So I'm borrowing heavily from one of my favorite SPN episodes of season 5, "I Believe the Children Are Our Future." I loved that episode, and I *hope* I blended it in nicely with this story. Any recognizable dialogue, characters, plot, etc. is from there and is not my original idea.
**Anything recognizable from Charmed or Supernatural does not belong to me.**
Chapter Twenty-Six
After the weird case in Ohio, which ended with Sam killing a god in the form of Paris Hilton, of all things, the gang received a phone call. Kate was in the hospital. Melinda and Peyton immediately left, leaving Dean and Sam to hit the road together, towards a missing persons case.
It wasn't what they were expecting, though. They met up with Bobby, who lost twenty-five years of his life in a poker game with a witch. Dean went to get Bobby's years back, losing twenty-five of his own in the process. Sam was the one to set all things right again, using the card shark skills he rarely showed. They'd kept in touch with the girls during the case, even as weirded out as Melinda was, talking to her suddenly much-older husband. They'd helped them, especially when Leo admitted to having dealt with the witch years before, long before Piper was even born. And when the case was over, Dean drove, way too fast, back to the Manor.
He'd held Kate for what seemed like forever, in the recliner in the living room. Kate didn't mind at all, just sitting with him and holding a pillow against her tummy, proudly showing her little scars from her appendectomy to whomever brought it up.
Melinda sat at the kitchen table, a steaming cup of coffee in her hand and the laptop open on the table in front of her.
"Alliance, Nebraska?"
"Ow! Damn it."
Melinda set the coffee on the table, picking up a napkin and wiping up the coffee she'd spilled onto her hand. Phoebe sat beside her, taking hold of her hand and looking it over.
"I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
Melinda nodded, but waved a hand, opening the freezer and bringing an ice pack to the table, which Phoebe placed on her hand with a smile.
"I'm sorry."
"I know. It's okay. I was …"
"Distracted?"
Melinda sighed.
"Am I that obvious?"
"Aside from the fact that I'm an empath… Yes. But I have known you for the past twenty-eight years, so."
Melinda smiled, and Phoebe bumped her shoulder.
"What's going on with you, kid?"
Melinda sighed, setting the ice pack aside and pushing her hands through her hair. She shook her head, and Phoebe mirrored her.
"Oh, I don't think so. Don't even think about not telling me. This is your old Aunt Phoebe! Your favorite, remember?"
Melinda laughed, letting it trail into a sigh.
"It's complicated, Aunt Phoebe. And … I am really not comfortable talking about it with you. Oh, God. No, I didn't mean it like that. It's just—"
"Take a breath, kid."
Melinda did, closing her eyes. Phoebe reached over, taking her hand. Melinda stared at their hands, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
"I'm worried. I can't really put into words exactly why, but … Dean's been … different, ever since he came back from—from wherever Zachariah put him."
"Different how? He's not hurting you, is he?"
"No! Aunt Phoebe, he'd never."
Phoebe smiled.
"Yeah, I didn't think so."
Melinda shook her head.
"He's doing things he didn't use to do. Kind of keeping me at arms' length, but clinging to me, and I can't figure out why. I want to talk to him about it, but I just … I don't know how to address it."
She looked at the table again, speaking softly.
"I feel like he's slipping away, and I can't stop it."
Phoebe leaned over, taking Melinda in her arms. Melinda closed her eyes, breathing in the familiar smell of her aunt. After a moment, Phoebe spoke.
"Listen to me, okay?"
Melinda nodded, and Phoebe pushed her back to look into her eyes.
"You have to talk to him. Figure out some way, because this needs to be settled before it gets out of hand, okay?"
Melinda nodded again, letting out a long sigh, reaching up to push a hand through her hair.
"You're right. And I know you're right. I just don't know how."
"I think you do. You are an incredibly bright child."
Melinda snorted, and Phoebe laughed.
"I mean it. Talk to your husband."
Melinda nodded, and Phoebe kissed her on the forehead.
"Now. What's going on in Nebraska?"
Melinda shook her head.
"I'm not sure. But it definitely seems like our kind of thing. This article talks about a teenager who died while she was babysitting."
"Oh, that's terrible."
"Yeah. Report states that Amber Freer was attacked by a wild animal."
Melinda scrolled through the article while Phoebe read over her shoulder. Phoebe looked from the computer to Melinda.
"A wild animal came into the house while she was babysitting and clawed through her skull?"
