Hey Readers!
Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers!
Finally found some time to update my story! Thanks for reading along and for your reviews!
Gunshots fired.
Shouts from the numerous hunters and the guttural shrieking from the creature filled the tunnels forcing Jorie to cover her ears and take cover behind the large rock Sam had hidden her behind. Terror overwhelmed her senses. She rocked back and forth as words kept repeating in her head.
My dad is going to die. My dad is going to die.
Her dad was her entire world. She didn't remember her mother or her grandmother. What was going to happen to her now? She hadn't even tried to raise a curtain to shield her thoughts from Sam. It took too much effort to even breathe let alone try to use her abilities. Jorie shut her eyes tightly and wished everything would just stop.
Please make it stop! Just STOP!
And then, it did.
Deafening silence shrouded her.
Jorie opened her eyes and dropped her hands away from her ears. The sound of her pulse pounding in her head was ear-piercing but now so was the silence. Her ears rang in the stillness.
No voices.
No gunshots.
No creature roaring.
Just eerie silence.
Jorie sniffled and cautiously stood to her feet to peer over the large rock. All the people left standing were looking around and not saying a word. It was as if all of the hunters were frozen in time. Jorie's eyes soon fell upon the creature lying on the ground in the middle of the opening of the tunnel they all stood in. It was hideous to look at as it seemed to disintegrate into a pile of sludge. Jorie couldn't even make out its features any longer but it had the shape of what might have been human at one time.
Jorie cautiously walked towards the creature and no one stopped her. Her heart pounded hard against her ribcage. Why wasn't anyone moving or saying anything?
And then all at once, they did.
Six hunters walked over and stared down at the form in exhausted silence. Each man was in some injured state including Dean and the man they had called Ash. Dean was splattered in blood making him look a scary sight. Ash had gashes across his face. Dean grabbed Jorie's arm and pulled her away from the remainder of the Jargeru.
"Don't get too close," he said, his voice soft.
"Dean!" a voice called, dragging them out of their silent state of shock. "C'mere."
Jorie followed Dean's line of sight to see Sam by her dad. Her eyes widened as she watched the cocoons; the cotton-like material dissolved to reveal the occupants, each in very different states of being. Some of the victims were in similar goo-like conditions, obviously having been captured the longest but a few looked similar to her dad. The vines attached to their bodies dropping away like vacuum cleaner hoses being turned off.
Sam took a step forward and caught Mac as he tumbled to the ground.
Jorie rushed over to her dad's side sobbing. "Daddy!"
Mac was unresponsive.
"Sam! Dean!" Bobby's voice echoed across the room this time.
Sam gently set Mac down and Jorie tossed herself against him. She could feel the warmth of his body against her own and she wrapped her small arms around his neck as she sobbed. Sam brushed his hand across her forehead in comfort before scrambling to his feet to find Bobby.
Dean and Sam stood in shock as they stared at the man Bobby eased to the ground.
XxXx
Time seemed to travel by in a blur until Jorie found herself wrapped in a blanket sitting on a chair in the emergency room of the local general hospital. Sam sat beside her, staring into space. Dean paced until Jorie thought he'd wear a large hole through the floor. Bobby sat beside Sam with his eyes closed, appearing to be asleep.
Finally, Dean stopped pacing and broke the silence. "How can dad be alive?"
Sam heaved a weary sigh of irritation. "Dean, we don't know and asking the same question over and over isn't going to change that answer."
Bobby opened his eyes. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't have seen it with my own eyes."
"The doctors tried to revive him, Bobby," Sam murmured. "He was dead."
Bobby sat forward. "You boys ought to know to expect the unexpected in this line of work."
"How did he come back?" Dean asked. "We gave him a hunter's funeral. It's impossible!"
Bobby shook his head.
There were no answers to their questions. Each time they hashed it out, they got no further.
"How do we even know it's really him?" Sam said standing to his feet to join Dean in his pacing. Then he muttered, more to himself than at anyone else. "It's no wonder he seemed so real in Mac's dreams."
"It's him," Bobby assured them. "I'd know John Winchester anywhere."
Neither brother needed to ask how Bobby knew. They'd been hunters long enough to know what kind of tests had to be done and that the older man would have thought to do them all before releasing their father to the medical authorities.
