Yeah, I know, two chapters in a row. I should be sleeping. But I just saw a season 1 promo shot and then… this happened.
Stanford. I'm going to try to get out of the campus for the next one. :P
xxxx
The photograph
Jess knows she shouldn't be messing with Sam's stuff behind his back. She knows it. But he left his wallet on the nightstand and it's the first time in the year and a half they've been together she's been alone with the thing.
She knows it's a sign he's finally relaxing and trusting her and that she should leave it well enough alone. But Sam is such a mistery and she just has to solve him. And its not like he has that much stuff for her to sniff around, anyway. He moved in with a duffel, a backpack and a picture of his parents. Every single other thing on the apartment was Jess's.
It was just too tempting.
Sam is in the shower. Will be there for awhile at least.
She forgives herself and dives right into it.
At first, its nothing out of the ordinary. Some money, his ID, his student ID, his driver's license, credit cards, his insurance, a picture of her. There's a piece of paper with some weird language on it, maybe Latin. She doesn't know what it is, but puts it back in its place.
She's disappointed. And a little guilty. But mostly disappointed. No clues to her mistery there.
She takes a moment to look at herself in that picture. God, she hates it. She's smiling too much, she's almost deformed. She has no idea why Sam likes it. She has to give him a new one to replace it.
She takes the photograph out of its place when she finds another one hidden behind it.
She takes it out and is shocked.
Sam is younger in the picture, but not by much. He's sitting on the hood of a black old car, besides a blond guy, who's standing.
Sam is younger in the picture, but his eyes are older. His smile is there, but far more guarded. His hair is much shorter and she can tell by the arms that he's much fitter than he is now. He's tanned and looks dirty and dusty. They look like they are in a road with no asphalt whatsoever.
What calls her attention the most, though, isn't his physical appearance. It's the other stuff. There's an ammo belt across his chest, the kind she only ever saw in the movies, and he's holding a shotgun loosely with his left arm. There's a huge curved knife strapped to his waistband too.
The blond guy beside him is with similar attire. The ammo belt is loose on the hood by his side, though, and he has a silver gun on his hand like he's cleaning it. His head is almost bowed down and he's laughing, far more openly than Sam - who she can now tell seems to be in the middle of saying something.
It's a candid shot. Sam is saying something, the guy is laughing at him.
It's a candid shot of two people laughing while armed to their teeth.
Jess realizes she must be staring at the picture longer than she thought because she hears the shower being turned off.
She quickly turns the picture around and sees what's written on the backside:
"Sam and Dean, 2001, Arkansas."
Dean.
Sam's brother.
She quickly puts the photograph back in its place, the wallet back on the nightstand, jumps on the bed and pretends to be sleeping. Her heartbeat is going a million miles per hour.
One week later, she hears a loud noise and realizes Sam is not at the bed. She hears whispers following and goes to check it out. She finds him and Dean standing in the dark on her living room.
Sam is gone within the hour. And part of her knows she'll never see him again.