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Chapter 6

After spending the night waking Dean every few hours, just in case he had a concussion, Sam was exhausted. He knew Dean had to be feeling even worse, evidenced by his very slow, deliberate movements as he attempted to make it to the bathroom down the hall from their room. If he didn't know better, Sam would have suspected his brother was hung over. Unfortunately, the large bandage on the back of Dean's head and the dark bruising on his back were reminders that they were likely facing much bigger problems. They'd come to the Roadhouse thinking they were going to have to tell Ellen that Jo had been killed, sent to hell, actually. Then they find Jo alive and well; and Dean gets hurt when he's alone with her.

It was no coincidence, of that Sam was certain. Sure, his brother could be a trouble magnet, and he could have simply slipped on the ladder, but given the circumstances, and Sam's intuition, he wasn't about to let his guard down. He didn't even want to let Dean go down the hall alone, but when his big brother glared at him and explained in no uncertain terms that he could "go to the fucking bathroom" by himself, Sam reluctantly backed off. He did, however, stand in the hallway while he waited for Dean to return. Neither of the brothers had bothered to get dressed yet, both wore only sweatpants and Sam shivered in the cold hallway, partly from the draft and partly from a sense of dread. There's definitely something wrong here, I can feel it.

As he waited, Jo came out of her room across from the bathroom, smiling, tying her apron around her waist. She looked at him admiringly, almost lecherously, and Sam fought the urge to go back inside the room and grab a shirt. He reflexively crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hey, Sam, what are you doing standing out here? Mom's making breakfast, should be ready soon. How's Dean?"

"Oh, hey, Jo. Uh, I'm just waiting for the bathroom," Sam lied. "Dean's okay, just sore from that fall. I think we can hit the road after breakfast." Sam attempted to keep the emotion out of his voice. But he was angry, and frankly terrified at the thought that it could be Lilith standing right in front of him. He didn't think Dean was up to a road trip yet, either. His brother was unsteady on his feet, but Sam was determined that they were getting out of there to regroup. He had to protect Dean from Lilith, because he knew what she wanted, and it sickened him.

Dean stepped out of the bathroom to find Jo and Sam both looking his direction. Jo smiled and Sam looked uncomfortable.

"You guys having a convention out here?" Dean asked as he leaned one hand against the wall to steady himself and appeared to be concentrating on simply putting one foot in front of the other. Sam resisted the urge to help him, he didn't want to reveal any further weakness to Jo.

"How you feeling, Dean?" Jo asked. Sam could have sworn she sounded almost smug, her concern phony. This isn't Jo. I'm sure of it. There's something – a presence that I'm starting to feel. It's getting stronger.

"I'm okay, Jo, just a little sore, that's all. I'm sure some aspirin and your mom's home-cooked breakfast will have me feeling like a new man, and then Sammy and I can hit the road."

Jo smiled crookedly and fished her hand into the pocket of her apron. "Hey, I found this on the floor in the storage room. It must have broken when you fell. I fixed the cord." Jo dangled Dean's amulet in her hand.

"Oh man, I didn't even notice it was missing. Thanks, Jo."

Sam frowned as Jo walked right up to Dean and placed the amulet around his neck. Get the hell away from my brother, you bitch. It was all he could do to stop himself from pushing her away. Dean looked a bit surprised and ducked his head slightly to allow her to place it over his head.

"There you go. I would hate for you to lose that. I know it has a lot of sentimental value for you, seeing as how your dad gave it to you."

Dean still wore a slightly surprised look and exchanged a questioning glance with Sam. "Yeah, Jo, it does. I just, uh, I didn't know I had told you that before."

"Well you must have, either that or my mom told me. So, why don't you two get dressed and get some breakfast."

She turned abruptly and headed towards the bar, leaving the brothers alone.

Dean looked at his taller sibling, who was obviously bothered about something. Sam's eyes followed Jo down the hall, his jaw muscle twitching. Dean knew his brother well enough to know that something major was going on inside that head.

"Sam? Spill. What are you thinking?"

Sam shook his head, attempting to shake away the bad feeling as well. "I don't know Dean, something is, something's weird. I can't put my finger on it."

"Spidey senses tingling?"

"You could say that. Ever since," Sam paused, not wanting to acknowledge his newly sprung abilities. "Ever since I felt the full power within me, I think I'm more in tuned to different energy."

"Okay, Yanni. What does that mean, exactly?"

"I can feel dark energy, and Jo is surrounded with it."