"And he didn't say anything?" asked Dean.
Bobby shook his head. "Hell, I didn't even know he was there until the damned cocoon dissolved right in front of me. Then I was holding him in my arms when he fell on top of me."
"Do we know the other? The girl?" Dean stopped pacing and leaned against the wall.
Jorie's lips quivered as she listened to the men speak. Besides her dad and John Winchester, there had been a young woman as well but she'd looked worse off.
Bobby shook his head. "She was half-eaten or whatever that… was. She won't make it."
Jorie tossed her blanket aside and stood to her feet. "I want to see my dad!"
Bobby quickly reached out and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping an arm around her. "Not yet, honey. Just give the doctor's time, Jorie."
Jorie wriggled off his lap, no longer content to wait around. "They've had time."
She was done waiting. She'd caught her second wind now and felt less spooked. Jorie started to walk out of the waiting area only to be stopped by Dean. He looked down at her with a menacing look on his face but Jorie wasn't sidetracked. She wasn't afraid of Dean, even if he was pissed off. She wasn't playing games anymore. She would manipulate him, whatever it took. She just didn't care anymore.
"Go sit down, Jorie," Dean said, reaching out to grasp her forearm.
Jorie jerked away. Don't touch me.
Dean jerked his hand back like he'd been burnt.
Sam heaved a sigh and shook his head. Jorie.
The voice he projected in her head held a very clear warning but Jorie wasn't going to back down.
She spun to face Sam. "I want to see my dad."
Sam crouched to her level with a very matter-of-fact look on his face. "You saw him, Jorie. He's unresponsive. We have no idea what we are dealing with and the doctors need time. We can't even share with them exactly what happened. You get how hard all of this is, right?"
Tears welled in her eyes and she shook her head. She knew they couldn't tell the truth. No one would even believe them if they did and by now, the hunters left behind would have cleaned up the scene like nothing ever happened, including disposing of the Jargeru corpse and its other unrecognizable victims. Civilians or whatever you wanted to call non-hunters couldn't handle the truth.
"We found our dad in there too. We thought he was dead but the Jargeru had him. We don't even know how that happened."
Jorie blinked back tears. Tears shimmered in Sam's eyes too. This was just as hard on him as it was on her. She looked at Dean who held his emotions in check so stoically, never giving anything away that he might be struggling with things. Jorie forced herself to swallow the emotion. If she could learn anything constructive from Dean, she would copy his strong resolve.
"Mister Washington?"
Sam rose to his full height and pulled Jorie in close as a man dressed in a white coat entered the private waiting room area.
Dean nodded. "Yes, I'm Dean and this is my brother, Sam. How's our dad?"
Bobby stood up as well. "How is Mac Spencer?"
The doctor raised his hand up and then pointed at the chairs. "Please. Have a seat."
Dean, Sam and Bobby sat down; Sam pulled Jorie onto his lap and embraced her in a reassuring hug. Let us do the talking, Jorie, he projected into her mind quietly. Jorie tightened the curtain of her mind so Sam couldn't see her thoughts. She'd let them talk alright but the first chance she could, she would find her dad.
The doctor smiled at Jorie. "And who are you, sweetheart?"
"Mac is my daddy."
Sam squeezed her gently to remind her to let him do all the talking. "Mac's my brother," he explained. "Different father but same mother."
Jorie took notes. She'd heard her father embellish the truth a lot through the years. She'd learned to play along. They needed to be very cautious around the authorities if they wished to keep their cover stories. The supernatural operated above the law or below the law, whatever the case may be, but that meant they needed to as well.
Bobby spoke up to clarify his presence as well. "John is my brother."
The doctor took note of their explanations and nodded. "We could use more information, gentlemen. Anything you can tell us that might narrow down the source of this toxin would be helpful. You said you found them together?"
Dean took the lead. "We explained everything to the officers in charge and reported all we knew."
The doctor nodded. "Your father and brother both appear to have very rare symptoms of blood poisoning…sepsis in fact and we can't seem to isolate the poison. We have them on a broad spectrum of antibiotics and intravenous fluids as well as vasopressor medication. Anything you can tell us about the wounds would help tremendously."
