August 28, 2006

**Potential trigger warning for domestic violence**

Waking up to someone else's screams is never a pleasant experience. Waking up to someone else's screams who you know is even less so. So when Sam woke up in the early morning to Jess screaming across the hall he was on high-alert. He quickly rolled out of bed and opened the door to his room. Jess' door was still closed, but he heard muffled cries of distress through the door. He crept to it and flung it open, hoping to get the jump on the unknown intruder.

"Holy shit."

Nelson was standing in the middle of the room, holding a gun to Jess' head. She was struggling against the makeshift gag he'd tied around her mouth as he held her in one arm, the other aiming at her forehead.

"Get out of the way. I'm going to take back my girlfriend, if you get in my way it won't be pretty for anyone."

"Look, just put down the gun…" Sam cautioned.

He clicked off the safety. "I said, get out of my way."

Sam mentally flung the gun from his hand, the sound of a metallic clatter indicating it had been thrown to the far end of the room. "Let her go."

Nelson was taken aback for all of a moment before he threw Jess to the ground and pulled out a knife. "Okay, freak, I don't know how you did that, but I don't care. I'm taking her with me, and you're not stopping me."

Sam narrowed his eyes, "I beg to differ."

As Nelson lunged forward, Sam dodged to his left, leaving the larger man to stab nothing but air. As he turned to regain his trajectory he was suddenly smacked in the head by a table lamp, then a clock radio, before finally having the dresser fly across the room and pin him to the wall. Sam's nose was bleeding as he concentrated on keeping the dresser in place while helping Jess up from the ground and undoing her gag. "Come on, let's get outside."

Twelve minutes later the police were escorting Nelson from the house as Sam and Jess sat on the curb in the flickering red and blue lights. Dean had arrived a few minutes before the police, and while intent on beating the shit out of Nelson, was stayed by Sam, instead verbally berating the man as the police arrested him. It transpired that Nelson had followed Dean's car-because there's like, two fucking people who own a Celica in this town, let alone a jet black one-and had been staking out the house for a time to kidnap Jess.

**SPN**

It was early morning by the time the police left. The house had been photographed, evidence collected, and interviews taken. By the end of it everyone was exhausted.

As the last cruiser left Jess turned to Sam, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Sam nodded.

There was silence for a moment before Dean spoke, "Is anyone else absolutely starving?"

"Are you ever not hungry?" Sam snarked, "But yeah, I could eat."

"I got my appetite back, so I'm ready for something." Jess said, stretching as she stood up.

"I think know the perfect place." Dean smiled.

Sitting in their usual booth at the diner, Sam and Jess were across from Dean as their breakfasts arrived. Dean beamed when his stack of strawberry pancakes with bacon arrived. "Hell yeah!"

Sam rolled his eyes as he graciously accepted his egg-white omelet-the only even marginally healthy item on the breakfast menu-and Jess nodded as her western special arrived. The three were earlier than the usual breakfast crowd, meaning that aside from a few people at the counter the diner was mostly empty.

The breakfast was relatively quiet until Jess worked up the nerve to speak, "Sam, how did you do all that stuff, like the lamp and dresser moving on their own?" Jess almost whispered.

Sam inhaled as he took a bite of his eggs, nearly choking as a result. After he sputtered for a moment he replied, "I… Um…"

Dean glanced to check if anyone else was listening in-which appeared to not be the case-before he spoke, "You might as well be honest at this point, Criss Angel."

Sam sighed, "To give the condensed version, I have telekinetic abilities. I've had them for a little while now, and I've been training so I can use them. I also used to have visions, but I've learned to block those out. When I strain myself and use them more than I'm used to I can get nosebleeds, which is why I had one with the dresser. I'm not really used to moving stuff that big, then holding it in place for a while."

Jess tilted her head as she processed everything that he'd said, "So, ESP, and psychics are real?"

"Some of them, yes." Sam replied. "Some are just regular people who are scam artists."

"So, where did you get your powers from?" Jess asked, "Not to sound like a superhero comic, but there has to be some cause, right?"

Sam blanched, "Yes…"

"But he'd rather not mention it." Dean interjected.

"Sorry-I didn't know it was a touchy subject."

"It's fine." Sam exhaled, "But just promise you won't think differently of me if I tell you."

"Sure. How bad could it be?"

Sam swallowed, "A demon named Azazel was planning on raising his master Lucifer, the literal devil, and decided to create an army of children who had demon blood that he might use as a physical vessel for Lucifer. He fed me-and the others-demon blood on our six month anniversaries. The blood took a while to take effect, and I didn't even get my telekinetic powers until after he tried to kill me the first time!"

"The only reason he survived was because he went into a diabetic coma and passed out, so Azazel thought he was dead." Dean added.

"Jesus Christ…" Jess put down her fork. "So, wait, does that make you half-demon or something?"

"No. He's still human, and he isn't evil or anything." Dean quickly defended.

"So, is this Azazel guy still trying to kill you?"

"No, he's dead. I shot him with the Colt, him and R.J." Sam tapered off.

"R.J. was a special child who Azazel had brainwashed into following him. Sam stopped him from unleashing hell on earth."

"And I killed an innocent guy from New Jersey!"

"He wasn't innocent. R.J. was following Azazel and you made a tough, but necessary, call." Dean firmly stated.

The table was silent a minute as Jess processed everything that had been said. "So, just so that I get everything completely clear: you're human but have special abilities because of demon blood from a demon named Azazel who wanted to raise the devil and unleash hell but you stopped him by shooting him and his henchman with-what I'm guessing is a gun-called the Colt."

"Yes." Sam responded, realizing just how insane he and Dean sounded.

"Alright." Jess exhaled. "I can't believe I'm saying this right now, but I believe you. Partially because you saved my ass with your powers, and partially because you seem too well collected to both be delusional."

Dean turned to Sam, "I'm surprised she took it so well."

"Just one more question, so if demons are real, what else is?"