Chapter 26
When they arrived at Frank's bar, Dean was the first one out of the car and into the building, before Sam or Jessie even had a chance to get out of the car. Jessie passed Sam a questioning look as she got out of the car, waiting for him to climb out of the backseat.
"Is he really that pissed about the speeding ticket, Sam?"
He shrugged his shoulders after slamming the car door shut. "I don't know, but I think it's something else."
"It's not me, is it?"
"No, I don't think so," he replied truthfully. "But, maybe you were right earlier." She looked at him curiously. "I think he just needs to get laid."
She chuckled, then stopped, smiling brightly. "Well, it did do wonders for my attitude."
He smiled at her response, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her lightly.
"If we stay out here too long he'll be pissed at us."
She sighed, breaking free of his loosening grip and began to walk towards the doors, with Sam close behind her. She was walking so briskly, he had to take longer strides to catch up to her as she walked inside.
"Are you mad or something?" he asked as he grasped her by the wrist just inside the doors.
"No, why?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
He shrugged his shoulders.
She smiled softly, fixing her eyes on him. "Not at all. I'm just irritated by your brother."
He took her by the hand, leading her past the entranceway. They glanced around the room quickly, glimpsing Dean talking to a woman at the bar.
"Wow! He's fast," she commented with a grin.
"Yeah. We might as well just find a table without him."
She nodded then walked over to an empty table close to the bar where Dean was, sitting down while simultaneously scanning the room.
Sam sat down beside her, quietly observing her. He wasn't sure, but she seemed to be acting a little distant, though he thought it might also be his imagination.
It was only a minute before a waitress showed up at the table to take their drink order. Jessie didn't know this particular waitress, but she was happy it was anyone but Betsy. She wasn't in the mood to deal with her tonight.
She continued to look around the room while waiting for their drinks, making Sam feel ignored. He didn't want to feel that way, but he found it difficult not to. He wasn't sure if she was just looking for someone, or if she was feeling uncomfortable being with him in public. He had said he would never force his attention on her, so he wouldn't push her, no matter how he felt.
After their drinks arrived, they ordered something to eat, then fell into an uncomfortable silence.
"I'm sorry, Sam," she said, turning to face him a minute later. "I didn't mean to ignore you. I was looking for Mike."
He felt a tinge of jealousy as she mentioned his name, but he pushed it out of his mind.
"I wanted to find out how Tom is doing," she said sadly.
"Oh," he replied with surprise. "It's fine."
He suddenly felt guilty for being momentarily jealous.
She smiled, placing her hand on his, which was lying on the table.
"You weren't jealous, were you?" she teased.
"Of course not," he replied quickly.
She took a sip of her drink, then smiled at him brightly.
"I'm all yours now."
He smiled back, turning his hand over in hers so he could entwine his fingers in hers.
They made small talk while they waited for their food, staying away from the topic of hunting. While she didn't mind speaking about her hunts, she didn't really find much pleasure in it. She was glad that Sam felt pretty much the same way, preferring not to speak about hunting either.
A few people who Jessie knew came to the table to talk occassionally, but none of them stayed too long. She knew they were just curious about Sam, since it had been years since they'd seen her with anyone. She rolled her eyes after each of them walked away, knowing that she would probably be the topic of discussion around town for awhile. She did smile about the thought of it though. She knew how hot Sam was and she was sure that would be mentioned at some point. For once she would be the envy of the town, instead of the poor orphan girl whose family were murdered.
"So, are you gonna be singing tonight?" he asked while they were eating.
"Why, did you want me to?" she asked with a smile.
He smiled back. "I wouldn't mind hearing you sing."
"That's a very diplomatic way of saying, yes," she replied suspiciously.
His grin grew wider. "Fine. I want to hear you sing. You have a beautiful voice. But that's what you wanted to hear, isn't it?"
She laughed lightly. "No, I wasn't fishing for a compliment. I was just wondering why you wouldn't just come out and say yes, if that's what you wanted."
He shrugged his shoulders, making a strange half smile that Jessie always found endearing.
"The only problem is, it's not Tuesday."
He snorted quietly. "Thank God for that."
She looked at him questioningly, raising an eyebrow.
