A/N: So this chapter has a bit more plot in it than the last one. Enjoy.

Chapter Four

When Dean woke up the next morning he had almost forgotten the events which had concluded the previous two days, but as he rolled over on the lumpy mattress and spied the pair huddled awkwardly in the next bed, it all came back to him.

Dean didn't want to do this job any more, he didn't want such a babe looking at him with such sadness and fear - in any other circumstances he would have been hitting on her so fast it would have made her head spin - didn't want to see the accusation in her eyes and didn't want to deal with his enigma of a target. The kid had spent all of the previous day whispering saccharine nothings in the girl's ear and being so tender with her and then turning on Dean like a rabid wolf, he just seemed to prove his innocence in one minute then incriminate himself the next.

He looked over at them properly and saw Sam wrapped protectively around Jess, his frame was so large he practically enveloped her but his face, now relaxed in sleep, gave the impression of a young boy. Dean found the contradiction disturbing but inexplicably intriguing.

What if the kid was as innocent as he looked? What if he was as guilty as he acted? ...Was he acting guilty or was it something else? He was probably guilty of at least something... Dean had most often found that, sooner or later, everyone was guilty of something. That world view had been imperative in quieting his conscience on some of his more morally ambiguous jobs. But that little voice of doubt had recently grown more persistent and that old argument just didn't seem to be enough anymore.

Dammit, listening to that voice was why he was in this whole mess to begin with.

Dean quickly threw on some street clothes and stalked out of the room in search of breakfast, and just as importantly, coffee. After trying to shut up his own personal Jiminy Cricket and finding his efforts futile, he took out his phone and dialled the number of the only person he felt he could trust somewhat.

"Hey Dogma," he greeted with forced cheerfulness when the line was picked up.

"Dean. To what do I owe the misfortune?" his friend's tone was one of a man whose patience had been stretched so thin, paper could be deemed obese by comparison.

"Aww, don't be like that. I only want a tiny favour, barely even deserves the title."

Dogma sighed audibly on the other end of the phone, "You're not going to take no for an answer are you?"

"I haven't got to where I am today by taking no for an answer and I'm not about to break the habit now."

"You do realise that where you are now is on thin ice, right?" Dogma pointed out.

Dean cringed, "Good or bad, habits are hard to break. So what do you say?"

"Why me?"

"Honestly you're probably the only person in the world right now who would even answer the phone to me, let alone do me a favour."

Dogma gave another sigh, "What do you want me to do?"

"Just find out what you can about this kid: Sam Campbell. Kaiser sent me to bring him in, said he wants to make an example out of him but the dude's just a college kid."

"Dean, you sound like you're in the road to self-sabotage again." Dogma warned.

"It's just bugging me is all."

"Maybe you're just not gang material like you thought you were." There was a hint of teasing in Dogma's voice as he replied.

"Dude, shut up!" Dean practically growled down the phone.

"Woah, take it easy Dean. But, I mean, would it really be so bad leaving all this behind?"

"Just call me back when you've found out what's what - and don't be all day about it."

Dean hung up his phone as violently as he dared without endangering the life of the device and hurried up the street. Dogma didn't know what the hell he was talking about - and it wasn't like people just up and left the gang, not without being too old to be a threat. Plus Kaiser was royally pissed, leaving the gang on such bad terms would be tantamount to suicide.

Dean ordered three breakfast muffins to go and a coffee for himself, he already resented the extra expense for the food, he wasn't about to add coffees to the tab as well. They could make do with water.

Taking a sip of his own coffee, he paid for the meal and left, heading back down the street at a decidedly more leisurely pace. Dean basked in the early June sun as he walked and allowed the rays to brighten his mood a little.

Too soon he was back at the grungy motel with the lumpy beds and the barely adequate water pressure in the shower and thought how glad he was that he wasn't staying in that crap hole for much longer.

As he entered the room he saw that Sam and Jess were awake, they had both moved to a more upright position and were watching him warily as he walked through the door. He grabbed his own muffin from the bag and then swung the package to Sam.

He turned away and stuffed his muffin greedily into his mouth. He gulped his coffee as he sat down and picked up the remote, still a little greasy after last night's pizza, and flicked on the ancient tv. There was nothing worth while on to watch but it beat the awkward silence that would fill the room otherwise, while he waited for a call back from Dogma.

"Hey can we get a bathroom break again?" Sam's voice intruded on Dean's peace without warning.

Dean groaned and let his head flop back against the chair. He rolled his neck to look at the pair then realised there was really nothing he could do but roll with it.

"Fine," he sighed and let the girl go first like he had before and as soon as the door closed Sam was interrogating him again.

"Why are we still here?"

