Greetings to all! I was so excited to read reviews from you all! Thank you! Also thanks so much to those who I have chatted with in PM...means so much to make new friends on fanfic :)

Now it's time for fun facts about Claire.

WOOT WOOT! I know you have been dying to know. :D

I'm a twin! Yep, it's true. I am five minutes younger than my sister, Karys.

We both have long auburn hair and brown eyes. What? You thought all redheads had green eyes? Complete stereotype.

Okay, so on with the story...

Jorie swallowed and backed away, the back of her knees hitting the bed until she was forced to sit down.

"Nothing's going on…" Sam was quick to say. Jorie noticed how quickly Sam became flustered each time his dad came on the scene. She wondered if Sam realized how much seeing his father affected him, his usual cool composure seemingly gone at the snap of a finger. She imagined it was jarring to see a loved one who was supposed to be dead.

John entered the room and looked unconvinced. "Son, you looked pretty intense just now. Report." John's voice was firm and Jorie could not miss how Sam flinched.

Jorie found her voice. "You…it's because of you."

"Jorie," Sam hissed shooting her a warning look mirroring John's for intensity. Sam had obviously learned from the best.

John held his hand up. "Be quiet, Sammy." He looked intently at Jorie. "Because of me, darlin'? his voice was suddenly much softer, more gentle.

Jorie put her hands on her temples. It was now or never; she was getting sick of all the pre-emptive nonsense that it took to get the players in the dream to cooperate. She was all for skipping the niceties and moving on to the nitty-gritty. She forced herself to think and broadcast her thoughts. It wasn't hard to break through John's mind's eye.

My dad said you're the key to getting out of this dream. Where is my dad?

Sam grabbed his head and groaned in agony but Jorie ignored it. Somehow in this dream world, she had the upper hand over Sam. She was stronger. Her influence was putting Sam in pain enough that he was unable to stop her and each time she used her abilities, Sam got weaker. She could use that to her advantage.

"Jorie!" Sam shouted. His voice sounded shaky. "Stop it!"

John lifted a brow in concern. "Sam, are you okay?" John took a few steps towards Sam who was doubled over gripping his head.

Answer me! Where is my dad?

John turned back to Jorie, cupping his ears and shaking his head. "Ugh, my head!"

Tell me where my dad is, damn it!

John's eyes darkened as he held up his hand; a bright flash of light blinded Jorie for a moment until she felt strong hands around her waist. She yelped in surprise to find herself tossed over John's shoulder. "That's enough!" John said sternly.

Releasing her grip on John's mind, Jorie pounded his back and shrieked, "Lemme go!"

John spun to look at Sam who was able to stand again. "You alright, son?"

Sam shakily nodded. "Yah, I'm fine."

"How long has she been able to play around in people's heads?"

Sam's eyes widened. "How do you know about that?"

"Answer me, son."

"I-I'm not sure," he stammered, looking shell-shocked that his father had figured it out so quickly. He probably shouldn't have been surprised. John Winchester knew all. The man was an enigma.

John set Jorie's feet to the floor and stuck a finger in her face. "Try that on me again and see what happens." He pointed to the nearby chair. "Sit."

Jorie sat, completely baffled. No one had ever guessed what she was doing before, well except her dad and Sam but those were exceptions. She messed with her dad's head enough that he figured it out, and Sam had his own version of telepathy.

"Dad, what's going on?" Sam asked, walking across the room and staring strangely at John.

John ran a hand through his hair, his dark features troubled. He pointed at the bed and asked Sam to take a seat. Sam obeyed out of habit. John paced the room a few times and scrubbed a hand over his face. He looked at Sam for a minute and broke into a smile. "You look good, Sammy. You've grown up so much since I last saw you."

Jorie looked at Sam in confusion. Sam was gigantic. Of course, seeing John explained a lot. John Winchester was not a short man either. He must have been 6'3 himself. Where Dean favoured the man in looks, Sam definitely favoured him in height.

Sam blinked a few times but didn't say anything in return.

