Chapter 44

Jessie had just placed her glass of milk back on the table when the three men walked back into the house. Dean sat in the same chair he'd occupied before leaving, while Bobby sat in the chair beside him, and Sam sat down on the couch beside Jessie.

"I'm ready to explain myself," she said, folding her hands on her lap nervously. "But I need you to keep your comments until the end."

Everyone, except Dean, shook their heads in agreement.

She sighed loudly, trying to think of where to begin. While she was thinking, Sam placed a supportive hand on her hands, which had the complete opposite effect that he'd intended, it made her feel guilty instead.

She glanced at Dean, then Bobby, before beginning. "I found out I was pregnant the night we left Vegas. I didn't even suspect it until that night. It was something that Dean had said to Sam that put two and two together for me. So I took a test to confirm it."

"Is that why you wanted to leave Vegas so quickly?" Dean interrupted, his look said he was irritated.

If this was a different situation, she might have found it amusing how he seemed to still be upset about leaving Vegas early. But there was nothing humorous about this situation.

"Yes," she replied without hesitation. "It's also the reason why I needed some time alone at my house afterwards."

"What did you do while you were at home?" Bobby asked, wanting to move the story along.

She gazed at Sam sadly, apologetically before speaking. "At first I did a lot of crying, and thinking. Then I looked up some abortion clinics. But when I called one I realized I couldn't go through with something like that. I've killed a lot of things, but..." She trailed off for a moment, trying to ignore the surprised looks on the men's faces before going on. "Since I couldn't go through with that solution, I decided to go to the doctor and find out how far along I was." She glanced at Dean for a moment. "I had to make sure I knew who the father was, since there was a very tiny chance it wasn't Sam's." Dean squirmed around in his seat uncomfortably, while Bobby and Sam shifted their gaze slightly. "Well, there's no need to worry because I was only about three months along. There's no chance it's anyone but Sam's."

"That's good," Dean said awkwardly, unable to keep himself from saying it out loud.

She found it difficult not to grin just slightly at his discomfort. "So, while I was happy the baby was Sam's and it seemed pretty healthy, I was ready to get into my car and head to Bobby's when Crowley showed up."

"So you did talk to Crowley that day Cas stopped by?" Bobby said in an accusatory tone.

"Yes," she replied, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"What did he want?" he asked, urging her to continue.

"Well, he doesn't like to give me a straight answer, but, he wanted to let me know what Meg was after."

"And what was she after?"

"Not was, is," she replied with a sigh. "She wants the baby."

"What?" Sam said in disbelief. "What could she possibly want with a baby?"

She gazed at him sadly, apologetically. She knew he was going to feel guilty when he heard the truth. But she had no choice.

"Not a baby, Sam. Your baby."

"My baby?" he asked, slightly taken aback. "Why would she want my baby? I don't understand."

She swallowed hard. "I didn't understand at first either. Like I said, Crowley likes to jerk me around. That day he was being rather cryptic, but he gave me a hint." She paused for a moment to remember. "It took me awhile to figure it out and I wasn't sure I was right."
"But you were right?" Dean asked impatiently. He was getting tired of listening to her story and just wanted the answers. But his impatience earned him scornful looks from both Bobby and his brother.

She nodded her head in response, but decided to continue with her story.

"You're not gonna like the rest of this," she said as she gazed at Sam, then quickly at Bobby and back again. "But the next time I saw Crowley was after the werewolf case. He, uh, actually saved my life." The three men looked at her with shock. "I managed to make it back to my motel room, but I was hurt much worse than I knew. I passed out and woke up later in a pool of blood. It's the last thing I remember until I woke up in the hospital."

"He brought you to the hospital?" Dean asked. "I find that hard to believe."

She snorted. "I did, too. But that's what happened. He was waiting for me when I woke up."

"Hold on," Bobby interrupted. "You haven't made a deal with the S.O.B. have you?"

