Chapter 9

Jessie was awakened in the late morning by knocking at her motel door. She tried to ignore it at first, but whoever it was seemed very persistent. She sighed irritably before climbing out of bed. She opened the door slightly, peeking out to see who it was, not at all surprised to see the smiling face of Dean Winchester.

"Good morning, Jessie," he beamed.

She glared at him irritably, fully opening the door to allow him and Sam to come in, closing the door behind them.

"I'm sorry, I'm not in the best mood right now," she apologized.

"We're sorry to bother you, but Bobby thought you might need our help," Sam said.

She shook her head, blinking her eyes a couple of times to clear them, she was still sleepy.

"Actually, I'm glad you're both here," she replied distracted. "I, uh, um, I'm still tired though, so I'm not really with it yet."

"Did we wake you?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, sorta. I was having trouble sleeping. You wouldn't mind getting me a coffee, would you, Dean?" she asked, turning towards him.

"Yeah, sure, cause I'm an errand boy, right?" he asked sarcastically.

She gave him a hard look, reached into her pocket and pulled out a few bills, tossing them to him. "Get yourself and Sam one too."

He tried returning her hard look, but he could tell she was in no mood. He picked the money up off the floor that he hadn't caught, and left the room without another word.

"Are you okay, Jessie?" Sam asked worried, as he watched her sit on the couch, putting her head in her hands.

She looked up at him, sighing and shaking her head. "No, not really."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked with concern as he sat down beside her, laying a supportive hand on her back.

As she gazed into his warm, kind eyes, she felt herself calm slightly. "It's this damn hunt. I didn't realize what I was getting myself into."

"How so?"

"I don't want to think about it, Sam, let alone talk about it," she said sadly. "I've never seen anything as sick and disturbing as this, and I've seen a lot of sick and disturbing things."

"You and me both," he agreed. "What makes this hunt worse than the rest?"

"Maybe I shouldn't let my nightmare be yours and Dean's," she said shaking her head.

"I'm sure we can handle it."

"Are you saying I can't? Are you saying that you and your brother are better than me?" she asked, close to anger. Her exhaustion, frustration, fear and anger were all combining into one emotion, and she couldn't control herself. She hadn't wanted to yell at Sam, but she couldn't help herself.

"That's not what I meant," Sam said apologetically.

She stood up from the couch and began pacing a few steps back and forth, before stopping and gazing at Sam, who was watching her with concern.

"I'm sorry, Sam. I know you didn't mean to suggest I wasn't as capable as you and your brother..." she trailed off.

He stood up from the couch, walking up to her, placing a supportive hand on her arm. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She wasn't sure why, but she stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace and buried her head against his chest. He felt warm, inviting and comforting, just what she needed right now. He wrapped his arms around her as she began to shake violently, unable to bring herself to tears.

Jessie stayed in Sam's arms for a few minutes, even after she quit shaking. He didn't seem to mind holding her, and she didn't mind being held. She felt safe in his arms, like she was meant to be there, even though deep down she was trying to fight the need. But she'd denied herself for so long, her need was so strong, it was difficult to deny.

Dean returned to the motel a few minutes later, walking in on them holding each other. He felt awkward, like he'd interrupted something meaningful, something he wasn't meant to see. He placed their coffees down on the table, flopping on to the couch.

They'd separated the instant Dean had walked in, but Jessie felt incredibly guilty, like she'd done something she shouldn't have. It took a moment to realize it was because of the look in Dean's eyes, like he was upset. She wasn't sure why, she'd heard enough stories to know he never really got serious with any woman, so why would he be upset? She couldn't let that worry her at the moment, they had a job to do.

She grabbed a coffee off the table, taking a short sip. Sam had picked his up as well and was drinking, while Dean seemed to be almost done with his.

"Look," she said suddenly, breaking the awkward silence. "This hunt has been very disturbing for me, but I'm a professional so it's time I start acting it." She said it out loud so she could convince herself she was fine, even though she wasn't. Neither of the Winchesters believed it either. "We need to get moving, and soon, while it's still daylight."

"So it is vampires?" Dean asked.

She thought for a moment before answering. "Yes."

"Well that explains the missing adults and the dead bodies drained of blood, but what about the missing children?" Sam asked.

She hesitated, not wanting to think about it, much less speak about it. "Same case."

