A/N: Hey, brief note, there's a lil' encounter in here that might seem like a broken record, and for a while I thought I'd better change it… but ultimately I decided to leave it as is, and I'll tell you why at the end.

Appendix H

Section G

Alex Age 18

Handling It

The Impala rumbled into the motel lot. The place was pretty well packed and they had to find a spot to park a fair distance from the office. It was the only vacancy they had found so far and they didn't want to chance an accommodation desert further out.

"All right, I'll go get rooms," said Dean. "Come on, Sam." He exited the vehicle.

While Sam found this odd, he figured his brother had a reason for needing him for a one-person job, so he followed. Jenna and Alex climbed out, too, happy to move about after the three-hour stint on the road.

Once they were out of earshot of the two young women, Dean asked, "How yah' doin', Sammy?"

Sam took a long breath, realizing why Dean had asked him to walk along. "I'm fine. It's just… it was hard to hear."

"It was messed up is what it was," growled Dean.

"It was," agreed Sam. "I've just got to let it go. He was a piece of crap; it's not worth dwelling over."

"Damn straight."

"It does make you wonder," Sam couldn't stop himself from delving further. "Even when you know you haven't been like that, people say things and it makes you worry, you know… how much have I screwed up with Alex? I know I'm not perfect, but is it worse than that?"

"Well yeah, no one's perfect," replied Dean, "but Alex seems to think you've been pretty good to her, and so do I. And trust me, if you hadn't, I would let you know."

This made Sam scoff a laugh, all the memories of their verbal and physical altercations fresh in his mind after the talk with Jenna on the road.

"Hell, half the time I think you're doing better than me," Dean added.

"Yeah, right," said Sam, grinning.

"Honestly, Sam, there is no one alive I would rather have helping me raise her than you."

Dean's words struck Sam so hard his chest hurt. It took him a while to be able to speak again, and when he did his voice was quiet.

"Thanks, Dean," he said.

Sam tried really hard not to cry as they entered the motel office.

Back by the Impala, Alex was leaned up against the rear bumper of the car, her eyes closed, slowly breathing the cool night air, the freshening chill sharp and relaxing on the bare skin of her face. After a week of cramming for finals and testing, some dealings with a demon, and then all the stress of today's encounter, there was an overwhelming relief in standing outside and not thinking of anything at all.

It didn't last long, however, as her attention was soon drawn by her friend, whose pacing was gradually increasing in speed.

"Jenna?" Alex asked.

"I can't," she replied briskly. "I can't just leave them. It's my mom and dad. What am I going to do without them? How am I going to survive? They're my parents. They raised me, they took care of me. How can I just ditch them? After everything they've done for me? Food, clothes, a roof over my head, driving me around, paying for school…."

"Jenna," Alex said calmly.

"And what about my sister? Do I ever get to see her again? Do I cut myself off from my whole family? Are they all horrible people I shouldn't be around? What about my poor cousins who my dad was—," she made a sound as if her windpipe had suddenly collapsed and avoided the rest of the sentence. "Am I abandoning them? Even if I don't owe my parents, what about the people who still have to be related to them? I can't just forget about them!

"Oh my God… oh my God… what am I going to do? What am I going to do?"

Jenna's hands had crept up into her golden hair, gripping her scalp. Her breathing was rapid and hard, her eyes wide with fear. She suddenly turned and walked toward the building, bee-lining between the Impala and the adjacent cars. It wasn't necessarily a move towards anything, just a move, as if she had to go somewhere instead of treading a hole in one spot.

Alex strode after her, her long legs shrinking the distance between them rapidly. By the time Jenna reached the sidewalk along the motel's front, Alex had grabbed hold of the woman—not roughly but not ineffectively—and turned her around so they were face to face.

"Jenna, there is absolutely nothing I can say to make you feel better," said Alex. "That's all going to be up to you and time. But you have to listen to me, because here's what you're going to do. You ride these emotions out. You don't act on them. You don't let them rule you. You just let them happen. And when they're over, when you've thought about this from every single angle twelve times over, and it's so familiar you feel numb when you think about it… then you make your decisions. Otherwise, you'll make the wrong ones. Okay?"

Jenna shook under Alex's grip, and she glanced around like a cocaine addict in need of a hit. "I don't know if I can just sit around and twiddle my thumbs. I'm not built for that! I have to—I have to—do something! Anything! I feel like I could run all the way to Kansas. How do I even lay down in bed at night and sleep?"

"Well," said Alex, "you're about to go through some really intense physical training for a month and a half. I think you'll be sleeping like a log. Just put your rage into a punching bag and not me when we spar, yeah?"

