her face or slamming his forehead straight into her nose. It would hurt Jo. He couldn't do it, and she knew that. Her smile only lengthened, as if to read his thoughts.

"Sorry to ruin your fun," he said through clenched teeth. "But I guess I've had this coming to me; I got to live while my brother shot your brother through the head, and your daddy in the chest. Bet he's sorry he came after my mom now, isn't he?"

Her eyes darkened and her smile turned a bit brittle, but she pulled hard at his hair, exposing his neck. Her other hand went casually for her pocket, pulling out a switchblade. There was a soft snick, then Sam felt the point at his Adam's apple, the pressure just enough to sting. "I haven't been up here long," she said casually, the knife eventually moving along his skin, too soft to break skin. "Dean says 'hi.' Well, at least I'm sure he would have, if he could stop screaming."

Anger and hate twisted in Sam's stomach, his face turning in a grimace as he fought the urge to move. It didn't even matter that it was Jo's body anymore; he wanted to hurt her. He wanted to watch her scream before struggling as he crushed her pretty little neck between his hands. He continued on as if he didn't hear her: "What happens when demons die anyway? I've always wanted to know. Do they just go back to Hell, or do they just fizzle into nothing? I hope it's the last one."

The knife pressed a little harder, leaving a thin scarlet line along Sam's neck. "Where's the little bitch you're fucking?" she purred into his ear, changing tactics. "I'd love to meet her."

"You sound jealous," Sam replied, putting a smirk on his face despite the painful sting the knife left.

Jo's laugh rang out again. "Well, she does seem to be even better at lying to you than I was," she said lightly. The blade pulled away from his skin as she pulled her hand from his hair, both going to the collar of his shirt. "Or maybe she does want to help you." The metal cut through the fabric, traveling straight down his center, the tip ghosting over the skin beneath. "In that case, while Lilith wants you alive, Ruby is fair game."

It came to no surprise to him of who Deumos had aligned with. At her first words he tensed up, finding them too close to his own secret fears about Ruby, but at her last words Sam automatically struggled in his binds. He felt Jo's body shift against his, his hips sharp against the denim covering her soft inner thighs, and felt the chuckle reverberate in her chest.

"You'll be long gone before you even touch her," Sam spat.

"Sam Winchester, caring about a demon," she said with a breath of a laugh as she slid off of him. "The End of Days really is near after all."

She disappeared behind him. After a shuffle of cloth, he felt rope twining around the elbow of his right arm, then on his left, tightening together. "I hope she cares for you. If she does, she'll be here soon." She looped the rope around his neck, pulling his head back as she looped the other end at his elbows, securing them tightly before she stood. "I'll have to move you again to watch, of course, but this should do for now."

The panic was back again with reinforcements as he felt the rope around his neck, painful against the cut the knife had left earlier and shifting when he swallowed. Ruby would find him, he knew. And there wouldn't be anything he could to do stop them from fighting, or from the demons who were no doubt coming for him. His breathing grew shallow and he closed his eyes, trying to calm down.

"Jo, I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Meg paused in front of him, raising an eyebrow before leaning over him. "You know what's funny, Sammy?" she said, nipping at his exposed neck. "If you'd said that a year ago, we might not even be here right now."

Her nails dug into his chest, dragging dripping red lines across his pec as she placed the knife on his tattoo. "Now, if I were to remove this, the quick way," she said thoughtfully, "I should be able to get inside you again, shouldn't I?"

Panic quickly dissolved to fear at her words. If she possessed him now, there'd be no way to stop her. There was no telling if Jo knew the Latin or not, if Deumos didn't kill her first.

Meg chuckled, pressing her hand to his chest. "I love making your heart race, Sam. We'll have to try that." The pressure on the knife increased and then suddenly stopped. "But not now. Don't want to be too distracted when Ruby drops in. Though we do want to make sure she's angry."

In a blink, Meg jerked her arm, cutting a shallow but long slash across Sam's chest. Sam cried out, jerking back and immediately crying out again, though the sound was more of a gurgle as the rope went taut against his neck.

"Sorry, did I surprise you?" Meg said, delight in her voice. "I'll take it slower this time, talk you through it. The tip is going to dig into your side, right here-" She held the tip against him lightly a moment before digging in. "And now I'll drag it along the line of your rib, like so."

Sam clenched his jaw to keep from screaming, but the pain shot up through his nerves like white fire until his eyes screwed up tight, unable to stop it from escaping him anyway. He knew the sounds would be enough to scare people nearby into wanting to call the police, but he also knew that it wouldn't do him any good anyway. Cops were great, but demons were faster.

As his scream reached its pinnacle, it was drowned out by the roar of a shotgun through the door, then a slam as Ruby kicked it in. She kept her forward momentum, dropping the gun and pulling out her knife in two quick movements.

"Wait, don't!" Sam shouted immediately. Meg was already moving into a leg sweep. Sam's shout distracted Ruby, making her move too slow. Meg's foot caught her heel, throwing off Ruby's balance. She turned with it, albeit less graceful than usual, managing to catch her footing as she came full circle.

Meg simply grinned at her. "Well, well! At least he has some taste."

Ruby backed up, her eyes glancing at Sam, long enough for her face to twist into a enraged snarl. Then she bolted forward, blade ready, kicking at Meg's kneecap. Meg went down with a painful yelp, but she rolled with it and was back on her feet instantly. Sam struggled with his feet, unable to bring his knees up for fear of tugging his arms down and his neck along with it. If he arched his back there was a chance he could throw himself sideways off the chair, but even then he'd still be bound. He watched in horror as the two women fought, Ruby moving to stab Meg in the chest but Meg, using Jo's slender and graceful body, grabbed her at the arm and flipped her clean over onto her back.

"EXORCIZAMUS TE, OMNIS IMMUNDUS SPIRITUS, OMNIS SATANICA PROSTESTAS-" Sam shouted at the top of his voice, scared that things would progress too fast and knowing there was no way to stop it.

Two shrieks of pain and surprise rang out. Ruby writhed on the floor; Meg's head snapped back, then around. When Sam stopped short, Meg was by him in two quick steps, jerking down on the rope around his neck and holding the switchblade to the base of his throat as Ruby scrambled to her feet.

