Chapter 28

Sam was still bent over his new laptop as Jessie entered the house, oblivious to her presence. Bobby was rummaging through the fridge, while Dean was sitting at the table having a beer.

"How's she look?"

She glanced curiously at Dean before she realized he was talking about her car.

"She looks good. She's all waxed and sexy."

"They are sexy when they're all waxed," he replied with a wink.

She rolled her eyes while Bobby just groaned.

"I guess you didn't have any trouble then?"

"Not with the car, no."

"What's that?" Bobby asked shrewdly.

She sighed, trying to think of the best way to tell him what happened without causing him to panic.

"I just had a visitor," she replied, piquing everyone's interest. Both Sam and Dean were now turned in her direction listening.

"Who?"

"Crowley."

"What?" Sam exclaimed, jumping up from his seat.

"What did he want?" Dean asked.

"Are you okay, Jess?" Bobby asked with concern.

She smirked slightly, although it seemed inappropriate to the guys at that moment. They must have thought she'd lost her mind, but it was only a short time ago she'd been thinking about her new family and how lucky she was to have them. This was one of those moments she was happy to have them around.

"I'm fine, guys," she said calmly. "He only wanted to introduce himself, or so he said."

"What did he say?" Bobby asked.

She sighed.

"He said he wanted to meet the woman who stole Sam's heart," she replied, averting her eyes from Sam almost embarrassed.

"And that's all he wanted?"

"I guess so," she replied with a shrug. "I'm here to tell the tale, ain't I?"

The three men cast curious glances at each other, but none of them voiced their own opinions aloud.

She glanced at each of them, waiting for someone to say something, but when no one did, she decided to break the silence.

"Well, I smell like car wax, so I guess I'll go upstairs and get changed."

She waited for some reply, but when no one spoke, she left the kitchen and headed upstairs, washed up, then got into some clean clothes

When she was coming down the stairs, she heard a deep voice she didn't immediately recognize coming from the kitchen. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, before she figured out who it was.

She stomped into the kitchen glaring angrily at all of them. That was when the man in the trenchcoat turned around eyeing her with scrutiny.

"I don't see anything special with her," Castiel said while still scrutinizing Jessie. "I think whatever it may be, has more to do with Sam than it does her."

She glared at him feeling very insulted.

"Why don't you get back to your fluffly little cloud, you dick!"

He turned away from her looking confused. "Was it something I said?"

The men laughed, although Sam seemed like he was trying not to.

"Yeah, real funny," she replied with disgust. "I thought we agreed we didn't need his help?"

"You agreed," Dean replied. "We didn't."

"This is none of your business, Dean!"

"This involves my brother, so it is my business."

"Enough, ya idjits!" boomed Bobby, then turned to ask Cas a question, but he'd disappeared. "Balls!"

She narrowed her eyes at Bobby shooting him a furious look.

"If this is the way things are gonna get done around here, then I'm gonna have to go out on my own."

"Jessie, please be reasonable," Bobby replied calmly. "We're just trying to figure things out."

She shook her head angrily. "No, absolutely not. Nothing good can come of this."

"Why are you so against this, Jess?"

"You know why I'm such a good hunter?" she asked rhetorically. "Because I follow my instincts, and they're rarely wrong. Having him involved feels very wrong to me, Bobby."

"Why can't you be open-minded about this?" Dean asked.

She glanced at each of the men, stopping at Dean. "If you want to involve him in your business, be my guest. Just leave me out of it."

She waited for someone to say something, but everyone continued to look awkwardly at each other. So with a long, exaggerated sigh, she swept from the room, heading into the livingroom.

She was sitting on the couch with her laptop doing some research on a new case. She didn't care what was going on with the demons, but she wasn't going to let them make her quit doing her job. She wasn't going to let the Winchesters, or Bobby for that matter, do it either.

Her mind began to wander after a few minutes, so she grabbed her phone from her pocket and called to check up on Mike.

She talked to Mike for quite awhile, ignoring the strange looks she received from both Dean and Sam, who'd both walked in some point during her phone call. When she was done on the phone, she put it away before shooting Dean an irritated look.

"What's your problem now?"

"You and Mike sure seem awfully cozy for just friends."

She glanced quickly at Sam, who seemed to be avoiding eye contact, then fixed her gaze back on Dean.

"I don't wanna make you feel stupid, Dean, but, I'm not his type."

He snorted. "How can you be so sure you're not his type?"

She gazed at him stoically for a few moments before bursting into laughter.

"I don't have the right...equipment," she replied. "In fact, he had his eye on you, Dean. But I had to let him know you didn't play on his team."

She was laughing hysterically at the look on Dean's face when he realized what she'd been alluding to. And when Sam joined in on the laughter, Dean left the room, clearly embarrassed.

