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And here's the rest of the fics, wouldn't fit on one post
Fiction two-Jess is a slayer-Dawn and her travel with the Winchesters
"I can't condone this behavior." Rupert Giles says, removing his glasses to polish them. "And outside of those in this room, the Council will not acknowledge any involvement in this. If you chose to take this path, you will do so virtually alone. Right now, we can't afford for the Council to have another black mark against it and…." Giles shoves the manila folder across the table across the table. "This is more than a black mark."
"He wouldn't do it." Jessica Moore protests. "Sam wouldn't do something like this or cover for his brother."
"Jess, you said so yourself you only met Dean for a few minutes." Willow Rosenberg points out softly. "And Sam did keep his knowledge of the supernatural a secret for a year and a half. Added in with his family's…criminal life, there's a lot you don't seem to know about him."
"He wasn't the only one that had secrets." Jessica replies. "I lied to him constantly, every single night. For god's sake, I let him believe I'm dead."
"Technically, we let him believe you're dead." Buffy points out. "Since ya know, you were all with the coma."
"I could have told him when I woke up." Jessica says. "But I didn't want him to get hurt or killed because of what I am. But now that I know he's a hunter….I need to see him. I need to help him."
"We know." Faith lounges back in her chair. "What G-Man is trying not to say, because we're not supposed to support you joining up with some fuggies, is that if you go, you can't except to have the support of the council like you would if stayed in Cleveland."
"Basically, what they're trying to say is you'll be like Angel and co." Dawn Summers says from the doorway, one perfect brow arched as she leans against the frame. "For all intents and purposes, one of the bad guys."
"Dawn, you're late….why do you have bags with you?" Buffy stands up, arms crossed over her chest.
"Jess needs a watcher and frankly, I don't want to be around here anymore." Dawn replies.
"No." Buffy shakes her head. "You're not going."
"I'm legally an adult." Dawn crosses her arms over her chest. "You can't stop me from going."
"The hell I can't." Buffy pushes to her feet with a shout.
"Jess, go get your stuff." Dawn orders. "Angel's plane is waiting for us."
Jessica nods and quietly leaves the room, not once questioning the younger girl's orders.
"No." Buffy says again. "You're not going."
"Buffy, you just don't get it." Dawn picks her bags up. "This isn't your choice, it's mine. I already talked to Angel and he's going to 'support' us."
"You talked to Angel." Giles removes his glasses. "After we made it very clear that the Council would not support Angel as long as he continues to work for Wolfram & Hart."
"Yep, I've been talking to Angel for months." Dawn nods. "Oh, and this would be me quitting."
"Dawn, what the hell is wrong with you?" Buffy demands. "You've been acting weird for a long time and now this…and you can't quit, you helped rebuild the Council."
"I don't want anything to do with this version of the Council." Dawn gestures at the group. "I honestly can't believe you guys can be so hypocrtical."
"Excuse me?" Buffy's eyebrows arch in outrage.
"You guys went on and on about how big of a prick Travers was, how callous the old Council was but we're not any different." Dawn says.
"The frilly heck we're not." Willow protests.
"We let Fred, a girl that you were friends with, a very nice, sweet, and most importantly, innocent human girl die." Dawn loudly says. "Angel helped us, gave us a place to stay for months, rent free, then gave us money to fly to England, got Faith a new idenity, and basically bent over backwards to help get the Council back on its feet and the second we were, we started treating him like the big bad."
"It's not that cut and dry, Dawn." Giles says. "There were a lot of circumstances and most of them boil down to what Wolfram & Hart is."
"No, it should boil down to what Angel is." Dawn looks at Buffy and then at Faith. "That he would trust both of you, without question, and be there, without question, but neither one of you would grant him even the slightest bit of trust in return."
"You don't know a fuckin' think about my relationship with Angel." Faith says defensively.
"I know that you backed them up when it came down to helping him or not." Dawn says. "I was there. If you'll recall, I was the one that offered to pull Willow out of her astral state or go try to help Angel myself but you guys wouldn't let me and since I was technically underage then, I couldn't do a damn thing about it. But I can now. If this is how the Council is going to work, I don't want to work for it anymore."
"And you think working for Angel is better?" Xander sneers out the name. "He's working for an uber evil law firm. An absolutely evil and totally powerful law firm. And you know what they say about…."
