I Believe the Children Are Our Future Part 2

Sam, Dean and Angela left Jesse's house.

"Dude, what the hell?" Sam asked.

"I had a hunch." Dean shrugged. "I went with it."

"You risked my ass on a hunch?" Sam glared.

"You're fine." Dean replied.

"Besides, now we know who's turning this town into Willy Wonka's worst nightmare." Angela said.

"The kid." Sam said.

Sam and Angela stopped walking; so did Dean.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Everything Jesse believes comes true. He thinks the tooth fairy looks like Belushi, uh, joy buzzers really shock people, book, that's what happens."

"Yeah, but convince him the joy buzzers don't actually work, and they go from killing machines back into crap toys." Sam said.

"He probably doesn't even know he's doing it." Angela said.

They looked back at the house. The curtains on an upstairs window parted and Jesse looked out at them. Dean waved.

"How is he doing it?" Dean asked.

Dean, Sam and Angela walked away. Jesse watched them go.

~/~\~

Dean, still in his suit though without his jacket, sat in bed, reading something that wasn't John's journal. The door opened. Dean looked up. Sam and Angela, still in their suits, closed the door.

"So, dug up what we could on Jesse Turner." Angela said.

"It's not much." Sam continued. "Uh, B student, won last year's Pinewood Derby. But get this. Jesse was adopted. His birth records are sealed."

"So you unsealed them, and?" Dean asked.

"There's no father listed, but Jesse's biological mom is named Julia Wright. She lives in Elk Creek, on the other side of the state." Angela replied.

Dean closed his book and threw it down on the bed.

~/~\~

A sign reading 'NO TRESPASSING' hung on the gate of a rusty, overgrown fence. Dean pushed the gate open and walked through, Sam and Angela right behind.

Sam, Dean and Angela walked around to the front door, which had two deadbolts. Dean rang the doorbell. A woman, Julia, spoke without opening the door.

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested." She said.

Dean looked at Sam and Angela. "We're not salesmen. Agents Page, Plant and Madison, FBI."

"Put your badge in the slot. Your partners', too."

Dean obeyed. There was a paused while the locks clattered. The door opened. Julia handed back the badges.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Um…" Angela started as they put their badges away. "We just had a few questions. About your son."

"I don't have a son."

"He was born on March 29th, 1998, in Omaha." Sam replied.

Julia looked up, face expressionless.

"You put him up for adoption?" Angela tried.

"What about him?" Julia asked.

"We were just wondering, um, was it… was it a normal pregnancy?" Sam asked.

Julia said nothing.

"Was there anything strange?" Dean asked.

Julia slammed the door. "Stay away from me!"

"Mrs. Wright, wait!" Angela pleaded.

Dean pushed the door open and he, Sam and Angela followed Julia inside. Julia ran to the kitchen and shut the door, but quickly realized she couldn't hold it shut against three people and retreated. Dean pushed the door open.

"We just want to talk!" Dean said.

Julia grabbed a canister of table salt, wrenched it open, and tossed the contents at Dean, Sam and Angela. When it hit them, nothing happened. Julia stared; this wasn't what she expected. Dean, Sam and Angela stared back.

"You're not demons?" Julia asked.

"How do you know about demons?" Dean asked.

~/~\~

Julia sat at a table with a cup of tea. She set the cup on a saucer and folded her arms.

"I was possessed." Julia said. "A demon took control of my body, and I hurt people. I killed people."

Sam, Dean and Angela were sitting across from Julia.

"That, that wasn't you." Sam said softly.

"But I was there. I heard a woman beg for mercy. I... felt a young girl's blood drip down my hands."

"That's how you knew about the salt." Angela said.

"Yeah, I picked up tricks. It was in my head for months."

"How many months?" Dean asked.

"Nine." She replied.

"So your son…" Sam said.

"Yeah, the whole time. The pregnancy, birth, all of it. I was possessed."

~/~\~

"The night the baby was born, I was alone. And the pain was, the pain was overwhelming." Julia said. "I, I screamed, and it came out a laugh, because the demon was happy. It used my body to give birth to a child. When it was over, something changed. Maybe the, the demon was tired or if the pain helped me fight it, but…"

"Somehow, I took control." Julia said.

