(EmilyAnnMcGarrett-Winchester and lenail125 thank you for your reviews.)

Chapter Four

Sam had gotten the call early in the morning. He rolled over in bed and smashed his hand around for his phone. He muttered sleepily into his girlfriend's hair. "Mmm. That yours or mine?"

"Yours." She muttered back. "It's probably your mother."

"You mean brother right?" Sam propped himself on his elbow and glanced sleepily around for his ringing phone.

"I know." She mumbled. "You know what I meant."

Sam wasn't able to see it but he heard the smile. She meant his big maternal brother. "Yeah, you are soooo funny." He finally sat up in further pursuit of locating his phone. "Where is it?"

"I dunno." She muttered and snuggled deeper into her warm pillow. "Just make it stop."

"Thanks." Sam laughed at her. "You are a lot of help." He finally located the phone lying on the ground next to the bed.

Jess just muttered sleepily, and unintelligible. "Mmmm."

Sure enough on the caller ID it showed a picture Dean had taken of himself on his brother's phone. Dean was flexing. Sam pressed accept. "It's early. You better be bleeding out."

"Early?" Sam heard Dean scowl. "How is it early?"

Sam glanced at the clock. "It's five in the morning, dude. Don't know what time you got."

"Please." Dean scoffed. "We used to get up earlier than this. Remember dad's drills."

"Used to." Sam emphasized. "What is it?"

"I can't just call to say hello?" Dean laughed from the other line.

Sam wasn't amused. It wasn't a friendly call. His brother wanted, no needed, something. "First off it's early. Second I can tell from your tone that it's not just a checkup. So I ask again, and would prefer an answer. What do you want?"

"Okay, okay. You got me. I need some help."

"Running from cops from a misunderstanding help, or Dad or Bobby being a dick help?" Sam laid his head back on the pillow but kept the phone to his ear.

"I'll talk to you when I see you." Dean held a lot of humor in his tone.

"Look. You remember that conversation we had yesterday. I passed the LSAT with a good score and Jess and I kinda celebrated last night. So yeah, tell me when you get here." Sam held his hand over the end call button.

A deep chuckle echoed in the room and made Sam jump. "Oh, but you see, I already am here."

Sam shot up from his spot in bed and scowled at the shadow of his brother in the doorway. Of course his brother would sneak in through the window. It wasn't the first time. If he hadn't been so partied-out he probably would have heard the obnoxious break in.

"Piss off Dean." Jess scowled from the bed and pulled the sheets up. "You haven't heard of ringing the doorbell?"

"Oh I have." Dean laughed. "But then I wouldn't get such an amusing reaction. Anyways I'm here to talk to your boyfriend so."

"Make him go away Sam." Jessica moaned.

Sam had to laugh himself. He patted his girlfriend's shoulders before shifting off the bed to dangle his legs off the side of the bed. "I got him." Sleep drifted away as year of training as a boy shifted back through his system. He remembered having buckets of water poured over him, if he got out of bed too slow. He learned at an early age to fight off sleep. It usually helped on days with late evenings studying and early mornings with tests. That and coffee.

He put his feet on the ground and caught his balance as he stood up. Once he was okay he tugged on pajama bottoms over his boxers and followed his brother out of the room. "Keep the bed warm for me." He called out before he cleared the doorway and closed the door behind him.

"Mmm…" Jessica called out.

"You guys must have partied out." Dean chuckled, as he took in his slightly groggy brother. "I mean; I haven't seen you this out of it for a while now."

"Brady got a little too excited. Kept ordering shots. He's a little worse off than we are, because at some point we stopped. Whatever. Look, you are not here to congratulate me or to make sure I'm okay from my night of celebration. What's up?" Sam rubbed at his crazy standing up hair and made it worse.

Dean took a seat on the couch once they'd made it to the living room. "Well, I have a kind of weird request."

"Like how weird?" Sam asked cautiously.

"I wouldn't mind a little help on a hunt." Dean said a little quietly. Almost like he couldn't believe it himself.

"Like information help or-"

Dean rubbed a hand on the back of his head. "I need help on the hunt."

"You know I haven't hunted since I was twelve dude. I may be versed on the weapons and the monsters but I'm more like your Oracle than your sidekick." Sam crossed his arms.

"The Oracle is way hotter than you dude." Dean chuckled. He'd read a few Batman comics when he was younger. After Barbara Gordon he'd found redheads highly attractive. "Anyways, Dad gave me a hunt close by. The only problem is it's a woman in white."

