Chapter 37
The first thing Dean did when he arrived back at the motel was grab a quick shower. He was sweaty, dirty and his muscles were aching from digging and being thrown around. It gave Jessie the opportunity to talk to Sam about something that had been on her mind for awhile.
"Are you really okay?" Sam asked as he sat on the couch next to Jessie. "You seem preoccupied in thought."
"Yeah, you could say that," she replied evenly. "There's something I realized I need to speak to you about."
"Okay..."
"Before I begin, I want you to realize this isn't up for discussion," she said. He shot her an apprehensive look, but the serious look she returned kept him silent. "I know you're not gonna like this, but I've been thinking about this a lot. I need you to promise me something."
"Anything," he replied hesitantly.
"You're very sweet to agree before I even tell you what it is," she said with a warm smile. "But I know you're not gonna like it."
She paused, reaching out to take his hand. "I want you to promise, that if we're ever on a hunt and you have to choose between saving me or your brother, that you'll choose him."
"What?" he said with dismay, pulling his hand from hers. "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
He shook his head in disbelief. "Why would you make me promise something like that?"
She sighed, looking pensive. "Because I've had some time to think about this, and it's what's right."
"I think you've lost your mind, Jess."
"No," she replied, shaking her head. "You worry about me way too much. When the three of us are hunting, you're so busy worrying about me, you seem to forget about your brother. I can't be the reason something happens to him, Sam. I won't be."
"It wouldn't be your fault if I did choose, you know that, right?"
"That's not the point though, Sam."
"Then what is?"
"He's your brother, Sam. The two of you have been to hell and back for each other. And no matter how things go between us, we'll never have the kind of bond the two of you have."
He laughed ironically. "You mean crazy and dysfunctional?"
"I don't have to explain it. You know exactly what I'm talking about."
He knew what she meant, but he didn't want to continue with the conversation. However, he knew she wasn't going to let it drop until he gave her a satisfactory answer.
"I understand where you're coming from, but I don't think I can promise that."
She looked at him with disappointment for a moment, then shook her head in understanding.
"I guess I understand, Sam. But I want you to know. If it ever comes down to choosing between me and your brother, I wouldn't blame you for choosing him."
He smiled supportively. "Let's hope it never comes to that."
Dean walked out of the bathroom at that moment, interrupting the awkwardness between the couple.
"Are we heading back to Bobby's now, or are we staying here for the night?" he asked, completely oblivious to the situation he'd interrupted.
She shrugged. "It's up to you and Sam. I don't care one way or the other."
After much discussion, the three of them decided to stay the night and leave early in the morning, since it wasn't a long drive back to Bobby's. It wouldn't have mattered to the boys, but Jessie was bruised, battered and exhausted, and both of them could see it. Sam wasn't the only one concerned about her this time, but Dean knew it wasn't his place to mention it. He could only hope that she would feel better in the morning.
Jessie tossed and turned much of the night, keeping the brothers from getting much sleep. And although Dean was sleeping in a separate bed, it disturbed him as well—even after he had a few shots of whiskey, hoping to help him sleep.
When she woke in the morning, she was still tired, but the concerned faces of the brothers kept her from mentioning that fact. She had begun to worry about herself as well, but she would never let either of them know. At this point, she just wanted to get through the wedding ceremony and the honeymoon, then she could allow herself to take a break and visit a doctor. She just wanted to believe it was nothing important, blaming it on her lack of a nutritious diet, although she knew that couldn't be the only thing that was attributing to her exhaustion. She just had no idea what it could be.
They left almost immediately after waking, only stopping to grab something quick to eat—and of course, coffee—arriving at Bobby's in the late morning.
The first thing Jessie did when they arrived was check out her car. The paint was now dry and she was pleased to see Bobby had waxed it for her. As much as she loved riding in the Impala, she was happy to see her car back in good condition, and, she loved her own car more.
When she walked into the kitchen, Bobby and the Winchesters gave her the distinct feeling she'd interrupted something. She had an idea what was going on, but she went about her business pretending she had no idea.
