Jorie listened with half an ear as Sam made numeral phone calls discussing things she had a difficult time comprehending, concluding with a call to Bobby to check on Dean. Jorie had made sure Dean didn't answer any calls from Sam. She began to feel sleepy and a little hungry, wishing she'd eaten the cookies Bobby had offered her earlier. She wasn't sure how much time had gone by since she'd compelled Dean to leave.
Truce? Sam's soft-spoken voice penetrated her head like a gentle whisper startling her. I'm going to need Dean's help to make things work.
Jorie remained silent. She didn't want to make nice with Sam or Dean. They were taking too long to do anything. Why weren't they checking out the tunnels and looking for her dad? Everything was a waste of time and Sam needed to let her go.
Sam sighed and stood up. "Jorie, why are you making things so difficult?"
Jorie bit back the tears but kept her mind clear. If she didn't project her thoughts on Sam, maybe he would give up.
"Okay, I don't have time for this," He said with a heavy sigh. "Come and stand in front of me."
Jorie felt the coercion fall over her like a heavy blanket. It was like she was a puppet with a master pulling her strings. She had no choice but to stand to her feet and walk over to Sam. Jorie's temper flared immediately. She'd never felt the full authority of compulsion on herself before, and it was overpowering. She was fully aware she was compelled but had no resistance to it.
Sam crossed his arms. "Bring Dean back."
"No," Jorie said, her lower lip trembling as she looked up at Sam.
"I can make you."
"No, you can't. If you could, you would have done it already."
Sam crouched down to her level and took her by her forearms. "What's your plan? Are you going to make him drive all night until he falls asleep and kills himself or someone else?"
Jorie frowned. She hadn't thought about him getting tried. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed Dean to stay alert and awake. Her head ached as she tried to do it and her nose bled some more. She wiped it away with the back of her hand even more determined to stay firm.
Sam cupped her chin in his large hand. "You won't be able to prevent him from falling asleep, Jorie. It's a natural human function. Now, look at me." He held her chin firmly as he spoke. "You have no idea how to use these abilities yet and you're hurting yourself. Your nose is constantly bleeding from the effort to hone the power. You need to stop."
Jorie glared at him. "I won't until you let me go."
"And go where?"
"To get my dad."
Sam sighed. "Jorie, you're 10 years old. You can't do this alone. Dean and I can't do this alone either which is why we have other hunters helping." Sam released her chin and stood to grab tissue off Bobby's desk. Jorie remained frozen in place unable to move. Sam handed the tissues to Jorie but she crossed her arms. She didn't care if her nose was bleeding.
"Let me go!"
Sam shook his head. "You let Dean go first."
"NO!" Jorie screamed at him.
Sam shrugged his shoulders and walked back to Bobby's desk. "Fine, you can stand there all day and night until you do."
Jorie gaped at him. Sam's abilities were strong. He'd made her come out of hiding and stand in front of him without so much as batting an eyelash. Now she was stranded. She couldn't move her legs at all. It was like her feet were glued to the floor. Jorie tried to slip to the floor to sit down but she couldn't even sit.
"Stop it, Sam. Let me go!"
Sam sat down and opened his laptop, ignoring her.
Jorie reached for the nearest item which was a pillow and threw it at Sam, knocking his laptop screen closed. Sam removed the pillow and opened the screen once again without a word. Jorie found a book next and chucked it at him but it was too heavy to make the desk and fell to the floor.
"I have to go pee!" she whined. She didn't but hoped for some compassion.
"What if Dean does?" Sam shot back.
Jorie stared at Sam. She hadn't thought of that either. Compelling people was more complicated than she knew. She had taken all Dean's choices away. He could only drive the impala around and around until she released him.
"The longer this drags on, the longer your dad is held hostage by this creature. I need Dean's help and so do the other hunters."
"You have to take me with you," Jorie blurted out quickly, rethinking her decision. If she was going to release Dean, she needed that guarantee at the very least.
Sam stood up again and rounded the desk to lean against, his arms crossed. "I'm not bargaining with you. I'm more powerful than you, and I don't want you messing around with abilities until I can train you. You didn't listen in the dream sequences and frankly, I don't trust you won't keep doing it."
Tears of frustration welled in her eyes. She didn't like that she had no way to manipulate Sam.
"Bring Dean home."
Jorie relented a little. She chewed on a hangnail on her thumb. It didn't look like she could beat Sam. He knew way more than she did about these abilities they both possessed. Her gut ached. Dean was going to be so mad at her once he realized what she'd done.
