The Seventh Faerie: Chapter One
Fic title: The Seventh Faerie
Author name: seramercury
Artist name: tzeni17
Genre: Het, AU
Pairing: Dean/Jo
Rating: R
Word count: 20,154 words
Warnings: language, violence, implied sexual assault
Summary: Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle have finally found happiness--together. The Yellow-Eyed Demon is dead and things are starting to feel normal for a change. That is, until a new evil threatens to erase everything they hold dear--their relationship, their families, and their very lives.
"The council has made its decision, Flora."
“But Father, I just don’t understand! He has never harmed anyone before!” she responded, her light wings fluttering faintly, almost shimmering in the light.
“Flora, I have been very patient with you, since this was the first council meeting you have attended, but I can no longer allow you to let your romanticism of humans cloud your judgment!”
“Father!”
“No, Flora! The Changeling will be sent tonight and you, my dear daughter, will be there to witness it!”
Flora watched as her father stormed off, indicating that the conversation was over. She sighed. Humans always believed the life of a faerie was simple and beautiful, but she knew better. Faeries at their best were unpredictable and at their worst, dangerous.
Her people were the Solitary faeries, who enjoyed singing and dancing. They were descended from spirits who made up all of nature. They could become invisible and shape shift. These faeries were more wild and capricious than other faerie kind.
Take the ruling of the council, for example. They judged day in and day out which humans should be rewarded and which should be punished, but who were they to do such a thing?
That was the topic of discussion today: a young human male by the name of Dean Winchester. Flora did not understand the meaning of his name, but the way he was described seemed almost heroic. He was a hunter of what humans called the Supernatural, or creatures such as faeries, werewolves, and vampires. There was evil in the world, that was true enough, and that evil had threatened his family on more than one occasion, so she couldn’t blame him for wanting to protect them.
The demon Azazel had killed his mother when he was only a child. It must have been awful for him. Flora’s mother had lived for over a thousand years before she went to the Sky Havens so she had no comparison.
The council truly believed this human should be punished for what he had been doing, mostly as an example for all hunters to see. It didn’t make sense to her, though. Dean wasn’t killing innocent beings. If those demons took over the Earth, the faerie world would be gone as well. Flora did not want a Changeling to be sent to him. She had to stop it… but how?
Hours had passed since the council had met and now Flora was standing with the troop ready for departure. Unfortunately she hadn’t found anyone willing to help her, but she did find an enchantment in one of her mother’s books that would allow the human to see through the Changeling by sunset on the third evening. The young faerie only hoped that was enough.
*****
“Dude, quit staring at me like I’m gonna disappear!”
Dean shook his head and looked down at what he had written in his dad’s journal. He knew Sam was annoyed by the constant worrying, but damn it, the kid had almost died!
Dean felt completely responsible for it too-- not only because Sam had almost died, but also because his younger brother had to kill a human to keep the man from opening the gate to Hell. And with that Winchester luck they had been too late to stop the demons from escaping. Dean shut the journal and got up from the bed. He glanced at his watch to see an hour had gone by since his girlfriend had gone out to pick up lunch.
“Girlfriend,” that word still seemed foreign to him. They had been together almost two years now. He didn’t know what it was about Jo Harvelle. Maybe it was the way she never judged him or the way she looked while holding a sawed off shotgun. Whatever it was, Jo had won his heart.
“Be right back,” Dean told his brother. He was out the door before Sam could reply.
Dean was surprised to find Jo leaning against the Impala trying to catch her breath. “Jo!” he exclaimed, rushing to her side. She jumped when she felt Dean’s arms encircle her. “Hey, take it easy. You okay?”
Once she caught her breath, Jo nodded and replied, “Yeah. I just… got away.”
“Away from what?” he asked, eyes darting around them.
“I don’t know. I can’t remember.”
Dean turned her to face him as his hands inspected her head for any sign of trauma. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
“Going to pick up lunch.”
Dean frowned. “Jo, that was an hour ago.”
“What happened to me?” She asked, a hand on her forehead as she attempted to recall the last hour.
The two shared a knowing look. Dean was reminded of when Sam had been possessed by the demon Meg. Sam had been gone a whole week and could not remember where he had gone or what he had done. The demon within him had committed murder while wearing Sam’s body. Dean shuddered, hoping that Jo had not been through the same thing. Sam was still reeling from the after effects of his possession and Dean couldn’t bear the thought of such a thing happening to another person he cared about. He opened the car door, grabbing the holy water he kept under the seat, and tossed some of it on Jo.
Luckily it did nothing. “Okay, well that’s good,” he said, kissing her in relief. “Let’s just get inside. Maybe Sam can help us figure out what happened.”
“No.”
“No?” Dean was confused and really starting to worry, especially when she pushed him away.
“I can’t do this anymore, Dean!” she exclaimed.
“Um, okay, just relax. No one said you have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Jo frowned at him. “I can’t deal with you and your baggage either! I’m going home!”
