Chapter 36
When Jessie woke up, she wasn't quite sure where she was for a moment. She was still a bit groggy from the painkillers she'd been given at the hospital and it was dark. But after she listened for a moment, she recognized the sound of the Impala's engine idling, although the car wasn't moving. As she glanced up towards the front seat, she couldn't see a silhouette in either seat.
She wanted to sit up, but as she moved her injured leg, the pain shooting through her reminded her what had happened last. She was about to call out, when the driver's side door opened, and someone entered the car and sat down.
"Dean?" she called hoarsely.
The dark figure turned around to look at her.
"Hey, you're awake," he replied in a hushed voice.
"What's going on? Where are we?"
"You've been asleep all day and half of the night. We're almost back at Bobby's."
"Oh."
"If you're hungry, I can go back into the store and grab you something."
It took her a few moments to think about an answer to his question, she was still out of it.
"No. I think I'll go back to sleep."
He smiled in response before turning back around.
She closed her eyes to try and sleep again, but this time it was elusive. Her leg was throbbing and her side hurt from lying the same way for so long. And then she realized she was thirsty. She didn't want to bother Dean, but she didn't see any other option.
"Dean? I'm thirsty."
He chuckled quietly before passing a bottle of water over the seat.
"What's so funny?" she asked, while taking the bottle from him.
He was silent for a moment before answering.
"Sam said the first thing you'd ask for when you woke up was something to drink."
She looked confused. "Why is that amusing, Dean?"
"It just is," he replied with a chuckle.
She wasn't sure if it was the drugs in her system, or because she was tired, but she had no idea why Dean was so amused. She decided not to worry about it, she was still tired and sore. She drank almost a quarter of the bottle, then set it on the floor, before lying down and closing her eyes.
She tried to sleep again but she couldn't get comfortable, and then she realized she had to pee.
"How close are we to Bobby's?"
"A couple hours, why?"
She was unsure if she could hold it, but she knew if she asked Dean to stop, she would need someone to help her to the bathroom. And she wasn't sure she wanted to do that just anywhere.
"No worries, Dean. I can wait."
"Are you sure?"
"Defintely."
She closed her eyes once again, doing her best to ignore the urge to pee. Eventually, the sound of the Impala's engine and the vibration of the car helped lull her to sleep again.
When she woke up again, the sun was just beginning to rise in the sky. The car had stopped and she could hear voices outside. She waited for a minute, hoping someone would open the door, but when they didn't, she tried to sit up on her own.
Sitting up wasn't very easy, not when she was sore and stiff and her left leg hurt so much. But she managed to do it with more ease than she'd imagined. Now that she was sitting up, she could see who the voices outside belonged to. Sam, Dean and Bobby.
The moment Sam noticed she was sitting up, he came to the car door and opened it.
"Are you ready to get out?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes, please," she replied, returning his smile.
He asked her to put her back to him, then wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her out. And although she said it wasn't necessary, he lifted her into his arms and carried her inside.
After he helped her to the bathroom, he made her comfortable on the couch, complete with a blanket and a pillow to rest her leg on. She had refused to stay upstairs, so the couch was the next best solution.
"I still have my wheelchair if you wanna use it," Bobby teased as he walked into the livingroom.
"Oh, teasing the crippled. How funny, old man," she replied with a smile.
He chuckled. "Do you need anything, kid?"
"Yeah. My leg better so I can fix my damn car."
He laughed. "I meant, do you need something for the pain?"
"No, I think I'm okay, Bobby."
He raised his eyebrow slightly in suspicion, but didn't say anything. He knew if she needed something for the pain she would ask eventually.
The day was pretty quiet from that moment. Sam didn't stray too far from Jessie, even sleeping on the floor beside the couch that night. However, it was just as much self serving as it was because of his concern for her. Dean and Bobby had taken to teasing him about the duet he'd sung with Jessie for the show. They wouldn't tease him in front of her, because they knew it would upset her. And the only reason they cared about that was because of her injury. If she hadn't been hurt they wouldn't have cared. So he tried not to leave her side, unless he had to.
