Chapter 12

Disclaimer: They're not mine, I just play with them.

O.K it has been brought to my attention a couple of times lately I can't really spell, not really a very surprising revelation to me, I once put a verity of angels in a report instead of a variety of angles without even realizing it, amusing the hell out of my boss. So if anyone wants to help me out on that score it would be great, just please remember I'm British I spell funny to begin with.

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Sams jaw dropped, he was moving before his brain had a chance to catch up. He could here Liz calling after him but he didn't stop until he got out side, cell phone in hand already ringing.

"Dean, I need a pick up now." He snapped when Dean answered.

"Sa.." He hung up before his brother could get a word out, too agitated to argue with Dean right now. So he began to walk.

Reaching the library he slumped down on the front steps. There was no point in going inside, they had all the answers they needed. Sticking his hand in his pocket he pulled out the scarp of paper, Liz had handed him. He didn't recognize the symbol but the very sight of it filled him with dread. He had to put an end to this.

By the time Dean turned up, having done the 20 miles back to Clearwater in record time, Sam had finished on his fingernails and was worrying the now ragged skin down the sides of the nails.

He had the Impalas door open before the car had even come to a stop. "Dam it Sam, are you alright!" Sam nodded looking straight ahead. Dean let out an explosive breath, his body flooding with relief. "Don't do that to me, Man."

"Just drive Dean." It came out harsher than he'd intended and the brother gave him a funny look before complying. Sam didn't miss the hurt in the look, but couldn't bring himself to react to it, his mind was on fire and there was no room for anything else.

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The drive back to Pattersons' Ridge was even worse than the drive to Clearwater, for Dean it was like sitting in the car with a faulty grenade, any sudden movement could set it off. So he gave Sam time, even though it killed him to do it.

It paid off, about half way back to town Sam began to talk, filling him in on what he had learnt and what he believed. The things he said disturbed him no end, more because of the conclusions Sam was jumping to, than anything else. Sam was scaring the hell out of him.

He had no doubt Sam was right about who Jen really was, it fit to well with everything she'd told him, he just didn't agree with his brother on her motives in being here.

"I just don't see it Sam, Jen's just not the type."

"Jen" Sam practically hissed the name.

"Yeah, I hooked up with her last night at the bar." Dean shifted uncomfortable not liking the way Sam was looking at him, but he continued anyway. "She's not out for vengeance, Man. She's just trying to find answers same as us."

"And which brain were you thinking with when you came to that conclusion Dean."

Normally a comment like that would have resulted in an all out argument but Dean bit back on his own anger, the last thing they needed right now was both of them losing their heads.

"Sam" he tried to placidate his brother.

"At least tell me you know where she lives." Sam hissed, not willing to be palcidated. Deans hormones had to be good for something.

"Fine Sam, but we're just talking."

The old hunting cabin Jen was renting was just a few miles outside of town, set back into the woods it could only be reached by a winding dirt track. It was slow going, the Impalas wheels spinning in the mud, which only added to Sams impatience. The moment they reached the house, he leaped from the car heading for the door, Dean in hot pursuit.

Reaching the door Sam lent heavily on the bell, before raising his hand to pound on the door when it wasn't instantly answered.

"Sam, knock it off." Snapped Dean, before reaching for his phone he need to put a stop to this madness before things got any worse and to do that me needed answers.

Relieved that this seemed to be one of the few place in town with reception, he pulled a card out of his pocket and dialed the number. "Colonel Beck, you said Emilys sister was pissed. You think she was angry enough to kill Ray?" He asked without preamble, when the man finally answered. Having to speak up over the sound of his brother pounding on the cabins door.

"What?" The man sounded genuinely shocked. "Jen, no. She was the only one connected with that God forsaken town that never believed Ray was guilty, she's been trying to get the case reopened for years."

Deans head shot up at the sound of the front door rebounding on its hinges accompanied by a soft cry of surprise as Sam barrel through the door pinning Jen to the wall. "Sam" he barked, dropping his phone as he ran towards the door.

Sam had Jen pinned to the halls rough wood wall, the womans eyes were wide with shock and no small amount of fear, casting around for help her frightened gaze came to rest on the elder Winchester as he barreled through the door. The look of utter betrayal she gave him the made Deans heart sink.