"No! Hell no!" she protested loudly.

"Then why the hell would he help you like that?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm getting to that," she replied quickly. "He told me I was lucky that Meg hadn't found me, so I imagine she'd been snooping around. Like I said, I get no straight answers from him. He even brought my car to me when I was leaving the hospital." The men glanced around in shock and surprise again. "He asked me one important question before I kicked him outta my car. Was I willing to do anything to protect my child. I didn't know the answer to that then." She removed one of her hands from under Sam's and placed it on her belly. "But I do now."

"Where exactly did hiding from everyone who cares about you come in?" Bobby asked with disappointment.

"And you never explained why he wants my baby?" Sam chimed in.

She nodded her head before glancing down at her belly for a few moments. When she looked up again she was looking frightened.

"I wouldn't have hidden from you if I didn't think I had something to worry about," she began to explain. "At first, I thought Crowley was lying to me.." she trailed off for a moment.

"But now you don't?" Bobby asked.

She shook her head. "The reason everyone is so interested in Sam's baby is, because of the demon blood running through its veins."

"What?!" they all exclaimed in unison.

"I know, you're wondering what that means. I did, too," she said, gazing at Sam apologetically. "The demons believe that Sam's child would have some sort of abilities akin to those of an anti-christ."

He glanced away looking uncomfortable.

Jessie turned her hand over and squeezed his in support. She knew he'd be upset by the news. He hated being reminded about the demon blood, it made him feel like a freak. And she wasn't sure how he felt about a baby. But she knew he'd be upset for marring it with the same curse that he bore.

"That still doesn't explain why you've been hiding from us, young lady," Bobby said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "You know that we would protect you from the demons."

She glanced at him furtively. "It's not the demons I'm afraid of, Bobby."

He glanced at her in confusion.

She sighed, knowing exactly what he was going to think.

"Okay, before I tell you. I want you to know that pretty much everything I know came from Crowley."

"And you trust him?" Dean asked with surprise.

"Not at all. Unlike other people I know, I don't trust any demon. Including him," she replied, glancing at each of them in turn. "I may have taken his advice, but I don't trust him. Not when he's yet to tell me why he's been helping me out."

"Isn't that obvious?" Dean asked. "He wants you to keep your guard down so he can swoop in and get his hands on the baby."

She began to chuckle in disbelief. "He knows I'm not stupid enough to fall for that, Dean."

"Then why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know his exact motive. But I do know why he wants the baby kept away from Meg." She waited for a moment to see if anyone would interrupt. "Meg wants the baby so she can break Lucifer from his cage."

"What?!" the three men said in surprise.

"And that's the last thing Crowley wants to happen."

"But I don't understand something," Bobby said with suspicion. "Why wouldn't he just kill you and get it over with? Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

"I've asked him the very same thing many times, Bobby. He never gives me a straight answer."

Everyone was silent for a few moments pondering everything.

"Jessie," Sam said, squeezing her hand and smiling supportively. "You said it wasn't the demons you're afraid of. Then who?"

She gazed into his eyes, trying her best to keep the fear from them. Just the thought of saying it aloud frightened her. This was what she'd been dreading to tell them. She felt him squeeze her hand tighter as it began to shake slightly.

"Angels," was all she could manage to stammer.

"Angels? Really?" Dean snorted in disbelief.

Both Sam and Bobby glanced at him in anger, calling his name.

She shook her head angrily, wrenching her hand free of Sam's and stood up dramatically. "I knew you wouldn't understand!" she shrieked, before attempting to walk away. But Sam stood up quickly, grabbing her by her arm and pulling her close.

"Why are you afraid of the angels, Jess?" he asked sympathetically. "How could they possibly be worse than demons?"

She gazed into his eyes fearfully. "I know what you're gonna say," she replied breathlessly. "You're gonna say Crowley is lying. But I know he's not."

