Over the next few months Jessa and Derek kept up their casual relationship, even throughout Jessa's time at the Academy. It wasn't until she was given her first posting that they ended their fling. Jessa went through the Academy with perfect scores on everything, and her instructors were beyond pleased with her. She was in top physical form, her combat skills were exemplary and her instructors told her that they had never seen a training agent with better aim. When she graduated, the FBI gave her her first choice for a posting, and she was sent to the Omaha field office.
She enjoyed her time in Omaha, using every day off to make the four hour trip to the roadhouse. After almost a year she heard about an opening in the Behavioural Analysis Unit in Quantico. She spoke to her superiors who encouraged her to apply for the position, but made sure she knew that it was a coveted position and she would be up against career agents.
"Winchester!" She was sitting at her desk when her partner, Agent Rowlins, called her name. "Franks wants to see you in his office."
Simon Franks was her boss, and if he wanted to see her it couldn't be good. She made her way to the large corner office and knocked lightly on the door.
"Come in." Came the gruff voice of Agent Franks.
"You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Winchester, take a seat." He motioned to one of the empty chairs on the other side of his desk. Her heart was racing as scenarios ran through her head. Was she being reprimanded? Was he going to tell her that she no longer had a job? "I got an email from the higher ups in Quantico."
"What about, sir?"
Franks pulled out a signed document. "Transfer orders for a Special Agent Jessamine Winchester. Congratulations, Winchester, you got the job in Quantico."
Jessa's heart stopped. Did he just say she got the job? "I'm sorry, sir?"
"You got the job."
"I did?"
"You don't sound excited about it, Winchester."
A smile spread across her face, "I am, sir, I really am. Just in shock. I thought you said I'd be up against career agents. I didn't think I stood a chance."
"It seems that they were impressed by your spotless record and your PhD seemed to help." He smiled at her, "Anyway, they want you to start on Monday."
"Monday?"
"I'm going to give you the rest of today, and Friday off. You had the weekend off anyway."
"Thank you, sir. That's very generous of you."
"I'll have Rowlins finish your paperwork. Good luck, Winchester." He stood and shook her hand before she left his office.
"What was that about, Winchester?" Rowlins asked eagerly from his desk.
"Franks was just telling me to dump all my paperwork on you."
"Bull!"
Jessa went to her desk and gathered up all of her unfinished paperwork and dumped them on Rowlins' desk.
"No way Franks told you to dump this on me."
"Rowlins." Franks bellowed from the door of his office, "I need you to finish Winchester's paperwork."
Rowlins didn't get time to answer before Franks disappeared back into his office. "So why do you get off paperwork?" He asked Jessa.
She sat on her chair and started gathering her personal items and stuffed them into her handbag, "I got the job in Quantico."
"No way!" He exclaimed, "Jessa that's great."
"So I start on Monday and Franks is giving me time off to get my stuff packed up and whatnot."
"In that case, I don't mind doing your paperwork."
"Like you have a choice." She smiled, "Anyway, I'm getting the hell out of here."
Rowlins stood and hugged her, "You know, I might actually miss you."
She laughed at her only friend, "I might actually miss you, too Steve."
"Keep in touch."
Jessa walked into the parking lot and climbed on to her SuperHawk before speeding away from the building.
She parked her bike in the park labelled 214. She ran up the stairs to the second floor and unlocked her apartment door. Her one-bedroom didn't take long to pack in boxes. A lifetime habit of packing at a moment's notice was hard to break so her life fit neatly into a handful of boxes. She packed some clothes, along with her badge and gun, into her old duffel and slung it over her shoulder. She dialled a freighting company and arranged a pickup for early the next morning.
Taking one last look around her apartment she locked the door and walked out. She took her keys to the concierge in the lobby.
"How are you today, Howard?" She greeted the older man.
"Why aren't you at work?" The sixty-something asked her.
"I got a promotion."
"That's wonderful!"
"Which means I have to relocate."
"You're leaving?"
"I am. I start on Monday."
"I'll be sorry to see you go, Jessa."
"I've got my keys for you, and I have a freight company coming in the morning to pick up my things and I was wondering if you could let them into my apartment."
"Anything for you, my dear."
"Thanks Howard."
"You take care."
It didn't take long for Jessa to be back on her bike and on the road.
The sun had just set when she parked her SuperHawk out the front of the Roadhouse and walked in to the familiar building. There were the usual few hunters milling about, one or two she recognised and would smile at her but the few unfamiliar faces ignored her. She was suddenly glad that she changed after work and was now wearing fitting jeans and her leather riding jacket instead of her sensible fed clothes.
Jo spied her first from the corner table she was clearing.
"Jessa!" She abandoned her work and wrapped her in a hug.
