Chapter 57

Jessie was sitting at the kitchen table completely engrossed with research on her laptop when the Winchester brothers walked into the apartment. In fact she was so engrossed, she didn't even notice they were back until she heard the door slam lightly.

"What took you so long?" she asked Sam after he kissed her in greeting.

"We had to wait until they got home to make sure we had the right place," he said, sitting in the chair next to her.

"I'm hungry," Dean said, flopping onto the chair beside his brother. "When's dinner?"

Sam shot his brother a dirty look, but Jessie didn't react.

"Just gimme a couple of minutes and I'll start cooking," she replied quickly, turning her attention back to her laptop.

Once she had turned her attention away from him, Dean shot his brother a mirthless grin. Sam rolled his eyes in response.

After dinner, the Winchester brothers once again left Jessie home alone. Now that it was almost dark, each of them would sit outside one of the two ladies' houses to keep an eye on them. She had wanted to go with them, but they convinced her to stay home. None of them knew if they would be able to sense, or smell, a pregnant woman nearby, so they figured it would be safer for her to stay at the apartment. And while she understood, she didn't like it at all.

The next few days were pretty much the same as the previous ones. Jessie cooked all the meals. And in the evening, the boys went out to watch the suspects' houses, leaving her alone. She used that time to visit Crowley at an arranged spot to get more demon blood from him. And each time he said less and less to her, until he barely even acknowledged her presence, besides handing over the blood to her. She wasn't sure whether to be happy, or concerned. Ultimately, she decided not to even think about it. She had too many other things to worry about at the moment.

"We're not getting anywhere here," Dean said as he prepared to go out for the evening. "I think we're on the wrong track."

"I don't think we are, Dean," Jessie replied. "I've looked over all the deaths and body thefts and they seem to happen every couple of weeks or so. Maybe they don't feed very often."

"You mean we might have to do this for a couple of weeks?" he said with a slight whine.

She sighed. "Why don't you go out tonight, Dean? Sam and I can take care of it."

"Jessie," Sam said anxiously. "I thought we discussed why that was a bad idea."

"Yeah, well I think Dean needs a night off. And you probably do too."

"What? Now you think you're gonna go out there alone?" he asked even more anxiously.

"I never said anything like that Sam."

"Jessie, I don't need a night off," Dean interrupted. "And Sammy, you know she can take care of herself. She's probably sick of being cooped up in this place."

Sam shot his brother an angry look, while Jessie looked at him in surprised.

"I am sick of it. Can I at least go out with one of you tonight?" she begged. "I'm going stir crazy here."

The brothers looked at each other, each expressing how they felt with a single look. Dean knew his brother didn't want her to leave the apartment, but he also knew she wouldn't stay put for long. She needed to feel useful. He would feel exactly the same way if he was in her position.

"She can come with me," Dean said to his brother. "This way you two won't be distracted by each other, and she won't be alone. Problem solved."

"Sounds good to me," she said with a shrug.

Sam shook his head in disappointment but didn't respond. He wasn't happy with his brother's idea, but he wasn't upset enough to start an argument about it. He knew his brother would do everything in his power to protect her. That had to be good enough for him. He knew he wouldn't win that fight.

Jessie was finally happy to get out of the apartment. Besides visiting with Crowley, she hadn't really left the apartment since the three of them had went to church. She was also happy to get a chance to ride shotgun in the Impala, which she only normally had the chance to do when Sam was driving. Who at the moment, was in a rental car on his way to Lily's house, while they were on their way to scope out Margaret's house.

"Thanks for taking me along tonight, Dean," she said once they'd arrived at their destination. "I'm sick of being cooped up in that apartment."

"That's why I suggested you come with me," he replied while retrieving binoculars from the car seat beside him. "I recognized that stir crazy look in your eyes."

"Are you sure there isn't something else?" she asked. "There must be a reason why you wanted me to come with you and not Sam?"

He glanced sideways at her in the dark. With the small amount of light from a street light shining on her face, he could tell she was being completely serious. She suspected something. But did he want to tell her what his motivation was? Or would he be able to get away with half of the truth.

"Besides the obvious you mean, the two of you getting distracted by each other?"

"Dean," she said in an irritated tone. "You know that me and Sam are always professional when on a job. So what is it really?"

He sighed. "Sam is worried about you. And I'm worried about him. I just thought it would be better if you were with me."

"Of course Sam is worried about me. That's nothing new."

"I'm just worried he's gonna get careless, that's all. He knows you're safe with me."

