There are quick flashes of Dean being tormented, his eyes flicking back and forth, his face covered in blood.
Suddenly Jamie sits straight up and gasps for breath. "Dean!" Tears stream down her face. "I'm sorry big brother, I'm so sorry." She says quietly as she pulls the blanket off her and gets up. She looks thinner and her eyes have dark circles. Her hair, strawberry blonde and grown out, is up in a messy ponytail. She changes into ripped up jeans and goes over to Dean's bag, which lies in the corner of her room. She takes out one of Dean's black t-shirts and pulls it on. It's baggy on her frame. After a moment she picks up Dean's leather jacket and slips it on. She sniffs in the scent. A tear falls down her cheek.
She looks into the mirror and suddenly gasps and puts her hand on her head. She sees flashes of trees, laying on the ground as if an unearthly powerful blast had felled them. Opening her eyes she grabs her chest. "Dean…" She whispers, her eyes widening. They fall on the keys on the table. She grabs them and rushes out of the room.
As she drives she suddenly has a flash of Dean, his chest torn open by hellhounds. She breaths heavily, a tear falling down her cheek. She gets more flashes of Dean's suffering in hell. An hour goes by when she sees her phone go off, an unknown number popping up. She glances back at the road and lets it go to voicemail. The caller doesn't leave a message, but her heart is pounding in her chest. She sees a gas station and grabs unto her chest again. She can already see a figure in the phone booth turning towards her.
Jamie's black pick-up pulls up to the gas station. Dean's eyes light up. He goes out to her. Jamie gets out of the truck and looks at him. He grins, opening his arms. "You son of a bitch." Jamie stalks towards him and slaps him across the face.
"Ow."
"Dean." She wraps her arms around him and holds him tight. He hugs her back. She buries her face into his shoulder, taking in the feel, the smell of him.
"Yeah. I'm happy to see you too." He holds her close to him, his chin on her head. For a long time they don't speak, until finally Dean pulls back to look at her. "Is that my shirt?"
Jamie pulls back and glances down. She glances up at him and shrugs. "You weren't using it."
There's a pounding on the door, and Bobby's hand appears to open it. On the doorstep is Jamie. Dean is standing behind her looking winded and apprehensive. He smiles cautiously. Bobby looks at them suspiciously.
"Surprise." Dean says.
Jamie is looking straight at Bobby. "I told you."
Bobby stares wide-eyed at the siblings. "I, I don't..."
Dean nods, understanding. "Yeah, me neither." He and Jamie enter the house. "But here I am."
Behind his back, Bobby takes a silver knife. As Dean approaches, Bobby lunges forward and slashes at him. Dean grabs his arm and twists it around; Bobby breaks the grip and backhands him in the face. Jamie grabs Bobby's arm and pulls him backward. "Bobby!"
"Bobby! It's me!" Dean holds his hands up innocently.
"My ass! Get off me Jamie!" Jamie tightens her grip as Dean shoves a chair between himself and the angry hunter.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! Your name is Robert Steven Singer. You became a hunter after your wife got possessed, and... you're about the closest thing I have to a father. Bobby. It's me." Dean pleads. Jamie finally lets go of him. Bobby lowers the knife, steps forward slowly. He places a hand gently on Dean's shoulder. Suddenly he slashes again, but Dean quickly subdues and disarms him. "I am not a shapeshifter!"
"Then you're a Revenant!" Bobby accuses. Jamie sighs and rolls her eyes. Dean shoves Bobby away, having taken the knife. He holds it out in front of him and locks eyes with his sister. After a moment Jamie nods.
"Alright. If I was either, could I do this – with a silver knife?" Dean rolls up his left sleeve, and, grimacing, slices his arm above the elbow with the knife. A line of blood appears.
Bobby watches, starting to believe it. "Dean?"
Jamie smirks as she walks over to her brother. "In the flesh. Literally." She picks up a clean rag and ties it around Dean's arm. She holds his arm up, close to his chest to stop the bleeding.
"That's what I've been trying to tell you."
Bobby breaks, grabbing Dean and Jamie both in for a tight hug. Dean returns the hug with enthusiasm, relief on his face. They pull apart.
"It's... It's good to see you, boy."
"Yeah, you too."
"But... how did you bust out?"
Bobby and Dean look at Jamie. The blonde holds her hands up innocently. "I know nothing. I swear."
Dean shakes his head. "I don't know. I just, uh, I just woke up in a pine box..."
Suddenly, Bobby pulls out a bottle and goes to splash water in Dean's face. Jamie, startled, holds her hand out and sends the bottle flying. Water splashes on both her and Dean. Dean pauses, spits and looks at his sister. Jamie shrugs. He looks back at Bobby. "I'm not a demon either, you know."