"Jessie, please," he pleaded calmly, his eyes filled with concern. "Just tell us what's going on."

She took a few deep breaths in and out, swallowing hard before she could go on. "If they find out about the baby, they'll kill both of us."

He gazed at her with fear and sadness, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"You're not seriously buying this?" Dean said in disbelief. "Since when are the angels the bad guys?"

Jessie wrenched free of Sam's protective grip, glaring at Dean furiously. "Just because your boyfriend Cas is an angel does not mean that they wouldn't kill me or my baby!"

"Jessie," Sam called gently as he reached out for her.

"No, Sam," she said as she pulled farther away, turning to glare at Dean. "This isn't your life we're talking about! This is my life and my baby's life! Sam's baby!" She was practically seething by now. "Crowley may be a demon and untrustworthy, but I guarantee you he's not lying about this!"

"You need to calm down," Sam whispered to her gently, wrapping one arm around her and pulling her close. She turned to gaze at him with frustration, she hated to be told to calm down, but the instant he laid his other hand on her extended belly, she understood his motivation. It took her a moment to relax, but with his tender touch, she was finally able to.

"Jessie," Bobby called, making everyone turn to face him. "What could Crowley possibly have said to you to convince you that the angels would want you and the baby dead?"

She gazed at him intently. "Obviously you remember Jesse the anti-christ?" she asked rhetorically. All three men nodding in response. "The angels wanted him dead."

"But Cas let him go," Dean interrupted, earning him dirty looks from everyone.

"But, he didn't want to. And if you hadn't given him a chance to escape, then he probably would have," she replied.

"That's reaching, Jessie."

She snorted in disbelief. "Ah, so blind," she said as she shook her head.

He narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "Fine. Let's play devil's advocate."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Bad choice of words, Dean."

He rolled his eyes in response. "Let's just say they do want you dead. Why not just the baby? Why you as well?"

She averted her eyes, trying not to look at anyone, especially Sam. She knew he wasn't going to like the answer. But he needed to know, despite wanting to spare him from the pain.

"Well, because, they, uh, could kill the baby, but, as long as I'm with Sam I could just end up pregnant again," she said sadly. "They'd want to stop it from happening once and for all."

Sam began shaking his head in denial, his eyes full of sadness. "No. They couldn't. They wouldn't."

"They won't, Sam," Dean said with confidence. "You forget where she heard all of this from. Crowley. How do we know he's not just saying this for shits and giggles?"

Bobby had been listening quietly, mulling over everything in his head. He didn't trust Crowley as far as he could throw him, but, he had to admit that everything Jessie had told them was entirely plausible. He didn't trust angels either. And where Jessie was concerned, he would rather err on the side of caution, than take any chances that something might happen to her.

"Enough, Dean," Bobby chimed in, before an argument could start. "I don't care who said what. All I care is that Jessie is safe. So for now, we keep our mouths shut. And no talking to any angels. Even Cas."

He looked at him defiantly for a moment before backing down. "Fine."

Jessie shot Bobby a grateful smile, before turning around slightly to face Sam. Gazing up into his eyes she smiled lightly. "I'm tired. I'm going upstairs to have a nap."

He smiled lovingly, brushing his thumb across her cheek, kissing her on the forehead. "Have a good rest."

She nodded to Bobby and Dean as she swept from the room and up the stairs, moving much more quietly when she made it to the top of the stairs. She stopped for a moment to see if she could hear what they were saying, but they were speaking too softly. So she continued on to her bedroom, climbing into her bed and snuggling under the covers.

As tired as she was, sleep was elusive. This was not how she had planned for her day to go. She'd planned on working on her car for half the day, then having a quiet evening watching TV. She definitely hadn't wanted any visitors—as happy as she was to see them—or have to explain everything that had been going on with her. She knew they were all terribly disappointed in her. But she hoped they would get over that quickly. Everything she'd done was to protect the life of her unborn child. If she wasn't so terrified, she never would've kept the secret from them so long. She could only hope they would understand where she was coming from. When she was finished justifying her actions to herself, she finally dozed off.

