Hey guys! I am starting my Master's Degree program tomorrow so things might slow down with updates again, but I am still here. I still have every intention of pushing this thing out. I have already planned how I want this season to end, and how I want season six to start. Season six is admittedly my least favorite, so I might significantly reduce that season, but I am not going anywhere! I have plans to take this as far as I can. If you can drop a review and let me know if you like the way things are heading that would be great, those reviews motivate me to write and really push me through the bad days.
Thank you for loving Emily as much as I do!
"Agents Page and Plant are just behind me, I'm interning with the FBI. I would really appreciate it if you can help me look good? I really want to make it into the academy." I bit my lip a little and gave big puppy dog eyes to the ME as Sam and Dean walked in behind me.
"Gentlemen. Your intern here was just telling me about your program, sounds very efficient. What can I do for you all?"
"We need to see Amber Freer's body."
"Really? What for?" He said curiously.
"The police report said something clawed through her skull?" Dean answered with a raised eyebrow.
"You didn't read the autopsy report that I emailed out this morning?"
Both of my idiot brothers began to stutter.
"Um. Doc, that would be my fault. I printed the report, but I spilt coffee on it this morning." I cringed slightly. He gave me a sympathetic smile and led us over to the body.
"When they brought her in, we thought she was attacked by a wolf or something."
"Or something." Sam echoed.
"But we were wrong." Doc said as he lifted a baggy with a small dark object inside, I leaned in to get a closer look.
"What is that?" Sam asked confused.
"Is that a fake nail?" I said stepping closer.
"3 points for the intern. It's a press-on nail. We found it in her temporal lobe."
"Is that even possible?" Sam asked.
"Wait, are you—you saying that she did this to herself?" Dean interrupted.
Well this shit just got a lot weirder.
"Uh-huh. She scratched her brains out. It'd take hours, and it'd hurt like hell, but sure—it's possible."
"How?"
"Pick your acronym—OCD, PCP. It all spells crazy. My guess, some kind of phantom itch. I mean, an extreme case, but..."
"Phantom itch?"
"Yup. All it takes is someone talking about an itch—or thinking about one, even—and suddenly you can't stop scratching."
I reached up and scratched slightly at the back of my neck along my hairline. DAMMIT!
"Thanks Doc." Dean smiled as we turned to walk out. I kept reaching back to my neck, which now must be red I'm sure.
"Emily stop." Sam said knocking my arm away. I turned and watched as he pulled at his collar and Dean continued scratching his ear.
"Make him stop!" I said gesturing to Dean as we walked up to the car, Judson leaned against the side watching us with a curious glare.
"What's the monster?" He asked.
"Undecided. Crazy bitch scratched her own brains out." I shrugged as he opened the door and I climbed in the backseat. Sam and Dean slid into the front and as the car began to pull away I reached back and scratched again.
"So what do we think it is?"
"No clue. Cursed object? Drugs? Pure mental breakdown…" Sam sighed as he scratched as the top of his head. I looked up and saw Dean scratching under his chin.
I reached up and slapped them both.
"OW!" They squirmed in unison.
"Stop scratching!"
"Shut up." Dean mumbled as he put his hands back on the wheel and kept driving. I waited until they both were preoccupied before reaching back and scratching a spot on my shoulder.
"Okay did you all catch fleas in there or what?!" Judson asked looking between the three of us like we were crazy.
"Shut up." We all groaned.
…..
…..
…..
"Okay. Okay, now, some of these questions might seem a bit odd, but please just bear with me." Sam sat with the father of the kid this itchy girl was babysitting. I stood back in the doorway, looking around.
"Have you noticed any cold spots in the house?" Sam continued.
"Uh...no."
"Okay, uh, what about strange smells?"
I peaked around the corner and leaned my head signaling Dean to follow me and cover as I began to snoop through things in the foyer.
"Whatcha lookin' for?" A voice stopped me, I tried not to jump and turned slowly to find a kid about 14. I looked up to Dean who winked at me and continued to pretend he didn't notice us talking, but it was obvious he was observing.
"Don't know yet." I smiled at him. "It's, uh, Jimmy, right?"
He nodded.
"So, Amber was your babysitter?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, most of my babysitters sucked. That big guy over there, he was the worst." I caught Dean roll his eyes slightly as he looked over at us. "Did you, uh, you see anything strange that night?"
"No." He answered nervously.
"You sure about that?" Dean interrupted and stepped over, Jimmy swallowing a lump in his throat. I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow at him as he looked between Dean and I.
"I—I would tell you if I knew something. I promise. One hundred percent. Cross my heart."
Dean and I looked at each other, and then back to Jimmy.
"Well, Jimmy, I, uh...I happen to know you're lying."
"I'm not."
"C'mon now Jimmy. Tell us the truth… I'll buy it from you, what do you want? Five bucks? Ten?" I asked pulling out a few dollar bills from my pocket.
Jimmy looked at me, and then down slightly.
"Ca-can you show me your boobs?" He asked with a small grin.
Dean turned as he began to chuckle.
"Jimmy." I said leaning down closer to him. "Cough it up, or you and this FBI agent are going to be taking a ride downtown. NOW." I growled at him.
His eyes went wide and he shook slightly.
"I-I did it… I didn't mean to!"
"Did what Jimmy?" Dean asked.
"I put itching powder in her hair." Jimmy said looking ready to cry. I looked up to Dean and sighed.
"Jimmy." I said looking back at him, "Jimmy you didn't do this, okay? I promise you. I know you think its your fault, but itching powder is harmless, okay? Something else hurt Amber… you didn't do this."
He nodded up and down.
…..
…..
…..
"Kid said he put this on the babysitter's hairbrush." I said looking up to Judson who met us back in the car after he finished checking around the perimeter of the property for any clues.
"Em babe, there's no way—"
"—itching powder made that girl scratch her brains out. It's just ground-up maple seeds. I know."
"If you have any other theories, I'm open to 'em Romeo." Dean commented from the front seat.
Sam's phone rang before Judson could respond.
"Yeah? ...Yeah, we'll be right there." He answered as he looked back at us and then to Dean.
"What?"
"Um. Some guy in a nursing home just fried in the middle of the day room."
"Fried?" Judson questioned.
"Yeah."
"I'm so glad I chose to fall in love with a Winchester. It's just never boring is it?" He said leaning down to kiss my cheek and then swung his arm over me. I leaned into him and giggled a little.
…..
…..
…..
"You two take this one. I want to check something out."
"Em." Dean sighed.
"I'm not leaving, De. I'll be in the car with Judson. Windows down, no funny business. I just need to call Bobby."
"Okay. We'll be back quick." Sam nodded.
"Be careful."
"What are you calling Bobby for?" Judson asked as Sam and Dean entered the building.
"I'm not. I just… need a minute to practice."
"Em. Dean thinks you're not using them at all… you need to tell him."
"No. Judson you didn't see what we saw. He will never understand… he will only see my abilities as they were then. He will never risk me using them to find something positive in it."
"Okay." He sighed. "I just know that eventually lying about it will come back to bite you in the ass."
"Good thing its my ass and not yours."
"Fine. Just be careful. You keep getting nosebleeds and we're not going to be able to keep doing this."