"And the demon wailed inside me. It pounded against my skull. I thought my head was gonna explode. But I knew. I knew what I had to do."

"And when I was alone with the baby…" she murmured. "A part of me… part of me wanted to kill it."

~/~\~

"But, God help me, I couldn't do that. So, I put it up for adoption, and I ran."

"Who was the father?" Dean asked.

"I was a virgin."

Dean, Sam and Angela looked at each other.

"Have you seen my son? Is he human?" she asked.

"His name's Jesse." Angela smiled softly. "He lives in, uh, Alliance. He's a good kid."

Julia nodded.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean and Angela left.

"So, now what?" Sam asked.

"We need help." Dean replied.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean and Angela entered the motel room. The looked up: Castiel was waiting for them.

"I take it you got out message." Angela said.

Sam and Angela sat at the table. Dean closed the door.

"It's lucky you found the boy." Castiel said.

"Oh, yeah, real lucky." Dean replied. "What do we do with him?"

"Kill him." Castiel replied.

Sam paused in the middle of loosening his tie. Angela frowned and stood up, staring at Castiel. Castiel stared back at her.

"Cas." Angela said.

"This child is half demon and half human, but it's far more powerful than either. Other cultures call this hybrid cambion or katako. You know him as the antichrist."

Castiel sat at the table. There was a fart noise. The noise continued as Castiel shifted positions. Dean watched, raising his eyebrows.

"That wasn't me." Castiel pulled out a whoopee cushion.

"Who put that there?" Dean laughed.

"Anyway, I don't get it." Sam said. "Jesse is the devil's son?"

Castiel sighed. "No, of course not. Your bible gets more wrong than it does right. The antichrist is not Lucifer's child. It's just demon spawn. But it is one of the devil's greatest weapons in the war against heaven."

"Well, if Jesse's a demonic howitzer, then what the hell's he doing in Nebraska?" Dean asked.

"The demons lost him. They can't find him. But they're looking." Castiel replied.

"And they lost him because?" Angela asked.

"Because of the child's power. It hides him from both angels and demons. For now."

"So he's got, like, a force field around him." Dean said. "Well, that's great. Problem solved."

"With Lucifer risen, this child grows strong. Soon, he will do more than just make a few toys come to life, something that will draw the demons to him. The demons will finds this child. Lucifer will twist this boy to his purpose. And then, with a word, this child will destroy the Host of Heaven."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Dean replied. "Wait. You're saying that, that Jesse's gonna nuke the angels?"

"We cannot allow that to happen."

"Wait." Sam stood up. "We're the good guys. We, we don't just, kill children."

"A year ago, you would have done whatever it took to win this war." Castiel said.

"Things change." Sam replied.

Angela stepped forward, taking Sam's hand, putting herself between Sam and Castiel. "Okay. Hey, look, we are not going to kill him, Cas!" she said. "But we can't leave Jesse here either. We know that. So… we take him to Bobby's. He'll know what to do."

"You'll kidnap him?" Castiel asked. "What is going on in this town, it's what happens when this thing is happy. You cannot imagine what it will do if it's angry. Besides, how will you hold him? With a thought, he could be halfway around the world."

"So we—Dean started.

"So we tell him the truth." Sam replied. "You say Jesse's destined to go darkside, fine. But he hasn't yet. So is we lay it all out for him, what he is, the apocalypse, everything, he might make the right choice."

There was a long pause.

"You didn't." Castiel said. "And I can't take that chance."

Angela glared and let go of Sam's hand, walking closer to Castiel. "Don't talk to him like that." She growled.

Castiel vanished and Angela clenched her jaw.

"Dammit." She muttered.

~/~\~

Jesse got a cup of water from a five-gallon jug. Castiel appeared. Jesse back away, dropping the glass, which smashed.

"Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." Castiel said.

Castiel advanced, Ruby's knife held behind his back. Jesse continued to back away.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Your mother and father are sleeping. I assure you, they won't wake until morning."

Jesse breathed hard.

"I'm sorry." Castiel raised the knife.

Dean, Sam and Angela kicked in the front door. Jesse stared at them.

"Was there a guy here?" Dean asked. "In a trench coat?"

