Chapter 29
After much discussion, the three hunters left Bobby's house heading towards Fall River, shortly after lunch. They drove, Dean and Sam in the Impala and Jessie in her Caprice, for eight hours before deciding to stop for food at a small diner off the interstate.
"We need to find some place to sleep soon. I'm not driving another twenty hours without sleep," Jessie said as she set her fork down.
Sam nodded his head in agreement while Dean chuckled.
"What's so funny, Dean?" she asked irritably.
"Nothing. Nothing."
She glanced at Sam, who only shrugged his shoulders.
"Say it," she said turning back to Dean.
"For someone who wants to be treated like a big, bad hunter, you sure don't act tough."
"Because I want my sleep? Well, Dean, I can go without sleep, if I need to. But if I don't need to, you don't wanna know me."
"Whatever you say, princess."
She shot him a furious look, reached into her pocket, pulling out some money and threw it onto the table.
"Screw you, Dean," she said as she walked out of the diner.
She'd managed to unlock the door to her car when Sam appeared calling her name. She ignored him, trying to climb into the car and shut the door, but he managed to stop her from closing it.
"What do you want, Sam?" she asked without looking at him.
"You do know my brother is just yanking your chain, right?"
"Your point?" she asked shortly.
"Are you angry with me?"
She sighed. "No. Why would I be?"
"I don't know. Because I didn't stick up for you?"
She snorted. "I can fight my own battles, Sam, you know that."
"I know."
"I'm not angry with you, or even Dean. I'm just tired and irritable."
"You sure that's all it is?"
"Yes."
He wasn't sure if he believed her but he had no reason to doubt what she was saying. Either way, he wasn't going to get in between her and his brother.
"We'll stop at the closest place, Jessie," he said.
"Fine. I'll look it up on my laptop and send you a text."
"Can't we just follow you?"
She laughed once. "Dean hasn't finished his pie, he isn't going anywhere yet."
He smiled and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.
"Drive safe."
She smiled as he stepped back allowing her to close the door, then watched as he walked back into the diner, before she took her laptop out. It only took her moments to find the nearest place, which she quickly texted the directions to Sam before leaving.
The motel was about ten minutes down the road from the diner. She paid for two rooms for the night, then went back to her car to get her dufflebag. She was unlocking the door to her room, when she thought she heard someone behind her. She turned around jumping back in surprise.
"Crowley!"
"Hello, darling," he said with a grin.
"What the hell do you want?" she demanded as she reached into her jacket pocket looking for her flask of holy water.
"I wouldn't bother," he replied. With a flick of his hand the flask went flying out of reach.
She glared at him furiously, desperately thinking of a way to escape.
"I'm not here to hurt you."
"Right. And I should believe that why?"
"Because if I wanted to, you'd already be dead."
She couldn't argue with him about that.
"Then what do you want?"
He was quiet for a moment, seemingly scrutinizing her.
"Those demons that attacked you the other day were not mine. I have no desire to get on the bad side of the Winchesters, at the moment."
She snorted. "Yeah, sure. And I'm supposed to believe that, too. I was born at night but it wasn't last night."
"Think what you like, I don't give a damn. I've only come to warn you."
"You came to warn me?" she interrupted. "That's rich."
He narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I see why you get along so well with the Winchesters."
She rolled her eyes.
"As much fun as this was, it's time for me to go before they get here. But before I leave—you need to to get away from that moose you call Sam. He will be the death of you."
She looked confused. "I thought you wanted me with Sam?"
He sighed exaggeratedly. "I told you, those demons were not mine. Being with Sam is the last thing I want to happen."
"I don't understand."
"Then figure it out!" he yelled, before disappearing.
She had no idea what to think about anything Crowley had said. She was both shocked and confused by the entire exchange and had no idea what to do about. After pondering it for a few minutes, she placed Sam and Dean's motel key under the mat in front of the door and texted Sam, telling him where the key was and not to bother her. She was going to go to sleep and she would see him in six hours. She didn't care if it seemed strange to him, she was positive he would do as she asked and she could explain everything in the morning.