"It's fine."
"Okay. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath."
I breathed in and out softly, getting deeper with each inhale. As I felt the power rush through my body and to my hands I opened my eyes. I pushed my hands closer together, and the red haze circled itself and became something else… something that glowed white.
I can only hold it for a minute or two, I cannot keep it contained or controlled for long. My hands began to shake. It began to flash in and out from white to red, flickering like a flame.
"Emily let it go." Judson whispered into my ear.
"No."
"Emily… let it go."
"NO!"
"Emily stop! Your eyes are glowing, your nose is bleeding! We're done!"
I ignored him… but then he grabbed my arm and pulled, breaking the energy that swirled between my hands. It flashed in a bright light, causing us both to turn from it and shield our eyes. He laid his body over mine as the smoke vanished and fled out the cracked windows.
"Dammit Em. I told you to stop!" He said as he pushed a wad of napkins against my nose.
"I'm fine!" I said pulling away from him and pushing against my nose until the bleeding stopped. I trashed the napkins in a bag from the floor board and used a water bottle to wash my hands.
"Babe. Don't push it… the point of practice is to control this, not let it control you." He reminded me softly.
"I know… I just. Want it so badly. It's like when it starts I can't stop."
"Are you sure this is the right move? Maybe Dean's right, Em. Maybe it's best to leave them alone."
"No. I have to be able to stop him. To fight him… I cannot become his weapon, I've seen it. I won't do it. I will kill myself before I ever let myself get that far."
"Okay, that's enough."
"Judson, I love you… but I've already told you this already. I will die before I become what I saw. Before I kill you… Bobby. Dean. Everyone."
"It's not going to come to that."
"You don't know that." I shook my head softly. "We made this promise for a reason, Jud."
"I made this promise because I love you… but I am also telling you that if they find out on their own, I won't stop them. I won't lie about this."
"I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking you to help me. To keep it to yourself."
He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
"I love you." I reminded him.
"I know, and I love you too. Get a drink of water. They'll be back any minute now."
I sat back and tried to relax we waited for the boys to return, surely enough not long after they made their way back to the car.
"What'd Bobby say?" Sam asked as they stepped in.
"Don't know. He wouldn't answer." I shrugged convincingly. Dean crinkled his eyebrows. He was getting suspicious over the last several days. I knew he was close to figuring it out, it was only a matter of time. But I'm not ready to have this discussion with him.
I knew what I had to do… the moment I saw myself in that garden, I knew it was change, or die.
I can't let myself become the person who destroys our world and everything in it. The person who kills those I love. The monster I've always feared most.
Myself.
"You good kiddo?" He called, jerking me out of my own thoughts.
"Oh yes, I'm good. I was just thinking about the case… so he said what fried the guy?"
"This." Sam said lifting and handing me a bag with one of those buzzer toys inside of it.
"You're kidding me right?"
"Well we're going to find out." Dean said pulling into a small grocery store. "C'mon love birds. Let the nerd do his research in peace."
I smiled as we climbed out and walked in.
"What are we looking for?"
"Oh I was thinking a little smoked meat." Dean winked. I rolled my eyes but smiled.
"I'm gonna grab some beer, refresh the cooler. You guys want anything specific?" Judson asked.
"Nah, whatever's good man." Dean shook his head.
"Restock my water bottles please." I leaned in giving him a kiss on the lips.
"The weird fiji ones?" He teased.
"They are my favorite."
"Spoiled aren't you?" He raised an eyebrow. I simply leaned in and kissed him again.
"Stop being gross and get my beer." Dean groaned. He pecked once more on my cheek and walked away.
"You two seem to be getting along well lately." Dean eyed me from his peripheral.
"Yeah, well the worlds ending and all so we might as well make the best of it right?"
"That's not even funny."
"Oh please. You're the king of poorly timed jokes."
"Fair." He nodded.
"You and Sammy seem to be getting along well too."
"Like you said. End of the world… can't waste time being angry. Besides. It's going to take all of us if we have a chance at stopping this thing."
"True that."
"Did you get hurt?" He asked as I walked back towards him.
"What?"
"Your sleeve? Is that blood?"
"Oh. Uh. I just must… its old."
"Emily Anne. Do not lie to me."
"Dean it's nothing. I'm fine. Promise."
He stared at me, and I kept my face even.
"I don't know what you're not telling me… but I will find out you know?"
"De. I love you, I'm fine. It's just a few drops of blood."
"From?"
"Get something to put that hunk of meat on, you don't want to set it on the table itself."
"Emily."
"Dean." I challenged.
"We got everything?" Judson walked up, interrupting us. Thankfully.
"Yep." I said as I lifted an aluminum pan for him to put the mean in.
Dean chewed on his lip and nodded slightly. This definitely isn't a finished conversation, but I need a little more time.
We drove back to the motel and stood around the large hunk of meat that Dean set on the table. He and Sam put on rubber gloves and goggles.
"Hey. You know I could probably tell you if that thing has any electricity in it right?" I said with a wiggle of my fingers, snapping and popping a light bulb behind us.
"No. This thing supposedly charred someone already. I'm not risking it." Dean shook his head.
"Fine… Hit it, Mr. Wizard."
Sam laughed and lifted his goggles to his eyes. Judson pulled me back a step and moved to stand in front of me slightly. I wrapped my arm around him and leaned against him, my forehead against his arm.
Dean lifted the little joy buzzer and placed it against the ham. Sure enough, electricity crackled through the air and the ham begins to smoke as it changes in color. Once the entire thing is a dark color Dean lifts it, looking between us all in shock.
"That'll do, pig." He joked.
"What the hell?" Judson said moving forward.
"That crap isn't supposed to work." Sam shook his head.
"This thing doesn't even have batteries." Dean said pulling off his gloves, carefully laying down the one with the buzzer still on it.
"So...so, what? Are—are we looking at cursed objects?" Sam asked.
"Sounds good." Dean shrugged as he pulled out a knife and flipped it open, carving himself a hunk of meat off the ham.
"Maybe there's a powerful witch in town." I suggested.
"Is there any link between the, uh, the joy buzzer and the itching powder?" Dean asked with a mouth full.
"Uh, one was made in China, the other Mexico, but they were both bought from the same store."
"Em and I can check that out if you want to slice this thing up. Pretty sure we can eat on it for a couple of days." Judson suggested.
"Hmmm…" Dean chewed. "Take Sam with you, just incase it is a witch or something."
"We can handle a witch."
"Okay. Take Sam because I've told you fifty times you're not leaving our sight while Lucifer is out roaming the streets, better?"
"C'mon Sammy." I sighed as I walked over and looped my arm through his.
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…..
…..
We walked in to the store, the bell chiming as we entered. No one in sight, so we just began to scan the isles. This place was full of trick cards and old gimmicks. As I walked I found a whoopie cushion.
"Sam!" I grinned as I held it up. "Dean loves these things!"
He shook his head at me and kept walking.
"Oh yeah. It's coming with me."
"You're a child." Judson teased.
"You're an ass, but I like you anyways."
Just as he was getting ready to rebuttle a man stepped out of the back room and up to the counter.
"Welcome to the Conjurarium, sanctum of magic and mystery."