Bobby shrugs, getting a towel. They go further into the house, Dean wipes his face with a towel and hands it to Jamie. "But... that don't make a lick of sense."
"Yeah. Yeah, you're preachin' to the choir."
Bobby stops and looks at Dean. "Dean. Your chest was ribbons, your insides were slop. And you've been buried four months. Even if you could slip out of hell and back into your meat suit –"
"I know, I should look like a Thriller video reject."
"What do you remember?"
"Not much. I remember I was a Hellhound's chew toy, and then... lights out. Then I come to six feet under, that was it." Bobby sits as Dean talks.
"You're lying." Jamie mutters from against the doorway where she was leaning.
Bobby perks up. "What?"
Jamie shakes her head. "Nevermind." She gives Dean a look. Dean frowns.
"So uh…Sam's number's not working. He's, uh... he's not..."
Bobby looks back at Dean. "Oh, he's alive. As far as I know."
Jamie moves closer to them. "Of course he's alive."
"Good... Wait, what do you mean, as far as you know?"
"I haven't talked to him for months."
Dean looks surprised. He turns to Jamie. "Neither have I." She tells him.
"You're kidding, you just let him go off by himself? Jamie, what about that twin thing you two have? What happened to that?"
Jamie avoids his eyes. She runs her fingers absentmindedly along the table. "Sam and I had a falling out."
"Why? What happened?"
Jamie glances at Bobby and then at the floor. "He wouldn't let me deal."
"What?" Dean stares at his sister.
"He was dead set on leaving." Bobby speaks up to get the heat off Jamie.
Dean turns back to him. "Bobby, you should've been looking after him."
Bobby stands up at the accusation. "I tried. These last months haven't been exactly easy, you know. For any of us. We had to bury you."
Dean stops, considering something. "Why did you bury me, anyway?"
"I wanted you salted and burned. Usual drill. But... Sam and Jamie wouldn't have it."
Dean looks at his sister. "Well, I'm glad you won that one."
Jamie shrugs. "I said you'd need a body when we got you back home somehow."
"And that's about all Sam said." Bobby adds.
Dean nods turning back to Jamie. "Yeah about that. What do you mean, he wouldn't let you deal?"
Jamie scoffs. "I'm the one who got away. If anyone's soul had a hefty price tag on it, it would be mine. I'm the one whose worth something. If we were gonna get you back, it would be with my soul."
"JAMIE!" Dean grabs his sister by the shoulders. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"I wasn't thinking, Dean! You were dead! You left me! All I knew was that my big brother was in a freakin pine box and I could do something about it!"
Tears fall Jamie's face. Dean stares at her. Bobby grabs Dean's shoulders. "Sam didn't let Jamie deal. He stopped her. Then he took off."
Jamie looks away. "I tried to find him, but he didn't want to be found."
Dean sighs, stepping back from his sister. "Oh, damnit, Sammy."
"What?" Jamie stares up at him.
"Oh, he got me home okay. But whatever he did, it is bad mojo."
"What makes you so sure?"
Jamie gets an odd look in her eyes. "The trees."
Dean looks at her and then at Bobby. "You should have seen the grave site. It was like a nuke went off. And then there was this... this force, this presence, I don't know, but it, it blew past me at a fill-up joint. And then this." He strips his overshirt, pulls up his sleeve to reveal the brand.
Bobby leaps up. "What in the hell?"
Jamie's eyes widen. "Dean…"
"It was like a demon just yanked me out. Or rode me out."
"But why?"
"To hold up their end of the bargain." Dean says automatically.
Bobby and Jamie look at each other. "You think Sam made a deal." Bobby says. "To protect Jamie."
Dean shrugs. "It's what I would have done."
Jamie sighs. "I haven't…I don't know for sure that Sam did that. I mean, I would probably know if he did…But…Dean I don't have any other explanation for how you got out. I just know I woke the morning and…I had a feeling. So I drove out and found my brother alive. No vision of you rising from hell, no weird psychic thing, just a feeling."
Dean nods. "Well, all I know is we have to find Sam." He takes out his phone and dials a number. Jamie goes into the kitchen and gets the laptop. "Yeah, hi, I have a cell phone account with you guys, and uh, I lost my phone. I was wondering if you could turn the GPS on for me. Yeah. Name's Wedge Antilles. Social is 2-4-7-4. Thank you." DEAN hangs up the phone and crosses to the laptop on the table.
Bobby looks impressed. "How'd you know he'd use that name?"
"You kiddin' me? What don't I know about that kid?" The laptop is open to a web browser; Dean types in the address for ARC MOBILE. He sees liquor bottles scattered around and picks one up. "Hey, Bobby? What's the deal with the liquor store? What, are your parents out of town or something?"
