Chapter 39
Jessie began pacing the floor in front of the door to her hotel room aimlessly. Every second that passed while she was waiting for the concierge seemed like an eternity. She wasn't always very patient on a good day, and this was not a good day.
It only took eight minutes before the concierge arrived at the door, small bag in hand. She didn't even bother worrying about the cost, handing him a small wad of bills from her pocket to pay for it, as well as a very large tip, before she nearly slammed the door in her haste and ran into the bathroom.
After making sure the bathroom door was locked, she frantically pulled the pregnancy test from the bag, opened the box, dumping the contents on the counter and began reading the instructions. She had to read through it twice, since the first time her mind was so preoccupied that the words didn't even register.
After following the instructions, she began to pace back and forth in the bathroom, waiting the three minutes for the test to be complete. Her mind was racing, making it nearly impossible to stop moving. She was sure she knew what the test would say, but she needed to make sure first, before she could make any decisions.
She had never wanted children, and although she loved Sam more than she ever thought she could love someone, she definitely didn't think it was a good idea to have a child with him. It wasn't just their lifestyle, though that was the biggest factor, she just didn't think either of them were really fit to be parents. It wasn't like either of them had really great role models for parents.
She hesitated for a moment after the timer was up, unable to make herself look, but she didn't hesitate for too long, she knew she didn't have much longer before Sam would be back. She picked up the test, staring at it in disbelief, then double checking the instructions to make sure she'd read it properly.
After the initial shock wore off, she gathered all the garbage up, threw it into the trashcan and took the whole bag out, tying it tightly. She called downstairs to get someone to take the garbage, then took her laptop out and sat on the couch so she could appear busy when Sam finally got back with their food.
Sam showed up about twenty minutes later with a large paper bag full of food. Jessie beamed at him brightly before turning her attention back to her laptop.
"I thought you were starving?" he asked as he set the bag on the coffee table.
"I still am," she replied, gazing up at him. "I, uh, well, look for yourself."
She slid her laptop around, shaking her head. "It's a story about me with video from that fight. It's all over the damn internet already."
"Gotta love the headline," he replied with a grimace.
"Yeah, great," she said with a sigh. "So much for anonymity."
"It'll be fine," he said as he pulled her laptop away from her. "We can worry about that later. Let's eat while the food is still hot."
She smiled at him for being so thoughtful, but inside she was almost disappointed. She'd been happy that she'd found something to distract herself from her other more immediate worry, but it didn't look like it was going to last very long. She was incredibly hungry, but with the knowledge of a secret she wasn't ready to tell Sam about, it made her feel guilty, thus making it difficult to eat without feeling slightly sick.
"Are you feeling sick again?" he asked with concern as he noticed her playing with the food on her plate.
"What? Uh, no," she replied as she glanced at him.
"Is it the news story that's bothering you?"
She averted her eyes, once again playing with the food on her plate.
"Jessie?" he said as he put his arm around her. "Maybe we should leave Vegas before it becomes a problem."
It was exactly what she'd been thinking, but she didn't want to seem too eager.
"Are you sure Dean is ready to leave?"
He grinned. "No, probably not. But this is more important than gambling, drinking or chicks."
"Chicks, huh?"
"His word, not mine," he replied quickly.
She chuckled at his awkwardness. "Sure, Sam. Whatever you say," she teased.
He pulled her close, kissing her lightly. "I'll call him. Unless you want to stay."
She was torn. She wanted to stay a little longer, to enjoy his company, but at the same time she wanted to leave so she could figure out what she was going to do about her secret.
"No. I'm ready to leave if you are."
"I'm not gonna lie, I've enjoyed having you mostly to myself," he said with a sly grin. "But, I'd rather not hang around this town any longer than I have to."
"Then I'll let you deal with Dean while I pack."
"I'm not sure who's getting off easier," he replied jokingly as he stood up.
"Good luck," she replied with a chuckle.
She waited until he'd left before she stood to clean their food mess and to begin packing. It was a small relief that she was going to be leaving Vegas after all that had happened. She was hoping for some space to think about the future, before the decision was out of her control. She only had so long before she wouldn't be able to hide her secret any longer.
Jessie was almost finished packing by the time Sam made it back to their hotel room. He smiled when he saw her, but she could see something else in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked suspiciously.
He reached out, wrapping his arms around her. "You're awfully paranoid."