"Funny," Meg breathed, smiling at Sam with gritted teeth. "I got so caught up in reports of you exorcising demons with only a gesture, I forgot the old-fashioned way. Which I'm sick of hearing." The blade dug deep enough to draw blood.

"Let go of him, Deumos, you spoiled little bitch!" Ruby snarled, the effect somewhat tampered by her gasping to get her breath back.

"Now why would I do a silly little thing like that?" Meg said around Sam's cry of pain, deepening the cut at the sound of her true name. The blood flowed downward like a little river over his sternum. "You see, Sammy's a big softy at heart. He's not gonna hurt this body, not if he wants poor little Jo to live. And if he knows better-" she added, grabbing Sam's hair with her other hand and yanking his head backward. "He won't do that again if he wants to take care of yours."

"Come back for me," Sam rasped, the words cut off as Meg dragged the knife upward.

"Lilith said she wanted you alive, Sam," Meg said once his pained shout stopped. "That doesn't mean I can't cut out your tongue while we wait for the cavalry to arrive. You stay right where you are, Ruby."

Ruby's heart froze at the mention of Lilith's name. And there was no doubt that Deumos' threat wasn't an idle one. "Stop. Please," she managed, her hand shaking as she turned the knife so the handle faced the demon. "Tell me what you want. Just don't hurt him."

"What I want?" Meg replied incredulously. She turned back to look at Sam, the grin on her face hateful and dark as she leaned up close to his face. His eyes remained glued to Ruby the entire time. "You know, we have more in common than you'd care to think, don't we Sammy? Completely alone in the world. Driven by the unrelenting need for revenge." She turned to Ruby. "What I want! I want to rip his spine out through his throat! I want to peel the skin off his flesh and flog him to death! What the hell else would I want!"

"So why align yourself with Lilith?" Ruby said, trying not to look at Sam. She'd hesitated before, but if she could get Meg's focus off of her again, she might have an opening. "Going against everything Azazel stood for and still not getting your revenge?"

"Father was stupid to have picked a hunter family," Meg said without pause, eyes turning to Sam again. She slid one hand over his left cheek, and Sam closed his eyes in revulsion for a moment. "Keeping your enemies closer was always a load of shit. Lilith gets things done the way a mortal never could. And besides-"

Ruby was moving forward almost before the knife left her hand; she hit Meg herself just a blink after the blade did. Meg's scream of pain and rage rang in her ears as they went down, slamming off the side of the bed and spinning to the floor. Ruby scrambled for purchase on Meg's arms, trying to pin her down. The lithe body beneath her thrashed angrily despite the knife in her leg, and Meg kicked and screamed in an attempt to dislodge her. Ruby's hand twisted tight around the wrist of the hand holding the switchblade, slamming it into the floor over and over until she finally released it. While she had Meg's wrists pinned, Ruby knew it wouldn't last long. And if keeping the body alive was important to Sam, then getting him free was the only way to end it. With a snarl, she looked over her shoulder, her eyes focusing on the chain between Sam's cuffs. Meg writhed and yowled beneath her, loosening Ruby's hold, so there wasn't much time. Her right hand let go, snapping up and then jerking back, the chains breaking as Meg's fist caught her across the mouth. Ruby's head jerked back, her concentration broken long enough for Meg to roll them both. Free of the cuffs but not of his other binds, the only thing he could possibly think of to do was to throw himself in the chair. He needed to distract Meg long enough to give Ruby the opportunity to knock her out. With a short inhale he shifted his weight to the side and then tossed his weight into his right shoulder, the chair tipping over precariously to its side before crashing downward onto the two women.

Meg screamed as Sam's fall drove the knife deeper into her leg, twisting around to try to pull him off. Ruby's arm shot out, clamping around Meg's neck, the pressure cutting off the bloodflow. Meg struggled from an interminable seven seconds before going limp. Ruby didn't bother wasting time on words; it wouldn't last long. She grabbed up the switchblade because it was the closest blade in reach, her other hand grabbing at Sam's nearest arm before she sawed furiously at the rope.

"Around my neck," he said quickly, already shifting his arms in the loosening rope and pulling to get them to go tight. Blood dripped from the cuts on his chest, splattering on the back of Jo's shirt and in her hair.

Ruby didn't need to be told twice, though the angle wasn't ideal as she was pinned under both Sam and Meg. She was nearly through when a hand like a vise clamped onto her arm just below the elbow, slamming her hand down. Sam went flying just before a fist caught Ruby hard across the face, stars erupting in her vision. There was a muffled yell, and as Ruby's vision cleared she saw Deumos sitting on her chest, looking over the knife she'd just pulled from her own leg.

"That really hurt, you bitch," Meg said evenly, her eyes blinking to black. "You're gonna regret-" But the words choked off and her body spasmed, a stream of black smoke falling against Ruby's chest. The chair had busted when she'd sent Sam off of her, enough so that he was able to stand and rotate his arms over his head. The adrenaline just barely staved off the pain. Ruby shivered as Deumos poured on and around her, the sensation like burning ice. For one dreadful, eternal moment, it was all to clear how tenuous the connection between demon and body was. She closed her eyes tight, not opening them until she felt the body on top of her sag, her arm going out to catch the girl and hopefully prevent even more damage. A quick check for a pulse proved Deumos hadn't been lying, and then Ruby was on her feet, slinging the girl over her shoulder.

"Impala's just outside," she rasped at Sam, already on her way. "Stay right there."

The moment he felt nothing left in his mind to grab for Sam dropped down to his legs, ripping the bits of chair out from the ropes so he could walk. His head came up sharply at Ruby's words and he opened his mouth to stop her, but he knew that time was short. Without wasting a moment he was at the duffel, slinging it over his shoulder as he raced out the open door after her. It amazed him how nobody seemed to even be coming, even after the gunshot. That was a very bad sign.

Quickly settling the girl in the front seat, Ruby spun around at the sound of a step only to find Sam there. Anger and concern coursed through her, wishing they had time to properly look after him, but she just opened the back door. "Get in and lie down, we have to go."

He didn't argue, immediately slipping in and lying back against the seat. There was a brief moment of silence as the door slammed shut and Ruby raced around to the driver's side. His own breathing sounded labored and fast from running, but after a forced swallow and hold, he could hear Jo's quiet, shallow breaths. There was the faintest glimmer of hope, and then Ruby was in the car, starting it with a roar and gunning down the street. He reached into the bag haphazardly, pulling out the first bit of cloth he could feel and bringing it around to press against the deepest of the cuts on his chest.