Before Dean could stop her she went back into the hotel. Dean was too stunned to even move. He had to stop her somehow, because whatever had happened to her to triggered this sudden--
“Dean! Dean, come on man, wake up!”
Dean opened his eyes to see a very worried brother standing over him. “Where’s Jo?” he asked, springing to his feet
“Take it easy, Dean. It’s kinda not surprising she ran off since you two were yelling at each other.”
He blinked. “What? We weren’t…” Dean trailed off, confusion evident on his face. “I don’t remember fighting with her.”
“Must’ve been one helluva fight for Jo to take off for home,” Sam mused. “What did you say to her?”
“Me? Sam, the last thing I remember doing is talking to you in our room!”
Sam shook his head. “Dude, whatever you did, you must have pissed her off enough to knock you out and give you amnesia or something.”
Dean’s face suddenly paled and he dropped to his knees trying to catch his breath. “No…I…”
“Dean!” Sam exclaimed as he attempted to catch his brother. “What is it?” He asked, waiting patiently for Dean to get his thoughts together.
“Sam, I attacked her. Tried to…”
Immediately, Sam knew. “Dean!”
“Sammy, I would never hurt Jo like that!” Sam merely stared at him. “Dude, say something!”
“I can’t believe you would do that to someone who’s been there for you. Who hasn’t judged you! Dean, what the hell?”
Dean didn’t know what to say because Sam was right. His heart beat wildly in his chest as the memory of the attack assailed him. He would never forgive himself for what he had done.
*****
Jo couldn’t believe she’d been duped. By faeries, no less! Dean was never going to let her live this one down. Jo looked around the room where she was being held. There were no windows so she couldn't even tell what time it was. She sat in the corner against the wall as she thought back to what had happened. She had gone to the diner to pick up lunch. On her way she felt tired and before she knew it, she was waking up in this place.
Suddenly, she heard someone at the door. Jo immediately stood. “Who the hell are you?” she asked, eyes blazing.
"Pardon me," the young woman replied. "My name is Flora and you are in my world now."
"The faerie world?"
"Yes."
Jo crossed her arms, glaring at Flora. "You wanna tell me why I'm here? Because when Dean finds out..." She trailed off, noticing that the faerie had flinched when Jo mentioned Dean's name. "What did you do to him?" She exclaimed, rushing towards her.
Flora held her hands up and a bright flash of light hit Jo in the face, dropping her to the floor. Jo was able to sit up after a minute, unable to speak. "Please, listen!" Flora begged. "I am trying to help you!"
"Trying to help? By kidnapping me and replacing me with a fucking Changeling?"
"I didn't want to do this, but my father and the council made their decision about Dean. They think he is evil and he must be punished for what he's done to people like us," Flora explained.
Jo did listen to the faerie and she couldn't believe what she was hearing. They were going to punish him for hunting? For trying to stop the evil sons of bitches who wanted to hurt everyone on the Earth? "Dean wouldn't kill anything that wasn't trying to start the apocalypse or hurt a human being. If any of you had done your research, you would know that!"
Flora nodded. "I do know that," she replied. "I do, and that is the reason I put a spell on the Changeling myself. When the sun sets on the third day, Dean will realize that it's not you and he'll be forced to destroy it. Once it's destroyed, you will be returned to your world."
"Why would you do that? Why would you risk everything to help us?"
"Because I know that if a demon takes over the Earth that will also be the end of the faeries. We do try to help and reward humans as well just as we try to stay away from them if they are not actively looking for us. It is who we are. We love this planet as much as you do."
Jo watched Flora's face and saw only sincerity and determination. She really did want to help. "Okay, but why cast a spell that won't come to pass for three days?" she asked. "Whatever that Changeling is doing is probably making Dean insane. I know about them. They may look like the same person but they aren't the same in personality."
"This particular Changeling can also make him forget things and believe things that aren't true. The council allows us to see through the eyes of the Changeling. I can help you do that too if you'd like; however, I do not believe you would enjoy it very much."
"I need to see," Jo replied.
Flora nodded and had Jo sit on the floor. The faerie sat across from her. "Close your eyes," she whispered, touching her hands to Jo's face. Soon Jo was looking at Dean through the Changeling's eyes. He seemed distressed.
“No?” Dean was confused and really starting to worry especially when she pushed him away.
“I can’t do this anymore, Dean!” she exclaimed.
“Um, okay, just relax. No one said you have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Jo frowned at him. “I can’t deal with you and your baggage either! I’m going home!”
And then...
“Must’ve been one helluva fight for Jo to take off for home,” he mused. “What did you say to her?”
“Me? Sam, the last thing I remember doing is talking to you in our room!”
Sam shook his head. “Dude, whatever you did, you must have pissed her off enough to knock you out and give you amnesia or something.”
Dean’s face suddenly paled and he dropped to his knees trying to catch his breath. “No…I…”
“Dean!” Sam exclaimed as he attempted to catch his brother. “What is it?” He asked waiting patiently for Dean to get his thoughts together.