John puffed out his cheeka as the silence engulfed them. "You must have a million questions…"

"I know I do." Jorie piped up, sourly.

John chuckled. "Feisty as the day is long, I see. Mac told me about you." He winked at her.

Jorie scowled. Her heart pounded as she tried to figure out what was going on. Nothing made sense. John Winchester was dead. This was a dream. How a figure in her father's dream world could be talking about anything related to reality was beyond her.

"Dad, you died…" Sam began, not mincing words as tears swam in his eyes.

John shook his head. "I'm not dead, son. I only made it look that way."

"What?" Sam's face paled. "But we cremated you."

"You cremated somebody but it wasn't me."

Sam's mouth dropped open, stunned. A million questions floated across his mind but he didn't know where to begin.

Jorie sucked in a breath. Wait. John Winchester wasn't dead? "Did you drink Dream root tea too?" she blurted out, not being able to help herself.

"It's a little more complicated than that, sweetheart," he said.

"Dad," Sam said with a quiver in his voice. "You had no pulse…I-I found you…"

Tears welled in John's eyes as well and he crouched down in front of Sam. "I'm sorry you had to find me like that." A single tear slipped down his cheek. "You have to understand, son. I couldn't just let Dean die. Not when I could do something about it."

Sam's swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. A desperate need to know the truth rose within him causing his jaw to set. "You did something, didn't you?" His anger bubbled.

John nodded and patted Sam's knee. "I made a deal with Azezal…"

"Who's Azezal?" Jorie couldn't help but ask. The two men in the room ignored her.

Sam gasped. "What kind of deal?"

John rose to his feet and scratched his beard. "I wasn't going to stand by and let your brother die on account of that bastard. He already stole your mother from us."

Sam stood and gritted his teeth. "What did you do, dad?"

John narrowed his eyes. "I'm not too crazy about this new tone of yours, Sammy."

"You just don't like it when I challenge your bullshit. Do you have any idea what it did to Dean when you died?" Sam scoffed. "You faked your own death? Gawd, are you kidding me right now?"

Jorie jumped at Sam's bellowing voice.

Sam stood to step into his father's personal space. "He blamed himself, dad! He's been self-destructive since that day. He knew it had something to do with the yellowed eyed demon. He told me it was unnatural and that he should have stayed dead. Did you ever stop and think that you should have discussed it with me first? Did you? Huh?" Sam poked his father in the chest.

"It wouldn't have changed anything. I didn't need your permission."

"Of course, not. The almighty John Winchester doesn't need anyone's permission. He just does whatever he wants, and to hell with everyone else!"

"Sammy," John warned.

"No, don't Sammy me. My name is Sam, and in case you haven't noticed, I'm not a little kid anymore, dad, even though you and Dean treat me like I am. I have a mind of my own, and I'm not stupid, gawd damn it. I graduated top of my class from Stanford, and I could have gone further if it wasn't for your vendetta over that friggin demon."

John's eyes darkened while Sam continued his ranting diatribe.

"Gawd, Dean has the same guilt complex as you do." The pain played out across Sam's face. "He beats himself up and blames himself for everything. And it's your fault. You were so damned hard on him, Dad. He never had a chance to be a kid because he always had to take care of me! That was supposed to be your job!" Sam choked back a sob.

Jorie felt like she wanted to crawl into a hole. The tension in the room was palpable. She swung her legs over to the other side of the bed and slid to the floor, holding her hands over her ears. The memory of John yelling and hitting Dean was infused in her mind. It was only a matter of time until she was sure John would lose it on Sam as well.

"I don't get it…why didn't you tell us? Why would you let us think you were dead?
John heaved a sigh. "It was safer that way, Sam. Don't you see?"

"No. Dad. I don't see. It was a shitty thing to do!"

Stop arguing! Please just stop it!

She screamed the words as loud as she could in her mind's eye. She didn't care if Sam doubled over in pain or not. It was better than listening to him yell at his dad about things she didn't know or understand.

Stop fighting! STOP!