Holding his hands up in front of him in what he hoped was a non-threatening gesture, slowly approaching to two figures. "Sam.."

He never got to finish the sentence as Jen took advantage of the momentary distraction he provided to break free of his brothers grip, dropping to the floor she slipped out from underneath Sams arm and scrambled towards the kitchen.

Sam caught her within a couple of steps, delivering a punishing back hand to her face when she continued to struggle. Pinning the stunned woman to his chest with an arm around her throat, effectively putting an end to her struggles, he pulled her towards the living room, intent on getting some answers. "Why? Why did you kill them?" He demanded seemingly beyond reason.

Dean had watched the whole seen play out with a feeling of shocked detachment; Sam never hit anyone without good reason. What the hell was happening? One look into Jens eyes told him that she was as clueless as he was, Sams accusations meant nothing to her and yet..

Dean registered what she was about to do only a fraction of a second before it happened. Jen twisted in Sams grip, swinging her hips to one side she delivered an open handed slap to his groin, bring her head back into his face for good measure when he began to double over, after that it was a simple matter the for her to brake his grip and run for the door. It all happened so fast Dean barely had time to get out of her way.

Sam hit the ground hard groaning and clutching at his groin, as he pulled himself into the fetal position.

Dean spared his brother a brief sympathetic glance and headed out after Jen. Breaking into a run as he spotted her heading towards the tree line, his ankle twisted slightly on the uneven ground sending a spike of pain up his leg, the shear shock of the sudden pain causing him to cry out before he had the chance to stifle the noise.

"Are you all right?" The question was automatic and genuine, Jen had stopped just short of the tree line and was now looking back at him with open concern. Some killer, Sam. Dean mentally snorted. He new the moment she reached the wood he would never find her, this was Jens home there was no way he could match her in it but he couldn't bring himself to trick her into staying.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He sighed.

"Sure you are." She snorted, making no move towards the wood but not moving any closer to him either. "What the hells going on Dean?"

"It's a long story." Groaning he lowered himself onto a fallen tree and started to pull off his boot.

"Here, let me help." He looked up in surprise as Jens hands came into view, helping him ease off the boot. She gave him a wry grin. "Just keep that idiot brother of yours away from me, O.K?"

He smiled grateful for the help however grudgingly given. "Thanks"

"So you want to tell me what is going on?"

Dean glanced back at the house there was still no sign of Sam, maybe the kid had gained some sense and decided to keep a low profile for a while. He nodded, Jen deserved to know the truth.

"We think someone's killing people they consider amoral in revenge for your sisters death."

"What?" Jens jaw had dropped, he face draining of blood. She looked physically stunned. "How? Why?"

All good questions, thought Dean. Quickly filling her in on what they had found out so far, skirting around the more supernatural element of the case. When he finished, he looked back at the house, to see Sam storming towards them, clearly the kid didn't have any sense after all.

"Jen." He warned, reaching out to grip her shoulder were she crouched in front of him gently examining his ankle, oblivious to what was going on behind her.

Jen caught his drift instantly and moved behind him, but didn't back off any further. Whatever was going on she wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"Sam, we're just talking here." His brother seemed calmer, but there was still a worrying intensity to him.

Sam didn't even acknowledge him, his entire focus was on Jen.

"Why did you change your name?" It was the last question either of them had expected him to ask, exchanging looks Dean nodded for her to answer. He didn't know where his brother was going with this but he was still willing to trust Sam, even if he was no longer sure he deserved it, and it seemed that Jen was still willing to trust him.

"Do you really think, I would keep his name after everything he did to me?" She may be willing to play along for the time being but that didn't mean she wasn't still holding a grudge against Sam for earlier. She easily matched Sams anger with her own. "Warren was my mothers name."

"And Eleanor?"

"What? Nobody but my father has ever called me that. I only ended up with the stupid name because my parents felt guilty about missing some Great Aunts funeral. My mother, sister and everyone else who I give a dam about, have always called me Jen or Jennifer." Jen wasn't backing down. "Do you honestly think, the people of this town wouldn't recognize me because I changed my name? It's a small town and I lived her for eighteen years! How stupid are you?"