Sam laughed. Woman in white. A kind of La Llorona. The stories varied. The story always contained the same variables however. Awful man, dead kids, and suicide by the women. In death they searched for one of two things. Replacement children or terrible cheating men. It didn't matter what she looked for though, both ended up dead.

"Worried your track record will get you killed." Sam laughed again.

"Take this seriously." Dean moaned.

"I am. As seriously as an awful five-o-clock wakeup call will allow me to be." Sam smirked. "I want to help dude, but you know I have that interview."

"I know, I know. You got a whole week until the geek boy, law school interview." Dean nodded. "I paid attention to our last conversation. It was only yesterday. I can have you back by Monday no problem. I just need Mr. Commitment to be there in the case that our Woman in White wants a bite out of me."

"Where's dad?" Sam queued.

"Dad is on a hunt. There were signs off in Florida. Dad's convinced that it's him and told me he and he alone was going." Dean stated his eyes turning towards his hands. "Anyways, Dad's about as bad as I am on the romance front."

"Wait, wait." Sam brought his hands up. "The Demon is potentially in Florida and dad didn't want you or anyone else to join. It's not just his fight, it's everyone's."

Dean nodded and tried to diffuse the situation. "Man, you know dad. He tries to carry the burden himself. He doesn't want the demon getting anywhere near us. Besides, he's been fighting this battle much longer than we have. He carries a certain drive to kill the thing."

"We do too." Sam rubbed at his eyes. "Whatever, his phones probably off and I couldn't give him my complaint if I tried. Yeah, I guess I'll go along. I may be a little rusty."

"That's okay." Dean shrugged. "I just need to have some kind of back up on this one. I really don't think that Constance is going to be a big fan of me and my lifestyle. I even thought about Bobby but-" It was pretty well known between the brothers that Bobby wasn't lacking in action. He had a few casual partners (other female hunters) that would show up every now and again for info, and end up staying the night. Sam was the only one who had a single woman he'd been devoted to. Well the only one with a woman they were devoted to, who was still alive at least.

Sam glanced towards the closed door. "Let me talk to Jessica. I'm assuming you need to head out now."

"Preferably." Dean smirked. "Dude you are so whipped."

"Shuddup." Sam waved his hand dismissively at his brother. Sam padded a little away from his brother and glanced absently towards his shared room before he turned back and looked at his brother. "You sure this is something we need to take care of now? We can't wait another day?"

"Already a few guys have gone missing, only their bloody cars remaining. I would like to go now to save another sucker. Why?" Dean raised an eyebrow. "Is there a reason we shouldn't go now?"

Sam seemed thoughtful, his eyes roving back to the door. "No, no. It's okay. It shouldn't- No, it's fine."

"Sam. If there's something wrong…" Dean hated the look his brother had.

His brother's expression softened. "No, nothing's wrong. Give me a little."

Dean remained on the couch while his brother went into the bedroom.

xxxOOOxxx

"Wait, hang on sweetie." Jess grabbed for her boyfriend's hand as he packed up a few articles of clothing and some of his toiletries. "Just slow down a second and let me absorb all this."

"Look, just be careful and don't allow any strangers in the apartment. Make sure that your safe while I'm gone." Sam met his girlfriend's eyes and rubbed at her knuckles. "You know I worry about you."

"You know I always look out for myself." Jessica dragged down Sam's arm and finally caught his drifting attention. "Look, at me. You're going on a hunt with your brother? You hated hunting, and you only did it twice. The first time, didn't end so well if I can recall."

Sam sat on the bed. "Jess, he's going after a woman in white."

"Yeah."

Sam expanded. "A woman in white is a spirit who in life found out that her spouse was cheating on her, in anger she usually kills her kids, and always commits suicide. She goes after children or cheating men, and she's going after guys in this case. With Dean's reputation-"

"He probably will be someone she goes after." She was starting to get it. "I take it there aren't that many hunters who have monogamous relationships."

"Usually, there are a lot of one-night stands." Sam offered awkwardly. "That's why-"

Jess grinned and dragged down Sam's head. "He needs his oh so attractive and loyal brother." She cut off his next word with a kiss. "I get it sweetie. I just can't help but get nervous that you're going to be a little in over your head. I mean he'll be watching your back as well, and you certainly can protect yourself; but it's been a while."

"I would be lying if I didn't say I was a little nervous as well. In theory, it should be easy though. We need to find out where she's buried and just burn her bones. It should be over after that." Sam lifted his hand to run a hand through her hair.

"And in practice." The motion had her a little breathless.