"You the owner?" Sam asked as he approached.
"Yep."
"You sold any itching powder or joy buzzers lately?" Judson asked leaning against the counter. Damn his ass looks good from this angle.
"Yeah, a grand total of one of each. They aren't exactly big-ticket items. Look, you folks here to buy something or what?"
I stepped forward and laid the whoopie cushion down on the counter, a few bucks next to it. He nodded and pushed the item back to me.
"So, you get many customers?" Sam asked.
"Kids come in. They don't buy much, but they're more than happy to break stuff. These days, all they care about are their iPhones and those kissing-vampire movies. The whole thing makes me just—"
"Angry?" I smiled.
"Yeah. Yeah, I am angry." He paused and nodded. "This shop has been my life for twenty years, and now it's wasting away to nothing."
"Which is why you hate them." Judson antagonized.
"I suppose."
"You wish there was something you could do about it."
"Yeah, I guess I do."
"So you're taking revenge." Judson said as he flopped a rubber chicken down on the counter. "With this little thing here?"
Judson pressed the buzzer against the rubber chicken and it begins to smoke and melt under the crackling electricity. The store owner jumps back and screamed like a little girl.
"Oh! No!" He yelled as he backed against the wall.
"Yeah, something tells me this guy is not a powerful witch." Sam said as he tapped Judson on the shoulder.
"Sorry. Sorry." I said as we all backed out and quickly left the store.
"Well that was a bust." Sam said sliding into the drivers seat. I slid into the middle and Judson beside me.
"Yeah. I guess maybe the objects could have been cursed and he didn't know?" Judson shrugged.
"Or they were just toys when they left this store and something happened in the mean time." I asked.
"Like what?"
"I don't know." I sighed. "But that thing is putting off some serious energy."
"Yeah. Speaking of that… have you been having any trouble with your abilities?"
"No." I answered quickly.
"None at all?"
"Nope." I lied.
"They just… calmed down all of a sudden." He challenged.
"Sam you weren't there. I'm telling you, its too risky to mess with them. I think maybe my mind and my body just know it's not safe right now."
"Hm." Judson chuckled and shook his head. I reached over and pinched him, he pinched back and I bit my lip as I shot him the death glare.
"Okay, just checking on you kiddo." Sam said with a smile.
"I'm good, Sammy."
Judson laced his fingers through mine and squeezed… a little too hard.
I swear if he doesn't knock this shit off.
"Well lets get back and get some dinner, we'll hit it fresh in the morning."
"Sure."
We went back and I told the boys I was going next door to see Judson for a while. Once we were alone, electricity sparked in an entirely different way.
"You want to take a shower?" I asked.
"You sure we got time for that?"
"What are they gonna do, ground me for being late?"
"More concerned about the safety of my dick and the unlimited access to knives they have next door."
"I'll keep it safe." I grinned as I leaned forward slightly and grinded my ass against him.
"You. Are trouble." He teased as he pulled my hair and pulled me to lean back up straight. "Go turn on the water."
I moaned as he pulled against my hair once more and then released me, walking into the bathroom and turning the hot water on, letting it take the time to reach the desired temperature.
I heard him walk up behind me and sighed softly as his hands found my hips and slid around to undo the button on my jeans and pull down the zipper. He then moved up my sides and pulled my shirt up over my head. I reached back and unhooked my bra, letting it fall to the ground as well. I could feel his bare chest press against my back. The warmth from it causing me to melt against him.
"Mmm… I don't know that I'll ever get tired of this right here." He mumbled into my ear. His hands moved up and kneaded against my breasts.
"Don't… don't stop."
"What do you want baby?" He breathed against my ear.
"I want you."
He reached down and pulled off the rest of my clothing, and I pulled him into the shower. The hot water against my back and my body pressed against his. A type of high I will never get tired of reaching, how did I ever live without him in my life.
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…..
"Anything new?" I asked walking back into our room and laying down against the bed. I was honestly tired now, ready to shut my eyes and fall asleep at any time.
"Nope. Seemed like maybe this place had a short in the wiring or something, lights got kind of finicky there for a while." Dean said as he lifted his eyebrows at me. My body froze.
"Huh, that is weird. We didn't notice."
"Oh? Distracted?"
"Just watching a movie." I lied not facing him as I laid against the pillow and pulled the blanket over myself.
"Dean I don't wanna know." Sam shook his head at us.
"Good night." I chimed.
The sound of a ringing phone a few hours or so later woke us. Sam sat up from beside me and took the call.
"Hey… Hey get up. We got another vic." He shook me slightly.
"Noooo…."
"Want us to go without you?"
"Mmmhmm." I groaned
"She can sleep in the car, I'll carry her. Shoot Romeo a text so he doesn't think we disappeared into the night." Dean mumbled.
I tried to fall back asleep, but soon I was being lifted and carried out of the room.
"De." I mumbled. "I'm sorry."
"For what Em?"
"I don't know." I mumbled falling back asleep.
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…..
"So wait. He said he saw it?" I said with a mouth full of pancakes. Sitting beside Judson in the diner I looked up at Sam as he told us about this supposed tooth fairy attack that didn't seem much like a fairy at all.
"Yeah. Gave me a description. Five foot ten, three hundred fifty pounds, wings, and a pink tutu. Said it was the tooth fairy."
"So he's obviously whacked out on painkillers." I suggested.
"Maybe. Whatever it was got past locked doors and windows without triggering the alarm."
"Come on. Tooth fairy?" Dean chuckled and shook his head.
"Well Dean, if you weren't so busy flirting with the nurse, you'd have hear about how it left thirty-two quarters underneath his pillow. One for each tooth."
"Well, I will see your crazy and raise you some. There's a couple of kids in the peds unit with stomach ulcers—say they got it from mixing Pop Rocks and Coke. Another guy came into the ER...his face...froze that way."
"What way?" I asked.
Dean suddenly looked up at me and dropped his fork. Crossing his eyes and pulling at the sides of his mouth with his fingers. I damn near choked on my food before he let it go.
"If you ever let me sleep through something that hilarious again, I'll kick your ass." I grinned.
"I just… can you show it again?" Judson teased. "I thought maybe it looked familiar."
We all laughed as Dean shot him the classic Winchester bitchface.
"He, uh, held it too long, and it—it stuck. They're flying in a plastic surgeon."
"So, I mean, if you add all that up..." Sam paused. "I got nothing."
"I mean. I thought sea-monkeys were real." Dean shrugged.
"They are. They're brine shrimp." Sam said with a funny look on his face.
"No, no, no, I mean like in the ads. You know, like the sea-monkey wife cooks the pot roast for the sea-monkey husband, and the sea-monkey kids play with the dog in a sea-monkey castle—real. I mean, I was six, but I believed it."
"For some reason I thought they were like super tiny octopus things." I shrugged.
"Point is..." Dean redirected with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe that's the connection. The tooth fairy, the Pop Rocks and Coke, the joy buzzer that shocks you—they're all lies that kids believe."
"And now they're coming true. Okay, so whatever's doing this is—is reshaping reality. It has the powers of a god. Or—" Judson paused.
"—of a trickster." I said with panic.