The shear logic of the statement gave Sam pause but he wasn't ready to back off, not yet.

"Why did you kill Ray Ritter?"

"Whaaaaa." If Jen was pale before, now she was positively ghostly. Dean pulled himself to his feet, shifting so he was between his brother and Jen. It was a gesture of silent support and seemed to calm the woman slightly.

"She didn't kill Ray Sam. I talked to his commanding officer, he said Jen was the only one who never believed that he killed Emily. Sam she had no reason to hurt him."

Then Jen spoke softly as if in shock. "Ray would never have hurt Em, he loved her since high school and she loved him back, it just took her a little longer to realize it."

"But" Sams certainty was beginning to waiver.

Jen shook her head, understanding what he was going to ask. "They didn't tell my father, he wouldn't have approved and Emily never went against him." A faint smile graced her face, but only for a second before sadness overwhelmed it again. "At least not to his face." She sighed.

The foundations of all the convictions Sam had about this woman began to crumble, leaving his mind in disarray.

"But you hated him, your father, all the people who hurt you. You hated them so much, you would have wiped them off the face of the earth if you could have."

Jens eyes flew up to meet his at those words, not understanding how he new so much about her, but then her face crumbled and she slumped down onto the log Dean had been sitting on moments ago. "Yes. Yes, I would have." She whispered, letting out a sigh that sounded suspiciously like a sob. "But I had to let it go."

Both brothers looked at her in stunned silence. Pulling herself together by shear force of will she returned Sams gaze and spoke with utter conviction. "The anger, the hate I had to let it go, if I hadn't it would have killed me or worse I would have killed somebody."

The simple honesty of the statement stunned Sam, causing all the pieces of the puzzle that he had been trying so valiantly to force together to suddenly fly apart, rearranging themselves at last to form a flawless whole, allowing him to finally see what his strange dreams had been trying to show him all along. The dreams were never about hate or revenge, they were about broken promises and lost opportunities. She had promised the boy, Ray, that one day she would rescue him and she had failed. Just as she had lost the opportunity to ever make things up with her sister because of conversations like the one they had had under the door that day. Things had been said that she'd had known in her heart Emily had never really meant but she had still let them drive them apart.

Sure the anger was there but it wasn't born out of an evil spirit, just dire circumstances. Anger and hate had kept her alive and fighting when nothing else could, and had eventually given her the strength to break free and build a better life, but they weren't part of who she was, not anymore.

Sams world winked back into focus and what he saw made him sick. Dean was still standing between him and the battered and trembling woman, ready to protect her if Sam made a move. How the hell had things come to this? When had he turned into the monster of this story?

Unable to fully process what was happening, Sam just began to walk away, needing to get some distance, to think.

Sitting down hard on to the log next to Jen, Dean wrapped on arm around the womans trembling form pulling her towards him. Jen slumped into his shoulder, gratefully excepting what little comfort he had to offer. Dean never took his eyes off his brothers retreating form even as he gently soothed the distraught woman in his arms.

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Twenty minutes later, the two of them where sitting around Jens kitchen table beer in hand, there was still no sign of Sam.

Jen had an ice pack pressed against the rapidly spreading bruise that now darkened her cheek bone. Dean gave her a worried look and she gave him a weak smile in response.

"Don't worry one thing I learnt growing up is how to take a punch." Taking the ice pack away from her face she gently palpated the injury, grimacing slightly before giving him a wicked grin. "Besides your brother hits like a girl."

One thing he was rapidly learning about Jen, was that she new how to roll with the punches in more way than one, she was still shaken but she was dealing.

"I'll tell him you said that." Dean grinned back.

"Do." O.K so she wasn't going to forgive Sam anytime soon.

Sobering up Dean gave her a serious look, willing her to understand. "He's not a bad guy Jen, he's just got a lot on his plate at the moment."

Jen gave him a long searching look, before rubbing a hand over her face, wincing slightly when she touched the bruise on her cheek.

"He really believes I killed those people doesn't he?"

"Yeah. Yeah, he does." He nodded, giving her an odd look. "You don't seem too surprised though."

