Sorry for the delay – My dad has been ill and time has been an issue. I am flying without a beta reader so sorry for any errors.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my characters.
Chapter 4
Dean reached down and picked up a photo that had fallen to the floor, he gazed a smiling family Cindy was a little girl in pigtails and Jaxs a baby. A happy couple holding each other as well as their children.
"I had to see what Dad was talking about. I need to find out what her connection is to the demon." Dean said putting the picture down on the table.
Jaxs glared at him for a moment longer and then left to get the vacuum to clean up. "Well you could have done what most normal people do. You could have asked!" she said as she walked over to the hall closet.
"I had to see it, I hating doing it, I am here to help not make things harder. I need to know what cards we are holding, this guessing game has to end here" Dean said annoyed that all his actions were being questioned at every turn.
Sam the ever peacemaker smiled at his brother and said to Jaxs "Lets get this cleaned up and we will get back to work" Sam began to gather the other items that had fallen to the floor.
Jaxs came back into the room and tossed Dean a garbage bag and said, "I was not question what you did just how you did it" Jaxs said looking him in the eye.
Dean could not help but smile at this girl he liked her spirit. They all worked in silence, and soon the living room look normal. Dean went to grab his coat and called out "I'll be back in a bit" and walked out leaved Sam and Jaxs starring at each other.
---
Cindy drove like a mad woman on the empty stretch of road; she took the corner like a pro respecting her cars ability. She slowed down as she approached the cemetery gates. She stopped the car and got out and walked along the path stopping in front of a marker.
Cindy sat down and starred at the cold stone. "Dad I need your help here, I don't know what to do." She said reaching out to trace the name of her father etched out in the black cold stone.
"You raised me to depend on no one, to always watch my back, how do I let Dean and Sam help without losing myself. I don't know how to be anything but how I am," Cindy said.
"I am so afraid here Dad, I don't think I can win this fight. He wants me this time dad, I can't fight what is inside me, and he is there I can feel him." Cindy sat there, it was almost as if she was waiting for a reply.
----
Dean smiled at the cashier as he picked up his bag; he had come into town to replace the picture frames that has broken. He was on his way to the car when he the newspaper heading caught his attention.
Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a quarter and slid it into the slot opening the paper box. "Fourth Teen Gone Missing" the heading read.
Dean got back to his car and drove towards Cindy's place, his radio playing in the background.
Jaxs was in her room leaving Sam to amuse himself, he was sitting at the dinning room table surfing the net when Dean walked in.
'Hey is she back yet?" Dean asked putting down the bag and passing him the paper.
"See if we need to be worried about this?" he asked making his way to the kitchen.
"Where is Jaxs?" Dean asked as he opened the fridge pulling out a bottle of water.
"Upstairs on the phone, her friends called wanting to know if she is coming up there on Wednesday or not" Sam said as he scanned the paper.
"Well she can not be going that far if they can still communicate by cells" Dean said as he came back into the room.
"Yeah they are about an hours driving away at some camping grounds. Jaxs gave me the brochure and I checked it out on their site. It seems pretty safe. The pictures were really nice." Sam said opening to the page he wanted.
"Well when Cindy gets back I will talk to her about Jaxs heading out with you of course. That is if you don't mind playing babysitter" Dean laughed propping his feet up on the table.
Sam did not answer him, as he was involved in reading the story trying to gather some kind of lead to check out.
---
Cindy slowly got to her feet, she paused for a moment to once more look at the stone marker before she turned away and walked back to the car. The sun was just beginning to go down, the drive home was a quiet one. She paid no mind to the pain in her shoulder or wrist, how will they act know that they know my dirty secret her mind taunted her. Cindy spoke out loud to the silence in the car. "That does not matter, we need to get the job done"
Dean was re framing the broken photos when Cindy walked in, he offered her a smile and asked "Feeling better?"
Cindy took her jacket off and said, "I am sorry. I am not happy about this ability of mine, it has been a long time since I have use it or let it get out of control like that. Both you and Sam are trying to help and I just want to let you know that I will not fight you any more"
Dean stood up and brushed off his hands and said, "thanks but I asked how you were feeling?"
Cindy opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Dean came to stand before her his hand gently cupping the back of her neck, his thumb gently stroking her check bone.