"You're right! Dean is going to be mad and don't you think he has the right to be?"
Jorie's eyes widened. "I didn't say that in my head for you to hear."
Sam softened a little. "You didn't need to. Jorie, I don't know how or why but we've connected on a mental plane. I can hear your thoughts without much effort when I hone in on you."
"That's an invasion of my privacy." She frowned. "Why can't I hear your thoughts?"
"I can block you," Sam smirked in amusement. "You're a smart kid." He pulled himself to sit on top of Bobby's desk. "And you're absolutely right; it is an invasion of privacy but you're leaving me no choices here. Blocking is an easy thing to learn and I'll show you when I train you."
Jorie's feet were starting to ache from standing in the same spot for so long. She couldn't even wiggle her toes. She was happy to hear that she could learn to block her thoughts. Having Sam know everything she was thinking was kind of disturbing.
"Don't worry, I can't hear everything but if you're thinking about me and I'm honing in, I can hear you."
Jorie wanted to know more about exactly what he could hear.
"Bring Dean home and we'll talk more."
Jorie felt herself being released from Sam's hold, and she sunk to the floor in a heap. She leaned forward and rubbed her legs and feet. They were tingling from standing in one place for so long. Sam slid off the desk and crouched beside her.
"Are you okay?"
Jorie scowled. "No thanks to you."
Sam patted her leg gently. "I kind of thought you were uncomfortable. I had a tight hold on you for a bit." He helped her to her feet and ushered her over towards the old brown sofa to sit down. "I won't force you against your will unless you make me. I don't like doing that. Now, bring Dean home."
Jorie heaved a sigh. "What's Dean going to do when he finds out what I did?"
"Probably exactly what you think he'll do. What you did was wrong, Jorie. That's an abuse of your abilities. Dean isn't a monster to control. He's trying to help you!"
Tears blurred her vision and she squirmed uncomfortably.
"Bring him home and I'll try to reason with him. But I want you to know something, Jorie, if I catch you compelling or coercing people to do things against their will, I will know and I will stop you. If you think you were uncomfortable just now, I can make it much worse. Understood?"
Jorie's eyes widened at the thought. She didn't want to play chess with Sam on this. She still had a lot to learn.
"Okay," she conceded.
Sam smiled and mussed up her hair congenially. "Compel Dean home and I'll call Bobby."
Jorie nodded and closed her eyes. She imagined Dean slamming the breaks and reversing direction, his mind now fully committed to returning to Bobby's home.
XxXx
"Son of a bitch!" Dean cursed at the top of his lungs as Sam softly spoke to him from the kitchen. Jorie cringed. While Sam's voice remained soft and soothing, Dean's kept rising until she could make out entire sentences.
Jorie stayed seated on the old leather sofa in Bobby's study and chewed on her thumbnail. She made up her mind that if Dean tried anything, she'd make him stop.
"Calm down, Dean." Jorie heard Sam say in a louder voice as heavy footsteps approached the study.
"I am calm." Dean stormed into the study and strode over to Jorie looking irritated.
Jorie swallowed in trepidation but was amazed to see that Dean didn't seem all that affected by her compulsion.
"Does your head hurt?" she asked, forgetting herself. Her head had stopped hurting. Maybe the more she used her abilities, some of the more unpleasant side effects waned. One could certainly hope that was the case. The only remaining annoyance was that her nose bled a lot when she compelled Dean.
Dean crossed his arms and glared at her.
Jorie slunk down lower into the sofa and pulled a blanket over her head. Maybe she didn't need to know that information just now.
"Dean, I told you I handled it," Sam said as he entered the room followed by an equally annoyed Bobby.
Dean waved a hand. "Yah, yah, you used your abilities to compel her. Whatever. Now it's my turn to handle it the Winchester way."
Dean pulled the blanket off Jorie and pulled her to her feet. He grabbed her around the waist and plunked her on top of Bobby's desk so that they were almost eye to eye. "Winchester rules," he said, holding his hand to wave his fingers towards him. "What were they?"
Jorie's back went up. Nowhere in the Winchester rules did it say she couldn't compel Dean. Of course, when he'd mentioned those rules, he had no idea she could do it.
Bobby rounded his desk and sat in his chair. "You seriously Winchester ruled the kid?"
Dean looked over Jorie's head. "Damn straight I did. The kid sliced me." Dean pulled his sleeve up to show the scar on his forearm.
"Damn."