She thought there was more to it, something he wasn't telling her. But ultimately she decided not to push. She was out of the apartment and that was all that mattered for the moment.

As the case had been for the past few nights, this night was no different. Neither Dean or Jessie saw anything out of the ordinary at the woman's house. And after meeting up with Sam, they found out he didn't see anything out of the ordinary either. So they headed back to the apartment to sleep for most of the day.

The next couple of days were exactly the same as the last, except for the fact that the three hunters had become more and more frustrated with the case. It had gotten to the point where they barely even spoke to each other about it, unless it was about a new lead. And since there seemed to be none of those, they basically stopped talking about it at all.

When Sunday rolled around, the three hunters once again dressed themselves for church. This time it wasn't Jessie who was in a bad mood, it was the two brothers who had barely gotten two hours of sleep that night. Neither one of them wanted to go, figuring that once again it would be a waste of time. And at one point, Jessie got angry and told them both to stay there while she went alone. But that was all it took for the boys to get motivated.

They arrived at the church early, hoping to have some time to speak with some of the church goers. And while they didn't find out anything new, Jessie did notice the two women paid a lot of attention to her as well as the other pregnant woman they'd met last week. If that wasn't a good sign, she didn't know what was. She only wished she knew which one was the monster. It would make her life that much easier.

Once again, the same three people walked out during the transubstantiation. The two women they'd been watching and a man. And while the lore she managed to dig up said the creature usually lived as a woman, she was beginning to wonder if they ever lived as a man. She made a mental note to find out what she could about the man as well.

After the mass, the three of them hung around to speak with the priest. They nearly got roped in to volunteering for some fundraiser, but Jessie was happy. She'd found out some information on the man who walked out during the transubstantiation.

"What was that all about?" Dean asked the moment everyone was in the car. "We almost had to volunteer for some stupid thing."

"I had to find out some information on that man," she replied, hoping she didn't have to explain who she was talking about. "But now I know we don't have to worry about him."

"Why's that?"

"For one thing, he's been a part of the church since he was young."

"Then why does he always walk out?"

She chuckled. "He's allergic to gluten. Apparently there's gluten in those wafers."

"So that means we're back to square one," he stated with disappointment.

The ride back to the apartment was a quiet one. The boys were still slightly tired and cranky and Jessie was frustrated. She was beginning to think they were never going to find the monster they were looking for.

Once they were back at the apartment, the boys decided to catch up on their sleep, while Jessie was left alone to continue researching. It was the last thing she wanted to do, since all she'd done for the past few weeks is research. And every day it was the same thing, hitting a big brick wall. She hadn't felt this frustrated on a case in a very long time.

She was making herself a snack when her phone rang. She'd been hoping the call was from Bobby with a lead, instead, it was someone she hadn't expected to hear from.

"Mike," she answered in surprised. "What's up?"

"Look, I can't talk long Jess, but I need to tell you something," he replied ominously.

"What's going on?" she asked with concern.

"There was a woman that came into the bar last night looking for you," he began to explain. "I wasn't here last night, but one of the other staff told me. I didn't think anything of it until a few minutes ago when she stopped by again. Apparently she was looking for me this time."

"What?" she asked, her voice high pitched in panic.

"She wanted to know all about you. Where you lived. Who you know."

"What did she look like?"

"She was average height and weight. She had long, dark hair that was parted in the middle and was somewhat wavy."

"Meg," she cursed under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing, Mike. Are you still wearing that charm I gave you?"

"Hell, yeah. I'm not stupid enough to take it off."

"Okay, listen. I'm gonna send someone there to get you and take you somewhere safe for a little while."

"Jess, I have to work."

The panic inside her was beginning to reach its peak. She couldn't think straight. And adding in the frustration of the case, she was afraid she was going to lose it.

"Dammit, Mike!" she yelled. "You won't be going to work if you're dead, now will you?"

"Jess, isn't that a little harsh?"

"No! That woman looking for me is a demon. And not just any demon either. Trust me. If she knows we know each other than you could be in danger. And I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you, Mike."

"Okay," he replied hesitantly.

"Look, I'm gonna give you a code word. So when my friend comes to get you, he will know what it is. Don't you dare leave that bar with anyone else, or until he comes for you. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Be safe, Mike. Please. I can't lose you," she said close to tears.

"I will."

Once she'd hung up with Mike, she immediately called Bobby. She tried her best not to show the panic in her voice, but he noticed. He even made her promise to tell the boys once they were awake, or he would. Not that she had an intention on not telling them. She knew they needed to know what was going on with Meg. But her first thought was not about them.