Suddenly, the room went silent. Jorie breathed heavily and trembled in the silence. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. She was starting to crumble and maybe, if she fell apart too much, she would be able to pull herself back together. She kept her eyes firmly closed, trying to hold back the tears. She was tired of crying. She was exhausted period. Her hands covered her ears and she just rocked back and forth, trying to soothe herself and make the entire dream go away.

I want to go home. I want to go home!

XxXx

A firm hand landed on her shoulder making her scream and jerk away.

"Hey, kiddo,it's me, Dean."

Jorie looked up to see Dean standing over her. She blinked twice and then three times. She scrambled to her feet and away from Dean, her eyes darting around the room. The scene had changed again and it looked like she was back in the bedroom she'd sleep in at Bobby's. She felt her body trembled as she turned to stare at Dean again…or at least some version of Dean. She burst into tears. She didn't know how much more she could take the flip-flopping before she lost her mind.

"I don't want to play this game anymore."

"Dean? What's going on?"

Jorie tried to blink away the tears but she just barely made the shape of Sam in the doorway. Real or fake, she didn't even have the energy to speculate anymore.

"I dunno. I was walking down the hallway when I heard her screaming."

"I heard her too."

Dean tried to reach out and comfort her but Jorie ducked away from him. "Don't touch me."

Dean pulled his hand back and both the brothers stood by helplessly exchanging glances with each other while staring at her.

Jorie trembled from exhaustion. She couldn't keep changing from scene to scene and starting over. She couldn't keep trying to figure out if Sam and Dean were real or some kind of dream versions. She couldn't do it anymore.

Sam crouched to her level but kept his distance. "It's okay, sweetie…"

She shook her head. "No, it's not. It's never going to be okay until I find my dad. I can't do this anymore, Sammy. I'm sorry I drank the dream root tea," She wept into her hands. "Please, just send me back."

"Hey, hey, hey, Jorie, we'll find your dad, honey. I promise you, we will." Sam didn't touch her but just remained a friendly face in front of her, his dimples dancing in his cheeks and his eyes kind and sincere. Sobs continued to escape Jorie's lips without permission. Why was she so weak? Her dad would want her to be brave, but all she was was a failure.

It's okay, Jorie. I know you're scared, sweetheart, but I promise you, I'm not going to let anything hurt you.

Jorie's eyes flew to Sam's. Was that Sam's voice in her head? Sam had never been able to speak to her mind's eye before. As far as she knew, he could hear her but didn't have the ability himself.

"Sammy?"

He nodded. "It's me, Darlin."

Jorie threw herself into his arms. "I'm so scared, Sammy. I can't stop it. Things keep changing! They keep changing."

Sam lifted her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

"Dude," Jorie heard Dean say but Sam shook his head, silencing him.

Jorie rested her head on Sam's shoulders and worked to bring herself under control. Her body continued to tremble as Sam carried her across the room and laid her on the bed. The mattress dipped beside her as Sam sat down and brushed her hair away from her tear-streaked face.

"You need to get some sleep, little one. You're beside yourself."

Jorie sat up. "No!" Under different circumstances, Joire might have pointed out Sam's play on words but right now nothing seemed funny anymore.

Sam gently pushed her back down. "Jorie, I'm exhausted too so I know you've reached your limit. C'mon, you need sleep. Things will look different when you've rested."

Jorie shook her head. "What if the dream changes when I'm asleep?"

"I won't let you out of my sight for a minute. The only time we've been tossed into different dreams sequences is when I've lost sight of you, and I'm not going to let that happen again."

Her lip trembled. "You promise?"

Sam rubbed his thumb down her forehead, over her eye and down her cheek. "I promise, now just relax, sweetheart." He continued the same motion over and over making her eyes grow heavier. She stifled a yawn and hiccupped a few times, her mind whirling in a hundred directions but the gentle soothing feeling of his thumb started to make her relax. She opened her mouth to say something but his thumb touched her lips.

"Shh…we can talk later."