"No." She sighed, looking slightly pained. "No, I'm not surprised, if I listened to half the stuff this town had to say about me, I'd believe it too."

"How….I mean, why do they hate you so much?"

Sinking back into her seat she answered. "It was the fire, the one that killed my mother. My father believes it was the work of a Demon, says he saw it."

"You don't believe it though do you?" He asked, taking in the incredulous look on her face.

"No." She snorted. "But whatever happened, it drove him nuts and he took the rest of the town right along with him."

Dean gave her a disbelieving look and she sighed. "You've got to understand, things got bad for this town right about the time I was born. The winters started getting real bad and the town was cut off for longer and longer periods, then the logging companies started pulling out. The town was dieing in more ways than one."

"They can't have blamed that on you?"

"No they didn't, at least not at first but when people get scared they turn to the church.."

Dean finished the sentence for her, understanding. "and your father was the preacher."

"Yeah." She agreed.

Dean scratched his head. "I still don't get it though, why did he blame you for what happened to your Mom?"

"Because of were she died." Jen shrugged unable to fully follow the logic herself. "She died in my nursery and he figured, well that." She looked embarrassed. "O.K, this sounds strange but he thought that the Demon never left, that in someway it had possessed me. I guess in a way he thought that he was trying to save me."

Dean snorted, who the hell would equate beating a kid half to death to saving them. Drawing in a deep breath to calm himself he tried to get his thoughts in order, then as something occurred to him, he scribbled the symbol Andy had given Sam on a piece of paper and pushed it across the table at Jen. "Do you recognize this?"

Jen gave the symbol a brief look. "Kind of, it's the sigil of a Shadow Demon. I can't remember which one though."

Dean gave her an incredulous look.

"Hey, he was always thinking I was possessed by some thing. Shadow Demons lasted through most of fifth grade, at least until he worked out that they don't possess people. I got pretty good at recognizing these things." She waved the symbol in front of his face.

"But you don't believe in it do you, the supernatural I mean?" He asked.

Jen let out a harsh laugh. "Load of mumbo jumbo. Sure it may have been enough to scare me as a kid but the guy's nuts pure and simple, there's no such thing as magic and there's sure as hell no such thing as Demons."

Dean sighed, suddenly feeling incredibly sorry for the woman, she really had no idea of what was out there. He just didn't know how much longer she could keep that innocence, not with the Demon still out there. What would it do to her when she found out at least part of what her father believed was true, the Demon was there because of her.

A noise from outside caught both of their attention, snapping Dean out of his reverie. Peering down the hall he caught a glimpse of Sam slumped on the porch. Meeting Jens gaze he smiled when she rolled her eyes and got up to get another beer out of the fridge, opening it she pushed the beer across the table to Dean so it came to rest next to his own barely touched one. "Go talk to your brother."

With that she picked up her beer and headed towards the stairs. "Oh and Dean, tell your brother if he comes after me like that again I'm going to shoot him….somewhere painful." There was no real malice in the statement and Jen had every right to still be pissed at Sam, so Dean just nodded and got up, heading out to the porch.

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Sam sat slumped against one of the porches slim pillars, so wrapped up in his own misery that he nearly jumped out of his skin when a gentle hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"Dean." The name almost sounded like a sob.

Taking in his brother red rimmed eyes and distraught features, Dean nodded and sat down at his side, handing him his beer.

"I really screwed up didn't I." Sam wasn't looking at him any more but he didn't need to see his face to know what he was thinking.

"You really did little brother."

Sam smiled weakly at that, Dean always did have a slightly odd way of showing his support, but the fact that he was even trying after everything he had put him through amazed the younger Winchester.

"I'm sorry…." Sam suddenly realized that was the one thing he had never said to his brother, about any of this. "..for every thing. I don't know what…"

"You were scared, Sam. We all act a little crazy when we're scared." It wasn't something he would ever admit but Dean understood scared, not the monster in the closet afraid of the dark kind of scared but the kind of scared that came from always being the one to be left behind, from not knowing if he could protect his family or if they wouldn't really be better off without him, it made him do crazy things and this thing with Sam was no different. This whole thing with his brothers new freaky powers scared him just as much as it did Sam, because he couldn't protect him for it, he didn't know how but he could be there and that's what he intended to do. Moving a hand to grip the back of his brothers neck he gave it a gentle squeeze.