Jesse pointed at the floor: there was an action figure wearing Castiel's suit and trench coat and holding a silver knife. Angela knelt to pick him up and looked up at Sam and Dean, then Jesse.

~/~\~

Angela set Castiel action figure on the mantelpiece. Jesse was sitting on the couch, Sam and Dean on two chairs.

"Was he your friend?" Jesse asked.

"Him?" Dean asked. "No."

"I did that. But how did I do that?"

Angela knelt in front of him. "You're a superhero." She smiled a bit.

"I am?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Yeah. I mean, who else could turn someone into a toy? You're Superman, minus the cape and the go-go boots."

"See, my, my partners and I, we work for a secret government agency." Angela said. "It's our job to find kids with special powers. In fact, we're here to take you to a hidden base in South Dakota, where you'll be trained to fight evil."

"Like the X-Men?" Jesse asked.

"Exactly like the X-Men." Dean chuckled. "In fact, the, uh, guy we're taking you to, he's even in a wheelchair. You'll be a hero. You'll save lives. You'll get the girl. Sounds like fun, right?"

Dean and Angela were flung against the wall. The demon possessing Julia walked in.

"They're lying to you." The demon said.

Sam stood up. The demon flung him against the wall with Dean and Angela. Jesse stood up.

"Stay right there, dreamboat." The demon smirked. "Can't hurt you. Orders. You two, on the other hand? Hurting you two is encouraged."

The demon flicked her wrist and slammed Dean and Angela against the opposite wall, then back.

"No! Uh!" Dean grunted.

"Ah! Dammit!" Angela let out.

"Leave them alone!" Jesse exclaimed.

The demon leaned down to Jesse, speaking sweetly.

"Jesse. You're beautiful. You have your father's eyes."

"Who are you?" he frowned.

"I'm your mother."

"No, you're not."

"Mm-hm." She hummed. "You're half human… half one of us."

"She means demons, Jesse!" Angela exclaimed.

The demon straightened and held up a hand clenched in a fist. Angela groaned in pain. The demon leaned back down to Jesse.

"Those people you call your parents, they lied to you, too. You're not theirs, not really."

"My mom and dad love me." Jesse replied.

"Do they?" she asked. "Is, is that why they leave you alone all day? Because they love you so much? These people, these imposters, they told you that the tooth fairy was real and that your toys could hurt you and a hundred other things that aren't true. They love you so much, they made your whole life a lie. Look into your heart, Jesse. You've always known you weren't theirs. You've always known you were different. Everyone has lied to you. They're not FBI agents. And you're not a superhero."

"Then what am I?"

"You're powerful. You can have anything you want. You can do anything you want."

"Don't listen to her, Jesse!" Dean said.

The demon held up a hand and Dean groaned.

"They treated you like a child. Nobody trusted you. Everybody's lied to you. Doesn't that make you angry?"

Jesse clenched his fist. The room rattled. The demon looked up, exultant. The fire flared up and the lights flickered.

"See? It does make you angry. But I'm telling you the truth, Jesse."

Things began to shatter.

"Wouldn't it be better if there were no lies? Come with me and you can wash it all clean. Start over. Imagine that, a world without lies."

"She's right." Sam said. "We lied to you."

The demon looked at Sam, eyes black.

"But I'll tell you the truth." Sam continued.

The demon raised a fist. Something crunched. Sam tried to speak through the pressure on his throat.

"I just want… to tell…"

"Stop it." Jesse said.

Sam dropped to the floor, released. He gasped in a breath.

"I want to hear what he has to say."

"You're stronger than I thought." The demon said.

Sam stood up. "We lied to you. And I'm sorry. So here's the truth. I'm Sam Winchester. That's my brother Dean and my girlfriend Angela Morgan. W-we hunt monsters."

"Except when you are the monster. Right, Sammy?" the demon smirked.

"And that woman right there, her name is Julia. She's your mother. But the thing inside of her, the thing you're talking to, it's a demon."

"A demon?" Jesse asked.

"He's done nothing but lie to you since the moment you met him. Don't listen to him. Punish him."

"Sit down and shut up." Jesse ordered.

A chair scooted up behind the demon, who was forced into it, silent. She struggled to speak.

"There's, uh, kind of a… a war between angels and demons, and… you're part of it." Sam said.