As soon as Jessie was upstairs, Sam sat back on the couch with his head in his hands. He was feeling so many things at once, he didn't know what to think. He'd been angry with his wife for hiding for so long. But at the same time he was happy to see her again. He was glad she was safe, he'd missed her terribly. The surprise of being pregnant was what really threw him. It was the last thing he'd expected. Never in a million years would he have imagined that. He'd honestly thought she'd decided to leave him, but was too afraid to tell him the truth. Dean had told him it had to be something else, but he hadn't believed him. He wondered now if even his brother believed it, or he was just trying to be supportive. Thankfully he was wrong, but this situation was way worse than he could have imagined. He didn't know what to believe. But, he did know he would do everything he could do to protect the woman he loves, and his unborn child.

He was running his hands through his hair in frustration when Bobby sat next to him, laying a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"How ya doin' kid?"

He sat up a little straighter, gazing at him with pleading eyes. "I don't know, Bobby."

"You know we're gonna do what we can to keep her safe, right?"

He nodded. "I know. I just hope she's wrong about all of this."

"You and me both."

The room became silent for a few minutes while everyone was deep in thought. However, it wasn't long before Dean couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Sam, what the hell?" he asked with frustration. "Are you gonna forget about the hell she just put you through so easily?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but Bobby interrupted.

"That's enough, Dean!" he warned him. "Whatever happens between the two of them is none of our business."

He stared at him defiantly. "I think you're wrong about that, Bobby."

"He's right, Dean," Sam said. "It's none of your business."

He snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. "She's gonna get you killed, Sammy."

"Wrong again, Dean," he replied with narrowed eyes. "I'm the one who's gonna get her killed." His look had softened slightly, replaced with guilt. "If not for my blood..."

"You can't feel guilty about that," his brother replied. "It's not your fault you have demon blood inside of you."

"No. But it is my fault Jessie's pregnant."

Dean sighed. "You didn't know this could happen, Sam. No one did."

He shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. Meg knew. That's why she was after us to stay together." He stood up and began to wander aimlessly. "Why didn't I listen to Jessie? Why did I push her into a relationship with me? She said it was a bad idea. Why didn't I listen? Why?
"Dude," he said firmly. "She loves you. I don't think you could've stopped it if you'd wanted to."

Bobby had been sitting quietly listening to the exchange between the brothers while pondering the situation. He was frightened for Jessie, perhaps even more so than Sam was. As far as he was concerned, she was his daughter, blood or not. But this wasn't just about her, it was also about Sam. And he knew how Sam would feel if something happened to her. He would blame himself, and he wasn't sure what Sam might do. Hell, he didn't even know what he would do. But he knew he didn't want to lose either of them. They were his family.

He stood up, hoping to diffuse a situation before it began. "Boys, what's done is done. Now we're gonna do what we always do—fix this. No one is to blame for any of this." He paused to gaze at Sam. "We need to get our heads into this and forget about blame—or guilt. The demons are already steps ahead of us and we have no idea what they have planned. And with Crowley and Meg working different agendas, it's just gonna be that much messier."

"It's about time we take down Meg and Crowley," Dean said with enthusiasm. "They've been a pain in our asses for way too long."

"That's not gonna solve the angel problem," Sam said.

"If we kill the damn demons they never need to know about the child, Sam."

"And what're we gonna tell Cas when he stops by to visit, Dean?" he asked with venom. "Since he's already involved."

"I don't know," he replied. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

He sighed loudly, shaking his head. "I really hate that saying."

"You and me both, Sammy," he mumbled quietly.

"That settles it," Bobby said with finality. "We tell Cas nothing. And we kill every demon we can get our hands on. Did I leave anything out?"

"Nope," Dean said with an intense look.

