Sam, Dean, and John are flung to the floor. A shadow demon is attacking them. He flings them around the room, and fresh scratches appear on their faces. Dean and Sam scream in pain at the marks, while John groans.
"No!" Suddenly Jamie sits straight up. She's holding a handgun. She gasps for breath looking around the darkened motel room. She takes another breath, putting the gun down and picks up the half finished bottle of vodka from the nightstand. She puts it to her lips and takes a swig. "Shit. Shit. Shit." She curses to herself, putting the bottle down, throwing the sheet off her legs and getting up. She flicks the light on and grabs her jeans from the floor. She pulls them on and moves around the room stuffing clothes, her laptop, files, and various tools into her backpack. Reaching into the front pocket of her bag, she pulls out a black wallet and flips through it, exchanging a New York driver's license for one from Illinois and grabs a wad of bills that she sticks into her pocket. She puts the wallet back in the bag and pulls out her cell phone. A number comes up on the screen. "Hello?" She asks, answering the call.
"Jace? It's Andrew."
"Andrew, now is not a good time." Andrew is a fellow hunter. They've just spent the last three days tracking a Wendigo through Mississippi with Andrew's brother and another friend of theirs.
"Aaron, Dan and I think we've tracked down the Wendigo, we're gonna go after it tomorrow night." Jamie glances at the clock on the motel bedstand. It reads 4:35 am. "Jace?"
"I'm listening. Look Andrew, I'm sorry, but something's come up and I need to bail."
"Bail? What? But we're so close. You can't bail on us."
"Look, my brothers are in trouble. I need to get to Chicago as soon as possible." She grabs the vodka bottle and stuffs it into her bag. Her keys are the last thing left. She picks them up and heads for the door. "I'm sorry. I am. But family comes first. Good luck with the hunt." She hangs up the phone and hurries out the door.
"Dean?" She asks into the phone, holding it between her shoulder and ear as she turns off the exit and passes the sign that says "Welcome to Chicago." It's near sunset and she's been driving for over 14 hours. "Dean pick up." She says into the phone.
"Hello?"
"Dean, it's Jamie. I just got into Chicago, where are you?"
"Jamie? How'd you know we were in Chicago?"
"Lucky guess. Where are you?" She asks again. He tells her the name of the motel and gives her vague directions on where to go. She tells him he's horrible at directions and that she'll see him in about 10 minutes.
She makes it to the motel just as Sam gets there. She tucks her handgun into the waistband of her jeans and grabs her bag, walking up to him. "Jamie?" He's surprised to see her, but he hugs her tight and she hugs him back. "What are you doing here?"
"I had a vision, you two have trouble."
"No kidding. You know about the Daeva?"
"Oh is that what the shadow thing is called?" She asks as he opens the door to the motel room. They walk in and find Dean waiting for them.
"Dude, I gotta talk to you." They all say at once.
Dean and Sam fill Jamie in on the Daeva, and then Sam tells them what he saw Meg doing her apartment just a few minutes before. "So, hot little Meg is summoning the Daeva?" Dean asks with a smirk.
"Looks like she was using that black altar to control the thing." Sam says. Jamie looks interested. Dean, however, looks amused.
"So, Sammy's got a thing for the bad girl." He chuckles. Sam rolls his eyes. "And what's the deal with that bowl again?"
"She was talking into it."
"You mean the way witches used to scry into crystal balls or animal entrails?" Jamie asks.
"Exactly. She was communicating with someone." Sam tells her.
"With who? With the Daeva?" Dean asks.
"No, you said those things were savages. No, this was someone different. Someone who's giving her orders. Someone who's comin' to that warehouse." Sam says. Dean thinks for a moment and glances at some files on a nearby table. He sits down at the table and looks through them.
"Holy crap."
"What?" Jamie goes over to Dean and leans against the table.
"What I was gonna tell you earlier. I pulled a favor with my…" he clears his throat, Jamie rolls her eyes. "friend, Amy, over at the police department. The complete records of the two victim…we missed something the first time."
"What?" Sam goes over to look at the records.
Dean shows the both of them. "The first victim, the old man, he spent his whole life in Chicago, but he wasn't born here. Look where he was born." He points to something on the page.
"Lawrence, Kansas." Sam whispers in shock.
