Oh and I forgot to mention. They do still have their library... but in this reality Chamuel cooked up they don't remember it.


Chapter 8

Dean walked back into the motel room to find himself slamming into Sam who appeared to be leaving. "Where you going? I thought you were staying in. Doing research."

"I thought you were going out to get laid," Sam remarked and Dean couldn't help but wonder what he had done (or more precisely what Sam thought he'd done) to deserve the icicle knives Sam was stabbing him with.

"Touche. Well don't let me stop you. Go off and do whatever you need to do. I'll do the research for once. You seem to enjoy it why don't I try some," Dean joked. He'd done plenty of research in his time, but nothing beat what Sam dragged up.

As soon as Sam walked out the door and out of sight Dean spun on his heels and made a break after him. Jackie followed behind an indistinguishable look on her face. After a block of walking Dean finally cracked and turned to the girl, "If you're gonna yell at me for following Sam or not trusting him go ahead."

"I wasn't planning on yelling at you. I only wanted to say following Sam because you're nosy or don't trust him. THAT would be wrong. Following him because you're worried about him. I might not be the best conscience in the world but I'd say that's all right."

"So I'm right! There is something going on with Sam. He looks weird... he's acting weird... he's not asking questions... d*mn he even smells off. Whatever this trial is. It's about Sam isn't it. He's in danger."

Jackie cursed herself for being so revealing and talked slowly afraid Chamuel would make her disappear if she said to much and Dean would be on his own. "I wasn't saying that per say. You know Sam. If you're worried about him... let's just say you might be right. Danger has been following him."

"What are you yoda now? Never mind I need to find Sam and help him," Dean went off to reveal himself to Sam but Jackie grabbed his arm before he could do anything he'd regret when he failed the trial for being hasty.

"I'm not going to stop you from running out there. That's not my job. I'm that little angel on your shoulder telling you what you should already know. Sam's not in any immediate danger. I give you my word. However if you rush out there before you know what's going on that might very well change."

"You know I'm really getting sick of this cryptic thing. Give me one good reason I shouldn't just go and save Sam's *ss?"

Jackie didn't answer because she was tired of giving Dean the same answer-she couldn't tell him anything. If she told him something that corrupted the trial and Charlie released Lucifer because of her Jackie would never forgive herself. Which means Dean would never forgive himself for one more thing. Dean had enough guilt to deal with, Jackie didn't need to give him any more.

Dean sighed, but he too knew that Jackie was right and followed Sam slowly and cautiously like before. Sam was being careless an elephant probably could have tailed him never mind a non-corporal conscience and his brother who knows his every step. Still, Dean was careful. If Sam really shouldn't know he was there and saw him... things would get ugly. They hadn't had a real fight since the day the angels fell when Sam accused Dean of not trusting him. Dean so didn't want to go there again.

Sam led them to an old abandoned warehouse, that once Dean snuck closer to he realized wasn't abandoned at all. Voices carried in the wind, and while Dean couldn't make out words, he didn't like the tone. Suddenly, a scream of agony pierced the night. Dean leap out from behind the dumpster and began his dash towards his brother until Jackie grabbed him. Whiplash burned on his neck as he fought the small girl for the second time tonight, this time not winning.

"Dean shut up. You know Sam's scream and does that sound like the scream of Sam? No. Do you know what it sounded like to me? A demon. It sounds to me like Sam just juiced a demon without you.

"Wait... all these new murders. They're Sam's doings. He's been sneaking out and killing demons before draining their blood to make it look like a vampire. Why? I was with him when we cleared out the nest right? So I would know we got all the vamps. Why pretend it's a vamp killing the demons. Hell why doesn't he just take me along to kill these sons of b*tches?"

Jackie flashed Dean a look of sympathy, "Come on. We need to get out of here. We can talk back at the motel. If Sam arrives before us he'll realize you followed him. Trust me on this Dean he won't be happy to discover you know what he's doing."

"Trust me on this trust me on this. That's all you ever say. You're like a broken record stuck on the same tune and I'm done with you. I'm turning you off."

"Sorry Dean but I'm here until you finish these trials or Chamuel decides I'm done. And maybe I am a broken record, but remember I'm a broken record that's a physical manifestation of your deepest thoughts." Dean's face was blank so Jackie raised her voice unafraid of anyone else hearing her because frankly they couldn't. "I'm you Dean! You keep wanting to think I'm some bad guy but I'm not. I'm you! So if I keep telling you to trust me without giving you any basis for trust look inside and see why."

Dean shot daggers at the girl, but she didn't care. He'd heard her and he wasn't about to forget what she said even if he refused to speak with her the entire time back. Once they arrived back at the motel to find Sam still AWOL Dean hopped in the shower in hope that when he came out Jackie would be gone and this nightmare would be over. To his distress the girl still sat there, now in a nightie, sipping tea like some British royal and not a b*tchy conscience.

Sighing Dean flopped on his bed conscience of where he was lying so he knew for sure he'd be sitting on Jackie. She didn't care. Dean sat on her and she just moved. She could touch Dean to stop him, but no matter how hard he tried you can't hurt someone who in reality is still in your mind.

"You know why Sam's draining the blood right. You've figured it out but just don't want to face it. They don't call them trials for nothing. These make Sam's look like a walk in a park."

"But they're different. With Sam it was all physical fighting things killing things. With you... it's like it's all in my mind."

Jackie rolled her eyes. Way to hit the nail on the head and still be wrong. All she wanted to do was yell Dean you idiot this is in your mind, but she couldn't. Not if she wanted to stop Charlie from destroying the Universe.

"You know you can't avoid the question forever. You know why Sam's draining the demon blood right. I can see it in your eyes and anyone who looks at Sam can see it too."

Dean sighed, "Yeah. I know. Sam's fallen off the wagon hard. He's doing it again he's drinking demon blood."

Jackie bit her lip, breathed deeply, and spoke softly, "And you know what you have to do right? You know what this trial entails?"

Dean looked almost like a child pleading with his mother as he turned to Jackie and spoke the dangerous truth, " It's time for me to make good on my word. My final promise to Dad... and what I promised to Sam that night in that haunted hotel all those years ago. I can't save Sam. He just keeps going back to the Demon drug, so I'm gonna have to kill him."