Cindy swallowed hard and whispered, "I am so very afraid of you and what you make me feel. I am afraid of what you want from me. I am afraid I am not strong enough to fight him and that he will get me and carry me away. I am afraid I will end up like my mother and father," she said it all in one breath her words rushed from her mouth.
Dean leaned in and softly kissed her; once his pulled back did he say "Nothing is going to happen to you on my watch"
Cindy smiled and stepped away from him, a moment later Sam walked in and smiled at her "I got dinner covered"
Cindy looked at Dean and said, "There is more to tell you, lets make some coffee and I will fill you in
Dean listened while Cindy told him what the demon has said; she described her dreams to him leaving nothing out. Cindy paused hearing the doorbell ring.
Dean smiled and offered "Pizza has arrived"
Jaxs popped her head in and said, "Everything is ready come and eat" Cindy gave a nod to show that she had heard.
"He wants to impregnate you" Dean said leaning forward his mind racing. "But how and why" he said more to himself.
Cindy stood up and said, "That is what we need to find out, because he is getting stronger in my dreams he could never hurt me before" Cindy reached into her fridge and pulled out a can of coke.
"I know it has to do with his mark, it only comes out when he is around or some kind of essence from him" Cindy said as they walked into the living room to the stairs that led to the basement.
""What do you mean?" Dean asked confused once more. His mind tried to sort out all this information.
"I don't know I can not explain it" Cindy said grabbing a slice of pizza before sitting on the sofa. "OK let me try putting this way when you brought the bag inside. I had no idea what was in it right" she asked before biting into her pizza.
Sam and Jaxs sat quietly trying to piece together what they were talking about.
"Right" Dean said sitting down on the other end of the sofa facing her. Cindy wiped her mouth before speaking.
"I felt him or a lingering of him. Ok when you burn popcorn you clean everything up you think the smell of the burnt popcorn is gone until you go out and come back in, then you find there is a small lingering scent.
Sam spoke up at this point, "That is how your father used you, you where his magnet" he said thinking back to the flashes he had seen in Cindy's mind when she had let him in.
"Yes, I was Dad's flash light in the dark, I can pick up on their vibrations even after they have gone. I sense his evil or evil in general weather they are practicing in the black arts or possessed. I get a pulling in my gut, the stronger the essence the stronger effect. My reaction was so violent because the danger had him on it. My eyes and not changed in a long time" she said her eyes meeting Jaxs.
"The night Dad died" Jaxs said dropping her sister gaze. Cindy looked at Dean then at Sam.
"How did you destroy the dagger? " Dean asked not noticing Jaxs withdrawal he reached for more pizza and passed Cindy another slice.
"I don't know I have never done that before, maybe it was a system overload," Cindy said shrugging her shoulder. This caused her shoulder to sting.
"I still dream about that night" Jaxs said crossing her legs in front of her, "I see it all as if it where yesterday"
Sam reached for more pizza and asked "What night?" he went back to his chair; he eyes finding hers as he sat down.
"Cindy had led us into a demon hive, it was under this warehouse, I remember Cindy fighting with Dad telling him it was too dangerous that there was only one way in and one way out" Jaxs laughed came out to dry as her mind wandering over that night.
"He was so sure that the demon was there, Cindy kept telling him no that he was wrong, that she did not sense him or his followers, but he would not listen"
Cindy was quiet letting Jaxs tell the story, she found herself resting her head on her head on the cushions as she listened.
"We got out of the car and loaded ourselves with weapons, do you remember what you said to me" Jaxs asked looking at her sister.
"If things get bad get out I'll find you," Cindy said not raising her head.
"I take it you both know how to fight?" Dean said trying to picture Cindy firing a gun.
"Yes Dad trained us in hand combat and weapons," Cindy said turning her head to look at him.
"We went in and Cindy's senses went on high, the problem with Cindy's ability is she can sense the evil but they sense her as well. So they were waiting for us. We did not stand a chance. Cindy pushed me into a corner and tried to cover Dad." Jaxs voice was flat as she spoke.
"Dad went down and Cindy went to help him, that is when things got bad, just as she reached him, I dropped the ball, I was so scared I dropped my shot gun, and the bag of ammo everything scattered. I damaged the gun somehow it would not work" Jaxs said looking at Dean.
