Sam was sure that Jack and James had a reason for being together in the middle of the night, but he didn't care at the moment. He was just glad that they were together, and he was able to talk to everyone at once. He didn't want to repeat himself, or else he might start having second thoughts.

He had only needed to bang on James' door once before James and Jack had yanked the door open. The four of them now gathered in Sam and Jess' apartment while Sam tried to pack.

"Okay, my brother's outside. My dad's missing and he wants me to go find him," Sam explained, hastily shoving his clothes into an overflowing duffel bag. He didn't have time to fold.

"Don't you have that –" Jack began, glancing between Sam and Jess.

"I know," Sam interrupted. "But I can't exactly leave Dean alone in this. I should be back in time. If not – well, I'm going to become a lawyer. I'm sure I can convince them to reschedule if I really am that good at arguing." He shrugged.

"I don't know about this," Jess muttered, doubtful. She crossed her arms, giving Sam a look.

"Can't I just go?" James offered. "I'm not all that out of practice," he argued, demonstrating some clumsy martial arts move.

Sam knew that James knew karate very well, so he had no idea why James was trying to make a joke right now. Sam shook his head, forcing the duffel shut. "If this is about the Demon, then Dean will need someone who knows about it – and that's me."

"Can't James go with you then?" Jess begged. "This sounds really dangerous."

Jack nodded his agreement. "You could die."

"I need you to stay here," Sam said instead of acknowledging Jack's comment.

"What? It's so he can protect me isn't it?" Jess scoffed. "I'm not defenceless, Sam."

"I know you're not, Jess but this thing is dangerous. It's come after my dad's friends before whenever he got too close," he argued. "I don't want to lose any of you," he added.

"Also, Jess looks like your mother," Jack added. "She's blonde too." He had been incredibly freaked out when he had learned that. James had been too but a long, awkward talk with Brady-the-psychology-major had given him some understanding. But Sam still thought that Freud was wrong, Brady too.

Sam rolled his eyes. Dean blasted the horn, without any regard to the number of angry students now awake. "I love you too, guys," he deadpanned. Sam softened. "Seriously though, stay safe," he continued, taking a long look at Jess.

She smiled, comfortingly. "I'll be fine, Sam," she insisted. "You've just got an overactive imagination."

"You have one too," Sam defended, half-heartedly. He slung his duffel bag over his shoulder.

Jess rolled her eyes. "You're not psychic, Sam."

Sam snorted. "Bye. Promise me that you'll be alright?"

Dean honked again.

"Go, Sam," Jess said.

"We'll be fine," Jack assured him.

"Yeah, as long as Popsicle here doesn't melt," James joked, he shared a look with Jack that Sam didn't have the time to decipher.

Sam rolled his eyes. He quickly kissed Jess and rushed down to where Dean was waiting. "Bye, guys! Please don't burn to death!" He called as he ran.

Sam stopped at the bottom of the stairs and took a moment to catch his breath. "They'll be fine," he assured himself.

~An Unlikely Friendship~

Sam stared out of the window, watching trees and cars stream by. Trying to put Constance Welch to rest had left him exhausted. His chest ached.

If they continued at this rate, he would get back home in plenty of time. With that thought in mind, Sam allowed his exhaustion to catch up on him. He had forgotten how tiring hunting could be.

Sam didn't realise he had fallen asleep until he saw Jessica, with tears in her eyes, dressed in white. She stared at him, wide eyed and gasping, with red coating her stomach.

This time she wasn't on the ceiling. Jessica was backed up in a corner, crying.

James was in this dream too. He was slumped against a wall, bleeding from his head, blood pooling around his leg.

Sam woke up with a gasp, startling Dean. He glanced over from the road, stretched out in front of them.

"You okay, Sammy?" He asked, worriedly.

Sam nodded, gasping. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just… hurry, please," he begged.

Dean nodded, shooting worried glances as he pressed down on the accelerator.

Sam leaned back and pressed his hand against his heart. "It's just a dream," he whispered. "Just a really, vivid, recurring dream."

~An Unlikely Friendship~

Jess shot up in her bed with a scream caught in her throat. She had just seen her own death, again.

She had blamed Sam for it, originally. He had gotten her worked up. But now, her dream had changed, and Sam wasn't there to worry her.

She had seen Sam this time. James too.

Sam had been pinned to a wall by a wooden stake through his stomach. Jess was horrified to see the blood pouring from his mouth.

James had been slumped against the wall, their wall, with flames and blood surrounding him.

It had been horrifying.

Jess's hands shook at the memory. She squeezed her eyes shut, only to open them quickly as she saw the imprint of Sam and James, dying, still remained.

"James!" She croaked.

James had decided to sleep on their couch. He had claimed that he wanted to keep a better eye on her, but she had noticed that Jack had hovered over James for most of the day.

Clearly the pair had shared something since she had last seen them both. Jess normally wouldn't ask, she would just be happy that they were getting along. But both were clearly unsettled by whatever it was that was between them. Jess didn't want to be worried about Sam, James and Jack. But she was worried.

James burst into her bedroom. She hadn't called him loudly. He must have still been awake. He did look like he had had a sleepless night.

"Jess?" James answered, visibly relaxing when he saw her unharmed. He loosened his grip on the shotgun, leaning it against the wall.

"Are you alright?" She asked, needlessly. Jess wanted to make sure that James wasn't bleeding, but he was clearly not alright.

James laughed breathlessly. "Shouldn't I be asking you?" He wondered. He took a deep breath. "I'm fine," James insisted.

"He's lying," Jack cut across, poking his head in through the door.

Jess hadn't known the spirit was still here. She had thought that he would have had to leave to spread winter outside. She said so.

Jack gave a significant look to James. "I've got incentive to stay," he insisted. "James thinks Sam isn't the only 'psychic' in the group " Jack teased but he bit his lip, worriedly.

Jess frowned. "You too?" She asked. "You don't just think that Sam's got you worried?"

Something in her tone must have given away her own fears because James and Jack both shot her a look of shared worried.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Jess told them, refusing to explain her dreams. "Go back to sleep, James. You too, Jack," she ordered.

Jack looked like he wanted to argue but James cut him off, wordlessly, by picking up his shotgun and heading out to the couch. Jess didn't miss the tight grip he kept on the gun, she doubted Jack did either.

"It'll be fine," she promised.

Jack remained in the door frame for a long moment, glancing over his shoulder between her and James. "Sure," he said, his disbelief plain to hear. "We'll be fine. They're just dreams."