Bobby glances over. "Ask your sister."
Dean looks at Jamie.
"Don't ask your sister." She says, her voice level. "Sam's in Pontiac, Illinois." The laptop beeps, and Dean turns to it. The display shows a city map with a blue arrow pointing to a star. The locator reads:
Phone Location:
263 Adams Road
Pontiac, Illinois.
Bobby glances at it. "Right near where you were planted."
"Right where I popped up. Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?" Dean looks up at Jamie. She stares at him.
Dean, Jamie, and Bobby walk down a dingy motel hallway and knock on a door with the number 207 inside a red heart. The door is opened by a beautiful young woman with dark hair, wearing only a tank top and underwear. She looks at them expectantly. "So where is it?"
Dean looks at Bobby, confused. "Where's what?"
"The pizza... that takes three people to deliver?"
Jamie eyes the woman and then looks at Dean.
Dean looks back at her. "I think we got the wrong room." Sam steps into the light. He is grim and focused, and wears a grey t-shirt and jeans.
"Hey, is..." He stops dead when he sees Dean. He swallows, shocked, his eyes flicking between Dean, Jamie and Bobby.
Dean's voice almost breaks. "Heya, Sammy."
Sam is silent. Dean steps into the room, ignoring the woman, who steps aside to let him in. As Dean gets close, Sam pulls a knife and lunges at Dean. The woman screams; Jamie knocks her back as she steps into the room. Dean blocks Sam's attack and Jamie pulls Sam off, gripping him around the shoulders. Sam struggles. "Who are you?!" Sam yells.
"Like you didn't do this?!" Dean yells back.
"Do what?!"
"Stop it you two, right now." Jamie grunts as Sam struggles in her arms.
Bobby walks over to Sam. "It's him. It's him. I've been through this already, it's really him."
Sam stares at Dean. "What..."
Dean advances cautiously, staring at Sam. "I know. I look fantastic, huh?"
Jamie lets go of Sam, who looks on the verge of tears as he steps forward and pulls Dean into a desperate hug. Dean pulls Jamie in and they embrace for several seconds, heavy with emotion, as Bobby looks on with tears in his eyes. Sam pushes Dean and Jamie back to arm's length. The woman is looking on, looking confused.
"So are you like... together?"
"What? No. No. He's my brother." Sam stops for a beat and glances at Jamie. "And she's my sister."
"Uh... got it. I... I guess. Look, I should probably go."
"Yeah. Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Sorry."
Sam, now wearing a white button-down, opens the door to let the woman, now dressed in a blue plaid shirt, out. Jamie walks in, no longer wearing Dean's jacket but Sam's brown plaid button down instead.
"So, call me."
"Yeah. Yeah, sure thing, Kathy."
"Kristy." Jamie and the woman say at the same time. She raises an eyebrow at Jamie. Jamie shrugs with a smirk.
"Right." She leaves, and Sam shuts the door. He turns back to Jamie whose smirking. "Don't say anything." Jamie snickers as they walk back into the room and sit down. Dean is standing above them, arms crossed. He and Bobby are both looking at Sam suspiciously.
"So tell me, what'd it cost?" Dean asks.
Sam grins. "The girl? I don't pay, Dean."
"That's not funny, Sam. To bring me back. What'd it cost? Was it just your soul, or was it something worse?"
"You think I made a deal?"
"That's exactly what they think." Jamie says, picking at her nails.
Sam turns to her. "What do you think?"
"You tell me."
"Well, I didn't."
Dean stares darkly at Sam. "Don't lie to me."
"I'm not lying."
Dean advances toward him. "So what now, I'm off the hook and you're on, is that it? You're some demon's bitch-boy? I didn't want to be saved like this."
Jamie stands up. "Dean, easy."
Sam stands up. "Look, Dean, I wish I had done it, all right?" He says angrily.
Dean grabs Sam by the front of his shirt. "You did it to keep Jamie from doing it, right?"
"I was trying to protect her."
"I'm standing right here!"
"By dealing yourself in instead? There's no other way that this could have gone down. Now tell the truth!"
Sam breaks Dean's grip. "I tried everything. That's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate. Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, all right? You were rotting in Hell for months. For months, and I couldn't stop it. So I'm sorry it wasn't me, all right? Dean, I'm sorry."
Dean finally relents. "It's okay, Sammy. You don't have to apologize, I believe you." Jamie looks at him. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, Jamie."
Bobby finally speaks up. "Don't get me wrong, I'm gladdened that Sam's soul remains intact, but it does raise a sticky question."
"If he didn't pull me out, then what did?"