"I guess that'll teach him," she said as she turned to Sam. "You weren't jealous, were you?"

"No...not at all."

She rolled her eyes slightly, only half believing him, then turned her attention back to her laptop.

Sam came to sit beside her on the couch, laying his hand on her knee.

"I want to thank you again for the new laptop, Jessie."

"No need to thank me, Sam, really."

"Well, that wasn't what I wanted to say. Not really."

She eyed him warily, wondering if she even wanted to know.

"I'm sorry about the whole Castiel thing."

"Sam..."

"No, I should've come to find you, to warn you."

"It's okay, Sam. I don't blame you. I don't even blame them," she replied with a sigh. "I don't even care if you want something to do with him. All I want is for you to leave me out of it."

"That sounds fair," he replied.

"Then talk to your brother, please. Explain it to him."

He nodded gently. "I'll try."

She smiled lightly then took the hand that was on her knee into hers.

"Try not to worry so much, Sam," she said, squeezing his hand gently. "You've dealt with demons before. You've been to hell and back. This time shouldn't be any different."

He snorted. "I wish I could be as confident and optimistic as you."

"Alcohol helps alot," she replied with a smile.

"You don't fool me, Jessie."

She raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"We're all afraid at some point, even Dean, although he pretends not to be. The same goes for you, and me."

She smiled and shook her head. "I never said I wasn't afraid, Sam. I said not to worry. Worrying is useless."

"So you are afraid?"

She rolled her eyes, sighing impatiently.

"I need to get back to work, Sam," she said, pulling her hand from his and turning back to her laptop.

He looked surprised and confused, but he shook it off. He knew she was testy when it came to admitting fear. He leaned closer to her, trying to see the screen of her computer.

"What are you working on?"

"Looks like a haunting, but I can't be sure yet."

"You mean you're planning on hunting?"

She looked at him with confusion. "If you think I'm staying at Bobby's until he decides it's safe then you're as crazy as he is."

"I heard that!" yelled Bobby from the study.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I'd like to finish my research, Sam."

He nodded his head, kissed her on the cheek then left the room without another word.

She checked him out as he walked away, grinning, before turning back to her reasearch.

After a couple of hours of research, Jessie cooked supper for everyone. She hadn't noticed how late it was while she was engrossed in her work, but when she realized it, she made something to eat, since the guys didn't seem like they were going to. She didn't mind cooking, but she was beginning to think they were taking advantage of her. She didn't think they were doing it intentionally, and, she realized it was probably her fault for making it so easy for them.

After a few more hours of research, Jessie went up to bed, alone. Everyone else was still awake, but she was tired from staring at her computer screen for so long.

She tossed and turned for a short time trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in. Once she was comfortable, she closed her eyes trying to drift off to sleep, but her mind wasn't ready to sleep. Between information in her research, images of Crowley and thoughts about her relationship with Sam, it wasn't so easy to find sleep.

Eventually she managed to drift off into a restless sleep, however, she woke in the middle of the night.

After trying—without success—to go back to sleep, she headed downstairs.

She found Bobby half dozing off in his study, reading a book. She managed to get him to go to his bed, then she sat in the kitchen and had a beer, in hopes it might help her sleep.

Jessie was almost finished drinking her beer when Sam walked into the kitchen looking tired and dishevelled. He flipped the light switch and nearly jumped when he noticed she'd been sitting there in the dark, he hadn't been expecting anyone to be awake but himself.

She laughed to herself when he tried flattening his hair, to no avail. It didn't matter to her what it looked like, he still looked good to her.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be awake," he said as he poured himself a glass of juice.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Me either."

"Hmmm," he said as he sat down at the table beside her. "Why do you think that is?"

She glanced at him curiously and shrugged her shoulders.

He leaned closer to her, putting his arm around her while smiling lightly. It didn't take her long to realize what he was getting at.

"Uh, Sam," she said uncomfortably. "I don't think Bobby would appreciate it if we slept in the same bed."

"Yeah, you're probably right," he replied taking a sip of his juice.

"You should get used to sleeping alone though, Sam," she replied impassively.

"Huh?"

She snorted in disbelief. "Do you think you'll be sleeping with me when we're on the road?"

"Well, yeah."
She laughed, shaking her head. "Unless Dean is sleeping in the same room with us, that's not happening."

"What? Why?" he asked, looking disappointed.

"We said we would do things like we're used to. Well that includes sleeping in separate motel rooms." He tried to interrupt. "But, if Dean wants to have a lady there, then you can always join me."

"I didn't know you'd had time to think about these things," he replied disappointed.

She leaned closer and began to run her hands through his hair, while staring deeply into his eyes.

