I don't know what's gotten into me lately, but this inspiration to write is killing me! Finally, this story is going somewhere, and I feel like I could just sit down with my hands on the keyboard and the story would just pour out of my fingertips by itself without me doing anything.

Things are in motion - I hope you like this chapter!

Jackie stares at the man at the other end of that narrow alley - or rather a boy, he looks so young - the smooth skin of his face looks like it has never been shaved, his eyes are dark and surrounded by lashes that would make any woman die of envy, his brown hair falls to his shoulders in thick, lush waves.

"Join you?" she asks, arching a brow. "In what? Ripping the throats of innocent girls?"

The boy takes one look at the body that lies at his feet on the cobblestones and gives a small, dry laugh. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and turns those black eyes back at Jackie.

"There are no innocent people." he shrugs. "And I think you know that."

"And I think that you are making an awful lot of assumptions about me," Jackie replies. "We just met."

"Come with me, and let me find out if I got you right."

She knows she should leave, to walk away and turn her back on this scene, on this arrogant, beautiful boy. She knows she should head home, get rid of the blasted corset that's killing her, take a bath, and wash off all the sweat and the dirt that this day has left her covered in. But there is something about that boy - that vampire boy - that calls to her. Maybe it is his smile, maybe it is the attitude that says so clearly that he does what he wants, that he doesn't care about anyone's judgment.

For once in her life, Jackie wants to feel like that.

"What is your name?" she asks.

"Raphael."

"After the angel?"

"What can I say? My mother had high hopes for me."

She can't help a small laugh.

The night is hot and black and she hears the music that echoes from a nearby bar, she hears the low murmur of people talking, sudden bursts of bright laughter, she hears the cicadas and the bats and all the other little creatures of the night, the cats on the alleys and the rats they feed on.

Is a vampire really that much different from the other predators of the night? Is she any better herself?

"I know how to have fun, alright." She says." But you should know that I don't drink blood."

Raphael's sensual lips spread into a wide grin, that makes him look so dangerous that Jackie feels it in her gut.

"Not yet." He replies. "But you will."

Of all the things he ever told her, this was the one that was not a lie.

The taste of copper and salt. Blood in her mouth. Blood of the innocents.

Jackie woke up, gasping for air, spitting out the blood. The wave of pain and nausea hit her like a tsunami and she retched, barely managing to roll to her side before she vomited all over the floor, her whole body cramping with painful spasms.

Someone was grabbing her hair, pulling it off her face.

"Hey girl, it's okay." a familiar voice. "I'm here."

"Joe-" she managed before another wave of nausea took over, and she spilled everything she had drank that night on the tiled floor of the bathroom. She blinked a couple of times. No blood. She wasn't vomiting blood, just regular puke.

Tentatively she brought a hand on her mouth and winced in pain. Her lip was cut - that's why she was tasting blood. Relief washed through her system.

Raphael isn't here, it was just a dream. Just a dream-

And then - panic and fear hit her like a wrecking ball.

"Joe-!" she stammered, trying to sit up. "Joe, Sam-!"

"Calm down, chica. You're not making any sense."

"No, please, help-"

"I am trying to help you but girl, what the hell happened? I've never seen you this drunk in my entire life."

With Joe's help, Jackie dragged herself to the wall and sat up. Her head was still spinning like Hell and her legs felt like spaghetti - she was painfully aware of the fact that she couldn't stand up no matter how much she wanted to. With all her might she grabbed Joe's sleeve and turned her eyes up to meet her.

"I'm not drunk," she stated as clearly as she could. "I was drugged. Sam-" she paused to fight another wave of nausea. "Sam is in danger."

Joe blinked, her grey eyes turned dark.

"Who did this?"

"A vamp." her throat was burning. "A girl, I don't know. She said… she said Raphael sent her. She said… that they'd kill Sam."

Joe didn't say anything for a couple of heartbeats, just silently laid her fingers on Jackie's lip and she felt the cut healing, the bleeding, and the pain stopped.

"Wait here," Joe said, patted her on the shoulder, and disappeared.

Jackie didn't know how much time passed. She was slipping in and out of consciousness, her head was heavy and the tiled wall behind her back was so cold. She was freezing, shrivers ran through her body. The stench of vomit and blood around her was thick in the air and breathing it in burnt her throat.

