(okay, so I'm on a bit of a roll ...grins... And I should put in a disclaimer. Don't own the boys or the concept. Story is all mine though)
Battle Weary.
Chapter Seven.
Jay had woken to the sound of yelling coming from the next room. She'd looked over and seen the empty bed. Hang on…what the fuck? She squinted at her watch…no, that couldn't be right. She'd been out for almost two hours. Two hours. She looked down at herself, at least she still had her clothes on. She got tentatively to her feet and edged over to the door, she'd opened it quietly and peeked out. She'd seen Gus sitting at the table, Dean sitting with his back to her and Sam on his feet yelling at his brother. And then she'd seen her opened journal on the table in front of them and she'd snapped.
'YOU BASTARDS!!" they'd turned towards her and she'd taken a step into the room "I'm gonna kill each and every one of you!"
Sam had reached down quickly and snapped the journal shut. She stormed over, grabbed it and noticed Dean holding the photo of her and her brother and Zeke's 'Missing Persons' flyer. She'd snatched them out of his hands "I expected better from you" she'd laughed angrily "Although God only knows why!" She returned the photo and flyer carefully to the journal.
Dean looked up at her "Look, I'm sorry…I…"
Sam interrupted "It wasn't Dean. It was me and Gus. We're sorry"
"No, you're bloody well not!"
"We need to speak to you" said Gus.
"Go fuck yourselves!" Dean tried not to smile. She looked at him "You think this is funny? I saved your arse and this is how you repay me? What? A thank you wasn't enough? You had to go through my ….my…." she was so angry she could hardly speak "Aaarrrgh! You PRICKS!"
Dean looked at her and said earnestly "Thank you"
She glared at him and reached into her pocket "Where the fuck are my car keys?"
Dean looked at Sam and Gus "You took her car keys?"
Gus nodded "We need to speak with her"
"Again, go fuck yourselves!" she glared at them, turned and stormed out of the cabin, muttering to herself.
Dean grinned "Well that went well" he paused and frowned slightly"Please tell me you removed any weapons she had from her car" they nodded.
Gus stood "I'll go talk to her"
Dean shook his head "I'll go…I think she hates me the least"
Sam stared at Dean "We haven't finished this conversation, Dean. Not by a fucking long shot!"
Dean stood and walked out to the porch. He saw her sitting in her car trying to hot wire it. Damn, did she want out of here. He didn't blame her though, he'd be pissed too if he'd found strangers going through his Dad's journal. He watched as she popped the hood and got out of the car.
"Mind if we have a chat before you leave?" he'd asked.
She ignored him as she opened it and then turned slowly to him "I want my battery and spark plugs and I want them NOW!"
"I don't know where they are" said Dean.
Jay stared at Dean, she believed him. She stormed back up the porch steps and yanked the door open, Dean following her, a smile on his face.
"You fucked with my car?"
"No…yes…I mean…" stammered Sam.
"Jesus! What else do you want to do? Here, let me bend over and you can probe me! I mean that's the only thing you haven't done!" she paused and frowned slightly "Right?"
"Jesus Christ! Of course not!" said Sam.
"I want my battery and spark plugs" she said menacingly.
"Just give us half an hour of your time and …" started Gus.
"Fuck you!" and she'd turned, pushed past Dean and went back outside.
Dean turned to Sam and Gus and grinned "Oh, I like her" he laughed "Probe me…" he went to the door, looked out and turned back "Aaah, Gus? She's raiding your Firebird for parts"
He jumped up "For God's sake…." and ran out. He jumped awkwardly down the steps and went and pushed her away from his car. She turned and punched him in the face, putting him on his arse. Dean laughed, she had a mean right hook.
She glared at Dean "Keep laughing. You're the only one I haven't hit!"
Dean looked at Sam "She hit you? Dude…." he laughed at his younger brother.
Sam glared at Dean "Shut the fuck up!" he went down the steps and walked purposefully towards Jay.
"Come on then! You think I don't want to knock you on your arse as well?" she swung at him and he pushed the punch out of the way.
"Stop it!"
She swung again, catching his ribs before kicking him in the balls where he dropped. She didn't have time to savour the moment before she was slammed against the car.