"What, you don't like the accommodations I've provided for you?" Dean asked sarcastically.

Sam looked annoyed, "I thought you were taking me to see this boss of yours. To be honest I'd rather get this over and done with so me and Jess can get back to our lives."

"Wow."

"What?"

"You arrogant son of a bitch. You think this is just going to be a slap on the wrist? When Kaiser wants to make an example out of someone he doesn't mess about. There's a reason he has the reputation he does. You wouldn't be in such a rush to meet him if you knew what was in store for you."

Sam looked at him with a deeply irritating calm and reminded Dean, "I've never heard of this guy before."

"Well trust me, you wouldn't be so calm if you had. He's known for his love of violence and an almost clinical approach to doling out punishment. You'd be crazy not to be afraid."

Sam frowned but still showed an unreasonable degree of calm, nowhere near the level of fear Dean felt the situation warranted. "Doesn't matter. If this is how I get Jess home safe, I'll do it."

This bastard must be completely mental, Dean thought to himself. He was just about to offer intimate, excruciating details of when he had witnessed examples being made in the past, but Jess opened the bathroom door and however much he wanted to instil in Sam a sensible amount of fear, he was more likely to upset Jess. And then he would have to deal with a crying girl and from the way Sam had been so protective of her, he would throw a bitch fit about that too.

"I'm waiting for a phone call, ok?" He said exasperatedly as he secured Jess to the bed again then moved around to set Sam loose.

He watched Sam enter the bathroom suspiciously and after a few moments of awkward silence he spoke, "So... how did you two meet?" He didn't really expect an answer, he was just trying to alleviate some of his own tension, so it surprised him a little when she answered.

"We were introduced at a party," it was clear that she was still afraid but there was a little anger lending some strength to her voice which hadn't been there before.

Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, Dean thought before turning his attention back to Jess, "Did you two lovebirds hit it off right away?"

Jess grimaced, "We're not lovebirds," she replied in a tone that said she kinda wished they were lovebirds, "we're just good friends. We got along really well at the party - talked all night and I never stay all night at those parties."

Dean was convinced Jess had gone to her happy place when she was telling him of the party. "Really? Huh, from the way he seemed so concerned with your welfare, I thought you two were a thing."

Jess shook her head sadly, "He's like that with everyone."

"I'll bet," muttered Dean under his breath, "So he never asked you out?" He asked doubtfully. Dean didn't really care about their relationship except perhaps to resent the fact that that annoying son of a bitch had a girl like this lusting after him and had done nothing about it. Yet he could think of nothing else to talk about that would put the poor girl at ease, he felt a little bad for snapping at her the previous day.

Jess shrugged. "No, guess he doesn't like me like that." She replied with an edge of scathing in her voice.

What an idiot, "Really? I would've been asking you out right then if it had been me at the party - also if it had been me at the party we wouldn't have spent the night just talking."

Jess made a face but was rescued from making a response by Sam exiting the bathroom. Dean cuffed him to the bed again and turned back to the tv. It was strange talking to one of his captives like that, but then again he had never considered himself the bad guy before, more like a rough and ready dealer of punishment to the scum of the earth.

Dean picked up his phone at the tinny rendition of highway to hell that served as his ringtone, "Dogma," he greeted.

"Dean you must have really pissed Kaiser off, that kid was meant to be an example to you, a test. It wasn't about what the kid has done, it was about what you were willing to do for the gang."

"What? You're telling me Kaiser wanted me to haul the kid halfway across the country for Kaiser to work him over... And the kid's done nothing after all?" Dean was incredulous, this was a new low even for Kaiser.

"Yeah, and now Kaiser heard me asking after the kid he's put two and two together and he's on the warpath. He's got you and the kid in his sights."

"You can't be serious! Dogma what did you say?" Dean was not whining, he would deny it 'til the day he died.

"All I did was ask who the kid was and what he'd done to deserve retribution from Kaiser - very casually I might add - but you're on his radar. That was all it took for Kaiser to blow up; he really values loyalty Dean and I guess you ran out of chances..."

"Shit!" Dean cursed, "Did you find out anything about who the kid even is?"

"No. But I'll keep an ear out, let you know if anything comes up."

"Alright," Dean sighed, "thanks for trying I guess."

Just as Dean was about to end the call Dogma called out, "Dean, a gang like this is no place for a man with a conscience. Good luck, don't look back, and get out."

Dean felt a lump in his throat, he was on the run from people he had called family for the last six years of his life. No matter if he barely got along with most of them, he had been a part of something, he had had somewhere he belonged... And now he was set adrift, responsible for dragging not just one but two innocent people into his shit.