"Jaxs it is not your fault" Cindy started just to have Jaxs cut her off "I screwed up I gave them the window they needed to pounce. Cindy got to Dad and getting him to his feet. I was grabbed from behind and screamed. I remember the look on your face Cindy, Dad was hurt I was in trouble and you had to make a choice." Jaxs took a moment to take a drink of her beer.
"You or your father" Sam said softly remembering that night in the cabin he had to make a choice kill the demon meant killing his father. In the end he had let the demon escape, things had never been the same between John and himself since.
Cindy sat on the sofa; head back her mind drifting over that memory the inner struggle of what to do, anger that her father had not listened. That catching and killing this demon meant more to him then the safety of his children.
"Cindy took the gun she had in the waistband of her jeans and pushed it at Dad and ran towards me" Jaxs was starring at her sister but was not seeing her she was back in that basement.
"The demon that held me began to stab me with a small dagger, I will never forget the scream that came from her as she tackled both me and the demon. We all fell over, Cindy was crazy, she snapped the demons neck, she got me up half carried me half dragged me. Cindy fought her way out of the basement to the car, she tossed me inside" Jaxs stopped talking when Cindy suddenly got up.
"I need a refill," she muttered heading for the stairs. Jaxs sighed and stretched her legs out.
"I should not have said anything," she said, reaching for her beer.
"What happened after you got into the car?" Dean asked wanting to hear the rest of it.
"She tossed me in told me to start the engine, she then salted around the car and went back in for dad.
Dean knew she would, she was too loyal to leave anyone behind. "A few minutes later she came back out dragging him. She put him in the back seat and drove us to the hospital."
Jaxs stood up as well and said "I went to touch him and she told me not to he was gone. I was treated for my wounds and they took dad, she had told the police that we had been driving when someone tried to steal the car with us in it"
"Cindy got me home, she was in bad shape herself, she had broken wrist and had several broken ribs we were covered in cuts and bruises. It really turned into a brawl." She laughed trying to light the atmosphere in the basement.
"What happened to the hive?" Sam asked getting up as well he felt he had a better understanding of Cindy and why she was the way she was. Jaxs bent down to pick up the empty boxes of pizza.
"I am not too sure, Cindy dropped me off and left, I remember she got in late cuz I was waiting for her. The next morning I heard on the news that the building has been torched and they were looking for a black Chevy."
Dean smiled and asked, "What did you drive?" He watched Jaxs placed the empty bottles and cans on top of the boxes.
"Before that night a black Chevy cruiser after that night Cindy drove the mustang"
Nothing else was said as they filter out of the basement. Sam found Cindy in the kitchen; she was eating one of the desert tarts that Jaxs has made the night before.
"Are you finished in the basement?" she asked forcing a smile. Sam grabbed his laptop and said.
"I think so" he squeezed her shoulder and left her to her thoughts.
Cindy went upstairs and pulled on a pair of spandex shorts and she left her feet bare and made returned downstairs.
"I will be in the basement" she called out to no one in particular. Dean was still with Jaxs who responded with an "OK"
Dean watched Cindy close the door he turned to Jaxs and said "What's she gonna do?"
"She is going to dance, work off a bit of steam" Jaxs smiled leaving him alone.
Dean walked down to Cindy's office and entered it, there was a computer on her desk, and he sat down. He took in her files and noticed the calendar she had on her desk.
Down stairs Cindy went through a routine that stretched her body, soon she was lost in the music. Her body moved with the rhythm as she kept time with the beat.
Dean looked at the clock she had been downstairs for over an hour, he was worried about her shoulder, he softly opened the door and went down the stairs. He stooped half way seeing her dance around the floor, your eyes zoned in on the mirrors that surrounded her.
Suddenly an old disco song came on and Cindy stopped, the music filtered across the room. Donna Summers "Love to Love You Baby" the throbbing sexual beat of the music filled the room.
Dean watched as Cindy smiled, and slowly began to roll her hips in time with the soft slow beat.
The glare from floodlight on the ceiling kissed her sweat-coated skin. Dean felt red-hot desire rush through his body as he watched her approach the dancers pole.
Cindy was not thinking she was just feeling the music and she moved her body working the pole.
Cindy reached high up on the pole and lifted herself throwing her legs up over her head so she was suspended upside down. That is when her eyes found Dean sitting on the stairs.
She would have had to be blind not to see the arousal in his eyes. Cindy dropped back to her feet and asked as she walked over to the radio,
"Did you enjoy the show?" Cindy patted herself with a towel waiting for him to respond.