And then Joe was back at her side, her eyes were dark and the look on her face made Jackie's heart fall into her gut.

"Sam-?" she breathed.

"He's not here. And neither is Dean. I searched the place - they're gone. Both of them."

"But-"

"I'm taking you out of here."

Joe took her hand, and Jackie felt the familiar tug of teleportation in her core before the bathroom disappeared and she blacked out again.

She woke up in her bed.

The stench of vomit was gone, and she wasn't cold anymore. Someone had cleaned her, dressed her in soft and comfortable jammies.

With a start, she sat up and realized it was morning. The sun was already up, shining through the white curtains - and with that sight, fear and panic hit her full force.

"Joe-!"

"I'm here," she replied, and Jackie turned around to see her.

Joe was sitting in an armchair, holding her cellphone in her hands. She still wore the slim suit she'd had on the night before and she looked like she hadn't slept at all.

"I've been trying to call their cells," she said. "No one is picking up. The impala is still parked outside the nightclub, they didn't leave in it."

Jackie sat up, leaned her back on the pillows, and felt the tears in her throat.

"Now…" Joe continued, still not meeting Jackie's eyes. "Now would be a damn good time to explain to me why the fuck is Raphael de la Cruz back in your life?"

Joe's words felt like a punch on the face, but Jackie knew she deserved it. She deserved all the bad things the universe was throwing at her, she deserved the punishment, the karma that had finally caught up with her.

But Sam didn't. Nor did Dean. They were the innocents and their blood would be on her hands.

With a shaky voice, she told Joe everything. About the Black Orlov - about the deal to sell it to Raphael, and then how she had broken that deal, because of Sam - because Sam had wanted her out of that kind of business and because Sam had thought that diamond was too dangerous to even be out there.

"You fool." was all Joe said to that, slowly shaking her head. "Making business with Raphael. What were you thinking?"

"It wasn't like that," Jackie said silently. "His assistant approached me, asking if I would steal it. It was all businesslike. I didn't think… I didn't think things would get personal."

"You didn't think - period," Joe stated rather drily. "I hate to say this, Jackie, but I feel like you're out of options here. You should just give him that blasted diamond. It's the easiest way out of this mess."

Again Jackie was hit by an invisible wrecking ball, and the pain almost made her black out again.

"I can't," she said. "I threw it into a volcano."

It took a long time before Joe said a thing, but the silence was filled with her frustration and anger.

"Well, fuck." Joe finally replied. "We're in deep shit, then."

"Don't you think I know that?" Jackie breathed, tears choking her throat - but still. Joe had said we, not you. They were in this together. Joe was here, with her - and together they would find a way to save Sam and Dean. They would, there was no other option.

Too bad Jackie had no idea how they were going to do that.

"Joe, what are we going to do?" she managed through the tears that were now flowing down her cheeks in streams. "Raphael… you don't know him, Joe. He is vicious. He is brutal. There isn't anything he won't do - and he knows me, he knows all my powers and all my tricks. I have no aces up my sleeve."

With that Joe finally looked up and met her eyes.

"That's not true. There is one thing."

"What?"

"Raphael doesn't know about me."

Jackie let Joe's words sink in.

That was true. That was fucking true.

The fifteen years she had spent with Raphael, losing herself, losing her soul, losing every little piece of her self-respect… had been the worst years of her life. And the worst of the worst had been, that she had lost Joe.

Joe who had always been there for her, who had always been on her side. But from the start, Jackie had known that Raphael was something Joe would never accept. The life he lived, the lives he took. The way he treated Jackie.

She had kept Raphael from Joe - her dirty secret. Like a drug addict who is too ashamed to tell her family of her sick habit. And when Joe had finally found out?

They hadn't talked in 15 years.

And she had never told Raphael she had a sister at all.

"You are right," Jackie said and met Joe's stern, grey gaze. "You are my ace."

Yikes, what do you think is going to happen next? Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your opinion on this chapter, guys. So if you've made it this far and you still haven't written a review, now is the perfect time to do that!

Special thanks to my dearest friends who've read through this whole damn thing and given me so many reviews - you know who you are. Your support is invaluable.