The next day began quietly, but that only lasted until the early afternoon. Some hunter—that Jessie had never heard of—had called Bobby asking for help. Bobby refused to leave Jessie alone, so he sent Sam and Dean to help in his place. And while she was happy to spend some time with Bobby, she hadn't wanted Sam to leave.
She spent the rest of the day on the couch, sleeping there as well. While she had been able to get around on her own, Bobby didn't feel right leaving her alone, so he slept downstairs.
The next day, her leg was feeling much better. So after breakfast she went outside and began the arduous task of fixing the damage to her car—against Bobby's wishes. He didn't want her outside alone, in case something happened, but he didn't stop her, he knew there was no point in trying.
She had a difficult time maneuvering herself under her car, however, she was grateful Bobby had a creeper, it made things easier. It was getting onto it and up from it that was the most difficult part. Laying on it and wheeling herself underneath was simple.
Bobby came outside and offered his help a few times, but she always insisted on doing it herself, and he knew not to push. The most help he could be was making sure she had the parts and tools she needed.
She was completely exhausted when she went to bed that night, so she had little time to dwell on how much she was missing Sam. He had called, but he had little time to chat.
She woke up first thing the next morning to once again work on her car. She'd managed to fix the suspension, but she still had the ball joints and a lot of body work to finish. The body work was her least favorite thing, besides painting. Despite all that, she still wouldn't allow Bobby to help her.
After a frustrating day of fighting with her car, she went to bed early. She was tired and sore, and she promised Bobby she wouldn't overdo it. The moment her leg began to ache more than usual, she had to quit for the day.
She woke up early the next morning, hoping the Winchesters would be there waiting, but they weren't. She hadn't even received a phone call from Sam since early the day before and she'd become increasingly worried. She didn't let Bobby know how she felt, she still had trouble speaking to him about her feelings, especially when they involved Sam.
She was underneath her car cursing up a storm while trying to free some bolts that were rusted, when a pair of feet suddenly appeared beside the car. At first she thought they were Bobby's, then she noticed they looked nothing like his shoes.
"Need some help?" Dean asked, peeking his head under the car.
She sighed loudly.
"Normally I would say no, but what the hell," she replied, pushing the creeper out from under the car.
He grinned, picking up a shop rag from on top of her car and throwing it at her.
"You have some grease on your face."
"Thanks," she said, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
He offered his hand to her, which she took, pulling her up on her feet, then grabbed the socket from her hand, laid down on the creeper, creeping under the car.
She wiped the grease from her face, while listening to Dean attempting to remove the rusted bolts. After a minute, he peeked his head out from under the car.
"Why don't you let me take care of this, Jessie?" he asked. She looked as if she was about to protest, so he quickly added, "I'm sure you missed Sam as much as he missed you."
She shot him a suspicious look, shook her head in agreement, then headed towards the house.
When she walked into the house, Sam was at the fridge with his back to her. She couldn't help but smile brightly as she approached him, although her smile quickly disappeared the moment he turned around.
"Hey," he said with warm smile, reaching his hands out for her.
She moved into his arms, smiling weakly.
"What happened to your face?" she asked, touching the large purple bruise gingerly.
"You should see what happened to the vamp who gave it to me," he replied with a grin.
She grinned teasingly. "Now you sound like your brother."
He smiled, leaned down and began to kiss her lightly at first, but it only took moments before the kiss became much deeper. He squeezed her, backing her up against the fridge, holding her tightly against it, continuing to kiss her passionately. She dug her nails into his back, moaning, as his lips moved from her mouth, across her jaw, stopping to nibble on her earlobe. As the pleasure coursed through her body, a loud moan escaped her lips. However, the moment was short lived when they heard Bobby coughing from the next room, quickly bringing them out of the moment.
"I guess you missed me," Sam said as he backed away from her slightly.
"I think you missed me more," she teased.
"That remains to be seen."
She rolled her eyes playfully in response.
He chuckled before looking much more serious. "How's the leg?"
"Better than it should be."