Sam and Dean exchanged a look while Bobby pinched the bridge of his nose. Jorie didn't know why they were being so silent. They didn't have to tell the truth but they could embellish things, couldn't they? Like why couldn't they say he was found near some vines or something like that? Maybe the vines were poisonous? She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out part of the vine she'd picked up from the floor. While all the other vines and pieces of the cocoon-like pods had disintegrated. The piece Jorie had pocketed remained intact and still felt very much alive.
Jorie.
Sam's voice caused her to startle as he grabbed her hand and snatched the vine from her hand.
"They were all passed out in an abandoned warehouse when we found them…" Dean went on to explain, repeating what they had already told authorities.
The doctor looked notably discouraged. "The young woman you brought in with them has passed away. We're hoping to find some next of kin but in the meantime, we'll do an autopsy and hope that will help us find a way to treat your father and brother. I have to be transparent, though, gentleman, the prognosis isn't good. We don't know what is causing the sepsis therefore we are treating them blindly.
"We understand," Sam said in a solemn voice.
"Can I see my dad?" Jorie piped up.
The doctor smiled at her. "Sure, sweetheart. He's not awake but you can see him through the window if your uncles take you."
Sam stood to his feet as the doctor did and shook his hand. "You'll keep us updated?"
The doctor nodded. "Of course. Your brother and father are both in ICU 24 down the Northwest hall. Just take that hall on your left and follow the blue footprints on the floor."
Bobby and Dean each shook the doctor's hand as well and they all watched as he walked back down the corridor.
"Jorie, is this from the tunnels?" Sam asked holding up the thick green vine for Dean and Bobby to see.
Jorie nodded.
"How is that not a pile of goop like the rest of it?' Dean asked, an equal look of puzzlement flooding his face.
Sam shrugged and looked at Jorie. "When did you put it in your pocket? Before or after the creature died?"
"I picked it up the first time I ran over to see my dad. It tried to grab me but Bobby pulled me out of the way."
Bobby took the vine from Sam and examined it carefully. "I'll take it to O'Connor to do some lab work for us."
Sam and Dean both nodded and Bobby looked at Jorie. "Hang in there, Short stuff. This isn't over yet." Bobby messed up her hair and left the waiting room area.
Sam held out his hand. "Let's go see your dad, honey."
xXxX
Jorie hadn't been prepared to see her father hooked up to so many machines. She gasped and blinked back hot tears as she held her hands against the glass and peered into the ICU room. Both men were lying in beds opposite to one another, allowing the doctors to access them both from all sides.
"What's that on his face?" Jorie managed to say, her voice held a tremor.
Dean's hands were on the glass above hers and he was just staring blinding into the room.
"It's a tube to help your dad breathe, honey," Sam said gently in response to her question. He placed a warm hand on top of her head in comfort.
Tears ran down her cheeks. "He can't breathe on his own?"
"I don't think so, honey."
"He's going to die," Jorie whispered. It wasn't a question but more of a dazed statement.
Sam remained silent as he stared at his father in the opposite bed.
"How can he be alive, Sammy?" Dean asked as the brothers continued to stare at their father in bewilderment. "I thought everything in the dream world wasn't real."
"Most of it wasn't, Dean. I mean there is no reality to Dad belting you over and over for the same incident from the past. You were caught in some kind of dream time loop or something but I saw him when Jorie was with me and it felt so real. Every time Jorie was with me, things were real."
"Why?"
Sam shook his head. "I don't know, Dean. It makes no sense. Maybe it was Mac or Dad's way of reaching us with some kind of message."
"What kind of message?"
Bright lights and loud alarms began to go off all at once as John Winchester sat up in his bed. Sam and Dean froze as they watched their father grasp and scratch frantically at his neck, gagging and sputtering against the tube shoved down his throat to help him breathe. Nurses and doctors went rushing into the room and forced him back down on his back. Jorie's eyes were large as the doctor pulled out a long tube from his throat and John began to cough and sputter.
XxXx
Jorie stood back by the entrance to the room with wide eyes. A curtain had been pulled around her father's bed for privacy but John Winchester sat up in bed looking at his sons.
