CHAPTER NINE: BABYSITTING GIG

"Sammy, no one can replace my little brother. No one. And you don't disappoint me. Yeah, you may be a pain in the ass sometimes, but Sammy, we're family. All we have is each other anymore," Dean said strongly "Please?"

Sam shook his head, feeling the tears pricking at his eyes again. "Don't lie, Dean. I see the way you look at him. Like he's perfect. Like he's your best friend. And he told me he was taking my place." Sam closed his eyes at the memory of being brutally beaten by the angel and Ruby back in the woods. "You-You let him drive the Impala. You don't let anyone drive the Impala. Just me and you. But you let Castiel do it."

"That was just to get him to shut up!" Dean sighed. "Sammy...I didn't think it would bother you." Dean looked at the ground. "If I'd have known, I wouldn't have let him."

The tears that had been threatening to fall slipped down his face in a horizontal pattern, making his hair wet.

Ruby stood, walking over to Dean. "Shut the hell up!" she ordered. "Sam doesn't need to hear this! Can't you see that you're upsetting him?!" She pushed Dean up against the wall, pinning him there, shoving her thumb into the gaping hole in his shoulder. "Look at him, Dean. He's broken. You did this to him. If only you could have just accepted him for who he was. The demon blood. But you didn't. And now, he trusts me more than he will ever trust you." She leaned in, licking a line up his cheek. "You lose, Dean," she whispered in his ear.

He shut his tightly, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. "Sam, come on!" Dean begged. "I'm sorry, Sammy. Okay?! I'm sorry. But you have to fight this!"

Flare kneeled down next to Dean, looking up at Castiel. "Will he be okay?"

Castiel looked at Flare. "Physically, yes, but if he does not bring Sam back, he will never be okay. It will eat away at him until there is nothing left. And then--" Castiel stopped, not wanting to think about Dean's eventual suicide if he failed.

Flare looked at Cas. She was still holding her arm; Sam had dug his nails in deep, and it was stinging. "Well, lets hope he gets him."

Castiel looked at Flare. He was not a people person. He never really had to interact with them before seeing as how he was angel and was supposed to merely watch as the humans lived their lives. He was never meant to interfere. Dean was really the only human he could stand. He shifted, burning with the need to get out of the room, but he wanted to stay. To make sure he was there to help Dean if he needed it. So, instead, he merely pretended as if Flare wasn't there.

Flare glanced at Castiel then back at Dean. She bit her bottom lip, trying to think of something to say. The awkward silence thing was, well, awkward.

"Um, so my parents, are they--?" she trailed off, figuring Castiel knew what she was trying to ask.

Castiel ignored Flare; something was wrong with Dean. "Dean?" he asked, kneeling beside him and touching his good shoulder. "Dean!" He looked at Flare. "Something is happening!"

Flare kneeled down next to Dean. "Whats wrong?"

Sam looked at Dean, wincing as he thought of how badly his arm must be hurting with Ruby inflicting the pain. "Dean, I--" he started straining against the bonds. "I can't get up. I'm tied to the bed." His face hardened. "Where you had me. Tied me down."

Dean was starting to feel light headed. Ruby's attack was strong...and painful. She was relentless and Sam couldn't help. "S-Sam, try harder," he begged, fighting unconsciousness.

Sam shook his head, pulling at the straps. "Ruby, stop! You're hurting him!" he ordered. "Stop it!"

Ruby looked back at Sam. "Shut up, Sam! Here, I make the rules. And I want him to suffer. And you do, too. Look at what he's done to you."

Sam pulled harder, his flesh burning as he rubbed it raw. "No, dammit! He's my brother, leave him alone!"

"He doesn't care about you, Sam! He did this to you! He only cares about Castiel, now!"

Closing his eyes, Sam concentrated, remembering all of the training he had endured while with Ruby. His eyes snapped open, and he turned his head to the side, Ruby slamming into the wall in that same direction. He smiled.

"Sam! What the hell are you doing? Let me go!" She struggled, but couldn't move. Dammit, she was losing him. "Sam!"

Sam blocked her out, looking at Dean. "Untie me."

Dean stumbled over to Sam, untying the ropes. He helped Sam up to a sitting position, holding his upper arms, shaking him slightly. "Sammy, snap out of it!"

Sam stood quickly, causing Dean to let him go. Keeping his hold on Ruby, he looked at Dean , rubbing his wrists to ease the burning pain. "Thank you," he mumbled, still unsure if Dean was going to kill him like Ruby had promised he would. Quickly, he thrust an open palm out towards Ruby, causing her to slam against the wall harder, the plaster cracking around her. "You're dead. And it's time you go back to Hell." He concentrated harder, and before he knew it, Ruby was gone, leaving the woman she was riding laying dead on the floor. He sighed, looking back at Dean. He gave him a small half smile, not wanting to say 'I'm sorry' for the eight hundredth time since this had all started.