"Mmhmm." Dean picks up the second file. "Meredith, second victim, turns out she was adopted. And guess where she's from." The paper reads "Lawrence, Kansas". Sam sits down across from Dean, clearly shocked. Jamie grips the edge of the table, her knuckles turn white.
"Holy crap." Sam finally says.
"Yeah." Jamie says.
"I mean, it is where the demon killed Mom. That's where everything started. So, you think Meg's tied up with the demon?" Sam looks at both his brother and his sister.
Dean nods. "I think it's a definite possibility."
"Okay, but I don't understand. What's the significance of Lawrence? And how do these Daeva things fit in? I saw them attacking you." Jamie tells them. Her knuckles are still white. Dean sees this and pries her hands off the table edge.
" You know, it beats me. But I say we trash that black altar, grab Meg, and have ourselves a friendly little interrogation. Jamie's vision doesn't come true and we possibly know where the demon is." Dean reasons. Jamie flexes her fingers to get the blood circulating again.
Sam shakes his head. "No, we can't. We shouldn't tip her off. We've gotta stake out that warehouse. We've gotta see who, or what, is showin' up to meet her." Sam looks over at his sister. "Right, Jamie?"
"Yeah, it's better we know what's going on instead of walking in blind." She pauses, thinking about their twin abilities. "In a manner of speaking."
Dean looks at them. "I'll tell you one thing. I don't think we should do this alone." He gets up and grabs his cellphone.
"I'm gonna go get the stuff out of the car. Come on, Jamie." Sam gets up and Jamie follows him out to the Impala. Sam opens the trunk and props it open. Jamie's eyes widen as she sees what's inside. "Impressive, right?"
"Absolutely." Her eyes scan the weapons and various tools. "Are those brass knuckles?"
"Yup." Sam replies taking out a couple firearms. "Okay, what else?"
"Holy water definitely, and that crucifix." Jamie helps Sam get as much stuff as possible. "My journal is full of exorcism rituals." She remarks, grabbing John's journal before Sam closes the trunk.
"Good." Sam says as they get back into the motel. Dean is leaving a message on John's voicemail when they get in. Jamie goes over to her bag and pulls out her journal so Sam can see it.
"We think we've got a serious lead on the thing that killed Mom. So, uh, this warehouse—it's 1435 West Erie. Dad, if you get this, get to Chicago as soon as you can." Dean hangs up.
"Voicemail?" Sam asks.
"Yeah." He gestures to the bags. "Jesus, what'd you get?" Sam and Jamie chuckle.
" We ransacked that trunk. Holy water, every weapon that I could think of, Jamie has exorcism rituals from about a half dozen religions. I'm not sure what to expect, so I guess we should just expect everything." Sam explains. Dean nods. Jamie takes out her handgun and hunts around for ammunition.
"Damnit, all I have are silver bullets." She says as she looks into her ammunition case.
"Silver bullets, what were you doing hunting a werewolf?" Sam asks.
"Wendigo, actually."
"Let me see that." She hands Dean her gun. He looks at it and then picks up three clips. "I got ya covered, sis." She nods. They begin loading their guns silently.
"Big night." Dean finally says. Jamie is strapping her gun belt to her waist. Sam looks up.
"Yeah. You nervous?" Sam asks.
"No. Why, are you?"
"No. No way." They are silent again for a moment. "God, could you imagine if we actually found that damn thing? That demon?"
Dean opens his mouth but it's Jamie who speaks. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, all right?"
"I know. I'm just sayin', what if we did? What if this whole thing was over tonight? Man, I'd sleep for a month. Go back to school—be a person again." Jamie and Dean look at each other and then to Sam.
"You wanna go back to school?" Dean asks.
"Yeah, once we're done huntin' the thing."
"Huh." Dean says. Jamie gets up and pulls out the half finished vodka bottle.
"Why, is there somethin' wrong with that?" Sam asks.
"No. No, it's, uh, great. Good for you." Dean tells him. Jamie walks away from them, bottle in hand.
"I mean, what are you gonna do when it's all over?" Sam looks at Dean and then to Jamie.
Jamie puts the bottle down. "What I've been doing the last four years."
"It's never gonna be over. There's gonna be others. There's always gonna be somethin' to hunt." Dean says in agreement.
"But there's got to be somethin' that you want for yourself." Sam says to them.
"Yeah, I don't want you to leave the second this thing's over, Sam." Dean walks over to the dresser. "You either, Jamie."
"Dean…" Jamie walks over to him.