She didn't unpack or even change into clothes to sleep in. She just wanted to crawl into bed and forget everything for a few hours. After taking her pants off, she climbed underneath the sheets, laid her head on the pillow and fell asleep.
She'd been so eager to go to bed, she'd forgotten to set an alarm. She was awakened by a loud pounding on the motel door. She yelled, making the knocking stop, then climbed out of bed and put her pants back on so she could answer the door.
"Good morning, uh, Jessie," Sam said, his smile changing to a look of confusion. "Did you sleep in your clothes?"
"Uh, yeah," she said as she waved him inside and closed the door behind him. "I told you I was tired."
"Is that all it is?"
It took that one question for her to decide not to mention her visit with Crowley at that moment. She wanted to tell him, but she was afraid that would distract him from their job and she didn't want that. She promised herself at that moment that she would tell him after they solved their case.
"What else would it be, Sam?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. You just seem kind of, distant."
"I was just tired and cranky," she replied dismissively. "Can you give me ten minutes to shower and change into some clean clothes?"
"Yeah."
She quickly grabbed her dufflebag and went into the bathroom to shower and change. She'd expected Sam to follow her, but she was happy—but also torn—he was giving her some space.
"You didn't happen to bring coffee?" she asked as she walked out of the bathroom, stopping short when she noticed Dean.
They were looking at her suspiciously, before shooting each other a conspiratorial look.
"What's going on?"
"We should be asking you that," Dean replied.
She looked at Sam with confusion. "What's he talking about?"
He glanced at her furtively, almost avoiding eye contact. "We found sulfur outside by your car."
She swallowed hard. "Can we please talk about this after I get some coffee in me?"
"No. I think we need to discuss this now."
She shifted her gaze to Dean, but he seemed just as adamant as his brother.
"Fine," she replied with a sigh.
She explained everything that Crowley said without hesitation, which had the brothers just as confused as she was.
"This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever," Dean said throwing his hands in the air.
"Tell me about it, Dean," replied his brother. "I don't understand what he meant when he said they weren't his demons. What does that even mean?"
"I thought he was the king of hell?" she said.
"He is," replied Dean. "But not all the demons wanted it that way."
She shook her head. "Okay, that makes more sense, but what I don't understand is why they care about me being, or not being, with Sam."
"Your guess is as good as mine."
She glanced at Sam hoping he had an idea, instead she found him hanging his shoulders broodingly.
"See! This is why I didn't want to tell you. I'm not gonna allow demons to run my life, period."
"This isn't just your choice though, Jessie," Sam replied ruefully.
She was taken aback by the sadness in his voice, which made her feel hurt and a little angry.
"I can't deal with this right now," she snapped. "I'm gonna go get myself a coffee."
She didn't wait for either of them to respond before she left the room.
Sam made to follow her, but Dean stepped in his way.
"Get out of my way, Dean," he warned.
"No. You and I need to have a talk, Sammy."
"Dean..."
"Shut up and listen."
Sam sighed loudly before sitting down on the couch, while Dean stood in front of him.
"I'm not gonna allow you to ruin things with Jessie because of some ass hat demons. For years I watched you turn from a man who wanted a life with a woman and a family, to someone who was always angry, only bent on hate and revenge. This is the first time I've seen you happy in a very long time and I don't want you to screw this opportunity up."
"Maybe we're not meant to be happy, Dean. All our lives we've been inundated with this shit, so why should now be any different?"
"That's not the point, Sam. This girl loves you, though I'm not sure why. And she can take care of herself, too. Why would you want to give that up for any reason?"
"I don't know, Dean. You know what happens to all of the women in my life. Maybe it would be for the best."
He glared at his brother furiously. "I should kick your ass for even thinking that, Sammy. I gave up Lisa, and for what? To keep her safe. But Jessie's already in the life, she knows the deal. She knows she could be killed at any moment, and if you actually spent some time talking to her about it, you'd already know that."
He shook his head looking confused. "You don't think I already know that?"
"Then none of this should be in question."
"Why are you pushing so hard for this, Dean?"
He smirked in disbelief. "The same reason you made me promise to go to Lisa when you went to hell. You wanted me to be happy. I want the same for you, Sammy. You've had nothing but crap for most of your life. Don't you think it's about time you were happy?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess. I haven't really thought about it in a long time."