Jamie runs her hand through her hair and sits down. "Oh god."
SAM passes out bottles of beer, then sits across from Dean. The older brother turns and looks at him. "So what were you doing around here if you weren't digging me out of my grave?"
Sam pauses. "Well, once I figured out I couldn't save you, I started hunting down Lilith, trying to get some payback."
Bobby raises an eyebrow. "All by yourself. Who do you think you are, your old man?" Bobby asks accusingly. Jamie scoffs a little and Bobby glances at her. "Or your sister."
Jamie smirks at that comment. Dean sees something, frowns, and crosses towards it. Sam looks down. "Uh, yeah, I'm sorry. I should have called. I was pretty messed up." Dean picks up what he'd seen, a pink flowered bra. He holds it up.
"Oh yeah. I really feel your pain. No excuse to abandon big brother duties though." Dean and Sam both look over at Jamie.
Jamie gets an irritated look on her face. " First of all, I'm 24. You think because my boyfriend is dead I can't handle myself? Second of all," She gestures wildly to Sam. "He is not my big brother, and he never will be."
Dean smirks a little. Sam looks away. "Anyways, uh, I was checking these demons out of Tennessee, and out of nowhere they took a hard left, booked up here."
"When?" Dean asks.
"Yesterday morning."
"When I busted out."
Bobby turns to Dean. "You think these demons are here 'cause of you?"
"But why?" Sam asks.
"Well, I don't know – some badass demon drags me out and now this? It's gotta be connected somehow."
Jamie looks over at Dean. "How you feeling, anyway?"
"I'm a little hungry."
"No, I mean, do you feel like yourself? Anything strange, or different?"
"Or demonic? Jamie, how many times do I have to prove I'm me?"
Jamie rolls her eyes. "Bobby."
"Yeah. Well, listen. No demon's letting you loose out of the goodness of their hearts. They've gotta have something nasty planned." Bobby explains.
"Well, I feel fine."
Sam gets up. "Okay, look, we don't know what they're planning. We got a pile of questions and no shovel. We need help. Jamie, you know nothing?"
Jamie stares up at him. "Like I told Dean…I didn't see what pulled him out. I didn't even see him. I just felt it."
"You try getting in Dean's head?"
"Hey!"
"Yes. And nothing is in there that tells me anything."
Dean gets a weird look. "Oh."
Bobby gets up. "I know a psychic. A few hours from here. Something this big, maybe she's heard the other side talking."
"Hell yeah, it's worth a shot."
"I'll be right back." Bobby leaves. Jamie and Dean get up. Sam puts his hand on Dean's shoulder.
"Hey, probably want this back." Sam reaches into his shirt and pulls out a cord. It's Dean's amulet. He takes it off and places it in Dean's hand. Dean looks at it, touched.
"Thanks."
"Yeah, don't mention it." He watches Dean put the necklace on. "Hey Dean, what was it like?"
Dean is taken aback a little. "What, Hell? I don't know, I, I must have blacked it out. I don't remember a damn thing."
Sam nods. "Well, thank God for that."
"Yeah."
He and Sam turn away. Jamie stares at Dean's back. "Liar." She whispers quietly.
A little bit later, Sam is asleep in a chair. Jamie is asleep in his bed. Dean gets up and goes into the bathroom. Jamie opens her eyes. She sees Dean's bloody, terrified face, with screams and eerie sounds. She gasps softly, getting up and walking over to the bathroom. She waves her hand just a little and the bathroom door swings open, startling Dean who has been standing in the mirror. They both stare at each other, gasping.
"Jamie." Dean whispers.
Just then the door to the room opens, waking Sam and revealing Bobby. "Come on, time to go." Bobby says. Dean walks past Jamie and grabs Sam's bag. Jamie puts Sam's shirt back on and unrolls the sleeves down her elbows. Dean follows Bobby outside, but Sam hangs back, watching Jamie.
"You cold?" he finally asks.
"Dean took his jacket back." She says flatly as she walks past him. They go outside.
"She's about four hours down the Interstate. Try to keep up." Bobby gets in his car.
"I assume you'll want to drive." Sam pulls the keys out of his right pocket and tosses them at Dean, who catches them easily.
Dean chuckles. "Oh, I almost forgot!" he approaches the Impala and runs a hand along it lovingly. "Hey, sweetheart, did you miss me?" He gets in the driver's side, settles in. He sees an iPod plugged into the stereo, pauses, and gives it a dirty look. Jamie leans in from the backseat. Sam gets into the passenger's seat, smiling. Dean glares at him. "What the hell is that?"
"That's an iPod jack."
"You were supposed to take care of her, not douche her up."
