Devon sat straight up in bed, eyes wide, disoriented. Dean was out of bed, gun in hand, searching for his clothes. He laid the gun on the bed, pulling his jeans on as another loud, violent knock shook Devon's front door. "Dean..." she started, and he held up a hand.

"Just stay here, Dev, until I check this out." He pinned her with a dead serious look, and she slowly nodded. He walked out of the room, his gun cocked and in his hand once more, and Devon got out of bed and grabbed some yoga pants and a long-sleeved v-neck from her drawer, putting them on hastily in preparation for...well, she didn't know, but she wanted to be dressed for it.

She heard Dean jerk open the door, and then heard Sam's voice. "Dude! Take it easy! It's just me, Dean. And Nicole."

Dean's voice sounded angry as he answered, and Devon came out of the bedroom. "Damn it, Sammy! Try a phone call next time, give me some warning!"

"Sorry! Nicole was upset, she wanted to talk to you guys right away." Nicole pushed past Sam at that point and walked straight to Devon, throwing her arms around her and bursting into tears. Devon hugged her, looking at Sam with concerned confusion. She led her sobbing friend to the couch and sat down with her as Sam pulled Dean into the hall. "She's hysterical, man. She had some kind of vision, and she says she saw me die. I couldn't let her get in the car and drive herself, and she wasn't waiting around for me to make a phone call."
Dean listened, a worried frown on his face. "Vision? Is she..."

"No, she's not like me. Her mom was psychic, apparently. So she must have gotten it from her."

"So what did she say?"

"I just told you everything she said. Once we have her calmed down, maybe she can tell us the whole story."

The guys walked back into the living room, where Devon had Nicole somewhat settled down. "Sam, would you go put the teakettle on?" she asked softly, and Sam nodded, heading for the kitchen. "Nicole, it's okay. You're here now, just calm down so you can tell us what happened. Okay?"

Nicole raised her head from Devon's shoulder and nodded slowly. "I'll try. But I've never...I don't know how to handle this. This was my mom's thing, not mine. I don't even know what to do with this."

Dean sat on the edge of the coffee table and laid a hand on Nicole's knee. "Just tell us what you saw, Nicole. Take your time. We're not going anywhere."

Devon moved, taking her arm from around Nicole's shoulders. "I'm going to get us a cup of tea. Just relax for a minute, I'll be right back, okay?"

Nicole nodded, and Devon rose and walked into the kitchen. Sam was standing near the stove, a worried frown furrowing his brow. She went to him, putting her arms around him and hugging him, and he did the same. "She'll be all right, Sam. She just needs to take a little time, breathe, stop panicking. She'll be fine." Sam hugged her close again, then stepped back. "Go out there, she needs you. I'll be right out." Sam was looking at her doubtfully, but Devon gestured towards the living room with her head, and Sam took a deep breath and headed that way.
Devon carried two cups of chamomile tea into the living room, setting one in front of Nicole, who was now in Sam's arms on the couch. Dean stood up from his perch on the table and followed Devon to the love seat, sitting beside her and putting an arm around her shoulders as she tucked her legs up underneath her. "Okay, Nicole, just drink your tea and talk whenever you're ready, okay?" Devon said quietly. Dean leaned over to place a kiss on her temple, his fingers gently running up and down her arm as she cradled the hot tea in her hands. She laid her head back on his shoulder for a moment, and he bent to kiss her softly.

"You okay?" he whispered, and she nodded, touched by his tenderness. Every time she thought she had him figured out, he managed to surprise her. She smiled as he kissed her again, and then she sat up to take a sip of her tea. Nicole was doing the same, she was relieved to see, and she smiled over at her. Sam was still looking worried, but Nicole was visibly calmer, tucking herself in under Sam's arm and sipping from the soothing hot liquid. She finally sat up straight, moving to the edge of the couch and setting her cup down.

"Okay. I'll tell you what I saw. It doesn't make any sense, but here goes." She described what she had seen, the ghost town in the darkness, Sam slowly limping down the dirt road towards Dean, the man in fatigues coming up on him from behind. "He picked something up from the ground, and I could see that it was a knife. Dean tried to warn Sam, and I was trying to yell at him, but my voice was gone. And then that soldier..." Nicole was shaking now, and her tears were flowing once more as she looked up at Dean. "He shoved that knife into Sam's back, and then he twisted it, and I could hear the sound, it was horrible... " She shuddered as she continued. "You were screaming his name, and you ran to him just in time to catch him as he fell to his knees. You were talking to him, telling him it wasn't so bad and that it was your job to take care of him... And then he died in your arms." She could barely talk as she finished, and Sam pulled her back into his arms and held her, meeting his brother's eyes for a split second and seeing the fear he was feeling mirrored there.