"Well, dammit, you should!"
"I don't get it though, Dean. You and Jessie are always arguing, or, have some smartass remark for each other. I would've thought you would be happy not to have her around."
"Not at all," he replied with a chuckle. "She keeps things interesting. And...I don't have to watch you every second of the day anymore."
He rolled his eyes.
"I won't tell her you almost said something nice about her," he teased.
"Yeah, don't."
He laughed. "Okay, Dean."
He nodded his head and smiled. "I'll go and find her so you can talk." He turned to leave, then turned back. "And only talk. We do have somewhere to be."
He rolled his eyes as his brother left.
It was a few minutes before Jessie came into the motel room with a coffee in her hand. She seemed to be much more calm than she had been when she'd left, which was a relief to Sam.
"I'm sorry, Jessie," he said after she'd come to sit on the couch with him. "Apparently I'm not very good at this whole relationship thing."
She sighed, placing her free hand on his knee. "Look, Sam, I'm not very good at this either." She stopped for a moment swallowing hard. "I've always been very independent, even before my grandfather died. Maybe that's why I accepted the hunting lifestyle so easily. I didn't have to worry about anyone but myself. Nobody to tell me what to do. It was lonely, but, I never had to answer to anyone."
"I understand, I do. But you promised me no secrets and I would do the same."
"I know, Sam, and I'm sorry."
He reached out and took the hand on his knee into his, squeezing it firmly. "Promise me again and we'll forget this even happened."
"No," she replied quietly. "I don't want you to forget."
"Then promise me you won't keep something like this from me again."
She gazed into his eyes wanting so desperately to tell him the truth, but something deep down inside told her there was no way she was going to be able to keep that promise. However, she did make the promise and sealed it with a kiss.
It didn't take long for Jessie and the Winchesters to get back on the road. They stopped at the nearest restaurant with a drive-thru, ordering food they could eat while driving, then did the same in the early afternoon for lunch.
They drove for several hours after it became dark before they stopped for dinner. Jessie insisted on something other than fast food, a fight she won by agreeing to pay, not that she minded. She just liked to argue with Dean, and having her way as often as she could didn't hurt either.
They ate at a reasonably priced Bar and Grill, enjoying the food much more than they had their breakfast and lunch. Both Jessie and Dean argued with Sam about having a couple of beers, but he won. Both of them knew they shouldn't be drinking and driving anyway.
After they finished eating, they headed back out on the road, continuing on to Fall River. They arrived in town midmorning, before the sun had risen, driving to the motel closest to the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast.
"We only need one room," she said as they walked to the motel office.
"Why is that?" Dean asked curiously.
She stopped, turning around to answer him.
"Because Sam and I will be checking into the bed and breakfast in the morning, while you stay here."
He looked at her with confusion. "Why are we going to separate?"
"We're not. We just need a legitimate reason to be there."
"I still say we should go to the boneyard and dig her up."
She rolled her eyes.
"Dean, we don't even know if it's her," replied Sam.
"Well, the whole family is planted there, why not dig 'em all up?"
"You're crazier than I ever imagined," Jessie said with a laugh. "If you wanna dig 'em all up then have at it."
After paying, the three of them walked into the motel room together, each dragging their dufflebags with them.
"I need a couple hours of sleep," Jessie said as she flopped onto the couch. "You and Sam can take the beds, I'm gonna sleep on the couch."
"I can't let you do that," Sam said. "I'll take the couch."
"That's all nice and chivalrous, Sam, but I wanna sleep on the couch."
"Okay," he agreed, kissing her on the forehead. "Sweet dreams."
She smiled at him before laying down, covering herself with a blanket he'd brought over to her. She fell asleep almost instantly.
Jessie woke up stiff, but felt rested. She sat up, noticing Sam was sitting up in his bed with his laptop, furiously clicking away. It made her smile. She also noticed Dean was still fast asleep.
"Good morning," he said with a smile as he raised his head from the computer screen.
"Good morning, Sam," she beamed. "I see you're already up and working."
"Yeah, well, I didn't even sleep."
