Hey readers...this update is short but I thought you'd rather a short one than none at all...got a nasty head cold ugh

Jorie is learning that maybe Sam was right...trying to manipulate people in a dream might not work as well as she thought...dreams are hard to control and predict...and this one is a doozy.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the reviews...they really encourage me to keep writing :)

The world around Jorie started to spin out of control when she realized she was alone. No Dean. No Sam. She was alone in the dream again; a dream that kept continually changing. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she leaned against the wall in the kitchen heaving and sobbing in terror.

"Jorie!"

Jorie's eyes flew to the familiar face entering the kitchen from the side door. Her heart hammered against her ribcage as she forced herself to slow her breathing down.

"D-Dean? Is it really you?"

"It's me, kid. You okay?"

Jorie didn't move from where she leaned against the wall. She had no idea if this was the real Dean or another version of the dream Dean. Tears continued to blur her vision but her resolve soon crumbled to pieces and she ran into Dean's arms. "Strawberries," she sobbed. "I'm allergic to strawberries."

Dean caught her and lifted her into his arms hushing her and holding her trembling body close to him.

"Strawberries," Jorie kept sobbing feeling her stomach churn under the overwhelming emotions. She felt like she was going to be sick. "Sammy said to say strawberries," she choked out. Then Jorie remembered that Sam said not to tell Dean, in case Dean wasn't really Dean. "But I'm not supposed to tell you!" she wailed louder. This dream walking was too confusing.

Dean placed a gentle hand on the back of her head and hushed her. "Hey, Hey, it's okay, baby girl. You're safe. It's really me. It's Dean." He soothed.

Jorie tried to calm down but she couldn't. Her stomach roiled and without warning, she began to heave. Tears blurred her vision completely. Dean was quick to move so she could vomit into the sink and not on him. When she finished, he moved to sit on a nearby chair, wiping her face with his shirttail and cupping her chin in his hand. "You need to calm down, Jorie." His voice was soothing but held a firmness that only Dean could manage. Then he hugged her lightly against him. "Getting worked up like this is making you sick. Stop now."

Jorie choked. "Strawberries," she started sobbing again.

Dean landed a firm swat on her upper thigh. "I said calm down."

With wide eyes, her hand flew to her thigh. "Owww," she whined; her sobbing stopped. It was the real Dean all right. Only he would think a smacking could help her calm down.

"Take a deep breath," Dean ordered.

Jorie obeyed and relaxed into Dean's chest, hiccupping but calming down. She rubbed at her stinging thigh. Dean's large hand came to rest on hers, massaging the area as well. She hated it when Dean was right. The shock from the smack had brought her back under control.

"Did you eat any strawberries?" he asked her.

She shook her head.

"Okay. I didn't know you were allergic to strawberries. That's good to know."

Jorie sniffled. "Are you real?"

He smirked. "I'm real…"

Jorie dissolved into tears again. Before she could stop herself, everything flooded out; she told Dean about him and his father fading away and the scene changing again. She talked about her Dad and Jenna and Sam getting burned by hot coffee. Dean listened quietly while holding her close and encouraging her to calm down again.

"Sam's right. None of this is real. Sam wasn't burned in real life."

"I-I know," she choked out. "But he's gone and I don't know where he is," she wailed mournfully. The truth was Jorie was emotionally exhausted and afraid to even think about resting for fear Dean would fade away like Sam, and she still wasn't even sure he was the real Dean or fabrication in the dream.

Dean pulled up the sleeve of his shirt and held out his wrist for Jorie to see. "Look, kiddo, see that scar? That's from when you sliced me with your knife, remember that? Your dad doesn't know anything about that, and he can only dream about what he knows, not about things he doesn't. I'm me, Jorie and you need to take a deep breath for me and calm down."

Jorie hiccupped as she ran her hand over the scar on Dean's arm from her knife. It wasn't a deep and dark scar but it was scarred enough for her to see it. She shivered and relaxed against Dean. He was the real thing. He was her Dean.

"I was talking to my dad and then you and Sam were gone…"

"Is your dad still here?"

"He was when I walked into the kitchen but I have to warn you, he's angry. Not at you but at Sam. For some reason, this version of my dad is seeing Sam and me like teenagers and not adults."

Jorie sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

"Dreams often don't make sense, so things are going to be jumbled up for a while. Everything in this dream is going to be about memories from your dad. But remember your dad can only dream about things he knows about. Knowing that is going to help figure out what is real and what isn't."

Just then the kitchen side door opened. Jorie looked up to notice two things. They weren't in the nice version of Bobby's kitchen anymore. The scene had changed again. They were in the old run downed version. The second thing was the man walking in the door was John Winchester and he looked angry.

"Dean, where is your brother?"

Dean stood to his feet, sliding Jorie off his lap and behind him. Jorie could feel Dean's hand tremble and it threw her for a loop. Nothing before had seemed to faze Dean, not even Bobby but Dean looked nervous now.