He was right, she was paranoid, but that didn't mean he wasn't hiding something.
"Don't make me torture it out of you," she said with narrowed eyes.
He smiled uncomfortably. "There's a crowd of people outside the hotel waiting for you."
"What?" she asked with surprise. "Really?"
"I wish I was kidding," he replied with a supportive smile. "At least you didn't use your real fake name when you signed for the room."
She sighed. "I guess I better unpack a wig."
After she put together a disguise for both herself and Sam, they waited until Dean arrived before leaving the hotel. They'd hoped that if they travelled in a group of three they wouldn't seem so conspicuous.
"I told you it would be difficult not to be recognized if I did that stupid show," Jessie said after she climbed into the backseat of the Impala.
"What do you want, an award?" Dean asked sarcastically as he started the car.
She narrowed her eyes at him, although it was too dark for him to see them. "Just shut up and drive."
"Aren't we bossy?" he said sarcastically as he began to drive.
She sighed loudly but didn't respond. She knew he was irritated he had to leave Vegas already and she wasn't much in the mood to argue. Instead, she took out her laptop and began skimming through some of her favorite news sites.
They drove for a couple of hours before making their first rest stop. By then, Dean was too tired to continue driving, since he'd barely slept the entire time he'd spent in Vegas. So Sam took over driving, while Jessie rode shotgun and Dean slept in the backseat.
Sam drove for a couple of hours before he switched spots with Jessie. She had insisted on driving even after Sam assured her he was fine. The truth was she needed something to keep her distracted from her thoughts.
It was midmorning when they made their next stop at a diner in a small city. Although Jessie was a little tired from driving so long, she was much more hungry than she was tired. After buying a local newspaper from the store next to the diner, she sat at the table with the brothers and began to read while she drank coffee. She became so engrossed with one particular article in the paper she had barely touched her food, while Dean had already finished eating his meal and was becoming irritated with her.
"Are you trying to take Sam's title away from him?" he asked her sarcastically.
"Huh?" she asked, scarcely paying attention, while Sam shot him a dirty look.
"Mister research," he replied with a grin. "Although in your case it's miss."
She set the newspaper down shooting him a teasing grin. "That was really lame, Dean. Why don't you get some sleep and try again?"
He rolled his eyes. "Do you think you could eat so we could leave?"
"Oh, is this better?" she asked as she scooped a small forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth and began chewing.
He narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to say something, but Sam interrupted him.
"That's enough, both of you," he said with a sigh.
She snorted. "Maybe you've forgotten what work is, but I haven't, Dean."
"You telling me there's work in this town?"
"Look for yourself," she said as she slid the paper over to him, pointing to the article.
He began reading, while his brother did the same over his shoulder. She turned her attention to her food.
"Sounds a lot like a poltergeist to me," Dean said when he was finished reading.
"Or maybe a real Trickster," Sam suggested.
"Well I don't know about you, but I'd like to check this out," she said, adding, "before I need some sleep."
The brothers nodded in agreement as they watched her take her last few bites of food before pulling out her wallet to pay.
"I got this," Dean said as he pulled a wad of bills from his pocket.
"Ooh, big spender," she replied teasingly.
He rolled his eyes before leaving a large tip for the waitress, even after she'd shot down his earlier advances.
"How about buying the next time we go to a good restaurant?" she asked with a grin.
He chuckled. "You're the rich one."
She rolled her eyes heavily before walking out of the diner and climbing into the driver's seat of the Impala. When Dean walked out, she grinned at him teasingly, rolling down the window.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.
"Driving. What does it look like?"
"I think you drove her enough. It's my turn," he replied, opening the door.
She sighed loudly as she climbed out of the car. "You made me leave my ride at home. The least you could do is let me drive yours."
"I don't have to do that," he replied. "Besides, I'm doing you a favor."
She snorted. "A favor? How's that?"
"Now you can sit in the backseat with Sam and do whatever—as long as your clothes stay on."
She glanced over at Sam who was wearing a giddy smile.
"Men!" she said with a sigh before getting into the backseat.
During the twenty minute ride to the fraternity house, where the mysterious deaths took place, Jessie sat in the car next to Sam and held his hand. She still felt uncomfortable with any display of affection around Dean, married or not. And with the knowledge of her secret making her feel guilty, it was difficult to even look him straight in the eyes. Although she'd always been a good liar, which made hunting that much easier, lying to someone she cared about was much more difficult than she would have imagined. She'd kept things from Bobby in the past, but this was different.