"Sounds … suspicious, right?"
Phoebe nodded.
"You thinking demon?"
"We've met some with animal-like claws before. Werewolves, of course, but they'd go for the heart, not the brain."
Melinda shrugged her shoulders.
"We'll be heading out probably pretty soon, once I tell everyone."
"Gather the Scooby gang. I'll help you pack."
They arrived in Nebraska the next day. Dean and Peyton went to check out the house, while Sam and Melinda went to the morgue to see the body. After flashing their badges, Sam cleared his throat.
"We need to see Amber Freer's body."
The medical examiner gave them both a look.
"What for? Didn't you get the autopsy report I sent out this morning?"
Sam and Melinda exchanged a glance, before she smiled.
"We've been having issues with our server ever since yesterday."
The medical examiner smiled back at her, nodding.
"Follow me."
As they turned to follow the medical examiner, Sam bent down, speaking under his breath, just so Melinda could hear.
"Nice save."
She gave him a wink and a smile as they came to a stop, as the medical examiner opened the drawer and pulled Amber Freer's body out into the open. Melinda made a face, and Sam leaned forward before he looked up to the doctor.
"You said something clawed through her skull?"
The doctor nodded, turning his back to them.
"That was what we originally thought, until we found this."
The doctor turns back to face them, holding a small bag, lifting it to the light so they can see it. Melinda's eyes widened.
"You've got to be kidding me."
She reached and took the bag from the doctor, holding it up for Sam to see, and he cleared his throat.
"Is that a press-on nail?"
The doctor sighed as he nodded.
"We dug it out of her temporal lobe."
Sam and Melinda turned to each other, identical incredulous looks on their faces until Melinda turned to the doctor.
"You're saying she did this to herself?"
"Is that even possible?"
The doctor nodded to Sam.
"It would take hours, and hurt like hell, but yes. It is possible."
Sam stepped forward, lifting the sheet just a bit, to see Amber's hand, press-on nails decorating four fingers, while one sat empty. Melinda stared at the body, shaking her head.
"What would make someone do that?"
The doctor let out a quiet laugh.
"Pick your acronym. LSD, PCP. They all pretty much spell 'crazy.'"
Sam stepped back and the doctor readjusted the sheet, covering Amber's body again.
"My guess is it had to be some kind of extreme case of phantom itch."
Sam's eyebrows drew together.
"'Phantom itch'?"
The doctor nodded as he slid the slab back into the drawer before shutting and locking it.
"All it takes is for someone to start talking about an itch, and suddenly, you can't stop scratching."
The doctor turned back, hiding his smile as he saw Sam scratching beneath the collar of his shirt, as Melinda scratched at the back of her neck. Melinda flashed him a smile.
"Thanks, Doc."
Peyton and Dean walked into the hotel room, Dean immediately loosening and removing his tie. Sam and Melinda looked up from the table, expectant looks on their faces. Peyton shook her head.
"You first. There's no way you'll believe us."
Melinda let out a laugh.
"Oh, I highly doubt that."
Peyton and Dean exchanged a glance, and Melinda let out a sigh.
"Amber Freer's death was not due to any wild animal. It was … self-inflicted."
"What?"
Melinda nodded, and Sam spoke up.
"M.E. found a fake nail in Amber's temporal lobe."
"She literally scratched her brains out."
Dean let out a chuckle, and all eyes turned to him. He shrugged, reaching into his pocket as Peyton's phone began to ring.
"Well, since the kid said he poured this on Amber's hairbrush …"
He lifted a bag of itching powder, tossing it to Sam, who'd held his hands out. Sam shook his head.
"There's no way this would cause someone to do something as extreme as Amber did. It's just ground-up maple seeds."
Peyton turned around with a sigh.
"We're back on. That was Officer Miller."
Melinda nodded to them.
"Go. We'll try to figure out what the hell is up with this itching powder."
Dean and Peyton walked back in roughly two hours later, as Sam was leaning back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. Melinda walked in right behind them, two cups of coffee in her hand, stopping and studying the bags Dean was carrying. She lifted an eyebrow, opening her mouth, and Peyton shook her head, jerking her thumb towards Dean.
"All his idea."
Dean smiled as he set his bags down, and Sam immediately began clearing the books and computer away from the table. Melinda shook her head, looking to Peyton, who sighed.
"So the call we got?"
Melinda nodded, and Peyton went on.