Sam's eyes snapped open, and he tried to stand, but he realized he was still tied down. He grunted in pain as he lowered his head back to the pillow. His wound was screaming at him and he knew he needed to let someone patch him up before he got an infection.

Castiel kneeled down next to Dean. "Are you all right?" he asked, his hand still on his good shoulder. His eyes were full of worry and relief. Worried that Dean was not okay, but relieved that he had woken up. And brought Sam with him.

Dean winced. "Yeah, I'm fine. Well, other than this damn shoulder!"

Castiel touched Dean's shoulder, closing his eyes. When he moved his hand, Dean's wound was gone. "You did it. Sam is now better. You are a great brother. And a great protector." He looked down at the ground. "Which is why I must ask a favor of you."

Dean frowned. "What now?"

"Abigail is being sent away for a while," Castiel explained. "I need you to watch over her vessel. If the demons get a hold of it, they will destroy it. Please, Dean. You are the only one I trust with this job."

"Sure, whatever."

Meanwhile, Flare glanced at Sam and grabbed the medical kit before she untied him. She started cleaning the wound, trying to hide the scratches on her arm. She poured some alcohol around the gash and started to dab at it.

Sam hissed through clenched teeth as Flare cleaned his wound. God, it hurt so bad! He grasped at the sheets on the bed, his knuckles turning white as he dug his fingernails into the fabric.

Flare grabbed the jar of Posera and rubbed it around the wound before she started to stitch it back up.

"Wh-What's that?" Sam asked, looking at the jar Flare was holding.

"Posera," Flare replied. "It's an herb from my home land. It numbs the wound." She was silent for a few minutes as she patched him up. "Do you--? You know what, never mind."

"What?" Sam asked, knowing that she wanted to talk to him about something.

"Do you...remember anything when you were, out of it?" She asked, covering her arm.

Sam shook his head. "No, not really. Why? What did I do?"

Flare slowly uncovered her arm, revealing three deep scratches. "You also called me a bitch," she mumbled. Sam stared at her arm in disbelief. "I'm so sorry," he said, tearing up again. "I didn't--I'm sorry."

"I-It's fine, you didn't know what was going on," she said, covering her arm again. "You also told me to leave you alone. That you didn't want me to play mommy. And you needed some space, so go away." Flare sighed. "I only want to know one thing: Was that you saying that?"

Sam looked away. Was that him saying that? He loved Flare, but she was touchy feely and all over him all of the time. He did need space, but he didn't want her to disappear completely. Sighing, he did the only thing he could think of; lied. "No, I didn't know what I was saying. I'm sorry."

Flare nodded. "I'm glad your okay, Sammy."

"Dean," Castiel gave him a stern look. "I don't think I need to remind you that you may not...do anything with the vessel. It is fragile. And you will break it."

"Dude, she's only 17. I'm not that bad of a guy," Dean mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Castiel gave him a pointed look. "That is not what Uriel tells me. And I was merely warning you." He closed his eyes, concentrating. Suddenly Jessi appeared in the room, standing next to Dean. She fell, her body leaning against him. "She is somewhat disoriented. I would suggest some water." With that, Castiel was gone.

Dean stood and grabbed a bottle of water. He handed it to her. "Here, drink," he said calmly.

Jessi took the water and drank. She pulled the bottle away from her lips, studying Dean. "Hey, I know you. I helped your brother." She looked around, confused. "Where-Where am I?"

"Don't worry, your safe," Dean assured her.

"I didn't ask if I was safe," Jessi replied. "I asked where I was. Am I not supposed to be in the hospital? And why am I around you of all people? I don't even know you."

Dean sighed. "You won't believe me."

Jessi stood, backing away from Dean. "Look...whatever your name is. If you're some kind of stalker freak who thinks you're going to kidnap me and then kill me after I help your brother with my blood, then you can just forget it." She pointed a finger at him. "I have a black belt, and I will not hesitate to protect myself."

"Look, I'm not going to hurt you." Dean took a step closer to her.

Hearing the commotion on the other side of the room, Flare looked. "Aw, crap," she mumbled, walking over to Dean's side. "Hey, calm down. We're the good guys."

Jessi scoffed. "And give me one good reason why I should listen to you!"

Flare looked at Sam then at Dean before she shook her head. "I'll talk to her. If she will let me."

"I don't want to talk to you," Jessi said, backing away further. "Just stay the hell away from me. I'm serious, I will hit you." Suddenly, Bobby walked into the room, bumping into Jessi. As he was about to apologize, a fist connected with his mouth, and then he was thrown over her shoulder, his back hitting the ground hard. He groaned in disapproval.

"Dean, what the Hell's going on?" he asked angrily.

Ellen was right behind him. "What the hell?!"

"Jessi calm down! I'll tell you what happened if you just calm down," Flare said calmly, ready to fight if she had to.

Dean helped Bobby up. "You're a little late."

