Previously: The hunters harass Reagan to find out where Tyler is being kept and she finally finds him in an abandoned school. Jenna is made to stay in the car with their prisoner while Dean, Sam, and Quinn go in to try and rescue Tyler. Dean finds him and he and Quinn take out the demon guard but Sam runs into more demons downstairs. Dean and Quinn come charging in and between the three of them, they manage to take the demons out only to find out Quinn has been shot by Lefty, the demon with the gun. She collapses and Sam catches her.
CHAPTER 13 – When the Dust Settles
Sam scooped Quinn up in his arms and threw his brother a frantic, panicked glance. Dean simply nodded and started moving towards the door. "Let's get her out of here," he said gravely.
They made it down the long hallway unhindered, to the side door facing the street where the cars were parked. Dean kept his pace a few steps in front of Sam and was about to push the door open when he stopped abruptly. "Crap."
Sam followed his gaze out through the windows to the dark schoolyard and saw the shadows of two men approaching. The brothers could only assume they were demons.
Dean was immediately ushering him back into the hallway. "We'll take the back door," he said briskly. They couldn't fight two more demons, especially with one man down - or woman. Dean had Sam's shotgun in his grasp and moved behind his brother now, between Sam and the demons. "She doin' alright?" he added as he urged the taller hunter faster.
Sam spared a glance down at Quinn in his arms, who had her eyes open and head resting against his shoulder, one hand still clamped firmly over the wound in her side. She was quiet and complacent, sure signs she was weak and hurting.
"M'alright," she mumbled faintly as they ran.
They made it to the back stairwell before the two demons came in the side door, preventing them from being seen. The stairwell was the same one with the door Quinn had sent Tyler out earlier and for a moment Sam thought they were home free. Then suddenly there was a shout and a demon was charging at him with a drawn fist.
Sam had his hands full of injured hunter but Dean intercepted, barreling into the demon and knocking him off his attack path before he reached the younger Winchester and Quinn. Dean and the demon both went sprawling to the floor in a flailing heap of punches and kicks.
"Get her out of here; I got this!" Dean barked, rolling himself free just enough to rise to his knees and aim a punch at the demon's face. "Go!"
Sam gave his brother a quick nod and made his way out the door, pride and fear for Dean swelling inside as he left him behind. It occurred to Sam he didn't give his brother nearly enough credit and certainly didn't tell him often enough how much respect he had for him. The guy was the very definition of a hero, risking his life for others without ever thinking twice, this time for a woman he could barely stand to be in the same room with.
The air outside was cool but the moon was bright and Sam quickly oriented himself enough to figure out the side street with the cars was to his right. He headed that way quickly, uttering words of assurance to Quinn, whose head was now lolling on his chest. He made his way along the side of the building until he could see the Impala and the Exige in the quiet street. Jenna was standing near it with a man next to her, presumably Tyler, both lurking in the cover of a large tree. Their eyes were currently glued to the side door where Sam and Dean had seen the demons approaching a moment ago.
He started out across the open grass hoping like Hell Dean would be right behind him. Jenna turned her head and upon spotting him carrying Quinn, immediately started running towards them. Sam noticed two vehicles suddenly pull up behind the hunters' cars, people spilling out of them. The hunter came to a halt with a strangled gasp.
Crap, more demons!
Unsure of which way to go now, he watched despondently as the half-dozen or so men opened the Impala back door and dragged Reagan out, her hands still bound. It was too dark to see their eyes and they were too far for Sam to hear their words, but all reason pointed to them being demons. Jenna was halfway to him, her eyes fixed on Quinn and seemingly quite oblivious to what was going on in the street. Tyler was twenty feet behind her, chancing the occasional nervous glance backwards.
Sam took a hesitant step backwards. What was he supposed to do now? There were six demons coming around the Impala and heading their way. He had only made it a few feet back towards the building by the time Jenna reached him.
"Oh my God, Quinn, what happened? What happened?" She looked up at Sam, her eyes frantic. "What happened?"