Nope. Nope nope… We have to leave. We have to go right now. I made a promise, and I'm not losing Dean when I finally got him back.
"Yeah, with the sense of humor of a nine-year-old. Calm down kiddo. It's not the trickster." Sam assured me.
"I still think we should hunt that bastard." Dean mumbled.
"So he can kill you a thousand times in front of me again? No thanks." I shot back.
"Okay, well lets split off. I'll go hit the library. I want to work on a theory."
"Judson and I can loop back to the vics house?"
"Em." Dean sighed.
"Dean, we're okay. We haven't seen an angel or a demon in weeks, hardly even see Cas right now. I'm not alone, and you know I'm safe with him."
Dean looked between the two of us.
"Fine… we'll try. See what happens."
"I'll keep her safe. I promise." Judson nodded.
"You better."
…..
…..
…..
"Okay Em. Deep breaths. In and out." Judson chanted as he stood behind me. I stood in front of the small creek.
"Okay."
"Remember… don't let it control you, you're in charge. You get to decide what happens."
"I know."
I lifted both of my hands and watched as about six of the large rocks from the creek bed rose into the air as well. They shook, but they continued to rise. I watched as they moved higher, and higher.
"Okay babe. Hold em still."
I stopped, and tried to hold them all in place, but they began to move and falter, some jumping up and some dropping an inch or so at a time. All of them shook back and forth.
The one farthest from me began to fall until it hit the creek bed with a thud.
"Fuck!" I yelled and the others all shattered, shooting gravel and rock bits towards us and across the creek.
"Dammit!" I jumped back, feeling one scrape across my cheek.
"Are you okay?!"
"Yeah. I'm fine. It's just a scratch." I said rubbing at my cheek and feeling something in my eye.
"Stop rubbing. Let me see."
"I'm fine."
"Emily you're gonna tear something in your cornea or some shit if you keep rubbing gravel in it, hold still." He demanded.
I stood still and crossed my arms as he moved towards me and lifted my face.
"Open your eye and look straight up."
I felt some uncomfortable pressure and burn as his finger tip swept along my lower eye lid.
"Got it." He said showing me the tiny shiver.
"Thank you."
"You're bleeding. Not your nose this time at least, but still. That's more than just a scratch babe."
"Dammit. Dean's gonna see that."
"Emily you can't keep this up. He knows somethings going on."
"I know."
"Better you tell him than he find out."
"Can you stop trying to parent me for one fucking day please."
He rolled his eyes at me.
"I'm trying to be honest with you. That's what we've said… no more lies. Honestly only."
"Well honestly you're on my nerves." I grinned.
"Honestly you're being a brat."
"Fine… we should get back to the motel anyways." I dropped my shoulders and leaned against him.
"It's getting better babe, you just gotta not put so much pressure on yourself."
"I can't mess this up."
"Emily. You all feel like you have to carry the world on your backs, but there's 3 of you, 4 of us. Share the weight babe. You don't have to feel like it comes down to you."
"What if it does?"
"It won't… I promise."
I gave him a weak smile as we got back in the car to pick up Sam and head to the Motel.
"Dude, seriously—still with the ham?" Sam asked as we walked in and Dean was eating another sandwich.
"We don't have a fridge." Dean said through a mouthful of food.
"Well, I found something." Sam said laying the map down in front of him, Judson and I standing on the other side. Dean stood too to get a better view.
"Um, tooth fairy attack was here, Pop Rocks and Coke was here, then you've got itching powder, face freeze, and joy buzzer—all located within a two-mile radius."
"So, we got a blast zone of weird, and inside, fantasy becomes reality." I said.
"Looks like."
"And what's the A-bomb at its center?" Dean asked.
"Four acres of farmland...and a house."
"Our motel isn't in that circle, by any chance?" Dean asked sheepishly.
"Yeah. Why?"
Dean hesitantly lifted his right hand, his palm covered in hair.
"Oh… De. That is so fucking gross! I have to sleep in this room!"
"Oh shut up, we heard you last night!"
My face fell and I got very quiet. Judson looking down at his feet.
"Seriously Dean?" Sam asked quietly.
"I got bored. That nurse was hot." He grinned.
"You know you can go blind from that, too."
"Give me five minutes. We'll go check out that house."
"Hey, do not use my razor!" I yelled as he walked towards the bathroom, I could see his shoulders shake from a laugh.
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…..
…..
We walked up the dirt driveway to the farm house smack in the middle of crazy town. I knocked a few times, standing off to the side. Us all wearing suits, figured it would be easier to lie if we were dressed the part.
"Can I help you?" A young boy asked as he opened the door.
"Hi. Uh, what's your name?" Sam asked softly.
"Who wants to know?" He shot back. I grinned and bit my lip to hide it, tossing a small smile to Judson in my peripheral.
"The, uh..." Dean cleared his throat and pulled out his badge. "FBI."
Sam followed Suit in holding his up, Judson and I pulling our lanyards with the 'Intern' badges attatched.
"Let me see that." The kid stepped forward and grabbed Dean's badge out of his hand. Damn. I do like this kid.
"So, what, you guys need 4 of you to knock on a door?" He said handing it back.
"We're training new recruits." Sam smiled.
"Are your parents home?" Dean asked him.
"They work."
"Well, you mind if we ask you a few questions, maybe take a look around the house?" Sam asked.
"I don't know." He said suspiciously, his grip on the door tighter.
"Hey, I'm Emily. What's your name?" I said crouching down to get on his level.
"Jesse."
"Jesse, these agents are training me and my friend Judson over there. Usually we wouldn't bother you and knock on the door but we have to do everything by the rule book for training procedures. It's okay if you don't want to let us in, but can we ask you a few questions maybe?"
"You can come in." He said hesitantly as he opened the door.
We followed him as he walked through the house and to the kitchen, immediately going to the stove.
"What's that?" Sam asked.
"It's called soup. You heat it up and you eat it."
Sam and I chuckled.
"Right. I, I know. It's just, um...I used to make my own dinner, too, when I was a kid."
"Well, I'm not a kid."
Dean whistled lowly at me and nodded towards a drawing on the fridge.
"Right. No, I, I know. Um... I'm Robert, by the way." Sam said reaching out his hand an using the name from his badge.
"Jesse."
"Did you draw this?" Dean asked pulling the paper from the fridge.
"It's the tooth fairy." He nodded in return.
"That's what you think the tooth fairy looks like, huh?"
"Yeah. My dad told me about him."
Judson and I share a worried glance. It's the kid… he's the a-bomb in the center.
"Huh." Dean nodded slowly.
"What, didn't your dad tell you about the tooth fairy?"
"My dad? My dad told me different stories."
"Well, the tooth fairy isn't a story."
"What do you know about itching powder, Jesse?" I asked.
"That stuff will make you scratch your brains out."
"Pop Rocks and Coke?"
"You mix them, and you'll end up in the hospital. Everyone knows that."
Dean pulled the joy buzzer out of his pocket and held it up.
"You shouldn't have that." Jesse warned him.
"Why not?" Judson asked stepping up next to Dean.
"It can electrocute you."
"Actually, it can't. It's just a wind-up toy. It's totally harmless. Doesn't even have batteries." Dean explained.