Jessi threw another punch, connecting with Flare's jaw, knocking her back. Then, she kicked Ellen in the gut, knocking her and an oncoming and unsuspecting Jo out of the fight as well. Now, she just had Bobby and Dean. Another well-aimed punch to Bobby's face, and he was down again, leaving only Dean. She threw her hand towards him, but he caught her wrist. She tried with her other hand, but he caught that wrist too. Not seeing another way out, she took the cheap shot, bringing her knee up and connecting hard with his groin. As he fell, she ran out the door.

Dean groaned. "Owww."

"Get up you big baby!" Flare commanded before running out of the room, following Jessi. She quickly caught up with her and rammed her into the ground, pinning her arms down. "You are not safe out here alone! There are things in this world that you don't know about;things that will kill you! Lucky for you," she said standing up, "you ran into one that won't hurt you." She pulled back her hair revealing her pointed ears.

Jessi scrambled to her feet. "Stay away from me," she ordered, kicking Flare's feet from under her and running down the street again. She was fast, so there was no way anyone was catching her. Especially not Dean since he had a little problem with his groin right now. The only way they were getting her is if they had a car.

"I try to be nice, and this is what I get," Flare mumbled before scrambling to her feet and running after her again.

Jessi made a sharp right turn into an alley, causing her to fall onto her knee. Quickly, she stood, continuing to run until she was at the end of the alley. Looking down, she noticed that her jeans were ripped, and he knee was skinned, causing her pants to become red with blood. Hearing footsteps, she ran into an open door, which led to a bar. She looked around, hoping those crazy wankers that had been following her wouldn't come back.

Dean slowly got up, still a little winded. "Ellen, Jo, stay here with Sam. Bobby and I will go help Flare."

Ellen nodded as she helped Jo up. "Who was that girl?"

"Oh, you know..." Jo started. "She's a vessel. She used to be an angel, but I guess Abbey's on holiday." She rubbed her ribs, wincing at the pain there. Geez, she never realized how much heavier her mom was than her until she had fallen on her. "That was Jessi. And she must be scared out of her mind." Looking at the ground, she felt kind of sorry for the young girl.

"So do you think Flare has a chance at finding her?" Ellen asked Sam.

Sam shook his head. He hadn't really been paying much attention to anyone in the room. He was still a bit out of it. Slowly, he stood, walking to the door. "I have to get out of here."

Jo stepped in Sam's way so he could not advance further. "Sam, I don't think that's such a good idea, right now," she warned.

Sam turned back. "What? Why?"

"Dean said to stay here with you, which means you wants you here."

Sam scoffed. "So, what? I'm a prisoner, now?"

"No. I just don't think you should leave."

Sam stepped closer to her. "Jo, get out of my way."

The bar was loud, music and bright lights being a big theme. It smelled of beer, smoke and sex. She had never been in a bar before, but she knew right away that she wouldn't like having to be here very long. Her leg hurt, and she just wanted to get it cleaned off before going to another hideout. The crazies couldn't be too far away, after all. Slowly, she walked to the ladies room, turning on the hot water and dabbing at her leg with a paper towel. It hurt, but at least it got the job done.

Flare had followed the blood droplets into a bar. "Aw man, not a bar," she mumbled before she opened the door.

Jessi walked out of the restroom, seeing Flare walking into the bar. "Bollucks," she whispered, turning in the opposite direction and hiding her face. She hadn't been paying attention, so she ran right into someone. "Oh, I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention. Are you all right?"

The man looked at her, smiling. "Yeah, I'm fine sweetheart. You look a little young to be in a bar."

"Oh, yeah. I'm not drinking. I'm just...hiding."

"Oh. Well, I won't tell if you don't," he chuckled.

She smiled. "Thank you."

He reached his arm out, waiting for her to shake his hand. "I'm Nick."

She grabbed his hand, shaking it. "Jessi." Jessi ducked her head as she heard Flare yell her name. "Hey, can we get out of here. That girl's the one that's after me."

Nick looked at Flare. He nodded, keeping his hold on Jessi's hand and walking them out of the bar.

"Damn," Flare mumbled to herself, before following her again. She could not let this girl get hurt.

"Sam, your going to hurt yourself. You need to rest," Ellen ordered.

"No, I'm not," Sam protested. "I want to leave. You can't keep me here." He tried to get past, but Jo stopped him, putting her hand on his chest, right over his tattoo. He looked at her hand.

"Sam, you need to stay here. Dean will be back in a little while. Then, you can go wherever you want."

Sam sighed. walking back over to the bed and plopping down, figuring there was nothing better to do.

"Anyway, do you think Flare has a chance of catching this girl?" Ellen repeated.

"I don't know," Sam answered, resting his head in his hands. He breathed, wanting so desperately to be away from these two. Normally, he wouldn't mind being around Jo and Ellen, but now he just felt like they were judging him. He had started the apocalypse, and there was no going back from that. And he didn't want to have Jo and Ellen there without Dean. It sounded ridiculous, but when Dean was around, it made everything better. Made him feel a little less bad.