"Shot," Sam answered breathlessly, hoisting Quinn a bit farther up as he glanced around to see the demons striding menacingly towards them. "Come on, back this way!"
They had barely made it a few paces when more people appeared from around the front of the building. Sam's heart sank by the time the eighth came around the corner – and they were still coming.
They were screwed. They had no chance of escaping this many demons. Sam, Jenna, and Tyler would be captured alive to be used for their psychic abilities but Quinn... damnit, Quinn would die. If they didn't kill her, she'd be left to bleed out here in the schoolyard.
"They're everywhere!" Tyler breathed, fear evident in his young voice as he looked around wildly.
Jenna seemed too focused on Quinn to even notice. She was moving next to Sam with her hand wrapped in Quinn's sleeve, the other clasping a sawed-off shotgun. "Quinn," she whispered, blatant worry spilling out of her.
"I'm alright, Jen," Quinn managed, her voice weak and breathy.
Sam was touched by the obvious closeness the two women shared and the blind concern Jenna was demonstrating but they needed to run. He started towards the back of the schoolyard. "Come on," he urged.
"Wait, where's Dean?" Tyler asked suddenly.
"Inside," Sam answered tersely, wondering how many of these demons Jenna could take out with her mojo if it came down to it. He had never seen her do it but the notion fascinated him. Of course, he would still have to slice any binding marks they might have... that could be problematic.
"What?" Jenna gasped. "Inside?"
Sam kept moving, picking up the pace but he knew it was futile. There was no way they could outrun this many demons and he definitely couldn't fight them all. Demons were between them and the cars and between them and the building and... and Quinn was bleeding in his arms and his brother was God knows where... fuck!
Jenna tightened her grip on the shotgun she held. "I'm gonna run to the building, head them off," she said. "They're still after me right? The ones I don't manage to shoot might follow me in."
"No," Quinn said, her voice barely audible and little more than a whisper breathed into Sam's neck. "No."
"No," Sam said more loudly. "Just keep moving."
"I'll go with you," Tyler was now saying. Jenna had clearly given him one of Quinn's shotguns upon his arrival at the car for he held one in his hands that Sam didn't recognize. Sam couldn't help but notice he held it without the ease or familiarity of someone who was trained in its use and wondered if the kid had ever even fired one before.
He was annoyed the pair weren't listening to him and contemplating doing something incredibly stupid, even if it was admirably brave. "Keep moving!" he repeated with more authority. "Head for that road."
He was referring to the street on the far side of the school's soccer field, which might as well have been a mile away with twenty or so demons hot on their tail. They were moving as fast as they could when Tyler suddenly shouted excitedly.
"They're fighting!"
"What?" Sam turned his head enough to get a look at the demons behind him.
The second group that had come around the front of the building hadn't joined in the pursuit of the fleeing humans as expected. Instead, they had charged towards the first group of demons, cutting them off and the whole pile of them were now pretty much brawling by the side of the school.
They were fighting each other.
"What the hell?" Sam stammered, staggering a couple of steps out of surprise and the weight of the woman in his arms that his biceps were starting to feel acutely. Any scrap of doubt he had that these people were demons was erased when a slim woman threw a much larger man twenty feet through the air to land against the concrete base of a flagpole.
He shelved his shock at the fortunate turn of events and kept running. "Let's go! Keep going!" he commanded Jenna and Tyler, who thankfully obeyed.
They were almost all the way across the field when Sam noticed a parked minivan and ordered them to head for it.
"What about Dean?" Tyler repeated.
"Yeah, we can't just leave him," Jenna added.
Sam was moved at the pair's unusual level of loyalty to his brother. He more than anyone wanted to know where Dean was and if he was alright but Quinn was badly hurt and the demons wanted the other three of them for nefarious purposes and Dean would want him to get them to safety. The people they protected always came first; that was an unspoken rule.
"Just get to the minivan."
"But..." Tyler started.
"Just get to the minivan!"
He would get them away then come back for Dean, even if there were a hundred demons in his way.
They reached the minivan and Jenna broke the driver's window with a few hard hits using the butt of her shotgun. She opened the sliding door for Sam and he lowered Quinn onto the back seat. The wounded hunter's eyes were closed and her body limp.