When they arrived at the fraternity, Jessie decided to stay behind and research more on the case, while the brothers went inside to ask questions. She wasn't in the mood to feel like a third wheel. Besides, she figured she might be a distraction for the overly hormonal young men.
After the brothers were finished inside, they drove to the nearest motel and began to share the information they had learned while at the fraternity.
"There's been three deaths this month, all by pranks," Dean said to Jessie, who was sitting at the table with her open laptop.
"When did the first one die? And how did he die?" she asked.
"The start of the month. Apparently he was killed by a bucket over the door," he replied, adding, "the bucket was full of bricks."
She raised an eyebrow in shock. "Doesn't sound much like a prank to me."
"That's why we're thinking it might be a poltergeist," Sam replied.
She pursed her lips in thought. "I don't know. Did you ask them if there's been any weird stuff going on?"
"It was difficult to get a straight answer out of most of them."
"Why?"
Dean laughed. "You went to college. Are you telling me you have no idea what happens in a fraternity?"
"Besides, drinking, drugs and sex? No, I have no idea," she replied sarcastically.
"That's why we couldn't get a straight answer out of them."
She snorted. "Shouldn't send a man to do a woman's job."
"You think you could do better?" he challenged.
She glared at him before opening her mouth to speak, but Sam stepped in first.
"That's enough, both of you," he said.
Dean shot his brother a dirty look but said nothing. Jessie, on the other hand, did.
"I just can't see this being a case of a poltergeist. It seems wrong somehow."
"What else could it be?" Sam asked.
"I don't know," she replied. "But I think I'm gonna dig a little further."
Jessie continued to research the history of the fraternity house, while Sam helped her and Dean went out for a short time. They only researched for a couple of hours before they both decided to sleep, since they'd both been awake since the night before.
It was a couple of hours later when Dean showed up in the motel room, yelling for them to wake up.
"Look at the old married couple sleeping early," he teased.
"What is it?" Jessie asked, throwing her pillow at him.
He laughed lightly at the throw as it fell short, then glanced at her and his brother more seriously.
"There's been another death at the fraternity house. The cops are there now."
"What happened?" his brother asked as he climbed out of bed.
"I don't know. I was at a bar when the news came over the radio."
"Just give us a few to get dressed, Dean," she said with a knowing look.
He rolled his eyes, leaving quickly.
Once they were dressed, the couple joined Dean in the Impala and they drove to the crime scene. After looking around and asking questions, they didn't seem to have any more answers than they already had, in fact, there were only more questions.
"The detective I spoke to said no one will be allowed into the frat house for at least a few days," Jessie said after they'd arrived back at their motel room.
"Good. Then we should check it out tomorrow night when it's empty," Dean replied.
"Fine with me," she replied. "And I don't know about you, but I'm going back to bed."
"Me too," Sam said with a grin.
Dean made a funny face in response.
"I get the hint," he said as he left for his own motel room.
Sam smiled seductively as he approached Jessie, who smiled in return. He pulled her close, kissing her slowly.
"I hate to be a party pooper, Sam, but I'm kinda tired," she said as she pulled away slightly.
"How could you be tired of all this already?" he teased sarcastically.
She rolled her eyes heavily. "I thought you're usually the funny one?"
"Must be your fault," he replied with a grin. "You're too much of a distraction."
She blushed slightly. "And you're too cute, sometimes."
"Only sometimes?" he asked in mock surprise.
"Yes," she replied with a fixed gaze.
"I have no chance tonight, do I?"
"I never said that," she replied with a grin.
It was midmorning when Jessie woke up, carefully removing herself from Sam's sleeping embrace so she could use the bathroom. She had to pee so badly it hurt. And when she remembered why that would be, she began to feel guilty again. She had spent the night so preoccupied she'd actually forgotten all about being pregnant. Now it was back at the front of her mind. All she wanted to do was forget about it.
She thought about waking Sam when she was done in the bathroom, but she felt she needed a little alone time. So instead, she decided to go for a walk and grab some coffee while she was at it.