Sam smirked. "I can't say. Hunting is kind of like real life, I don't know if I'm going to slip on a puddle and crack my head open, or win the lottery. We gotta deal with the punches as they come."

"Not filling me with a whole lot of confidence." Jess trailed a hand down Sam's chest. "But I suppose I can offer you an incentive to come home in one piece."

Sam's smirk widened. "Oh can you."

Jess pushed herself up to reach Sam's ear and started to whisper. Sam's casual grin turned more aroused the more she spoke. When she finished she planted a kiss just beneath his ear. "Does that sound fair to you."

"Sounds more than fair." Sam pulled her up for another kiss. "I won't be gone that long, and I'll be home well in time for the interview. I still want you to watch out for yourself. Lock the door behind you. Draw a line of salt across the windows and doors, and those mats with the devil's traps-"

"By the door." Jessica dutifully finished. She brushed a strand of his hair out of his eyes. "What's got you so spooked, baby?"

Sam turned his head away. "Nothing."

"Sam, you don't need to hide anything from me." Jessica soothed. "You gotta talk to me if something is bothering you." She'd seen her boyfriend pop in a more than a few Tylenol to fight off the awful migraines he was suddenly getting. She had chalked it up to stress over the LSAT, but even his sleep was getting to be affected. She even noticed him reading the newspaper like a mad man in the morning and blanching over random stories he'd find. When she'd go back and read through a few they usually involved murder of some kind. She'd assumed it was because he was a hunter and always assumed the worst in normal news stories but then again she had been too afraid to ask.

"I'll talk to you once I get back. I don't think anything is going to be wrong. It's been too long since-" Sam bit at his lip. "We'll talk when I get back. Okay."

"Okay. Sam?"

Sam was in the process of getting off the bed and finish packing. "Yes?"

"I love you." She met his eyes and poured all the emotion she could into her stare.

"I love you too, Jessica." Sam said softly. His expression wasn't the same nervous look. This time he had an odd sparkle in his eyes. "There's so much more we need to talk about once I get back."

Jessica gave her boyfriend a brilliant smile. Rebecca had blabbed that her brother Zack had seen Sam walk into a Jared's. Of course he could have picked up a bracelet, but Zack had distinctively seen Sam leaning over a case of rings. Jessica was over the moon. She was reaching the point of wanting to further the relationship. Sam was amazing and she didn't think she'd ever find any other guy quite like him.

"I really look forward to it."

xxxOOOxxx

Dean groaned loudly and parked the car. It had been a few days they'd been gone. Five days after Sam and Dean had left to go to the hunt and they were returning all limping in some form. The car was going to need some work after Sam drove it into a building. Granted the wood was weak and didn't do the girl too much damage. Sam had already heard the long and tired speech about taking care of nice things. And Sam. Well he had a few holes in his chest. Apparently Constance decided that cheating me wasn't enough. She would go after guys who hadn't cheated, only she would turn them cheaters. So Sam made out with a ghost had her stab his fingers into his chest a few times. Dean imagined that Jessica would be giving him a speech about taking care of nice things; her nice things.

"Think she'll kill me?" Dean questioned. His tone slightly worried.

"Nah, dude. Just be safe though I'll keep my wincing to a minimum." Sam laughed. "At least until you leave."

Sam unconsciously slid out of the car in unison with his brother and closed the passenger door. He walked up the way the apartment building and turned back when he heard his brother curse sharply. "Dude I got check in with dad."

"He traded Florida, for woods. Dad's off hunting a wendigo right now. No way in hell he has reception. And no way he even picks up the phone in the first place." Sam scoffed lightly.

Dean waved a hand wearing an unamused expression. "Yeah and he still busts my balls for not checking in before and after hunts. I mean I'm twenty-six dude not five."

"Whatever." Sam chuckled. "Come up when you're finished. I'm sure Jess made cookies."

"You wouldn't know she's not been picking up her phone for the last few days." Dean dialed his dad's number and pressed send.

"She's probably just mad I went. She was nervous when I left. But you know that right, girlfriends being all worried about you, oh no you don't." Sam laughed as he opened the door to the building.

"I get more tail than you." Dean yelled back a rebuttal before Sam closed the door behind him.

Sam had been worried. The first day he'd figured that she was off doing her own thing. Then visions of something horrible happening to her slipped into his mind all over again. No it wasn't possible. Everything he'd seen hadn't waited so long to occur. There was no way. The second day he tried to fight off the concern, and the third he'd succeeded when everything started going downhill. By the end of the hunt, he'd already dealt with trying to get his brother out of police custody and trying to find the body of Constance Welch to have it burned. Then his father had called mid hunt to inform the boys that the trail had gone south in Florida very quickly. He'd found the demon and it wasn't tied to their mother. So he was off to hunt somewhere else, Blackwater, Sam thought. Sam hadn't really thought about his silent phone up until they were on their way back and Constance was gone.