“Sam, I attacked her. Tried to…”
Jo pulled away from Flora with a start. "What the fuck?" she exclaimed, glaring at the faerie. "Dean thinks he raped me? He even has memories of it! How could anyone be so cold-hearted? And now he's going to continue to think that for three fucking days! You think humans are bad, but you are all a bunch mean- spirited people!"
"I know," Flora replied, sounding sad as she looked at her hands resting in her lap. "I do not enjoy this anymore than you do. I have been trying to convince my Father that doing this is wrong. That your Dean has been nothing but self-sacrificing, but he will not listen. No one will listen and I am at a loss as to what to do."
*****
Sam was quiet as he drove. He would have let Dean but his brother had begun showing signs of a concussion shortly after his freak out. Dean was quiet... too quiet... as he stared out the window. Sam knew something wasn't right here. His brother did a lot of questionable things, but he had been taught to respect women and he did.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Dean's cell phone going off. Dean didn't even acknowledge the Metallica song that blared from the phone, sitting on the seat between the two brothers. Sam reached over to answer it just in case it was Jo.
"It's Sam," he answered.
"Samuel Winchester, what the hell is going on?"
Sam's eyes widened. "Ellen!"
"Don't you ‘Ellen’ me, boy! I just got off the phone with a very distraught girl! What the hell did Dean do to my daughter?"
Sam glanced over at Dean, who still had yet to say anything. "Honestly, I don't know. He hit his head pretty hard and can't remember," he replied. "I don't believe he would do anything to hurt Jo. He loves her."
"Well if he didn't hurt her, someone did, and I don't have any idea where she's at."
"We're trying to track her down now, Ellen," Sam promised. "As soon as I find her and talk to her about what happened..."
"No!" Ellen snapped. "You find her and you sit on her until I get there. I want to hear the story myself and you will make certain that brother of yours is there too, is that understood?"
Sam nodded, forgetting he was on the phone. "I hear you. I'll call you when we find her."
Dean finally spoke up when Sam closed the phone. "I know where she'll be," he said. "Take a left at the next stop light, there's a bar on the corner there that we went to last night. She liked it and said we should go back after the case was finished. I know she'll be there."
"Dean..."
"I know, Sammy, but I have to talk to her anyway and you need to go in there because she won’t listen to me."
Sam frowned and pulled into the bar's parking lot. How he was going to convince Jo to come with them was beyond him. Maybe he could tell her that Ellen needed her to come home or something. "You gonna be all right?"
"Dude, I'm fine. Go!”
*****
Dean was still confused about what had happened. If he had hit his head and couldn't remember what happened then what in the hell would possess him to attack Jo in the way he had? Yeah he loved sex but he would never force himself on a woman, especially one he cared for so much. But Dean also knew Jo wouldn't lie. Something wasn't right and he was determined to figure it out.
Apparently it didn't take long for Sam to convince Jo to come with him because the two were heading towards the car. They were obviously having a heated discussion and Sam looked a bit uncomfortable. Suddenly Jo grabbed Sam by the neck and planted a kiss on his lips. Sam was obviously too stunned to move, but Jo took care of that by grinding her body into him.
Now Dean knew something was wrong, but by then he was waking up in the passenger seat. "Finally!" Sam said concern evident in his eyes. "I was about to take you to the hospital if you didn't wake up soon."
Dean blinked in confusion. The last thing he remembered was trying to find Jo after she disappeared, however now he saw her going into their motel room. He put a hand to his head. "What the hell happened?" he asked.
Sam frowned. "Don't you remember, Dean?"
"No, I..." he trailed off when flashes of him attacking Jo resurfaced, then of Sam making out with Jo right in front of him. "What the fuck, Sam?" Dean exclaimed, jumping out of the car, completely pissed.
"What?"
"What? There's no way in hell I tried to rape Jo, for one thing!"
His eyes widened. "You did what?"
"Sammy, I don't think I tried to rape Jo. I know I didn’t!"
Dean heard a car door slam and turned around to come face to face with Ellen Harvelle. Before he could even react, her fist impacted with his nose. He dropped to the ground, holding it as blood spurted out. He could tell it wasn't broken but he knew that it was going to bruise badly. And Dean knew he deserved far worse than that.
"Sam, where's Jo?" Ellen asked, face red.
"In room six," he replied. Once Ellen was gone, Sam knelt next to his brother. "Dean, seriously dude, what the hell is going on with you?"
Dean accepted the tissues Sam dropped into his hand as he helped him to his feet. "Me? I don't know, but something isn't right."
Sam was quiet as he was thinking. Dean could practically see the gears turning in that overgrown head of his. Sam's eyes widened. "Shit, Dean, I think I know what's wrong. It's not Jo."
"What?"
"It's a fucking Changeling. A faerie Changeling."
