When morning came, Jacob was confused. He didn't remember checking into a motel at first, and his brow furrowed at the sight of the unfamiliar room. He sat up in bed and rubbed at his eyes before finally noticing that he wasn't alone in the room, and things began to make more sense.
Dean was still out cold on the other bed, taken down by the drugs from the hospital and by the exhaustion of the fight. His boots remained on, one leg hanging off the bed. Bowman remained curled up on Dean's chest, resting over his heart. The little guy had been through a lot on his own, and he was a heavy sleeper. Jacob didn't notice a reaction from either of them when he swung his legs off the bed and stood.
His phone, left on the table, had a little green light blinking to show he had a missed call. His sore back and shoulders called louder to him, and he decided to grab a quick shower before seeing who tried to contact him. If he was in trouble with his mom, a few minutes wouldn't make much difference, so he walked as lightly as he could to the room's small bathroom.
The sound of rushing water was what finally pulled Dean out of his deep sleep. His eyelids fluttered, and he groaned. He knew where he was at first even less than Jacob had. The morphine combined with the deep exhaustion kept him from having any idea how the night had ended after going to the hospital.
The sunlight leaking through the curtains was what finally got his eyes open, and he frowned in confusion.
He was in a motel room.
As normal as that might seem, the sound of the shower running in the bathroom furthered his confusion. He worked alone. Why was there someone in his room?
He lay flat on the bed, blinking blearily and trying to remember more from the night before. Did someone get the plates from that bus that ran me over?
Eventually he got enough energy to shift on the bed, and leaned up enough to discover the sling hanging from his arm. Dean dropped his head back onto the pillow. That's right. Memories of the night before came flooding back. The demon possessing Jacob. Getting attacked and his arm snapped. Barely managing to call Bobby for help while Bowman was grabbed in a fist.
Bowman!
Dean looked around, searching for the tiny sprite that had adopted him into the family long before he knew they even existed, and was shocked that Bowman wasn't where he'd left him the night before. He could swear he remembered putting the sprite on the nightstand so he was safely out of range of any unthinking movements.
Instead, there was a little green ball curled up right over Dean's heart. A leafy wing formed a blanket for Bowman, and he slumbered peacefully on despite all Dean's movements. Dean found himself watching the little guy, wondering if he could even try to get up, or if he'd wake Sam's little brother when he did.
Bowman didn't stir, but after a few minutes the sound of running water came to a stop with a subdued rattle of the pipes as they shut down. A few more minutes and Jacob emerged from the bathroom in the same clothes he'd had on, since he didn't have a change of clothes with him. He brushed his hand back through his hair to rid it of excess droplets of water.
"Ah, you're awake," he finally noticed, seeing Dean's eyes open. With the hunter still lying in bed, he hadn't realized immediately.
He picked up his phone from the table and confirmed that the missed call was indeed from his mom. He winced slightly but turned his focus back to Dean. "Looks like Bowman's still out," he remarked, not surprised in the least. "He sleeps like the dead. Is your ... is your arm feeling any better?"
"Only a little," Dean said, shaking his head. He froze up again when he saw Bowman's tiny body shift in place from the movement, afraid of waking him. Dean was still recovering from the shock of waking to finding someone the size of his finger using him as a bed. It was the last thing he'd expected. He was dangerous to them, especially when he didn't even know they were close.
"What am I supposed to do with him?" Dean whispered to Jacob. "Do we need to water him or something? You said he's like a plant, right?"
Jacob tried to subdue his smile, but really couldn't. He shook his head, biting back the temptation to agree with Dean and let him try and water the sprite. "Nah, he gets water the same way we do," he replied, stepping closer. One would think Dean was weighed down by a pile of rocks, with the way he held himself so still. He had no way of knowing that he could probably poke at Bowman several times in that state and the sprite still wouldn't wake.
"Not saying it wouldn't be a creative way to wake him up, if you wanted to hear him gripe about it for a while," Jacob said with a smirk. "I think if you pick him up and move him he'll be fine. Might roll over and bitch, but that's about it."
Jacob remembered Sam and Bowman sleeping at his campsite before. They had used Sam's glider as cover for themselves, and Bowman had slept like a stone throughout the night and a little into the morning. Sam had been the first awake out of everyone, keeping watch for his little brother by the time Jacob finally blinked himself awake.
Dean nodded, still uncertain but taking Jacob's word for it. He probably wouldn't have risked waking the little guy otherwise, especially after the night they'd all had. Bowman needed his rest as much as anyone after his legs got injured during the struggle.