She did her best to keep herself busy the entire day, avoiding any sort of conversation with anyone, including Sam. And when it became late, she went to bed without even a good night to anyone. It wasn't because she was angry with anyone, far from it. She just didn't think their depth of concern was warranted.
The next morning when she awoke, Jessie felt energetic and cheery. In fact, she felt so good, she decided to clean up Bobby's house. It had been awhile since she'd done that and it really needed it. The men seemed to shoot her suspicious glances every so often, but there was nothing for them to be suspcious about, she was genuinely fine.
The next few days went by rather slowly for Jessie. She was bored with nothing to hunt, and planning the wedding took nothing, since it was only a basic ceremony. Sam had bought her dress, Mike was going to be bringing her a bouquet, the license had been taken care of, and the tuxes, and the rings. There was nothing left to do but show up.
Thursday, the day before the wedding, they all left early in the morning for Jessie's house. The Winchesters rode in the Impala, while Bobby rode with Jessie in her Caprice. It was the first time she'd had a chance to drive her car since the accident with the demons and she was taking full advantage of it. However, when Bobby eventually told her she was driving too fast, she knew she was overdoing it.
She took the scenic route to her house, but she still managed to beat Dean by a few minutes, and of course, she made sure she teased him about it. She knew he didn't care, but she enjoyed teasing him anyway. It was almost like having a brother of her own.
With her new found energy, which was mostly a product of her anxiety and excitement, she cleaned her house from top to bottom, keeping herself busy. She knew that once she settled down, she would just become nervous, and she hated that feeling almost as much as feeling vulnerable.
It was difficult to find sleep that night, but eventually her exhaustion won over her excitement. She knew she'd be waking up to a virtually empty house, which in the past never bothered her, but now it did. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but she'd come to depend on having others around.
Bobby woke Jessie up the next morning when Mike showed up to help her get ready. She'd been hoping to sleep a little longer, but she should have expected he would show up early, he always did.
Her nerves began almost immediately after she got out of bed. She barely made it into the bathroom when her nausea got the best of her and she vomited in the toilet.
"Do you need me to come hold your hair, Jess?" Mike asked as he opened the door slowly.
She wiped her face, glancing up at him from the floor with shame.
"I'm okay, Mike. I just get sick when I'm nervous," she replied, standing up slowly.
"Since when?" he asked with surprise.
She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Since that damn TV show," she replied with disdain.
"I know I've told you before, but you were awesome."
She smiled thankfully, then began brushing her teeth.
After she was done showering, she got into the dress Sam had got for her, smiling as her mind wandered to the last time she'd worn it. If not for that night, she wouldn't be here, preparing herself to marry him. It felt like a dream.
Once she was fully dressed, Mike helped her with her hair and make-up. He put her hair into an updo, leaving several strands loose around the sides of her face, which he curled into ringlets. He also sprinkled some sparkles into her hair after he sprayed it with hair spray.
"You're almost as good as the stylists on that TV show," she teased as she looked at herself in the mirror.
He grinned. "You're so beautiful you make it easy."
She blushed slightly, turning to face him. "It's a good thing you're gay or Sam might kick your ass for flirting with me."
He chuckled. "Nah, I think Sam is a pussy cat. You would be the one to kick my ass."
"And don't you forget it," she said with a smile, turning back to the mirror.
She couldn't help but stare at herself, amazed by how she looked. Never in a million years could she have allowed herself to imagine a day like this. Yet here she was, all dressed up, getting ready to get married. She could only hope her parents and grandparents would be happy for her.
"Don't you think it's time to go," Mike said, laying a hand on her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts.
She turned around, just in time to hear an impatient knock at the door.
"Coming, Bobby," she said, grinning wildly.
She turned around as the bathroom door opened and heard Bobby gasp in surprise when he saw her.
"You look beautiful, Jess," he said, beaming proudly.
"Thanks, old man," she said, smiling affectionately.
"Well, we better not keep Sam waiting," he said awkwardly.