"Things can change eventually, Sam. But I think we need to make small changes at first."

"You're probably right," he replied, turning to face her.

"But don't change that," she replied with a grin. "I like hearing I'm right."

He smiled, tracing lines on her cheek with his fingertips, making her sigh with pleasure.

She placed her hand on the back of his head, entwining his hair in her fingers, pulled him close and began to kiss him deeply, while he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

They kissed passionately for a short time, before Jessie stopped.

"I would love to keep going, Sam," she replied still breathing heavily. "But at some point I'm not going to be able to stop myself."

He smiled blissfully. "Yeah."

She kissed him once on the cheek before standing up. "I think it's time for me to get to bed."

As she began to walk away, he grasped her by the wrist, twisting her around as he stood up, pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her slowly. He only kissed her for a few moments before pulling away with a grin.

"I hope that helps you sleep," he teased.

She slapped him playfully on the arm. "You're not playing fair."

"Turnabout is fair play," he replied with a cheeky grin.

"Oh, I see. You're just doing the same thing I did to you when we left my house yesterday," she said, crossing her arms. "How very mature, Sam."

He chuckled lightly as she began to pout.

"It's a good thing I deserved that," she said while sticking her tongue out at him.

"Now who's being immature?" he asked.

She narrowed her eyes for a moment before she laughed, which made him laugh in return.

"What the hell are you two making so much noise for?" Dean asked as he walked into the kitchen.

Jessie turned in surprise trying to hold back her laughter, but his appearance—his hair was standing up in different directions—made her laugh louder.

Sam began to laugh as his brother looked both angry and confused, then tried flattening his hair.

"We sure are grown up tonight," he said as he went into the fridge and grabbed a beer.

Once Jessie managed to get control over her laughter, she walked over to Sam, kissing him on the cheek lightly.

"I'm going back to bed now," she said, then whispered, "I love you."

He grasped her by the arms, pulled her closely, kissing her gently.

"I love you, too. Sleep well."

She winked once before leaving the room. She noticed Dean's uncomfortable look as she left, making her laugh inwardly.

Once she was in her room and comfortable in her bed, she fell asleep almost instantly.

Jessie woke up only a few hours after she'd gone back to bed, but she felt fully rested.

She lounged in bed for a few minutes before taking a shower and getting dressed, then heading downstairs. It was quiet when she went into the kitchen, but she could hear Bobby in the study, and there was a fresh pot of coffee on. She was thinking of asking him what he wanted for breakfast, but before she could ask, she thought of something she wanted to make for herself, and if he didn't like it she didn't care.

She checked the fridge and cupboard to make sure she had all the ingredients before beginning to cook. As soon as she began cooking the first piece of french toast, Bobby popped his nose into the kitchen to see what she was up to. When she told him, he pretended to turn his nose up at it, but she knew better. She suspected he was just in a foul mood over something else.

Dean managed to be sitting at the table waiting for food before she'd finished cooking Bobby's food. She smiled at his enthusiasm over food, it never ceased to amaze her.

Dean had scarfed down most of his french toast before his brother had managed to make it into the kitchen. Sam sat down beside his brother, after he kissed Jessie on the cheek and grabbed himself a coffee.

She served Sam his plate, then sat down to eat her own food. Dean had already finished eating by this time and had decided to leave his brother and Jessie alone.

"Thank you for breakfast," he said with a smile.

She nodded. "So, how did you manage to sleep?"

"Fine," he replied tersely.

She noticed something in his eyes when he answered, but she wasn't sure what it meant. Then she remembered she'd left him in the kitchen with Dean in the middle of the night.

"Did something happen, Sam?"

He sat staring across the table pensively before answering.

"Dean and I just had a, brotherly, uh, talk, last night."
She wanted to ask if it was about her, but she figured whatever it was about was between them and none of her business. She knew if he wanted to talk about it he eventually would, so the best thing to do would be to change the subject.

"So, how's the new laptop?"

He smiled widely. "It's great. I can't believe how fast it is."

"Did you manage to do any research with it yet?"

"Just a little, why?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you were coming with me on my hunt or if you'd found your own."

"You're pretty eager to get back to work, aren't you?"

She sighed in annoyance. "It's my job, Sam, and I enjoy what I do. Is there something wrong with that?"

He was silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

"I know that, Jessie. I just thought...you might want to stay here a couple more days."

"Are you serious? Why exactly would I want to do that, Sam?"

"I dunno," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Maybe, so we could spend some time together."

At first she felt almost guilty because she did want to spend time with him too, but at the same time, she had a feeling there was more to it.

"If you come hunting with me, we can spend time together, Sam," she replied.

He snorted. "I don't know about you, but I don't usually have time for much while I'm hunting."

"But we'll be together."