He laughed lightly. "Sorry. I just don't like Tuesdays much."
"Most people don't like Mondays and for good reason, but you hate Tuesdays. Why is that?" she asked curiously.
"Ah, it's a long story. Remind me to tell you another time."
"Well now you've really piqued my curiosity," she replied with a grin as she leaned closer to him.
"It's really not that interesting."
She rolled her eyes playfully. "Fine. If you don't want to tell me."
"It's not that I don't want to tell you..."
She began to chuckle lightly. "You do know I'm only teasing you, right?"
"I knew that," he replied with a grin.
She chuckled lightly then went back to eating.
Sam decided to tell her the story of the Tuesday that wouldn't end, even though they'd agreed not to speak about hunting. It wasn't one of the stories he enjoyed to tell, but he felt much less awkward when he was busy speaking.
Jessie was fascinated by Sam's story, but she was having trouble listening because she was distracted. She'd glimpsed Mike a few times around the room, and it seemed like he'd seen her, but she wasn't sure why he wouldn't come over and speak to her. If she hadn't known him for so long, she might not have worried so much about it, but for some reason she felt there was something wrong.
When she noticed him walk close by and not even cast a glance in her direction—even after she called his name—she excused herself from the table, following him behind the bar and into the back where the kitchen was.
After a few curious glances from some of the employees, she continued to follow him further into the back. She called his name as he opened a door that led outside to the back of the bar. He ignored her, walking out the door.
She stopped where she was for a moment, wondering if she should follow him. She wasn't sure why, but her intuition was telling her not to follow him. But after some careful thought, she decided it was probably her overactive imagination. She'd been unusually paranoid since she'd been possessed.
She stepped through the doorway, the door slamming quickly behind her. She was standing outside in a small fenced in area where the dumpster for the restaurant was kept. Thankfully it was almost empty, the smell was very minimal.
Mike was standing to one side of the dumpster, his back was to her and his head was slumped down. She wasn't sure what to make of it so she called his name, hoping he would answer this time.
He turned around, his eyes fixed on hers, looking sullen.
"Hi, Jess."
"What's going on, Mike?" she asked suspiciously.
"Nothing, why?"
"Why have you been avoiding me?"
"You're always so damn intuitive. Why don't you figure it out for yourself?"
She felt insulted by the tone of his voice, and was clearly confused by it. He'd never behaved like this in all the time she'd ever known him.
"Why don't you just tell me what your problem is?"
She wasn't sure why, but suddenly she felt a cold shiver run down her back making her shudder visibly. She began to take a step backwards when she noticed there was no light reflecting in his eyes. Then after a second glimpse, she realized his eyes were black.
"What do you want?" she asked the demon as she continued to step backwards.
"I just want you to stay here and out of trouble," it replied with a malicious grin.
She kept her eyes fixed on the demon as she tried to wrench the door open. It laughed at her feeble attempt.
"The door locks from the inside."
She reached down to search her pockets for a lock pick, when she realized she was wearing a dress.
"Dammit," she muttered under her breath, as she turned around and began to pound on the door.
The demon walked up behind her laughing.
"I wouldn't worry about what's going on inside, Jessie," it said coldly. "You're safe as long as you stay here with me."
She turned around quickly, glaring at the demon.
"Safe, with you?" she replied with an ironic laugh. "You might as well cut me and throw me into a tank full of hungry sharks."
It smiled in amusement. "If I wasn't under strict orders to keep you safe, I might consider doing just that."
"What does your boss want with me?"
It laughed sardonically. "Do you really think he would let his low level flunkies know his plans?"
"If you don't want to hurt me then why are you here?" she asked quickly, hoping to keep it talking while she was trying to think of a way out of there.
"We're here to kill Dean Winchester."
She swallowed hard. "You demons have been trying for years and never succeeded. What makes you think tonight will be any different?"
It cackled. "Well for one, their guard was down. And second, Sam is too distracted trying to find out what's happened to you, that he's completely forgotten about his own brother."
She looked at the demon sadly, then averted her eyes as if she was too upset to look at it. What she was hoping to do was catch it off guard so she could escape. Her plan was reckless, but it was all she had.