She stayed at the coffee shop for a short time, reading the morning newspaper that had been left on one of the tables while drinking her first cup of coffee. When she was finished, she ordered another for herself, as well as one for Sam and Dean before she headed back to the motel room, newspaper in hand.
"Great! Coffee!" Dean said as she walked into the room, grabbing one from her hand.
She handed Sam his coffee with a smile. "You weren't worried about me, were you?"
"No," he replied after he'd taken a drink of his coffee. "I figured you'd gone for coffee."
"Well, there's an interesting article in today's newspaper about the history of the fraternity house," she said as she threw the paper down on the table, sitting down. "This isn't the first time there's been a series of prank related mishaps in that house."
The brothers sat down at the table, hunching over the article she was pointing to.
"Every year around the same time there are numerous prank related injuries. No surprise, since it coincides with pledge week," she said, pausing to take a sip of her coffee. "But rarely has it ever ended in death, or at least more than one during any year."
"So it has happened before?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, but nothing like this," she replied. "There's only been a handful of deaths since the fraternity has been around. And a couple of them were accidents, or they appeared to be anyway."
"Sounds like our poltergeist theory is out the window."
"Not necessarily, Sam," Dean said. "What if it was only accidents before, but now it is a poltergeist, somehow drawn to the pranks and accidents."
"I dunno, Dean. Sounds like we're reaching," he replied.
"I'm not too keen on that theory either," she said. "But I can't really do anymore research here. I'm gonna head to the library."
"Do you want me to go with you?" Sam asked.
"No. I think you and Dean should visit the frat boys again and see if you can get any clearer answers," she paused for a moment to drink her coffee. "And maybe ask around the neighbourhood. Someone might know something about the history of that place."
"Okay," he replied, sounding slightly disappointed. "When do you want to meet back up?"
"We're going into the house tonight, right?" she waited to see his nod before going on. "If either of us find something we'll call and discuss it then. If not, then we go in tonight and hope for the best."
"I'm definitely all for that," Dean said with a giddy grin. "Been awhile since I kicked some ass."
She smiled in amusement. "You only really need three things to make you happy, don't you, Dean?"
"Pretty much," he replied with a wink. "And since I have the other two taken care of right now, it's time for some action."
She rolled her eyes with a smile. "Well don't have too much fun without me."
"I don't make promises I can't keep."
"Are you sure you don't want me to help you?" Sam asked her quietly as he slipped his arm around her.
She smiled happily, nodding her head. "You should spend some time with your brother, Sam."
He looked at her pensively for a moment. "You're right."
"I am?" she said with a teasing smile. "Say it again."
He smiled, pulling her into an embrace. "We'll drop you off at the library first," he said, then kissed her deeply.
The couple only kissed for a few moments before Dean began making impatient noises, cutting their goodbye short. They simultaneously shot him a dirty look, before they swept from the room, climbing into the Impala.
It only took a few minutes for them to reach the library in the heart of the downtown. Jessie climbed out of the car quickly saying her goodbye to the boys as she was shutting the door, then dragged her laptop and small dufflebag up the cement steps that lead into the old library.
After asking for directions to the section she needed, she chose a nearby table, laying out her laptop on the table and her duffle on the chair next to hers, before strolling down a couple of the aisles, choosing a few books and an old box of records before sitting down at the table to begin her research.
She skimmed through a ton of materials before she found anything whatsoever to do with the frat house. Most of it was about the history of the fraternity itself and didn't really add any new information. So after several hours she still didn't know anything new.
Eventually, she began wading through years and years of newspaper articles, going as far back as the year the fraternity house was built. It was slow going since there was so much to look through. The house had been built almost a hundred years before so there was a lot of information, on top of the frequent visits to the bathroom that constantly interrupted her research.
By the time she found any helpful information, it was almost time for the library to close. She made a quick call to Sam to let him know she'd meet him at the house as soon as the library closed, then went back to her research. But when the librarian swept over to tell her it was time to go, she wasn't quite ready to go. All she could do was pay the man to stay just a little longer, until she had what information she needed. She only stayed an extra fifteen minutes before she finally found what she needed. She thanked the librarian again, scooped up her laptop, duffle and her notes and went outside. It was already dark.
Once outside, she tried to call both Sam and Dean, but for some reason she couldn't get either of the calls to connect. After she paused to think—and calm down—she tried their spare phones, which were off, so she assumed they were sitting in the Impala where they usually were. It wasn't going to do her any good.
