Chapter 6
Sam and Dean took care of the bodies exactly how J told them too.
Salt and burning were not good enough this time. They had to be soaked in something called Tar Water first. That was something neither of the boys had ever done before in all their years of hunting. It wasn't in Dad's Journal either. Quite a messy business making it. It seemed like some more hocus pocus to him, but he wasn't about to look at J, let alone ask her more about it.
Both Sam and Dean did as they were instructed. Without a word. Only Sam was brave enough to attempt some kind of an apology to J. She effectively silenced him with a wave of her hand.
"You have work to do." Was all she had to say.
The bodies were burning. Soaked in gasoline, salt, and copious amounts of Tar Water. Dean still had some wood tar on his hands that would not come off.
The flames were reaching their maximum height. There was also an odd purple smoke, in addition to the dark smoke from the fires, that made huge individual pyres in the sky. Dean was sure anyone could see them if they were within 10 miles of them if it were daylight.
As Sam, Dean, Jo, and J looked upon the pyres and pillars of smoke, J finally rounded on Dean.
"I told you to stay behind. I told you to not interfere! You made me kill three more people than I had to tonight." She spat in his face.
Dean was so shocked at J's sudden turn around on him. He said the first thing that came to his mind. "I thought you were drunk. I was trying to look out for you. Besides. Monsters are monsters, right?"
"JO WAS GIVING ME VIRGINS ALL NIGHT, ASSHOLE!" J was livid. Both Jo and Sam recoiled from both of them. Trying to evade J's wrath. "WE? What is this WE business? Besides all of that; that is not how this works! That is not how ANY of this works! I am not the same kind of hunter as you are. It wasn't their time, and it wasn't supposed to have been me! There are rules at play here. YOU screwed up, Dean."
"I told you there was a reason why I do things the way I do. You should have heeded my warnings and left me to do my job." She seethed at him now. The fury in her eyes terrified Dean. But he found himself rooted to the spot. While Jo and Sam looked on. Helpless against her.
She turned to face Sam, now. The fury was in her face unwavering. For a moment.
Dean expected her to continue in on him, too. With his inability to keep his brother under control and out of trouble.
Instead, she looked at Sam and took a deep breath. Her features softening considerably as she looked up at him. "Thanks for trying, Sam. I really should have explained this before. I didn't think I needed to. I appreciate you trying to help. I knew you were only trying to stop him. And I appreciate that. I also appreciate helping to clean up this mess that wasn't supposed to be yours."
Sam looked at her and began to try to apologize again, she raised her finger between them to indicate she wanted silence again. Sam immediately stopped and just looked at her with his big old puppy-dog sorry eyes.
Dean wondered how she managed to command people in such ways that left them with no other choice but to follow. Not like they really cared because it was what she wanted. He knew his brother, and no one stopped him from apologizing when he really wanted to. And Dean could see how much Sam wanted to by the semi-sad and somewhat aggravated look he now was giving Dean.
J looked back at the fire and continued speaking. Dean's thought was pushed out of his mind. For now, all eyes were on her now.
"I see things. I see things and the way that I see them matters. Since I only see things once, it means everything after is entirely subjective. Think Back to the Future. One small interference drastically affects a whole slew of other factors. Dean, the second you decided to do what you did, you ruined everything. You changed what I had seen. You changed the way things were going to play out. My plan wasn't going to work because the game had changed. It was only supposed to have been played one way." She paused for a moment. Not even looking at Jo or Sam. Nor caring that they were even there, it seemed.
"This is how my dad died." She said. Her voice was unwavering as she looked into Dean's extremely tortured soul. Honey covered emeralds… stone cold, yet entirely alight and on fire. "This kind of deviation can have drastic side effects."
Dean was stunned into an even heavier silence than before. His frustration with himself ever mounting. And now the feeling of guilt and failure was bitter on his tongue. He wanted to speak out in his defense. Or to spit in disgust. He wasn't sure exactly which he was capable of achieving. So, he just looked at her. Hoping she could read his mind right then.
Hoping beyond hope she could read everything he could not say.
She turned to Sam. "You are very lucky I was a sideshow in a carnival and learned a thing or three from the other performers. Those knives, and my machete, were forged with Tar Water. Those are the only weapons that could have been effectively used against these guys."
As Sam was about to respond, she turned back to Dean. The fury from moments ago slowly returning.
