Hey guys, hope you enjoy this chapter. Things are just flying for me over here! I hope you're as excited as i am.
By the way i just wanted to remind you that this is set right after the second season, it will be important later.
Thanks! Enjoy the chapter!
"I'm telling you Taylor I didn't see nothing that night," Jim answered looking nervously at his beer.
It had been obvious that since Kelly started at Sally's that Jim had had a thing for Kelly. And Taylor looked at him now, unbelieving.
"You're gonna tell me that you didn't talk to her or anything that night?" Anger now built up in her chest.
"I didn't say that-."
"Jim, don't lie to me I can see right through your sorry ass-."
"Alright, Taylor I don't think the man knows anything," Sam said pulling her away from the bar and joining Dean and Jeremy at their table.
"He was lying through his teeth Sam," Taylor growled, but sat, although reluctantly, in her seat.
"Look, I don't think that he did anything, although his little obsession with Kelly, is…" he searched for the right word, "creepy, he's a nice guy, and I don't think he's the kind of guy to kidnap a girl. He doesn't have the guts," Jeremy explained, watching Jim at the bar.
"Thanks, Einstein," Taylor grumbled.
"Taylor!" a voice called from behind. When she turned a huge grin broke out on her face and she stood to give Sally a hug. The woman was shorter at 5'5" but she gave bear hugs like no other. Sally dragged her away from the table and over to the corner of the empty bar.
"You're looking good," Sally said, brushing a piece of Taylor's hair behind her ear.
"You too." Taylor grinned, elation growing in her chest. Sally was really a sight for sore eyes.
"Ah, you're sweet and really know how to make an old woman happy," Sally said, smiling back and throwing the towel she carried over her right shoulder. "So about the boy over there."
They both turned to look at Jeremy.
"What about him?" Taylor asked innocently.
"Oh you know what, has the Romeo proclaimed his love to the Juliet?"
Taylor laughed and blushed.
"So he has, do tell," Sally sat sitting Taylor and herself on either one the bar stools.
"It was really nothing Sally," Taylor started.
"Darling it's never nothing with that boy and you know it." Sally could always see through Taylor's crap. Taylor looked shyly over at Jeremy who was talking with Sam and Dean.
"I don't know Sally," Taylor sighed.
Sally looked at Taylor thoughtfully, "Have you told him how you feel?" Sally asked gently, laying her hand on Taylor's. Taylor looked at her surprised, but she shook her head.
"I don't know how I feel Sally."
"Taylor you can't fool me, you've known how you felt about that boy since the ninth grade."
Taylor blushed again, looking down at her lap.
"Sal, I can't give him a reason to follow me, you know how dangerous my job is, and I want him to have a normal life." Taylor sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
"Darling, I think it's too soon to make up his decisions for him," Sally said.
"What?"
"Let the man make up his own mind," Sally smiled at her then added, "After you tell him how you feel."
"But-."
"Ah, ah, you are not getting out of this one. The boy needs to be told," Sally looked over at him to see him laughing; Taylor followed her gaze her expression softened. "You love him don't you?"
Taylor looked into Sally's knowing eyes and nodded.
Sally laughed, throwing her head back, "Well then silly girl, tell him," her expression turned serious now, "and before you leave again, 'cause I don't want to see the look on that boys face again as I saw that day."
"What look?" Taylor pried, raising a brow.
Sally looked at her seriously, "Complete loss."
Taylor frowned and looked at Jeremy again, thinking of his words the night before.
"So," Sally said slapping her on the thigh, "Tell me all about your adventures."
--
As soon as Taylor left the table it became eerily quiet.
Sam broke it, trying to be friendly, "So, Jeremy what do you do for a living?"
Jeremy cleared his throat, "I'm a mechanic, I run the Stone Mechanic's down the road."
Dean sat forward trying not to show any interest, and took a swig of his beer.
"You went to school with Taylor didn't you?" Dean asked. Sam nudged him, and Dean gave him a "What?" look.
"No, Sam its okay, yeah I went to school with her, I was a grade above hers," Jeremy finished, taking a sip of his root beer.
"So you dated in high school?" Dean asked.
Jeremy choked on his mouthful of root beer, "No, no, it wasn't until after high school that we became friends."
"But you did know each other in high school?" Dean sat back; pleased with the reaction she had gotten out of him.
"Yeah, sort of, I mean if saw each other in the halls at school we'd said Hi. What really brought us together was after her mom died, she came to me with a lot of the stuff that she didn't feel like she could talk to Kelly about."
"Ah, so you were her release," Dean assumed.
"Dean!"
Jeremy leaned forward mouth set in a hard line, blue eyes blazing. "I don't know what you got against me Dean, but I haven't done anything to you. If anything I've been kind and respectful."
"Your boinking my sister I have every right to hate you," Dean stated calmly, expression blank.
"Dean!" Sam yelled.
"I am not, as you put it, boinking, your sister. I respect her."
"Sure you do, and that's why I heard you sneaking around last night."
"You were snoring like an elephant how did you hear anything?"