"Get on 90 west and merge into 79 the moment you can," he said weakly.

Ruby's insides gave a twist at the sound of his voice, but she simply nodded, her foot pressing the gas to the floor. She adjusted the rearview mirror so she could see him better, glancing at it every couple moments. "South, right?" she asked as the road signs showed that 79 was coming up.

"Yeah," he replied, pressing down on the cut until it hurt almost twice as much, but knowing it was the only way to staunch the bleeding. Everything hurt. "How's Jo? She still breathing okay?"

Glancing over, Ruby reached out, her fingers across Jo's mouth and nose. "Seems a bit fast." She shot a glance down and grimaced; the bottom of the girl's pant leg was drenched in blood. Leaning over while trying to maintain control of the wheel, Ruby tugged the leg up to her own shoulder, the car only swerving slightly. Sam saw the movement and turned to crane his neck to see, catching the sight of Jo's booted ankle before seeing the blood. He paled.

"Where's the cut?" he asked, his voice slightly panicked. "Is it in her leg or in her thigh?"

"In her leg, her calf," Ruby soothed, passing a car at top speed. "I was very careful about that."

Some of the panic drained from him, but it was still quite a lot of blood. "First town we hit, pull over, okay? We need to cover our tracks. They'll be swarming nearby, and if Me- if Deumos used her blood, then they'll probably be able to track us."

Ruby's frown deepened. It had been difficult enough fighting and not being able to kill Deumos. Now the girl was putting them in even more danger. After a few moments she asked, "Who is she?"

"Family friend," he replied before sighing. "She was the last one who came in contact with me when I was possessed."

Shooting a quick glance at him in the mirror, Ruby's grip tightened on the wheel. Deumos had targeted her because of Sam, because she knew the power of Sam's guilt. Ruby wished she could have switched bodies with her back in the hotel room, just long enough to make her gone for good.

"I just gotta make sure she's okay. I owe her that," Sam added, oblivious to Ruby's thoughts. Almost on cue Jo moaned a little, making Ruby jump and stiffen. Now she was driving twenty over the speed limit with a slowly waking woman who probably didn't feel too kindly towards any demon at the moment and might not be in the mood for rational argument.

"Just don't let off what you are," Sam said immediately, as if to read her mind. A sign came up for highway 6 north in five miles. "Take the next exit. We don't have to go too far into the town; just get us into a parking lot or a barn or something."

"Okay," she said quietly, pulling off the interstate in a couple minutes. There were a few long white buildings to the right of the road; this time of night, Ruby figured they fit nicely into the 'or something' category. She pulled into the dirt drive, pulling between the buildings before stopping. It hurt to move, even a little bit, but Sam forced himself to push through it, sliding out of the back seat and out of the door in order to get to Jo. He'd need more space to work in, and the back seat was the only option.

"Whatever you need to do in order to hide us, now's the time to do it," he said through gritted teeth, pulling Jo out a bit by her arms before moving his arms beneath her body and lifting her to bring her to the back.

Ruby could see the pain in his face, but he was right. He had to do what he could, and so did she. Snapping open the glove compartment, she pulled out a wooden box, getting out of the car and walking a short distance away to work. Sam hardly looked back, focused on trying to move Jo as little as possible. With a muttered 'sorry' under his breath, he found a knife in her bag and slit the side up her jeans where the blood was, opening the denim with his hands carefully. It was a deep cut, but not so deep that it went through the other side. The jagged edges of the knife left the wound pulpy and still bleeding.

"Goddamnit," Sam cursed, pulling off the tattered remains of his shirt and using the cleaner side to wrap her leg as tight as he could. He needed to sterilize it and stitch it shut before it got infected.

"Too late," came a weak voice, still managing a lilt of amusement. Jo tried lifting her head, giving a hiss of pain.

"Try not to move," Sam said carefully, his heart lifting a little at the sound of her voice. "You got a medkit in your bag, or are you gonna make me haul my ass out to get the one in the trunk?"

She lay back again, not exactly upset about the idea. "No idea; I wasn't the one to pack it."

"Lotta help you are," he replied, trying to sound good-natured about it. A small part of him awed in how well she seemed to be taking everything; she hadn't said a word to him yet, to ask him what happened or where she was. The thoughts still buzzed in his head as he backed out through the door to open the trunk. A few moments later he was back again with a medkit.

"Here, hold this," he said, letting it rest on her stomach as he popped it open.

She rested her hands on the sides of it, silent, letting him work and trying not to think about the pain that was making itself more and more known the longer she was awake. Sam clenched his jaw as he pumped sanitizer into his hands, his wrists clanking awkwardly from the cuffs still hanging from them. As a second thought he smeared some of the sanitizer onto them as well, pushing them up as far as they'd go before they stuck to the skin and muscle. Reaching down to the floor, he found a bottle of water and tucked it beneath his chin as he reopened the tied shirt. He re-situated it up her calf just above the cut, tying it as tightly as he could.

"Not too tight there," Jo said, reaching out a hand though he was too far away to touch. "Might want to use that leg later."

"Sorry," he muttered, loosening the knot a little bit. "I can't really numb it any, is all." Carefully he unscrewed the cap off the bottle of water, grabbing the gauze with one hand and moving it to the side of her leg as he poured some of the water along the wound. She took a deep breath at the stinging chill of the water but let it out slowly.

"I'll be alright."

Sam frowned regardless, screwing the cap back on the water and dropping it down onto the floor before getting the peroxide. He listened to the hiss of her breath from the pain, aching not only himself but by proxy as he carefully daubed the wound with the gauze and tossed it over his shoulder. Now came the sutures. Even though she knew it was coming, the first stab of the needle took her by surprise. She hissed in a breath, her eyes closing tight and her hands gripping the kit.

"How did we get out of there?" she said, trying to focus on keeping the strain out of her voice. The question made his shoulders go tense, but he turned his attention to keeping a close stitch.

"Exorcism. I've had plenty of practice," he said. It wasn't a complete lie. "Were you hunting?"

"No," she said shortly, her chest hitching sharply before she could compartmentalize the pain. "Jim was, though. Probably shitting bricks about me now, but at least she didn't get her hands on him." Her jaw tightened as she forced her eyes open. "I'm sorry, Sam."