"Hey, Jo."
"Jessa?" Ellen ran out from behind the bar and hugged her when Jo had let go, "You didn't tell us you were coming tonight."
"I thought I would surprise you guys."
"Well, it's a lovely surprise. Go put your stuff in your room and come sit down for a drink."
Jessa did as she was told and took her bag and bike helmet to her old room before returning to the bar. Ellen was waiting for her with a glass of whiskey already poured.
"To what do we owe this surprise?" She asked after Jessa had taken a sip of the drink.
"I got a promotion."
"Really? That's wonderful news!"
"It's in Virginia."
"Virginia?"
"I'm leaving first thing tomorrow."
"We'll miss you, sweetie."
Jessa smiled sadly, "I'll miss you guys. But this is such a great opportunity."
"I'm happy for you, Jessa."
"Why are you happy?" Jo came up beside Jessa with a tray full of empty glasses.
"I got a promotion. Which means moving again."
"Where to?"
"Virginia."
"But that means you can't come visit as often." Jo observed sadly, wrapping one arm around her, "I'm gonna miss you, Jessa."
"I'll miss you, too. But I'm going to visit as often as possible."
"Excuse me," A man approached the bar, "Can I grab a beer?"
Ellen nodded and grabbed a bottle and passed it to him. Jessa glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and she was sure her heart stopped beating. She knew his voice was familiar but there was no mistaking his face. His eyes were the exact shade of green as hers. At the bar a few seats down sat her twin brother, Dean Winchester.
"Jo, back to work please." Ellen ordered.
Dean tilted his head to look at Jo, obviously about to flirt with her, when he caught sight of Jessa. His eyes locked on to hers and Jessa tried to offer him a smile.
"Long time no see." Jessa whispered. "How are you, Dean?"
Anger flared in his eyes and he stood, towering over her. She was thankful that Jo had walked off, giving her enough space to stand, letting Dean know that he didn't intimidate her.
Ellen stood in her same spot, her eyes darting between the siblings.
"What the hell are you doing here, Jessa?" He asked, his voice even.
"I could ask you the same thing. Where's dad and Sam?"
"What makes you think I'm with dad?"
"Like he'd let you hunt alone."
"I'm twenty-six." He shook his head, "Anyway, you didn't answer my question."
"I'm passing through. Why are you here?"
"I heard this was a way-station for Hunters. I'm looking for dad."
"John wouldn't come here." Ellen told Dean, "He knows he ain't welcome."
"You know my dad?" Dean asked her.
"Knew. But like I said, he wouldn't come here."
"Dad's missing?" Jessa finally caught up.
"He was working a couple miles of blacktop outside of Jericho, California." His expression softened into sadness, "I haven't seen him since."
"Dean, you know dad. He's probably holed up somewhere with a bottle."
"That's what I thought until I got this." He pulled his phone from his pocket and played a message.
Dean...something big is starting to happen John's broken up voice crackled through the speaker, ...I need to try and figure out what's going on. It may... Be very careful, Dean. We're all in danger.
"That's EVP." Jessa told him.
"You're not out of practice." He grinned.
"Like riding a bike, Dean-o."
"Anyway, I slowed it down, ran it through a gold wave, and took out the hiss. I got this."
He pressed play again but this time it was a woman's voice, I can never go home. She said.
"That can't be good."
"You think?" He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "I could use some help on this, J." All his anger from earlier seemed to disappear as he pleaded, "I can't do this alone."
"Dean, I can't. I'm starting a new job on Monday."
"I wouldn't ask if I didn't need you. This is family, J. Is some job really more important than family?"
She sighed, he was right. "I'll help you find him, but I'm leaving on Sunday. I have to start my job on Monday."
"I'm not going to stop until I find him." Dean said, in a way that was almost pleading with her to help him the whole time.
"And I'll help you when I can, but I'm not going to drop my life in the process."
"Dad would do it for you."
"Would he?" She raised her voice to a yell. "I haven't seen him in nine years!"
"You walked out, Jessa!" He yelled back, "You walked away from us. When Dad found out you were gone, he was furious! He looked for you for months before he started working again. He dumped us at some crappy motel and disappeared looking for you."
She hung her head, she didn't realise her running away would affect him.
"I'm going to be in Virginia on Monday morning to start my job." She walked away to her room to grab her things.
"You ok, hun?" Jessa spun around to see Ellen leaning on the doorframe.
Jessa nodded and threw her duffel over her shoulder. "I'm fine."
"You don't have to go, you know. John's probably fine."
"I know, but I do have to go. I owe them that."
"Just don't go throwing your life away."
"I won't, Ellen. I'll be in Virginia by Monday. I'll call you."
"I love you, sweetie."