"Don't fucking touch my brother!"
"Get the fuck off me!" she struggled against Dean, but he was much stronger than she.
"Calm down! For fuck's sake, calm down!" Dean pushed her face-down onto the now closed hood of the Firebird.
Sam struggled to his feet and slammed the photo of them down next to her face. "Look! Take a fucking look at that!" he gasped for breath as he held onto his balls.
She looked at the photo…it was Sam, Gus and Dean leaning against her car. She knew it was her car, same make, model and plates.
"Who do you think took the fucking photo, you crazy bitch!" said Sam angrily.
Jay shrugged Dean off her and picked up the photo. She could see the stitches down Dean's face, the bandage under his t-shirt. And her car. She'd also noticed the swords. The only other people she knew who carried swords were….
She looked at the three men "Alright, what the fuck is going on?!"
They four of them sat around the kitchen table, Jay staring warily at the three men. Gus studied her curiously. Dean just stared, smiling when he caught her eye. Sam glared, keeping a protective hand over his family jewels. They had returned her guns as an act of good faith (Sam hadn't been too pleased about that) but she'd promised not to shoot them. Sam figured she'd had her fingers crossed when she'd made that promise though.
"So, explanation" she'd demanded.
"You want a beer?" asked Gus.
"You spike it with something?" Sam rolled his eyes "I saw that Winchester"
"I wasn't hiding it" retorted Sam
"How're your balls?"
Gus laughed to himself, got up and took four fresh beers from the fridge and handed them round. Jay took Gus' beer, opened it and drank.
"Well?"
"How about some background info on you first?" asked Dean.
"What? You didn't get enough from my journal?"
"Your brother's journal you mean" said Gus evenly.
Her jaw set and her eyes flashed angrily but she didn't say anything.
"Well how about we tell you what we know" said Gus "You're name's Jay Thomas, you're 26 and your brother's been missing for just over two years…"
"My brother has nothing to do with this…you leave him out of it!" she said angrily.
"That's where you're wrong" said Gus, he turned to Dean "Show her"
Dean reached up and slowly removed the bandage from his shoulder. She stared at it in disbelief "How…" she looked at him "WHERE IS HE?!"
"I don't know" said Dean
"BULLSHIT!"
"I swear, I don't know….." he paused, looked into her eyes and said softly "but I have an idea"
She wondered why he looked at her sadly "He's NOT dead" she shook her head "NO way. I'd know"
"Would you?" he asked.
"Yeah, I would! Now tell me what you know"
"Your brother's a hunter…a demon hunter" stated Gus.
"I don't know what you're talking about"
"Yeah, you do. We saw the photo of you and him. He was carrying a sword. That's really not the weapon of choice for most people" said Gus.
"Yeah? Well my brothers not most people. Now where the fuck is he?"
Gus looked at her "Tell me something…do you have any …gifts?"
"Apart from being a pain in the ass that is" muttered Sam.
"Don't you mean pain in the balls, princess?" she said with a smile. "Now where the hell is my brother?"
"Think…do you have dreams, visions…anything unusual? Something most people wouldn't have?" persisted Gus.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about" she raised an eyebrow "but if you've got any of that ganja left you've all been smoking, pass it over"
She was lying and they knew it.
"Tell us" said Dean.
"For fuck's sake! I don't know what…."
"STOP LYING!" roared Gus.
The gun was in her hand and pointed at Gus' head in an instant, she turned slowly when she heard the hammer of a pistol click.
"Put the gun down…" said Sam, his pistol trained on her.
"Okay, easy now…everyone put down their weapons" he looked at his brother "Sammy…put down the gun"
"Not until she does"
"Well what do you know …a Mexican stand-off and not a drop of tequila in sight" she said.
"Dean, top shelf, right hand cupboard" said Gus.
Dean got up slowly and went to the cupboard, he bought the tequila back to the table and put it near her "There you go, now put the gun down…please. We're not your enemy"
"I want to know where my brother is and I want to know NOW"
"Look, we'll tell you all we know but we need to know this" said Dean.
"Why? Why is it so goddamn important?" she asked.
Dean smiled "So there is something" she said nothing. He sighed "Alright, we'll tell you a little but then you have to promise to tell us what …ummm…"
"Gift" said Gus.