"Oh," she replied in surprise. "You weren't tired?"
"I slept earlier while Dean was driving."
She climbed out of bed, grabbing her dufflebag and walked into the bathroom to grab a quick shower. She was only a few minutes, since she wasn't dirty, or sweaty.
When she came out of the bathroom, Dean had finally gotten out of bed and was tying his shoes. She was glad she hadn't come out a minute sooner or things might have been a bit awkward.
They quickly discussed the plan for the day, then left the motel room, grabbing coffee before heading to the bed and breakfast.
"We're a bit early for the tour," Jessie said as she walked over to the Impala where the boys were standing. "But in the meantime, Sam and I can check-in."
"And why exactly are the two of you staying again?" Dean asked as he opened the trunk.
She sighed. "I explained this to you already. Not many single people stay at a bed and breakfast."
"And someone has to be outside of this place in case something happens," Sam added.
"But why am I the odd man out?"
Jessie gazed at him evenly. "Unless you want to pretend you and your brother are more than friends, and sleep in the same bed, then this is the way it's gotta be."
He shook his head looking horrified at such a suggestion. "Yeah, I think I'll pass."
She cast a sideways glance at Sam, grinning with amusement.
"That's what I thought you'd say," she replied with a chuckle.
Dean pulled something from the trunk before closing it, shooting her an annoyed look.
"What is that?" she asked pointing to what was in his hand.
"It's an EMF meter, but shouldn't you know that already?"
She chuckled. "It was a rhetorical question, Dean. I knew what it was. But why the hell is it so big? How do you expect to keep it concealed?"
"Hey, I made this one myself."
"Yeah, and it shows," she teased.
"Ha, ha," he said mockingly.
"Alright children," Sam interrupted. "Can we try to act like professionals now?"
Both Dean and Jessie rolled their eyes at him.
He took her hand, leading her into the office and checked in, while making sure they would be able to attend the tour.
"You know you're the first couple in a few days to stay here," the woman said.
"Really?" Jessie asked, trying to sound surprised.
"Ever since the murders we've had cancellation after cancellation. Although the tours have gotten much busier."
"Well my boyfriend and I had been planning this trip for some time," she replied smiling at Sam. "We don't really believe in the whole ghost thing."
The woman smiled strangely. "So you'd like to stay in the John Morse room?"
"Absolutely."
She handed her the room key, explaining about the tours. Their room would be open to the public until the last tour ended, then they would be free to lock the door.
"Did you have to lay it on so thick?" Sam asked as they carried their stuff up to their room.
She rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on now, Sam. We both know ghosts aren't real," she said with a laugh.
"That's right. Somehow I forgot that. Maybe it was all the head injuries I sustained during fights with ghosts," he teased.
"Oh, is that your problem?" she teased back.
He rolled his eyes with a smile.
"Why did you choose this particular room to stay in anyways?"
"Oh. It's the room that Abby Borden's body was found in. That's Lizzie's step-mother."
He nodded.
She took their stuff, cramming it into the wardrobe, then pulled out her EMF meter.
"Hey," he said walking over to her. "That can wait," he said, taking it from her hands.
"Sam!"
He quickly shoved it into his pocket before pulling her into a tight embrace and began to kiss her deeply.
She tried to protest, but she became lost in the many pleasurable sensations coursing through her body. She couldn't have resisted, even if she'd wanted to.
They kissed for several minutes, before they were interrupted by someone at the door clearing their throat.
"Dean!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, Sammy. Normally I wouldn't be cock-blocking you, but the tour is about to start—and we have a job to do."
He glanced at Jessie who looked slightly ashamed. He winked at her before turning his attention back to his brother.
She reached into Sam's pants as he turned around, retrieving her EMF meter from him.
Sam took her hand as they followed Dean from the room, catching up with the beginning of the tour.
Jessie allowed Sam to practically drag her from room to room while she was busy with the meter. She wasn't really paying attention to anything the woman leading the tour was saying, mostly because some of the people in the tour were busy talking about the recent murders. She listened as intently as she could, while still managing to keep an eye on her meter.