"What do you mean, same case?" Dean asked with surprise.

She sighed heavily, averting her gaze so she wasn't looking at either brother. "I knew I was dealing with vampires after I spoke with the coroner, and managed to have a peek at one of the bodies. But I was completely stumped about the children. I knew it couldn't be the work of a pedophile, they usually had a type and age, and the children taken were all different ages and sexes." She paused for a moment, gazing off into the distance as if she were somewhere else.

"I went in search of their nest last night, managing to get lucky early on in the night. I snuck up on them as close as I could and watched to see how many I was dealing with. What I know for sure was there were four." She stopped, unable to say what she was thinking next.

"What do you mean were four?" Sam asked curiously.

She looked at him with sorrow in her eyes. "One of them had brought two men to the nest to feed from. Then another of them went in to the house to retrieve the rest of the vamps. And out came...four of the missing children."

"They kidnapped the children?" Dean asked in surprise.

"If it were only that bad," she remarked.

"What is it, Jessie?" Sam gently prodded.

"Those miserable bastards turned the kids into monsters, in to vampires."

"What?" the brothers asked in unison.

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes—the kids tearing their fangs into the flesh of the men, suckling from them like a lion cub whose mother brought them a kill." She stopped for a moment to gather her thoughts. "It made my stomach turn and my flesh crawl. I couldn't bear to watch any longer."

"This is so not right," Dean said with disbelief.

Sam looked back and forth from Jessie to Dean, disbelief on his face. Now he understood why she'd been so upset, he definitely couldn't blame her. The thought of some evil, blood thirsty children made his flesh crawl as well.

Everyone was silent for a short time, the tension could be felt in the air. No one was sure what to say, even Dean. It was him that finally decided to break the silence though.

"The day is disappearing as we speak. We need to get a move on if we want to clear this nest out before dark."

Jessie narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that all you have to say? Are you that heartless?"

"They're monsters, Jessie, you know that. And unless you want more innocent people killed, we need to go now."

She knew he was right, but that didn't make any of it easier. She was a professional and she'd never hesitated to kill a monster before, but every time she thought about chopping the head off of a child, she wanted to vomit.

"I guess I'm not as cold as I thought I was," she said quietly.

Sam sighed, shooting a hard look at his brother. "I don't think any of us are thrilled with the fact we need to kill some children, but it's got to be done, Jess."

She turned quickly giving Sam a very hard look. "Don't you call me that!" she blurted out. "Only Bobby's allowed to call me that."

"I'm sorry, Jessie. I didn't mean to insult you," he apologized with a frown.

She sighed and shook her head. "No, don't be sorry. I'm just on edge with all that's been going on. I'm sorry for making a big deal out of it."

"It's okay," he said understandingly.

"No, it's not, really," she said looking apologetic. "I'm just being sensitive. I know about your past too, Sam."

He looked confused for a moment, before realizing what she'd alluded to. She knew about his ex, Jessica. No wonder she was sensitive, he couldn't blame her. He passed her a knowing look, then looked away.

"Well, I don't know about you," Dean began, interrupting the uncomfortable silence. "But we need to get some dead man's blood, just in case."

"I have enough for all of us," Jessie answered quickly. "Let's just hurry up and go before I lose my nerve."

"You don't have to go if you don't want to," Dean offered.

"I've never bailed on a hunt and I'm not about to now," she replied, fishing her car keys from her pocket. "Let's go."

"Plenty of room in my car," Dean said with a grin, dangling his car keys.

"Thanks for the offer, but my car is fine, thank you."

"She might be fine, but mine is better," he teased.

She rolled her eyes in irritation. "Just follow me—if you can keep up," she said with a grin, walking out of the motel room.

He smiled, turning to his brother. "Let's go, Sam," he said excitedly as he followed her out of the room.

Sam followed quickly behind them, smiling. He saw a lot of his brother in Jessie. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but he found it strangely amusing.

Jessie led Dean and Sam out to the same spot she'd parked her car the night before. She already had the trunk of her car open when Dean pulled up behind her. She grinned at him teasingly as he approached the car.

"Were you able to keep up?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" he replied sarcastically.

She smiled, turning her attention back to the trunk of her car. She grabbed the dead man's blood first, handing it to Dean, then pulled out her custom made machete, sharpening it a couple of times just for good luck. Sam had come to stand beside his brother by the time she'd finished sharpening the blade, handing Dean a machete, while he held on to his own.