"Dean, I thought it was my car."
"Jamie, if I die again, the car goes to you."
"Heh." Jamie snickers.
Dean sneers, sighs, and turns the key in the ignition. "Vision" by Jason Manns begins to play. Dean rolls his eyes and glares at Sam again, looking pained. "Really?"
SAM shrugs innocently. Dean rips the iPod out of the jack and tosses it back to Jamie who puts it on the seat beside her.
They drive for awhile before Dean speaks up. "There's still one thing that's bothering me."
Sam leans over. "Yeah?"
"Yeah, the night that I bit it. Or... got bit." he chuckles at his own wit. "How'd you two make it out? I thought Lilith was going to kill you."
"Well, she tried. She couldn't."
"What do you mean, she couldn't?"
Jamie leans forward. "She fired this, like, burning light at Sam, and... didn't leave a scratch."
Sam nods. "It was like I was immune or something."
"Immune?"
"Yeah. I don't know who was more surprised, her or me. Then Jamie was back to normal, and she can't touch either of us. She left pretty fast after that."
"Huh. What about Ruby, where is she?"
"Dead." Sam replies.
"For now." Jamie adds.
Dean bites his lip, like he's not sure he wants to ask. "So you've been using your, uh, freaky ESP stuff?"
"No."
"You sure about that? Well, I mean, now that you've got... immunity, whatever the hell that is... just wondering what other kind of weirdo crap you've got going on."
"Nothing, Dean. Look, you didn't want me to go down that road, so I didn't go down that road. It was practically your dying wish."
"Yeah, well, let's keep it that way."
Sam broods. Jamie sighs.
The sun is up when they finally reach the house. They knock on the door, and Pamela opens it. She is in her thirties, strong and beautiful with a ready smile and dark hair. "Bobby!" She grabs him into a hug, lifting him briefly off the ground. Sam, Jamie, and Dean share a look.
"You're a sight for sore eyes." Bobby tells her.
Pamela steps back and looks Sam, Jamie, and Dean up and down appraisingly. "So, these the Winchesters?"
Bobby nods. "Sam, Jamie, Dean. This is Pamela Barnes, best damn psychic in the state."
"Hey." Dean says, flirting a little.
"Hi." Sam replies, a little awkward.
Jamie just rolls her eyes. "Hello."
Pamela looks Dean up and down. "Mmm-mmm-mmm. Dean Winchester. Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual."
"If you say so."
"Come on in." Pamela ushers them in, first Bobby, then Dean, then Jamie, then Sam, and shuts the door behind them.
"So, you hear anything?" Bobby asks.
"Well, I Ouija'd my way through a dozen spirits. No one seems to know who broke your boy out, or why."
"So what's next?"
"A séance, I think. See if we can see who did the deed."
"You're not gonna... summon the damn thing here."
"No. I just want to get a sneak peek at it. Like a crystal ball without the crystal."
Dean nods. "I'm game."
Pamela leads them into another room and spreads a black tablecloth covered in symbols over a small table. Jamie, Sam and Dean look at it warily; Dean cocks his head as Pamela squats in front of a cabinet, revealing a scrawled tattoo across her lower back that reads: Jesse Forever
"Who's Jesse?" He asks.
Pamela laughs. "Well, it wasn't forever."
"His loss."
Pamela stands with several pillar candles in her hands, stops in front of Dean with a smirk. "Might be your gain." As she passes by, Dean turns to Sam and lowers his voice.
"Dude, I am so in."
Sam smirks. "Yeah, she's gonna eat you alive."
"Hey, I just got out of jail. Bring it."
Jamie looks at her brothers. "Will you two shut up."
Pamela passes by and winks at Sam. "You're invited too, grumpy."
Dean looks at Sam. "You are NOT invited."
Jamie smirks. Pamela walks over to her. "Jamie, I could use your help."
"Ew…" Dean says quietly as Jamie follows the psychic.
Later Pamela, Bobby, Sam, Jamie, and Dean are seated around the small table, which now has six lighted candles in the center. "Right. Take each other's hands." Pam instructs. "And I need to touch something our mystery monster touched." She slides her hand along Dean's inner thigh. He jumps.
"Whoa. Well, he didn't touch me there."
"My mistake."
Dean looks around, nervous, then takes off his outer shirt, pulls up his left t-shirt sleeve to reveal the brand. Sam stares at it, shocked, looks at Bobby and Jamie. Pamela lays her hand on the brand.
"Okay." All five close their eyes as she begins to chant. "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle.
I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle." a television flicks on to static; she continues. "I invoke, conjure, and command... Castiel? No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy."
"Castiel?" Dean asks.
"It's name." Jamie tells him.