"Is she okay?" Jenna asked, ducking herself under Sam's large frame to reach her friend.
"Keep pressure on that wound," Sam instructed her, his heart skipping a beat at how pale Quinn looked. He lifted two fingers to press against Quinn's neck, the other cupping her cheek.
Her eyes fluttered open briefly and a weak smile tugged at her lips. "Sorry to be so much trouble, Tiger," she breathed.
"Not at all." He returned the smile and pulled back to let Jenna climb all the way in next to Quinn. "Just hang in there."
He moved around to the driver's side so he could hotwire the vehicle and stole a glance back at the school. A couple of the demons had broken loose from the melee and headed towards them but they, too had been intercepted by other demons and were now locked in fierce fistfights in the middle of the soccer field. This was fucked up.
He yanked the cover off the ignition wires beneath the steering wheel. "Tyler, can you drive this?" he asked, realizing he had done his duty of getting them to safety and could send them on their way while he went back for Dean.
"Yeah, my mom has a minivan," the kid replied from where he was sitting in the passenger seat.
Sam felt a stab of guilt at the innocence of the statement, of the image it presented of this teenager with the normal life and the soccer mom that he would never be able to go home to because he would forever be on the run from demons.
"I need you to get Quinn to the hospital," he told the teen. "Can you do that?"
"What are you gonna do?" Tyler questioned just as the engine roared into life.
"I'm going after..."
"Dean!" came a cry from the back seat.
"Yeah, I'm going back for..." Sam followed Jenna's gaze back across the schoolyard to see his brother, running full tilt across the grass towards them. "Dean!"
Within seconds, Sam had the minivan bouncing over the grass towards the fleeing hunter. He pulled to halt just in front of Dean and Jenna slid the back door open to let him in. Dean had blood on his face and was breathing hard as he jumped in and slammed the door closed behind him.
Sam's heart untwisted from the tight knot it was in, immense relief flooding through him and he stepped on the gas.
"What the fuck is going on with the demons?" Dean panted, not waiting for an answer before turning to Jenna and Quinn. "Damn, she okay?" His concern sounded genuine.
Sam twisted his head around to see Quinn's eyes were closed again and his worry spiked once more.
"I dunno," Jenna said, her voice quivering and her hand still pressed against Quinn's bloody side. "It looks bad. We need to get to a hospital."
Dean nodded. "Okay, we will. Don't worry, Jen; she'll be fine." He turned to Sam. "Dude, drop me off at the Impala."
"What? Dean, no! Let's just get out of here." Sam was incredulous.
"No frigging way. There's bodies everywhere and my Baby's parked a hundred feet away from it all. The demons are too busy kicking each other's asses to notice me so just stop for a second and I'll follow you guys to the hospital."
Sam knew better than to argue when it came to the Impala. His brother's love affair with that old car had started before Sam had even been born and Sam figured he would never fully understand it. He drove around to the side of the building and pulled up next to the black Chevy, stopping just long enough for his brother to hop out.
~X~X~X~X~X~
Two hours later found the Winchesters, Jenna, and Tyler camped out in an L.A. hospital's Maternity Wing waiting room, making frequent but cautious trips down to the trauma ward to check on Quinn's status. She had been taken in for surgery immediately upon arrival and Jenna had filled out the fake paperwork, listing herself as a sister-in-law and claiming the two women had been mugged in a dark street and that Quinn had been shot for fighting back.
Jenna and Sam had both refused to leave the hospital despite the risk of demons thinking to look for them there, so Dean had decided they would be safer waiting in the Maternity wing, just in case. Surely demons wouldn't consider looking for them there. Jenna's refusal to leave her friend had been expected but the extent of Sam's worry had been a surprise. Dean began to think perhaps a little more had gone on between the pair than he had originally thought but... nah. Quinn wasn't Sam's type. He liked soft and sweet and… Jessica came to mind… definitely not a hard core hunter like Quinn.