"So it can't shock you?"
"Nope. Not at all. I swear."
Jesse looked curious for a moment and then softly nodded his head.
"Oh. Okay."
"I mean, all it does is just shake in your hand. It's kind of lame. See?" Dean smiled as he shoved the buzzer against Judson's shoulder, causing him to jump and gasp, but try to keep his cool as Jesse was watching.
I gasped at him and quickly bit my lip. Sam shook his head slightly.
I am going to KICK HIS ASS for that when we get out of here. Judson stepped to the side and I quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him to stand by me as I shot daggers at Dean who now wore a smug grin.
"Well Jesse, thank you for letting us come in and answering some questions for us." Sam said.
"I didn't really answer anything."
"You answered all their annoying questions Jesse, that was all we needed." I smiled at him. "Thank you, we'll get out of your way. Enjoy your soup, kid."
Jesse pushed a sideways smile on his face as he looked up to me and we made our way out of the house. I waited till we were off the porch to reach over and punch Dean in the arm.
"Ow!"
"Dude, what the hell?!"
"I had a hunch. I went with it."
"You risked my ass on a hunch?" Judson gasped.
"You're fine, Romeo."
"Besides, now we know who's turning this town into Willy Wonka's worst nightmare." Sam added.
"The kid." I sighed as we stopped in front of the car. Something about this turned my stomach.
"Yeah. I uh… I need to do some digging on this. Something about it keeps pulling at me. I'll hitch a ride back to the motel and then lift a car. See if I can get in contact with a few people."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yeah, Em. This one's not sitting right."
"Yeah. Me neither." I said leaning into him.
"Yeah. Everything Jesse believes comes true. He thinks the tooth fairy looks like Belushi, uh, joy buzzers really shock people, boom, that's what happens." Dean said.
"But convince him the joy buzzers don't actually work, and they go from killing machines back into crap toys." Sam added.
"He probably doesn't even know he's doing it." I said looking up between them all. I looked back to the house and saw Jesse watching us from the upstairs window. I waved to him.
"We should go, I don't want to scare him." I said pulling us towards the car.
"How is he doing it?" Dean asked.
"I don't know." Judson shrugged as he opened the door for me.
…..
…..
…..
Dean and I were kicked back on the bed, he was flipping through some sort of notebook while I pretended to watch TV. All I could think about was Jesse.
The moment I knew it was him, I had the urge to protect him… As if somehow he was in danger. I don't know why. I don't know why it isn't sitting well with me. Or Judson for that matter, who left a few hours ago and hasn't answered my text since. He's worried and I don't know why.
"So." Sam said coming through the door. "Dug up what I could on Jesse Turner. It's not much. Uh, B student, won last year's Pinewood Derby. But get this. Jesse was adopted. His birth records are sealed."
"So you unsealed them, and?" Dean asked.
"There's no father listed, but Jesse's biological mom is named Julia Wright. She lives in Elk Creek, on the other side of the state."
"Let's go. Judson isn't answering anyways, I don't know when he'll be back." I said as I stood.
Most of our drive had been uneventful and filled with the radio.
"Hey kiddo." Dean said turning towards me a little. "What you so quiet about back there?"
"I just feel weird. Like, this kid… somethings off. I think he's in trouble. I just don't feel like he's safe."
"From what sweetheart?" Sam asked noticing how bothered I was.
"I don't know." I shrugged "Judson was being weird about it too. I kind of wonder if he has a theory he didn't want to share."
"Has he answered at all since he left?"
"No."
"Whatever it is Em we'll figure it out, if Jesse is in danger we'll protect him. You know that." Sam promised as he put his hand on my knee.
"I know." I nodded.
Because I would. I would protect him. I don't know why… but I know I would kill the first thing that came to harm him.
What is going on with me?
Shortly after we pulled in front of Julia's house. Knocking on the door softly.
"Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested." Julia said from the other side of the door, not bothering to open it.
"We're not salesmen. Agents Page and Plant, FBI." Dean mentioned. They pushed their badges to peep hole.
"Put your badge in the slot. Your partner's, too. And hers."
I looked up to Dean. Damn… he better hope these fakes are good. He slid all of them into the slot, a few moments later the locks began to turn and the door opens. Julia handed us back our badges.
"What do you want?" She asked.
"Um..." Sam swallowed. "We just had a few questions. About your son."
"I don't have a son."
"He was born March twenty-ninth, nineteen ninety-eight, in Omaha." I reminded her. "You put him up for adoption?"
"What about him?" She asked. Her expression unreadable.
"We were just wondering, um, was it...was it a normal pregnancy?" Sam asked.
No reply.
"Was there anything strange?" Dean pushed.
Suddenly she turns and slams the door.
"Stay away from me!" She screamed.
"Mrs. Wright, wait!" I yelled pushing against the door.
"We just want to talk!" Dean adds helping me shove it open, Julia turns and grabs a large canister of table salt. After ripping it open she throws the salt towards us, but nothing happens. She stares in shock. We stared back… equally shocked and confused.
"You're not demons?" She asked breathlessly.
"How do you know about demons?" Dean asked her.
She leaned against the table to catch her breath, seeming as if she was working through a panic attack. Girl… I know how that feels. I stepped up and put a hand on her back.
"Julia. Please, we can help." I assured her.
She nodded and led us over the living room.
"I was possessed. A demon took control of my body, and I hurt people. I killed people."
"That wasn't you." Sam told her.
"But I was there. I heard a woman beg for mercy. I... felt a young girl's blood drip down my hands."
"That's how you knew about the salt." Dean nodded.
"Yeah, I picked up tricks. It was in my head for months."
"How many months?"
"Nine."
"So your son..." I swallowed the lump.
"Yeah, the whole time. The pregnancy, birth—all of it. I was possessed. The night the baby was born, I was alone. And the pain was—the pain was overwhelming. I, I screamed, and it came out a laugh, because the demon was happy. It used my body to give birth to a child. When it was over, something changed. Maybe the—the demon was tired or if the pain helped me fight it, but... Somehow, I took control. And the demon wailed inside me. It pounded against my skull. I thought my head was gonna explode. But I knew. I knew what I had to do. And when I was alone with the baby..."
I reached up and wiped my cheek, unsure as to why my eyes were watering. I ignored Dean's look towards me.
"A part of me...part of me wanted to kill it. But, God help me, I couldn't do that. So, I put it up for adoption, and I ran."
"Who was the father?" Dean asked.
"I was a virgin."
At that we all shared a concerned look.
"Have you seen my son? Is he human?"
"His name's Jesse. He lives in, uh, Alliance. He's a good kid. Smart." I smiled to her.
"He… he's okay?"
"Yes. He's happy. He's okay."
"Then. Why are you here?"
"Jesse is. Special…"
"But you said he was human."
"He is." Dean nodded firmly.
"We should go." Sam concluded as we stood. "Thank you for your time.
We walked out quietly, not saying a word until we were back on the road.
"So, now what?" I sighed from the back seat of the impala.
"We need help." Dean answered. "Call Cas, Sam. Tell him what's going on. See if he can meet us back at the motel."
"I'll try Judson again."
It rang four times… then nothing.