She smiled in amusement, following him from the house.
It wasn't a long drive from her house to the church, but it was rather an awkward one. She wasn't used to Bobby driving her car, and with the amount of talking Mike was doing, she thought Bobby was going to go nuts. It didn't bother though, it had been so long since she'd been able to sit and speak with Mike in person for any length of time, she actually missed it.
When they arrived at the little church, the first thing Jessie noticed was the Impala parked out front. She wasn't sure why, but just seeing it made her begin to panic slightly. She cast a nervous glance at Mike as he helped her out of the car. He smiled supportively in return, but said nothing. He seemed to know what she was thinking.
As she walked into the church, she noticed the doors to the main part of the church were closed. She knew why, and she was glad they were. She was afraid if they were opened any sooner then before she was about to walk down the aisle, she would take off running in the other direction and not look back—ever. She hadn't realized exactly how nervous she was until that moment.
"I'll be back in a minute," she announced to Bobby and Mike, before running down the hallway to the right.
When she made it to the bathroom, she thought she was going to vomit, but she didn't. Her stomach felt incredibly queasy, which she could only imagine was due to her anxiety about getting married.
There was a knock at the door a minute later.
"Can I come in?" Mike asked with concern.
She opened the door hesitantly, closing it as soon as he was in the room.
"Are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder supportively.
"Yeah, I think so."
"What's going on with you?" he asked with worry. "I've never known you to act like this before?"
She wasn't sure why, but the way he spoke suddenly made her defensive.
"And when's the last time I got married?" she replied with annoyance.
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Do you really think that's going to work with me, Jess? I know you better than that."
She snorted. "I'm beginning to regret that."
He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay, I get it. Enough with the worry. I'm sorry."
She smiled teasingly. "I've trained you so well."
He laughed. "I hope Sam realizes what he's getting himself in to."
She slapped him playfully. "Well now I'm hurt."
He watched as she seemed to relax, a slight smile creeping across her face. He only hoped he could keep her from going off the deep end again.
"We better not keep them waiting, honey."
She narrowed her eyes teasingly. "You're lucky I love you, 'cause I don't let just anyone call me honey."
"Why not? You're that sweet," he teased back.
She made pretend gagging noises. "Yeah, whatever."
He smiled, pleased that he'd put her in a better state of mind.
"Okay, I'm ready," she said with determination. "Let's do this."
He took her outstretched hand into his and lead her back to the front of the church where Bobby was waiting, somewhat, patiently for them to return.
"Are we good?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'm good, Bobby," she replied with a smile.
Mike gave her hand to Bobby, then retrieved her bouquet from a nearby table where he'd set it down. After handing it to her, he opened the church doors, waiting for the music.
Jessie glanced through the open doors into the church. It was quite a distance away, but she could see Sam, standing tall, facing the now open doors. She felt her breath catch in her throat for a moment, so she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Bobby squeezed her hand supportively, which also helped.
When the music began to play, she felt herself shake nervously. She wished now that she would've opted out of the full ceremony, but she knew that no one was going to let that happen, especially Mike.
Once Mike was in his place, Jessie, with her arm in Bobby's, began to walk slowly down the aisle. As frightened and anxious as she was, the closer she made it to Sam, the bigger her smile became. She didn't even know how she made it down the aisle, to stand in front of him with her legs feeling so weighted down, but she did, and his smile was probably even brighter than hers.
She glanced quickly at Dean, who was smiling proudly, before she took Sam's hand. He was smiling so brightly it nearly melted her heart. She always loved to see him smile. It always made her smile even more brightly.
After he took her hand, he mouthed, 'I love you' and she did the same in return, then both of them turned towards the priest and he began the ceremony. They both made it through the vows they'd written with very few problems, except for some snickering from Dean, which earned him a stern look from Bobby. In fact, everything went well, until the priest asked if anyone opposed the marriage. That was when a gravelly voice could be heard from behind the priest saying, "I do."