"Guy got electrocuted."
"Whoa. How?"
Peyton shook her head, a smile on her face.
"A joy buzzer."
"Wait. What?"
Peyton nodded towards Sam, reaching over and taking his coffee from Melinda, taking a sip.
"Stanley, who must have been 80 if he was a day, was just saying how it was a joke they'd been playing on each other for 70 years. Stanley shook Marv's hand, and down went Marv."
Sam nodded, then looked to his brother, who was still setting up.
"So what's he doing?"
Peyton blew out her breath, shaking her head.
"This idiot decides to try out his own experiment. There's a joy buzzer in that bag and he's going to use it to see if he can—"
"Cook this baby."
Dean lifted a ham out of the grocery bag and Melinda's mouth opened and closed. Peyton stepped forward, taking another sip of coffee, then poking Melinda in the shoulder.
"And you thought marrying him was a good idea."
Melinda opened her mouth again, letting out a breath as she closed it, then shrugged her shoulders. Sam just shook his head, and they all took a step back as Dean reached into the bag and removed the buzzer. Peyton motioned for the door.
"I think I'm just going to—"
"That's a brilliant idea."
"Oh, I'm in."
Peyton, Sam, and Melinda walked out of the door, leaving Dean muttering under his breath.
"Here goes nothing."
Five minutes later, Peyton, Sam, and Melinda walked back inside, stopping right at the door when they saw Dean leaning up against the table, ankles crossed, eating a ham sandwich, the now-fully cooked ham sitting on the table beside him. Melinda shook her head.
"What the hell is going on in this town?"
Early the next morning, calls started pouring in. They decided to split up to cover all their bases, and just before lunchtime the next day, they all gathered back in the hotel room. Melinda looked to Dean.
"You first."
Dean nodded.
"Seems our witch theory is toast. Guy at the joke shop is pissed that no one plays practical jokes anymore, and he's losing money. But when I melted a rubber chicken with a joy buzzer… He freaked. He's clean."
Dean looked to Sam, who let out a breath.
"So this guy was brought into the hospital early this morning because … someone broke into his house and pulled all his teeth."
He looked at the blank faces staring back and him and smiled.
"It gets better."
Sam reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out his notebook.
"Here's the description he gave me: five-foot-ten, three hundred and fifty pounds … wings and a pink tutu. Swears it was the tooth fairy."
"Oh, come on."
"Best part is, thirty-two quarters were left under his pillow. One for every tooth."
Peyton shook her head.
"Well, I will see your crazy and raise you this. I interviewed two little kids on the hospital's pediatric floor. Stomach ulcers that they swear they got by mixing Pop Rocks and Coke."
Melinda shrugged her shoulders.
"Kind of along the same lines, the kid I interviewed … Well… his face got stuck that way."
She looked from Dean to Sam to Peyton, then let out a sigh, crossing her eyes and pulling out the sides of her mouth. Dean snorted, trying to hide his laughter, and Melinda leaned over to punch him in the arm.
"He held it too long and his face froze. They're flying a plastic surgeon in for him later today."
Sam nodded.
"Okay, so we've got the tooth fairy, Pop Rocks and Coke, and a frozen funny face. Add all that up and … I got nothing."
The girls shook their heads, and Dean shrugged his shoulders.
"You know, I thought sea monkeys were real."
Melinda smiled.
"They are real. They're brine shrimp."
Dean smiled back at her, leaning to hold her hand.
"No, I mean… The sea monkey wife cooks a pot roast for her sea monkey husband and the sea monkey kids play with the dog in a sea monkey castle. Just like in the commercials, you know? I mean, I was six, but I believed it."
"What are you getting at?"
Dean held out the hand that wasn't holding Melinda's.
"Everything we've seen here so far? They're all lies that kids believe."
Melinda sat up.
"Don't mix Pop Rocks and Coke, because it will make your stomach explode. Don't make that face, or it's going to stick like that."
"That joy buzzer will shock you."
She looked to Peyton and nodded. Sam leaned forward.
"So whatever we're dealing with here has the power to alter reality. It's got the powers of a god or—"
Sam stopped, leaning back in his chair.
"Or a Trickster. Damn it."
Dean smiled.
"Don't forget the sense of a humor of a nine-year-old."
"Yeah… Or you."
Melinda and Sam burst out laughing at Peyton's statement, while Dean narrowed his eyes at her. Melinda straightened in her chair.