"No answer." I sighed.
"He'll call back kiddo. Always does."
"Oh yeah, I know." I shook my head.
"Then what's got you so worried back there?"
"Jesse. He's… he's like us. Sam and I. He's got something to do with the demons. I just know it."
"Maybe not. Lets not jump to conclusions until Cas says something."
"Yeah."
…..
…..
…..
Sam unlocked the motel room door and pushed it open, finding Cas standing at the table, Judson in the seat beside him.
"I take it you got our message." Sam said sitting down.
"Judson? Where were you?" I asked curiously seeing them.
"I went to find Cas."
"It's lucky you found the boy." Castiel cut in before I could ask anything else.
"Oh, yeah, real lucky. What do we do with him?" Dean shrugged.
"Kill him."
Everyone in the room froze, I looked away from Cas, and down to Judson, who dodged my eyes.
"Cas." Dean said sadly.
"This child is half demon and half human, but it's far more powerful than either. Other cultures call this hybrid cambion or katako. You know him as the antichrist."
He sits down beside Judson and a long round of Fart noises break the silence.
One… after another. And another. All of us looking at the angel.
"That wasn't me." Cas said awkwardly as he pulled out a whoopee cushion.
Dean and I looked to each other and grinned.
"Who put that there?" Dean asked as he reached back and gave me a low five.
"Anyway" Sam said pulling us back on track. "I don't get it. Jesse is the devil's son?"
"No, of course not. Your Bible gets more wrong than it does right. The antichrist is not Lucifer's child. It's just demon spawn. But it is one of the devil's greatest weapons in the war against heaven."
"I thought that's what I was supposed to be?" I asked crossing my arms. Confused now.
"Very similar, but not quite the same. Between the two of you, he will be stronger… but maybe. Maybe not. I don't know. You both carry the blood of the devil, his is much more organic than yours however."
"Well, if Jesse's a demonic howitzer, then what the hell's he doing in Nebraska?" Dean asked.
"The demons lost him. They can't find him. But they're looking."
"And they lost him because?" I asked. Still looking between Cas and Judson who will not pull his eyes up from the table.
"Because of the child's power. It hides him from both angels and demons. For now."
"So he's got, like, a force field around him. Well, that's great. Problem solved. Hell. Let's take him and Em and take them to Bobby's."
"Dean stop." I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"With Lucifer risen, this child grows strong. Much like I expect you are Emily. Soon, he will do more than just make a few toys come to life—something that will draw the demons to him. The demons will find this child. Lucifer will twist this boy to his purpose. And then, with a word, this child will destroy the Host of Heaven."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait. You're saying that—that Jesse's gonna nuke the angels?" Dean asked.
"We cannot allow that to happen." Cas warned stiffly.
"Wait. A fucking minute… We are the good guys. We don't just go around and kill CHILDREN." I reminded him
"Emily it is not that simple. He is not a child." Judson sighed as he finally spoke.
"You shut the fuck up. We're discussing this later." I shot a finger out at him. He angrily shook his head as he leaned back.
"She's right. We are not murdering a little boy." Sam added as he stood beside me.
"A year ago, you would have done whatever it took to win this war." Cas stood and shot back at him.
"Things change."
"Okay. Hey, look, we are not going to kill him. All right?" Dean said standing between the two of them as they became heated. "But we can't leave Jesse here either. We know that. So... we take him to Bobby's. He'll know what to do."
"You'll kidnap him? What is going on in this town, it's what happens when this thing is happy. You cannot imagine what it will do if it's angry. Besides, how will you hold him? With a thought, he could be halfway around the world."
"So we-"
"So we tell him the truth." I interrupted. "You say Jesse's destined to go dark side—fine. But he hasn't yet."
"Emily, this is not the same. YOU AND HIM are not the same!" Judson argued.
"He is a CHILD!" I screamed back at him. "He is not a monster!"
The cheap chandelier above the entry way shattered.
"Enough." Dean said pulling me back from the table.
"So if we lay it all out for him—what he is, the apocalypse, everything—he might make the right choice." Sam argued for me now that I was too angry to get the words out. The lights around us humming at high frequency as I tried to reel in my emotions.
"You didn't. And I can't take that chance." Cas glared at Sam before vanishing.
"Damn it." Sam growled.
"You two go. Get to Jesse, now… I'll meet you there." I said looking at Judson.
"Emily I'm not leaving you here, get in the car and let's go."
"No." I said turning to him. "Get in the car, we will follow."
"Then let's get moving."
Judson sighed but stood, all of us rushing out the door as I snatched the keys from his hand.
"Emily let me drive." He demanded.
"No. Get in the fucking car."
"Stop talking to me like a dog. Give me the keys."
"Why so you can turn us in the other direction?"
"You think I'm that stupid?" He scoffed. "First off, you could turn the damn car yourself with just your mind and second of all Dean would murder me for running off with you. So no. We're not going to turn the other way and take off."
"Fine." I slammed them into his hand before getting in the passenger seat.
We pulled out right behind the impala and Judson kept his foot on the gas to keep up with Dean.
"You knew didn't you… you knew what he was."
"I wasn't sure."
"How did you know?"
"You. You were drawn to him, you kept moving closer to him. Kept your eyes on him. He trusted you. It was your connection to him that raised the thought. But I wasn't sure. I didn't think any of them existed."
"Stop saying 'them' or 'it' like he is some sort of monster! He is a little boy!"
"He is NOT a child Emily! He was birthed from a human's body and looks human but he most certainly is NOT. He is half demon and we cannot risk your life, or anyone else's in the hopes that he'll never lean towards that half of him."
"What is his other half?!"
"Human." He sighed looking straight out at the road.
"And what if he chooses THAT half. What makes him any worse than me?!"
"You ARE human!"
"With DEMON BLOOD RUNNING THROUGH MY VIENS!" I screamed, watching as the street lights pop one at a time as we drove.
My phone began to ring.
"What?!" I said flipping it open.
"Emily. Calm down, or so help me I will pull you out of the car and shove you into this one. You have got to take a breath kiddo, okay? We're on your side. We're gonna get the kid but you have GOT to calm down." Dean explained.
"Fine." I said breathing in deeply through my nose. The phone hung up.
"Emily baby I'm sorry. I'm sorry it has to be like this."
"It doesn't." I pleaded and cried. "He is good. I know he is… he can be good."
"Can be? Or is good? There's a difference babe. We can't risk it."
"You fought for me. Fought for my chance to choose what's right, how is this different?"
"Its different because Lucifer is here. Walking and talking. He will manipulate him because he knows he can. YOU cannot be manipulated like that."
"But I CAN be! I've seen it!"
"Yes but now you know what could happen and because of that you're fighting even harder to do the right thing!"
"He needs a chance to choose, Jud. Please!"
We pulled up in front of the house and I waved for Sam and Dean to go in. I turned to Judson as he parked.
He took my face in his hands as he pulled me to look at him.
"Sweetheart. He is the only thing on this earth strong enough than lucifer himself to kill you with the snap of his fingers. That alone is enough for him to be too much of a risk. Add to that the fact that he will draw Lucifer in, and then they will find you because it is obvious you two have a connection. He is too young. I'm sorry. I hate it. I hate it so much… but it is too much of a risk."