"Yeah, gift …you have…and what gift your brother had"
"HAS! You bastard….HAS!"
Dean raised his hands "Okay, okay….has"
Jay put her gun slowly away and Sam rested his on the table in front of him. "Talk"
"We're being hunted…by …shit, look this is gonna sound ridiculous, unbelievable even, but we swear it's true" said Dean.
"Tell me"
"Me and Sam are being hunted by demons….. from…the future" he waited for her laughter, it didn't come "I'm serious"
"I'm not laughing"
"Yeah, I noticed that. Why not?" he asked, his curiosity peeked.
She shrugged "No reason. What else?"
Dean smiled at her "Alright, I'll let that lie go for now…"
"What about your parents?" interrupted Sam.
Jay looked at Sam and shook her head "What is it with you and my family tree?"
"You're here by yourself looking for your brother? Where are your parents? Why aren't they here helping you?" insisted Sam.
"They don't travel well"
"They're dead aren't they?" said Sam
"What business is it of yours?"
"They die in a house fire?" he asked. "They did didn't they? Didn't they?"
"Jesus, if you really must know, they were killed in a car accident. Happy? Thanks for the memories" she glared at him.
"A car accident? That can't be right…" he mused.
She looked at Dean "Is he for real?"
Dean nodded "How old were you?"
"What does it matter? Young okay? Now …"
"How young?" asked Gus.
"What does it matter? Jesus…you're a bunch of morbid bastards" she said with a shake of her head.
"Six months, right? You were six months old" Sam knew he was right from the expression on her face. "Both your parents are dead?" she said nothing "Well?" he waited "Well?"
"Yes! Alright! Now answer my goddamn question! Where the hell is my brother?"
"Exactly there"
"Huh?"
"Your brother…I'm pretty sure he's in Hell" said Dean.
"You don't mean the metaphor either, do you?" He shook his head "What makes you think he's there? And I want the truth, not some bullshit answer"
"Because your brother did the same think my dickhead brother did" said Sam angrily.
"Hey!" snapped Dean.
"Shut the fuck up, Dean!" he turned to Jay "Your brother sold his soul to save your life"
She shook her head "You're insane…"
"Tell her, Dean. Tell her what that mark means. Ezekial…"
"Zeke" she said quietly.
"Zeke had the same mark didn't he?" she looked at the mark on Dean's chest and nodded slowly. Sam softened "Jay, listen to us" he turned to his brother "Dean, tell her. She has a right to know"
Dean looked at her. Jesus Christ, how was he gonna tell her that her brother was dead? She'd been looking for him for two years, holding onto hope that he was alive. He couldn't be. Her being alive was proof of that. He sighed and spoke softly "It's true. This mark is a pact. Like I said, me and Sam are being hunted, both of us. If I lose a fight with them tomorrow…."
"What? What happens if you lose?"
"They'll take my …" he trailed off.
"Soul! Say it like it is, Dean!"
"They'll take my soul on the proviso Sam's left alone"
"Bullshit!"
Dean shook his head "Your brother did the same thing for you"
She shook her head vigorously "No. He wouldn't do that to me"
"Not to you….for you" said Dean.
"What? Like a fucking gift?" she stood up quickly "Oh, I am gonna kick his arse when I find him!"
"Jay…you're not going to find him" said Gus "He's gone. He lost the fight. That's why you're still alive"
"No. He's good at what he does" she shook her head "No. He's alive. I know it"
"Denial's not going to help you" said Gus "Now you need to tell us what gift you have…because it may help us….well help Dean"
She laughed nastily "You wanna see my gift? Really?"
They nodded somewhat reluctantly. Dean turned to Sam and whispered "Why do I think I'm not gonna like this, dude?"
Sam whispered back "Probably the same reason I don't think I'm gonna like it"
She laughed again "You called it a gift? Well I'll show you what I think of his gift!""
She took the gun from the small of her back, put it to her heart and pulled the trigger. The blast was deafening.
"NO!" screamed Sam.
Dean stared in disbelief at her lifeless body then turned slowly towards his brother. Was this what lay in store for Sam if he lost?
To be continued...