Dean choked on his beer, "I do not snore like an elephant," he growled.
"Sounded like it to me," Jeremy said smugly, sitting back in his chair.
Dean stopped and stared at him; Sam smiled and took a swig of his own beer.
"Whatever," Dean mumbled leaning back in his chair and turned his attention to one of the pool games.
"Is he always like this?" Jeremy asked Sam.
"What inappropriate and rude? Yeah, he's always like that," Sam joked.
Jeremy titled his head back and let out a laugh that seemed to rumble through the bar. Sam smiled at his own joke, when he glanced at Dean he was glaring.
"Don't be such a tight-ass Dean," Sam said slapping him on the back.
Dean opened his mouth to retort, but Taylor dragged Sally back over to the table then.
"Okay," Taylor said, "Sally this is Dean." Dean just grunted. "And this is Sam."
"Hi."
"Hi Sam," Sally responded smiling. "And hey to you cowboy," she said flicking Jeremy with her towel.
"Hey, Sally."
"How you been boy?"
"Doing okay…" he paused looking at Taylor, "Now."
"Well that's just fine," she turned to Dean and Sam again nudging Taylor in the side, "it was nice meeting you boys but if I leave Bob in the kitchen any longer he might just set his hairy face on fire." With that she started back towards the kitchen. Taylor, still grinning, plopped back into the empty chair between Dean and Jeremy.
"Well guys, I think it's time we talked about Kelly, but how 'bout over a game of pool."
"Sounds good to me," Sam agreed, shoving Dean a little, who just grumbled.
"We can play teams," Taylor said, "and the game's on me."
"I'm in," Jeremy said getting up.
"Me too," Sam said, following suit.
"Dean?" Taylor urged. He looked at each of their faces.
"Alright," he grumbled.
--
By the time their game had gotten started, a rush of people came into the bar ordering food and getting drinks at the long bar.
"Okay, so who did you guys talk to?" Taylor asked shooting, the ball and sinking a striped.
Sam picked up his beer, "We went the rounds on all the neighbors on the block, no one heard or saw anything. What about you guys?"
Taylor positioned herself for the next shot, "Marie didn't know anything, didn't see anything and Kelly didn't tell her anything." She took the shot and got another striped. Dean swore under his breath. Jeremy shot him an amused glance. Taylor looked at Sam leaning on her pool stick, "I mean you would think that she would have called me if some guy was following her, or at least tell Jeremy. We're her closest friends, she would have told us first."
"So you don't think this was planned?" Sam asked.
"Definitely not, one of us would have known," Taylor answered lining up for the next shot, she took it and the ball clicked merrily into the slot.
"I think the real question here," Dean started, "is, how is a girl, kicking my ass at this game?"
Taylor and Jeremy laughed as if sharing a secret joke.
"Dean, I used to play tournaments against drunks when I was 13, do you think I'm going to let you beat me?" Another ball clicked into place, "I don't think so. I mean I practically lived in this place as a kid. My mom and Sally were best friends and when my mom was feeling well, she would work back in the kitchen cooking. She loved being here."
Taylor looked thoughtful before taking the next shot, and finally missed.
"Jesus finally," Dean said, lining up the pool stick.
"Hey," Jeremy said hitting Taylor playfully on the arm, "you remember that time that your mom was working and you were here scamming some of the old guys in pool."
"Yeah, you swaggered in, thinking you were some big shot, and bet me fifty bucks that you could beat me."
"And you led me to believe that I was winning, until half through, when you started kicking my ass."
Taylor laughed.
Sam watched them remember, watching how they acted around each other, smiling to himself, his thoughts somehow finding their way back to Jessica.
"Yeah," Taylor started again, "I remember like it was yesterday, I was 16 and felt like I was on top of the world."
Jeremy smiled fondly at her, "I was 17 and pissed that this 16-year-old-shrimp had beaten me at pool."
Taylor shrugged a sweet smile on her face, "Finally got you to notice me."
They shared a sweet yet sad look.
"Hey love birds, it's your turn," Dean announced, indignantly.
Jeremy broke the look and took his turn. Sam watched Taylor watching Jeremy fondly and he remembered something. He nudged Dean urgently.
"Dean," he whispered.
"What?" Dean said, disgruntled. He was watching Jeremy intently hoping that he would scratch.
"Now would be a good time to tell Taylor about the sulfur."
Surprised Dean looked at him, "Now dude? That's all you can think of when we're losing?"
Sam rolled his eyes toward the ceiling, "Dean." Exasperation was present.
"Oh, alright, but you get to tell her."
"Fine," Sam huffed. "Taylor, uh, we found something in Kelly's house."
Taylor froze and locked eyes with him, "What kind of something?"
Jeremy paused, and looked at Taylor, curious about the tone. He took the shot then and scratched.
"Yes!" Dean yelled and pumped a fist.
"Dean!"
"Okay, Taylor we found sulfur lining the edges of one of Kelly's windows."