As careful as he could, Dean shifted so he was sitting up more. Being down an arm made everything harder to do, and getting a sprite off his chest was no exception. He felt ridiculously big as his fingers drew close to Bowman. How in the world did these guys trust anyone so big? Especially enough to fall asleep in such a vulnerable position. Dean couldn't imagine the trust that took, and he'd only met Bowman the day before. Sam, at least, had grown up with Dean and had those years to draw upon when he'd stood willingly on a hand that could eclipse his entire body.
Bowman only had the stories of Dean he'd heard growing up, and Dean had to wonder what Sam had told them to make him so welcomed into the village. Even Jacob, after knowing them for months, hadn't been invited in until Dean appeared.
With gentle care, Dean leaned his body more and let Bowman roll right into his grasp. The tiny sprite's body weighed almost nothing as Dean was finally able to sit up and stretch his back. Remembering what they'd talked about the night before, Dean scanned the room until he found a sunbeam that stretched its way onto the bed. He let Bowman down onto the cover in the light like Bowman had said.
"Hard to believe everything that happened yesterday," Dean said as he stood from the bed, wincing at the dull pain that made his arm throb.
Bowman groaned as if in response to Dean's words, but he didn't say anything. True to Jacob's prediction, he merely rolled over sluggishly and adjusted his wings so they were at the best angle in the sunlight, and dozed off once more. The automatic response didn't even give the sprite time to notice that he'd been moved to a different spot before he was asleep again.
Jacob watched Bowman for a second more before nodding in agreement. "I've been kinda shocked about everything since Bobby first clocked me with that branch," he admitted.
It wouldn't be easy to forget the sight of his friend standing there just before the attack. Bobby had the strangest look in his eyes, and then suddenly Jacob's face erupted with pain. The lingering bruise twinged at the memory. The sight of Chase lying curled up on the ground unable to breathe came next, even in Jacob's concussed daze.
Knowing that it had been a demon causing things didn't soften the memories, didn't make the fear any less real.
"I'll have to check up with him in just a bit. Before that ... my mom is probably pissed, I didn't really tell her where I was going yesterday, and then everything happened ... I gotta come up with an alibi."
Dean pursed his lips. He hadn't really considered anything like that. It was easy to forget Jacob was just a teen after all they'd gone through in the last twenty four hours alone. In his entire life Dean had never had to explain himself like that to his dad. From a young age he'd been saddled with more responsibility than he should have been.
"Let me know if you need some support," Dean offered. He flashed his customary cocky smirk. "I've got more than a little experience with coming up with excuses. In my line of work, that's every damn day."
Jacob grinned back, easily remembering Dean's first introduction just a day before. The official-looking but fake FBI badge, the suit, and the name Jimmy Page were probably not the only "excuses" Dean had come up with in his line of work. It was a strange feeling, knowing he was working with someone who committed regular felonies.
For months, Jacob had felt like he'd stumbled into something well over his head. Discovering Sam and Bowman had certainly brought some variety into his otherwise average life.
Before he could come up with a suitable reason for going AWOL the day before, the phone buzzed in his hand. He looked at the caller ID and pursed his lips. "Here it goes, I guess."
When he answered the call and lifted it to his ear, he barely made a sound before his mother started in on him, in a volume loud enough that Jacob guessed Dean would be able to pick up on. "Jacob! Where in God's name are you?! Are you okay? I got a call from Bobby's parents, he came home and said there was some psycho out in the woods and I haven't heard from you since you said you were waiting with Chase in the hospital. I called his house and his sister said you weren't around Jacob what-"
"Woah, woah," Jacob cut in, his cheeks and ears reddening a little. "I'm fine, I just ... wait, did you say Bobby said there was a psycho out there?"
"He said the guy rushed up and attacked all three of you and he's so sorry for running off, he got scared. It makes so much more sense than him coming at you," she answered, and Jacob's brow furrowed as he glanced at Dean. There was no way that Jacob remembered it wrong. Bobby had lied to his parents and everyone else.
"But don't think that means you're in the clear, young man. Where are you? I have a shift at the bookstore in 45 minutes, you know, but if I need to come get you and drag you home, I will do it, am I clear, Jacob Andris? "
Jacob winced. "M-mom, I'm fine, I just ... I'm in town near Bobby's land, I..."
Dean practically rolled his eyes at that. Is that the best you can do? he mouthed at Jacob, wondering how such a bad liar had managed to keep the sprites and Sam a secret for so long. He held out a hand, a clearly expectant look on his face.