"Don't be," he replied, shaking his head a little and speaking in a low voice. "It wasn't you. If anything, I'm the one who should be saying sorry. We got swept up in a case right after what happened, over in Ohio."

"I heard. Mo-" She cut off sharply, gritting her teeth and screwing her eyes shut as the needle hit a particularly tender spot, tears forcing their way from her eyes. After a couple deep breaths she continued. "Way Mom tells it, you had a lot on your mind right about then."

Sam clenched his teeth a little, trying not to think back to those weeks. Dean's reveal about what their father had said. About what he might become. He felt his chest constrict. What would his father think of him now? And his mother? Were they watching him, wherever they were? He went silent as the emotions churned through him, halfway through the stitching. Even in her state, Jo could feel the tension in him, and she tried to be quiet a while for his sake. But then all she had was the feel of the needle, piercing already tender skin, and the thread pulling inch by inch, both too fast and much too slow.

"Did she make you watch, too?" she finally blurted, wishing she had another topic but there wasn't much else on her mind right then.

"For some of it," he replied all too easily, his heart heavy. "I watched a hunter get killed. I remember her making me chain-smoke. That sucked." He heard her give a breathless laugh, and smiled slightly himself before his face turned more somber. "I remember what she said to you."

For a moment, the pain in her leg disappeared, swept up in a fire of anger and hate and a much deeper pain. Those words had haunted her for months, burning unwanted images even in front of her open eyes. She tried to ignore them, not telling anyone what Sam - what the demon had practically sang at her. Not even when her mom tried to comfort her over Sam's possession and tell her the Winchesters weren't bright but had their hearts in the right place. God, she'd wanted to scream it then, but she'd kept quiet, letting it burrow a dark hole inside of her, a secret that had slowly stopped preying at her mind.

And Sam knew all along, and he'd still never talked to her after that.

Her jaw clenched through the next two stitches, enough distraction in her mind. She couldn't help but feel anger towards him, even as he stitched her up, even as he bled from wounds her hands had made. But she'd spent a year not talking about what the demon had said, and she wasn't about to start now.

"Went in and out for me, too," she finally managed. "Think she had to concentrate to make you see what she was doing, the sadistic bitch."

"It wasn't true, you know," Sam said, pausing to look up at her when she'd not made a verbal acknowledgment to what he said. His brows knit in sympathy; he knew how he would've reacted had the roles been reversed, and he knew what it felt like to be betrayed so severely. "My dad might've been a messed-up son of a bitch, Jo, but he never would've shot someone dead. Never. It's everything he ever stood against."

Her throat felt like it was closing up, her grip white on the kit. This was not how she'd wanted to see Sam after over a year, and this was even less what she wanted to talk about. "Are you done?" she said, her voice hitching.

Sam ducked his head at the emotions crossing over her face, frowning. He went back to the sutures, finishing them in silence before tying off the end and reaching for the peroxide again. After a generous douse he went for the gauze and covered the wound, wrapping it tight with an ace bandage and removing the tied shirt from the knot. Jo hardly felt any of it, concentrating on her breathing, trying not to dwell, but his words now hurt almost as much as the demon's.

"You don't know that," she said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah I do," Sam replied, looking up at her again. "She was inside me, Jo. I heard her laughing all the way through it. She tried to do the same thing to me and Dean, talking about killing my dad, right before we exorcised her. How would she have known, anyway? Hellspawn are right up there with hellhounds on the brains-level; they're nothing more than monkeys with fangs and claws. It wouldn't've told her."

"Is that why you ignored me for two years?" she snapped, sitting up, her head spinning. "Is that why you never told me you'd heard it? You just let me sit for two years on that, and now you're telling me get over it, it wasn't even true?"

He winced, hating the yelling. She had every right to be pissed, but his body was no-less achey since they'd gotten out of the hotel. His head was worst of all. "Would you have believed me if I'd said it before now?" he asked honestly, meeting her furious glare. "Hell, would you have even talked to me?"

"I don't know, you never tried," she said, her jaw tightening. Then her eyes traveled down, taking in his blood-soaked neck and chest. Her shoulders sagged. "Shit, Sam. Switch me places."

"They're just surface cuts; I'm fine," he said, shaking his head. "We need to keep moving."

"And fast." Ruby came up behind Sam, handing over the hex bag as she gave Jo an uncertain glance. "This should help cover the trail, though."

Jo had jumped at the suddenly new voice, but her eyes knit slightly. "I saw you. In the room." She shot Sam a questioning look. Sam passed her the keys and tucked the hex bag into his front pocket.

"She's a friend, don't worry," he said to Jo, then looked back at Ruby. "Keep on 79; we'll go near Pittsburgh and onto 70 west."

Ruby nodded, walking around to slide into the driver's seat. Jo gave Sam another look, promising a great deal of future questions, but for now slid back along the seat to lean against the car door, keeping her leg elevated. Sam sighed quietly, reaching into the medkit to find the aspirin before closing it and reaching with a painful exhale to the water bottle on the floor. He tossed them back without difficulty, leaning back in the seat. It was cold without his shirt, but cold was better than hot at any rate. The coagulating wounds were starting to get itchy, however. As Ruby pulled back onto the highway, Jo kept glancing between her and Sam. Their other conversation was definitely at an end with a third party there, and while the other option might be awkward, things were so strange that it hardly mattered.

"When did you two meet?" she asked at last. Sam tried not to look too pained by the question. He wished he'd thought things through a little better, but the time for thinking was the same time she'd started drilling him about what had just happened.

"About a year ago," Sam replied, keeping the answer short. He could only guess what thoughts were triggering in Jo's head.

For hell's sake, Sam. Ruby rolled her eyes, though her voice was casual. "We crossed paths when he was on a hunt in Nebraska," she said, switching lanes. "Once he'd taken me off his suspect list, I helped out."

'Helped out,' Sam thought with a breath of a laugh, looking sideways at Jo and scratching weakly at the nail-thin cuts on his chest. "I'd say you're more like my own personal stalker," he said, half-smiling in the mirror at her. He wanted so badly to thank her out loud, for coming to find him, but he didn't want to give Jo anything to be suspicious about.

Ruby smiled back at him, taking a breath. Having Jo directly behind her was unnerving her more than she would have thought. She needed Sam's humor. "You'd like to think so, boy."