"How is that even possible, Sam?" Dean asked. “They're repelled by practically everything we have in the motel and the car. Iron, crosses, salt, and running water."
"Dude, they can put glamours on anyone! What if it's protecting itself from letting us see when it's been affected by something?" Sam said. "Besides how else would you explain what you’ve been remembering?"
Dean nodded, lost in thought. He was completely relieved that he hadn't hurt Jo, but this... "Fuck! If that's not Jo, then where is she?"
"She's gotta be fine, Dean, because they can’t kill her if they want to keep the Changeling alive."
The brothers exchanged a glance when they heard Ellen through the paper thin door of the motel room. "Joanna Beth, just what do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to hurt Dean," Jo said. Dean could hear the anger in her voice and he didn't like it very much. "It'll be nothing compared to what he did to me!"
*****
"Jo," Ellen said.
"Mom, this is something I gotta do! I'm not gonna kill him, just fire a shitload of rock salt at him."
Ellen didn't even know how to respond to that. She couldn't believe that Dean had done what Jo said, but this was her daughter and she would never lie about something like this.
Ellen placed a hand on her shoulder. "Then why don't we talk about this? I know what that boy did to you and I could kick his ass myself, but if you do that, you're no better than him, Jo."
Before Jo could reply, there was a knock at the door. She got to her feet and was stopped by her mom. "Get out of my way!" Jo shouted, but Ellen remained there. Jo yelled at her again, but this time backhanded Ellen hard enough to knock her to the floor and daze her.
The door suddenly opened and the two Winchesters came barreling into the room when they heard the shouting. "Ellen? Jo?" Dean asked, but he was cut off from saying anything more because there was a loud sound and sharp pain emanated all over his chest and stomach. He dropped to the floor, hearing Sam calling his name somewhere off in the distance.
"Jo!" Sam exclaimed.
"Sorry to shoot and run, but I got places to be. I'm sure we'll talk later."
At this point Ellen had gotten to her feet. Jo looked between her mom and Sam. There was a sudden flash of light and the two were slammed into the wall, sliding to the floor. When they finally came to, Jo was gone.
Sam rubbed the back of his head as he went to help Ellen to her feet. "You all right?"
"Ask me again later," Ellen replied sadly. "We should check on Dean, though."
Dean wasn't fully unconscious but she could tell he was having trouble moving. Jo had double salted those shells "Hey, Sammy," Dean gasped out when his brother came into his line of vision.
*****
Sam knew his brother was in pain just by the fact that a few tears slid down his face. He also remembered a similar situation when he had been controlled by an evil spirit that made him do the exact same thing Jo had done to Dean.
"Hey. Ellen's going to get some whiskey and the first aid kit and we'll get the salt out, okay? Just hang in there."
"Hurts like hell, Sammy."
"I know, Dean," Sam said, patting his brother's shoulder.
"Scared." Sam hated seeing his brother so vulnerable but when he was in pain, he got like that.
"Why? You're not gonna die, you'll be fine. Sore as hell, but alive."
"For Jo," he finally admitted, glancing over at Ellen who had knelt beside him. "I'm sorry I... I don't even know..."
Ellen smiled as Sam opened the bottle of whiskey and she helped him lift his head a bit. "Just relax, Dean. I know you didn't hurt Jo. I know you would never hurt her, okay? We'll figure this out, I promise! Now drink up because you're gonna need it!"
Dean needed no further urging as he drank as much of the liquor as he could. He reached out to take Ellen's hand when she offered it. She placed her other hand on his forehead. "Just close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Sam and I are going to take care of you now, darlin'."
By the time Sam had removed all the pieces of salt he could, Dean had passed out and Sam's hands were shaking like hell. He and Ellen had been able to pick him up and lay him on one of the beds where Ellen put antiseptic on and dressed the wounds.
She looked up when she was finished to see Sam just standing there. "Sam," she said. He looked up at her after a moment. "Are you okay?"
"This is the second time someone he cared about shot him with rock salt because they weren't themselves."
Ellen's eyebrows furrowed. "Second time? Who did it the first time?" Sam really didn't need to tell her because of the expression on his face. "Sam," she said.
"It's all right; we got through it and we're stronger than we have been in a long time. We'll get through this too and we're going to save Jo," Sam added.
"Save her from what? What has a hold of my daughter?" Ellen asked, now standing in front of Sam and looking completely freaked out.
Sam took a deep breath. "I think it's a Changeling."
*****
Jo rubbed her forehead as she lay on the bed. She was going stir crazy and a headache the size of Canada had begun to take residence in her skull. Flora had seen that she was fed but beyond that Jo saw no one.
It was the third day after the Changeling had taken her life and she was getting scared. She sat up quickly, eyes darting back and forth. Who or what was she scared for? Who, definitely who, but what was this person's name? Why was she forgetting?