Devon was crying, her hand over her mouth, and she looked up at Dean. There was a hint of fear in his eyes, soon replaced by anger, his jaw was set, and as he put his arms around her she could feel the tension in his body. "That's not gonna happen, Nicole. I won't let it." Devon looked up at him as he stared intensely over at his brother. "No way in hell, little brother. You hear me?" Sam nodded hesitantly, then focused on Nicole, speaking softly to her as he held her close. Devon slipped her arms around Dean, and he tightened his hold on her. "No way in hell," he muttered under his breath.

"Dean!" Sam's voice was raised in frustration as he stood facing his brother, who was standing, arms folded, leaning against the Impala. "We can't just sit here, not do our job, because of that vision!" Devon stood a few feet away, watching silently, as Dean raised his chin defiantly, his arms folded stubbornly across his chest. It had been two days since Nicole's vision, and the stress of the situation had not let up.

"Yeah. We can."

"We're hunters, Dean. We both know it's risky, but it's the nature of the job. And if we don't do our job, people are gonna die."

"And if we do, you're gonna die."

"Since when do you put so much faith in visions? And we're not going anywhere near a ghost town!"

Dean threw himself up straight, his eyes angry. "I said we're not going. That's that, Sammy. You understand me?" His long stride carried him up the stairs, the door to the apartment slamming shut, and Sam sighed loudly in exasperation. He looked towards Devon, shaking his head, his mouth tight with anger.

"Damn it, Devon! Deacon needs our help. I don't know how exactly we're supposed to help, but he wouldn't have called if it wasn't really serious."

"I know, Sam." She came closer to Sam, laying a gentle hand on his arm. "I'll try to talk to him. If anything changes, I'll call you, okay?" Sam got back into Nicole's car and backed out as Devon headed up the stairs to her apartment.

Dean was sitting on the couch, his feet up on the table, beer in hand. "Don't say it, Devon," he snapped as he raised the bottle to his lips.
She put her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me what to do, Dean. You have to listen to someone. You're going to drive Sam to go out on his own if you keep this up." He sent a baleful glare her way, but she didn't budge. "You know, that may scare some people, but I've lived through that look of yours several times." She sat down next to him, taking the beer from his hands to set it on the table. Then she turned to him, gliding her fingers gently across his face and running her hand around to the back of his neck. She leaned in and kissed him softly, and she could feel him relax just a little. So she kissed him again, and this time he answered back with a little groan, grabbing her and pulling her onto his lap as he deepened their kiss. His hand was sliding underneath her shirt, but with all her will she pulled back, grabbing his wrist to stop him and staring down at him, taking a deep breath for strength as she felt him growing hard beneath her. "No. You're not going to distract me, Dean. We need to talk about this."

"I'm better at show than tell," he said, his voice low and inviting, and with one quick move, she was beneath him on the couch, her wrists held in one hand while the other slipped underneath her shirt and his lips claimed hers. He raised his head, looking down into her eyes, that look that she swore could melt the clothing off any woman he turned it on, and she couldn't help but smile a little.

"Fine. We'll talk after. But we will talk," she argued weakly, and a sexy, triumphant smirk curved his lips.

"Whatever you say, sweetheart," he said, then bent his head to kiss her again, releasing her hands as he put both hands to work unbuttoning her shirt.

Sam pulled up in front of Hazel's and went to the door, peering through the glass to see if the place was packed. It was fairly empty, so he walked in and took a seat at the counter. Nicole walked out of the kitchen, and her face lit up when she saw him there. "Sam! You missed me, didn't you?"

Sam's smile didn't quite reach his eyes, and Nicole put her hand over his. "What's wrong, Sam?"

He shook his head and Nicole got him a cup of coffee. "Dean's just being completely unreasonable. He's afraid if we go on a job, I'll somehow end up just like you saw in your vision. He won't listen at all."

Nicole stood on tiptoe to lean over the counter and kiss him softly. "He's just worried about you. It scared all of us, Sam. I know you feel like you have to work, but really, I understand how he feels." Sam had explained the whole hunting thing to her the day after her vision had happened. He had needed someone to talk to, and she was so glad he had chosen her to share it with. At least she had an open mind about what he had told her, not like Dean's first love, who had told him he was crazy when he opened up to her, according to Sam. Nicole had seen and heard too many unexplainable things growing up with her mother to doubt that there were creatures and demons in the world. And that explained why her mother had insisted on her getting the tattoo.

Sam's hands dwarfed the coffee cup he was holding, and she stared at them, remembering them on her skin. A little shiver escaped as she put her hand over his again. "Sam, he'll come around. Just give him a little time."