Sam laughed quietly, letting his head fall back a little on the seat before he sat up a little more. "Hey, is the lockpick set up there? I need to get these damn things off my wrists."

"Think so," she said, popping open the glove compartment and rummaging as she tried to keep her eyes on the road. She quickly found it, tossing it back at him. Jo watched as Sam caught the little case, her brows knit thoughtfully as he started picking the first lock. It seemed strange that the chain was broken, but an axe would be enough to break it.

"If we're not gonna stop, can I at least treat your cuts? We've got the medkit right here," she tried again, feeling a little useless. It would give her something to distract her muddied thoughts. Sam looked over at her once the first cuff was open, pulling it off and letting it fall into the back seat.

"Yeah, I guess. Sure. Just don't aggravate your leg, okay?"

Jo gave a snort, opening the kit. "Guess I won't try bandaging you up with my feet then."

Ruby's lingering smile faded. Which she knew was ridiculous, but the two of them seemed awfully comfortable with each other. Sam inched a bit closer so she didn't have to reach so far, turning a little toward her. The aspirin was finally starting to kick in, making the dull ache in his head subside. As an afterthought he reached for the bottle of water and handed it to her as well, not exactly excited for her to start cleaning the cuts with peroxide.

"Mind if I turn on some music?" Ruby said, forcing her eyes from the mirror as Jo started gently cleaning. She didn't really wait for an answer before flicking it on, going for her favorite playlist. Sam closed his eyes as the first track began, a CCR track from the Recollection CD. It helped tune out some of the pain, Jo's hands working expertly at scrubbing the dried blood off his skin before daubing carefully at the wounds themselves. She had to change the gauze she was using out twice.

Managing to keep her eyes solely on the road, Ruby tapped her fingers on the wheel, but it wasn't enough a distraction. She scanned through a couple songs before realizing it wasn't the songs. "So Jo, how do you know, Sam?" she said. That was a fair question, right?

Jo didn't even look up, though she did see Sam's stomach tense up a little. She didn't know this woman, but she was well aware what kind of tone she was holding. "Him and Dean came by my mom's old saloon, back when they were hunting the demon. Our dads also hunted together once."

Ruby nodded. "Guess there's not many people he knows who aren't in the business."

Sam opened his eyes, looking into the rearview mirror and arching his brows a little at her, a frown on his mouth but silent. He wasn't exactly sure he liked where she was going with the current line of conversation.

"Yeah well," Jo went on, oblivious. "This kinda life doesn't exactly allow room for you to join a LARP group or something."

Frowning in confusion, Ruby looked at the mirror, and was even more confused at Sam's look. She looked back to the road, not sure if she wasn't supposed to speak now. "...a what?" she asked uncertainly. At the question, Sam finally broke down and laughed, though he immediately winced in pain.

"Live action roleplay. Guys with padded sticks, pretending to be medieval," he said to Ruby, shaking his head at Jo. "I hope you're not implying that I'm into that kind of crap."

"Could've fooled me," Jo countered, smirking a little.

Sulking slightly, Ruby fiddled with the iPod, settling on Louis XIV and turning it a little louder as watched the road. She wished it was a little more crowded at least.

"God, I'm starving," Sam muttered. "Is there a gas station coming up soon?"

They'd just passed a sign not too far back. "Meadville's coming up, in a few miles," Ruby said, glancing back at him. It probably had been a while since they'd eaten, and she really should get more water in him. "Should be able to get something there."

"Sounds good to me. Aaugh," he suddenly hissed, flinching back. "Easy!"

"Don't be a baby," Jo replied. "I'm almost done." She tossed the last soiled bit of gauze to the floor, reaching for a clean patch and medical tape for the deepest cut by his ribs. Everything else was too long to bandage, but a few needed butterfly bandages to keep them from repeatedly opening. Her eyes rested for a moment on the tattoo on his chest. Sam followed her gaze, frowned, and looked up at her again.

"I'll draw the design out for you later. You can go to any old tattoo place for it."

Jo nodded, finishing up the last bandage before packing away the kit. "Looks like Jim and I will have a matching set. And Mom, if I can figure out a way to tell her without freaking her out."

"Yeah, good luck with that," Sam replied, snorting a little. He looked up to catch Ruby's eyes watching them again in the rearview and gave her an encouraging smile, hoping that she could make sense of his feelings in his eyes. She averted them quickly, and he heard rather than saw her flip the blinkers on and merge into the exit lane. It took them another five minutes before they were at the truck stop, and he felt the engine stop once they pulled into a parking spot. Sam started sliding out of the seat, still shirtless.

"You want anything while we're in there?" he asked Jo, opening the side door but not quite out yet.

"Wouldn't say no to a beer," she said with a smile, though she raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna turn a few heads in there, Sam."

"I'll get a shirt from the trunk," he said, having half a mind to hit her on the arm. "Back in a minute."

Ruby was out and headed for the small convenience store before he'd got on the shirt. She figured Jo's they're-going-to-have-a-private-chat radar would be going off enough without her waiting for him. She went down an aisle, contemplating two brands of chips as she waited for him to catch up. It didn't take long. Sam grabbed a 20-oz. of Pabst's before meeting her in the short aisle, one hand sliding up her arm as he stood just behind her.

"She had the hots for Dean, Ruby. Not me," he said, his thumb sliding along the inside of her elbow.

She blushed, though the touch and words were welcoming, although it would have been more welcoming if he'd mentioned the lack of hots he'd had for Jo as well. "That's what you wanted to get me alone for?" she said, glancing over her shoulder with a smile.

"Well, I am hungry, too," he replied, half-smiling. Regardless of whether or not Jo was watching them through the windows he leaned down and kissed her. "Thank you for saving my ass today."

Her hand slid up to his cheek, one of the few places she knew she could touch without hurting him. Between the fighting and fleeing, there hadn't been much time to think about how close she'd come to losing him. And all because she'd been stupid enough to let him go on alone. "I'm trying to make a habit of it," she said, the smile not quite reaching her eyes. "Next time one of your buddies comes to town, though, I'm going along, even if it's as random barfly number 4."

"We gotta name you something else, then. If we're getting famous among demons, it won't be long before other hunters know," he said.