"How's that?" he asked curiously.
"I stayed off it for two days, but that's it. I've been pretty much working on my car ever since."
He seemed concerned for a moment, but he didn't want her turning defensive so he changed the subject.
"How's the car coming?"
"Fine," she said with a shrug. "I would give you the details but I'm sure you wouldn't care."
He looked uncomfortable for a moment, until he realized what she had meant. He wasn't really interested in the details of what needed to be fixed on the car, so she wasn't going to waste his time explaining.
"Well, I'm starving," he said quickly, changing the subject. "I didn't eat much for breakfast."
She glanced at her watch quickly. "Oh, I didn't realize how late it was. I guess I should make dinner."
"No, don't be silly. Why don't you let me cook for a change?"
While she liked Sam's choices in food better than Dean's, she wasn't quite sure how well he could cook, but she decided to let go of control for once, like she had with her car, and let someone help when they offered.
She wasn't sure what he was going to make, but she kissed him on the cheek then went outside to check on her car.
She was happy to see Dean had managed to free the bolts she'd been fighting with earlier, the quarter panel lying on the ground beside the car was proof of that. He'd also managed to take the passenger side door off and the push bar.
Dean gave her an apprehensive look as she approached, but he relaxed when she shot him a thankful smile.
"If you're gonna do that much, I hope you're gonna help me paint, too."
"All you have to do is ask," he replied with a grin.
"I just did."
He rolled his eyes. "Why don't you get washed up? You have grease all over yourself."
"What?" she said, glancing down at her body, then back at him. "Why would I do that when I still have work to do?"
"Call it, me, giving you a break."
She snorted with laughter. "Fine. But only because I'm tired and frustrated."
"Whatever you say," he teased.
She resisted the urge to kick dirt and gravel at him, only because she didn't want to do damage to the part of her car that didn't need a paint job. Instead, she rolled her eyes and proceeded to go into the house and up to her bedroom to find some clean clothes.
She was surprised to find a small box with a bow lying on her bed. She looked at it suspiciously, as if something was going to jump out of it, before approaching it slowly, sitting down on the bed beside it.
She shook the box to see what was inside, but all she could deduce was that it wasn't breakable, or heavy. She lifted the lid carefully, setting it aside. She peered into the box, pulling aside the thin white tissue paper that was on top. That was when she noticed it was an article of clothing. She smiled strangely before she lifted the clothing out of the box. Holding it at the top, she allowed it drape down so she could look at it properly. It was a dress. One of the dresses she'd worn during the filming of the TV show. The one she'd told Sam she wished she could have, despite her normal aversion to wearing a dress.
She smiled as she leapt from the bed and held it in front of her. She wasn't sure how Sam had managed to get the dress, but she wanted to wear it right away. However, she was still quite dirty, so she grabbed a quick shower before putting it on.
As she was descending the stairs, she could smell a delicious aroma wafting up the stairs. She couldn't tell what it was, but it was making her hungry. When she walked into the kitchen, she was surprised to see Sam standing by the table, which was set for two.
"What's going on?" she asked suspiciously.
He approached her, wrapped his arms around her and began to kiss her. He kissed her for a minute, before pulling away slightly, gazing deep into her eyes.
"You look beautiful," he said with a loving smile.
She tried to keep her composure, but she couldn't help but blush slightly. His eyes said more than his lips ever could.
He smiled as he lead her to the table, pulling out a chair for her to sit on. When she sat down, he helped push the chair in, then sat down on the chair on the opposite side of the table.
"What is this all about, Sam?"
"I wanted to do something nice for you," he replied with a smile.
She was suspicious, but she couldn't help but smile.
"How did you manage to get this dress?" she asked. "You didnt—"
"I didn't steal it," he replied with a chuckle. "I just made a deal with Eugene."
She raised an eyebrow in question. "I'm not gonna ask."
He laughed before he stood up from the table, retrieving two plates of food from the counter, laying them on the table.
"I didn't have time to cook, but I did heat this up," he said with a grin as he sat down.