"Dude, what's your problem? Dean is silent for a while, then turns back to Sam.
"Jamie, Dad always told me that it was best if you didn't hunt. That that was the best way I could keep you safe was if I stayed away from you. I don't believe that anymore. And Sam, why do you think I drag you everywhere? Huh? I mean, why do you think I came and got you at Stanford in the first place?"
Jamie doesn't speak but Sam does. "Cause Dad was in trouble. 'Cause you wanted to find the thing that killed Mom."
"Yes, that, but it's more than that, man." He returns to the dresser and is silent again, then once more turns to Sam. "You and me and Dad and Jamie…I mean, I want us….I want us to be together again. I want us to be a family again." He finally says.
"We haven't been that kind of family in a long time." Jamie says quietly.
"Dean, we are a family. I'd do anything for you. But things will never be the way they were before." Dean looks heartbroken. Jamie goes over and hugs him.
"Could be." He says softly.
"I don't want them to be. I'm not gonna live this life forever. Dean, when this is all over, you're gonna have to let me go my own way." Sam says.
"Me too, Dean. I'll be around if you need me, but I've done this by myself for four years and I can't see doing it any different." Jamie tells her.
They all share a look and then gather their stuff and head for the door. At the warehouse the siblings climb the elevator gate and reach the top room. They see Meg standing at the altar, speaking in an ancient language. Quietly, they squeeze through the space between the gate and the wall. They draw their guns and move to the other side of the room, hiding behind some crates.
"Guys." Meg calls to them. The three Winchesters look at each other, stunned. "Hiding's a little bit childish, don't you think?"
"Well, that didn't work out like I planned." Dean remarks. Meg turns around to face them.
"Why don't you come out?" She says. Dean, Jamie, and Sam come out from behind the crates." Sam, I have to say, this puts a real crimp in our relationship."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Sam says to her, his gun still drawn.
"And Jamie…or should I say Jace?" She clicks her tongue. "You should have stayed put, honey."
Jamie isn't fazed. "So, where's your little Daeva friend?"
"Around. You know, that shotgun's not gonna do much good." Meg tells them.
Dean grins. "Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. The shotgun's not for the demon."
"So, who is it, Meg? Who's coming? Who are you waiting for?" Sam asks.
Meg smiles. "You." The Daeva begins to form on the wall. It knocks Sam to the ground and throws Dean and Jamie into the crates. A claw-like scratch appears on Sam's face. The three of them are knocked unconscious.
When they come to, they're tied to three separate posts. Meg is sitting in front of them. Jamie wakes up first and immediantly looks down at her waist. Her gun belt is gone. She looks up at Meg whose holding the gun belt. She smirks and tosses aside, out of Jamie's reach. Dean wakes up. They look at each other and then to Sam, whose just starting to come to.
"Hey, Sam? Don't take this the wrong way, but your girlfriend...is a bitch." Dean tells him.
"I can't believe I fell for this. Some psychiac, huh?" Jamie remarks, looking between her brothers.
Sam realizes something. "This, the whole thing, was a trap. Running into you at the bar, following you here, hearin' what you had to say. It was all a set-up, wasn't it?" Meg laughs. "And that the victims were from Lawrence?"
"It doesn't mean anything. It was just to draw us in, that's all. Right Meg?" Jamie says.
"Not bad for a crap psychiac." Meg tells her. Jamie glares.
"You killed those two people for nothin'." Sam spits.
"Baby, I've killed a lot more for a lot less."
"You trapped us. Good for you. It's Miller time. "Dean smiles. "But why don't you kill us already?"
"Not very quick on the uptake, are we Dean?" Meg leans in closer. "But I bet your siblings are."
"This trap isn't for us." Jamie says. Dean is puzzled, but Sam has also figured it out.
"Dad. It's a trap for Dad." He says. Jamie nods. Dean looks at Meg, who smiles at him.
"Oh, sweetheart you're dumber than you look. 'Cause even if Dad was in town, which he is not, he wouldn't walk into something like this. He's too good." He tells her.
"He is pretty good. I'll give you that." She walks over to him and sits down, straddling his legs.
"Get off my brother." Jamie says to her. She smiles in reply, ignoring her.
"But you see, he has one weakness." She continues.
"What's that?" Dean asks.
"You. He lets his guard down around his kids, lets his emotions cloud his judgment. I happen to know he is in town. And he'll come and try to save you. And then the Daevas will kill everybody, nice and slow and messy."