"Sorry I was worried you might be over doing it so I came to see if you where ok. You are a wonderful dancer." He said looking back at the pole.
"Thank you" was all Cindy offered reaching for a bottle of water.
"Listen" Dean said feeling uncomfortable, "I think it would be alright if Jaxs headed out with Sam to join her friends. Sam check out the site and it is not that far away"
Cindy smiled and said "Great I will tell her on my way up to shower." She moved towards the stairs.
"I will be up to check your bandages in a bit," he said following her up stairs.
Cindy stopped to talk to her sister who was over joyed that she would not miss out on her trip after all.
She ran upstairs going to pack, Sam laughed following her to her room. Dean called out to him "We need to talk before you head out" Dean said.
Cindy went to her room and bathed quickly, she had just slipped into her pjs when Jaxs came in to say good-bye.
"Can't you wait until morning?" Cindy asked with a frown. Jaxs hugged her and responded.
"There will be no traffic now, and I don't want to miss the morning hike!" she said talking quickly with excitement.
Downstairs Sam was going over the details with Dean. "I'll check in twice a day once in the morning and once at night."
Dean smiled and said; "Have a good time I will call if something comes up" Dean smiled when Jaxs bounded down the stairs with Cindy on her heels.
Cindy turned to Sam and said "Keep an eye on her, have fun but keep an eye on her" Sam gave her arm a squeeze.
"We will call and I left my e-mail address on the table" Sam said looking at Cindy, trying to ease her anxiety. "I also left my research on those missing teens for you to look at and to keep searching" he reached down and picked up his bag and looked at him brother once more.
Cindy watched them leave, Dean waved them off and closed the door, he took a breath and turned around to look at Cindy.
"Let me check that shoulder" he said clapping his hands once as he walked over to her.
Cindy was happy to see her wrist was healing nicely, she decided to leave the bandage off.
"Your shoulder is healing nicely have you made your follow up appointment yet?" Dean asked cleaning up the mess he had made.
'No you can remove the stitches on Friday" she said getting up and walking over to Sam's paperwork he had mentioned.
"Why don' t you go have a nice hot shower, I will look through this" Cindy said needing some alone time.
Dean agreed needing some space himself so he left her. Cindy made some coffee and pulled out a chocolate pecan coffee cake she had in the freezer to thaw.
She picked up the file and went to her office; she sat at her desk and clicked on her play list. Blue Oyster Cult moved out of her speakers she adjusted the volume and began to read.
Cindy reached for a pad of paper and wrote down the names of the four missing teen. One name per sheet, Cindy began to list things from her searched about each teen.
Once she was done she pulled out a map of the area and placed it on the table in the corner. Soon she was marking where each teen lived where they were last seen and where the police had searched.
Cindy left the office to make a coffee; she was on her way back when she spotted another file just under the laptop.
She put down her mug and took the file. She opened it up to see if it was important. Cindy realized she was looking at her father's notes, Sam had them paper clipped together by year. She closed the file looking at the sticky note that was posted on the front. "Cindy's Dream Logs"
Cindy went back to the office her search forgotten she began to read her fathers journal entries.
June 1990Cindy is growing stronger, her ability to search and find the demon grow each passing day. I am hoping, as she grows older she will learn to use this. I am doing my best to ease her fears and nightmares.
Her night terrors are extremely painful to watch but I cannot wake her she is most open to the dark forces when she is asleep.
Cindy felt herself getting angry as she skimmed through some more entries, her eyes stopped on September 2000.
We are on the road again with Cindy leading the way. Her eyes fill with such resentment I can barely stand to hold her gaze. She does not understand the importance of our work. I have taught her all I can; her main priority is Jaxs and keeping her safe from what we hunt.
We are getting close I can feel it; I see the changes in her behavior when the demon is close. Her dreams are vivid, in her trans state I was able to map out the area of our next hunt. I just wish she could understand the need to end this.
As I sit here and write this she is in the cords of an nightmare the closer we get the more danger it is for her to keep herself open, I just hope someday when this is all over she can forgive me for what I have put her through.
"Did you find anything good?" Dean asked from the doorway. Cindy quickly closed the file and blinked away her tears.
"Yes grab a coffee and I will walk you through it" She said keeping her back to him not ready to face him just yet.