She could tell it was restaurant food, and it did look delicious, but she suddenly felt uneasy about the whole situation.
"Where's Bobby? And Dean?"
"They've left us the house for the rest of the day—and night," he replied with a seductive smile.
She returned his smile, blushing once again. Suddenly feeling embarrassed, she picked up her fork and began to eat.
They talked about trivial things while they ate, both avoiding any serious conversation. Jessie had an idea where Sam was heading with the romantic dinner, but she didn't want to jump to any conclusions. She wanted to enjoy the moment for once, not over analyze it.
After dinner, they had some champagne in the livingroom. Well, he told her it was champagne, although she knew it was sparkling wine, which was much cheaper, but it didn't matter to her.
They were cuddled up on the couch listening to music. Sam was sitting up with one arm around her, stroking her hair with the other, while she was lying her head against his chest, her eyes closed. Both of them had similar thoughts running through their head, neither wanted this moment to end.
It was a short time later when Sam leaned down and kissed Jessie on the top of her head, snapping her out of the quietly blissful moment.
She glanced up at him with a smile on her face, raising her hand to run her fingers through his hair.
He took her hand in his, raised it to his face and kissed it lightly.
"I don't want to ruin the moment, but... we need to discuss something," he said with an apologetic smile.
She sighed very lightly, sitting up straight. "I was hoping you weren't going to bring it up."
He sat up straighter, taking her hands into his, gazing into her eyes.
"Will you let me say what I need to without interrupting?"
She wasn't sure she wanted to hear what he was going to say, but somewhere deep inside her, she needed to know. She'd had some time to think about his proposal, and this time she wasn't so sure what her answer might be.
"I think so."
He squeezed her hands gently, smiling warmly.
"I've been through so much in my life, Jessie. I've loved and lost, lived and died. And, I never thought I'd ever feel like this again," he paused for a moment, smiling. "I've thought about this a lot. I want to be your husband. Your real husband."
She swallowed hard, her eyes slowly darting around to avoid his gaze. She felt incredibly uncomfortable, but at the same time she'd never felt more ecstatic in her life. He loved her enough to marry her, and she felt the same way, but at the same time she felt conflicted. She didn't want a commitment, never had. And the way her life had gone up to this point, she wasn't sure she'd ever be ready for that. But she loved Sam more than she'd loved anyone before. And his willingness to even broach this subject with her again after she'd so rudely shot him down, made her love him even more. She wanted to say yes, but she was also terribly afraid of what might happen if she did. All she knew was she had to be completely honest with him. It was the least she could do.
She gazed into his eyes intently, smiling warmly, lovingly. "I love you, Sam. I don't have any doubts about that. But marriage, that's so—permanent, and it scares me."
He chuckled warmly. "And it scares me as well. But maybe that's it. Maybe we're supposed to be scared. Maybe that's the whole point."
"To be scared?" she asked, smiling in disbelief.
"Yes," he replied with excitement. "Like a rollercoaster ride that never ends."
She laughed. "Or perhaps like our job?"
He smiled. "Yes. Only less dangerous."
"Or maybe I'm not," she teased.
"I think I'll take my chances," he replied with a smile.
She smiled, but only for a moment before her look turned serious.
"Sam—"
"Jessie," he interrupted. "Could you at least think about it before shooting me down?"
"I just have a few questions for you, before I consider it."
He looked at her curiously, then smiled. "I'm an open book."
She rolled her eyes with a smile. "Have you spoken to Bobby, or Dean about this?"
He smiled furtively. "I knew you were going to ask me that. And the answer is, yes, to both. How do you think I managed to get Bobby to leave his own house for the night?"
She glanced away looking uneasy.
"Were you hoping they might be your out?"
She turned her gaze back to him. "Something like that."
He released the grip on one of her hands, sticking it into his pocket. After a moment, he pulled out a tiny box and offered it to her.
She glanced at the box with trepidation and fear. She knew there was a ring inside, but she was too afraid to take it from him, and more than a little afraid to look inside of it.