Jo cried out when the pain in her head increased. She didn't understand what was happening or where she was. As her eyes closed, a face flashed in her mind, but whose face it was, Jo had no clue.
| CHAPTER TWO | MASTER POST |
Author name: seramercury
Artist name: tzeni17
Genre: Het, AU
Pairing: Dean/Jo
Rating: R
Word count: 20,154 words
Warnings: language, violence, implied sexual assault
Summary: Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle have finally found happiness--together. The Yellow-Eyed Demon is dead and things are starting to feel normal for a change. That is, until a new evil threatens to erase everything they hold dear--their relationship, their families, and their very lives.
"The council has made its decision, Flora."
“But Father, I just don’t understand! He has never harmed anyone before!” she responded, her light wings fluttering faintly, almost shimmering in the light.
“Flora, I have been very patient with you, since this was the first council meeting you have attended, but I can no longer allow you to let your romanticism of humans cloud your judgment!”
“Father!”
“No, Flora! The Changeling will be sent tonight and you, my dear daughter, will be there to witness it!”
Flora watched as her father stormed off, indicating that the conversation was over. She sighed. Humans always believed the life of a faerie was simple and beautiful, but she knew better. Faeries at their best were unpredictable and at their worst, dangerous.
Her people were the Solitary faeries, who enjoyed singing and dancing. They were descended from spirits who made up all of nature. They could become invisible and shape shift. These faeries were more wild and capricious than other faerie kind.
Take the ruling of the council, for example. They judged day in and day out which humans should be rewarded and which should be punished, but who were they to do such a thing?
That was the topic of discussion today: a young human male by the name of Dean Winchester. Flora did not understand the meaning of his name, but the way he was described seemed almost heroic. He was a hunter of what humans called the Supernatural, or creatures such as faeries, werewolves, and vampires. There was evil in the world, that was true enough, and that evil had threatened his family on more than one occasion, so she couldn’t blame him for wanting to protect them.
The demon Azazel had killed his mother when he was only a child. It must have been awful for him. Flora’s mother had lived for over a thousand years before she went to the Sky Havens so she had no comparison.
The council truly believed this human should be punished for what he had been doing, mostly as an example for all hunters to see. It didn’t make sense to her, though. Dean wasn’t killing innocent beings. If those demons took over the Earth, the faerie world would be gone as well. Flora did not want a Changeling to be sent to him. She had to stop it… but how?
Hours had passed since the council had met and now Flora was standing with the troop ready for departure. Unfortunately she hadn’t found anyone willing to help her, but she did find an enchantment in one of her mother’s books that would allow the human to see through the Changeling by sunset on the third evening. The young faerie only hoped that was enough.
*****
“Dude, quit staring at me like I’m gonna disappear!”
Dean shook his head and looked down at what he had written in his dad’s journal. He knew Sam was annoyed by the constant worrying, but damn it, the kid had almost died!
Dean felt completely responsible for it too-- not only because Sam had almost died, but also because his younger brother had to kill a human to keep the man from opening the gate to Hell. And with that Winchester luck they had been too late to stop the demons from escaping. Dean shut the journal and got up from the bed. He glanced at his watch to see an hour had gone by since his girlfriend had gone out to pick up lunch.
“Girlfriend,” that word still seemed foreign to him. They had been together almost two years now. He didn’t know what it was about Jo Harvelle. Maybe it was the way she never judged him or the way she looked while holding a sawed off shotgun. Whatever it was, Jo had won his heart.
“Be right back,” Dean told his brother. He was out the door before Sam could reply.
Dean was surprised to find Jo leaning against the Impala trying to catch her breath. “Jo!” he exclaimed, rushing to her side. She jumped when she felt Dean’s arms encircle her. “Hey, take it easy. You okay?”
Once she caught her breath, Jo nodded and replied, “Yeah. I just… got away.”
“Away from what?” he asked, eyes darting around them.
“I don’t know. I can’t remember.”
Dean turned her to face him as his hands inspected her head for any sign of trauma. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
“Going to pick up lunch.”
Dean frowned. “Jo, that was an hour ago.”
“What happened to me?” She asked, a hand on her forehead as she attempted to recall the last hour.
The two shared a knowing look. Dean was reminded of when Sam had been possessed by the demon Meg. Sam had been gone a whole week and could not remember where he had gone or what he had done. The demon within him had committed murder while wearing Sam’s body. Dean shuddered, hoping that Jo had not been through the same thing. Sam was still reeling from the after effects of his possession and Dean couldn’t bear the thought of such a thing happening to another person he cared about. He opened the car door, grabbing the holy water he kept under the seat, and tossed some of it on Jo.
Luckily it did nothing. “Okay, well that’s good,” he said, kissing her in relief. “Let’s just get inside. Maybe Sam can help us figure out what happened.”
“No.”
“No?” Dean was confused and really starting to worry, especially when she pushed him away.
“I can’t do this anymore, Dean!” she exclaimed.
“Um, okay, just relax. No one said you have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Jo frowned at him. “I can’t deal with you and your baggage either! I’m going home!”