"It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back." white noise and static continues, and the table begins to shake. "I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face."
As the white noise and rattling become more violent, Bobby speaks up. "Maybe we should stop."
Pamela shakes her head. "I almost got it. I command you, show me your face! Show me your face now!"
Jamie suddenly tenses. "NO!" She screams dropping Dean and Sam's hands and opening her eyes. Suddenly the candles flare up several feet in the air and Pamela begins to scream. Her eyes fly open and are filled with a white-hot flame. She collapses; the rattling, white noise, and flames die out. Jamie rubs her eyes, breathing heavily as she falls back.
Bobby catches Pamela and lowers her to the floor. "Call 9-1-1!"
SAM scrambles out of his chair and into the next room. Dean crouches over Pamela, Jamie, and Bobby. He grabs unto Jamie, turning her around and looks her up and down. She's okay. He holds her tight. Pamela is conscious, but bleeding and burned. Her eyelids fly open to reveal black, empty sockets. She sobs. "I can't see! I can't see! Oh god!"
That night Dean is sitting at a diner table giving his order to a Waitress. Jamie is sitting beside him, her face in her hands.
"Be up in a jiff." The waitress says. As she leaves, Sam enters, talking on his cell phone.
"You bet." He says into the phone as he sits down.
"What'd Bobby say?" Dean asks.
"Pam's stable. And out of I.C.U."
Jamie looks up, taking her hands down from her face. "And blind, because of us."
Dean puts his hand on her back. "Yeah, did you get anything right before….that happened?
Jamie shakes her head. "No."
"Great, we still have no clue who we're dealing with." Sam says.
Dean leans back. "That's not entirely true."
"No?"
"We got a name. Castiel, or whatever. With the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us."
"You're crazy. Absolutely not." Sam shakes his head. Jamie looks away.
"We'll work him over. I mean, after what he did?"
Jamie looks at Dean. "Pam took a peek at him and her eyes burned out of her skull, and you want to have a face to face?" She glances quickly at Sam and then back to their big brother.
"You got a better idea?" Dean eyes both his siblings whirly.
Sam nods. "Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. I followed some demons to town, right?"
"Okay."
"So, we go find them. Someone's gotta know something about something."
The Waitress reappears with three plates of pie. She sets them on the table. "Thanks." Jamie says softly. As she looks up the Waitress then plops down in a chair at the end of the table. Dean looks at her, smirking.
"You angling for a tip?"
"Dean." Jamie grabs her brother's arm.
"I'm sorry. Thought you were looking for us." The waitress's eyes go demon-black for a moment; a uniformed man by the counter and a cook behind the counter also show the demon-black; the man goes to the door, locks it, and stands in front of it.
The Waitress's eyes go back to normal. "Dean. To hell and back. Aren't you a lucky duck."
"That's me."
"So you get to just stroll out of the pit, huh? Tell me. What makes you so special?"
"I like to think it's because of my perky nipples. I don't know. Wasn't my doing, I don't know who pulled me out."
"Right. You don't."
"No. I don't."
"Lying's a sin, you know."
"I'm not lying. But I'd like to find out, so if you wouldn't mind enlightening me, Flo..."
"Mind your tone with me, boy. I'll drag you back to hell myself."
Jamie grips Dean's arm harder. Sam, who has been staring daggers at the waitress through this exchange, shifts as if to attack. Dean holds a hand up and Sam stops, settles back into his seat.
"No, you won't."
"No?"
"No. Because if you were you would have done it already. Fact is, you don't know who cut me loose. And you're just as spooked as we are. And you're looking for answers. Well, maybe it was some turbo-charged spirit. Or, uh, Godzilla. Or some big bad boss demon. I'm guessing at your pay grade that they don't tell you squat. Because whoever it was, they want me out. And they're a lot stronger than you. So go ahead. Send me back. But don't come crawling to me when they show up on your front doorstep with some Vaseline and a fire hose."
"I'm going to reach down your throat and rip out your lungs."
Dean leans forward, a challenge in his eyes. Jamie lets go of him and he throws a right hook at the demon, which she takes. He throws another. She still does nothing but glare at them, looking more and more nervous.
"That's what I thought. Let's go, guys." They stand, and the demon sits there, fuming. Dean pulls a roll of cash out of his pocket and carefully peels off a ten dollar bill. He holds it up and drops it on the table like an insult. "For the pie." He wraps an arm around his sister's shoulders and pulls his brother's shirt with his other hand. The Winchesters stalk out of the diner and across the street, tense and quick. "Holy crap, that was close."
Sam glances back. "We're not just going to leave them in there, are we, Dean?"
"Sam are you serious?" Jamie asks.