"Well, I've got news for ya. It's gonna take a lot more than some….shadow to kill him." Dean says with the upmost confidence. Sam and Jamie don't look so sure.
Meg shakes her head. "Oh, the Daevas are in the room here, they're invisible. Their shadows are just the only part you can see."
"Why you doin' this, Meg? What kind of deal you got worked out here, huh? And with who?" Sam finally asks.
"I'm doing this for the same reasons you do what you do. Loyalty. Love. Like the love you had for Mommy…and Jess."
"Go to hell." Sam yells.
"Baby, I'm already there." She smiles and slides over to Sam.
" Bitch, keep your hands to yourself!" Jamie yells.
Meg again ignores her. "Come on, Sam. There's no need to be nasty." She leans in to whisper in his ear. "I think we both know how you really feel about me. You know, I saw you watching me changing in my apartment. Turned you on, didn't it?"
"Get a room, you two." Dean says, but more for Jamie's benefit then anyone elses. He can sense how angry she is.
"I didn't mind." Meg continues. "I liked that you were watching me. Come on, Sammy. You and I can still have a little dirty fun." She begins kissing his neck.
Dean takes out his knife and looks at Jamie. Jamie smirks, her bonds are already cut.
"You wanna have fun? Go ahead then. I'm a little tied up right now." Sam says. Meg smiles and continues to kiss him. A noise on Dean's side of the room makes her stop. She gets up and walks behind Dean's post. She sees he has a knife in his hand. She takes it away and tosses it into a corner. Meg swings around to the other side of the post, and smiles at Dean, who chuckles guiltily. She looks at Jamie, who looks at her with the upmost disgust. She again smiles in return. She slides back over to Sam.
"Now, were you just trying to distract me while your brother cuts free?" Meg asks Sam.
Sam shakes his head. "No. No. That's because I have a knife of my own." Meg is confused. Jamie gets up as Sam breaks free from his ropes and grabs Meg's shoulders, then knocks his head against hers. She falls to the floor while he groans in pain.
"Get Dean free, I've got the altar!" Jamie yells to Sam. She rushes over to the altar and overturns it. Sam grabs his knife and cuts Dean free. Suddenly, the shadow demon appears and grabs Meg. She is dragged across the floor and crashes through the window, falling down to the street below. They walk over to the window and see Meg sprawled on the sidewalk, dead.
"So, I guess the Daevas didn't like being bossed around." Sam says, a little bit impressed.
"Yeah, I guess not." Jamie says with a smirk. "Damn I wish I had done that though."
"Hmm, easy Jamie." Dean puts his arm around her shoulders. "Hey, Sam?"
"Hm?"
"Next time you wanna get laid, find a girl that's not so buckets-o'-crazy, huh?" Jamie laughs, and Dean smiles they walk away, heading back to the Impala so they can get back to the motel.
"Why didn't you just leave that stuff in the car?" Dean asks when they get back to the motel. Sam is carrying their weapons and other various tools. Jamie holding the broken gun belt.
"That bitch owes me a new belt when I see her in hell." She remarks.
"I said it before, and I'll say it again—better safe than sorry." Sam says in reply to Dean. Dean unlocks the door and they enter the room. They see the outline of a man standing by the window.
"Hey!" Dean yells. Jamie grabs her gun from the belt. Sam turns on the light. The man turns around. It is John. The siblings are stunned. Jamie drops her gun belt and the handgun along with it. John smiles at them. "Dad?" Dean finally says.
"Hey, kids." Dean and John walk towards each other and share a long, emotional hug. Sam watches sadly. Jamie is obviously uncomfortable. Dean and John pull apart a few seconds later. "Hi, Sam." John says looking over at his youngest son.
"Hey, Dad." Sam says softly. He places the bag full of weapons on the floor.
John finally looks at Jamie. She staring at the gun belt on the floor. He walks over to her and puts his fingers under her chin, making her look up at him. "Jamie." He says softly. "You look…"
"Just like your mother." Jamie finishes for him.
"You've been hunting for 4 years?" John asks.
"Yeah." Jamie replies. He nods.
"Dad, it was a trap. I didn't know, I'm sorry." Dean finally says.
"It's all right. I thought it might've been." John tells him, turning back to the boys.
"Were you there?" Jamie asks.
"Yeah, I got there just in time to see the girl take the swan dive. She was the bad guy, right?" John asks.