"Hey, do we have a map?"
Sam nodded, standing up to get it, and Melinda followed after him. Dean stood up, walking to the smaller table beside the TV, and Peyton shook her head.
"Seriously with the ham?"
Dean shrugged his shoulders, continuing to fix himself a sandwich. Melinda glanced over to him, shaking her head as she smiled. She held out her hand, and a red marker floated from Peyton's purse to Melinda's hand. Melinda looked to Sam, who rattled off addresses. Two minutes later, Melinda leaned back, and Peyton and Dean walked over to the table. Melinda leaned back and stole a bite of Dean's sandwich, then nodded to the map.
"Okay, so we've got Pop Rocks and Coke here, tooth fairy over here, itching powder up here, and the joy buzzer and funny face are down here. Everything sits within a two-mile radius."
Sam nodded.
"So we've got a blast zone of weird, and in this circle, fantasy becomes reality."
Dean motioned towards the map.
"So what's the A-bomb at the center?"
Peyton leaned over.
"Looks like about … four acres of farmland … and a house."
They all exchanged glances, then nodded. Melinda cleared her throat.
"Also, our hotel is in this little circle of fun, so just be careful."
Sam and Peyton looked at each other, then Melinda, and they all three looked to Dean. He rolled his eyes.
"Ha ha. Shut up. Let's hit the road and check out this farmhouse."
Dean parked the Impala across the street from the house. Peyton spoke up from the backseat as everyone was studying the house.
"Doesn't look like anyone's home."
Melinda nodded, and Dean leaned over, taking her hand.
"Hey."
She turned to look at him, and he smiled.
"You okay?"
She gave him a smile, nodding before she glanced back at the house.
"I don't know, I just …"
"What, Mel?"
She glanced back at Peyton and shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. I have a weird feeling, but I don't know how to explain it. It's not a bad weird, just … Weird."
Dean glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing Sam staring back at him.
"Should we turn back?"
Melinda shook her head.
"No. I just … I don't think we're dealing with a Trickster. Or a god. I don't know what it is, but …"
She opened her door, climbing out. Dean nodded.
"So apparently, we're going."
Sam and Peyton followed Dean and exited the car, walking across the street and up the front steps. Sam looked around and bent to unlock the door, standing up straight when the door opened.
"Can I help you?"
They all stopped, went still, looking down at the boy who was looking up at them. Melinda stepped forward, pushing from behind Dean, meeting the dark eyes of the child looking back at her. She smiled.
"Hi."
He blinked two times, dark eyes wide beneath his dark brown hair, long eyelashes nearly brushing his cheeks when he closed his eyes. He stepped forward from the door he was almost hiding behind, looking up at Melinda.
"Hi."
She walked over, kneeling down to where they could be eye-to-eye.
"My name is Melinda."
"I'm Jesse."
Melinda's face lit up with a smile, and Jesse smiled back at her.
"Hi, Jesse."
"Are your parents home, Jesse?"
Jesse narrowed his eyes as he looked behind Melinda, to Dean.
"Who wants to know?"
Melinda glanced back at Dean, a smile on her face.
"Uh, FBI."
Jesse raised an eyebrow and Melinda stood to her feet, coughing to cover up the laugh she couldn't hide. Sam and Dean pulled their badges out of their pockets, handing them to Jesse, who studied them for a moment, then handed them back.
"What, you guys don't knock anymore?"
Peyton coughed this time, turning her back to the guys, and Sam sighed, repeating Dean's question about Jesse's parents. Jesse lifted a shoulder.
"They work."
"Well, do you mind if we take a look around the house, maybe ask a few questions?"
Jesse narrowed his eyes.
"I don't know."
"Oh, come on, kid. You can trust us."
"Jesus."
Melinda shook her head, and Jesse looked up at her.
"I know. They're like that all the time. But, luckily, Peyton and I are here to keep them in line."
Jesse smiled, then nodded.
"Okay."
He let them in the front door, and they looked around as they followed him to the kitchen. Sam smiled as Jesse walked to the stove.
"Hey, what's that?"
"It's called soup. You heat it up, then eat it."
Peyton didn't bother to hide her quiet laugh this time. Sam closed his eyes, but smiled.
"Yeah, I know. I used to make my own dinner, too, when I was a kid."
Peyton glanced back, exchanging a look with Sam. Jesse turned back from the stove.
"I'm not a kid."