"You are lucky I think quick on my feet and can account for you getting in the way. The fact that I prepare myself for the biggest mistakes I can foresee happening. The fact that you are also doubly lucky that I made those blades, to begin with. Your fancy gun and monster bullets would have gotten you nowhere. If anything, it would have just pissed them off even more."
Dean was frozen. He had just barreled into a fight he had no clue how to win. What had he almost just caused? J rounded on him again. Her strength, her fury building again. Though to only a fraction of what it was before.
"I don't have enough weapons to go around, Dean. I typically work alone. Remember? I didn't think I would have needed to weaponize either of you properly. I did not think I would have to protect you. You should know better, Dean!" J almost screamed at him.
"I thought you'd listen to me and stay to the sidelines as I had asked. It would have kept everyone safe. If you had just listened to me! If you had stuck with my plan everything would have been just fine! If I had not been prepared, where would we be right now?!" J leveled her gaze up at Dean as she took a few steps towards him.
She was barely a few feet away from him now. She had gotten into his face and was staring intently into it. Dean could feel her seething. It was unlike he has ever felt before. He was lost in the fire of her eyes. He was burning under the gaze of those honey-covered emeralds.
Dean's mouth fell open at what J had said. He just got served. He just had his proverbial ass handed to him on a silver plate. Dean again wondered how this person could command attention like she was doing. Saying so much, with such few words. Was this part of her abilities?
She turned away from them and stared into the flames. Fire meeting fire. An unreadable look on her face.
"I know what you're thinking, right now." She sighed.
"I can see it in your eyes, both of you. You don't need to say anything." She looked back at them. She gave Dean one last, long hard look before she turned back to the fire. He could see that the fire in her eyes was cooling. The intensity of her gaze was somehow different than any other time she had looked at him that night. Like she was trying to say something back, but he could not decipher what that something was.
J finally looked down and away.
After a few minutes of just the crackling of the fires splitting the heavy silence, Jo walked over and just stood next to J. Not saying a word. Not even looking at her. After a few minutes of even more silence, J rested her head on Jo's shoulder and Jo wrapped her arm around J.
As they all watched the fires burn to cinders, all Dean could think about was trying to figure out why he acted, and reacted, in such a way. He was usually really good at following orders. Particularly when hunting. He prided himself on that because he knows what it meant if he did not. The mistakes that could be made. Not just on this job, but on any other. Mistakes could mean someone's life. He was thankful that things had not turned out worse. How J had been insinuating.
Why did every warning J had given him beforehand fly out the window when she was leaving with that Pretty Boy? Dean felt a nasty pull in the center of his stomach at the thought of it again. A lump forming in his throat behind his Adam's Apple. He was familiar with this feeling; it was about to make everything a whole lot more complicated.
He was jealous of Mr. Pretty Boy, and afraid for J. He let his emotions take control without giving them the reigns. He wasn't thinking. He was feeling. He just acted. Dean was ashamed of himself on a level he hadn't been since he was a kid. Growing up looking after Sammy while Dad was out on hunts. Every time he stepped out of line John made him feel exactly like this for not following his direct orders and putting his brother and himself in danger. How was it that this woman, that he hadn't even known for 72 hours, was capable of bringing up these same complex emotions in him?
Dean thought it would be best to avoid that string of thought for now.
When the bodies were finally done burning a short while later, they headed back to The Roadhouse. This time J grabbed the bottle of whiskey and two glasses as she filled Ellen in on what exactly had happened. Since they had all ditched her to take care of the bar by herself hours earlier. Needless to say, Ellen needed all the details.
"I cannot believe you, boys! I know you meant good, but meaning good doesn't get you anywhere on a hunt and you know that!" Ellen scolded.
"I know Ellen. I was just trying to stop my idiot brother." Sam snapped as he glanced over at Dean. The look on his face made it obvious he was done dealing with a mistake that was not his.
"It was on me, Ellen. I acted out of instinct and caused this whole mess. Don't drag Sam into it. I already did. Leave him alone, please." Dean said as he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. Trying to force the thoughts of which of his instincts actually drove his actions away from the forefront of his mind.
"I should have known better. I do not know what came over me." Dean concluded. That wasn't entirely true, but for the most part, it was.
"I'm just glad everyone is back here safe and the job is done." Ellen sighed as she reached behind the bar for another beer.
Jo and J had retreated to the back corner with the bottle of whiskey and glasses as soon as J was done retelling the events of the night since everyone up and left Ellen back at The Roadhouse.