The priest turned around quickly, allowing everyone to see who had spoken. It was Castiel the angel.
"Cas?" Dean called.
"Who is this?" the priest asked with surprise.
Jessie and Sam were looking at each other with dismay, while Bobby was staring at the angel angrily.
"He's an angel," Dean replied.
The priest was taken aback, staring at him with disbelief.
"Unfortunately it's true," Jessie said, before turning to Cas. "Why are you doing this?"
"I'm sorry," he replied in the same gravelly voice.
She glared at him furiously. "I'm sorry! That's all you have to say is, I'm sorry?"
"Jessie," Sam said gently, laying his hand on her shoulder.
"No, Sam!" she yelled. "Why the hell is he doing this?"
"Sam, take her outside," Bobby said commandingly. "Your brother and I will deal with this."
He nodded his head, wrapping his arm around her and led her out of the church, while she continued to try and turn around and go back inside to confront him.
"Jessie, please calm down," he begged, once they were outside. "Getting upset isn't going to help."
"Calm down? Are you being serious?" she snapped. "We should be in there, Sam. Not standing out here."
"Bobby asked us to wait out here."
"And you always listen to Bobby?"
He sighed. "I know you're upset, but he'll straighten it out."
She sighed, leaning her head against his chest and closed her eyes, allowing him to wrap his arms around her tightly.
"You always know what I need," she said softly, squeezing her arms around his waist.
He kissed her lightly on the head. "I never got to tell you how beautiful you look."
She moved her head back slightly, gazing up into his warm and loving eyes with a smile as equally warm and loving. "You didn't have to, but thanks for saying it."
"Wow! No sarcastic comment, huh?" he teased.
"Nah. I know I look good," she teased back.
"There it is," he replied with a smile. "I knew you couldn't resist it for long."
"Of course not," she said with a smirk.
He leaned down, kissing her very softly for a moment before pulling away with a smile.
"Why'd you stop?" she asked making a pouty face.
He smiled. "I don't wanna mess up your make-up—yet."
"I guess that's a good reason," she replied with a smile.
He had begun to stroke the ringlets on the side of her hair, when he noticed Dean walking towards them. He nudged her gently, loosening the grip he had around her waist with his other hand.
"Bobby wants you two to come back inside now," Dean said impassively.
"Is he still there?" she asked with irritation.
He gazed at her quietly for a moment before deciding to answer.
"Just come back inside," he finally replied, before turning on his heel and heading back into the church.
She gazed at Sam, who only shrugged his shoulders before taking her by the hand and began leading her back into the church. She honestly didn't want to go, but not facing a problem head on was not her M.O., and, she wasn't going to let the angel ruin her day. Besides, she wanted to be wherever Sam was.
When they walked back into the church, the first thing she noticed was Mike and the priest sitting in one of the pews together. Both turned and glanced at them simultaneously, the expressions on their face unreadable. She then noticed that Castiel was still in the same spot, speaking with Bobby, and Dean was off to the side slightly. They all turned to glance at the couple as well, also with unreadable expressions.
As they approached the unsual group, Sam squeezed Jessie's hand supportively, casting her a supportive glance once they stopped walking. She returned his gaze thankfully, swallowed hard, shuffling around anxiously.
Castiel waited until the exchange between the couple was finished, before apologizing to both of them.
"That's all you can say is, sorry?" she snapped.
"Jessie," Bobby called harshly. "Just let him explain what's going on."
She opened her mouth to respond, but Sam gently squeezed her hand again, making it possible for her to calm herself down slightly. She took a deep calming breath, trying not to be so defensive.
"Fine."
The angel seemed like he attempted to smile at her, but she didn't care. Whatever he had to say wouldn't excuse him from interrupting her big day.
"I've been following some demons around as an attempt to find out what they are planning as far as the two of you go," he said, glancing at the couple in turn. "I have been unable to find any information about Crowley. However, I did find out that Meg and her minions are rejoicing in this union between you two. That in itself is cause for concern."
"Are you telling me you interrupted my wedding because you were concerned?" she snapped, unable to keep quiet any longer.