Jenna half laughed, half sobbed.

"Oh my God, it's going to be so crazy," she said. Then her eyes went wide. "Oh my God, I'm going to have to fight you! That's intimidating…. Oh my God." Then her eyes went wider. "Am I going to have to fight your dad? Oh my God! Am I going to have to fight Sam?" And suddenly Sam's stature was no longer attractive but terrifying.

Alex took her turn to laugh. "Don't worry, you'll just deal with me. Maybe if you get to a point where you're feeling confident enough, you can go a few rounds with them. Even then, I'm sure they'll go easy on you." Alex paused to think. "Maybe."

Jenna sucked in a deep, settling breath. "Okay," she said as she let it out. "Okay…. My God…." She shook her head. "Three days. Three days is all it's been, and what has my life become?"

Alex pulled her in for a hug. "I know. Sometimes the big stuff happens the fastest."

"Have you ever had something change your life this much this suddenly?" Jenna asked, her words muffled due to her cheek being pressed against Alex's shoulder.

Alex nodded. "A few times. Of course, I don't remember the day my mom and half brother died, or the day my dad gave me to Doug and Pam… but I remember the day my adoptive parents died. Matt was babysitting me while Mom and Pop were on a visit to Grandma in the nursing home next town over. They weren't even late getting back so we had no reason to worry. And then the cops showed up. All we did was answer the door and everything changed. Everything.

"I was nine… and suddenly I had no parents… and I was going into foster care… and I didn't know where I would be living in a week's time, or if I would see my brother again….

"And I remember when we were at the funeral, and out of nowhere, Dad was there… and he and Uncle Sam took me back, and of course, that changed everything, too. Veeeery different lifestyle from the suburbia childhood I'd had. My biggest worry way back then was if I'd get invited to Lori's sleepover." Alex laughed. "How dull and trivial is that?"

"Oh my God, Alex," said Jenna, her tears sliding down Alex's leather jacket. "You never told me any of this! Doug and Pam died? And your mom and brother—half brother—died too? And how did you know your dad was your dad when he came and took you back?"

Alex chuckled. "How do you think? I recognized him. And Uncle Sam."

"But you said you don't remember the day he gave you up!"

"Well, I saw him once when I was… I don't know… four? Five? My family was traveling and—if you can believe it—we ran into Dad and Uncle Sam at a motel. Not unlike this piece of crap we're at now. It had only been a year or so since they'd given me to Doug and Pam, so I still remembered what he looked like at the time….

"You know, when I saw him, I took off down the sidewalk and hugged him. It's actually one of my earliest memories of him—earliest memories period—running over to him. Something about that just stuck.

"So that's how I knew it was Dad when he came to the funeral. That and the paternity test the state had to run so he could keep me out of foster care."

Alex laughed, and so did Jenna. A door to a room opened a few dozen feet down the sidewalk.

"Alex, your life is so hard," said Jenna. "What the fuck am I complaining about?"

Alex laughed again. "Oh my gosh, Jenna, no," she chided, giving her the tiniest shake. "I'm not trying to one-up you or something. I just want you to know… once in a while, your whole world gets flipped on its head, and I've been there, so you are not alone. You're not alone. And things will get better."

All Jenna could do was nod her head against Alex's shoulder.

Alex took the pause in conversation to eye the three raucous young men who had exited the motel room and were wandering in their direction.

"Okay," Jenna finally piped. "I have about a billion questions about all… that, but my brain isn't there yet, so can we talk, like, a lot, later?"

"No problem," Alex said with a warm smile. "We've got six weeks to chat. I'm sure you'll learn a ridiculous amount about me and my family. You'll be sick of the stories by the end."

"Doubt it," said Jenna, sounding much more upbeat than she had since leaving Chicago.

"Look at these two hot chicks huggin' it out!"

The group had reached the spot where Alex and Jenna were standing. Alex had hoped they'd drop their catcalls and walk on by, but they came to a stop a short distance away instead.

"Man, I'd like to be in the middle of that," said another one of them.

"Oh, no, look!" said the third, crouching slightly and pointing at Jenna. "The blond is cryin'! What's got you down, beautiful? Somebody not treat you well?"

Jenna was cringing into Alex, staring anxiously at the guy who had pointed at her, who was nearest. "Sweet Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, when is this shitty day going to end?"

"Stay calm," Alex murmured, her eyes rapidly assessing all three of the strangers. None of them were particularly large, but unlike Gary, they looked scrappy. Not outright dangerous, as if they were packing heat, but they seemed like they could move quickly and were stronger than was obvious.