"Sulfur," Taylor murmured looking at the floor eyes searching for the answer. After a second she looked up eyes knowing. "Are you telling me that Kelly's disappearance has something to do with a goddamn demon?!" She growled the last word.
Jeremy stood then, expression confused and serious.
"Taylor we don't know, it could be-."
"This damn job, no matter how hard we try to keep it from following us home it does anyway." She threw her pool stick on the table, ruining their game.
"Taylor, it's not your fault," Sam said.
"No Sam," Taylor said anger and tears taking over, "it is my fault, because of the life we live my friend is missing and it has something to do with a demon."
"Okay," Jeremy said, calmly putting his pool stick down on the table. "It's time to let me in on the big secret."
Taylor turned towards him, "Jer, its better that you don't know, you're safer that way."
"Enough with the bullshit Taylor, you left the life you had to go do this stupid job and I've been worrying for the whole time you've been gone. Now tell me again that I don't have a right to know."
Taylor looked at him sadly, caught between, wanting to keep him safe and wanting to tell him. She looked around then and noticed that most eyes were on them.
"Alright," she sighed, rubbing a hand across her forehead, "upstairs."
Jeremy nodded and followed her towards the stairs. Dean stormed after them, Sam afraid to let Dean go at them, reluctantly followed, knowing he would be between them, like he always seemed to be. They all climbed the stairs silently and when they arrived in the upstairs party room Taylor shut the door behind them. Dean started in right away.
"You're not just going to tell him!" he bellowed.
Taylor glared at him, "I have no other choice Dean."
He moved closer getting in her face, "We go around keeping our secret because it safe for us and other people we care about."
"You don't think I know that Dean!" she yelled back. Something in her eyes had him backing down. He looked closer and found that it was love. He looked at the wooden planks of the floor remembering Cassie.
Angry tears crowded in her eyes; she shoved them away with the back of her hand. When she could see clearly she looked over at Jeremy.
"Jeremy, you have to know, I've always wanted to tell you," Taylor started turning around, thinking it would be easier, if she didn't see the pain on his face.
"Then why didn't you tell me? It can't hurt anymore not knowing than knowing. I mean the whole while you were gone, I was wondering, because I didn't know what was going on, and if you were alright."
"I know," she choked back a sob, "but it was better that you didn't know, because I didn't want you coming after me." She took a deep breath and turned around, to look into his deep blue eyes, searching for comfort, but found none. "Look, the things that me and my brothers do, you have to know, that this may sound crazy."
"I'm up for crazy."
She shook her head looking down at the floor. Sam and Dean stood quietly watching her inner turmoil feeling the same pain.
"It started with my dad-."
"-Your dad? What does he have to do with anything," Jeremy asked incredulously.
"He has everything to do with it, if it hadn't been for the death of their mother," he motioned towards her brothers. "John Winchester would have never become a hunter."
"A hunter?"
"Yes, a hunter, and not a deer hunter but," she took another deep breath, "but someone who hunts evil."
There was silence.
"Like demons," Jeremy started.
"You're catching on," Taylor said sarcastically.
"Taylor, that's not so crazy." She looked up at him, surprised. "I mean someone has to protect us from the things that go bump in the night."
The three siblings looked at him in amazement.
"You are some piece of work Jeremy Stone," Taylor finally said.
Jeremy smiled, then turned towards her brothers, "So you guys hunt demons?"
"Yeah," Sam answered, "and ghosts and anything that's supernatural."
Jeremy nodded taking it all in.
"I guess I can see why you felt like you couldn't tell me," he said to Taylor, "is this why you left after your mom died?"
Taylor nodded, "I had to find the piece of me that was missing."
"Why couldn't you just be an elementary school teacher?" Jeremy sighed after a moment of silence.
Taylor laughed, "I don't do so well with screaming little kids."
Jeremy smiled at her, and then held out his arms. She collapsed into his comforting embrace, unsure of where to go next.
"Just because you hunt demons, doesn't mean I'm going to love you any less," Jeremy whispered in her ear.
Taylor sobbed, "How do you always know the right thing to say?"
He pulled away to look into her teary green eyes, "Lots of practice."
She let out a wet laugh.
"I hate to break up a beautiful thing, but we still have a pool game to finish," Dean interrupted.
Taylor rolled her eyes toward him, "You're just pissed because a girl is kicking your ass."
Jeremy and Sam laughed. Dean fumed.
"No I'm pissed because I still haven't gotten a turn."
"Liar." Taylor started out the door and down the stairs. Sam and Jeremy exchanged amused glances and followed.
"I'm letting you win," Dean retorted.
Taylor's light airy laughter floated up the stairs and back into the nearly empty room.
--
When she knew it was safe the girl emerged from the serving area, next to the party room. Her green eyes stared at the door that the group had left through. She blinked and her eyes turned a horrible pitch black, when she blinked again, she joined in Taylor's laughter. She knew that it was time to show herself; it was time to put the plan into action. With that she turned back into the serving area and went down the back stairs. She left through the back door and set her path towards Taylor's house. She was going to give them a surprise visit.