He briefly considered lobbing his phone into the nearest wall, for all the good that would do, instead he slowly unclenched his fist from around the device. He took a minute to master his frustrations before turning to the pair he had cuffed to the bed behind him.

Jess was gripping Sam's arm and looking at Dean with hope shining in her eyes; Sam had laid a comforting hand on her knee but his attitude was more cautious, more reserved, and there was a little glimmer in his eye that seemed to say I told you so.

"Ok, so maybe you're not a scumbag, but that don't mean you're not still in deep shit - way over your head." Dean sat down, putting his gun down on the table away from him in an effort to seem less intimidating, and stared at his palms as he rubbed them together before looking up to address them both. "My boss still wants you Sam, for some reason. I don't know why he would want you when this whole job was meant to be a test for me but... I dunno. That's how things stand for now."

Dean let the pair absorb the information for a moment. Jess was looking confusedly at Sam, but Sam for once was looking just as confused and wary.

"Look, Kaiser's pissed, royally pissed at me. He's gonna keep chasing us until something bigger distracts him... And I think we'll all have a better chance of surviving this if we stick together."

"Survive?" Gasped Jess, "Y-you think we might die?"

Dean levelled his gaze at her. "Kaiser's not one for holding back."

Jess was descending into tears again and Sam curled his free arm around her and pulled her against him. Jess turned into his chest and was weeping into his t-shirt, Sam had his chin on top of her head like he was trying to get as much bodily contact as he could with one arm restrained.

Then Sam cut his eyes to meet Dean's and lifted his head just a little to say, "If we're no longer your hostages, can we loose the cuffs?"

"Sure," Dean murmured and quickly set about freeing them.

They barely acknowledged his presence: Jess, apparently overcome with despair, continued to cry into Sam's chest burrowing both hands now into his t-shirt while Sam just brought his other arm round to encompass her completely. Dean let them have the moment, he was a little stunned himself at the dangerous turn recent events had taken.

After a few minutes Jess had calmed herself a little, she pulled her head back from the wet patch on Sam's top and he loosened his hold on her. "We'll get through this," he promised her, "I'll make sure of it."

"And just how do you plan on doing that, Romeo?" Sam shot him a look but Dean didn't care, Jess needed to come to terms with their situation and she needed to stop crying every damn time Dean gave her some bad news, "You're going to get both of you killed if try to take off alone. If you wanna run, fine, I won't stop you but I really don't fancy your chances. I can help keep you out of trouble for a little while... "

"For a little while? What? So you kidnap us for no reason and now you're saying we've got a dangerous gang after us and who want to kill us or do unspeakable things to us and you think keeping us safe for a little while is going to cut it?" Jess had gotten to her feet during her rant and had steadily advanced as fury replaced fear until she was stood in front of Dean, Sam looming over her shoulder like a guardian angel.

"Well I can't be dragging you around forever-"

She slapped him. She actually slapped him. When he turned his head back towards Jess, she already looked like she regretted it and was slowly backing away until she bumped into Sam, who steadied her gently with those shovels he called hands.

"I guess I deserved that," he conceded.

"The gang... They're only after us right?" Sam said to Dean.

"Hold up cowboy, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking if this guy is pissed at you and has set his sights on me... Then I won't let Jess get caught in the crossfire or just become collateral damage, the safest place for her is far away from us."

Dean rolled his eyes, "How noble of you - but if I might point out, genius, that if the Flaming Arrows do find out about her - and I mean the fact that you obviously care about her," he ignored their blushing, "then the safest place for her is with me."

Sam raised his eyebrows, "With you?"

"Yeah with me. I'm the one who knows how the gang works, I'm the one who knows how to fight and I'm the one who knows how to cover our tracks."

"Why can't we call the police?" Jess asked, "surely they'll be able to help?"

Dean rolled his eyes, "you never heard of a dirty cop, princess?" He snarked at Jess who recoiled slightly.

Sam's jaw jutted to the side and he crossed his arms and looked Dean up and down, giving the impression that he was decidedly unimpressed with what he saw, "Ok then maestro, what's your plan?"

"Give me a minute, I'm thinking."

"So while you're doing that, these guys that you're so afraid of are on their way here."

Dean spluttered, "I'm not afraid... I just have a healthy respect for my life and all the ways they can end it. Anyway you're right, they probably are already on their way here so why don't we get moving and I'll figure things out from there?"

As the trio began moving towards the car Sam sidled up to Dean and muttered, "Why are you helping us? Really?"

Dean looked at him and was all geared up to make a snarky response but then he paused and realised that maybe Sam had a right to be a little suspicious. "I meant what I said, if we're all running from the Flaming Arrows then I think all our chances would be better if we stick together. Especially yours."