Sam felt there was so much that was left out. Like how he was going to deal with a baby. Or more immediately, how he was going to deal with a very pregnant wife. But he nodded quickly in agreement with his brother, then began mulling things around in his head. He had no idea how he was going to deal with everything, but he knew he had to figure it out—and soon.

Jessie was lying in bed awake, but she'd yet to open her eyes. She felt that she'd been awakened by something, but she was unsure what it could be since everything seemed quiet. So she kept her eyes closed for a short time, adjusting her position in the bed to get more comfortable, and began pondering the days events in her head.

She was wondering if she'd made a huge mistake telling them everything that had been going on. Well, almost everything. She still had one secret she was keeping to herself that no one else needed to know. It was between her and Crowley, and that's where it needed to stay. She knew no one would understand, but she needed to do everything she could to protect the life of her unborn child. Even if that meant continuously lying to the people she cared about most in the world.

She opened her eyes slowly, trying to adjust them to the darkness. She realized she must have slept several hours since it was now dark. It made her wonder what had been going on while she slept, especially since it was so quiet. And, as if on cue, she heard light footfalls in the hallway by her door. She decided to pretend she was still sleeping. She wasn't really in the mood to speak with anyone so soon after waking. She wanted to do it on her terms, and when she was ready.

There was a light rapping at her door, which she ignored, then the door opened slowly. She listened as the person walked in quietly, closing the door behind them, then became still for a few moments, before walking close to the bed. She knew by the sound of his breathing that it was Sam. She really would've preferred to talk to him when she was a little more alert, but she really didn't have a choice now.

"Jessie," he called quietly, knowing she wasn't sleeping by her uneven breathing.

"Sam," she answered, her voice cracking slightly.

He felt his way to the edge of the bed, sitting down on it gently. "Is it okay if I turn the lamp on?"

She really didn't want the light on. That meant she would have to look him in the eye, and she was afraid of what he was going to say to her.

"Okay," she agreed reluctantly.

He turned the lamp on, moving over on the bed slightly now that he could see properly. He smiled lightly as he noticed her eyes were nothing more than slits because of the bright light. But as her eyes adjusted, she opened them fully, gazing back at him with an awkwardness that he felt as much as she seemed to. He smiled slightly, but it was a warm smile. Despite the anger he'd felt towards her recently, he was happy to see she was safe. And although he was feeling ambivalent about their situation, he was sure they could work it out.

She began to wiggle around a little, trying to get comfortable. He couldn't help but grin at how difficult it seemed to be for her. He didn't know a lot about pregnant women, but he knew she had many months ahead. He couldn't imagine how much more difficult things might be for her by the end of it. When she was done moving around, she was laying on her side, partially supported by her pillows and her arm, while the other arm was draped across her protruding belly.

He resisted the urge to take her hand in his, unsure of how she was feeling towards him at the moment. He didn't want to push her.

"Did you have a good sleep?" he asked.

She smiled slightly. "Once I got comfortable, yes."

He had a million questions running through his head, but there were so many it was difficult to settle on just one. But eventually he settled on an easy one, or at least he thought.

"How are you feeling?"

She smiled with mild amusement. "I'm fine, Sam. But is that what you really wanted to ask me?"

He grinned slightly and shook his head. He should've known she wouldn't make it easy on him, she never did. It was part of the reason he loved her.

"Of course, I want to know how you're doing," he replied awkwardly.

She smiled once again in amusement. "I'm not gonna break you know. If you have something to say to me, just say it. Then we can talk about everything else."

He ran his fingers through his hair, smiling with slight amusement, yet completely frustrated. He sighed once, taking on a more serious look.

"I'm sorry, Jessie."
She gazed at him with confusion. "What're you sorry for, Sam?"

"You know what," he replied, while she shook her head in response. "For all of this. It's my fault you're in this situation."

"No. Don't you dare blame yourself for this," she said angrily. "This is not your fault."