"No. No I won't let you hurt him." I said pulling back.
"Baby please."
"No. If you don't leave right now. Go back to the motel. Wait… I will make you." I said as I choked around the words, they hurt to say. The look in his eyes hurt me.
Just as he went to respond I heard sounds of a struggle. Things slamming, Dean screamed out.
"Dean!" I said as I jumped out and ran down the driveway.
"Leave him alone!" I heard Jesse yell.
I came through the door and looked up to see Julia bent down in front of Jesse, eyes black.
"Jesse. You're beautiful. You have your father's eyes." She chanted.
"Who are you?"
"I'm your mother."
"No, you're not."
"Mm-hm. You're half human...half one of us."
"She means demons, Jesse!" I said as I came through the door.
"Both of you in one place, oh he will be happy to see me." The demon smiled looking between Jesse and I. I moved towards them, sliding close to the wall to get to Sam and Dean. "Those people you call your parents—they lied to you, too. You're not theirs—not really."
"My mom and dad love me."
"Yes they do Jesse." I nodded as I got closer.
"Do they? Is—is that why they leave you alone all day? Because they love you so much? These people—these imposters—they told you that the tooth fairy was real and that your toys could hurt you and a hundred other things that aren't true. They love you so much, they made your whole life a lie. Look into your heart, Jesse. You've always known you weren't theirs. You've always known you were different. Everyone has lied to you. They're not FBI agents. And you're not a superhero." The demon grinned.
"Then what am I?"
"You're powerful. You can have anything you want. You can do anything you want."
"Don't listen to her, Jesse!" Dean yelled as I reached him. The Demon held up a hand and Dean groaned out in pain.
"Leave them alone!" I yelled as I flung an end table towards her, knocking her to the ground. Jesse looked up to me in shock.
"They treated you like a child." Julia coughed as she stood. "Nobody trusted you. Everybody's lied to you. Doesn't that make you angry?"
Jesse clenched his fist and the room rattled, just like it does when I get angry, the fire in the fireplace flared and the light flickered on and off.
"Jesse. Look at me." I called out to him. "It's okay to be angry. Okay, I promise I'll explain all of it."
"See? It does make you angry. They have lied to you. But I'm telling you the truth, Jesse. Wouldn't it be better if there were no lies? Come with me and you can wash it all clean. Start over. Imagine that—a world without lies."
"She's right. We lied to you." I nodded. "But I'll tell you the truth."
The demon lifted her hand towards me but before I felt a thing Jesse speaks up.
"Stop it."
Both of my brothers dropped to the floor beside me.
"I want to hear what they have to say."
"You're stronger than I thought." Julia smiled.
"We lied to you." I swallowed. "And I'm sorry. So here's the truth. I'm Emily Winchester. That's my brothers, Sam and Dean. The other man, was my boyfriend. He's outside right now. W-we hunt monsters."
"Except when you are the monster. Right, Emily?"
"And that woman right there." Sam added. Her name is Julia. She's your mother. But the thing inside of her, the thing that you're talking to—it's a demon."
"A demon?"
"He's done nothing but lie to you since the moment you met him. Don't listen to him. Punish him."
"Sit down and shut up." The demon flew backwards into a chair, struggling against invisible restraints and fighting to speak.
"There's, uh, kind of a... a war between angels and demons, and... you're a part of it." I managed to get past the tears.
"I'm just a kid." He begged.
"I know sweetheart. I was too… You and I are a lot alike."
"How?"
"Can I show you something?" I asked stepping forward. He nodded. "Don't be afraid, but I can do things too."
I held up my hands and let the red haze flow freely, swirling and spinning into a white light in the center. This time it felt natural. Easy. I watched as it grew in size, Jesse's eyes glued to me. I could feel my brother's staring from behind me. I watched as the large ball of light left my hands and travelled up into the air as I continued to focus on it. I waited until it almost hit the ceiling to pull my hands apart and watched as the light broke apart in what looked like a thousand tiny stars raining down on us, dissolving into the air before they reached the ground.
I swallowed. Secret's out now… can't hide that from Dean.
"How did you do that?" Jesse asked.
"I have demon blood in my body, someone put it there… but like you, it gave me abilities."
"What do I do?" He asked me softly.
"You can go with her if you want. I can't stop you. No one can. But if you do...millions of people will die."
"She said I was half demon. Is that true?"
"Yes. But you're half human, too. You can do the right thing. You've got choices, Jesse. But if you make the wrong ones, it'll haunt you for the rest of your life." Sam warned him.
"Why are you telling me this?!" He cried slightly looking between my brothers and I as I leaned down to my knees and held his hand in mine.
"Because I have to believe someone can make the right choice, even if I couldn't." Sam said sadly.
Jesse looked up to me once more. I hoped he could see it in my eyes. Could see that I wanted nothing but safety for him, wanted him to do the right thing. We stared at each other for a long minute before he turned to Julia.
"Get out of her." He said calmly and suddenly the black smoke blew its way out of Julia's mouth and into the fireplace as the demon fled.
"How did you do that?" Dean asked.
"I just did."
"Kid... you're awesome." Dean smiled as he stood. I stood too and he came to place a hand on my back while Sam checked on Julia.
"Is she gonna be all right?"
"Eventually." Sam turned to him with a sympathetic smile.
Dean leaned down and picked up something off of the ground. He picked it up and it looked oddly familiar.
"Is that.."
"Yeah. Uh Look, uh, truth is, he's kind of a buddy of mine. Is there any way you could turn him back?" Dean asked holding the Castiel action figure. I gasped softly realizing what had happened.
"He tried to kill me." Jesse said with wide eyes.
"Right. Uh. But he's a—he's a good guy. He was just confused." Dean shrugged. Jesse only glared. "Okay. It's been a long night. We'll...talk about it later."
"What now?" Jesse turned to look up at me.
"Now we take you someplace safe" I told him.
"Yeah. We'll get you trained up. You'd be handy in a fight, kid." Dean smiled. I looked between him and Jesse.
"What if I don't want to fight?"
"Jesse." I sighed as I knelt down again. "You're powerful. More powerful than...pretty much anything we've ever seen. More powerful than me even. That makes you—"
"A freak."
"To some people, maybe. But not to us. I'm a freak too Jesse, so is Sam… and Dean in his own way." I winked up at him.
"I can't stay here, can I?"
"No. The demons know where you are, and more will be coming." Dean told him bluntly.
"I won't go without my mom and dad."
"There's nothing more important than family. We get that. And if you really want to take them with you, we'll back your play. But you got to understand—it's gonna be dangerous for them, too."
"What do you mean?"
"Our dad...he would take us with him wherever he went." I smiled sadly.
"Where is he now?"
"Dead. A demon killed him."
"Look, Jesse...once you're in this fight..." Dean leaned down. "You're in it till the end, win or lose."
"What should I do?" He looked up to me and asked again. I shook my head with tears forming.
"We can't tell you. It's your choice. It's not fair. I know."
"Can I go see my parents? I, I need to...say goodbye."
"Sure." Dean nodded.
"Can you come with me?" Jesse asked as he held his hand out for me.