As the tour made it into the room that Jessie and Sam were going to stay in, she felt a sudden chill run through her and she knew by Sam and Dean's reaction that they both felt it as well. Glancing down at her meter, it was showing a large amount of ghost activity in the room. But as soon as the tour began to move from the room, she began to feel warm and her meter was once again virtually silent.
"You sure you want to stay here tonight?" Dean whispered to them as they hung back from the tour.
"Someone has to find out who the ghost is, Dean," his brother replied.
"We'll be fine, Dean," she added. "At least we know there's a ghost for sure."
He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't. He turned around and caught up to the rest of the tour, his brother and Jessie close behind him.
After the tour ended, the three of them jumped into the Impala and headed down the road to have something to eat, since all they'd had so far that day was coffee.
After they ate, the took a drive out to the Oak Grove cemetery, where the entire Borden family was buried. They couldn't do much other than look around, since the deaths of the recent owners had attracted many visitors to the grave site.
"This is stupid," Jessie said when they got back to the car.
The Winchesters glanced at her oddly waiting for her to elaborate.
"People are stupid!" she said with frustration. "They say they believe in ghosts, yet if you were to tell them you hunt the damn things they'd lock you up in a freakin' asylum."
"How long have you been hunting now?" Dean asked sarcastically.
"Oh, shut up, Dean!" she replied, glaring dangerously. "I'm just pissed 'cause they're in our damn way."
He opened his eyes widely, shooting his brother a strange grin.
"Ok, that's enough," Sam said. "I don't think we're gonna find anything else here, so let's go."
After an uncomfortable silence, everyone gathered into the car, driving back to the motel room, where they did a little more research until it began to get late. Then Dean drove Sam and Jessie to the bed and breakfast, dropping them off before heading back to the Oak Grove cemetery.
Sam and Jessie retrieved several things from their belongings, including salt, extra bullet clips and a mini recording device.
"Do you normally look for EVP when you're hunting a ghost?" Sam asked Jessie as she set up the recording device.
"Huh? Oh, no, not usually," she said as she looked at him. "I just have a feeling this case is not as cut and dry as your brother would like to think it is."
"And you think that will help?"
She raised her eyebrow at him.
"Are you questioning my hunting skills, Sam?" she replied in a dangerous tone.
"Uh, no, not at all. It's just...nevermind."
She felt insulted enough not to find his response funny in the least.
After they double checked their weapons, they stepped out into the dark and quiet hallway to look around.
They stepped lightly, passing by each room while listening intently. Jessie was keeping a sharp eye on her EMF meter, while Sam walked behind her, pulling up the rear. No sounds could be heard, except for the creaking of the old wooden floor.
They paced the floors as quietly as possible for several minutes before deciding to go back to their room so they could talk.
"Did you pick up anything?"
"No, Sam, I didn't. Don't you think I'd have mentioned that," she replied with irritation.
He looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion.
"Are you pissed at me?"
She sighed. "I'm not pissed, I'm just irritated, Sam."
"Why?"
"You and your brother are always questioning my hunting skills and I'm sick of it."
"I wasn't questioning your skills, Jessie, I was questioning your tactics."
"Same thing."
She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her closely.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to make it sound like that."
She fixed her eyes on his, hoping to show him how serious she really was, but it didn't turn out that way. She was unable to stay angry with him while seeing the truth in his eyes.
She sighed in defeat. "Let's just—"
Suddenly a woman's scream could be heard from inside the house, sending Sam and Jessie instantly into defensive mode. Both of them reached for their guns, running from their room into the hallway, heading straight downstairs towards the sitting room.
When they reached the room, the woman who'd been running the place was cowering in the corner of the room, blood dripping from a nasty wound on her head. The ghost was holding a hatchet high above it's head ready to strike, when it heard the two hunters behind it.
Turning around, both Sam and Jessie realized it wasn't the ghost of Lizzie Borden, it was a man. Somehow the man seemed familiar to Jessie, but she couldn't place him. She couldn't give it a thought at the moment, all she was worried about was stopping it so they could save the woman. Shots rang out from both of their guns, but it disappeared before it was hit.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked the woman as he squatted down in front of her.
"I think so," she cried, holding the wound on her head.