Dean lifted a hand to forestall the formidable man in front of him. "Now, Dad, calm down. I don't know where Sammy is."

"Don't tell me to calm down! You were supposed to be watching him, Dean." The man ground out. "Bobby called me worried sick saying that you haven't heard from him in over two weeks."

Dean paled and muttered so only Jorie could hear him. "Flagstaff."

"What's that?" Jorie whispered back.

"It's not good," Dean answered and then waved at her to stay quiet. John didn't seem to notice her which was odd on the one hand but relieving to Jorie on the other. John Winchester was one hell of a scary man.

John took a few steps closer to Dean, grabbing him by the forearm and shaking him. "How the hell did you lose a 15-year-old?"

Dean yanked his arm away. "I'm not his keeper!"

"The hell you aren't," John bellowed standing right in Dean's personal space. "When I'm on a hunt, you are me, Dean. That means you watch out for Sammy and you keep him safe! What were you doing that he could take off like this, huh? Were you out on a bender with Mac?"

Jorie's ears perked up when she heard her father's name. She didn't have much background details on her father's relationship with the brothers outside of that summer when Jenna died. How much did they stay in touch after that summer?

"No!" Dean shouted. "I wouldn't do that!"

John turned around to face away from Dean, running a hand through his hair and attempting to calm down. Jorie could see Dean's chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to calm down as well.

Dean crouched down to Jorie's level, his face pale in the dim light of the kitchen. "I don't want you to watch this, Jorie but you can't leave my sight." Tears shimmered in his eyes as he whispered. Jorie's heart rate picked up. What could make Dean react like this? "Crawl under the table, hide your eyes and plug your ears but don't leave this room. I need to be able to see you."

Jorie paled. "Why?"

Dean closed his eyes tightly like he was in pain. One tear escaped down his cheek. "Listen, my dad is going to belt me for letting Sammy out my sight."

Jorie's eyes widened but Dean put a firm hand on her shoulder, forcing her to her knees. "This is only a dream, Jorie. Nothing happening right now is real. It all happened in the past. I'm going to be okay."

She crawled under the table and faced away from Dean and his father, covering her ears and rocking forward and back. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she heard the angry mumbled words she couldn't make out but moments later, the first strike of a belt hitting flesh made her sit up straight. It didn't matter how hard she jammed her fingers in her ears, she heard every lash and she heard Dean yelling. Jorie trembled all over. What kind of man would beat his son like that? John Winchester must be a terrible, horrible man. Jorie didn't know how long she sat rocking and crying and trying to block out the noise until a trembling hand touched her arm. She yelped and covered her mouth to keep from making the sound audibly.

"It's okay, Jorie, it's over. He's gone to look for Sammy. It will take him a day or two before he finds Sam in Flagstaff. Maybe the scene will have changed by then."

Jorie's teary eyes searched Dean's red-rimmed ones for a minute before she hurled herself into his arms. Dean grunted but rose to his feet with Jorie in his arms.

"Shhh, it's okay, honey. He won't be back for a while."

Jorie hiccupped and sniffled. "He's a bad man…"

Dean shook his head. "He's not…he wasn't." He carried Jorie to the counter and sat her on it while leaning on the counter to catch his breath. "He's right…I mean he was right. I should have kept a better eye on Sammy, but I was too busy being an angsty teenager, chasing girls and drinking too much and feeling sorry for myself."

Jorie blinked back more tears. "What did he do to Sammy?"

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. Sam never told me but I'm guessing he met the same fate I did."

Jorie cringed. How would her father know about this incident and why was he dreaming about it?

Dean stood to his full height and awkwardly walked towards the fridge. His gait was stiff and pronounced. Jorie blinked back tears thinking about how much getting belted must have hurt, dream world or not.

"Does it hurt an awful lot?"

Dean grabbed a beer out of the fridge and stood still, holding the cold bottle to his forehead. "It's just a dream…"

Jorie jumped off the counter and ran over to Dean, punching him in the side. "Stop saying that! I'm not stupid! It doesn't matter if it's a dream or not, things still hurt here and it's okay to admit it!"

Dean grabbed her small fisted hand to keep her from hitting him again. He looked down at her with tears running down his face. "It is a dream, Jorie but yah, you're right. That friggin hurt."

Jorie wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. "I'm so sorry," she wept and Dean caressed her head but didn't say anything else.

XxXx

"Damned Idjits."

Jorie was startled when the kitchen door opened and Bobby walked inside. She pulled away from Dean and blinked in the brightness. The kitchen windows were filthy, blocking out most of the light. From inside, it was hard to tell just how sunny it was outside.

"Bobby, wait, I can explain," came a voice that followed behind the older man.

Jorie's heart rate increased when she saw her father come in behind Bobby and shut the door. Dimness returned making Jorie blink to adjust to less light. She didn't remember Bobby's windows being this dirty in real life.