"Yeah, well, in the meantime Deacon needs our help with something. He's an old friend of our Dad's, and we owe him, Nicole. We can't just leave him hanging, you know?"

"Maybe Devon can get through to him."

"She's gonna try. I guess we'll see."

Devon laid against Dean's chest, her breathing slowing as his fingers aimlessly caressed the smooth skin of her back. He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up towards his, kissing her gently, lingering over her lips as their heart rates slowed to normal. Then she snuggled against his shoulder as he held her close, and he smiled as she shivered. "Cold?" He pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and covered them both with it, and Devon sighed with contentment.

"Let's just stay here, like this, okay? Forever."

Dean smiled, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. "We'd starve."

She tilted her head to look up at him. "I suppose I could get up and make us some food, and then come back."

"If you're cooking like this, I'll come with you," he teased, and she giggled softly.

She pressed a kiss to his chest, and took a breath before speaking, almost reluctant to bring up the subject again. "Dean... We really do need to talk about Sam."

He was silent for a moment, and Devon was afraid the argument would start all over again, but then he answered her quietly. "I know. You're right. I don't want Sam going off half-cocked by himself. In fact, I should call Deacon right now." He bent to kiss her again, and then she moved, allowing him to sit up. He glanced back at her, a slow grin spreading across his face. "You're kind of distracting me, Devon." She smiled, blushing a little as she wrapped the blanket around herself and got up, gathering her clothes and going into the bedroom to get dressed.
When she came out into the living room, Dean was just pulling his t-shirt over his head. "Well, Sam's not going to like this one. You'll have to sit it out, Dev. No way you can come along this time."

"What? Why not?" she asked, disappointed.

"Well, for one thing, tomorrow's your very first day at work. And for another, Sam and I are going to be in prison. They don't usually let you bring women along."

"In prison? Dean, what are you talking about?" She grabbed his arm, looking up into his face.

"Deacon's a prison guard at Green River County Jail in Little Rock. They've got what sounds like a vengeful spirit, and it's killing people. The only way to stop it is to get in there."

"Are you crazy?" Devon's eyes were wide as she stared up at him. "You're serious, aren't you? You ARE crazy!"

"Deacon's got a plan, we'll gank the ghost, and then he'll help us escape. Piece of cake." Devon turned to walk away, shaking her head, but Dean grabbed her arm and pulled her close. "Hey, we'll be fine. Don't worry." She turned her face away as he bent to kiss her, and she closed her eyes as he nuzzled at her neck.

"I'm so mad at you right now," she murmured, and he let out a low chuckle as she half-heartedly smacked him on the chest. He took her face in both hands and kissed her until she relaxed against him. Then she looked into his eyes, fighting to keep her fear from showing. "Sam's gonna kill you."

Dean nodded. "Yeah. Probably."

"This is the stupidest idea you've ever had, Dean," Sam shouted, and Nicole and Devon retreated to the kitchen, a safe distance away, as the brothers argued.

"Is he crazy?" Nicole asked, incredulous. "They're gonna break in somewhere, deliberately, to get caught and thrown in jail? Does Dean have any idea the kind of badasses they put in places like that?"

Devon shook her head. "I know, Nicole. I agree. But I also don't have a better idea. So here we are."

Nicole put her hands on her hips, shaking her head. "I don't care." She marched past Devon and into the living room, where the guys were still arguing back and forth. "Dean Winchester, are you out of your freaking mind?" She put her hand on his chest and shoved him, and Dean's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You are going to get yourself, and Sam, thrown into a prison, on purpose? That is the stupidest plan I've ever heard!"

Sam took Nicole's arm and pulled her away from Dean, who was now glowering at her. Devon came to his side, putting a hand on his arm. "Calm down, Dean."

"You're a nut job, you know that? You're gonna get your brother killed!"

Now Devon had to take a step in front of Dean to keep him from approaching Nicole. "Dean! Stop it, now! She's just worried about Sam."

"I'm worried about both of you, Dean!" Nicole turned to Sam, looking up into his face. "Sam, don't do this, please."

Sam perched himself on the arm of the couch and pulled Nicole close. "I hate this idea just as much as you do. But I don't know how else to get in there and kill this thing, Nicole. We have to do this. And it's not Dean's fault."

Nicole let Sam hug her for a moment, then shoved herself back, whirling to glare at Dean. "You'd better bring him back in one piece, or so help me, we're gonna have words!" Then she stalked from the room, and Devon kept her hands on Dean's chest as he fought his temper. Sam was looking at him, a helpless 'I don't know how to deal with her' look on his face, and he finally unclenched his jaw and put his arms around Devon.

"We'll be all right, Dev, I promise."

She put a hand on his face and reached up to kiss him. "You'd better be."