"Love you too."
"Make sure you say goodbye to Jo on your way out."
She walked back out into the bar to find Jo staring at her from the bar, trying to brush off Dean who was obviously attempting to flirt with her.
Jessa rolled her eyes and grabbed Dean by the collar and shoved him toward the door, putting her bag in his hands. "Meet me at the car."
"So, that's your brother." Jo said when she got back to the bar.
"He's a handful."
"Are you really going off with him?"
Jessa nodded, "For a few days."
Jo nodded in understanding, "Be safe."
Jessa wrapped her arms around her little sister, "I love you, Jo."
"Love you too."
"I have to go." She walked out of the Roadhouse to where Dean was leaning against John's Impala. "No way, Dad gave you his car?"
Dean shrugged, "Were you going to tell me about this?" He held up her badge, "You're a freaking Fed now?"
She snatched it from him, "You went through my bag?"
"When were you going to tell me?"
"I wasn't." She tucked her badge into her back pocket, "Open the trunk."
Dean obliged.
Jessa tossed her duffel into the space then pulled open the hidden compartment and grabbed one of the spare guns. She tucked it into the pocket inside of her jacket, "Let's go. It's twenty-four hours to Jericho."
"Not the way I drive."
Jessa held her bike helmet up, "Do not get me killed."
She slid the helmet over her head and mounted her bike and revved it sending gravel flying as she pulled on to the road behind Dean.
They stopped at a pay-by-the-hour motel in the wee hours of Friday morning, still a good twelve hours shy of their destination.
"Five hours." Dean told her when he climbed out of the car, "Five hours sleep and then we hit the road."
Jessa nodded and kicked the stand on her bike so she could climb off it. As much as she loved the thing, it was awful uncomfortable after twelve hours. She leaned against the Impala for a few minutes until Dean returned with a room key.
The room was like any other dodgy motel they stayed at, but Jessa didn't mind. She was exhausted and needed to sleep. She set the alarm clock for eleven am and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
When the piercing shriek of the alarm woke her, Jessa was all too happy to climb from the bed. Dean was up not long after and within thirty minutes they were on the road again.
Jessa pulled her bike to a stop just behind the Impala later that night, after a full day's travel.
"Dean what the hell are we doing here?" She asked, climbing off to confront him. "This isn't Jericho."
"I know."
"Then what the hell are we doing here?"
"There's someone I need to see."
"Dean, who lives here?" She hung her helmet on her handlebars and followed him into the building. "It's the middle of the night, who's going to be up?"
The pair went up a few flights of stairs before Dean stopped out the front of a door. He pulled out his lock picking things and expertly picked the lock.
"Dean!" Jessa hissed.
"Don't come in if you're chicken." He said before slipping through the door.
Jessa hung back outside until she heard the obvious sounds of a struggle. Rolling her eyes she pulled her gun out and entered the room, flicking the light on as she did so.
"Woah, easy tiger." Dean said.
Jessa had her gun trained on the man that Dean had pinned, his body blocking her view.
"Dean?" The man asked. "You scared the crap outta me."
"That's 'cause you're out of practice." As if to prove a point the man flipped, pinning Dean to the floor, "Or not."
Jessa slid her gun back into her jacket, deciding to let the two boys fight it out.
"Get off me."
The man climbed off, helping Dean to his feet.
"Dean what the hell are you doing here?"
"Well we were looking for beer."
"We?" He spun to see Jessa standing in the doorway. His eyes grew wide like he thought he was seeing things. "Jessa?"
"Nice to see you Sammy." She grinned, now recognising him, "Damn, you got big."
"Yeah well I'm not thirteen." He turned back to Dean, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"We gotta talk."
"Uh, the phone?"
"If I'd'a called, would you have picked up?"
"Sam?" A woman appeared from the bedroom, dressed in not much.
"Jess, hey. Dean, Jessa, this is my girlfriend Jessica."
Dean's expression changed and Jessa gave him a warning look but he ignored her.
"Wait, you're brother Dean?" Jess asked.
Sam nodded, "And my sister, Jessa."
"I didn't know you had a sister."
"Estranged sister is a more appropriate description." Jessa offered, trying to hide the hurt that her baby brother had spoken with his girlfriend about Dean but not her.
"You know, I love the Smurfs." Dean said, nodding at the logo printed across Jess' chest, "And I gotta tell you. You are completely out of my brother's league."
"Just let me put something on." Jess told him.
"No, no. I wouldn't dream of it. Seriously."
"Dean!" Jessa and Sam said in unison.
"Anyway, I gotta borrow your boyfriend here, talk about some private family business. But, uh, nice meeting you."
"No." Sam said, walking over to where Jess stood, "Whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of her."
"Sam." Jessa cautioned.