She glanced up at him. His eyes full of happiness and love, and he was wearing the brightest smile she'd even seen. Somehow, every doubt she had disappeared at that moment.
She took the box from him, opening it slowly. She smiled as the box fully opened, revealing a small diamond engagement ring.
"How could you afford this?" she asked in surprise.
He shrugged his shoulders. "I had money put away for a new laptop that I don't need to buy any longer."
She smiled knowingly, then glanced at the ring once again. After a moments hesitation, she picked the ring up out of the box and held it out to Sam.
"Yes, Sam," she replied with a bright smile.
"Really?" he said with excitement, nearly dropping the ring as he took it from her grasp. He hurriedly slipped the ring on her finger before she could change her mind.
She was visibly shaking as she stared at the ring on her finger, which managed to fit perfectly. She could only stare at it in wonder, her mind in shock.
Sam leaned close, gently grasped her face with his hands and began to kiss her deeply. Soon, both were completely caught up in the passion of the moment, making love on the couch and on the floor, before making it upstairs, where they made love again, before falling asleep in each other's arms.
When Jessie woke up the next morning, her body was entwined with Sam's, but her left hand was visible and the diamond on the engagement ring was sparkling in the morning sun that was pouring in from the window, reminding her about the evening before.
She didn't want to leave the comfort of Sam's arms, but she was uncomfortable and she really had to use the bathroom. But after trying to untangle herself slowly and quietly—so she wouldn't wake him—she became impatient, waking him up so she could climb out of bed.
After using the bathroom, she jumped into the shower to wash. It was minutes later when Sam jumped into the shower with her, with something other than washing on his mind. By the time they made it downstairs, it was nearly noon. And by the time Jessie cooked breakfast, it was after noon.
They were still eating when Bobby and Dean walked into the house with strange looks on their faces. Jessie suddenly felt uncomfortable as they glanced simultaneously at her left hand.
"So...when's the date?" Dean asked with a grin as he sat down at the table beside his brother, grabbing his toast off of his plate and began eating it.
She glanced uneasily at Sam who shrugged his shoulders. Neither of them had even discussed a date.
"Well hopefully it's soon," he said, glancing at his brother knowingly. "I know where you can honeymoon."
She shot Sam a curious look, who shrugged in response.
"Oh, come on, Sammy. Don't you remember what time of year it is?" he asked, not bothering to wait for a response. "The hot desert air. The scantily clad women. The gambling."
He rolled his eyes at his brother.
"Don't tell me you forgot about our annual trip to Vegas?"
"I didn't forget."
"What then?"
He sighed in disbelief, glancing at Jessie.
"I think, he means he needs to discuss it with me first," she replied shortly. She wasn't angry. She just felt like making him feel small for jumping to conclusions.
He raised an eyebrow in surprise, grinning furtively. "And here I thought you said you'd never stop us from doing brotherly things together."
"Are you testing my patience today, Dean?"
He smiled teasingly. "Maybe a little. I thought you'd be in a better mood."
"I was. Until you got here," she replied with a teasing grin.
"Oh, come on now. You know your day isn't complete without seeing me."
"You're right, Dean. I can't live without you."
"Alright, that's enough," Bobby interrupted. "Why don't you two idgits," he said while shooting looks at Sam and Dean, "go find something useful to do."
The brothers shot each other a knowing glance before they quickly left the room.
Bobby sat down at the table next to Jessie, turning the chair so he could face her. He seemed to be incredibly uncomfortable.
"What is it, Bobby?" she asked, hoping to help his unease.
He shifted his gaze from her face, then to the side and back again, clearly uncomfortable.
"I never thought I'd have to have this discussion with you," he replied, swallowing hard.
Her eyes went wide in shock. "Oh my god, Bobby. I swear if the word sex comes out of your mouth—I will scream."
He chuckled uncomfortably. "No. I think you're old enough to know all about that."
"Then cut to the chase, old man."
"I just want to make sure you've thought all of this through."
She shook her head in disbelief. "So instead of speaking to me about this beforehand, you let Sam have the house so he could spring it on me? And then, you decide to discuss the pitfalls with me afterwards? Do I have that right?"