Dean was probably right though. She was probably ticked that he'd gone off in the first place. He'd already thrown out he'd never hunt. And there he was playing back-up to his brother. No everything was fine. Sam took the stairs two at a time, eager to see his girlfriend's face. The ring in his pocket weighed down heavily. If she was awake it seemed like the right time. He was going to do something special, but special be damned. He was returning from a hunt victorious and how romantic was that. He wasn't sure, Jess was the deciding factor on that it seemed, but he thought it was pretty romantic.

At the door the apartment he dragged out the keys and fumbled with them a second before unlocking the door. "Jess!"

Nothing was out of place. The mat with the engraved Devils trap still sat where it was, salt lined every window and every door way in the place. He was glad she'd actually taken the precaution. The shower was running. She probably couldn't hear him. He passed his way through the kitchen and there on the scuffed up table was a note. Missed you! Love you! In her messy writing. Over a plate of cookies.

Sam smirked and glanced at the door in lieu of his brother. "Told you."

He scooped up on of the cookies and took a bite before wandering into the bedroom. After he ducked into the bedroom, went towards the bathroom. "Hey Jess. Dean and I just got back. I offered Dean our couch. He's got a long drive ahead of him, and he was going to rent some motel room. I figured you didn't mind."

Sam stalled next to the shower. Now that he thought about it, it didn't sound like anyone was in the shower. It sounded like the water was directly hitting the bottom of the tub. A quick tug on the curtain and Sam froze. Just as he thought there was no one in there.

"Jess?!" His voice held a hint of panic. "Come on this isn't funny." He'd made it to the center of the room before he bit down on his lip and froze again. He didn't want to look up. There was no way that he wanted to even chance a glance at the ceiling. "She's not there. She's not there." Sam moved his head up. "She's not- Noo, Jessica!"

There she was, just like in his dreams. Wearing the same nightgown from the evening he'd left. Pinned mysteriously to the ceiling her stomach damp with blood, and a spot on the bed where she'd been dripping. For an agonizing second she shifted her gaze towards him. She was alive!

Sam heard his door being kicked down, but didn't react, fire shot from around her body and started to engulf her lower half. "No, I'm sorry. I'm- I'm getting you down." He rushed to stand on the bed, and felt arms circling around his waist. Sam was dragged away before a ball of fire singed the carpet he'd been standing on.

Sam fought and he heard his brother grunt in pain when his elbow made a sharp connection with Dean's chin. "Sam. We don't have time."

"No, I can get to her. I have to."

"Sam, she's gone." Dean grunted and jerked both Sam and himself away from the bedroom. "We gotta get out."

"No!" Sam squirmed more, and Dean let go to twist his brother around and give his brother a sharp punch to his head. Sam didn't fall unconscious, but he did slump down stunned. Stunned enough that Dean bent down and put his brother over his shoulder. Dean offered the inflamed bedroom one last look before stepping over the fallen door and down the stairs. Dean and Sam were the first out of the building. A few more people stumbled out in various dress, and shocked students spilled out from the adjacent buildings. Sam collected himself enough to pick himself up and try for the building again.

"Sam. She couldn't have made it." Dean said softly, blocking his brother. "There's no point in you trying to run back in there."

Sam's voice dropped low. Dangerously low. "Get out of my way."

"No, Sam." Dean scowled matching his glare. "I'm not letting you run in there to die."

Sam's mask of anger cracked for a second. "Jess. She's-"

Dean put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "She's gone. I'm sorry, Sam."

"No." Sam turned away and put a hand to his head. "It's not- I was going to- Dean, what do I do?"

"I don't know, Sammy." Dean said softly helping his brother lower down onto the lip of the sidewalk. He glanced back only to see the blazing fire trucks rushing in to save the day. "I'm sorry."

(Sooo if you made it to the end then please leave a review or a PM. And please inform me if anything is off in the chapter. I hate reading through a chapter again and again only to find a mistake I missed.

And to EmilyAnnMcGarrett-Winchester, I do apologize. You expressed interest in Jess, and well I kinda killed her. In my opinion there are two moments in the story of the Winchesters that are staples. Mary's death, and Jessica's Death. Of course there are cases in fanfictions where the plot relies on a change.)