She waited until the demon was looking away, then made a dash for the fence to her left, kicking her shoes off as she did so. There was a cross piece in the fence that she managed to climb on, then jumped over the fence where the board was short because it had been broken off, landing roughly, but safely. She was glad she hadn't attempted that particular landing with heels on.
She didn't hesitate one moment, instantly heading for the Impala, not once looking back to see if the demon had managed to jump the fence as well.
When she arrived at the Impala, she remembered she had a few pins in her hair, so she took one out and began to pick the lock to the trunk. It took a few moments longer than it should have, but her hands wouldn't stop shaking, no matter how hard she tried to steady them.
Once she got the trunk opened, she grabbed the nearest shotgun, loaded it with salt rounds, then grabbed extra bullets and a flask of holy water, cursing loudly as she remembered once again she had no pockets. She swore to herself at that moment she wasn't ever wearing something without pockets again.
As she ran around the building it was a scene of chaos. People were running screaming from the building in several directions, and when they noticed the shotgun in Jessie's hand, they steered clear of her too.
She kicked the front door open and was nearly bowled over by the remaining escaping patrons. She managed to stay on her feet by pushing herself up against the wall.
When it was clear, she ran into the main room with gun raised. She immediately noticed Sam lying on the floor, a scarlet wound on the side of his head. He seemed to be fine, although he was unconcious, so she turned her attention to the two demons who were with Dean.
One of the demons had him by the throat, so she shot it in the back, then shot the other one in quick succession. The one holding Dean dropped him to the ground unceremoniously, nearly falling on it's side, while the other demon, who was wearing Mike's meatsuit, flew forwards from the force of the gun blast, slamming into the wall.
Dean managed to scramble away from the immediate reach of the demons as Jessie reloaded the gun and once again shot both of them in quick succession. Then as Dean began to chant an exorcism in latin, she doused the demons with holy water to keep them in pain and unable to attack again.
Before Dean was able to finish the exorcism, the bodies the demons were inhabiting looked skywards, opened their mouths, expelling black smoke that left through a broken window.
Jessie ran for Sam as soon as she was positive the demons were gone, kneeling down beside him and checked his pulse. It was as strong as ever and so was his breathing, which left her feeling relieved.
Dean hobbled up behind her, setting a hand on her shoulder.
"He okay?"
"Yes, but I think we better get the hell outta here before the cops show up."
Dean bent down and shook his brother while calling his name. It took a minute, but Sam finally came to and was able to get back to the car with some assitance from his brother. Meanwhile, Jessie checked on Mike, who was splayed on the floor of the bar. After a very quick—but thorough—examination, she found that he seemed fine, or would be at some point. She couldn't stick around for the cops to arrive.
She ran out to the Impala, which Dean had pulled up to the front doors to wait, and jumped in the front seat. She'd barely closed the door when Dean floored it, squealing the tires as they spun trying to grip the road.
She turned around in her seat to check on Sam, who was lying in the backseat. He had his eyes closed, but she could tell he was okay. She decided not to disturb him for the moment, turning around in the seat properly.
"Are you okay, Dean?"
"Let's see. I just got my ass handed to me by a demon," he snapped. "Yeah, I'm just great."
She didn't want to snap at him, but somehow she couldn't help herself.
"You're alive, Dean, so stop whining."
"And so are you I see. Where were you anyway?" he asked in an accusatory tone.
She turned to glare at him. "I had to jump a fence in a damn dress to get away from a demon, Dean. You're just pissed because I was the one that had to save your ass."
He shot her a sideways glance but said nothing.
She was going to snap at him, tell him how worried she was about Mike, but she decided not to say anything at all. They were both on edge, and she was sure he was worried about his brother just as much as she was.
There was almost complete silence in the car during the ride back to Jessie's house. The only sounds that could be heard were the roar of the engine and the occasional moan from the backseat.
Jessie helped Sam into the house, easing him onto the couch carefully. He was giving her a look that said she was being a little too protective and that he could take care of himself, but even if he had said something she wouldn't have listened to him.
She brought him an ice pack for his head, then sat on the couch with a bottle of beer.
"How's your head?" she asked.
He smiled, but she noticed he winced as he did so.