"Yes, it is, Jess. All of it is," he replied with defiance, raising his hand up when it looked like she was about to interrupt. "It all goes back to the demon blood. Always does."

"That's enough!" she replied furiously. "That's not your fault. And neither is getting me pregnant. If anyone's to blame it's both of us." This time she raised her hand when he was about to interrupt. "I don't want to hear that again. Got it?" He nodded his head once in agreement. "Good. Now that we've established that, we can talk about something else."

It didn't matter what she said to him, he still blamed himself. And no matter what she said, or anyone else, he would always feel the same way. It was his fault. If he had kept away from her like she'd wanted, she wouldn't have a death sentence hanging over her head. But he was bound and determined to make sure nothing happened to her, or their child.

"Anything?" he asked.

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Of course. I think I owe you."

He eyes darted around for a moment nervously. "Is there anything else you're keeping from us?"

She knew there was one thing, but there was nothing he could say or do to make her come clean about it.

"Not intentionally, no."

"And what does that mean exactly?" he asked suspiciously.

She pushed the blanket aside and brought herself up into a sitting position with the pillows behind her back to support herself.

"It means, I'm pretty sure I've told you everything, Sam," she said, lying her hand on his knee. "But I might've forgotten something. My mind isn't what it used to be."

He looked at her with confusion, grinning slightly.

"Hey! It's not funny," she teased. "Pregnancy does all kinds of crazy things to a woman's body."

He smiled, placing his hand on the hand she had on his knee. "Have you been seeing a doctor?"

She smiled at his concern. "Yes. I just had an appointment a few days ago."

He was quiet for a moment, looking uncomfortable, but he continued to smile. "And how is everything?"

"Everything's fine," she replied with a smile. "I'm finally able to feel the baby kicking."

"That must be...cool," he replied awkwardly.

She giggled. "This is making you uncomfortable, isn't it?"

"Uh, um, maybe just a little," he replied apologetically.

"It's okay, Sam. I've had almost three months to get used to this," she replied supportively. "I wouldn't expect you to get used to this so quickly."

He smiled slightly in amusement at the awkwardness of the situation. He felt that he should be supporting her, and here she was trying to do that for him. He found he couldn't even remember everything he'd wanted to say to her before he entered the room.

"I wanna show you something," she said as she took his hand and placed it on her belly, repositioning it until she was satisfied with where it was. "Can you feel it?"

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel, but whatever it was, he didn't feel it. That was until she pushed his hand down much more firmly. Then he felt something faintly moving underneath his hand.

"I can feel it," he replied, smiling brightly with excitement.

She smiled at him adoringly, brushing her thumb across the back of his hand.

"I have an ultrasound appointment in two days. Do you wanna come with me?" she asked. "I'm gonna find out if it's a boy or a girl."

"Of course I wanna go with you," he said as he removed his hand from her belly, entwining his fingers with hers.

She smiled, squeezing his hand gently. "So, you're okay with all of this?"

"Surprisingly, yeah," he replied with a giddy grin.

"I always knew you were a little crazy," she teased with a grin, chuckling as he pretended to be offended. "But on a more serious note—I really need to pee."

He laughed for a moment before he climbed out of the bed, reaching his hand out to her and helped her to her feet.

"I'll meet you downstairs," he said, pulling her closely and kissing her lightly on the forehead.

She smiled up at him. "Yeah, great."

He smirked. "It'll be fine. The worst is over."

She smiled to appease him, but she wasn't so sure. She knew Dean was angry with her, and Bobby was disappointed. She didn't think the worst was over. In fact, she knew it was just beginning.

A/N: Well, the cat's outta the bag so to speak. Was it what you were expecting? How do you think they're gonna deal with it? And what about Crowley? What do you think his motive is? And what's gonna happen when Cas makes a reappearance? And the secret she's keeping from them. What do you think that's all about? *wink*

Thanks for reading!