Before Dean could stop her she went back into the hotel. Dean was too stunned to even move. He had to stop her somehow, because whatever had happened to her to triggered this sudden--
“Dean! Dean, come on man, wake up!”
Dean opened his eyes to see a very worried brother standing over him. “Where’s Jo?” he asked, springing to his feet
“Take it easy, Dean. It’s kinda not surprising she ran off since you two were yelling at each other.”
He blinked. “What? We weren’t…” Dean trailed off, confusion evident on his face. “I don’t remember fighting with her.”
“Must’ve been one helluva fight for Jo to take off for home,” Sam mused. “What did you say to her?”
“Me? Sam, the last thing I remember doing is talking to you in our room!”
Sam shook his head. “Dude, whatever you did, you must have pissed her off enough to knock you out and give you amnesia or something.”
Dean’s face suddenly paled and he dropped to his knees trying to catch his breath. “No…I…”
“Dean!” Sam exclaimed as he attempted to catch his brother. “What is it?” He asked, waiting patiently for Dean to get his thoughts together.
“Sam, I attacked her. Tried to…”
Immediately, Sam knew. “Dean!”
“Sammy, I would never hurt Jo like that!” Sam merely stared at him. “Dude, say something!”
“I can’t believe you would do that to someone who’s been there for you. Who hasn’t judged you! Dean, what the hell?”
Dean didn’t know what to say because Sam was right. His heart beat wildly in his chest as the memory of the attack assailed him. He would never forgive himself for what he had done.
*****
Jo couldn’t believe she’d been duped. By faeries, no less! Dean was never going to let her live this one down. Jo looked around the room where she was being held. There were no windows so she couldn't even tell what time it was. She sat in the corner against the wall as she thought back to what had happened. She had gone to the diner to pick up lunch. On her way she felt tired and before she knew it, she was waking up in this place.
Suddenly, she heard someone at the door. Jo immediately stood. “Who the hell are you?” she asked, eyes blazing.
"Pardon me," the young woman replied. "My name is Flora and you are in my world now."
"The faerie world?"
"Yes."
Jo crossed her arms, glaring at Flora. "You wanna tell me why I'm here? Because when Dean finds out..." She trailed off, noticing that the faerie had flinched when Jo mentioned Dean's name. "What did you do to him?" She exclaimed, rushing towards her.
Flora held her hands up and a bright flash of light hit Jo in the face, dropping her to the floor. Jo was able to sit up after a minute, unable to speak. "Please, listen!" Flora begged. "I am trying to help you!"
"Trying to help? By kidnapping me and replacing me with a fucking Changeling?"
"I didn't want to do this, but my father and the council made their decision about Dean. They think he is evil and he must be punished for what he's done to people like us," Flora explained.
Jo did listen to the faerie and she couldn't believe what she was hearing. They were going to punish him for hunting? For trying to stop the evil sons of bitches who wanted to hurt everyone on the Earth? "Dean wouldn't kill anything that wasn't trying to start the apocalypse or hurt a human being. If any of you had done your research, you would know that!"
Flora nodded. "I do know that," she replied. "I do, and that is the reason I put a spell on the Changeling myself. When the sun sets on the third day, Dean will realize that it's not you and he'll be forced to destroy it. Once it's destroyed, you will be returned to your world."
"Why would you do that? Why would you risk everything to help us?"
"Because I know that if a demon takes over the Earth that will also be the end of the faeries. We do try to help and reward humans as well just as we try to stay away from them if they are not actively looking for us. It is who we are. We love this planet as much as you do."
Jo watched Flora's face and saw only sincerity and determination. She really did want to help. "Okay, but why cast a spell that won't come to pass for three days?" she asked. "Whatever that Changeling is doing is probably making Dean insane. I know about them. They may look like the same person but they aren't the same in personality."
"This particular Changeling can also make him forget things and believe things that aren't true. The council allows us to see through the eyes of the Changeling. I can help you do that too if you'd like; however, I do not believe you would enjoy it very much."
"I need to see," Jo replied.
Flora nodded and had Jo sit on the floor. The faerie sat across from her. "Close your eyes," she whispered, touching her hands to Jo's face. Soon Jo was looking at Dean through the Changeling's eyes. He seemed distressed.
“No?” Dean was confused and really starting to worry especially when she pushed him away.
“I can’t do this anymore, Dean!” she exclaimed.
“Um, okay, just relax. No one said you have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Jo frowned at him. “I can’t deal with you and your baggage either! I’m going home!”
And then...
“Must’ve been one helluva fight for Jo to take off for home,” he mused. “What did you say to her?”
“Me? Sam, the last thing I remember doing is talking to you in our room!”
Sam shook his head. “Dude, whatever you did, you must have pissed her off enough to knock you out and give you amnesia or something.”
Dean’s face suddenly paled and he dropped to his knees trying to catch his breath. “No…I…”
“Dean!” Sam exclaimed as he attempted to catch his brother. “What is it?” He asked waiting patiently for Dean to get his thoughts together.