She frowned. That wasn't exactly a comforting thought. She turned back around, grabbing some chips and pretzels. "It's a good idea. You didn't give Jo my name, did you? We might as well start now."

"She didn't ask until you came back," he replied, following her lead before going toward the hot bar. He grabbed a couple of the wrapped cheeseburgers, a couple hot dogs, a chicken sandwich and a riblet sandwich. The food wasn't quality, but it would shut their stomachs up for the next couple hours. "Something generic. Stacy?"

Ruby gave him a look, grabbing a couple energy drinks. "I'm a Stacy to you?"

"Generic!" he countered, trying not to flail with his arms full of food. He side-stepped at the last second, carefully plucking a bottle of aspirin off the shelf.

She had to laugh at that. "Well at least make it amusing. Maybe we could go for full irony and call me Christina."

"Chris- oh." He made a face, but nodded anyway. "Christy, then. That works. My wallet's in my back pocket."

"What is it about names ending in -ee that makes you consider them generic?" she teased, giving his ass an obligatory pat before retreaving the wallet and fishing out a card to hand over to the man behind the counter. Sam carefully dumped the food on the counter, giving the clerk a smile.

"It sounds more girly that way. Trust me," he added, watching as the clerk started to bag everything up. "Can we get 20 on pump six too, please?"

Ruby looked down at herself. "And we have to make me sound girly...why? I didn't think anyone had mistaken me for a man lately..." She grinned at him, feeling in a much better mood than she had in the car.

"You gonna humor me or what?" Sam replied, giving her a good-natured glare as he took the card back and slid it back into his wallet. That done, he grabbed up the bags. As they headed out the door, Ruby realized there were a couple things she'd forgotten to discuss.

"So how long is she going to ride with us?" she said, hardly moving her lips.

"Pittsburg. Don't worry, I've got it under control," he replied, pulling the door open and sliding back in. "Sorry it took so long."

Wondering what the hell that meant, Ruby got in the driver's seat.

"No problem, as long as you brought the good stuff," Jo said with a grin, holding out her hand for the beer. Ruby quickly brought the car around to pump 6 before getting out to fill the tank. As soon as she was out of the car, Jo turned to Sam, raising a very stern eyebrow.

"What?" Sam said immediately, a little defensive.

"You're letting her drive the Impala, Sam," she said, weight on each word. "What exactly is going on between you two, and why haven't I even heard of... god, I don't even know her name."

"Christy," he supplied, glad they'd figured that out in the gas station. "I just got hurt myself getting you out of there, remember? I'm not exactly feeling up to operating a car right now. Besides, I wanted to make sure you weren't freaking out."

"Is she riding with you, or did she just feel like leaving her car in Erie, Pennsylvania," she said sarcastically. Scowling slightly, she said, "You at least know she likes you, right?"

Her tone rubbed him the wrong way and he frowned. "No offense Jo, but that's not really your business."

She gave a snort, sitting back against the seat. "Just don't enjoy her fawning over you and then drop her off at the next town," she said before taking a swig.

"She feels the same about you," he said almost instantly, though he bit down on his tongue the moment it came out.

"Wait, what?" she said, looking over at him again. "She thinks you're leading me on?"

Damnit, he thought instantly, giving a sigh. "Yeah, something like that. S'part of the reason we stopped." Sam ran a hand through his hair, suddenly remembering the food and grabbing one of the burgers from the bag. "Look, we're on a case, and I'm pretty sure your boyfriend is wondering where you are. I hope this has been enough of a reunion for you."

That caught Jo by surprise as surely as a slap, her lips parting as she stared at him. "You're dropping me off at the next town?"

While her previous tone had rubbed him wrong, her current expression made him ache with guilt. "Jo, it's not safe with me. You gotta understand. I don't want your death on my hands, too."

Her jaw snapped shut, the words hitting all too close to a nerve that had had enough pain for one night. She glared at the seat in front of her, almost wishing he intended to just leave her at the gas station. Her sudden silence was suffocating, and Sam immediately knew he'd said the wrong thing. He opened his mouth to try and smooth it over, but just then Ruby was back in the car, turning the keys in the ignition. He resolved to eating his burger in silence, eyes meeting hers in the rearview briefly before he looked down again. Ruby was a bit surprised to see the backseat had apparently gone from slumber party to silent treatment in her absense, but she couldn't say that she minded all that much as she turned up the iPod. From the signs, they should be in Pittsburgh in an hour and a half or so, and that honestly couldn't come soon enough. It was easy to finish off the burger in the silence, and unthinkingly he continued on to another one, moving the plastic bag between them so Jo had the chance to take something if she wanted. Jo glanced at the bag. Before she hadn't thought she was hungry, but with the smell of food slowly permeating the car, her stomach was eager to remind her that she'd gone untold days without hardly anything. Sometimes even pride had to kowtow to basic primal needs, and so she reached blindly into the bag, coming up with a chicken sandwich and hot dog and soon digging into the first. The silence stretched on for an innumerable amount of time, and Sam reached carefully down to get a bottle of water from the floor.

"Want one?"

She bristled slightly but ignored him, taking a swig of beer as if to show him exactly what she thought of his offer. He looked sideways at her in time to catch the swig, frowned, and picked up a bottle to open it before draining half of it easily.

"Christy, can you check and see if there's a notepad in the side compartment on the door?" he asked, the name feeling weird in his mouth.

It was a couple seconds before Ruby realized he was talking to her. "Uh, sure, sorry, a bit distracted." She dug down in the door, first finding mainly wrappers and junk food packaging, but eventually coming up with a notepad, passing it back.

"Thanks," he said, balancing it on his knee and tugging the pen out from the spiral binding. He worked on the protective sigil, the sound heard faintly under the music as he drew and shaded the sweeping lines first of the interwoven pentagram, then the flames surrounding it.

Jo watched him from the corner of her eye, her jaw tightening. He wanted to protect her, to save her from the apparently lethal practice of being around him, yet here was this woman, driving the car, and apparently allowed to stay. Either Sam didn't really care if Christy lived or died, or he thought she was that much better at hunting than Jo.

The bite of hotdog went down a bit too solidly as Jo swallowed it too soon. "I'm a damn good hunter, you know," she said defensively, looking at Sam.

"Well, technically I wouldn't?" Sam replied distractedly. "Two years, remember?"

She balled up her burger wrapper and threw it at him. "You honestly don't give a damn, do you?"