Melinda bit her lip, then stepped forward.
"Can I show you a trick, Jesse?"
He nodded, and Melinda opened a cabinet, pulling down a few spices.
"My mom has her own restaurant, and she's shown me all kinds of tricks over the years. Now this soup is pretty good on its own, but if you add a little bit of this… and just a tiny pinch of this … and stir for just a second … Here, taste."
She held the spoon, and Jesse ate the bite she'd given him. His dark eyes widened as he smiled.
"Wow. That is good."
Melinda smiled back, and Dean let out a ragged breath. Peyton looked back at him until he glanced to her, then cleared his throat.
"Hey, Jesse. You draw these?"
Melinda moved the pot off the burner, turning the stove off as Jesse turned to face Dean. He nodded. Dean pointed to one of the pictures.
"What's John Belushi doing in a dress?"
Jesse rolled his eyes.
"That's the tooth fairy."
"The tooth fairy?"
Sam stepped closer, looking at the drawing. He looked up to meet Dean's eyes.
"This is what you think the tooth fairy looks like?"
"It's what my dad told me he looked like."
Sam and Dean exchanged another glance before looking to Jesse.
"What, your dad didn't tell you about the tooth fairy?"
Dean smiled.
"No, my dad told me different stories."
Jesse turned back to Melinda, stepping to get a bowl out of the cabinet.
"Well, the tooth fairy isn't a story."
Melinda met Dean's eyes, holding his gaze as she spoke.
"Hey Jesse, what do you know about itching powder?"
"That stuff'll make you scratch your brains out."
Peyton spoke up as Jesse fixed his bowl of soup.
"What about Pop Rocks and Coke?"
"Everybody knows if you mix those you end up in the hospital."
Jesse walked to the table, setting his bowl down. Dean reached into his pocket, and pulled a joy buzzer out. Jesse's eyes went wide, and he took a step back.
"You shouldn't have that."
"Why not?"
"It'll electrocute you."
Melinda smiled, walking up and gently squeezing Jesse's shoulders as she walked over to Dean, taking the joy buzzer from his hand. Jesse reached out for her, before shrinking back. Melinda's smile grew, softened as she held the buzzer in her hand, talking to Jesse.
"This can't hurt you. It's harmless. It doesn't even have batteries."
"So it … It can't shock you?"
Melinda shook her head.
"Nope."
Jesse nodded slowly.
"Oh. Okay."
Melinda smiled, looking down at the buzzer.
"It's actually kind of lame, to tell you the truth. All it does is shake in your hand. See?"
She turned and pressed the buzzer to Dean's chest, and he gasped, then shot a look at Melinda, who just smiled as Peyton and Sam laughed. Melinda turned back to Jesse, tossing the joy buzzer to him, and he caught it, studying it before nodding and setting it on the table beside his soup bowl.
"Seriously?"
Melinda smiled, waving a hand at her husband.
"I had a hunch."
"You risked my ass on a hunch?"
"You're all right, aren't you?"
They climbed into the Impala, and Peyton spoke up from the backseat.
"So, everything that Jesse believes comes true?"
"Looks like it."
"But then, if you convince him otherwise, joy buzzers go from being deadly weapons back to crap toys?"
Melinda waved, smiling when she saw the answering wave from between the curtains on the front door. Peyton watched Dean as he closed his eyes, turning his head to look out the window.
"He doesn't even know he's doing it."
"What?"
Dean turned back to Melinda, who finally took her eyes from the house to face Dean.
"Jesse doesn't even know what he's doing. He's not possessed. I sprinkled salt in the soup."
"So how is he doing it?"
Melinda looked to Dean, a worried look crossing her face as she looked back to the house. Dean looked in the rearview, meeting Sam's eyes before he started the car and drove them back to their hotel.
Sam and Peyton had gone off in search of any information they could find about Jesse, leaving Melinda and Dean alone in the hotel room to search over lore and anything else they could find. Melinda watched Dean for a while, as he made his way through two ham sandwiches as he searched on the computer. She set her container of beef and broccoli aside, leaving the chopsticks in it—because she, Sam, and Peyton just couldn't stand to eat one more piece of ham—and turned to Dean.
"Hey, Winchester?"
He looked up from the computer, and she smiled.
"Can we talk?"
Dean smiled as he wiped his mouth with a napkin, balling it up and tossing it into the trashcan.
"That's never a good sign."
"No, it—I just wanted us to talk for a minute."