"Let's get you out of here," he said, helping her to her feet, allowing her to lean on him heavily.
As he was standing her up, he noticed the ghost appear across the room.
"Jessie!"
Jessie turned around, attempting to move out of the way in time, but she was caught by the broad side of the hatchet, making her fly a few feet, smacking into the wall before falling to the floor. She managed to keep a tight hold of her gun, but when she tried to raise her hand, she realized she couldn't.
The ghost raised the hatchet over her head, but Sam shot it before it could swing.
"Jessie?"
"I'm okay, Sam," she replied as she struggled to get to her feet. "Get her out of here."
He fought the urge to assist her, instead dragging the woman from the room. He attempted to take her out the front door, but he found the door wouldn't budge.
"The ghost doesn't want us to leave," he explained to the woman as she looked at him questioningly.
"Let's get her up to our room, Sam," Jessie said as she stumbled into the room.
He nodded his head then headed towards the stairs, Jessie close behind him. They managed to get up to their room, salting the doorway behind them, then making a large circle of salt around them as an extra precaution.
After Sam tended to the woman's wound as best as he could with what they had, he joined Jessie, who was attempting to to look for something on her laptop with her left hand.
"What's wrong with your arm?" he asked with concern.
"I dislocated my shoulder when I hit the wall."
"Do you want me to fix it for you?"
She gazed into his concerned eyes trying to decide if she wanted him to help her right now. She knew it was gonna hurt like hell, but if he did it properly she'd be fine again.
"You have done this before, right?" she asked fearfully.
"Yes," he replied with a supportive smile.
She nodded her head in agreement then stood up straight. She did everything he asked, closing her eyes before he attempted to pop the joint back into place. She couldn't help but let out a scream as the first attempt failed. She could tell by Sam's eyes that he was sorry, but he needed to try again. She closed her eyes again, trying to relax as much as she could so it would be easier to fix, which seemed to help because the second try was successful.
"Now that my arm is better, we need to figure out who that ghost is," she said as she began to once again look through her notes on her laptop.
"Excuse me," the woman interrupted. "I think I know who it is."
"You do?" Sam asked wheeling around.
"William Borden."
He shrugged.
"You mean the illegitimate son of Andrew Borden? Lizzie's half brother?"
"I can't be sure, we don't have many photographs of him, but I'm almost positive it's him."
"Do you know where he's buried?" Sam asked.
"He's buried in Oak Grove cemetery like the rest of the family, but I couldn't tell you where."
Sam called his brother to give him the new information, staying on the phone with him until the bones were burned. Then, both he and Jessie went through the entire house to make sure the ghost was gone. Once they were positive it had vanished, they called 911 to get help for the injured woman.
"Well, we're the ones who finally solved the mystery of the Borden murders," Sam said once everyone was gone.
Jessie looked up from her dufflebag, which she was packing. "Too bad we're the only ones who'll ever know the truth."
"The woman we saved will know the truth."
"Right. And who's gonna believe her, Sam?"
"Yeah," he replied with a laugh.
She put the last of her stuff into her dufflebag and was about to hoist it on her back, when Sam took it from her hands, dropping it to the floor, wrapping his arms around her and began to kiss her deeply.
Caught by surprise, she kissed Sam back for a minute before pulling away with a smile.
"Sam. We really need to get out of here before the cops figure out who we really are."
He looked disappointed but he knew she was right. He picked up his dufflebag and Jessie's and left the room quickly, before she could protest about grabbing her bag for her.
She smiled as he left, slightly amused by his quick departure. She knew he was feeling bad about her injury but was too afraid to ask her if she was feeling better. She knew she'd been a little too rough on him and felt guilty, so she decided she'd try to make it up to him later.
A/N: Well, Crowley sure threw Jessie for a loop, didn't he? No one knows if he's jerking them around or telling them the truth, but I guess with him it's probably a bit of both. The case was over quickly, but I swear the next one coming up should be pretty good. Why you ask? Well, you'll be seeing someone from the Winchesters' past. Near the end of season 1 *wink* It should prove pretty interesting, or at least I hope. Haven't written that part yet lol.
Thanks for reading!