"I'm just a kid." Jesse replied.

"You can go with her if you want. I can't stop you. No one can. But if you do… millions of people will die."

"She said I was half demon. Is that true?"

"Yes. But you're half human, too. You can do the right thing. You've got choices, Jesse. But if you make the wrong ones, it'll haunt you for the rest of your life."

"Why are you telling me this?!" Jesse cried.

"Because I have to believe someone can make the right choice, even if I couldn't."

Jesse thought about this. He clenched his fist and looked at the demon.

"Get out of her."

The chair flew back against the wall. Black smoke poured out of Julia's mouth and vanished up the chimney. Dean and Angela dropped to the ground, panting.

"How did you do that?" Angela asked.

"I just did."

"Kid… you're awesome." Dean breathed.

~/~\~

Jesse looked at Julia, slumped in the chair.

"Is she gonna be all right?" Jesse asked.

Angela looked at Julia. "Eventually." She said. She leaned down and picked up the Castiel action figure, which fell down at some point. "Look, uh, truth is, he's kind of a buddy of ours. Is there any way you could turn him back?"

"He tried to kill me."

"Right. Uh. But he's a, he's a good guy." Dean said. "He was just confused."

Jesse said nothing.

"Okay. It's been a long night." Angela murmured. "We'll… talk about it later." she put the action figure on the mantel.

"What now?" Jesse asked.

Dean looked at Sam and Angela.

"Now we take you someplace safe, get you trained up. You'd be handy in a fight, kid."

"What if I don't want to fight?" Jesse asked.

"Jesse." Sam came forward to sit in front of Jesse. "You're powerful. More powerful than… pretty much anything we've ever seen. That makes you—

"A freak." Jesse said.

"To some people, maybe. But not to us. See, we're kind of freaks ourselves."

"I can't stay here, can I?"

"No." Angela replied. "The demons now where you are, and more will be coming."

"I won't go without my mom and dad."

"There's nothing more important than family." Sam replied. "We get that. And if you really want to take them with you, we'll back your play. But you got to understand, it's gonna be dangerous for them, too."

"What do you mean?"

"Our families… they would take us with them wherever they went." Dean said.

"Where are they now?"

"Dead." Angela whispered.

"Look, Jesse… once you're in this fight…" Dean leaned down to Jesse. "You're in it till the end, win or lose."

"What should I do?" Jesse asked.

"We can't tell you." Sam replied. "It's your choice. It's not fair. I know."

"Can I go see my parents? I, i need to… say goodbye."

"Sure." Angela murmured.

Jesse climbed the stairs.

~/~\~

Sam examined the Castiel action figure and put him back on the mantel without any of the care Angela showed.

"He's been up there a long time." Dean commented.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean and Angela entered the room. It was empty.

"He's gone." Castiel said.

Sam, Dean and Angela turned; Castiel was behind them.

"Where?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. Jesse put everyone in town back to normal, the ones still alive. Then he vanished."

Sam noticed a note on Jesse's bed and picked it up. "Hey."

"what does it say?" Angela asked.

"That he had to leave to keep his parents safe, that he loves them, and he's sorry."

"How do we find him?" Dean asked.

"With the boy's powers, we can't." Castiel said. "Not unless he wants to be found."

~/~\~

The Impala drove past.

~/~\~

"You think Jesse's gonna be okay?" Dean asked.

Sam took a deep breath. "I hope so."

"You know, we destroyed that kid's life by telling him the truth." Angela said.

"We didn't have a choice…" Sam replied.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "You know, I'm starting to get why parents lie to their kids. You want them to believe that the worst thing out there is mixing Pop Rocks and Coke, protect them from the real evil. You want them going to bed feeling safe. If that means lying to them, so be it. The more I think about it… the more I wish Dad had lied to us."

"Yeah, me too." Sam sighed.

A/N: Hey guys. I know I haven't updated in a while. The 1st marking period just ended and it's been really stressful and I haven't been able to write at all. Which brings me to my next point. I'm putting Change of Heart on hiatus until further notice. I just have zero time to manage it with school/studying for driving/etc. I'm going to write on the weekends, any days I have off, and during my free time. And then once I have enough chapters written I'll start posting again. I love you guys.

Don't forget to review, review, review!

~Emily