"That absolute power corrupts absolutely." Dawn interrupts, disdain evident of her face. "Yeah, I've seen first hand how that works." She reaches into her pants pocket and pulls out the Council issued cell phone and tossed it onto the table. "If you need to talk to me, and I don't know why you would, call Angel and he'll know how to get in touch with me."
"Dawn, you can't leave." Buffy protests, her tone softening.
"Buffy, I love you, I love all of you guys but I can't stay here." Dawn says softly. "It doesn't feel right and you've always told me to trust my gut." She walks over and brushes a kiss across her sister's forehead. "Stay safe, please." Then before anybody can stop her, she runs out of the room.
-
"Angel, chill." Dawn sighs dramatically. "We'll be fine, right Jess?"
"Yeah, we can handle things." Jessica agrees, though not as sure.
"Your sister will kill me…."
"Don't." Dawn holds up a warning hand. "I'm not in the mood to talk about Buffy. This was the hardest thing I've ever done, Angel, and I'd just like to forget about them for a while and focus on helping Jess get her man back."
"Just be careful." Angel repeats for the tenth time. "Some hunters are…."
"Nutty, yeah, I've heard a few stories." Dawn reaches up to peck him on the cheek. "We'll be fine. Love you, miss you, have some fun, and get laid. You're too stressed out."
"We'd all be in a better mood if the poof would get laid." Spike grumbles, flicking his cigarette out. "Jess, luv, you take care of yourself."
"I will, Spike." Jessica cautiously hugs the vampire, the slayer part of her claming up at the contact. "Don't torture Angel too much."
"It's what I live for, pet." Spike smirks and then holds his arms out. "C'mere, niblet."
Dawn throws herself into the vampire's arms without a bit of hesitation. Angel joins the hug after a second, the two vampires sandwiching the teenager between them. "Love you guys."
"Love you too, bit." Spike growls against her hair. "Stay safe."
"I will." Dawn murmurs against Spike's chest, breathing in the comforting scents of smoke, leather, whiskey, and blood. "We'll check in a few days. Try to keep the fighting down to a minimun…unless you two finally decide to give in and get on with the sex. That's probably relieve a heck of a lot of stress around here."
Jessica shakes her head, a small smile floating across her lips. There's not another person like Dawn in the world, she's fairly sure of that. At nineteen (though she's almost twenty), Dawn doesn't act like a teenager. Most of the time, she acts like an adult, so much so that Jessica follows her orders even though Dawn is almost three years younger than her. Dawn can speak six languages that Jessica knows of, and that's not including the demon ones. She also spent time with some coven and Willow, and can do magic, not anywhere near what the redhead can do, but enough to hold her own. Not to mention the fighting that she's been trained to do since she was sixteen. All and all, there's not another person like Dawn.
She's equal amounts innocent and worldly, an adult in many fashions but a teenager in others. She didn't finished high school, just got her high school equalavcy degree over the internet. In the few months that Jessica stayed with Buffy and Dawn in Italy, she can't remember seeing the teenager do anything that wasn't 'supernatural' related. Jessica can't even remember seeing the ex-watcher socialize with anyone outside of the council members, slayers, and some demons. Actually, a good amount of demons, much more than Jessica is comfortable with herself. But to Dawn, that's normal and as former physchology major, Jessica is looking forward to seeing Dawn interact with 'normal' people.
Jessica was nineteen when the slayer line was activated. She was sleeping in her dorm room and woke up just knowing something was different. She didn't know what it was until about two weeks later when Giles and Xander showed up at her dorm. She was part of the first wave of newly 'activated' slayers to be trained, the ones closest to L.A. where the temporary headquarters were set up. She spent the summer there, in Angel's hotel, learning about what she was. They gave her the opportunity to go to Europe with them but she declined and instead stayed in school. And met Sam fall term.
She didn't want to start dating, not that soon after finding out about being a slayer. Sam took her by complete surprise. In ways, he was a lot like Dawn. Smart, shy, confident in some ways, insecure in others, and most of the time, seemed much older than he actually was. Did she mention the smart? Sam and Dawn, both complete nerds. Hot nerds, but nerds. She's actually a little concerned (okay, very worried) that Sam and Dawn are much more compatible than her and Sam. That and the fact that Dawn is absolutely gorgeous. Long brown hair, big blue eyes, knockout body and most importantly, only a few small scars. Unlike the huge ones that Jessica has herself. One across the stomach, rib to rib from where the demon slashed her and burn scars that never completely healed over, mostly on her stomach, wrists and upper legs. They're ugly and red, the only thing she can see when she looks in the mirror. She knows she shouldn't be so upset over them, she's beyond lucky to be alive, but she hates the scars.