He rolled his eyes. "Jessie. You're a big girl and I know you can make up your own mind. I just want to make sure you've really thought this through."
"What's there to think about, Bobby? Sam and I love each other. We want to be together. End of story."
"There's so much more, Jess. What about where you're going to live? Or, what about kids? Do you think the two of you can travel around with his brother forever?"
She looked at him with shock, clearly surprised by his questions.
"I have a house, Bobby. As for kids, I don't want any. And the hunting, we'll see where that leads us."
He looked shocked and somehow saddened by her response.
"Have you even discussed these things with, Sam?"
"What about, Bobby? He knows about the house and he knows I'm not about to quit hunting."
He sighed. "What about kids?"
"What about them?"
"Why would you say you don't want any, Jess? I know you used to."
She snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, used to. That was before I knew about all the evil creatures in the world. Before I knew about demons, before I knew that angels existed and they were douchebags. Why would I want to bring a child into this world?"
He shook his head sadly. "I understand how you feel. But you need to discuss these things with, Sam, dontcha think?"
"Maybe," she answered quietly. "But I'll deal with that if and when I have to, Bobby."
"Jess—"
"No, Bobby," she interrupted, lying a hand on his. "You're sweet for worrying, but this is between Sam and I."
He nodded his head. "As long as you've put some thought into it."
She patted him on the back as she stood up. "I have Bobby. Don't worry so much."
"I hope so," he muttered as she left the room.
Jessie headed up to her bedroom to make a couple of quick phone calls. The first, was a call to Mike. He was busy when she called, so she only had time to give him the good news before he had to go. The second call was to the priest she'd known since childhood. As much as she hated religion, or church, she wanted him to marry her. She'd known him for as long as she could remember, and he had helped her out on several occassions over the years. If anyone was going to marry her, she wanted it to be him.
After she completed the phone calls, she pulled out her laptop and began to peruse through news sites, at some point dozing off. She awoke a short time later to Sam sitting on the bed beside her.
"I guess I tired you out last night," he said to her with a seductive grin.
She rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Not to deflate your ego or anything, but I've been tired a lot lately," she teased.
He smiled, deciding to change the subject.
"What did Bobby want earlier?"
"Oh, he was just being an overprotective father," she said with a smile.
"So he didn't talk you out of it, huh?"
"No," she replied with a short laugh.
"Then we should talk about a date."
"Funny. I was just gonna say the same thing to you."
He stretched out on the bed beside her, kissing her on the cheek lightly. "I'm all ears."
"What about next week?"
"Next week?" he answered in surprise.
"Is that too far away?" she asked, trying her best to supress a grin.
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Are you teasing me?"
"Yes, and no," she replied with a grin. "But seriously, is next Friday good? That's the only day I could get in."
"I'm afraid to ask, but, get in where?"
She sighed exaggeratedly, trying to feign annoyance. "The church. To get married."
He shot her a look of complete surprise. "A church? Seriously?"
"Oh, don't be so surprised, Sam," she replied with a smile. "I'm not religious or anything."
"Then what?"
"My grandparents took me to church every Sunday. And when I was young, I always fantasized about getting married in that little church. I know it sounds weird, but I have a lot of good memories from those days. Also, the priest is a good friend."
He laid his hand on her arm, smiling warmly. "If that's what will make you happy."
"It will," she replied with a smile.
"Good. Then I'll let you take care of it, if that's okay with you."
She nodded, wrapped her arm around him, then pulled him close and kissed him lightly for a moment.
"Not to change the subject or anything," he said with a questioning look. "But, what were you up to on the laptop?"
"I was looking for a case, why?" she asked curiously.
"Oh," he said with a chuckle. "I thought maybe you'd been reading the tabloids."
"Why would I...oh, that," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "I could care less what the media is saying about me."
"You mean you haven't looked at any of it?" She shook her head. "Not even once?"
"No, Sam," she replied, sighing impatiently. "I've had other things on my mind. Like my leg, and my car."