Dean had to admit, however, that despite the fact that she pushed every one of his buttons, he had a tremendous respect for Quinn after the events of this night. She had been shot in the hallway but hadn't even flinched and had kept going without so much as a whimper until the job was done and the demons were exorcized. And she had refused to leave Sam in trouble. Dean would always appreciate that. Also... and this one made him curious... she seemed to make Sam smile. That didn't happen much these days.
"Think the demons will still be looking for us?" Sam asked, speaking quietly so only his brother could hear.
"I don't know, man. I think I figured out what was happening at the school though."
"What, with the demons fighting demons?" Sam's forehead creased in concentration. "I've been too worried about Quinn to give it much thought until now," he admitted. "But it was messed up."
"I saw Yellow Eyes," Dean blurted.
"What?" Sam's eyes widened in shock and the pitch of his voice rose. "And you're just telling me this now?"
Dean shrugged. "Not much we could do at the time."
"We could have ended this!" Sam fired back. "Once and for all!"
Dean frowned. "Yeah, coz we were in such a good position to take on the big-bad of demons," he sneered. "No Colt, remember? No devil's traps, a couple of salt rounds at most, twenty other demons all trying to get a piece of us…"
"We had one thing."
"Don't even fucking suggest what I think you're about to suggest," Dean snarled angrily. "Jenna's not a weapon."
Sam's lips pulled into a tight line. "You're right," he said after a long pause. "It's just, Yellow Eyes killed Jessica, Dean. He killed Mom. He killed Dad. He almost killed you. He says he has plans for me that we both know aren't good."
"I know," Dean acknowledged. "I know." He gestured towards Jenna and Tyler, who were over by the vending machine, Tyler watching with fascination while Jenna showed him how to pick the lock. "But protecting the innocent comes before revenge, Sammy. It has to or we're no better than Gordon Walker."
Sam nodded again. "Yeah, I get that. But they're not gonna really be safe until we kill Yellow Eyes." He sighed. "Let's get Quinn patched up and these guys to safety and then we'll try pick up his trail. Are you sure it was Yellow Eyes?"
After Dean had jumped out of the minivan and into the driver's seat of the Impala, he had seen a lone demon as he pulled away. This demon was an older man – pushing fifty – and was standing on the sidewalk, strange in his calmness. He had just stood there, watching the minivan and then watching Dean as he drove past, a creepy, smug smirk on his face. Then his eyes had flashed yellow. "It was him," he said with confidence.
"So what's your theory on the crazy at the school?"
Dean explained all he had learned during his time of captivity that led him to believe there were two opposing groups of demons. First were the Yellow-Eyed demon's followers, who made up the majority of demons. Yellow-Eyes had 'created' the psychic kids for some big scheme and the bulk of demons were supporters of that plan. Then there were the 'rebels', the demons that had kidnapped Jenna and Tyler and the rest. They had essentially stolen Yellow Eyes's psychic kids and were using them against him. They didn't want Yellow Eyes to find out what they were up to, however and their boss was taking great care to fly well under the radar.
"So the second group of demons that showed up was Yellow Eyes and his minions," Sam figured out. "Making sure we got away so we were free for him to use for his own purposes later."
"Yeah that about sums it up."
"And you think they got Reagan?"
"Hope so or our rebel pals will be able to find you again."
Sam groaned. "Our lives suck."
Dean snorted. "Tell me about it."
Jenna came up to stand before them. "Hey, Dean," she smiled down at him. "You mind coming back down to trauma with me? See if there's any word on Quinn yet?"
"Sure." Dean rose to his feet right away. He had forbidden her to go alone and was thankful she wasn't giving him a hard time over the order. That and he enjoyed her company. And with all the kidnapping and running through the woods and hospital visits, he had only shared one kiss with her - he was kind of hoping for more.
~X~X~X~X~X~
Quinn survived. In fact, she came through surgery with flying colors and the doctor was extremely pleased. Dr. Monica Grant informed Jenna the wound was clean and the bullet hadn't hit any vital organs and that Quinn would be up an about in a matter of days. Naturally she suggested her patient stay at the hospital for a few days at least, which was heard by the hunters as 'one day tops and we can get out of here'.