The car swerved slightly, Ruby's eyes snapping to the rearview mirror in surprise.

"What?" Sam replied, baffled. His pen had skidded mid-shade, a long line going out through the side. "I didn't- what?"

"Some people, Sam, some people actually care what's going on with other people," she said, loud but not quite yelling. "Some people actually look beyond their goddamn personal bubble and ask after people and try to talk to them and not just when they need a fucking favor!"

"Jo, it isn't like that-" Sam tried, the argument feeling way too familiar for his liking.

"Yeah? Well maybe you should stop acting like it is," she said, giving him a sharp look. "You know, you keep pushing people away, eventually you're not gonna have anyone else left to push, not even Bobby."

Sam gave a shaky sigh, using the drawing as an excuse not to look at her. It would be too hard to right then. "Believe me, there is so much I want to tell you, Jo," he said in a low voice, just under the music. He knew Ruby would be straining to hear, but he hoped she wouldn't be too upset with his desire to try and mend things with Jo. "And I wish I could, but I can't, okay? And it's not because I think you suck as a hunter, or because I don't trust you, or anything like that. Things are different than they were before the Gate. I'm... different," he ended lamely, not sure how else to phrase it. "I mean, Jesus, look what getting involved with me and Dean's brought you and your mom? Think about Ash. Think about your dad. I don't want anything to happen to anyone else who's known me. That's why."

Jo stared at him for a few silent moments, the lines on her face hard. "Bullshit, Sam. And you know it," she said, her voice low. "It's the job. It's the monsters and ghosts and goddamn demons tearing the world apart, and it's our own damn fault for getting in the middle of it. It wasn't Dean, and it's not you. And it wasn't your dad." She scowled at the floor, falling silent a moment. Then she looked up at him again, her voice even lower, leaning in close. "And if you were actually trying to protect anyone who's known you, you'd be dropping her off with me."

Sam was unable to even meet her eye. He could see what she was trying to do, what her words were meant to invoke in him, but the fact that she was unaware of what he could do made it even harder to explain it to her. Damn you, Deumos. You just had to pick Jo, he inwardly cursed, giving a sigh. "She won't be with me long," he lied, his tone similar.

If he'd thought that's what she wanted to hear, her glare let him know he was wrong. She sat back against the seat, trying to move her leg into a more comfortable position. "You're right, Sam," she grunted as she shifted. "You are different. And it sure as hell isn't for the better."

Tell me something I don't know, Sam thought in answer, both frustrated and forlorn. His eyes moved up to the rearview window, briefly meeting with Ruby's. She did her best to look sympathetic, though she'd only caught about half the conversation, so it was hard to know what she was sympathetic about. The three fell into an uncomfortable silence, thankfully not complete silence thanks to the iPod. Mostly to keep his hands busy, Sam finished off the rest of the sigil before tearing it out and folding it in half. He didn't bother even attempting to give it to Jo, sticking it up in the notepad and putting it and the pen between them before going into the plastic sack again for the riblet sandwich. It was going to be a long ride.

---

The sky was getting lighter but dawn was still a long way off when they pulled into the Greyhound parking lot, an Amtrak station just across the street. Ruby turned the car off, glancing uncertainly at Sam in the backseat. In the silence that had come to settle between the three of them, Sam had dazed in and out a little bit. Jo, on the other hand, had fallen asleep. The sight of her, tired and vulnerable, was enough to pull at his heartstrings a little. He hated the idea of leaving her on a bad note, but what else was there to say or do. He stuck the sketched sigil into her bag before gently nudging her shoulder.

"We're here. C'mon."

As Ruby slid out of the car under the guise of needing a stretch, it was the slam of the door that woke Jo up more than anything, her head jerking up and eyes blinking, confused and a little frightened. She came to focus on Sam, though, relaxing only slightly as she sat up, rubbing her neck. "We've stopped."

"We're in Pittsburgh," he said, chewing his lips slightly. "C'mon, I'll help you out."

Her expression darkened and she opened her door. "Going to be on my own on the bus, might as well practice now," she said, using the door as a prop to heave herself to her feet. She didn't even take a step, though, before she hissed in pain, clutching to the top of the door like it was all that kept her up, which it pretty much was. Sam was out of the car and by her side within moments, concern etched into his brow.

"Yeah, I think that's a 'no'," he replied, pausing just long enough to pull out her bag and throw it over his shoulder before he slid his arm around her waist. "Just lean into me, okay?"

Jo's expression darkened even more but before she could say anything, Ruby came up behind them. "I could take her," she offered, her tone light. "Makes more sense than you bending your tall ass over, Sam."

Sam looked at her with a little surprise, not completely sure if it was the better idea or not. On the one hand, it was obvious that Jo wasn't taking too well to his kindness at any rate. On the other, he wanted to make sure she wouldn't tell Bobby or Ellen or anyone else that they'd ran into each other. Would Ruby think to ask her that?

Jo didn't find the option that much better, but then Sam was willfully being a bastard. Far as she could tell, Christy was just stuck on the wrong guy; she could empathize with that. Besides, the heights did make more sense. "Sure," she said, shifting away from Sam so Ruby could slide in by her weak side. "Get the door, Sam."

That brought a definite frown, but he didn't argue. There was no point to it really. Before they got through the door, Sam slid the bag onto Ruby's other shoulder. "Just charge the ticket to my card," he said, turning and heading back to the Impala before either had a chance to say anything about the matter.

Ruby looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening and mouth opening in a shout that died in her throat. She'd wanted to be helpful, to ease things between Sam and Jo, but that didn't mean she wanted to be alone with her. Unfreezing, she gave Jo an awkward smile as they walked up to the empty ticket counter.

"God, why am I not even surprised," Jo huffed through clenched teeth, her face a carefully controlled mask save for the emotion in her eyes. She was obviously disappointed, and angry, and fighting the pain only made it worse. She hadn't even really had the chance to thank him, but by that point she would've been more inclined to punch him than to be grateful. "Look. I don't know how long you've been riding with him, but for your own good fold early and be done. Duluth, Minnesota, please," she added to the ticket attendant.

Ruby's brows knit in confusion though her heart skipped a beat. Were other hunters talking about Sam? Did they suspect something was wrong beyond some depressive moodiness? "Why?" she asked after the attendant handed over the ticket and the two of them made their way to a bench. "What do you know about him?"

