The Winchesters stood in a circle with Jimmy. The man watched his wife soothing his daughter as they sat in the Impala. He rubbed his eyes and turned to the brothers. "You were right."
"I'm sorry we were," Dean replied, a hint of empathy audible. Arielle scratched at the back of her neck, her eyes on the ground. She felt the brothers' eyes boring into her. Sighing, she looked up and squared her shoulders, steeling her insides.
"I did what I thought was right," she flatly stated. Sam scoffed and Dean gave him a look, shutting him up before he could say anything.
Dean returned his gaze to the young woman. "We'll talk about it later," Dean said calmly as Jimmy gave the blonde a look of sympathy.
Arielle shook her head. "No. Now," she retorted, turning to Sam. "Let me guess. You were gonna yell at me, saying how we had a plan. You're going to point out how you were right about the demons and the plan you had was the best option. But you know what? It wasn't the best option and I didn't have a choice in this. You went off to decide for us and I was left to babysit. No offense, Novak," she added and received a small smile in return. "I know I'm not part of this family. It's obvious. You asked me to tag along because of dad. That's it. If it ever came down to it, you'd let me die if it meant saving each other."
The brothers were stunned into silence. Jimmy placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back slightly. She hadn't even realized how she was shaking. "I'm a stranger," she continued softly now, trying to calm her body. "I know. But I knew better than either of you what Jimmy felt. And you should have, too. Losing family… You've been in his shoes. And I know that if you, Dean, were separated from Sam and knew you could see him again, you wouldn't hesitate to search him out, no matter what the danger."
"We'll talk, just us, after we deal with this," Sam repeated finally as if her whole spiel was pointless. Dean closed his eyes, shaking his head at Sam's response. "You sure you don't remember anything?"
"I'm telling you, I don't know anything," Jimmy responded, visibly upset at his disregard for Arielle's justification. The young woman stood beside him, fists clenched and jaw locked.
"I don't think they're inclined to believe you," Dean sighed, rubbing his face. Arielle bit down on her tongue and the taste of blood filled her mouth. Jimmy noticed the change in her features and he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"And even if they did, you're a vessel. They're still gonna wanna know what makes you tick," Sam stated matter-of-factly. "I'm gonna tell you once again, you're putting your family in danger. You have to come with us."
Jimmy turned his eyes from Arielle to Sam, his jaw set. "How long? And don't give me that 'cross that bridge when we get to it' crap."
"Don't you get it?" Forever. The demons will never stop. You can never be with your family. So you either get as far away from them as possible or you put a bullet in your head. And that's how you keep your family safe. But there's no getting out and there's no going home."
"Well, don't sugarcoat it Sam," Dean muttered, his eyes searching the man before them.
"I'm just telling him the truth, Dean. Someone has to."
"Look at that. Suddenly you care about truth," Arielle snapped, rolling her eyes.
"What do you mean?" Sam threatened, his eyes narrowing.
"You're full of shit," she spat without hesitation. "You don't care about his family or about Jimmy. You don't care what might happen to them when they leave, because we all know this won't end just like that. You care about one-upping these demons, for whatever reason you have in your twisted head. You'd kill them if it meant winning the war, and you'd lie your head off on the way to the slaughterhouse." Sam advanced on her, but Arielle held her ground. Her sharp green eyes held onto his dark ones. "I see through you, big brother. I may be a stranger but I ain't stupid."
Jimmy pulled her away as Dean did the same with Sam. "It's okay," Novak said, holding her shoulders to make her look at him. "It's okay. No matter the reason, he's right. We saw that tonight. I have to get away from Ames and Claire, no matter how much I want to stay. Their lives are more important than anything else under the sun."
Arielle turned her face and nodded. The look in his eye asked for her support in this now, and she would oblige. When he let go, she walked away from the group. Leaning against a wall, she saw Jimmy plod towards his wife as she stepped out of the car. She watched Dean order Sam to do something and the taller of the two walked away in the opposite direction. Arielle crossed her arms as Dean approached her, his hands in his pockets. "You okay?" he asked.
"Peachy," she said, disdainfully. Her eyes remained on Jimmy and his family.
"I don't hold it against you. What you did," Dean said as he rested beside her. "You thought it was the right thing. And, I did too, but… I thought of the consequences."
Arielle shook her head, exhaling sharply. "Dean, if it hadn't been tonight, it would've happened later. Demons ain't stupid, I'm sure you know that. The prize was worth the risk, though. You shoulda seen how happy he was, and the way Claire's eyes lit up when- " she cut off when the lump in her throat threatened to cause her voice to break.
Dean sighed softly, patting her shoulder. "You were lucky," he said, his eyes going from his sister to the small family.
"They were being watched. We'd barely been there an hour before they showed up," she said, setting her hands on the small of her back and stretching. "They can't go home either."
Dean's brow furrowed and he exhaled sharply. His fingers scratched at the scruff on his neck. "The best they can do is hide now," he said, more to himself than to Arielle as the reality the young woman presented sank in. "We can't haul them around with us."
Sam came back, joining the two of them. His eyes landed on Arielle and she met his gaze, unafraid. Dean snapped a finger between the younger siblings and they both turned to him. "Stop. We've got work to do." The two obeyed and followed Dean to the family. "We got you guys a car. You'll need to lay low for… well, as long as you can. Better to be safe than sorry."
Claire's face scrounged up and tears fell from her eyes. "Hey, baby," Jimmy soothed, kneeling before his only daughter. The girl threw her arms around his neck and he embraced her tightly. Unable to stand it, Arielle went back to the Impala, sliding onto the backseat and shutting her eyes tightly. Jimmy joined her moments later, his face impassive but his eyes red. Dean and Sam slipped in afterwards, driving out of the parking lot in silence.
Jimmy didn't spare a glance back.
Without thinking, Arielle placed her hand over his and she felt the fierce tremble of his body. Her eyes stayed on the buildings flashing by, and when he wrapped his fingers tightly around hers, she realized she trusted him just as much as he now trusted her.