She hurried down the street looking for a car that would be easy to steal. She didn't like to, but she had little choice. She needed to get to that frat house as soon as she could, and calling a taxi cab wasn't an option.
It only took a few minutes to find a suitable car. The keys had even been left in it, so she didn't feel quite so guilty about taking it. She drove quickly, but not so quickly that she would be stand out or be noticed. She ditched the car around the corner in a dark area, making sure she hadn't dropped anything in the car that belonged to herself, before she ran towards the frat house, dumping her laptop and duffle inside the Impala as she ran past it and pulled out her gun from the pocket of her jacket.
When she made it to the front door, she realized it wasn't going to open for her, so she went around to the side where there was a large picture window, hesitating for a moment to decide if she should wrap her hand in her jacket before smashing the glass. But after a few moments, she decided just to use her gun to shatter the window. Stray shards sliced small cuts on her arm as it shattered, but she barely noticed in her haste and panic to get inside.
She threw her jacket over the ledge to protect herself as she climbed through window, immediately reaching for her mini flashlight, which she kept in a pocket in her jeans. She scanned the room once quickly with it before she began to call out for Sam and Dean, trying not to yell too loudly. She didn't get a response, but she heard a loud bang come from upstairs, so she headed there to search for them.
As she made it to the top of the stairs, she had to duck quickly to avoid being hit by a book that was flying towards her head. She heard the laugh of a young man as it hit the wall behind her and it slid down the stairs.
"Jessie!" Sam called with relief from the end of the hallway.
She was about to ask where Dean was, when he popped his head out from a doorway only feet from his brother.
"How'd you get in?" he asked as he took a wild shot at the ghost who appeared for only a moment.
"The window downstairs," she replied hastily. "But no time to explain."
"How are we—"
"Just cover me, will ya?" she interrupted.
The brothers both nodded as she began running down the hallway, throwing open doors, while they shot at the ghost as it appeared.
"Wouldn't it be easier if we knew what you were looking for?" Dean asked as she was searching a fourth room.
She stopped for a moment to shoot him a hard look. "No."
He opened his mouth to say something, when he was hit in the back by a beer bottle.
"You okay, Dean?" his brother asked, while avoiding being hit himself.
"Yeah," he replied as he shook his head.
The boys followed Jessie as she ran from the room and headed towards another, only this time the three of them stopped before they could reach the door, each of them scattering in separate directions as they were bombarded by a plethora of items, ranging from beer bottles to books to clothing and anything else that could be found inside a frat house.
After Jessie picked herself up from the floor, rubbing her arm where she'd banged it when she fell, she dashed through the door the ghost obviously didn't want them to go through. Almost immediately she saw what she had been looking for, an overly large trophy that was standing on a table near the window. She paused for a moment to let the boys catch up before she ran towards the trophy. But as she reached out to grab it, the window beside the table exploded, showering her with shards of glass. She'd barely had a chance to cover her face as it rained down upon her.
"Jessie!" Sam called.
"I'm fine, Sam," she answered, brushing glass from her clothing.
"What—" he began to ask, but the ghost began flinging stuff at him, interrupting his question.
While the ghost was distracted for the moment, Jessie took the opportunity to grab the trophy from the table. She fumbled with a latch that was on the bottom of it, but gave up quickly, bashing it once hard on the floor, which opened it with ease.
"Catch!" she yelled at Dean, who was standing much closer to her.
He turned to face her, his hands outstretched while she picked up an old finger bone that had fallen out of the trophy and threw it at him. He caught it easily, looking at her with surprise for a moment.
"Dammit, Dean! Burn it!"
He set his gun down, pulling a bottle of lighter fluid from the front pocket of his jacket, dousing the bone in it, before throwing it down on the floor and lighting it on fire with a book of matches that were also in his pocket. It wasn't long before the bone was completely engulfed and the ghost disappeared in a fiery flash.
"How did you know where that was?" he asked her.
She shook her head with a grin. "It's called research, Dean."
"I'd definitely like to know more," Sam said as he walked over to her, putting his arm around her.
She smiled warmly, putting her arm around him as well. "Can we get the hell outta here first?"
"Definitely."
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, between working on my other fics, I had computer problems again. Ok, so now you have your answer, but of course everything was sidetracked by a case. Isn't that always the way?
Thanks for reading!