"Of course sweetheart, I'll go with you."
I looked back at Sam and Dean who watched with sad eyes as Jesse and I ascended the stairs hand in hand. I nodded softly when he let go to open his parent's door. I bit my lip and swallowed down the sob that threatened to escape watching him stare at them, unable to wake them and upset them.
He looked back at me and then closed the door, leading me to his room where he laid against the bed and stared up at the posters on the wall. There were pictures of the ocean, surfers, the beach, a map of Australia and a list of the coasts.
"Jesse…You should think really hard about what YOU want. You don't have to come with us. You don't have to fight."
"Are you fighting?"
"Yeah, I am… but I have to. I've been fighting my whole life. They can't track you. Your powers are hiding you. Protecting you. You can blink and wake up there."
"… Would you be mad at me if I left?"
"No sweetheart." I said sitting beside him on his bed. "I wouldn't be mad at you for a single second."
"Will you come with me? I'm just a kid. I don't want to be alone."
"You won't be." I smiled. "You are so much more than just a kid, and I know whoever you find out there will love you no matter what. But Jesse if you're going to be around people, you have to know that the things you believe become reality. If you believe clowns kill people, then it will happen. So I need you to make me a promise."
"What is it?"
"Promise me that you will only believe in the good things. Believe that people mean well. Believe that people are helpful and kind. Believe that monsters aren't real. That people don't lie or cheat or steal. If you believe that, then everywhere you go that's the world you can have Jesse. You can have what most of us will never get."
"Why can't you come with me… I could make sure we're safe."
"Because sweetheart, those guys down there are my family. My family has always fought monsters and demons to protect other people. People like you, Jesse. Who will help them if we leave?"
"Oh. Yeah… I guess you're right."
"I'm sorry, I would go but I can't."
"I should leave them something…"
"You should." I nodded.
He walked over to his desk and wrote a quick note, folding the paper in half and laying it on his bed. Then he and I packed a bag of his things as quickly as possible.
"Okay, are you ready to see the ocean?" I smiled really big.
He nodded with some excitement.
"Can you come with me just for a few minutes, until I know where I went. Incase I go somewhere else."
"If you think you can send me back, then yes. I can do that."
"I think so."
"Okay kid. You got yourself a deal."
He reached his hand up to mine and with the blink of an eye we were standing on the beach. The warm sun on our face, wind blowing against us with the smell of sea salt.
I smiled, and laughed… feeling so at ease and happy.
"This is awesome." Jesse said looking around.
"C'mon kid. Let's find you a safe place to crash."
…..
…..
…..
"They've been up there a long time." Dean sighed as he looked up to Sam. Sam peeked out the window to see Judson sitting alone in the car still. He looked up to see Sam in the window, who waved for him to come inside. He quickly exited the car and jogged up the driveway.
"What the hell are you doing out there?" Dean asked.
"She forbid me from coming inside. Where is she?"
"They went upstairs a while ago."
"There's been no movement up there for like 20 minutes. I could see them earlier when the light was on."
Sam and Dean looked back and forth at each other nervously. Then they moved quickly towards the stairs, taking them two at a time with Judson close behind them. They entered Jesse's room which was empty and dark.
"He's gone." Cas said coming up behind the 3 men.
"Where?" Sam asked as Dean spoke simultaneously.
"Where is Emily?" He pushed.
"I don't know. Jesse put everyone in town back to normal—the ones still alive. Then they both vanished."
"Hey. Look." Judson said pointing to the note, Sam picked it up.
"What does it say?"
"That he had to leave to keep his parents safe, that he loves them, and he's sorry."
"What nothing about Em?! How do we find them?"
"With the boy's powers, we can't. Not unless he wants to be found."
"FUCK!" Judson yelled as he stormed out of the room.
Dean swallowed harshly and they all moved towards the exit and their vehicles.
"Judson. GO! Find her. Find anything. Take Cas with you." Dean demanded. He tried to settle his nerves knowing that they would be hidden from anyone and anything meaning not even the devil himself could find them, but why the hell would she have left too?
Did she have a choice?
Did she think they would hurt him?
Sam and Dean climbed into the impala.
"Let's take a deep breath. Go back to the Motel. Emily will know where to find us if we're there. We can calm down a little and regroup."
"Fine." Dean sighed as he tapped his foot nervously, the gas pedal roughly hitting the floor.
"You know, we destroyed that kid's life by telling him the truth." Dean spoke again after a few minutes.
"We didn't have a choice, Dean."
Without them noticing Emily had appeared in the backseat behind them, silently listening as he continued.
"Yeah. You know, I'm starting to get why parents lie to their kids. You want them to believe that the worst thing out there is mixing Pop Rocks and Coke—protect them from the real evil. You want them going to bed feeling safe. If that means lying to them, so be it. The more I think about it...the more I wish Dad had lied to us. Hell maybe we should have lied to Em."
"Yeah, maybe." Sam said pulling his hand through is hair.
"And how the fuck would you have gotten away with that?" She scoffed, causing Dean to jump and slam on the breaks, the car skidding to a stop in the middle of the road while Sam glared back to her in shock.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" Dean yelled. "Where did you go!?"
"I got Jesse somewhere safe." She swallowed and looked back at him, no hint of sadness or fear on her face. She was prepared to protect him at all costs, and it was obvious to the two men in the front seat.
"Okay. That's… that's all we need to know. You're okay?" Sam asked.
"I'm perfectly fine. I agreed to go with him as long as he promised to send me right back."
Emily looked down at her feet, remembering the other promise she asked of him and hoping that he held true to that. That his life would flourish and he would live in this bubble of bliss untainted by the world around them.
Dean pulled into the motel a few minutes later and got out, Emily opening her door and barely having time to close it again before he pulled her into his chest. Taking a deep breath.
"Stop disappearing on me Kiddo." He whispered.
"I'm sorry. I had to know he was safe… I had to protect him De. I… don't know what came over me."
Dean pulled away and looked at her softly.
"I do." He gave her a sad smile, she knew where he was going and her eyes watered as she cleared her throat. "Dammit Em, you would have been one hell of a mother to some kid some day… the world wouldn't stand a chance of getting to your kid. Still could. Adoption is an option, look at Jesse."
"Dean. We've already had that discussion. This isn't the life for a child… I was spared the option of having to make that choice. It was made for me and I'm okay with that."
He looked across her face and knew she must have told herself that same speech a hundred times since Alastair carved into her. That she must feel this way because she knows she has to in order to move past it. He nodded and smiled, knowing that the best thing he could do for her was support that feeling. Support that speech.
"You should get inside, get cleaned up… call the boy toy."
"I know." She sighed.
"You guys fight pretty bad?"
"Yeah. I told him to leave, and that if he came near that kid I'd fucking make him leave."
"Yikes."
"Like I said, I don't know what it was… It was just. What had to be done."
"He'll understand, Em. He's just trying to protect you too."
"I know." She said leaning into him again. He pushed them through the door, making sure to double the salt lines as they laid down to sleep.
One more night she was safe.
One more night Sam was safe.
One more night that the world didn't come to an end.
For Dean every day that ended this way was a victory in its own way, but he knew the day would come that he might not get to say that.