"Yes, sir." The three of them reply in unison. It startles them and they all look at one another.
"Good. Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's tried to stop me before."
"The demon has?" Sam asks.
"It knows I'm close. It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell, actually kill it." John says.
Dean is interested. "How?" John smiles.
"I'm workin' on that." He tells them.
"Let us come with you. We'll help." Sam suddenly says. Jamie looks away. Dean gives Sam a warning look.
John shakes his head. "No, Sam. Not yet. Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in a crossfire. I don't want you hurt."
"Dad, you don't have to worry about us." Sam tells him.
"Of course I do. I'm your father." He pauses. "Listen, Sammy, last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight."
"Yes, sir."
"It's good to see you again. It's been a long time."
Sam nods. "Too long." He and John embrace, and Sam is crying. John is tearful. A minute later, they pull apart. John turns back to Jamie.
"Jamie, I…I'm sorry."
Jamie starts crying. "Daddy…I…" They hug.
The four of them look around tearfully. Suddenly, the shadow demon attacks John. He is thrown into a set of cabinets and falls to the ground. Sam also falls.
"Daddy!" Jamie yells. Dean and Jamie look at each other.
"No!" Dean starts to go for Jamie. He is thrown to the floor as well. Jamie looks at the scene before her and is thrown back against the wall. The Daeva continue to attack. The four of them are flung around the room. They groan and scream in pain. Fresh scratches appear on their faces. Jamie and Sam crawl to the bag of weapons on the floor.
"Get me a flare." Sam says to Jamie. She removes a flare from the bag and gives it to him.
"Shut your eyes! These things are shadow demons, so let's light 'em up!" He lights the flare, and the room is instantly filled with smoke and a brilliant white light. The shadow demon vanishes. The four of them try to feel their way around the room, coughing and sputtering.
"Dad!" Dean yells.
"Over here!" Dean makes his way to John and helps him up. Sam pulls Jamie up and she grabs her bag and her gun belt. Sam follows them out of the room, carrying the bag of weapons. Sam, John, Jamie, and Dean exit the building and walk down an alley to the Impala. Sam puts the bag in the backseat of the car.
"All right, come on. We don't have much time. As soon as the flare's out, they'll be back." Sam says.
"Wait, wait. Sam, wait. Dad, you can't come with us." Dean tells him.
"What? What are you talkin' about?" Sam asks. Jamie also looks away.
"You boys, you're beat to hell." John says. "You too Jamie."
"We'll be all right." Dean assures him.
"Dean, we should stick together. We'll go after those demons." Sam looks at Dean, mad he'd even suggest splitting up.
"Sam! Listen to me! We almost got Dad killed in there. Don't you understand? They're not gonna stop, they're gonna try again. They're gonna use us to get to him. I mean, Meg was right. Dad's vulnerable when he's with us. He's…he's stronger without us around. And Jamie…Jamie, we've got to let her go too. We drag her into this with us and we're gonna get her killed. Just like Mom. We've got to split up to protect each other."
Sam's jaw drops, he stares past Dean to his sister. "Jamie, you can't go."
"I've got to, Sam. I've got a group of hunt…friends down in Biloxi who are going after a very nasty Wendigo and I left them high and dry to come out here. This isn't where I'm supposed to be right now. Maybe someday, but not right now."
Sam shakes his head, turning to John. "Dad, no." He puts a hand on his father's shoulder. Dean and Jamie watch sadly. "After everything, after all the time we spent lookin' for you, please. I gotta be a part of this fight."
"Sammy, this fight is just starting. And we are all gonna have a part to play. For now, you've got to trust me, son. Okay, you've gotta let me go." All four of them are silent for a moment, close to tears. Finally, Sam pats his father's shoulder once, then lets go. Jamie and John hug and John and Dean share a look, then John walks to his truck. Once there, he looks back at them one more time. "Be careful, kids." He gets in his truck and drives away.
Jamie looks at her brothers. Dean and Sam hug her at the same time. "I won't ever be that far away, you know." She whispers, before stepping back and walking over to her pick-up. "I love you." She mouths before getting in.
The drive back to Biloxi is harder than the drive down. She cusses at herself for forgetting the bottle of vodka. She cusses herself for not being able to let her brothers in. For pulling herself away. Fourteen years is a long time to be without family, but she knows that for a little longer this is the way it has to be.