She's thrown of her musings when the pilot clears them for takeoff and just like that, Angel's private jet is in the air, on the way to the Lambert-St. Louis Airport.
-
"This is kinda neat." Dawn comments, bare feet resting on the elbow rest in front of her. "Smelly, but neat."
"You've never rode on a Greyhound?" Jessica frowns.
"Nope." Dawn replies. "This is actually the first time I've ever gone anywhere without Buffy, my mom, Willow, or Giles. And Greyhounding, not in Sunnydale. Buffy would have killed me if I ever tried to go to the bus station alone. It was like a freaking death zone."
Jessica arches a brow, a lot shocked.
"Nobody understands just how sheltered I've been." Dawn says. "I was nine when Buffy was called. From that point on, I've been in this little bubble thing that I get to sneak out from every once in a while, but not very often cuz somebody's always checking up on me….or when I'm kidnapped. And isn't it sad to say that sometimes, I welcome the kidnappings just to get some freedom."
"You are so weird." Jessica comments. "Like one of the weirdest people I've ever met. And before I was called, I would have never talked you."
"Wow, that's brutally honest." Dawn whistles.
"But now, I can't see why." Jessica continues. "You're an amazing person, scary as hell sometimes. And a good amount of the time, I want to call the guys in the white coats to come get you…."
"You're not the only one to have that thought." Dawn interrupts. "I think growing up as the little sister of the longest living slayer in history, on the mouth of hell, with an evil vampire as a best friend-slash-brother for some many years has made me kinda…"
"Nutso." Jessica supplies helpfully.
"Yeppers." Dawn agrees. "So, basically, you wouldn't have liked me back when you were all normal girl but now that you're superpowered, you think I'm neat. But scary."
"Basically." Jessica nods. "Are you offended?"
"No, because honestly, I wouldn't have liked you either." Dawn says. "You're all cheerleader-like, preppy, and perfect. I'm a spaz. Major spaz."
"That's what's so great about you." Jessica smiles. "Your spazness."
-
"I can't do this." Jessica whispers, backing up slowly.
"Jess, we just flew across the country, rode a couple hours on a bus, took a cab here…..we're doing this." Dawn lightly pushes the slayer towards the door. "I know this is hard…."
Jessica just looks at her.
"Okay, I don't know that this is hard, I just imagine that this is hard." Dawn corrects. "But we might as well get this over with cuz it's not going to get any easier the longer we wait."
Jessica nods, bottom lip trapped between her teeth. She fights the urge to fix her hair or straighten her clothes since it's pointless really; she's completely different than she was before, both physically and emotionally. Gone is the relatively care-free girl that she was back then, even when she was sneaking out to hunt vampires. She didn't do it often back then, only when the urge to hunt got to be too much to fight or when she felt vamps nearby. But the slaying didn't really affect her then. She still was just Jessica. Just the popular college girl with the cute but shy boyfriend, all blonde and hot. And knows she was hot then. She was hot, dressed hot, and had the hot boyfriend.
She's still hot, she knows that. It's not conceit, just a simple fact. Her hair is shorter now, just about chin level but is still the same blonde it's always been. Gone are the short skirts, shorts, and skimpy tops, replaced with jeans, trousers, leather pants, and less showy tops. In fact, only a handful of people have seen her legs since the fire, Willow, Buffy, Faith, Dawn, Vi, Giles, and a couple doctors. Other than that, she hasn't gone out in public without fabric covering her legs. But she's still as physically beautiful as she was before.
It's stupid and insecure, she hates that she's that insecure, but having always been physically attractive, she's pretty sure she couldn't handle people flinching at her. And her scars are very flinch-worthy. She only has a few on her arms, mostly translucent scars, the more visible ones on her upper arms and wrists, the latter which she covers with bracelets. She's dressed rather casually in dark jeans, a red baby-tee which covers up the scars on her upper arms, about thirty rubber bracelets on each wrists to cover the scars there, black boots, and a leather jacket to ward off the cold, and it is rather cold. Dawn is dressed more fitting to California, something she always does even though she hasn't lived there in years, huge UGG boots that reach her knees, black tights, short jean skirt, black stretch top , and a leather jacket that's about three sizes too big. They're both carrying two duffels each, three of them stuffed to the brim with clothes while the last houses weapons and books. Jessica is carry a satchel with their phones, ID's, makeup, and money while Dawn's satchel holds her laptop and some other watchery things.