After checking to see if the boys were still asleep, she slipped out of the apartment to meet up with Crowley at their regular meeting spot. He ended up arriving late, which didn't help her mood at all. And although she gave him attitude, the possibility of knowing Meg's whereabouts kept him from making her pay for it.

"If she's still around that area I'll find her," he promised.

She knew he would try, but what she really needed was for him to succeed. Without Meg in the picture, her next meeting with Crowley would go much differently.

When she made it back to the apartment, Dean was already awake. He was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in his hands. He glanced at her curiously, but she had a box of donuts in her hands so he didn't seem to suspect anything was amiss.

"Is Sam up yet?" she asked as she placed the box on the table.

"Yeah," he replied with a grin. "The princess is in the bathroom pampering himself."

Normally she would've chuckled or at the very least smiled, but she couldn't this time. She was still worried about Mike.

"Is something wrong?" Dean asked, noticing her unusually stoic look.

"No," she replied unconvincingly.

He stood up from his seat. Walking over to her, he laid his hands on her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

She gazed into his concerned eyes, feeling hers attempting to well up with tears. She knew the only way to stop herself was to start explaining, but she'd hoped to wait for Sam. However she couldn't. She was almost past the point of being able to control herself. She looked him straight in the eyes and began to explain what had happened with Mike.

When Sam finally came out from the bathroom, he immediately spied his brother holding his wife. For a split second he felt a twinge of jealousy, but that passed as quickly as it came, replaced with concern.

"What's going on?" he asked with a hint of worry.

She raised her head up from Dean's shoulder, wiping tears as she did so. He backed away so Sam could take his place, who didn't hesitate to.

"I'm scared, Sam," she whispered to him as she laid her head on his chest, waiting for him to wrap his arms around her tightly. Once she was safely in his embrace, she began to explain what she'd just explained to Dean. She was able to keep fresh tears from forming, but her fear didn't lessen any.

"Bobby will make sure Mike's okay," he assured her, kissing her on the top of her head.

"What if he doesn't make it to him on time, Sam?" she said with panic. "He's the only friend I have in the world."

He brushed his fingers through her hair in an attempt to relax her. "Try not to worry, Jess. It's not good for the baby."

She knew he was right, but it stung a little at first. He seemed to be more concerned about the baby than how she felt. It was the moment she realized he'd settled into his upcoming role as a father. It warmed her heart. Besides, he was right. She could feel the baby was restless. The worry wasn't going to help anyone.

She was quiet for a minute before she finally spoke up. "You're right, Sam. Worry isn't going to get me anywhere. Besides, we still have a job to do."

He smiled, his hand moving down to rest on her belly. "That's right, we do. And we can't afford to be distracted right now."

What he said sounded a little cold to her, but it did make sense. If this was about anyone else, she would be saying the same thing. She needed to distance herself from her emotions. It just wasn't that easy for her any longer. She wanted to blame the demon blood, the baby, or her inability to have a drink. But she wasn't even sure that was it. Ever since she'd met the Winchesters, she'd been feeling things she hadn't for a long time. Feeling human. It made her sad to realize how many years she'd spent feeling virtually inhuman.

It was a couple of hours before she got a call from Bobby. He didn't stay on the phone long. Just long enough to let her know Mike was safe. He was doing his best to be cautious, in case they'd been followed. He would let her know more later. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear. But for the moment they were both safe and that was all that mattered. At least she could relax a little. And the boys could stop worrying about her.

She wasn't sure if it was because of worrying about Mike. But after the boys had left to watch the women's houses, Jessie began to feel anxious. She had insisted on staying at the apartment in case Bobby called, but she was beginning to regret that decision. She couldn't put her finger on the reason. She only knew she didn't feel safe.

Throughout the next few hours, she contantly got up from her seat at the kitchen table to wander around the apartment. She would stop at each and every window, staring out into the dark. A few times she could have sworn she had seen a black cat, possibly the same cat. But she kept telling herself she was just being paranoid before returning to her seat once again. She would repeat this over and over again for much of the night.

Around 2 a.m., she received a mysterious text from Sam. Normally she would've been asleep, but her paranoia wouldn't allow her to fall asleep. All the text said was, 'helping Dean'. And after texing him several times with no response, she had to believe he was busy. It was the only answer she wanted to believe.

Worrying about Sam and Dean, she wasn't even able to sit back down. She continued wandering around her apartment aimlessly. She was trying to resist the urge to call the boys, but she knew she shouldn't. They might be busy and she didn't want to be the reason there was a deadly distraction.