"Well yeah, there's three of them, probably more, and we've only got one knife between us."
"Correction. I have one knife, and you two have nothing."
Sam looks at his sister. "You have the knife?"
The knife floats out of Jamie's belt and then flies back in. Dean and Sam are both impressed.
"Wow."
"Yeah."
Sam is determined not to be one uped. "I've been killing a lot more demons than that lately."
Dean smirks. "Not anymore – the smarter brother's back in town."
"Dean, we've got to take 'em. They are dangerous."
"They're scared. Okay? Scared of whatever had the juice to yank me out. We're dealing with a bad mofo here. One job at a time."
Jamie stops, watching her brothers walk off. "This is not going to end well."
Later that night Dean is dozing on the bed in their motel with a large book open in his lap. Jamie is asleep beside him, her head propped against his side. Sam sneaks out, checking to make sure they don't wake.
As Dean and Jamie sleep, the television flicks on to the now-familiar static, and the radio starts whining as well. It wakes Dean, who rubs the sleep out of his eyes and reaches over. He shakes Jamie's shoulder and puts his hand over her mouth. She opens her eyes and gets out of bed, grabbing Ruby's knife from the bedside table. Dean rolls quickly to grab a shotgun lying by the bed. He looks around cautiously, glances at Sam's bed and sees that it is empty. He grimaces. The painfully high-pitched noise begins again, and he grabs his right ear, keeping the weapon up in his left hand. A mirror on the ceiling shatters and rains broken glass down on him. He grabs his sister and shields her. They crumple to the ground, Dean is clutching both ears as all the glass in the room shatters explosively. Dean screams, but Jamie is quiet.
Bobby bursts into the room as more glass shatters. "Dean! Jamie!"
Bobby drives his car as Dean, in the passenger's seat, wipes blood from his face. Jamie is in the backseat frowning.
"How you doin', kids?"
"Aside from the church bells ringing in my head, peachy. Jamie, you alright?"
"Yeah. I'm fine." Jamie doesn't look nearly as bad as Dean.
Dean pulls out his cell phone and dials Sam's number. "What are you doing?" He asks, switching it speakerphone so Jamie and Bobby can hear.
"Couldn't sleep, went to get a burger."
"In my car?"
"Force of habit, sorry. What are you doing up?"
"Well, uh, Bobby's back. We're going to grab a beer with Jamie." On Bobby's shocked look, Dean holds up a finger. Jamie is still frowning.
"All right, well, uh, spill some for me, huh?"
"Done. Catch you later." They hang up.
Bobby looks over at Dean. "Why the hell didn't you tell him?"
"Because he just tried to stop us."
"From what?"
"Summoning this thing." BOBBY looks at him in shock. Again. "It's time we faced it head-on."
Jamie leans in. "Dean, we can't. Not without Sam."
"You can't be serious!" Bobby yells.
"As a heart attack. It's high noon, baby."
"Well, we don't know what it is. It could be a demon, it could be anything."
"It could be something we can't kill." Jamie adds.
"That's why we've got to be ready for anything." Dean reaches behind the seat to his sister and pulls Ruby's knife out of Jamie's belt. "We've got the big-time magic knife, you've got an arsenal in the trunk..."
"This is a bad idea."
"Yeah, I couldn't agree more, but what other choice do we have?"
Jamie pauses for a moment. "We could choose life."
"Look, whatever this is, whatever it wants, it's after me. That much we know, right? I've got no place to hide. I can either get caught with my pants down again, or we can make our stand."
"Dean, Jamie's right, we could use Sam on this."
"Nah, he's better off where he is."
Jamie sinks into the backseat. "Oh please tell me you didn't just say that."
Jamie draws a symbol with white spray paint on the cement floor of a warehouse. The entire floor, walls, and ceiling of the empty rectangular warehouse are covered in similar images.
Dean is at a table, setting up equipment. "That's a hell of an art project you've got going there."
Jamie is admiring her work. "Traps and talismans from every faith on the globe." She turns to Dean. "How you doin?"
"Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife. I mean, we're pretty much set to catch and kill anything I've ever heard of."
"This is still a bad idea." Bobby says, walking over to them with a book.
"Yeah, Bobby, I heard you the first ten times. What do you say we ring the dinner bell?"
Bobby nods reluctantly. "Get over here, Jamie. You're better at this then I am."
"I like how it's only me you'll admit is better then you." Jamie says with a smirk as she walks over to Bobby.
"Yeah well, you got the tongue for Latin."
"Jamie if things get dicey you get the hell out of here, you understand me." Dean tells her.
"Dean, I watched a hellhound devour my big brother. I can handle anything right about now, except seeing you die again, so leave it alone." She goes over to another desk, takes a pinch of some powder from a bowl, and sprinkles it into a larger bowl, which begins to smoke. She chants in Latin.