"About what? The case? The kid?"
"You."
Dean sat back.
"Me?"
Melinda leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table.
"You haven't been yourself since you came back."
Dean sighed, lacing his hands together over his abdomen.
"Mel, it's just … Nothing."
"No, don't do that. Come on."
She stood up, walking around and taking his hand, leading him over to the bed. He sat beside her, reaching and holding both her hands in his. She looked him in the eye.
"It's not nothing that keeps you up at night. It's not nothing that makes you hold me as tightly as you've been doing. And it's not nothing the way you cling to Kate whenever you're around her."
Dean closed his eyes, opening them again at the feel of Melinda's soft hand against his cheek.
"Baby, whatever it is … You can tell me. We can work through it, Dean."
He smiled softly, shaking his head.
"I can't, Mel."
"Honey—"
"It's too much. It's too fresh in my mind right now, and I can't bear the thought of putting that on you. Please."
She leaned over, taking him in her arms, closing her eyes as he put his face in her neck, letting her hand come up to hold him there.
"Okay. Okay, it's okay."
Melinda's phone started to ring, and she glanced at it on the table. Dean's voice was muffled as he spoke, making her smile.
"Are you going to get that?"
"It'll keep."
She ran her hands gently up and down his back, until he finally sighed and moved to get the phone from the table, handing it to her. He sat on the bed as she listened to the voicemail, then met her eyes.
"Sam and Peyton found out some info on Jesse, and they won't be back probably until tonight."
Dean nodded, and Melinda set the phone down, standing up to loop her arms around Dean's neck, sitting on his lap, giving him a smile.
"So why don't we take a little time and relax some? What do you say?"
His smile was the only answer she needed, as she leaned in, locking her lips to his, gently pushing him down onto the bed.
Sam rolled his shoulders as he opened the door, and Peyton let out a long yawn as she followed him. When they saw the bed closest to the door, Peyton smiled, and Sam let out a breath.
"Damn it."
"Told you. Five bucks, I do believe, sir."
Sam reached into his pocket, handing Peyton the money, and she smiled as she stuck it in her purse. They exchanged a look, then stood back, crossing their arms over their chests in an identical gesture.
Dean was asleep on his back, wearing just his jeans, one hand on his chest, the other wrapped around Melinda, whose head was on his shoulder, sleeping, tucked under the blankets.
"Sam?"
He turned to Peyton, saw the worry in her face. She motioned to Dean.
"He's dreaming. Wake him up."
Sam stepped forward, gently taking hold Dean's foot and giving it a shake. Dean's eyes flew open, and Sam was right there, speaking softly.
"Easy, Dean. Easy. You're okay."
Green eyes flashed around the room until Melinda shifted on his chest. Peyton felt the instant relief, saw it in the way Dean's eyes closed as his head fell onto the pillow, heard it in the exhalation Dean gave. Sam went to speak, but shut his mouth when the quiet, sleepy voice was heard.
"Dean?"
Dean pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"It's all right. Sam and Peyton are back."
Melinda's blue eyes opened, and she yawned as she looked over, seeing Peyton smile at her. Melinda let out a quiet groan, then sat up in the bed, pulling the blankets further around her, and Peyton noticed that she was wearing Dean's shirt. Peyton leaned into Sam as he came back to stand beside her.
"You awake yet, Princess?"
Melinda stuck her tongue out at Peyton, who just laughed. Melinda yawned as she spoke.
"What did you find out?"
Peyton sighed, and Sam spoke.
"Jesse Turner is your average B-student, winner of last year's pinewood derby. But, he was adopted."
"Yeah?"
Sam nodded at Melinda.
"Birth records were sealed."
Melinda smiled.
"So when you unsealed them?"
Sam grinned back at her.
"No father was listed, but Julia Wright is his birth mother. She lives over in Elk Creek, across the state."
"Which is where we went. Long-ass drive."
Dean laughed at Peyton, who continued.
"Here's where the story gets good. Julia spoke to us through her locked door, made us slip the badges through the mail slot. She opened the door—"
"But not the screen door."
"But not the screen door, and spoke to us that way. She pretended not to know what we were talking about, until I asked her if anything strange happened during her pregnancy. She takes off running—"
"And naturally, we had to follow."
Peyton smiled, hitting Sam in the arm.
"We followed her into the pantry, where she flung salt all over us."
"And when we didn't scream in pain or smoke out, she stopped."