"…I don't understand…" Dean said for the fourth time since entering the room.
John's voice was hoarse. "I can't explain it either. I remember collapsing at the hospital after the deal I made with Azazel…"
"How could you be so stupid, Dad!" Dean snapped angrily.
John held a hand up with a stern expression crossing his face. He looked pained as he cleared his throat and reached for a glass of water on the table in front of his bed. "Do you really want to discuss that with me right now, Dean?" John took a tentative drink of his water without taking his eyes off of Dean. It was obvious that John Winchester was not a man who took well to someone questioning his decisions.
"Yeah, yeah I do!" Dean said with equal determination.
"Dean." Sam gasped in exasperation. "Now isn't the time."
"The hell it isn't" Dean smacked his fist down on the table, upsetting the glass of water.
Sam grabbed Dean's arm and yanked him to the side of the room, his hushed, irritated whispers blending into the sounds of the machines attached to Mac across the room.
Jorie looked at the senior Winchester with interest. He was a perfect older version of Dean, complete with the stubborn set to his chin.
"So, you're Marjorie's granddaughter?"
Jorie nodded but remained quiet, stealing glances in Sam and Dean's direction and then towards the curtain where her father was kept hidden from her.
"Did you catch a good glimpse of that creature?"
Jorie nodded again. John reached out and patted her ice-cold hand gently.
"Your dad will make it. He's a fighter, Jorie"
Tears filled her eyes. Her dad was the best hunter in the USA but he'd been captured and had left her alone for so long. Her resolve was weakening. She wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to keep herself together.
The sudden opening of the door behind them made Jorie spin around to see Dean stalk from the room and Sam walk back over to her side.
"Dean's going to get some air."
John lifted his brows and exchanged a look with Sam. He forced himself to sit up further but groaned as he did so. Jorie rolled her eyes knowing Sam had talked Dean out of saying something stupid. Dean was a hot head much like she was. That much she understood about the older brother.
"Dad, you should really try and get some rest. They don't know what's causing the poisoning to your blood."
"It's the algae."
"Algae?"
John nodded. "It's a long story but the creature interwove some kind of algae into that cocoon thingy it encapsulated me in. It isn't native to here; at least I don't remember seeing it anywhere. I don't remember much but before I was lost into my dream, I was able to figure out that much."
"Jorie had a sample of the vine and Bobby took it to another hunter to look at."
Jorie felt her mind race as Sam and John continued to talk about algae, the vines and the Jargeru. She didn't care about any of it except them finding a cure or antidote to the poisoning and healing her father.
Sam seemed to forget about her for the moment as he became lost in conversation with his father. Jorie slowly managed to slip closer to the other side of the room and the curtain surrounding her father's bed. The nurses had told them not to disturb him but Jorie ducked underneath the curtain anyway. Mac lay deathly still as monitors around him did all the work of breathing for him. He was intubated and he didn't look much different than he'd looked when he'd been in the cocoon except instead of vines attached everywhere, it was tubes and wires. Jorie stepped closer and placed her small hand inside her father's much larger one.
"Daddy?" She said softly. Tears blurred her vision as the monitors beeped and the tubes made suction noises. "Please wake up," she choked out. She laid her head on his arm and allowed the tears to flow.
It'll be okay, Baby girl.
Jorie lifted her head and stared at her dad. "Daddy?"
I'm here, Jorie.
Jorie squeezed Mac's hand hoping to get a response but nothing happened. Why could she hear his voice in her head? Her dad never did that before. Was her mind playing tricks on her?
Listen, Jorie. I can't stay much longer. I'm tired and it's almost time for me to go.
Tears streamed down her cheeks and she shook her head. No, daddy, you can't go…please don't leave me alone.
Oh, Baby girl, you won't be alone. Sam and Dean will take good care of you.
Dean hates me, Jorie insisted. Please don't leave me. You hafta get better.
The machines seemed to fade into the background as Jorie crawled up into the bed and snuggled with her father. She rested her head on his chest, careful not to disturb any of the wires or tubes. Her tears soaked his hospital gown.
Honey, Dean doesn't hate you. He's scared. He's lost so many people in his life and he's afraid to love anyone else for fear of losing them too. He'd give up his life to protect the ones he loves. That's a huge responsibility to carry. You have to understand that.