"It's beginning to feel better."
"Do you want a beer?"
He nodded his head, wincing as he did so.
"What happened to your leg?" he asked her as she stood up.
She glanced down at her leg noticing a large scratch from her ankle up to her knee.
"I guess I scratched myself," she replied with a shrug.
His eyes followed her as she left the room, then followed her as she sat down beside him, handing him a beer. He took the offered beer and took a swig before saying anything.
"How did it happen?"
She looked at him scrutinizingly, wondering about the motivation behind the question.
"I didn't even notice it until you said something, Sam. I musta done it when I jumped the fence."
He raised an eyebrow in wonderment.
"You jumped a fence wearing a dress and heels?"
She laughed lightly. "No, I'm afraid I'm not that good. I had to ditch the heels."
"Fashion is a killer, isn't it?" he said with a smirk.
She rolled her eyes and laughed.
"Either you're feeling better, or you've got brain damage, 'cause you're making bad jokes like Dean."
"I don't tell bad jokes," Dean said as he walked into the livingroom carrying a beer. "You just don't have a good sense of humor."
Jessie laughed but she felt very uncomfortable with their whole situation. She had no idea what to think of the demon attack, and even less about the dynamics between the brothers. She'd been with them on and off for awhile now, but this was a new development. She was seriously pondering what a mistake she was making by being with Sam.
"You know the cops will probably stop by here at some point," she announced to no one in particular. "You should probably let me do most of the talking."
"Are you trying to say I don't know how to deal with the cops?" Dean asked.
She opened her mouth to respond, but Sam beat her to it.
"Shut up, Dean. That's not what she meant and you know it."
"I can fight my own battles, Sam," she replied sternly as she slammed her beer bottle on the coffee table and stood up. "I'll be in the computer room if you need me."
Before either of the brothers could respond, she swept from the room and slammed the computer room door behind her.
"What the hell was that all about?"
Sam shook his head in disbelief. "You can really be dense sometimes, Dean."
He snorted. "Then why don't you tell me what's bothering her?"
"Where should I begin?" he asked sarcastically.
He rolled his eyes then sat down on the couch. "I was the one they were trying to kill. If anyone should be in a mood it's me."
"Since when is this a contest, Dean?"
"What are you accusing me of?"
He sighed. "Nothing, Dean. But you seem to forget that Jessie still feels like an outsider when she's with us. And on top of it, she has no idea what demons want with her. And, her friend, Mike, was possessed tonight. So, do you think you could understand why she might be upset?"
"Yeah, I see your point," he replied. "Maybe I should go and apologize to her."
"No, don't do that. I think she needs some time to herself."
"Whatever," he replied as he stood up. "I'm gonna go upstairs and lay down."
Sam watched as his brother stomped upstairs, sighing deeply. He wanted to see how Jessie was, but what he really needed was to lay down. He closed his eyes lightly, laid his head back against the couch, drifting off to sleep quickly.
Jessie had escaped to her computer room to take refuge from the uncomfortable situation in the livingroom, but after she sat in front of her computer for several minutes just staring at her desktop, she realized she had something she needed to do.
She had forgotten about the security cameras that were at the bar, so she needed to hack into their system and delete everything before the police had a chance to watch it. She wasn't sure how she would be able to explain shooting Mike to the police.
She was able to hack into the system and destroy the files enough that they would look damaged, not erased completely. She could only hope that she'd done the job thoroughly, in her haste to make sure it was done before the police could access the files.
It wasn't long afterwards that she heard a knock at her door. Using the security camera, she saw that it was the cops. She felt better when she saw it was one of the cops she knew pretty well. She was completely confident she would be able to feed him a story he would buy.
She smiled lightly as she walked into the livingroom and saw Sam sleeping while he was sitting up, then hurriedly answered the door so the noise wouldn't wake him.
"Hello, Hank," she said as she stepped outside, shutting the door quietly behind her.
"Good evening, Jessie," the man greeted her. "I'm sorry to bother you so late."
"It's okay."
He began to explain what he had gathered about the events at the bar that night. All she did was listen carefully, then fill in the blanks where ever she could. And just like she'd imagined, she was able to explain things away so that he believed it was the only possible thing that could have happened. Although she would have been happier if she hadn't had to lie to him, she did manage to find out that Mike was okay and was recovering in hospital.