“Sam, I attacked her. Tried to…”
Jo pulled away from Flora with a start. "What the fuck?" she exclaimed, glaring at the faerie. "Dean thinks he raped me? He even has memories of it! How could anyone be so cold-hearted? And now he's going to continue to think that for three fucking days! You think humans are bad, but you are all a bunch mean- spirited people!"
"I know," Flora replied, sounding sad as she looked at her hands resting in her lap. "I do not enjoy this anymore than you do. I have been trying to convince my Father that doing this is wrong. That your Dean has been nothing but self-sacrificing, but he will not listen. No one will listen and I am at a loss as to what to do."
*****
Sam was quiet as he drove. He would have let Dean but his brother had begun showing signs of a concussion shortly after his freak out. Dean was quiet... too quiet... as he stared out the window. Sam knew something wasn't right here. His brother did a lot of questionable things, but he had been taught to respect women and he did.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Dean's cell phone going off. Dean didn't even acknowledge the Metallica song that blared from the phone, sitting on the seat between the two brothers. Sam reached over to answer it just in case it was Jo.
"It's Sam," he answered.
"Samuel Winchester, what the hell is going on?"
Sam's eyes widened. "Ellen!"
"Don't you ‘Ellen’ me, boy! I just got off the phone with a very distraught girl! What the hell did Dean do to my daughter?"
Sam glanced over at Dean, who still had yet to say anything. "Honestly, I don't know. He hit his head pretty hard and can't remember," he replied. "I don't believe he would do anything to hurt Jo. He loves her."
"Well if he didn't hurt her, someone did, and I don't have any idea where she's at."
"We're trying to track her down now, Ellen," Sam promised. "As soon as I find her and talk to her about what happened..."
"No!" Ellen snapped. "You find her and you sit on her until I get there. I want to hear the story myself and you will make certain that brother of yours is there too, is that understood?"
Sam nodded, forgetting he was on the phone. "I hear you. I'll call you when we find her."
Dean finally spoke up when Sam closed the phone. "I know where she'll be," he said. "Take a left at the next stop light, there's a bar on the corner there that we went to last night. She liked it and said we should go back after the case was finished. I know she'll be there."
"Dean..."
"I know, Sammy, but I have to talk to her anyway and you need to go in there because she won’t listen to me."
Sam frowned and pulled into the bar's parking lot. How he was going to convince Jo to come with them was beyond him. Maybe he could tell her that Ellen needed her to come home or something. "You gonna be all right?"
"Dude, I'm fine. Go!”
*****
Dean was still confused about what had happened. If he had hit his head and couldn't remember what happened then what in the hell would possess him to attack Jo in the way he had? Yeah he loved sex but he would never force himself on a woman, especially one he cared for so much. But Dean also knew Jo wouldn't lie. Something wasn't right and he was determined to figure it out.
Apparently it didn't take long for Sam to convince Jo to come with him because the two were heading towards the car. They were obviously having a heated discussion and Sam looked a bit uncomfortable. Suddenly Jo grabbed Sam by the neck and planted a kiss on his lips. Sam was obviously too stunned to move, but Jo took care of that by grinding her body into him.
Now Dean knew something was wrong, but by then he was waking up in the passenger seat. "Finally!" Sam said concern evident in his eyes. "I was about to take you to the hospital if you didn't wake up soon."
Dean blinked in confusion. The last thing he remembered was trying to find Jo after she disappeared, however now he saw her going into their motel room. He put a hand to his head. "What the hell happened?" he asked.
Sam frowned. "Don't you remember, Dean?"
"No, I..." he trailed off when flashes of him attacking Jo resurfaced, then of Sam making out with Jo right in front of him. "What the fuck, Sam?" Dean exclaimed, jumping out of the car, completely pissed.
"What?"
"What? There's no way in hell I tried to rape Jo, for one thing!"
His eyes widened. "You did what?"
"Sammy, I don't think I tried to rape Jo. I know I didn’t!"
Dean heard a car door slam and turned around to come face to face with Ellen Harvelle. Before he could even react, her fist impacted with his nose. He dropped to the ground, holding it as blood spurted out. He could tell it wasn't broken but he knew that it was going to bruise badly. And Dean knew he deserved far worse than that.
"Sam, where's Jo?" Ellen asked, face red.
"In room six," he replied. Once Ellen was gone, Sam knelt next to his brother. "Dean, seriously dude, what the hell is going on with you?"
Dean accepted the tissues Sam dropped into his hand as he helped him to his feet. "Me? I don't know, but something isn't right."
Sam was quiet as he was thinking. Dean could practically see the gears turning in that overgrown head of his. Sam's eyes widened. "Shit, Dean, I think I know what's wrong. It's not Jo."
"What?"
"It's a fucking Changeling. A faerie Changeling."
"How is that even possible, Sam?" Dean asked. “They're repelled by practically everything we have in the motel and the car. Iron, crosses, salt, and running water."