And there were three of them.

"Can you take them?" Jenna whispered.

"Pretty outnumbered," Alex replied just as quietly.

"I bet I could treat you right, baby," said the second to speak, addressing Jenna. "Make you forget all about that asshole."

"You do like those blond girls, don't you?" the one in the back said.

"Blondes have more fun," said the second. "Right, sweet cheeks?"

"You can have the little one," said the guy nearest them. "I like the dark and mysterious girl right here." He swaggered closer and brushed a few dark locks of Alex's hair away from her neck. Alex didn't move a muscle except to slide her eyes down to watch his hand as it passed above her shoulder, but other than that she kept her gaze locked on the man's face. "You look like you need someone to help you relax. Why don't you come with us and we can show you both a good time?"

"Mm," Alex said mildly, "odd numbers make for disappointing orgies. Someone always gets left out."

"Eh, he likes to watch anyway." The man closest waved a dismissive hand at his farthest removed companion. "Come on. It'll be fun."

Alex evaluated her options. Most of them sucked. An outright fist fight was not a good idea; the movies always made it look like taking on multiple opponents was just a day-in-the-life of a hardened fighter, but in reality it rarely went well and was over quickly and viciously. Another option was to try and stall until her father and uncle returned to even out the numbers, but that relied on a lot of luck and good timing. Calling on Castiel was a more reliable route, but not entirely; sometimes he was not available. He might even be in a fight of his own with far more intimidating opponents that he wouldn't be able to get away from. Then she'd just look like an idiot calling a strange name into the night air.

There was one last option that might just fit the bill, however.

Alex looked down at Jenna, who was still plastered against her, and asked in a low voice, "You want to see why Baby's trunk is so shallow?"

Jenna's brow furrowed in confusion. "I mean… yes, but is this really the time to—?"

"Okay," Alex said to the man, finally releasing Jenna and pushing her behind her and away as she turned to square up to their confronter. She noticed that he looked down at her breasts now that her chest was visible. "But on one condition." She held up a finger and let a hint of a suggestive smile creep onto her face. "You all stay… right here… and let me grab some… toys I've got in my car. I think you'll find them very exciting. But it has to be a surprise! So you have to stay right here. Sound like a deal?"

A series of "oohs" went up from all three men as they struck at each other playfully.

"Yeah, okay," the nearest one said, grinning. "We'll wait right here."

Alex began to back away, letting her hips rock loosely as she went, guiding Jenna back past the Impala.

"Stay right there!" she said, pointing at the group.

"We're stayin'!" called the second one.

And indeed they did, too foolish to think anything other than they had just scored.

"What the Hell are you doing?" Jenna hissed as she passed the Impala's rear door.

"You'll see," Alex said, finally turning around as she pulled her spare key from her pocket. She worked the latch to pop the trunk as she said, "Now Jenna, for this to work, I'm going to need you to react as little as possible."

"Good God, what are you going to show me?" said Jenna.

Alex removed the suitcases and the box, glancing back at the boys to be sure they were staying put, which they were.

"Just be cool," said Alex, and she popped the hidden compartment open to reveal the arsenal underneath. She wedged the sawed-off under the hatch on the side the group couldn't see.

Jenna's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head, but she managed to keep from making a noise. Alex peeked over at her and grinned, then returned to the trunk to grab her gun. She relished the sensation of having the 9mm in her hand; it fit perfectly into her palm, like a part of her body had been missing for the past four months. But the weight was off, because of course, it wasn't loaded. She picked up one of her clips, checking the bullet at the top.

"Nope, that's the silver clip," she mumbled to herself.

"What, for werewolves?" Jenna quipped.

"Yup," Alex replied.

"I was joking," said Jenna, exasperated at how unintentionally accurate she had been. Then she pointed into the trunk and hissed, "Are those nun chucks?"

Alex put a guarding arm out to keep Jenna from advancing any farther into the compartment. "Don't touch."

Alex found the clip with regular lead and loaded it carefully into the pommel, trying to minimize the click as best she could. Then she discretely tucked her pistol into her waistband.

"Um, aren't you going to use that?" Jenna asked quietly.

"Nah, she'll only make them freeze," said Alex. "But this," she pointed at the pump action shotgun propping the hatch open, "this will make them run."

With that she pulled out the weapon, letting the hatch drop, and stepped to the side of the Impala, bringing herself and the gun into full view of the trio. Just to be extra intimidating and make it clear as to exactly how comfortable she was with firearms, she gave it a one-handed pump to cock it, then swung the butt up to rest precisely against her shoulder, taking aim as she advanced.