"Nothing, apparently," the blond replied, eager to sit down and relaxing a bit more once she was. She sighed, running her hands over her thighs and wishing that she'd had a chance to change her jeans; no doubt people would be staring at her once she was on the bus. "But Winchesters... they care about their ownselves and that's about it. You'll be setting yourself up for a whole lot of heartache, if you know anything about what happened to his dad and his brother."

Frowning slightly, Ruby sat next to her. "I know enough." After a pause, she added, "Did you and he...?"

That brought a dry laugh from the other woman. "No. He's not really my type. I kinda have a thing for bad boys, anyway. Sam might be acting like a total asshole right now, but he doesn't have it in him."

Ruby ducked her head, managing to hold back a smile. After a pause, she looked over at Jo. "He does care. About you, and Bobby, practically everyone he's ever known. He just doesn't like to." She frowned slightly. "Even doing what we do, knowing death is a matter of time and luck, losing someone hurts like hell. He's just trying not to have anyone around so that doesn't happen again."

Jo scowled but didn't say anything in response. Obviously Sam had paved her brain with his credo. The fact that she took it so easily was almost disgusting. "I said my piece, at any rate."

Alright, that conversation was taking a quick downward spiral. "How long until the bus comes?" Ruby asked, deciding to skip over it completely.

"Half an hour," Jo replied after glancing at the ticket. "Just go. I'll find someone to help pull my gimpy self into the bus."

That was exactly what Ruby wanted to do, but part of her knew that it wasn't what she should do. "I've got time, and Sam can wait," she said lightly.

"He couldn't wait to get rid of me," Jo countered, her expression stern. "Really, it's okay. I'll be fine."

Ruby looked uncertain but wasn't going to push the issue. She nodded, standing up but wavering, not exactly sure what to say. "Well, get home safe," she decided on. "And sorry about the leg."

Jo gave her a thin-lipped smile and a nod, her lips parting as if to say something before closing again. Her eyes move out toward the spot on the horizon where the bus would be arriving from, the mask back up again with little difficulty.

The farther away she got, the harder Ruby's steps hit the ground, until it was as though she had a personal vendetta against the asphalt. When she got to the Impala, she didn't get inside, instead sitting on the hood and glaring at the cityscape. Sam stared out at her for a minute, a frown tugging at his mouth before he sighed and opened the door. He didn't bother sitting, his hands pushing deep into his pockets as he stood just to the side of her. Her jaw working furiously, she looked over at him after a moment.

"Bad enough you're dropping her at the first station we get to, you don't even bother to say good-bye?"

Her words immediately turned the frown into a glower. "Can I have 36 hours with a woman not shouting at me or giving me the stink eye? Please?"

"Go in there and say good-bye, and you just might have a chance."

"Why do I always end up with the bossy ones," Sam growled under his breath, already turning and heading in that direction.

She gave a snort but smiled slightly, settling on the car to wait for him. The stretch of asphalt felt like 10 miles rather than 10 feet, and San slid through the door easily. There she was, sitting on the bench, eyes focused out the side window. He sighed again, frowning before crossing over to her and sitting down. She instantly stiffened, though the look she gave him was blank.

"What?"

"I'm sorry if I pissed you off," Sam said, his voice low and tired, hands coming to lace between his knees. "I don't want you going off hating me."

Her brows came low over her eyes but she couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice. "Did she send you in here?"

"Yes and no," he replied, not looking at her. "I mean it; I don't even know when I'll see you again." If I see you again, he amended inwardly.

Her expression relaxed, her own fingers lacing. "I don't hate you. I am pissed off at you, but I juss-" She stopped, leaning forward on her knees, trying to find the words. "I'd seen hundreds of hunters go through the Roadhouse. I learned pretty quick not to care too much, because most of them would just be gone the next day, but you and Dean, considering our dads, I thought- I didn't think. I cared. And you still left. No matter what I did, every damn time." She tightened her jaw, looking determinably out the window. She felt the wet heat behind her eyes but tried to ignore it. "I just wish I'd seen him one last time."

With every word, Sam felt his heart constrict a little more in his chest. Her last words picked at the barely-scabbing wound he already carried, his breathing shallow and painful. At that moment, all he wanted to do was get up, get back into the Impala, and drive as fast as he could away from Pennsylvania and Jo. Instead, he slid an arm carefully around her back, not quite hugging her but leaving the invitation open.

Of all the times for you to stop acting like an asshole... She leaned into him, her face crumpling slightly but refusing to give in completely. She'd held herself so well together when Mom told her, and when Jim did his gentle prying that he always did when he knew she was upset. She just had to keep it together now, with Sam, who had to feel it so much worse. He remained quiet the whole time, stoic and a solid weight to lean into. It was certainly a new way to cope with what had happened; Ruby had tried to hold him once or twice, but he couldn't bring himself to want that from her. Or perhaps he was too raw when she'd offered it, he wasn't sure. After a long moment he finally pulled back, giving a sigh and forcing himself to stand.

"I'm sorry," he said again, meeting her gaze evenly.

"So'm I," she said, her voice a bit rough. Her eyes darted to the side before she said, "If I call, will you call me back?"

"I don't know," Sam answered, shoving his hands in his pocket and looking downward at her feet. "I don't wanna make any promises."

She kept her eyes where they were, the muscles in her jaw tightening, but she let out a breath. "Don't need to promise. Just try."

She wanted him to appease her, that was the only thing he could understand about the request. It would be a lie, obvious and outright, and she knew it. Sam sighed, shoulders slumping lightly as he gave a small nod. Jo wished the gesture made her feel better, but it didn't. She knew it was empty. Still, it didn't have to be. If she never called, then it'd never be a lie.

Shifting to her side, she set her leg, aching from the bloodflow, up on the chair he'd just vacated. "Once she hears what happened, you'll definitely be hearing from my mom, though," she said, smiling to show she was teasing. Sam gave a weak smile, the idea of Ellen calling him leaving a sick aftertaste in his mouth. If Ellen called, then Bobby would call, and that wouldn't do. In a startling display of affection, Sam moved over to her side and pet her hair.

"'bye, Jo."

She raised an eyebrow at him but didn't duck away. "'bye, Sam."

And with that, Sam turned and headed back out the door.