Jorie shook her head. I don't understand. Daddy, please stay with me.
xXxX
A gentle hand brushed away tears from her cheeks and Jorie startled and opened her eyes to see Dean looking down at her.
"Hey, kid, you're not allowed to be in here."
Jorie hugged her father tighter.
Please don't let him take me away from you, daddy.
Jorie clung to Mac like a lifeline, her arms wrapped around his arm and her small hand in his much larger one. Mac seemed to be peacefully sleeping, attached to machines to keep him alive.
"It's going to be okay, Jorie," Dean said, attempting to soothe the desperate little girl.
Jorie shook her head frantically. Nothing was ever going to be okay again, not if her dad died.
"Mac loves you a lot, Jorie." Dean offered to try and soothe her a little.
Jorie choked back sobs. "He's the best hunter in the whole world," she mumbled. Dean rested his hand on her forehead, moving his thumb back and forth above her eye. The movement helped to relax her. "I don't want him to die." She didn't know it could hurt so much to be this sad. She ached so much it was hard to breathe. Her father was dying and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"I know, sweetheart."
Movement from the corner of the room told Jorie that someone else had entered the space.
"She shouldn't be in here," an angry female voice whispered with a hiss.
Jorie kept her eyes closed and concentrated on Dean's thumb rubbing across her forehead.
Please don't let her make me leave. Please. Please. Please. Make her go away.
"Well, she is. This is Mac's little girl and she needs him and he needs her."
"She has to leave," the insistent female voice said.
Make her go away.
"No, I think you need to leave," Dean said firmly.
"I'm going to call security."
"Don't let me stop you."
Jorie could hear the comforting sound of her father's heartbeat as she began to fade into an exhausted unconsciousness, with Dean gently stroking her head.
XxXx
Bright sunlight poured into the room making Jorie's eyes flutter.
"I think she's waking up," said an unfamiliar female voice.
"Shut up! The last thing we need is for her to wake up right now," Dean's gruff voice barked.
"Who peed in your corn flakes this morning?" The female voice answered back.
"Look, Jo, we called you to help us out, not be a pain in the ass."
"Dean, would you just calm down, already," Sam said this time. "We need to figure this out and you're not helping by arguing with Jo. Now stop it."
"What's the plan then?" asked the female voice.
"We need you and your mom to take care of her for us," Sam continued. "We have a lot to figure out. We need to find an antidote to this poison…"
Jorie sat up. "Where's my dad?" She looked around the room and didn't recognize where she was.
Sam turned and smiled at her kindly. "Still at the hospital."
"Where am I?"
The woman with long blonde hair walked towards her and sat on the cozy sofa beside her. "Hi, Jorie, my name is Jo. You're gonna stay with my mom and me for a little while…"
Jorie stood to her feet and shook her head. "What? No way!"
"Jorie," Sam began.
Jorie glared at him. Tell me what's going on. Where are we?
We took you to friends, Jorie. We need you to stay here while we figure things out…
Jorie shook her head and headed towards the door. There was no way she was going to let them ditch her. She was staying with her dad until he got better and that was that.
Dean caught her and lifted her into his arms. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Let me go!" Jorie screeched at the top of her lungs.
Dean held her tightly and set her back on the sofa beside Jo. He poked a finger in her face. "You're staying here like Sam said and we don't have a lot of time to coddle you about it. You're a hunter's kid, Jorie so you know the drill. We've got stuff to do now knock it off and listen."
Jorie crossed her arms and glared at Dean. If he thought she was staying with strangers, he had another thing coming. She was going back to the hospital to be with her dad.
"Jorie, we're going back to the tunnels to conduct some research. We don't think that Jargeru was alone. I've dug up more research after consulting my dad and Bobby's books. This creature mates for life which means there must be another hanging in the wings. We destroyed its food supply. Its mate will be searching for more."
"When will your mom be back?" asked Dean looking in Jo's direction.
"Probably tomorrow. She's picking up supplies for the roadhouse."
"Can you handle her until Ellen gets back?" Dean asked.
"She's a kid, Dean. I'm pretty sure I can handle a ten-year-old."
