Part Eleven

Monsters. Monsters, demons, they all existed. The Winchesters hunted them. They hunted evil and saved people. That was what Dean Winchester, the older brother whom Jessica Moore didn't even know existed until a day ago, told her. Then Sam Winchester, her boyfriend of three years, launched into a fantastical story of how when their mom died their dad spiraled into depression and drinking which eventually led him to a psychic named Missouri.

They've been hunting since then. God. Sam had been hunting monsters since he was practically a kid. Dean too. This was crazy. This was more than that. Jess went to stand up but faltered when she remembered the demon.

"You always run, don't you, Jess? They called you a little crybaby at school. You remember that?"

"Jess?" Sam's voice brought her back to the present.

She sat back down, her body trembling. It was almost all too much. There was no way, no way that Sam could think that Jess would be okay with this. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to regain composure. She'd been okay before. When she woke up this morning she thought maybe it was just a dream but when she looked around and realized she wasn't back at her, their, apartment, it all came crashing back. She'd been possessed. By a demon. And when she tried to scream, she couldn't. She couldn't do anything as the demon controlled her body like it had always owned it and all she could do was watch in horror.

She couldn't think of anything else to say but, "I'm sorry" again.

The demon's in her head, taunting her, like it was still there. "You're not really. You're scared and upset and mad that Sam hasn't told you anything and that you didn't know he had a brother. All you can think right now is how he's lied to you. They saved you and you're not even grateful."

But it wasn't true.

Sure she was a little scared and upset and maybe a little angry that Sam hadn't told her the truth about himself but he had justifiable reasons. He had been in this life for so long that it must come second nature to him now. He didn't mean to hurt her by lying. She tried to push the negative thoughts away. This wasn't the time for any of this.

Besides, the demon was gone now. Whatever they had done, it was enough. She should be grateful and she was. She was. They saved her life. "I'm sorry," she blurted out again and she could feel Sam tense up beside her and she knew he was getting ready to say something, probably like, 'you don't have to keep saying that,' 'you don't have anything to apologize for,' but she did and she continued before he could interject, "I'm sorry for thinking the worst of you, Sam. You guys saved my life and all I can think here is how you lied to me and it isn't your fault, not all of it anyway, because I get it. This life you lead…? I don't know what I would've done if you told me all this earlier," she confessed, turning to look at a shell-shocked Sam.

It was obvious that Jess's confession caught him off-guard. He hadn't expected any of what she said. She wasn't sure what he expected her to say, if she would've outright broken up with him on the spot, which admittedly she still wasn't sure about, wasn't something she even wanted to think about right now. She felt his hands tighten a little on her shoulder and then he was pulling her toward him, so that she was resting against him. She could smell his cologne he put on the previous morning. A mix of cedar and something else. She couldn't quite place it.

"I should be the one apologizing to you, Jess," he murmured into her ear. "I was selfish and didn't think you'd want me after I told you the truth. It's a dangerous gig. I just wanted what was best for you and maybe that's the wrong outlook to have because I didn't give you a choice. So I'm sorry. I'm sorry I took that from you."

Jess relaxed slightly. They stayed like that for another few minutes. It felt good to be in Sam's arms again. Jess felt loved. Safe.

Then Dean cleared his voice and the two snapped their attention back to the other Winchester in the room. Jess felt herself flush. She'd almost forgotten about Dean Winchester. "If you two lovebirds don't mind, but we do have more pressing matters to tend to," he said in the flattest tone Jess ever heard. There was a hint of a smile on his lips that made her realize he wasn't actually all that upset.

He stood up and stretched. "Gotta pack your bags, kids. We're due at Bobby's by midnight tonight."

Sam sighed before letting her go to do the same. "What time is it?"

"Just past three," Dean answered.

Jess followed after Sam as he went over to grab a bag by one of the beds. It suddenly dawned on her that Sam had that interview he had to make on Monday but then an image of last night flashed through her head, playing it out in real time. She doubled over with a gasp.

"You know it's cute that you think all the screaming and crying you're doing right now will help. Sammy's not going to notice anything, at least not until it's too late and I've sunk my claws into him. What do you think of this headline? Jessica Moore Kills Her Boyfriend in Fight Gone Wrong. People will be gossipping about it for years."

"Jess! Oh god, Jess, are you okay?" Sam was back, gentle fingers grasping at her shoulders. She wished she could solace in the fact that Sam was there and holding onto her like a lifeline but it seemed to only worsen it. The flashbacks kept coming. She kept hearing the demon taunting her, showing her horrifying images.

Then suddenly Sam was being pulled away and she could hear his older brother say quietly, "Hey, Sam, I don't think this is helping, man."

"Then what will?" he snapped.

"Just go get some air, dude. You're obviously more affected by this as well," Dean said.

"Well, yeah, Dean. She's my girlfriend and she needs help. My help!"

Actually what she needed was for them to both shut up. She couldn't deal with all the arguing and the flashbacks. She paled, feeling like she was going to vomit. Jess stumbled over to the bathroom.

"And I get it, Sam. I'm not saying she isn't and that you don't care, but something's triggering Jess. Go take a walk. I'll handle this," Dean barked. "And that's an order."

She didn't hear what Sam said in response as she went to the toilet and started to throw up the breakfast she had eaten earlier in the day. Dean must have gotten him to go though because it wasn't Sam who greeted her when she eventually felt well enough to come out. Dean was sitting quietly on the bed, putting away books and clothes. He looked up and smiled. "Jess, right?" he asked. Jess didn't say anything, just nodded. This close up she could see the tiny specks of freckles that dotted the bridge of his nose and cheeks. The flecks of gold mixed with the green of his eyes. He was beautiful in a way that his brother wasn't and Jess had to wonder if beauty just ran in the Winchester family. "I realize we haven't exactly gotten off on the right foot, what with the demonic possession and all," Dean said with a trace of sarcasm in his voice. "But hi, I'm Dean Winchester, Sam's estranged brother. I like rock music and pie and I drive a '67 Chevy Impala. Oh and I hunt monsters for a living." He offered up his hand, which was similar in size with Sam's.

Jess stared at it for a moment before taking it in hers, the warmth radiating from Dean surprisingly comforting. She couldn't help but grin as the sensation of being covered in a warm blanket fell over her. She shivered slightly. "And I'm Jess, Sam's long term girlfriend, but you already knew that."

Dean smirked, looking ready to joke, but seemed to think better of it after a moment. He let go of Jess and the feeling went away much to her dismay. She tried not to show that he affected her so much but something clearly showed on her face because his eyes seemed to soften and his smirk turned a little more genuine. "How are you feeling now, Jess?"

"Better," she answered honestly.

He was quiet for a moment as he looked at her and Jess wondered what exactly he was looking for. Then he turned back to putting things away and said, "That's good. We're almost ready to head out if you want to catch up with Sammy. He's probably already out by the Impala knowing him."

When she left to see Sam, he was exactly where Dean said he was, leaning against the Impala. As Jess approached him, Sam turned to see her, a soft smile on his face. He looked so much like his old self it was hard to think that the man she had come to know as the ambitious lawyer student would have had a double life and he was actually a monster hunter.

But there was a lot Jess had to learn about the Winchesters.

The only question was this.

Was she willing to?