"How are we getting in?" Jessica shifts her weight from foot to foot. "Cuz they're not in there."
"They haven't checked out yet." Dawn points out.
"I know." Jessica agrees. "But there's nobody in that room; I'd at least hear them breathing and they can't be sleeping because Sam snores the slightest bit so I know I'd hear that. Plus, the car is gone."
"K, I'll trust the super senses." Dawn lifts up her right hand, flashing a plastic card. "And I stole off the check-in guy."
Jessica just shakes her head. "I thought you got passed your whole klepto stage?"
"While in Rome, do as Romans do." Dawn grins. "And if we're hanging out with criminals, why not embrace that life?"
"Dork." Jessica shakes her head as she watches Dawn unlock the hotel room. They slip inside silently, carefully stepping over the lines of salt the boys put up as protection.
"Man, I gotta say, it's going to be so different living with guys." Dawn comments as she looks around the rather messy hotel room. Empty pizza boxes, fast food wrappers, and beer cans are scattered throughout the room, though amazingly enough, their clothes aren't spread about. They're not neatly packed away by any means but they are sitting on the dresser next to the TV, piled on top of duffel bags. She drops her bags by the window and then plops down on the bed closest to the door. "Who's bed is this?"
Jessica arches a brow.
"C'mon, Jess, slayer senses, you can smell which one Sam sleeps in." Dawn grabs one of the pillows and hugs it to her chest while her face snuggles into the other one. It smells warm and musky, a rich, male scent. Giles and Spike's scents are the males' whose scents she's the most familiar with and whoever's pillow this is, don't smell nothin' like the watcher or vampire. She's hoping it's not Sam's cuz that'd just be weird, her liking the way her friend's boyfriend smells.
"That one." Jessica points to the opposite bed.
"Well, pop a squat while we wait." Dawn gestures. "Your pacing makes me nervous."
"Sorry." Jessica murmurs as she plops down on the end of Sam's bed. "You think they're okay?"
Dawn shrugs. "They've been doing this for a good, long while so I'm thinking they can take care of themselves." Her eyes drift closed, the last couple days of flying around the world finally catching up with her.
Jessica crosses her legs on the mattress, eyes closing as she meditates. Dawn is asleep, lightly asleep, but she can't. Doesn't matter that she hasn't really slept in the three weeks since she's learned that Sam and his family are hunters, she can't relax. She can't wait to see Sam. Just to touch him again. When she woke up from the coma, the first thing she thought was Sam. She remembers seeing him being dragged out of the room as she was burning to death, only seconds before Willow showed up and saved her life. She remembers the horror in his eyes, the despair in his voice as his brother literally dragged him out of the room. She doesn't remember anything after that, doesn't remember Willow showing up and saving her, doesn't remember anything until she woke up three months later.
Time passes and to Jessica, it feels like hours though she knows it's only about thirty minutes, before they return. She can hear the car pull up in front of the room and hear Sam and Dean get out. They're not talking but she can hear them walking, smell Sam's cologne. And Dean's but she doesn't care about that. All she cares about is Sam but instead of jumping up and running towards the door, she pushes off the bed and kicks Dawn's foot. "They're back." Then she jumps over the bed and runs into the bathroom, the small bit of food that she's eaten today coming up.
Dawn opens one eye when her foot is kicked and manages to see the back of Jessica's back as the slayer runs into the bathroom. Confused, she opens the other eye right as the door opens.
-
Dean turns off the car and without saying a word, exits the car. Today has been bad, second only to when their father died. The whole thing with Neil bringing a girl back to life when she should have stayed dead just hits to close too home. That added in with seeing their mom's grave and Sam breaking his arm, today has been hell. A glances over to see Sam itching at his new cast and he can't help but think that the six to eight weeks the doctor told them will end up being only four to six. Winchester men don't do things like handicaps well.
Sam pauses at the door, key card in hand.
"What?" Dean grunts, wanting nothing more than to crash in his bed.