"Lemme see this a sec," she said to Dean, grabbing for the dead man's blood.

He watched with interest as she poured a small amount of blood into the special reservoir in her machete, before handing the blood back to him.

"That's a cool knife," he remarked.

"I got it custom made a couple years back. I doubt there's many like this around."

He looked at her strangely for a moment. "What did the knife maker think you needed the reservoir for?"

"Poison," she replied with a laugh. "He thought that it was overkill, having such a sharp knife and needing to poison someone too. Little does he know."

He laughed. "You could have always told him the truth."

"I suppose I could have," she mused. "That might've been more amusing."

Dean smiled, before noticing the serious look on Sam's face, making him look at his brother questioningly.

Sam shook his head, turning away. He was uncomfortable with the prospect of killing some innocent children and he wasn't in the mood for joking. He didn't say anything to his brother though, he didn't want to bring him down. Making jokes was Dean's way of coping with the stress, and obviously Jessie's as well.

Dean knew his brother well enough to understand his behaviour. "Are you ready, Jessie?"

She sighed deeply. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Then by all means, lead the way."

Jessie lead the brothers through the tall grass, brush and bushes, to the spot she had stayed the night before, behind some tall bushes. She pointed to the house in the near distance, indicating it was the right house. As the brothers began to creep towards the house slowly and carefully, she stayed where she was, hesitating for a moment. The brothers turned around simultaneously, looking at her expectationally.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, walking towards them. "A moment of weakness. I'm good."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked quietly with concern.

She nodded, walking slowly past them and continued going, not stopping to see if they were following behind. She didn't stop until she was against the side of the house, turning around to wait for Sam and Dean. They were only a few steps behind, so she didn't wait long.

"So, how are we going to do this?" she asked them quietly.

"I'll go in the front door, you and Sam can take the back," Dean suggested.

Sam nodded in agreement, but Jessie didn't. It didn't sound like a very good plan to her.

"How about I go in the front, and you two go through the back?" she suggested firmly. "I'm used to working alone and you two are used to working with each other."

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," Sam replied.

"Dammit, don't argue with me," she whispered harshly. "My arm is almost completely healed. I'm fine."

"Are you? Because you don't seem fine to me."

"Well I am fine, Sam."

"Enough," Dean interrupted. "We don't have time for this now. Just let her have her way, Sam. She's used to that."

Jessie gave Dean a hard look, but said nothing. Sam was looking at his brother with a similiar look, but for a completely different reason. He didn't think she was ready to hunt, but he knew no matter what he said she was going to deny it. He decided it would be best to leave it alone and keep an eye on her.

"Fine," she resigned. "I'll go with Sam."

Dean nodded, then began walking towards the front of the house. Jessie took the lead, walking towards the back of the house with Sam close behind. She peeked around the corner, before walking around it slowly and staying low. The windows were completely covered up, but a shadow might be noticed and they needed the element of surprise. She stopped when she made it to the door, listening. Sam had stopped behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned around in shock, giving him a hard look for a quick second, until she noticed his look of concern.

"You don't have to act brave, Jessie," he whispered.

"I'm not acting, Sam."

"You can lie to me, but you can't lie to yourself."

"Let's just go, Sam. Your brother might already be in there," she replied, cutting him short.

He was about to say something, but she turned and began opening the door slowly, carefully, trying not to make a sound. He followed close behind her as she walked in the door, leaving enough room for Sam to walk in, then closed the door while they waited for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

They were standing in the kitchen, with only one door leading to the rest of the house. Jessie walked up to it, listening quickly for a moment, then began opening it. She peeked her head into the livingroom, where she saw Dean waiting by the stairs. She waved Sam on, then walked into the livingroom, waiting for him to catch up, then they both approached Dean quietly.

"Do you think they're all upstairs, or maybe in the basement?" Dean whispered.

Jessie shrugged. "Let's go upstairs first."

The boys nodded in agreement, then Dean headed up the stairs first taking the lead, Jessie in the middle and Sam pulling up the rear. They stopped as they got to the top, eyeing the hallway, which had six doorways. They all stood confused, not knowing who should go through which door.

After a lot of animated pointing, each chose a door close to the stairs, so they wouldn't be completely surrounded. One the count of three, each of them opened their door quietly, but swiftly.