She was in the livingroom for about the hundredth time that evening when she heard a noise coming from the direction of the kitchen. She glanced in that direction, glimpsing what looked like the silhouette of an animal in the window. She immediately ran towards it, but by the time she reached she didn't see anything. She sighed in irritation at her paranoia.

She turned around to walk away from the window, startled by movement across the room. By the time she had turned in that direction, she came almost face to face with a monster.

Instinctively she knew it was the caranioang aswang they'd been hunting for. Although she had no idea what they looked like, there were bits and pieces of the lore that somewhat described how ugly and horrifying they were. It stood upright, just as it did when it was human. It was covered in what looked like fur, filthy and matted. Its hands were huge, the fingers long and slender with even longer claws. The mouth was full of sharp, pointy teeth. Her face, while covered in fur, still resembled that of a human woman, although more beastly—and hideous—than human.

"Dammit!" she cursed under her breath for not keeping a weapon on her.

It gazed at her with a sinister sneer, flexing its claws for a moment before beginning to approach her slowly.

She was practically trapped in a corner. No matter which way she went the monster would be able to grab her. There was only one thing she could try, besides attacking it with her bare hands.

"Stay the hell away from me and my baby!" she yelled.

"I'm not here for your baby," it snarled, with a voice that was animalistic but still resembled a human voice.

"What?" she said with surprise.

It walked closer to her, until it was only a few feet away.

"Do you not think I can smell it?" it asked, licking its lips. "Your baby's blood is tainted by evil."

She stepped back in surprise, completely floored by its reply.

"Then why? What are you doing here?" she asked in panic.

"Those men," she replied with a sneer. "They killed my sister tonight."

"So there were two of you?"

"Yes. But now that she's dead I'm going to make them pay."

Jessie knew it wasn't going to continue talking. It had said what it wanted to and all that was left was to kill her. She need to think quickly.

The monster sprang forward, its claws extended in a grabbing manner. Jessie moved to the side as fast as she could, but was unable to escape the long claws. They managed to scratch her deeply all the way down her forearm, screaming in agony as she pulled her arm away. She pulled her arm away so violently her momentum sent her tumbling over the kitchen chair she'd been sitting in earlier, landing on the floor on her side.

"I thought you would've put up more of a fight—hunter," it cackled in amusement.

It was difficult for her to think straight, with the throbbing pain in her arm and the worry about her baby. But she shook herself out of it quickly as the monster once again lunged for her. Grabbing the chair by the legs, she managed to swing it hard enough to make the monster back off slightly, but it was only momentarily. The monster once again lunged at her as she raised the chair, splintering it into several pieces. She had to close her eyes to avoid the shrapnel.

The monster once again lunged for her, but she had managed to keep a hold of the chair when it had shattered, the remaining piece of the leg still in her hand. She used it to hit the monster repeatedly as it reached for her, scratching her in several places in the process. But she knew what she had to do, she only had to wait for her opening. And hope she didn't die before it presented itself.

After the monster lunged at her again, she used her legs to knock it off balance. Although it managed to keep on its feet, it was the opportunity she needed. She used the broken end of the table leg as a stake, impaling it through the chest. The monster struggled and screamed in agony, thrashing about for a few moments before it finally fell over dead beside her.

Now that the immediate danger was over, she could once again feel how much pain she was in. Instinctively her good hand went to her belly. Even though she could feel the baby was moving and okay for now, it helped her relax and focus.

She tried to pull herself up on a nearby kitchen chair, but the moment she attempted to stand she began to feel lightheaded. She knew she would be worse off if she passed out, so she remained on the floor. She couldn't even reach her phone or laptop, which were both on the table. When she attempted to reach for them she felt herself becoming dizzy. She could only hope that Sam and Dean would be back soon.

She was lying on the floor, her t-shirt wrapped around her injured arm, when Sam and Dean arrived. She could hear the sound of dangling keys and the boys talking quietly outside the door. She didn't feel like she had the strength to yell, but she did anyway, calling out for both Sam and Dean. She heard Sam call out to her but she didn't respond. She was trying to keep still.

It was only seconds before the door flew open and the boys were at her side.

"What the hell happened?" Dean asked as he flipped the body of the dead monster over.

"Dean!" Sam said with panic in his voice. "Look at all the blood." He squatted down beside Jessie, helping her into a sitting position. "Are you okay?"

She nodded her head. "I just have some deep scratches. They bled a lot, but it didn't pierce an artery."