Jacob handed over the cell phone sheepishly, and Dean held it up to his ear. "Ma'am?" he asked in an official voice, cutting off her tirade mid-sentence. Dean's voice was gruff, hiding any sign of how young he was underneath his assumed guise as an FBI agent. Though he had almost a decade on Jacob, he was still young for some of his disguises. He'd discovered that by merely acting like he belonged left most people willing to believe him.
Confidence, as he always said, was key. Not stuttering like Jacob was doing. "Yes, hi. I'm agent Jimmy Page. Jacob's been working with me to iron this entire situation out. We don't want anyone else out there getting attacked while we catch this guy."
There was a stunned pause as the words sank in, and then Mariana started again in a calmer tone that was no less scolding than before. "Agent, as in FBI? I suppose it makes sense that he is a key witness, agent, but next time I hope you'll remember to involve the parents when you're working with a minor. Even if it means just making sure he texts home."
Jacob heard the last words clearly in his mother's subdued anger and knew he wasn't off the hook, not by a long shot. He sighed and spoke up. "I'm sorry, mom. I, uh, wasn't sure if I should say anything yet."
Mariana sighed heavily and muttered out an epithet in Greek before addressing Dean once more in a quieter tone. "He's lucky he's usually so good about keeping in touch," she told him. "Please just send him straight home when everything's all finished? If there's a madman out there hurting kids I don't want my baby anywhere near there."
"Don't you worry ma'am," Dean said. His serious voice completely covered up the shit-eating grin that covered his face at her words. His own scolding rolled right off him. "I'll make sure your little boy gets home safe and sound. Jacob's been a huge asset in my investigation from the get-go. I wouldn't have come this far without him."
Biting his lip to keep any laughter bottled up, Dean handed the phone back over to Jacob. "You can let her know we'll have you back in time for curfew," he had to snicker quietly, losing any sign of being serious.
Jacob hadn't heard exactly what his mother said to Dean at the end of the call, but the snickering and the teasing told him plenty about the gist of it. He gave her another muttered apology and sheepish reassurance, then closed up the phone and shoved it into his pocket while giving Dean a flat look. It wasn't the first time someone had given him shit about it.
Not that Jacob would ever want his mom to change. Family was family, and she was his.
"You're hilarious," he answered with a roll of his eyes before glancing over at Bowman. Of course, the sprite still hadn't woken up completely yet. He had at least uncurled himself so his wings lay as wide as they could to soak up more sun.
"So Bobby lied," Jacob said, getting right to what bothered him. "I'm not sure why he'd make up some other guy, except maybe to get himself off the assault charges. Unless... would the demon have messed with his memories or something when it hopped over to me instead?"
Dean frowned at that. "Depends on the demon." Technically, this was only his second case dealing with the black-eyed bastards. The rest of the information he was going off of was from his father, Bobby, and pastor Jim. Especially Bobby, from the way he'd been thrust into the hunting life.
"Demons will hit you where it hurts most," Dean said as he went over to the kitchenette. Even with only one arm he easily set it up to start percolating a pot of coffee. "Some victims black out. Others remember every last second. They won't shy from lying to your face, but since they can read minds they also have no problem telling you the painful truth. If Bobby's lying, there's a reason for it. Either something the demon did to him, or for some reason of his own." Dean met Jacob's worried gaze. "Whatever's up, we've got to get to the bottom of it before I can declare this 'case closed'."
He dug through his duffel, finding a cleaner set of clothing to wear. One way or the other, they would be leaving this motel behind them as fast as the Impala could drive.
Jacob nodded mutely. The thought of a demon sweeping through his friend and then him to do as much damage as it could almost made him shudder. All over again, he remembered the feeling of Dean's arm breaking in his grasp. He frowned as he also remembered Bowman's frantic struggles against his grasp. If Jacob hadn't fought back ...
"I'm gonna try to call him," he decided, pulling his phone back out of his pocket. "If he's home, he's probably got his cell charged up by now." He thumbed through the menu of his simple phone, seeking out his friend's number.
Dean left Jacob to his call. He didn't see Bowman stirring to the side on his way to the bathroom. He was too busy trying to figure out how the hell he was going to be able to get a shower without getting his arm wet. At least Jacob had brought his duffel in so he had clean clothing to wear.
This whole being injured thing was already getting old.
The sound of running water filled the room once more as the coffee pot continued to fill with a steady, dark drip.
A/N:
Posting will resume on April 5th! Don't let Dean water the sprite!
Next: April 5th, 2020 at 9pm EST.