"Okay." Dean paused to think of a way to say it, "Dad hasn't been home in a few days."
"So? He's working overtime on a Miller Time shift. He'll stumble back in sooner or later."
Jessa cut in, "Dad's on a hunting trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days."
Sam's expression didn't change when he spoke, "Jess, excuse us. We have to go outside."
Sam led his siblings outside of his building.
"You can't just break in, middle of the night, and expect me to hit the road with you."
"If it's any consolation, I was against the breaking in."
Sam just glared at her.
"You're not hearing me, Sammy. Dad's missing. I need you to help us find him."
"Yeah, what's she doing here anyway?" Sam glanced quickly at Jessa.
"She's helping us find dad."
"Then why do you need me?"
"Because he's our father, Sam. It'll be easier with the three of us. We need to find Dad."
"You remember the poltergeist in Amherst? Or the Devil's Gates in Clifton? He was missing then, too. He's always missing and he's always fine."
"Not for this long. Now, are you going to come with us or not?"
Sam glared over at Jessa where she stood leaning against the rail. "I'm not."
"Why not?"
"I swore I was done hunting. For good."
"Come on." Jessa said, "It wasn't easy, but it wasn't that bad."
"Says the girl that ran away."
"I may have left you guys, but I never left the life."
Dean turned and walked down the stairs, Sam and Jessa in tow.
"Whatever. When I told Dad I was scared of the thing in my closet, he gave me a .45."
Dean spun around, "What was he supposed to do?"
"I was nine years old! He was supposed to say don't be afraid of the dark."
Jessa scoffed, "You're kidding right? You should be afraid of the dark! You know damn well what's out there."
"But still. The way we grew up, after mom was killed, and Dad's obsession to find the thing that killed her."
"Are you trying to say that we should let the son of a bitch get away with it?" Jessa asked him.
"We still haven't found the damn thing!" He retorted. "So we kill everything we can find."
"We save a lot of people doing it, too." Dean said.
"You think Mom would have wanted this for us?" Sam asked after a pause.
Dean rolled his eyes and pushed open the door leading into the parking lot.
"The weapon training, and melting the silver into bullets?" Sam continued, "Man, Dean, we were raised like warriors."
"So what are you gonna do? You're just gonna live some normal, apple pie life? Is that it?"
Jessa didn't comment, she felt a little guilty because that was the kind of life she had been living. Sure, she stayed ready, salt, silver, iron. She even still took the occasional hunt but she had a home and a job, something most hunters didn't get.
"No, not normal. Safe!" Sam said, still mostly ignoring her.
"And that's why you ran away."
"I was just going to college. It was Dad who said if I was gonna go I should stay gone. And that's what I'm doing."
"Do you really think he meant it?" Jessa asked quietly. "I left in the heat of an argument, something I regretted almost instantly. I'm sure Dad felt the same."
"Sam, Dad's in trouble right now, if he's not dead already. I can feel it." There was silence, "We can't do this without you."
"Yes you can."
"But we don't want to." Jessa told him softly.
"What was he hunting?" Sam finally asked.
Dean grinned and pulled the trunk of the Impala open.
While he was looking for the information Sam asked, "So when Dad left, why didn't you go with him?"
"I was working my own gig. This, uh, voodoo thing down in New Orleans."
"Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?"
Jessa chuckled and Dean answered defensively, "I'm twenty-six, dude. Why is everyone surprised by that?"
Sam looked at Jessa and offered a half smile.
"Alright, here we go."
While Dean started to explain the disappearances to Sam, Jessa tuned out. She already knew it all. She and Dean had gone over it at breakfast.
Dean played him the voice message, then the woman's voice.
"Alright." Sam said after he had been briefed, "I'll help you find him. But I have to be back first thing Monday."
"So does Jessa." Dean said.
Sam directed his next question at Jessa, "Where do you have to be?"
"Virginia."
"That's a hell of a drive. You might want to leave now."
She shrugged, "I'll have to fly."
"Sammy, what's on Monday?" Dean asked him.
"I have an interview."
"What, a job interview? Skip it."
"Not a job interview. Law school. It's my entire future on a plate."
"Law School?" Jessa and Dean asked in unison.
"Yeah. Just wait here." He disappeared back into the apartment building.
"Why didn't you tell me that this was Sam's place?" Jessa asked her twin.
He just shrugged, "I don't know, J. It wasn't relevant."
They stood in silence until Sam returned.
"We good to go?" He asked, and both Dean and Jessa nodded. "Alright. I call shotgun."
Jessa laughed then climbed on her bike watching the look of shock on Sam's face. "See you boys in Jericho."
Another chapter for you :) I really really liked this one. Hope you do too.
Xoxo