Jorie stood to her feet again. "I'm not staying with her."
Dean crossed his arms and glared down at her. "Yes, you are and it's not up for debate, kid."
Jorie shook her head. She wasn't planning to debate Dean or anyone else. She was going back to the hospital. Take me back to my dad right now.
Dean blinked a few times and then walked towards the closet.
"Dean, what are you doing?" Sam asked looking at him in confusion.
"Getting my jacket. I'm taking Jorie to see her dad."
Sam sighed and walked to stand in Dean's path. "She's manipulating you. Jorie, knock it off."
Jorie raised the curtain in her mind and glared at Sam.
I can yank that down in a heartbeat, Sam warned her.
No, you can't.
Sam lifted a brow at the dare. Don't mess around in Dean's head! Consider that your last warning.
Jorie narrowed her eyes and glared at Sam.
"Manipulating Dean? How?" Jo asked suddenly, her face masked in concern.
If you leave, I'll run away and find my dad myself, Jorie informed Sam. She was completely serious.
Sam groaned inwardly, and forgetting about Dean and Jo in the room, turned to Jorie in exasperation. "Jorie, I'm quickly losing patience with you. Every minute I stand here arguing with you is one less minute I can concentrate on finding an antidote to keep Mac and my dad alive. Now you're staying with Jo and you will not manipulate her or anyone else. You got that?"
Dean huffed. "You spend entirely too much talking and negotiating with the kid. I've had it!" Dean grabbed Jorie by the arm and sat on the sofa, flipping her across his knee landing several sharp smacks to her backside. "You're gonna listen to us, kid or this is gonna happen every time!"
Jorie screeched.
"Dean!" Jo and Sam shouted in unison, both shocked and surprised at Dean's actions.
Dean stopped and pointed a finger in their direction. "Stay out of this! I'm not negotiating with a 10-year-old!" Dean turned his attention back to swatting Jorie's backside and Jorie screamed in protest.
"Let me go!" she cried, panic in her voice.
Dean growled and grabbed his head, wincing then he quickly looked up at Sam. "Constrain her."
Sam glared at Dean in dismay.
"Do it!"
Jorie wriggled to get free. She'd been caught off guard by Dean's abrupt approach. When he'd smacked her so hard, it took her breath away and she wasn't able to use all her concentration to compel him. Her first attempt had been weak. Dean had felt it but was able to rise above it and fight back. She took a deep breath when he stopped swatting and focussed.
Let me go. Get into your car and drive until you reach the next state.
Dean immediately stood up and set Jorie back to her feet. He grabbed his keys and headed out of the room. Jorie sat on the edge of the sofa sniffling and trying to gain back her wits.
"Dean, where are you going?" Sam called and started to go after him but stopped and looked at Jorie. "You compelled him to leave again, didn't you?"
Jorie glared at Sam with tears still falling down her cheeks.
"Jorie, make him come back."
"NO!"
"Sam, what is going on?" Jo demanded, looking baffled and upset, not understanding what was happening. "How can she make Dean do things? I don't get it."
Sam sank to his knees in front of Jorie. "Bring him back now."
Jorie shook her head. "No, I won't.'' She stamped her foot albeit, weakly.
Sam stared sternly at her. "I don't like to force you to do things against your will, Jorie but you leave me no choice." Sam stood to his feet. Bring Dean back. You will obey him and accept whatever consequences he gives you. You will not run away. You will not leave this property.
"Sam, what's going on?" Jo said again.
Sam watched as Jorie sunk back into the sofa and closed her eyes. She would be docile for now as her mind processed his compulsion. She would not be able to fight him outwardly, but he knew she would seething in anger on the inside. This wasn't over with her but he had to force her for now. In all honestly, Sam wasn't even sure how strong Jorie was when it came to her mind control abilities. He was prepared to go toe to toe with her if he needed to but he hoped it wouldn't come to that. Her abilities were not skilled and quite possibly could go rogue on her. So far she hadn't been able to manipulate him but he could feel when she did it around him. Most of what he'd learned about her abilities had come under the influence of the dream root herb. He really had no idea what she was capable of and she probably didn't either. Her anger might make her more powerful than either one of them knew.