Jessie's eyes fell upon a horrific sight, the children. There were more than she'd seen the night before, instead of only four, there were six of them, one was sleeping in a crib. She couldn't tell how old the baby was, but he couldn't be much more than a year old.

She swallowed hard, her knife raised in her hand, but she didn't have the heart to use it. She knew deep down it needed to be done, but standing in front of the sleeping children, she was paralysed with regret. She wished she'd let the Winchesters come in by themselves. Suddenly, she heard screaming, first a high pitched scream, then Dean was yelling. She knew she couldn't stand there any longer or the children would wake up.

She raised her knife high, cutting the head off of the oldest child, then quickly did the same to the child beside him. She was basically in auto pilot mode as she hacked the heads off of the other children, except for the baby. As she stood at the crib, she stared at the baby in disbelief, not wanting to believe it could possibly be a monster. But as the yelling coming from the other rooms began to get louder, the baby awakened, looking at her with evil, hungry eyes. She hadn't noticed, but she'd laid her left hand on the top rail of the crib. The baby pulled itself up quickly, biting her on the hand with it's razor sharp vampire teeth, before she could pull it away, then in one swift motion, she chopped the baby's head off.

Jessie barely heard anything as she stood at that crib, staring at what she'd done with disbelief. She'd been in survival mode, but that wore off the instant her life was out of immediate danger, despite the yelling coming from the hallway. She only remained in stunned disbelief for a few moments, before the door flew open and one of the female vampires came bursting in, screaming about her children.

The vampire ran at Jessie, teeth bared, but the screaming had sent her back into survival mode. She moved aside, as the vampire came close, swinging the machete at her neck, cutting through it cleanly. The head and body fell to the floor hard, making a thumping noise. This time, she kept her head, walking to the doorway and looking out into the hallway.

The rest of the commotion in the house, was coming from down the hall. One of the doors at the end of the hall was open, so she began walking towards it slowly, carefully, her arm poised and ready to attack. Suddenly it became quiet, so she stopped where she was, listening for a moment, before Dean and Sam came walking out of the door she was watching, stopping in front of her.

"Did we get 'em all?" Dean asked.

Jessie shrugged. "How many did you kill?"

"There were eight that we found. Seven killed," Sam replied.

"I got the eighth one. She came to check on the children," she said, her eyes taking on a haunted look.

Dean and Sam passed each other a knowing look, but decided against saying anything for now.

"We better torch this place," she blurted out. "We can't let anyone find any of this."

"You're right," Dean said. "I'll take care of it. You and Sam wait for me outside."

She was going to protest, but she didn't have a reason to. She let Sam rest his arm on her back, leading her down the stairs and out the front of the house.

The sun was beginning to go down as they stepped outside into the cool evening air. It seemed eerily quiet to Jessie, except for the sound of their breathing. It made everything that had just happened seem so surreal, like a dream.

Sam ran his fingers through his hair, looking pensive. "I know what you're going to say, but I have to ask anyway."

"I'm fine, for the moment, Sam," she replied quickly, before he had a chance to say more.

"Let's get back to the cars. Dean will catch up with us."

"Okay," she replied absentmindedly, while once again Sam put his arm on her back, leading her in the direction of the cars.

Dean caught up to them only a few minutes after they got back to Jessie's car. She had the trunk open and was cleaning the blood off of her machete.

"Hopefully no one will notice that fire for awhile," he said, while watching Jessie. He grabbed her left hand by the wrist, as she put her knife back into the trunk. "What's this?"

She tried to pull her hand free, but he held on tightly. She gave him a hard look. "Let go of me!"

"What happened to your hand?" he asked with concern, releasing it.

"The baby bit me. It's fine for now. I think we need to worry about getting out of here before someone calls the fire department."

The brothers passed each other a look of concern, but they couldn't deny she was right. They needed to get away from here as soon as possible.

"Fine. Let's get the hell out of here then."

Nothing more needed to be said. Jessie closed the trunk of her car, then hopped into it, driving away quickly. She noticed the brothers were still beside their car when she drove away, but she knew they could take care of themselves, so she didnt stop until she made it back to her motel room.

A/N: How very disturbing, eh? My mind went there, guess that shows how disturbed I truly am lol. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Will update soon.

Thanks for reading!