Jorie closed her mouth again and reached out to hold Sam's large hand. Sam gripped hers tightly and smiled at her.

Dean came into her line of vision and handed her a stuffy. "Sweet dreams, kid."

Sam's thumb tracing down her eye and cheek soon made her eyes feel like lead weights; she closed them falling into a semi-conscious slumber. Her body rested but she was still able to hear everything around her; she was just too tired to care.

xXxX

"She's so exhausted, she's hysterical," said Sam, looking up at Dean and continuing to stroke Jorie's face.

Dean pulled a chair up in front of his brother, sat down and scrubbed a hand over his face. "Yah, you would be too if you were 10 years old and trapped in a never-ending nightmare that kept changing." He scratched at the scar on his arm and groaned.

"That scar bothering you?"

"It hasn't until now." Dean rubbed his hand over it again. "Sammy, what the hell is going on? I've been jerked in and out of dream sequences so much, I feel like a freaking yo-yo. Half the time, I don't know if you're you or if I'm me. Hell, I'm not even sure you're you right now."

Sam smirked. "Jerk. I'm me."

Dean returned the smirk. "Bitch." The two of them considered one another for a moment and then Dean looked down at Jorie. "You sure she's asleep?"

Sam nodded.

"Is she our Jorie or just some dream replica?"

"She's ours. Besides, anytime I've been with her in any sequence, she's been real and just now she read my mind…"

"What?"

Sam lifted his hand off of Jorie's face and looked down at her to be sure she was asleep. His heart broke a little. Even in sleep, she looked frightened and fretful. The dream walking had to end soon before it caused her some kind of permanent trauma. The poor kid would need counselling.

"I don't know where to start. Her abilities are strong here. To be honest, I'm not sure she even realizes the power she has. Anytime she's compelled or manipulated anyone, I could feel it even when no version of her was in my reality. It almost puts me to my knees."

"Pain?"

Sam nodded. "Like I've never felt before. You've seen me when I've had a vision, Dean but this is different. It's like she's scraping my brain with a scalpel. I can't do anything but double over. I'm completely unable to stop her."

"Terrific," Dean mumbled, not impressed. "If you can't stop her, what am I supposed to do? I don't even know she's manipulating me."

"That's why we need to stay together. We can't risk getting separated again. I can't stop her but you can. I don't know what's going on or what kind of game this Jargeru is playing but it's smart enough to know to keep us apart. Anytime, I've been in a sequence, I think it's been a dream version of you."

Dean frowned. "Why are we together now? It's got to know that keeping us together only strengthens us because we have time to piece things together… together…" Dean stopped and groaned at his own words. "You know what I mean."

Sam smirked then sobered. "I think it has something to do with dad. Dean, I saw him…"

Dean shrugged nonchalantly, "So have I, and remind me to kick your ass when we get out of this nightmare. Getting my ass handed to me by dad for Flagstaff once was enough. I'm not so crazy about it happening over and over."

This time Sam frowned. "Jorie heard it, Dean…"

Dean pinched his nose. "I know, Sammy. The first time she wasn't there but the second time she was. I didn't know what to do but I sure as hell couldn't stop it from happening."

"The second time?" Sam paled at the thought. "How many times has it happened?"

When Dean stood up and paced in front of the window, Sam noticed his stiff gait as he walked pretty much answering the question for him. It had happened a lot.

"Dean?"

Dean rubbed the back of his neck. "I dunno, three times maybe, doesn't matter. It's like friggen Ground Hog day in here."

Sam looked away from his brother struggling with an overwhelming feeling of nausea. It had taken him a long time to forgive himself for Dean getting licked over Flagstaff. He'd never meant for things to blow up in his face like they did. John had simmered down by the time he'd found Sam and they'd had a nice chat. Sam let Dean believe John had delivered the same punishment to him but he hadn't. In fact, it was one of the best talks they ever had up until that point. John had listened to him for once, and it had been a nice change. A short one too. Finding out Dean had taken such a licking on account of him still made Sam feel horrid and angry at his father. Dean never deserved that. John always expected Dean to be his keeper and it had to have been a burden on his older brother. What Sam didn't understand was why Mac was dreaming about it now and forcing Dean to relive it. What was the point of that?