Sam spent much of the next twenty-four hours in Quinn's room, keeping guard for demons as well as assuring himself she was indeed alright. Jenna was there for much of the time also, her mood and cheerfulness improving on par with Quinn's strength. Quinn had argued to leave five minutes after she had woken up from the anesthesia but between Sam, Jenna, and the painkillers, she had been convinced to wait until she could at least walk.
Dean and Tyler came in from time to time but didn't want to crowd the patient so limited their 'visits'. As Quinn became more alert, the bickering between her and Dean returned but was only surface deep and had lost any real bite. There was no trace of the outright rivalry or the antagonism, much to Sam's relief.
Quinn was sleeping while Sam sat quietly in an uncomfortable plastic chair, Jenna curled up in another chair next to him, her legs up over the sidearm. Dean had taken Tyler for a 'walk-a-bout', which had been cover for having the conversation about the teen not going home for a while. It had been obvious to all that the kid had a bit of hero-worship going on where Dean was concerned so the elder Winchester had offered to deliver the unpleasant news himself.
Sam was snapped out of his deep thoughts by an alarming statement from Jenna.
"Reagan said our futures are pretty shitty, me and you."
"What do you mean?"
"In the car, while you guys were in the school. She said she'd get the last laugh. She can only see glimpses of the freaks like us so she couldn't see Quinn and Dean but…"
"We're not freaks," Sam cut her off, instinctively using the line his brother was always using on him.
She laughed softly. "Yeah, I almost believe that sometimes too." She glanced fondly at the sleeping woman in the bed next to them. "Quinn can be convincing sometimes. She really doesn't seem to care that I'm a freak. I can almost forget it when I'm around her." She smiled at Sam. "And Dean. You know, besides Jason and Quinn, he's the first person that knows about my thing that doesn't make me feel like there's something wrong with me."
Sam nodded in understanding. He knew Dean would always have his back no matter what – despite John Winchester's dying order to save him or kill him. And Quinn had never wavered in her support despite her discovery that Sam got death visions. "So what did Reagan say happens to us?" he pressed.
Jenna shrugged. "She wouldn't give me particulars, but she said it was a little ways down the road. She said…" The blonde pursed her lips and paused. "I don't want to worry you but … but if you know maybe you can make sure…"
"Just tell me," Sam urged.
"She said you're gonna die and I'm gonna wish I died."
~X~X~X~X~X~
Quinn could indeed be quite convincing when she wanted something. Sam had tried to coax her back into the bed, urge her to give it until later that night so that most of the staff would be gone before they slipped her out of the hospital, but she pretty much ignored him. She batted his helping hand away and stood swaying on her feet for a full minute as proof she was ready to go, her face set in a challenging frown.
"Is she faking it?" Sam asked Tyler, who grinned and reached out to touch Quinn's arm.
"Uhh, no," Tyler replied, suddenly hesitant. "She's good to go."
Sam figured his answer was influenced more by the thoughts accompanying the threatening scowl she aimed at the teenager than the real truth, but agreed to go round up Dean and Jenna all the same.
He searched the floor and was just starting to get worried when he finally found them. He stuck his head into the quiet hospital chapel and groaned when he saw his brother in the midst of a steamy make-out session with the blonde on the front pew. He cleared his throat, politely averting his eyes when they pulled apart and Jenna hastily straightened her top.
"Uh, Quinn's up and she really wants to leave now," Sam told them.
Flustered and blushing, Jenna got to her feet. "Uh, I'll go talk to her," she said, sounding breathless. She slipped sheepishly past Sam and out into the hall.
"Dude," Sam chastised his brother, who was leaning back in the pew with a shameless grin on his face, clearly giving himself a moment to 'recompose'. "Making out in a chapel, Dean? Really?"
Dean snorted. "Don't act so surprised. It's not like it's the first time I've gotten some in a church."
"Last time Pastor Jim caught you and you got put on janitor duty for a month."
