Chapter Five
In the light of the motel room Dean studied Jane as she stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, hesitation radiating out from her with every movement.
Pale and slim with choppy blonde hair and clothes too baggy would have been an apt description. And yet even that wouldn't have been entirely accurate. Slim she was, verging on the point of being too thin, though there were still some curves there he thought, remembering how she felt when she had struggled against him. The clothes certainly didn't do her any favors. Too loose and baggy for her frame, not to mention the streaks and splatters of dried blood that stained the front of her t-shirt.
And yet in different circumstances some might have said she was pretty maybe even beautiful, though it was hard to see it right now. Right now she was too pale and washed out; like someone who had been sick for a very long time; the dark circles under her eyes didn't help either. This was a woman on the edge, strung out and exhausted, as if the only thing that was keeping her going was the Adrenalin that was pumping through her body, though even that was fading fast.
She turned her head away from him, almost as if she had been aware of his gaze. The movement made the uneven strands of her hair drape over her face, hiding the scar from view. Realizing that she has done this on purpose Dean looked away. Not because of the scar; he wasn't that shallow. No the reason went deeper than that; she unsettled him though he couldn't explain why.
SPN*SPN*SPN
"Would you like something to eat?"
Sam knew as soon as the words were out of his mouth that the question was kind of pointless but the need to say something, anything, to reach the woman standing before him had taken over. He had come across plenty of frightened and confused people during his years of hunting but this woman Jane was something of an enigma; frightened, almost terrified one minute, the next emitting a kind of aloof weariness like someone who knew that terrible things happened and that there was little she could do to stop it.
Jane didn't reply, her mind obviously focused elsewhere, her slim frame swamped by the jacket that Sam had given her, making her look even more lost.
"I'll go," said Dean, upon the look that Sam shot his way that told him all he needed to know as he picked up his keys from the table and headed out.
With Dean gone Sam contemplated the different ways he could try to reach her, deciding that the simple approach might reach her the best. "Jane?"
This time she responded, her head turning in his direction.
"Can I get you anything?"
She shook her head, the silence settling around them once more as the seconds went by and then a minute had gone before she spoke, her voice soft and quiet, "Amy's dead… isn't she?"
"Yes."
For a moment he didn't think she had heard him and then all at once she crumpled to the floor, her legs giving out underneath her as the weight of his answer sank in.
Rushing over Sam reached out to her, stopping as she flinched in fear. Dropping his arm back down he stayed where he was. Calm and steady, hoping his presence might offer her some measure of comfort. Gradually the tension in her body seemed to relax though her distress at his answer was still obvious.
"I killed her." Though whisper quiet the words were raw with pain.
Sam made no comment, waiting for whatever would come next.
"It's my fault. I should have saved her. I tried but… there was so much blood… and there was..." She halted, fear etched on her face as the memories of what she had witnessed pushed their way through. Overwhelmed and panicked she raised her hands to her head, closing her eyes as she shook her head from side to side. "No. No. No. It's not real, it isn't real…" Her voice rose in agitation, her mind lost to the whatever memories that were invading her mind.
With her panic escalating Sam placed his hand on her shoulder, ignoring her earlier reaction. Once again she flinched, her body tensing up underneath the warmth of his fingers. Her unease was palatable, like a trapped animal waiting for something bad to happen. He kept his grip firmly in place, hoping that she would know on some level that he would never hurt her.
"Jane, stay with me. Focus on my voice and stay with me."
Whether it was his touch or his words or a combination of the two, he didn't know for sure but whatever it was it seemed to have the desired affect. The rising hysteria spilling from her quieten though the tension in her body remained. "It's going to be okay. It's not your fault. You did everything you could to save her."
"But it wasn't enough." The words were the barest of whispers.
Guilt was a terrible thing, it could eat away at you until there was nothing left; Sam knew this just as he knew that Jane had to find a way to let it go. Right now she deserved the truth, even it if was painful. "No, it wasn't. But you didn't kill Amy. What you saw, that killed Amy, not you."
At the grief stricken look on her face he slipped his arms around her, pulling her close, her body rigid in his embrace. He kept his hold on her, whispering words of comfort. Slowly the tension in her body eased away and she sagged against him, exhaustion finally taking complete control, breaking down her defenses.
"It's okay. It's going to be okay." Sam whispered the words as he held her tight, stroking her hair, feeling the dampness of her tears against the bare skin of his neck the feel of her becoming heavier and heavier as she slipped into sleep.
SN*SN*SN
As Dean came into the room carrying food and drink he saw Sam's silent signal to be quiet and glanced over at the bed that was on the other side, seeing the curled up form of the sleeping woman. He flicked his head in Jane's direction as he placed the bag of food on the table, lowering his voice a notch. "How's she doing?"
Sam took one of the coffees from the tray. "She'll be okay."
"She said anything?"
"Not much, but she saw what killed Amy."
Dean waited for Sam to elaborate further, giving a beat of a pause, then pushed just a little when Sam didn't respond. "And?"
"She tried to stop it."
"Ballsy." Impressed by this piece of news Dean gave Jane another look.
"Yeah, it was," agreed Sam, "You know most people see a monster they run the other way, but not her. She went after it, tried to save her friend."
"Well she's got guts, I'll give her that. Doesn't mean she's not on the wrong side of crazy. You know going after a monster, that's not exactly what normal people do."
"We do."
"Yeah, but we're hunters. Her? She's a small town waitress with enough problems of her own without taking on monsters. Normal people know when to run."
Silence fell between the brothers as Sam drank his coffee and Dean his beer, both of them thinking about the woman now in their care.
"So… any more ideas about what we might be hunting?" asked Dean, breaking the silence.
"No, but I think Bobby might be able to help."
"I guess it's worth a shot. No that we've got much to give him to go on. Girl One gets attacked, Girl Two channels her inner Buffy. Unfortunately Girl One still ends up with her heart ripped out and Girl Two is now lying comatose over there while we're sitting here trying to figure out this mess. So yeah ring Bobby and see if he has any luck because right now we've got jack."
"I already did. He'll be here in about 10 hours," replied Sam, a satisfied look on his face.