"Dean and I would have never left if we'd thought Sam would take off like that?"

"Daddy…" Jorie felt a warm hand cover her mouth.

"Quiet, Jorie…Mac isn't your dad yet; not at this point in time. My dad couldn't see you so let's keep it that way. Just keep quiet and let things play out."

Jorie nodded and backed away, forcing herself into the background, an unwilling silent observer.

Bobby took his hat off and smacked Mac in the back of the head with it. "You shouldn't have taken off period. I done told ya to stick around and help out around here." Bobby turned to look at Dean who was still pale from his encounter with his dad.

"I see John found you."

Dean nodded.

"Don't expect me to feel sorry for ya. You had it coming."

Dean nodded again and twisted the cap off his beer, taking a long pull from it.

Bobby took in the sight of Dean and sighed, compassion swimming in his eyes. "How bad was it?"

Dean walked stiffly to the table and gingerly sat down, gritting his teeth for all he was worth. He didn't say anything. Jorie swallowed hard. Maybe she could do something to take the edge off the pain. She could control the situation with Dean…and Sam wasn't anywhere around to stop her.

You feel nothing…the pain is gone. Relax.

Almost immediately, Dean sat up straighter and relaxed his shoulders. He looked at the beer in his hand and then took another long pull. "Nothing I couldn't handle, Bobby," Dean finally answered, sagging down in his chair, looking much more relaxed.

Bobby reached out and smacked him in the back of the head making him sit up straighter again. Mac circled Bobby and joined Dean at the table. "Your old man was pissed."

"No shit Sherlock," Dean replied. "I told you to watch out for him…"

Jorie bit down on her lower lip. Was Dean going to relive the entire experience or was he going to wake up her father? Mac might not see her in this dream sequence but Jorie could see him and she wanted him to wake up. Jorie put her hands on her temples and willed Dean to do something.

Make him wake up!

Dean stood up and grabbed Mac by the shoulders. "This is a dream, dude. You need to wake up right now!"

Mac shrugged Dean's hands off his shoulders and took a step back. "Have you lost your mind?"

Tell him about the Jargeru. Make him wake up!

Dean began to explain everything about the Jargeru while Bobby and Mac stood with jaws dropped, staring at Dean like he was unhinged.

"Boy, what are you blathering on about? A Jargeru? How many beers have you had?" Bobby asked, taking the half-empty bottle out of Dean's hand.

Tell Bobby to check his journals. He's got lore on Jargerus dating back to before John hunted. Bobby knows more than John.

Dean stormed out of the kitchen towards Bobby's study. Jorie panicked. She couldn't lose sight of Dean in case the scene changed. She ran after him and watched as he ripped books off Bobby's shelves. Bobby ran after him, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck.

"What the hell has gotten into you, boy? You know better than to manhandle those books! Did your daddy not just take a strip off you? Do I need to light up your backside as well?"

Jorie began to tremble. Dean wasn't taking her cues the way she intended. He was doing his own thing. Typical Dean. Even when she manipulated him, he still did things his own way. How could she fix this?

Dean struggled to free himself of Bobby's grip on his neck but it was to no avail. This younger version of Bobby was stronger than both Dean and Jorie remembered or knew.

Jorie gasped and tears streamed down her cheeks again.

Bobby walked with Dean a few steps away from the shelves and shoved him into a nearby chair. Dean stumbled a little and landed hard on his backside in the chair. Dean hissed but remained seated. Jorie could see that the pain had returned. Her abilities didn't seem to last long.

"Now you settle down and explain to me what the hell you're talking about." Bobby snapped, standing over Dean ominously. A definite different side to Bobby that Jorie hadn't seen before. He was scarier than when she first met him.

Jorie closed her eyes and tried to calm Bobby down and explain.

Listen to Dean. He's telling the truth.

Bobby stumbled backwards a little and grabbed his head. Jorie showed Bobby everything she could in a matter of minutes, flashing memories across his mind's eye. She reached up to wipe at her nose that had begun to run. She gasped when she saw blood on the back of her hand. Her head began to pound and fatigue began to wash over her in waves. She leaned back against the wall. Nothing in this dream reality of events was working in her favour.

Bobby turned and pulled down some journals, flipping them open to the Jargeru. "Is this what you're talking about?" he asked Dean.

Dean stood to his feet and spun the book around so he could read it. He pounded it with his fist. "That's what has Mac stuck in this dream."

Mac walked in behind them and shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

'Shut up and listen." Dean sounded desperate. Jorie swallowed. Her panic seemed to be rubbing off on Dean. This wasn't how it was supposed to work. Dean was supposed to stay calm and be himself, not act out of control.

Cam down, Dean. Jorie tried to fix things. Dean was losing control of himself and the situation.

Dean's eyes flew up and found hers. "I am calm, Gawd damn it."

The room went silent as Dean glared at Jorie.

Mac turned to look in the same direction and his eyes widened as he walked towards her. "Jorie?"