"Worth every minute, Sammy. See, some of us red-blooded males like to, you know, actually touch a woman. Unlike you who spends three days with a super hot one and doesn't seal the deal."
Sam frowned, his brother's attitude and antics annoying him as usual. "Why do you automatically assume I never slept with Quinn?"
Dean laughed as he got to his feet, adjusting his jeans slightly. "Coz she's outta your league. She is bad-ass. She would eat you alive." His lips curled up into a lopsided grin. "Bet she's a wildcat in the sack."
"Dean!" Sam rolled his eyes, not letting on that his brother was right and that Sam had first-hand knowledge of just how much of a wildcat Quinn was. Of course, he was more than certain he had held his own that night. "What are you, in junior high?"
Dean ignored him and kept teasing. "Know how else I know?"
Sam just groaned.
"Coz I only got to first base," Dean continued as they walked down the hall. "No way I only get to first base and you get a home run. That's just a law of nature, Sasquatch."
~X~X~X~X~X~
Quinn didn't make it out of the hospital on her own two feet but the hunters still slipped out without incident. Their radio scanner and news broadcasts divulged that the Exige had been confiscated by the authorities and Talise Everett Quinn was now wanted by the State Police for questioning in connection with some bodies found at an abandoned school in Burbank.
"Welcome to the club," Dean commiserated after her stream of expletives had finally died down. Sam realized her anger was probably more to do with losing the Exige, one of her last connections with Jason Harrison, than the burning of her real ID. That was to be expected as part of the life of a hunter.
Seated between Jenna and Tyler in the crowded car, Quinn passed out during the long drive to Nevada, where the brothers checked into a low-rent motel. Sam got one room for them all, not wanting to leave either of the women or Tyler unprotected for now – just in case.
The next two days were spent watching TV, eating take-out, and playing cards while Quinn healed enough to get mobile. Tyler had been upset at not being able to call his parents; after all, he'd already been missing over a month and they would be starting to think the worst by now. Dean assured him that they would eventually figure out a way to get word to them that their son was still alive without alerting the demons.
Having already sent Chelsea to the Roadhouse, Dean had thought maybe Bobby would be able to take Tyler in but Quinn quickly offered to take the teenager with her and Jenna and Tyler enthusiastically agreed. Although Jenna had wanted to stick with the Winchesters and take the demons head on, both Quinn and Dean were adamantly against it.
It was finally decided Quinn was well enough for the hunters to go their separate ways. Dean had picked up an old Chevy Suburban with money Quinn had given him and was outside the motel topping up the fluids when the brunette came out to stand next to him.
"Sure I can't convince you guys to come with us?" she offered. "No shame in tucking tail and running, you know. Not from this."
Dean closed the hood and turned towards her. "It ain't that," he sighed. "Honestly, I would. I wanted to. Tried to convince Sam but…"
"But your little brother's a stubborn son of a bitch," she finished with a fond smile.
Dean chuckled. "Oh, you've met him?"
"Yeah, you could say that," she smirked, making Dean wonder again about the two of them.
Pushing his curiosity aside he leaned against the hood of the Suburban. "Listen," he said seriously, "Take care of Jenna, 'kay?"
"With everything I've got."
"And Tyler," he added. "I kinda like that kid."
She nodded. "With everything I've got," she promised.
They stood there for a minute watching the people coming and going from the gas station across the street before Dean spoke up. "So where you guys gonna go?"
"Not sure," she shrugged. "Somewhere the demons will never find us." She pulled one of the small hex bags out her pocket. "I couldn't convince your brother to hang onto one of these."
"You've only got two left," Dean pointed out. "Jenna and Tyler should have them."
"And Sam?" Her deep concern was obvious.
"Don't worry about Sam. He's got me." He looked over at Quinn. "With everything I've got."
~X~X~X~X~X~
Author's Note: I know this seems like the end but things aren't going to leave off quite that happily for the gang. One more chapter to go that has a lot of answers in it and a twist or two and I'm pretty excited about (it's actually the reason this fic was born). I hope to have it up tomorrow. Please let me know what you're thinking – feedback means the world to me and is always appreciated.