"I think we need to take you to the hospital."

"No, Sam. I'm fine. Really."

He glanced at his brother with worry who only shrugged in response. He wasn't about to get in the middle of something.

She unwrapped the t-shirt off of her arm so she could show him the damage.

He inhaled sharply once the instant he saw it, but was much calmer once he looked over the damage.

"Some of this blood must be from the monster," he said with relief.

Dean shot his brother a questioning look, making sure he wasn't going to jump down his throat if he asked her some questions. The look he returned seemed to be agreeable,

"I don't understand how this happened," Dean said as he looked at her. "We just killed this thing. How did it get here?"

"You didn't kill it," she replied. "You killed its sister."

"What?" the boys said in unison.

"Apparently both of those ladies were monsters. And they were sisters. It came after me when it found out you killed her."

The boys shot each other a look of guilt.

She sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with the boys. It wasn't their fault the monster had attacked her. But she knew they would blame themselves anyway, just as they always did. She decided just to tell them all the details so she could go to bed. It had been a long, exhausting night.

"Can you help me to the bathroom so I can clean up, Sam?"

Once she was cleaned up, Sam helped her into bed. He hovered around for a short time to make sure she was fine before heading into the livingroom to join his brother on the couch, who was watching a movie. He wondered why he hadn't gone to bed yet, considering it was almost four in the morning. And after the night they'd had, he should be exhausted.

"How's she doing?" Dean asked a few minutes after his brother had sat down.

"She seems fine. I really wanted her to go to the hospital, but she pitched a fit," he replied.

"She's a tough chick, Sammy. You shouldn't worry so much."

"Is that why you didn't go to bed yet? So you could talk to me?"

"Do I need to?"

"I'm fine, Dean."

"I don't think you are. And if that's the case, you need to let me know."

"What are you talking about, Dean? I'm fine. If anything you should be worrying about her?"

He gazed at his brother with disbelief. "Really, Sam? I don't think I have to worry about her. You heard her story the same as me. She was backed into a corner and still managed to kill that thing."

"Yeah, with luck."

"Then she's one lucky chick, Sammy. All these years hunting alone, no back up and not nearly as much training as us and she still manages to be—lucky."

"Dean—"

"No, Sam. I'm not gonna argue with you about this. Look what happened with you tonight. You coulda gotten yourself killed. And let me guess, you're not gonna tell Jessie about it, are you?"

"Unless I dress in the dark she's gonna notice."

"That's not the same as telling her, is it? That injury isn't as bad as it shoulda been if I hadn't been there."

"You're making a big deal out of nothing, Dean."

He clasped his hand on his brother's shoulder, gazing directly into his eyes. "Then tell me something then, Sam. Why have you been so distracted lately? If it was just once, I could let it slide. But it hasn't been."

"You know why."

He shook his head in disappointment. "Keep it up and you're gonna be the reason she gets hurt."

Sam shoved his brother angrily before standing up from the couch. He stomped out of the room, stopping only to tell him he was taking a walk before stomping out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Dean sighed, turning his attention back to the movie he'd been watching.

A few minutes later, Jessie came to sit on the couch beside him. She sat in silence for a short time, wondering if he would attempt to talk to her. However, he didn't seem to be in a talkative mood.

"Weren't you a little harsh with your brother?" she asked once commercials came on.

He looked at her with surprise. "You heard that?"

"I heard enough."

"He's my brother, Jessie. He needed to hear it."

"I'm not disagreeing with you, Dean," she replied, amused by his astonished look in response. "I just think you need to try a different approach, that's all."

"Really?"

She nodded her head in agreement.

"Anyway, thanks for believing in me, Dean. I know Sam does, too. I just think he's blinded by his worry."
He suddenly felt uncomfortable discussing his relationship with his brother. He wanted to change the subject, but he didn't want to arouse her suspicion. It wasn't often she confided in him about anything, but he didn't want her to think she couldn't if she needed to. Not after her meltdown not so long ago.

"He's knows you're a good hunter, Jess. Don't let his insecurity make you doubt yourself," he replied supportively.

She smiled thankfully, patting him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Dean. I'm off to bed now."

He watched her walk into the bedroom and close the door before slumping on the couch. It had been a long night and an even longer morning. He just wanted to go to bed. But he wasn't about to. Not until his brother was safely back. Until then he was going to watch TV.

A/N: I only read through this once, so if there are typos or grammar errors I apologize. It was finished and I have had a bad day, so to make myself feel better I wanted to post this immediately.

Thanks for reading!