Sam relaxed into the grip, feeling the warmth and forgiveness that radiated from his brother touch; he had missed this all the years he was away. Growing up he had never needed to explain how he felt to Dean, somehow his brother just always new but his time away at Stanford had changed them both, things weren't that easy anymore and his brother deserved an explanation.

"I just…" he paused and wiped tentatively at his nose, it was still bleeding slightly from where Jen had head butted him earlier, he didn't know how to do this, how to explain himself.

"I would never forgive myself if something happened to you, because of what I am, because of what I'm becoming." He turned his head to the side so he could meet Dean somber gaze, causing his brothers hand to drop to his shoulder. He was intensely grateful when Dean didn't remove it, he needed a connection however small to his brother right now. "Sometimes I think it would be better for you if I just left" Dean stiffened at the idea but wisely didn't interrupt. "but I'm afraid of what would happen to me it you go. I can't face this alone Dean."

Dean looked at his brother with open surprise, it had never occurred to him that Sam might need him as much as he needed him. Sam was the one who had left, the one who had proven that he could have a life, prospects outside of hunting and that he didn't need his family to do it. He took in a deep breath, just letting his brothers words soak in for a moment, then smiled feeling the lump of ice that had been sitting at the center of his chest since this whole mess had started finally begin to thaw. His brother needed him. "You're never going to have to do this alone Sam, I told you I'd never let anything bad happen to you and I meant it." He assured his brother, meaning every word.

Sam visibly relaxed, managing a faint smile before something else occurred to him.

"She's never going to forgive me, is she?" He shook his head sadly, his voice full of self recrimination. "and she shouldn't not after what I did. I thought she was like Max but I was the only one acting like him."

Dean gripped his brothers shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much about Jen," He grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "for one thing she said you hit like a girl. Besides which I think she came out on top in your little squabble."

"No kidding." Snorted Sam, his groin still felt like it was on fire.

"She going to be O.K?

"Yeah she'll be fine." Dean gave his brother a sideways glance. "Actually I think she's a lot like you."

"What do you mean?" Sam sounded confused.

"No matter how bad things get in your lives, you both still see good in the world."

Sam snorted derisively.

"O.K so maybe, you take a while to bounce back sometimes, but you do it." Dean gave his brother a hard look, until Sam finally nodded. "Come on lets get out of here before it gets to dark."

Getting up he reached down to pull his brother to his feet and together they headed towards the car.

Half way there Sam gave his brother a funny look. "Dean, are you walking funny?

The elder Winchester gave him a slightly embarrassed grin. "Jen" He offered by way of explanation. "She figured that since she couldn't trust me to stay off it, she better come up with something better than a support sock to keep my ankle stable." Bending over he pulled up his trouser leg, to reveal the top of what looked like a molded plastic splint sticking out of the back of his sock. "It feels a bit funny, but I don't think I'm going over on it anytime soon."

"She's really got you pegged hasn't she?" Sams mouth quirked slightly at the corners.

"Yeah, she has that." Grinned Dean, climbing into the car.

"Then I guess there are worse people to be associated with." Sam gave his brother a wry smile, actually feeling hopeful about his future for the first time in weeks.

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The short trip back to town was nothing like the trip to the cabin, even if it was as silent, each of them taking the time to put their thoughts in order, content just to be in each others company.

It was barely dark by the time they made it back to the hotel, but it had been a hard few days for both of them and Sam could think of nothing better than a long hot shower. Maybe he'd talk Dean into going back to the bar he'd met up with Jen in later and see if they could do some work on reinforcing some of the bridges he and Dean had tentatively started to rebuild over the last couple of hours.

Opening their room door, he half turned to ask his brother if he wanted to go, when the world went black.

Dean barely registered the rifle butt swing out of the shadows of their darkened room to connect with his brothers' face, before his own world exploded into a sea of stars, sending him crashing to the floor, unconscious.

tbc

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