"I was hoping to persuade you to hold off until I am able to find out more information."
She snorted. "And you couldn't have asked us sooner? Perhaps before we walked into the church?"
"I was unaware it was happening so soon," he replied, trying to sound sympathetic.
She turned around in frustration, walking a distance away from everyone, her eyes closed. She could hear Sam speaking to Castiel, but she wasn't listening, she was lost in her own thoughts. She was thinking about her initial reaction to Sam bringing up the topic of marriage. She almost wished now she'd continued to refuse him. It seemed like it would have saved everyone a lot of hassle.
She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't even notice when the angel left, or when Bobby called her. It wasn't until Sam came up behind her, laying his hands on her shoulders, that she snapped out of it.
"Are you okay, Jessie?"
"Yeah, fine," she replied quickly, turning around to face him. "What's going on?"
He leaned in close to her, placing his hands on her side.
"Do you still want to go through with this?" he asked with a hushed voice. "I would understand if you didn't want to."
Part of her knew she should say no, knew she should run in the other direction and not look back, but, the rest of her was so madly in love with him there was no way she could walk away from him that easily.
"You can't get rid of me that easily," she replied with a warm smile.
He returned her smile just as warmly, then took her hand and led her back to their spot in front of the priest, who began the ceremony from where they'd left off, omitting the part about any objections. He figured the objections had already been dealt with so it was irrelevant to ask again.
Although in her mind, the ceremony had been marred by Castiel's visit, everyone else seemed perfectly content to pretend nothing had happened, so that was what she attempted to do too. It was difficult, incredibly difficult. But Sam had a way of keeping her from dwelling on it too much.
After thanking the priest for the ceremony, Sam took Jessie's hand, leading her out to her car. He helped her into the passenger side, then took the driver's seat and began driving.
"Where are we going?" she asked only moments after he pulled away from the church.
He grinned conspiratorially. "What's a wedding without a reception?"
Her smile disappeared quickly. "What did you do?"
He chuckled. "It wasn't me, it was Mike."
"Oh no," she said raising her hands to her face, then dropping them quickly. "This could be bad."
"He promised it would be fine, Jessie," he said, reaching out to take her hand with his free hand.
His touch instantly made her forget about anything else but him. She loosened the seatbelt, removing the arm strap so she could lay against him, his free arm wrapped around her. They drove like that for a long time before either of them felt the need to speak.
"Did I ever thank you for allowing me to hypenate my last name?" she asked, turning her head aside so she could see his face.
He smiled. "I completely understand why you wanted it that way. You're the last Drake. I know it means a lot to you. Besides, I kinda like the sound of, Jessie Drake-Winchester. Jessie Winchester just doesn't have the same ring to it."
"No, you're right," she said with a smirk. "I'm glad you agree with me. It's a good start."
"You're gonna start with that already, huh?" he asked with a grin.
"You know it."
"I guess I should feel special since you didn't argue with me about driving," he teased.
"I gotta let you have your way once in awhile, right? To keep you interested," she teased back.
He laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, something like that."
She sighed contentedly, closing her eyes. "I love you, Sam."
"I love you, too," he said, squeezing her tightly.
They drove in silence during the rest of the drive, neither of them felt there was anything else needed to be said. Anything that needed to be said could be conveyed by a simple touch or look, there were no need for words.
When they arrived at Frank's bar, Jessie was neither surprised nor impressed. They'd never discussed any sort of party or celebration, so when she heard Mike had arranged it she knew exactly what she was in for. She could only hope it went better than the last couple of times she'd been at the bar. She wasn't dressed for another demon attack, that was for sure. Although she never went anywhere without her silver knife—which was in it's sheath, held to her inner thigh by a special strap—it would be absolutely useless against a demon.
She allowed Sam to pull her inside the bar, where much of the crowd screamed their congratulations when the couple walked in. Most of the people she recognized, and many of those were either people she went to school with or friends and acquaintances of her grandparents. She felt very little for the majority of them, but that didn't really matter to her. She would've been happy if only a few people had showed. All she really wanted to do was go home and be with Sam.