"Wait, what?"
Peyton nodded to Melinda as she walked to the other bed, sitting down and slipping her shoes off. Dean leaned forward.
"So she knows about demons?"
"Not just knows."
Sam walked over, sitting beside Peyton, letting out a groan. Sam nodded to Dean and Melinda.
"Julia Wright was possessed by a demon."
"When?"
"Late '97. For a total of nine months."
Melinda looked at Dean, who was staring back at her.
"She was possessed while she was pregnant?"
"A demon possessed her, carried a baby, and gave birth before she was able to pour salt down her throat and forcibly exorcise it."
"So, what about Jesse's father?"
Peyton and Sam exchanged a look. Dean shook his head.
"So, what? Jesse's Rosemary's Baby?"
Peyton shrugged her shoulders.
"Kind of seems that way."
Melinda looked back to Dean.
"We're going to need some help."
Before the words were fully out of Melinda's mouth, a gust of wind blew through the room. She blinked, then smiled.
"Hey, Cas."
Castiel nodded to her.
"It's a good thing you found the boy."
Dean stood up, stretching before he grabbed a shirt from his bag.
"Yeah, good. So what are we supposed to do with him?"
"Kill him."
Dean froze, before pulling the shirt down and turning to Castiel. Peyton and Sam stared at him, open-mouthed, and Melinda was staring at the angel. Dean shook his head.
"Come again?"
Castiel sighed.
"This child is half-human, half-demon. You know him as the antichrist."
"What?"
"There's no way."
"You're shitting me."
Peyton, Melinda, and Sam spoke at the same time, and Cas walked to sit at the table. Dean shook his head.
"Just clear this up for me. Jesse is the devil's son?"
"Of course not. Lucifer's been locked up for millennia. The child is simply demon spawn."
"Demon spawn?"
"But he is one of the devil's greatest weapons."
Dean set his hands on his hips, exchanging a glance with his brother before turning back to Castiel.
"What the hell's this kid doing in Nebraska?"
"The demons lost him."
Sam let out a laugh.
"How the hell did they lose him?"
"His power. It protects him from both angels and demons. At least, it does for now."
Peyton shook her head as she looked to Castiel.
"So, what? He's got … like a force field around him?"
"Good. Problem solved."
Castiel turned to Dean, shaking his head.
"With Lucifer risen, the child will grow stronger. Soon, it will be more than just a few toys coming to life. He'll do something to draw the demons to him. And when he does, Lucifer will twist the child to doing his purpose. And with a single word, he can decimate the hosts of heaven."
Dean held his hands up.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you telling me Jesse's got the ability to nuke the angels?"
"We cannot allow this to happen."
"Wait."
Sam stood up, laying a hand on Peyton shoulder as he stepped closer to Castiel.
"We don't kill kids. We're the good guys, remember?"
"A year ago, you would have done whatever it took to win this war."
"Well, things change."
"Sam."
Dean stepped over, placing one hand on Sam's chest, the other on Castiel's, putting himself in the middle.
"We're not going to kill him. But we can't just leave him here, either. We'll … we'll take him to the Manor. Or to Bobby's. Bobby will know what to do."
Castiel turned his bright blue eyes to Dean.
"So you're just going to kidnap him? You don't know what he's capable of, Dean. What's going on right now? That's because he's happy. What happens when this thing is angry?"
"Jesse."
All eyes turned to the bed, to Melinda. She'd been quiet until then, and she was staring at Castiel, blue eyes heated.
"His name is Jesse. He's not a 'thing.' He's a child."
"It doesn't matter—"
"The hell it doesn't! Cas, think of what you're saying. Antichrist or not, Jesse is a child."
"You don't know what he's capable of."
Anger burned in Melinda's eyes.
"He is just a child. If what you said is true, if Lucifer can shape him into whatever he wants, then so can we."
"Exactly."
Sam stepped towards Melinda.
"Cas, you say Jesse's destined to go dark side. But he hasn't yet. So we … we tell him the truth, lay it all out on the table for him, and he might … He might make the right choice."
Melinda nodded, a smile crossing her face. After what seemed like forever, Castiel stepped forward, right in front of Sam, meeting his eyes.
"You didn't."
Sam's face fell.
"And this isn't a chance we can afford to take."
Everyone blinked as the gust of wind blew through, and Melinda leapt to her feet.
"Shit. Jesse. We have to get to him!"