"And me, I hope," he said with an impish grin.
"Now why would I do that?" she teased.
He grinned, reaching for her hand. "Come on, it's almost dinner."
The rest of the day, and night, was spent discussing the plans for the rushed wedding. Jessie didn't want anything special. She just wanted her closest friends and family there. Dean was Sam's best man, Bobby was going to give her away, and she wanted Mike to be her maid of honor. Dean had laughed at this, but she didn't find it as hilarious as he did. It's not like she was going to make him wear a dress, although, she would pay to see Dean in a dress. And she would make sure to get pictures if that ever happened.
The next day, Jessie and Dean spent the entire day painting her car. It was tedious and time consumming, but they managed to get it all done, they only had to wait for it to dry. She was completely exhausted as she laid down to sleep that night.
Her sleep was anything but peaceful that night. She had vivid dreams, or rather nightmares, of things she'd rather not think about. So when she awoke in the morning, she felt like she'd been up all night.
She had a difficult time becoming motivated that day. She didn't even feel like doing anything but sleep. Not even her car mattered, she allowed Dean to put the panels back onto her car without even supervising.
Bobby and the boys were worried, but she explained about the nightmares and hoped they would believe it. She thought there was more to it, but she wasn't about to worry anyone until she was absolutely sure.
After sleeping much of the day, and much of that night, she woke up the day after feeling somewhat rested. She once again had had some vivid dreams, but this time they were only dreams, no nightmares.
Jessie and the Winchesters were preparing to run some errands that day, when Bobby announced he had a case for them. It was nearby and seemed simple enough that it wouldn't interfere with the day of the wedding, not that they wouldn't have taken the case either way. Hunting was always more important.
They drove south for a couple of hours—in the Impala—arriving where they needed to be in the early afternoon. Since it was difficult to explain why there needed to be three FBI agents, Jessie was the odd man out. She stayed in the car while the boys were asking questions.
"So what's going on?" she asked as the boys climbed into the Impala.
"The cops are gonna be there for a few more hours. Looks like we're gonna have to come back tonight," Dean replied.
"And what about the case?"
He snorted. "The cops are morons, as usual. They think it was a murder suicide. Kinda hard to kill yourself by slicing your neck down to the spinal cord."
"I was doing some research while you guys were inside," she said. "It seems there used to be an old funeral home on this property about sixty or so years ago, until it burned down. The property sat vacant since then, until two months ago, when this house was built on the original foundation."
"What're you thinking, Jessie?" Sam asked.
"I'm thinking there might be bodies buried on this property somewhere. Most probably under the house itself."
"Well that'll be kind of inconvenient for us. We have no idea where, why, or who," Dean replied.
"Definitely. And showing up at night is probably a bad idea, but we have no choice," she said.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Sam said.
"When don't you?" Dean asked sarcastically.
"That's enough," she snapped. "We'll go kill some time, do some research and come back tonight."
The brothers shot each other an apprehensive glance, but neither responded. Dean just put the car into gear and began to drive through town, searching for a motel to settle in to.
After several hours of research—and a trip to the library—didn't bring them any closer to answers, they headed back to the house. It was dark, and the police were gone, but they decided to park around the block, just in case.
They approached the house from the backyard, since there was no fence, and it backed on to a wooded lot. It was nearly completely devoid of any source of light. There were no lights and the tree cover blotted out the moonlight, so they could only see as far as their flashlights would allow.
After taking their time to unsnag themselves—and the shovels that Dean and Sam were carrying—from several low hanging branches, they crossed the backyard quickly. It took Dean a few moments to pick the lock to the backdoor, then they piled into the house.
They quickly found the door to the basement, which Jessie climbed down first, since she wasn't encumbered with a shovel. She found a light switch at the bottom of the stairs, which she turned on, then shoved her flashlight into the pocket of her pants, retrieving her EMF meter from her other pocket.
She began to scan the basement as the boys made it down the stairs. They were pleased to see the basement was mostly in its original state. The floor was still dirt and unfinished and so were the walls. They were made of stone.