The couple had their first dance, which was slightly awkward for Jessie, she had never been much for slow dancing, especially in front of so many people. But it wasn't long before many other couples joined them on the dance floor as well, making her feel a little better.
The next awkward moment was when she danced with Dean. It wasn't actually dancing with him that was the awkward part, he was the best man after all. The awkward part was, normally the groom would dance with the maid of honor, and there was no way Sam would dance with Mike. Everyone had a little chuckle about it, but she could tell Mike was a little upset about the teasing. He was still sensitive about his sexual orientation. But she wouldn't let that ruin his night, not in this crowd. She was positive they remembered the last time she took care of someone who bullied him, and wedding night or not, in a dress or not, she wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
The next dance she had was with Bobby, and she nearly cried. It wasn't just the proud smile on his face that did it to her, but this was one of those moments she wished her real family was there too. But since they couldn't be, she couldn't have hoped for someone better than Bobby to be in their place.
There were two events that happened at wedding receptions that she was glad she didn't have to deal with. They were something she was dreading, so when they didn't happen, she was relieved. The first, was smashing cake into their new spouses' face. She'd never understood it, so she was grateful when no one expected it to happen.
The second, was the removing of the garter belt by the groom with his teeth. While she wasn't a prude, she definitely wasn't going to allow Sam to do that in front of a crowd of people. Besides, the only 'belt' she had on, was the one holding her knife in place. That would have seemed incredibly strange to everyone, except for maybe a hunter.
She enjoyed half a glass of champagne near the beginning of the night, then never had another drop of any alcohol the rest of the night. Sam had been drinking a little and she knew he wasn't fit to drive, so she stayed sober enough for the both of them. She wanted to take him home when the party was finished, and she wanted to be alone. She also wanted to be completely sober so she could remember the night forever.
The funniest part of the night was when they played the song that she'd sang with Sam on the TV show. Everyone ribbed him about it and he was slightly embarrassed, but he told her later that he'd secretly enjoyed it, although he thought his voice could use some work. It was true, but she humored him, telling him he sounded fine, but he knew she was lying, but loved her for it.
Jessie was finally able to talk Sam into leaving the party around midnight. She drove, even after he insisted he was fine. She knew he wasn't and that he was just trying to be chivalrous. And although she thought it was adorable, she wasn't about to let him drive while he was intoxicated.
When they reached the front door of Jessie's house, Sam insisted on carrying her over the threshhold. She thought it was kind of archaic and old fashioned, but after he told her he wanted to start out their new life right, she wasn't able to refuse him.
As he attempted to lift her, she was afraid he was going to drop her, but drunk or not, he lifted her up in his arms like she weighed nothing, placing her down gently on the other side of the threshhold.
"You thought I was going to drop you, didnt you?" he asked as he pulled her into a tight embrace.
"The thought never crossed my mind," she replied with a smile.
"You're lucky you're so cute," he teased with a grin.
"Only cute?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
"And deadly," he replied, trying his best to keep a straight face.
She raised an eyebrow then smiled. "Are you gonna keep talking, or what?"
He smiled suggestively. "Not if you don't want me to."
"Definitely not," she replied with an equally suggestive smile.
"But I have one last thing to say," he said, placing a finger on her lips, gazing deeply into her eyes. "I love you, Jessie Drake-Winchester."
She smiled lovingly as he removed his finger from her lips. "Prove it."
He smiled, leaned close and kissed her for a moment before pulling away to once again gaze into her eyes. "Let's go upstairs," he said, releasing his grip and taking her by the hand, "and I'll show you."
She smiled as he led her upstairs, trying to remember the exact moment when her luck had begun to change for the better.
A/N: Well, it happened with very little drama. Of course, there had to be a little, right? It definitely didn't stop Sam from going ahead with the wedding. But then again, when do the Winchesters do what they're told, right?
Thanks for reading!