"Dean, let's just get this figured out," Sam said, sitting on the sofa where Jorie had sat. "Bella sent some Dream root to Walsh. He's making the bullets for us…going to infuse silver bullets to be on the safe side. He'll meet us at Industrial first thing in the morning."
Dean kept one hand on either side of Jorie while he took in the Intel from Sam. "Walsh is here too?" Dean looked impressed.
"He owes Ash a favour or two and when he heard about Mac, he was quick to lend a hand."
Dean nodded. "Okay and what's Ash got?"
"The tunnels are pretty large so nothing yet," Sam admitted.
"You see!" Jorie shouted in Dean's face. "You're wasting time. Why aren't you looking for my dad?"
Dean turned to her, his face red and his jaw convulsing. "Because you compelled me to drive around for the past two gawd damned hours when we could have finished here and been out there looking."
Jorie was not intimidated by Dean's proximity. "Gimme a break. You weren't doing anything but pawning off jobs on other people."
"Jorie," Sam said, pulling Dean back and standing beside his brother. "Look, I know your dad did everything on his own but Dean and I ask for help when we need it. It's the smart thing to do."
"It's how hunters stay alive, Darling," Bobby piped in from behind her.
Jorie turned her head to see the older man and he smiled at her kindly.
Jorie shook her head, not willing to back down. She went to slip off the desk but Dean stepped forward and put his arm up to block her.
"Winchester rules?"
"I don't care about your stupid rules!" Jorie screamed in his face.
Sam placed a firm hand on Dean's shoulder as the man's jaw muscles constricted to the point where it looked like his face would shatter.
"Still calm, Sam," Dean said through gritted teeth then he shrugged off Sam's hand and rested both hands on the desk on either side of Jorie. "Let me refresh your memory. No slicing and dicing Sam and Dean which, in case you didn't catch the hint, means not doing anything to us without our permission, including messing with my head!"
Jorie blinked.
"No running away which it seems Sammy discovered a way to prevent. Small miracles abound."
Jorie looked at Sam who stood by quietly watching Dean's every move.
Dean stood up and narrowed an eye at her. "Obey us with no questions asked. Did you do that in the dream sequences?"
Jorie chewed her lip.
"Did you?" Dean repeated, slamming a fist to the desk beside her.
Jorie refused to answer. Back off.
Sam lifted a brow. I can hear you.
Don't care, she almost sing-songed in her head.
Sam shook his head and pulled Dean back again. "Okay, are we done here? She got your point. Let's move on to our game plan."
Booby's landline rang and the elder man rose to answer it. "Singer."
Dean faced Sam. "Not done by a long shot."
"They found him," Bobby announced holding the phone out to Dean.
Dean turned to Sam. "I'm not finished with her."
Sam sighed and stood back as Dean stalked over to Bobby and grabbed the phone. He looked at Jorie and shook his head. You're pushing your luck, Jore. Quit pissing him off.
Jorie slipped off the desk ignoring Sam's voice in her head and rounded it to stand beside Dean. She wanted to hear about her dad and Dean being angry with her wasn't going to stop her. Bobby pulled her in close to him and wrapped an arm around her waist. His tender touch made her relax a little feeling the tension in her shoulders and neck. She was wound up tight as a drum between Sam's compulsion of her and Dean's intimidation.
"Where?"
Dean waved at Sam who stepped towards him.
"Coordinates are 43.5460° N, 96.7313° W.
Sam whirled his laptop around and inputted the data Dean was given.
"Walsh is infusing silver bullets as we speak."
Silence permeated the room as Jorie seemed to wait on baited breathe to hear what Dean was being told. The hunter on the other end of the phone spoke in hushed tones so Jorie couldn't make out anything he said.
"Just keep him awake, doesn't matter if he's hallucinating."
Jorie's heart hammered in her chest. Bobby pulled her in for a hug but Jorie stiffened not wanting to be comforted.
"Got it," Sam said, again spinning the laptop so Dean could see what he'd brought up.
"Any sign of the Jargeru?"
More aggravated silence prevailed as Jorie heard her pulse pounding in her ear then Dean hung up the phone and looked at Bobby and Sam.
"Mac's awake. He's pretty beat up and out of it but there's no sign of the Jargeru."
Jorie perked up. "Are they bringing him here?"
Dean shook his head and reached for an empty glass on Bobby's desk. He poured himself a glass on the amber liquid and chugged it down and gritted his teeth at the inner burn.
"What is it, Dean?" Sam prompted.
"He's hooked up to something. Ash is forwarding pictures to your email. He's never seen anything like it."
Sam opened his email and waited for the email to arrive.