"Something feels off." Sam says.
Dean pulls out his gun as Sam does the same, neither saying anything else. Something feels off and it usually is.
Sam slides the key through the lock and when the light turns green, quietly pushes the door open. He glances down as he walks in, nothing that the salt is still where it was when they left. But somebody is in the room, laying on the bed his brother slept on.
"Dude, what the hell?" Dean moves past Sam, frowning at the girl sitting up on his bed. Typically, the first thing he notices is that she's hot. Long, really, long legs, though all he can see is tight-covered knee and thigh since she's wearing huge furry boots. His eyes trace up her flat tummy to her small but pert breasts to her neck, which she's currently arching side to side, cracking it. Pillow lines mark her face, her make up smeared in a way that would bother most girls to have seen, and her hair is a mess. A 'I just got laid' mess but a mess nonetheless. "Darlin', I think you got the wrong room."
"Really?" Dawn straightens her neck and plasters a shocked look across her face. "Are you sure? Because I clearly remember lining my windows and doors with salt. And leaving empty beer cans and boxes everywhere. Along with my boxers and obviously male clothing."
Dean scowls.
"Sorry." Dawn mutters as she stands up. "I tend to take sarcasm to a whole 'nother level when I'm sleepy. Yes, I am well aware that this is your room. It's why we're here."
Dean, who was in the process of pocketing his gun, stops. "We?"
"As in two of us." Dawn rotates her shoulders, wincing at the sore muscles. She's spent way too much time on airplanes in the last few days.
Sam looks around the hotel but already knows there's nobody else in the room. "Um, Miss, I think you must be mistaken….."
"And you must be Sam." Dawn interrupts, tilting her head back to look up at the tall man. Like really tall. She's five-seven and he's almost a foot taller than her. "You're a lot cuter in person."
Sam frowns.
Dean tenses, gun clenched in his hand. "You know him?"
"Sam Winchester." Dawn nods her head. "Which would make you Dean, correct?"
"Who the hell are you?" Dean demands.
"Dawn Summers." Dawn holds out her hand which neither one of them shake. "Nice to meet ya."
Dean frowns, not sure exactly what to make of the girl standing in front of him. She got pass their salt lines so she's most likely human, unless she's an upper-level demon in which case, she might be able to cross salt. "What do you want?"
"That's a really long story and kinda depends on the other part of my 'we'." Dawn replies, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She noticed the guns the second they walked in and had to force herself to not physically react. She doesn't like guns, not since Tara. And she has the feeling the guns aren't going anywhere, especially when Jessica comes out of the bathroom. And being as impatient as she is, Dawn decides just to get it over with in one tug. "Jessica, get your butt out here."
Sam visibly tenses for a few seconds at hearing his dead-girlfriend's name. Just like he does every time he hears the name.
"Look, honey, whatever you're selling, I'm not buyin'." Dean says. "Get your stuff and your little friend, and go."
"Sweetie." Sarcasm drips from Dawn's words like honey. "The ordering…isn't going to work."
Dean scowls. "Go."
"Sorry, not the least bit intimidated." Dawn smiles sweetly at him. "But maybe if you try harder at the scary voice, it might work."
Dean clenches his empty fist. "Little girl…."
"Oh, don't even go there." Dawn interrupts, fire flashing through her eyes. "God, Jess should have told me you were such a chauvinistic asshole cuz if I had know, I probably wouldn't have come."
"Yes, you would have." Jessica quietly says from behind her watcher. "You wanted out of there almost as much as I wanted to come here."
Sam hears the voice, eyes drifting closed for a brief second to let it wash over him, and then aims his gun at the thing impersonating his dead-girlfriend. "You sick, son-of-a-bitch."
"Whoa, Sammy." Dean says. "Why are you….dude, that's Jessica."
"Yeah, way to keep up, Einstein." Dawn rolls her eyes.
"No, it's not Jessica." Sam growls. "It's some bastard demon impersonating her. Jessica is dead."
"No, Jessica is very much alive." Dawn argues. "She's standing right in front of you."
"Dawn." Jessica shushes.
"No." Sam shakes his head. "I don’t know what the hell you two are but get the hell out before we kill you."
"Wow, he sure has embraced the grumpy side of the force." Dawn mutters. "It's Jessica, Sam, whether you want to believe it or not, she is Jessica."
"Jessica died." Sam growls. "I watched her die."