Immediately, the three started hollering and screaming and scattering, with many a "holy shit!" shouted as they scrambled away from her.

"Run!" Alex yelled forcefully at them.

And they did. One of them tripped and fell hard as he pelted down the sidewalk. Due to his panic, he showed no signs of pain as he bounced back onto his feet and followed his friends. They disappeared out the parking lot entrance and down the adjacent road, not caring to get to their cars.

Alex dropped the shotgun to hang at her side and turned to Jenna, mock wiping her brow with a "phew."

"Holy crap," said Jenna. "It worked, but holy crap."

"You know the best part?" Alex asked, coming over to her friend. She opened the loading port to show it empty.

"What am I looking at?" asked Jenna.

"It's not loaded," said Alex. "And when it is, the shells are full of rock salt."

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Jenna. "What if they had come at you?!"

"That's what Felicia is for," said Alex.

"'Felicia'?" Jenna repeated.

"My handgun," replied Alex, pulling out her 9mm.

"You named your gun?" said Jenna.

"Well, when you know her like I do…." Alex put on a half-smile.

Jenna squinted. "Slightly creepy."

Alex shrugged and put away the weapons, ejecting her clip and storing them all safely before shutting the arsenal hatch and the trunk.

"That's… like… overwhelming," said Jenna. "How am I going to learn to use… all of that stuff? That thing you had was half my height!"

"Don't worry, we'll start you off small," said Alex. "I think we've still got the little 4mm I first practiced with. I don't even know why we have it."

By that time Sam was striding back to the car.

"Hey," he said. "Everything okay out here? Thought I heard yelling."

"You're kinda late to the party, Sam!" Jenna snapped, and it was sharp enough to make Sam look taken aback.

"Just a bunch of guys getting too friendly," Alex explained. "I scared 'em off."

"Really?" said Sam.

"Yeah, well, seedy motel, dark night, you know," she elaborated with a shrug of her shoulder.

Sam nodded wearily. "Yeah, I guess. Did you pull the shotgun?"

"Oh yeah," Alex replied as if it were obvious.

"But with your 9mm as back up?"

"Of course."

"Good job," said Sam as he stopped beside them. "So Jenna's seen… what's in the trunk?"

Jenna nodded, wide eyed.

"Okay," Sam smiled, "how are you feeling?"

"Intimidated," replied Jenna.

Sam chuckled. "Trust me. One day, you'll be glad it's there."

A/N: Okay, yeah, yet another SA kind of situation, and it really seems like too many—first Gary getting handsy, and then Jenna's dad being a super creep, and now this. I really felt like I should change it for a while, like why the hell would I keep going to that, there're other types of physical violence.

But, I mean, there's a reason my mind goes there when the setting is sketchy. I'm a woman; this is something that's always in the back of my mind, because it's the predominant threat. And yeah, it's not just women who encounter sexual violence, but boy, the statistics sure are skewed that-a-way. So if it seems like a lot of that instance… well, yeah. It is.

But, if we have to face it in reality, might as well have a little wish fulfillment in our fiction, right? Especially when we've got a badass like Alex and Baby's arsenal at our disposal! XD

And it's not like every single guy in these stories is a pig. We've got Matt and Ben and Doug and Logan and Peter…

…and, of course, Sam and Dean and Cas. And that type of behavior is not in character for any of them.

I mean, yeah, Dean's a player, but even as a demon he never hurt anyone that way.

Also, really hard to let go of a couple of Alex's moments in that section… 'disappointing orgies'… 'when you know her like I do'… a little Rule of Cool with the one-handed shotgun pump… ah, her grace under pressure…. And Jenna getting to see the arsenal—how could I ditch that?

You know... yeah, yeah actually, that's it; the whole reason for that portion AT ALL was so Jenna could see the arsenal. I really just needed an excuse for Jenna to get a sneak peak in the trunk. Oops! XD

AAAAAAAAAANNND SUDDENLY I REALIZED THIS IS ALL A GIGANTIC METAPHOR. Jenna's struggling with the memory of someone who is a sex offender, and right after she found out about that, the only bit of the outside world she could register was Baby's shallow trunk, and now she gets to know what's in there and that little bit curiosity has proved to protect her from the predators, and it's all thanks to Alex and her dad and her uncle and all their badassery and everything she's about to learn to protect herself from the scum of the Earth. So THERE. I English Major Bullshitted It (TM) to relevancy.

*sigh* K. I feel better.

NEVERTHELESS, thank you for reading, in spite of the broken record!