Jorie slipped off of Bobby's lap and pushed in front of Sam. He didn't stop her. Dean and Bobby stood behind them gaping as Sam opened up the email and clicked on the pictures from Ash. Jorie stifled a sob when she saw her father's beaten and bruised face come into view. He hadn't looked like that in the dream sequences. Mac stood inside what looked like a webbed cocoon of sorts and 100s of vines were attached to his body, from his head to his feet.
"Daddy!" Jorie cried.
XxXx
Jorie sniffled and wiped at her eyes as she made herself as small as possible in the darkness of the back of the impala. Seeing her father so helpless and injured had sucked the fight out of her. Sam sat beside her in the back seat while Bobby and Dean sat silently in the front. All of them were solemn.
It's going to be okay, Jorie.
Jorie wiped her nose with the back of her hand and shook her head. Even Sam projecting thoughts into her head didn't change what she'd seen. For the first time, Jorie realized how serious things were. Her dad might die. He didn't look good at all.
Our plan will work...
Stay out of my head!
Jorie choked on her tears. Having Sam interject his thoughts into her head felt like more than just an invasion of privacy right now, it felt like an attack. She was going to lash out if he didn't back off.
Sam cleared his throat. "I'll teach you to block your thoughts from me." The words were just above a whisper so only she could hear.
How?
"Do you want us to talk out loud or not?"
Jorie leaned her head against the window and sighed. Fine, we can do it this way. She didn't want to risk making Dean any more irritated than he already was. He'd already told her he wasn't finished with her yet.
Imagine hanging a sheet in your mind, kind of like a curtain. Tack it up on all four corners.
Jorie frowned but did as she was bid. She envisioned a large pink curtain covered in pink unicorns hanging up in her mind.
You really like pink unicorns, don't you?
Jorie smiled despite her concerns. She loved unicorns.
Okay, now keep behind the curtain when you're thinking about things you don't want me to see. That's all you need to do, kind of like if someone accidentally walked in on you in the bathroom. You'd hide behind the shower curtain so they couldn't see you.
Jorie tightened the curtain in her mind.
Now decorate the curtain on the other side with something and let's see if I can see it.
Jorie imagined yellow ducks carrying rainbow umbrellas. "Can you see it?"
There was silence for a moment until Sam finally spoke. "No. You're a quick learner."
Jorie was too skeptical to pick up on Sam's admiration of her skill. "That's all there is to it? You can't see anything anymore?"
If I want to I still can read your thoughts, but it takes more effort on my part and it's distracting to me. I don't make it a practice to read anyone's thoughts, to be honest, but your curtain will give you total privacy unless you give me a reason to pull it aside. Hopefully, that will make you feel a little less creeped out.
How do I know you're not lying?
Sam reached out and pulled her chin to face him. "You have my word."
Jorie pulled her chin away and looked out the window. Sam had proven to her time and time again that he was trustworthy. He always was kind to her. He even stood up for her against Dean.
Do you believe me?
Jorie thought about it for a moment. Why can I still hear you in my head?
Projecting thoughts to you isn't the same. I don't have to see what you're thinking to do that. Just like you can project thoughts to me but you can't read what I'm thinking. Think of it as hearing me speak through the shower curtain. I can't see you but you can still hear my voice.
The shower curtain example is creepy.
Sam chuckled. "Sorry, I promise not to walk in on you in the shower."
The impala came to an abrupt stop making Sam and Jorie both jerk forward.
Dean turned in his seat and nailed Jorie with a hard look. "Can I trust you will stay in the car or do I need to handcuff you?" His voice was almost a growl.
Sam made a face. "Dean, seriously?"
"What? I don't want any surprises."
"Let me handle it," Sam said softly.
"Fine, but if you can't, I will." With those words, the creaky door of the impala opened and Dean got out, shutting the door behind him.
Bobby peered into the backseat with a compassionate look on his face. "We'll get your dad out, darlin'." Then Bobby got out as well.
Sam opened the side door but before he got out, he turned and looked at Jorie. The dimness of the interior door lit up the space so they could see one another. Sam cupped her cheek and offered her a reassuring smile. "We will get him, Jorie."
Jorie nodded.
"Stay in the car. The block I taught you will only work if you're not moving. If you leave the car or walk around, the curtain will fall and I'll know. Don't force my hand."
Jorie's eyes well up in helpless frustration. Sam seemed to have complete control over her. She blinked back the tears and nodded. Sam pressed a kiss to her forehead and left the car, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the surrounding darkness.