Once Hank left, she went back into the house but was unsure what to do. She needed to unwind but Sam was asleep on the couch and she didn't want to turn the TV on and wake him. She was too wound up to sleep, although she knew she needed it, and she was too distressed to sit in front of her computer.
After a few moments thought, she went upstairs to clean up and change her clothes, getting into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. She hadn't really thought beyond that, but while her mind was idle, an idea had crept into her head and it wouldn't leave. And as she was prone to, sometimes she had little impulse control, reacting without thinking.
She was quiet as she grabbed her keys and ran out the door without another thought. It wasn't until she was halfway to the hospital that she realized she didn't even have her phone, she'd left it home with her purse. She wasn't in the mood to turn around, so she decided not to worry about it. Besides, she wasn't planning on being out too late.
When she got to the hospital, she went in search of a good friend of hers who was a nurse so she could get in to visit Mike, although visiting hours were long over. She realized now how stupid it was to drive there on an impulse, because if she couldn't find her friend, she wouldn't even be allowed in.
She managed to find her friend, who snuck her up to Mike's room. His eyes were closed as she entered his room, so she sat down in the chair beside him. She knew he was going to be fine, but it didn't help assuage her guilt.
She sat beside him for a short time just listening to his breathing, her mind wandering to events of the past. She was so engrossed in her thoughts she almost didn't realize when he opened his eyes and called her name in a hoarse whisper.
She moved her chair closer to his bed then took his hand, which he'd reached out towards her.
"I am so sorry, Mike," she apologized quietly.
He looked at her with confusion. "Why are you sorry?"
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because you were possessed by a demon and I shot you."
"I don't blame you for that."
"How could you not?"
He squeezed her hand lightly. "Everything is not your fault, Jessie."
"Then what did it want with you? You can't tell me it didn't have anything to do with me."
He sighed. "Okay, I can't say that. But you didn't ask it to possess me."
"What did it want exactly?"
His gaze shifted uncomfortably. "You don't really wanna know."
"Mike, please," she begged. "You've never been anything but straight with me."
He was quiet for a few moments while he pondered his answer.
"You need to get away from the Winchesters."
It was her this time that averted her eyes. "I can't do that, Mike."
He studied her face for a moment before he flashed a look of understanding.
"You're in love with that Sam guy, aren't you?"
She nodded her head. "Yeah."
"Does he make you happy?"
"Yes," she replied with a smile.
He smiled brightly. "I'm glad. It's about time you were happy for a change."
Her smile quickly faded as she thought about the demon.
"Why did you want me away from them, Mike? What do the demons want?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "All I know is they wanted to make sure you and Sam were safe and they wanted to kill his brother, Dean."
She eyed him warily. "Are you sure you aren't keeping something from me?"
"Why would I? What would I have to gain, Jess? You know I care about you and I've never lied to you, ever."
She wanted to believe him, but she knew him very well. They'd been friends for a very long time and shared a lot with each other. She was positive he was keeping something from her, but she wasn't sure if she should press him.
"I think it's time for me to go now, Mike. You need your rest."
As she made to release her hand from his, he tightened his grip and pulled her towards him.
"Wait," he said sitting up the best he could, grimacing in pain.
He whispered something in her ear, then released his grip on her hand and laid back in the bed.
She gazed at him with utter shock and disbelief, then stood up. She turned to walk away then turned back.
"Feel better soon, Mike."
"You take care of yourself—and keep in touch."
She nodded her head then quickly, but quietly, left the hospital and headed back home.
A/N: The demons seem to be following them, don't they? What could be up? Do you think the boys will notice she's left the house, alone? What about the secret Mike whispered in her ear? Do you think it's the answer to what Crowley wants?
Okay, I may not be able to update for awhile because im having very serious computer problems. I managed to save my stories on disc, so if it craps out completely, I'll still be able to post what I do have written, which is only one full chapter and a half of one so far, but not sure when I would update after that. Now im hoping it wont come to that, im hoping to fix it, but just in case...
Thanks for reading!