"Well, thankfully we don't don't need a jackhammer," Dean said as he laid his shovel against the wall, so he could put his flashlight away. His brother nodded in agreement.
Jessie walked around the room until she found a strong presence on the EMF meter. It was close to the middle of the room, so that's where the boys decided to begin digging. She just looked around while they dug, happy that the men were doing the work. She hated when men assumed that she can't do anything laborious, but digging was one of those jobs she didn't mind passing along. She hated it.
The men dug for thirty minutes before they found anything besides dirt, their shovels making the unmistakeable sound of hitting bone. Jessie jumped down into the hole to help them uncover the rest of the skeleton.
"These bones are charred," she said to no one in particular.
Sam stood up, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "Maybe it happened when the place burned down."
"I don't know, Sam," she replied. "I would think that a fire that big would've disintegrated these bones. They seem fully intact to me."
"I hate to interrupt your musings, but...we have more than one body here," Dean said.
The couple shot each other a look of shock, moving closer to see what he'd found.
"Unless it's a three-legged man, Dean," she teased.
He rolled his eyes, before continuing to dig the bones out of the dirt.
Jessie took Sam's shovel so she could help Dean uncover the second skeleton, while Sam worked on uncovering the remaining bones from the first skeleton.
They'd almost uncovered both skeletons, when Jessie noticed the sudden drop in temperature. She shot Dean an apprehensive glance, before reaching for her gun, which had been stashed in the back of her jeans. But by the time the ghost apparated, she hadn't had the chance to pull out her gun before the ghost sent her flying backwards a few feet.
"Jessie!" the boys yelled in unison.
"Behind you, Dean!" she yelled as she got to her feet.
Sam was quick, managing to shoot the ghost, who disappeared with a shriek, but they all knew it would be back, probably sooner, rather than later.
"Sam," she yelled. "Burn those bones! Dean and I can keep the ghost away."
He nodded, reaching for the shovel, and began to frantically dig up the remaining bones, while Jessie and Dean stood watch, their guns poised and ready.
A minute later, the ghost reappeared, which she was able to take care of, but then a second ghost immediately appeared after the first one had disappeared.
"Dean!" she yelled, but he'd reacted a moment quicker, dispatching it quickly.
"Hurry up, Sam," he snapped. "There's two of 'em now."
Jessie and Dean continued to shoot the ghosts when they appeared, having no difficulty, until Sam had finished digging up the bones and began pouring salt on them. That was the moment they became quicker, and much angrier.
The ghosts began appearing and disappearing at the same time, doing their best to confuse both Jessie and Dean, until they managed to send both of them flying backwards at the same time, both hitting the ground hard enough to knock the breath out of them for a moment.
"Dean! Jessie!" Sam yelled, pulling his gun out.
"Just burn the damn bones!" his brother yelled when he finally caught his breath.
Sam frantically poured gas on the bones, as his brother and Jessie continued to get knocked around by the ghosts. But once he managed to ignite the gas on the bones, they disappeared instantly in a flash of flames and a blood curdling scream.
"You okay, Dean?" she asked as she offered her hand out to him.
"Yeah, I'm good," he replied as he allowed her to help him up from the ground. "Thanks."
She nodded her head, then began brushing dirt from her clothes. "Well, this was fun," she said sarcastically.
"Are you okay?" Sam asked Jessie with concern as he approached her.
She narrowed her eyes at him slightly. "Yeah. I'm fine."
"Is something wrong?"
"No, Sam," she lied.
There was something wrong, but she didn't want to bring it up at the moment.
"I hate to break up this awkward moment," Dean said sarcastically. "But I think we should get outta here."
Everyone nodded in agreement, hastily grabbing their belongings, leaving the house the same way they'd entered it. They were a little more careful as they walked through the wooded area on the way back to the car, since they weren't in as much of a hurry. After setting their belongings back in the trunk of the car, the drove back to their motel room.
A/N: So, Jessie said yes. What do you think changed her mind?
Another long chapter, sorry about that. I already had to change where I separated the chapters once *sigh*
Thanks for reading!