"Did you ever tell Mac what happened between you and Dad?"

Dean shook his head, sitting down once more. "Hell, no. I didn't tell anyone, well except you."

Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to come clean but he promised himself when it was all over, he and Dean would need one of those chick flick moments Dean loved so much.

"What's wrong?" Dean looked down at the little girl who appears asleep in the bed. "Is she playing in your head again?"

Sam shook his head. "No." There was no easy way to say it, so Sam went for broke. "Dad's alive, Dean."

Dean scoffed. "Yah, tell me about. The son of bitch has been belting the living shit out of me since I got here."

"No, Dean. I'm not talking about some kind of dream version of dad. I saw the real deal in the last sequence when I was with Jorie. She compelled him and he knew right away what she was doing. He told me he faked his death."

Dean paled. "What are you talking about, Sammy? We stole his body from the morgue and gave him a hunter's funeral. There's no way he could be back in the flesh."

"Dean, we never checked the body bag to see if it was him. We just wrapped it."

"It was him, Sammy."

Sam shook his head. "He's alive, Dean."

Dean stood up and began to pace, scrubbing his hand over his face and through his dark hair. He stopped and faced Sam. "How do you know that the Jargeru isn't just messing with your head?"

Sam rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head at the possibility. It was probable but Sam's gut was screaming otherwise. He sighed. "I guess I don't for sure. It could be all a ruse, but Dean, I felt it in my gut. Dad and I had it out and I'm telling you, it felt real."

"So did dad's belt across my ass, Sammy but I'm not saying he's alive."

"This is different, Dean. I wasn't reliving a memory from the past. Mac wouldn't know anything about how dad died. Hell, we haven't talked to the guy in what 5 years? Mac doesn't even know dad's dead, and he sure as hell wouldn't know about the demon that killed mom."

Dean was silent for a long moment, puffed out his cheeks and growled. "I-I can't think…I can't do this right now. We need to focus, Sammy. This scene is bound to change at any time and we still need a plan."

Sam swallowed hard and looked at Jorie once again. "Ya, okay, you're right. We do need a plan but I haven't a clue what that plan is."

Dean sat down and leaned on his elbows. "First things first. How can we make sure she stays with us?"

"I can't be sure but anytime we can't keep an eye on her, one of us needs to be touching her, holding her hand, some kind of connection. One time she walked through a door before me and we were holding hands but I still lost her. I think we need to stay in the same room together and we can't let her leave the room."

Dean reached out and set a hand on Jorie's still form lying in the bed. "Okay, got it. Keep the kid in our sight and in the same room. But how do we stay together? The dream wants us separated."

"I don't know but Dean, I'm with Jorie. I'm done playing the game…smoothly playing along and breaking in each transition is agony. I say we just go straight for the jugular from here on in."

"Agreed. So if I end up in the whole Flagstaff scenario again, I'm friggen wrestling the old man to the ground and punching his lights out."

Sam scoffed. " Yah, that would the day." Dean rolled his eyes as Sam continued, "Unless I miss my guess, that hamster wheel should end if I'm with you."

"Gawd, I hope you're right or I'm not gonna have any skin left."

Sam laughed out loud at the mock distress on Dean's face. Sam had no doubt reliving the experience sucked but he also knew his brother was built of stronger stock than that. John Winchester packed a good wallop but he'd never once went overboard, at least Sam didn't think so.

Dean shot him a look. "Oh, you think that's funny, do you?'" Dean picked up a pillow and whipped it at Sam's face.

Without thinking, Sam lifted caught the pillow with both hands. "Yah, I do." Sam pulled the pillow from his face only to realize the scene around has changed again. He looked down to see Jorie stirring and then locked eyes with Dean.

"Got your game on, Big Brother?"

Dean reached out and fist bumped with Sam. "Bring it on."