Chapter 2:
Sam's girlfriend laid on the room of their bedroom. Her stomach had a large gash in it, blood dripping from it. The flames surrounded her body, burning her up.
Dean pulled his younger brother out of the apartment. As the building continued to burn, Sam fought against Dean trying to return into the building.
"Jess!" Sam kept calling out to the building. "I have to save her."
It was pointless. The woman he loved was dead. Whatever had killed her, was off somewhere killing whoever, whatever he wanted to.
The police, firetruck, and ambulance came in one big parade of flashing lights and sirens. The police gathered witness statements. They took their time interviewing Sam and Dean. Together they managed to make up some bullshit story about seeing a man running off before they saw Jess up on the ceiling.
As the firemen battled the flames, Sam went over the weapons in the trunk of the Impala. Pulling a shotgun out, he inspected it. Making sure that it was good, he turned to his brother saying that he was ready.
They had stayed in town for a week in order to attend Jess's funeral. Whenever they weren't with her family, Sam was busy doing any kind of research he could on whatever killed her. The only thing that he had been able to learn was that it was the same thing that had killed their mother years ago when Sam was still a baby.
Once the funeral was finished, the two brothers started driving. Sam didn't have a clue where his brother was taking him. As long as it led him to whatever killed Jess, that was fine by him.
After three days on the road, Sam finally asked Dean where they were headed.
"I've gotta check up on someone," Dean replies.
"Then why don't you pick up the phone and call?" His younger brother asks.
Dean chuckles, thinking of that someone. "She wouldn't believe it was me. I don't call. It's face to face or nothing when it comes to us."
"She?" Sam asked, interest peeked. "You don't mean to tell me that some woman has captured my brother's heart?"
"Dude, I'm not some blushing virgin that falls in love." Dean punched his brother in the arm. "Jo's a hunter. A young one, but a hunter nonetheless. That thing is going after any woman that's in our lives. I'm not gonna take the chance that she is or isn't on it's hit list."
The Roadhouse was a familiar sight. Dean usually stopped by here every couple of months to check in on the Harvelle women or to meet Bobby here. Ellen was tough as nails, but always made sure that Dean was greeted with a beer when he walked in the door then later on a hot meal and a place to crash.
The sound of an ACDC song in the background greeted the Winchester brothers as they walked in the door. A couple of people sat at the bar drinking their drinks. Other than that the place was dead.
"Do my eyes deceive me or is that Dean Winchester?" Came a loud voice from behind the bar. A middle-aged woman with mousy brown hair made her way towards the brothers. She pulled the older one into a hug. "It's good to see you, boy."
"Ellen, this is my brother, Sam. Sammy, this is Ellen Harvelle." Dean introduces the two.
"It's nice to me-" Sam started to say but was cut off by a yell.
"You son of a bitch!" A young blonde haired woman said, making her way towards them. Her finger pointed directly at Dean, she poked him hard in the chest. "You were supposed to met me in Iowa to gank that shapeshifter. Instead I had to try to lure a gay shifter away from possible victims."
"Nice to see you too, sweetheart." Dean grinned at her.
"Don't smile at me," she rolls her eyes. Turning towards the man next to him, her eyes widen. "This can't be-"
"Yeah it is. This is my brother, Sam, in the flesh." Dean says.
"I'll be damned." she said, taking him in. "He's cute. You didn't tell me that."
Dean crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe I did that for a reason."
Jo went over to him, kissing his cheek. "No need to pout about it, honey."
Ellen ushered the brothers to sit down at the bar. Jo got them both beers, then went back to taking care of the rest of the customers. Her mother made conversation with the brothers, trying to get a feel on the younger brother. Sam made polite small talk with her, while Dean's eyes wandered over to the blonde bending over to pick up a case of beer.
"Dean, are you listening?" Sam asked.
"Huh?" Dean turned towards his brother.
"Ellen asked if we were staying for dinner."
"Of course." he replied. "Is it all right if we crash in the guest bedroom?"
"I'll get Jo to put some clean sheets on the bed." Ellen said before walking over to her daughter. The pair exchanged a few words before Jo headed up the stairs to the apartment above the Roadhouse.
"So what's the deal with her?" Sam asks.
"What do you mean?"
"You two a thing or...?"
Dean shook his head. "She's twenty-one, Sammy."
"And?"
"She's off limits. That' it, end of discussion."
Later that night, Jo showed the brothers to the guest bedroom even though Dean knew exactly where it was. Sam went into the room, laying down his duffle on the bed. Dean stood outside the room with Jo, staring at her.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you came," Jo whispered to him. "But why are you here?"
Dean sighs. "Sam's girlfriend was killed by the same thing that killed our mom."
Her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, is he okay?"
"I dunno, he won't talk about it." he told her. "Jessica was beautiful, smart, blonde and curvy. Everything that Mom was."
"So what? You think that's how he picks his targets? By how they look?"
"Yeah. Not to mention the fact that Jessica was involved with a Winchester."
Jo cocked her head to the side. "What are you trying to say, Dean?"
"I'm worried that he's gonna go after you next."
"Why? 'Cause I'm blonde and know a Winchester?" she asks.
Dean ran a hand over his face. "I care about you, Jo. You are everything and more that Jessica was. I can't sit around with this gut feeling that you could be next. I refuse to see you up on that ceiling like Sam had to see her."
She wrapped her arms around him. "Nothing's gonna happen to me, Dean."
"How can you be so sure?"
"You won't let it," she says. "Besides, I'm a hunter. I'll shoot him down before it can even touch me."