He definitely couldn't argue with her logic, although he wanted to. He was torn between a need to keep her safe and wanting to let her be her own person.

"You're right," he replied with a smile.

She smiled because she knew she'd won.

She began to tidy up the dishes, but Sam wouldn't allow her to since she'd cooked. Instead, she went into the livingroom with her laptop and began to go through her research from the day before.

When the dishes were done, Sam came to sit in the livingroom with his laptop and began to do some research of his own. He didn't want to interrupt Jessie, or Bobby, he'd been miserable since the night before. And Dean was busy with his car.

When he'd finally had enough of researching, he closed his laptop, set it down, walking over to the couch and sat beside Jessie.

"What've you been working on?" he asked.

She glanced up from her laptop almost looking confused for a moment before realizing he'd been talking to her. She'd been so engrossed she hadn't even noticed he'd come to sit beside her.

"Are you familiar with the story of Lizzie Borden?"

"Of course," he replied. "She was accused of killing her father and step-mother with a hatchet, but she was acquitted."

"Yes," she said with a smile. "Well, the house that the murders took place in was converted to a bed and breakfast years ago. There's never been any kind of ghost activity there, until recently."

"What kind of activity?"

"From what I can gather, it started out with guests hearing voices, seeing things move, suddenly feeling cold, that kinda thing. That was until a week ago, when the owners were found dead, apparently killed by a hatchet. A hatchet that was never found. Now people are thinking it's the ghost of Lizzie Borden who killed them."

"And what are the cops saying?"

"They're stumped. The place had no guests at the time. There was no sign of forced entry. So they gather it might have been one of their kids."

"Their kids?"

"Yeah. There was some dispute between the kids and their parents shortly before the murders. They were getting ready to retire and they were going to leave the business to one of their daughters, the one who'd been working there throughout the years. However, the oldest sister thought it should go to her because she's the oldest. Of course this is all speculation from friends and relatives, but there were rumors the parents had been to see a lawyer several times."

"Wasn't there some kind of property dispute in the Borden household before the murders?" he asked.

"Yup."

She watched as an enthusiastic smile crept on his face, making her smile.

"It sounds very promising, Jessie."

"I'm glad you think so," she replied, laying her hand on his knee. "I hope that means you'll come with me."

"Of course, I will," he replied. "And I hate to say it, but not just because you're going."

"Let me guess, because it's a piece of history, and, because you'd like to know who really killed the Bordens?"

"Am I that transparent?"

She laughed. "No, that's just how I feel."

"Are you saying we think alike?"

"I wouldn't go as far as that," she replied with a smile.

"When do you wanna leave?"

She looked down at her computer, typed for a moment, then looked back up at Sam.

"Well, it's anywhere between twenty-five to twenty-nine hours drive from here to Fall River, Mass."

"Let me go talk to Dean about this," he said as he stood up. "Good luck with Bobby," he whispered before he left the room.

She rolled her eyes before setting her laptop aside. She wasn't looking forward to speaking to Bobby about leaving, but it had to be done

"You do know I can hear what you're talking about from here?" he asked as she walked into the study.

She rolled her eyes like a child who was about to be lectured by her father.

"I'm not gonna tell you not to go, Jess. What would be the point? You aren't gonna listen to me anyway."

"You're right about that old man."

"When are you gonna take this demon thing seriously?"

She sighed exaggeratedly. "I'm taking it seriously."

"Then why doesn't it seem like it?"

"Dammit, Bobby!" she snapped. "If something's gonna happen to me, then it's gonna happen. I'm not about to let some demons keep me prisoner."

He narrowed his eyes at her looking angrily for a moment before his look softened.

"I should throttle you for making me worry so much about you, kid."

She walked closer, leaned over, hugging him awkwardly.

"I love you, too—dad."

He smiled shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah. Now get outta here before I start crying like a lady."

She laughed heartily, patting him on the back before she left the room.

While it had gone better than she'd thought, she knew he wasn't about to give up on trying to figure out what Crowley wanted, or trying to keep her safe. She also knew he was going to speak to the boys about keeping her safe, not that they needed to be told, but she didn't want to be around for it. So she headed up to her bedroom and began to pack. She could care less when Dean wanted to leave, she was going to leave whenever she felt like it.

A/N: Well, she did manage to tell them about Crowley. That's a step forward for her. She still doesn't like the idea of Castiel helping though, does she? Oh, and I did do research of my own for the upcoming case. I don't know if I should find that kind of sad or what? I'll just tell myself I was trying to be as authentic as possible lol. Of course the case itself isn't real, but the details about the history of the place is.

Oh, and I am still having computer problems but so far so good. Everything is backed up so I'm only worried about not being able to write.

Thanks for reading!