Nothing happens. Eventually they sit on the tables, swinging their legs and looking bored.
"You sure you did the ritual right?" Jamie gives Dean a look. "Sorry."
As if on cue, a loud rattling shakes the roof. Jamie, Dean, and Bobby arm themselves with shotguns and take positions at the far end of the warehouse. The door bursts open and a handsome man in a business suit and trenchcoat stalks in. He is Castiel. The light bulbs above his head shatter in a shower of sparks as he passes them. As he approaches, Jamie, Dean, and Bobby all open fire, but the shots do not even slow him down. Dean takes the knife as Castiel gets close.
"Who are you?" He asks.
"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition." Castiel replies.
"Yeah. Thanks for that." Dean rears back and plunges the knife into Castiel's chest. He looks down, unconcerned, and pulls it out, drops it to the floor.
Jamie eyes widen. Suddenly thousands of images flash before her eyes. "Oh my god." She drops to her knees in front of Castiel. Dean turns to her.
Behind him, Bobby attacks; without looking, Castiel grabs Bobby's weapon and uses it to swing him around. He touches Bobby on the forehead with fingertips and he crumples to the ground. Castiel looks at Jamie. Dean's eyes widen and he scrambles over to his sister.
"Oh no, no, no. Jamie!" He grabs his sister, forcing her to her feet and pulls her behind him.
"We need to talk, Dean. Alone." Castiel tells him.
"You aren't touching my sister."
Jamie steps out from behind Dean. She looks down. "Castiel, ego sum ad tuum servitium."
Dean crouches over Bobby, checking his pulse. He glares at Castiel, getting up and standing in front of Jamie who is staring at Castiel.
"Your friend's alive. And I've already promised not to touch your sister."
"Who are you?"
"Castiel."
"Yeah, I figured that much, I mean what are you?"
Jamie finally takes her eyes off Castiel. "He is a messenger."
"I'm an Angel of the Lord."
Dean takes a step back. "Get the hell out of here. There's no such thing."
"This is your problem, Dean. You have no faith." Lightning flashes, and on Castiel's back great shadowy wings appear, stretching off into the distance. Jamie drops to her knees again. The light goes out and the image disappears.
"Will you stop doing that." Dean pulls Jamie up. He turns to Castiel. "Some angel you are. You burned out that poor woman's eyes."
"I warned her not to spy on my true form. It can be... overwhelming to humans, and so can my real voice. But you already knew that."
"You mean the gas station and the motel. That was you talking?" Castiel nods. "Buddy, next time, lower the volume."
"That was my mistake. Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong. Jamie, you on the other hand, you possess such a gift."
Dean turns to his sister. "What? How?"
Jamie shrugs. "I don't know."
"What did he say in the motel?"
"He was talking to you as he's talking to you now."
"And what visage are you in now, huh? What, holy tax accountant?"
Castiel looks down. "This? This is... a vessel."
"You're possessing some poor bastard?"
"He's a devout man, he actually prayed for this."
"Well, I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you really?"
Castiel frowns. "I told you."
"Right. And why would an angel rescue me from Hell?"
Jamie grabs his arm. "Dean be careful what you say."
"Good things do happen, Dean."
Dean shrugs Jamie off. "Not in my experience."
"What's the matter? You don't think you deserve to be saved?"
"Why'd you do it?"
"Ecce servus domini." Jamie whispers.
"Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you."
Dean's eyes widen.
Dean and Jamie are sitting on an old car in Bobby's junk yard drinking beer. They're waiting for Sam. Dean finally turns to Jamie. "You know. Don't you? You know what happened to me in hell."
Jamie looks at him for a long moment and looks away. "Dean...I felt…I…" Tears come to her eyes. Dean gets up and walks over to her. He stands in front of her. She looks into his eyes and starts to cry. "Everything that happened you. I felt it as though it was happening to me." Tears stream down Dean's face. He wraps his arms around her and they hug. A few moments later they break away.
Dean sniffs and wipes his eyes. "I'm gonna go get another beer. You want one?"
"Yeah." Dean goes into the house. Castiel appears and stands in front of her. She looks up at him. "Ergo sum propheta Domini?"
"Magis quod." Castiel smiles just slightly. "Vox clamantis in deserto parate viam Domini rectas facite semitas eius."
Jamie shakes her head. "Quid?"
"Quia est non alia." A tear falls down Jamie's face. Castiel looks confused. He moves closer to her. "Quod est?"
"Audivi et vidi." She closes her eyes for a moment and then looks at him. "I don't know how to do this."
"Yes you do."