"Dude, they can put glamours on anyone! What if it's protecting itself from letting us see when it's been affected by something?" Sam said. "Besides how else would you explain what you’ve been remembering?"
Dean nodded, lost in thought. He was completely relieved that he hadn't hurt Jo, but this... "Fuck! If that's not Jo, then where is she?"
"She's gotta be fine, Dean, because they can’t kill her if they want to keep the Changeling alive."
The brothers exchanged a glance when they heard Ellen through the paper thin door of the motel room. "Joanna Beth, just what do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to hurt Dean," Jo said. Dean could hear the anger in her voice and he didn't like it very much. "It'll be nothing compared to what he did to me!"
*****
"Jo," Ellen said.
"Mom, this is something I gotta do! I'm not gonna kill him, just fire a shitload of rock salt at him."
Ellen didn't even know how to respond to that. She couldn't believe that Dean had done what Jo said, but this was her daughter and she would never lie about something like this.
Ellen placed a hand on her shoulder. "Then why don't we talk about this? I know what that boy did to you and I could kick his ass myself, but if you do that, you're no better than him, Jo."
Before Jo could reply, there was a knock at the door. She got to her feet and was stopped by her mom. "Get out of my way!" Jo shouted, but Ellen remained there. Jo yelled at her again, but this time backhanded Ellen hard enough to knock her to the floor and daze her.
The door suddenly opened and the two Winchesters came barreling into the room when they heard the shouting. "Ellen? Jo?" Dean asked, but he was cut off from saying anything more because there was a loud sound and sharp pain emanated all over his chest and stomach. He dropped to the floor, hearing Sam calling his name somewhere off in the distance.
"Jo!" Sam exclaimed.
"Sorry to shoot and run, but I got places to be. I'm sure we'll talk later."
At this point Ellen had gotten to her feet. Jo looked between her mom and Sam. There was a sudden flash of light and the two were slammed into the wall, sliding to the floor. When they finally came to, Jo was gone.
Sam rubbed the back of his head as he went to help Ellen to her feet. "You all right?"
"Ask me again later," Ellen replied sadly. "We should check on Dean, though."
Dean wasn't fully unconscious but she could tell he was having trouble moving. Jo had double salted those shells "Hey, Sammy," Dean gasped out when his brother came into his line of vision.
*****
Sam knew his brother was in pain just by the fact that a few tears slid down his face. He also remembered a similar situation when he had been controlled by an evil spirit that made him do the exact same thing Jo had done to Dean.
"Hey. Ellen's going to get some whiskey and the first aid kit and we'll get the salt out, okay? Just hang in there."
"Hurts like hell, Sammy."
"I know, Dean," Sam said, patting his brother's shoulder.
"Scared." Sam hated seeing his brother so vulnerable but when he was in pain, he got like that.
"Why? You're not gonna die, you'll be fine. Sore as hell, but alive."
"For Jo," he finally admitted, glancing over at Ellen who had knelt beside him. "I'm sorry I... I don't even know..."
Ellen smiled as Sam opened the bottle of whiskey and she helped him lift his head a bit. "Just relax, Dean. I know you didn't hurt Jo. I know you would never hurt her, okay? We'll figure this out, I promise! Now drink up because you're gonna need it!"
Dean needed no further urging as he drank as much of the liquor as he could. He reached out to take Ellen's hand when she offered it. She placed her other hand on his forehead. "Just close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Sam and I are going to take care of you now, darlin'."
By the time Sam had removed all the pieces of salt he could, Dean had passed out and Sam's hands were shaking like hell. He and Ellen had been able to pick him up and lay him on one of the beds where Ellen put antiseptic on and dressed the wounds.
She looked up when she was finished to see Sam just standing there. "Sam," she said. He looked up at her after a moment. "Are you okay?"
"This is the second time someone he cared about shot him with rock salt because they weren't themselves."
Ellen's eyebrows furrowed. "Second time? Who did it the first time?" Sam really didn't need to tell her because of the expression on his face. "Sam," she said.
"It's all right; we got through it and we're stronger than we have been in a long time. We'll get through this too and we're going to save Jo," Sam added.
"Save her from what? What has a hold of my daughter?" Ellen asked, now standing in front of Sam and looking completely freaked out.
Sam took a deep breath. "I think it's a Changeling."
*****
Jo rubbed her forehead as she lay on the bed. She was going stir crazy and a headache the size of Canada had begun to take residence in her skull. Flora had seen that she was fed but beyond that Jo saw no one.
It was the third day after the Changeling had taken her life and she was getting scared. She sat up quickly, eyes darting back and forth. Who or what was she scared for? Who, definitely who, but what was this person's name? Why was she forgetting?
Jo cried out when the pain in her head increased. She didn't understand what was happening or where she was. As her eyes closed, a face flashed in her mind, but whose face it was, Jo had no clue.
| CHAPTER TWO | MASTER POST |