"No, you watched her dying." Dawn corrects. "But she didn't die."
Jessica coughs.
"Okay, she died about four times before the doctors could get her stable, but only for a few seconds at a time." Dawn corrects. "But that doesn't count."
"There's no way she survived that." Dean moves in front of Sammy, his brother looking close to losing it.
"And the fact that she's standing right here says she kinda did." Dawn replies.
"The fact that something that looks like her is standing right there says the Demon is fucking with us." Dean says.
"Aren't you two a suspicious lot." Dawn murmurs, mostly to herself.
"Dawn." Jessica whispers, knowing that Dawn's somewhat warped view on things aren't going to be appreciated right about now.
"K, I'll knock it off with the smart-assness." Dawn grumbles as she stretches, fingertips reaching towards the ceiling. A small moan escapes her lips as her back cracks, eyes drifting closed as the movement pulls on sore muscles.
"Dawn." Jessica shakes her head. Dawn is so freaking smart when it comes to most things but when it comes to herself, she's an idiot. Jessica's guessing it's mostly because of having Buffy for an older sister, the blonde very beautiful and very secure at her level of attractiveness, that Dawn doesn't see herself as attractive. Walking through the airport alone was enough to convince Jessica of this, even if she hadn't lived with the Summers' girls for months. Dawn didn't notice not one of the various guys that checked her out, and there were a good amount. Didn't notice that the cab driver was flirting with her or that the check-in boy was either. Just like she's not noticing that Sam's brother is clearly checking her out and that her stretching is baring a heck of a lot of skin, her shirt pulling up to about the middle of her rib cage at her movement.
"Man, I need a massage or something." Dawn says. "If I never ride in a plane again it'll be too damn soon." She cocks her head to look at Jessica. "Crack my back, will ya?"
"Now?" Jessica arches a brow.
"I have to go to the bathroom first but then, yes, now." Dawn grabs Jess's hand. "C'mon."
"Whoa, whoa, where do you two think you're going?" Dean gestures with his gun.
"Don't you know that girls have to go to the bathroom in pairs?" Dawn replies. "Sides that, I'm not leaving Jess out here with you two, alone."
"Dawn, I'll be fine." Jessica says.
"Wasn't an option, Jess, come on." Dawn tugs.
She looks like she wants to argue but without saying a word, Jessica follows Dawn into the bathroom.
The second the door closes, Dean pulls out his cell phone. "Bobby, we need help."
-
"Jess, honestly, I don't know what you expected but of course he's going to be freaked out." Dawn studies her reflection in the mirror, sticking her tongue out at her face.
"He pointed a gun at me." Jessica says. "I never in a million years thought that he'd do that."
"Well, honestly, I'm surprised they didn't attack or something." Dawn washes her hands and then turns to face Jessica. "Okay, do it."
Jessica picks Dawn up and squeezes her tightly. The watcher groans as her spine literally pops from neck to tailbone. "God, that's disgusting."
"Nuh ah, it's the best feeling in the world." Dawn argues. "Thanks."
"No prob." Jessica pauses at the door. "I don't think I can do this anymore."
"Don't really have a choice in that." Dawn opens the door and pushes the slayer out. Right into the muzzles of two guns. "Okay, then, so, you two going to kill us or what?"
"Not right now, sweetheart." Dean smirks. "But eventually, maybe. But that just depends."
Dawn shrugs. "Okay, depends on what exactly?"
"We're going to visit an old friend of ours." Dean says. "Demon expert. You two are coming with us. Now, the only question is if you're going to come quietly or not."
Dawn wants to argue, the part of her that's been trained not to take crap from anyone wants to tell the incredibly hot guy to fuck off, but a glance at the Jessica has her biting back that reaction. "Oh, you so owe me big time Jess, I can't believe I am willingly doing the hostage thing. And you can't say anything to Buffy or anybody because they will so freak out if they find out. Spike especially."
"We're not…" Sam starts.
"You're forcing us to go somewhere, at gunpoint I might add, in my book, that's hostage taking." Dawn interrupts. "But hey, I get it and as long as you don’t go slashing at me with sharp things, we'll be fine."
"Speaking of hostages…" Dean walks over to rummage through his bag until he finds two sets of handcuffs.
"You've got to be kidding me." Dawn mutters but an elbow from Jessica has her holding out her wrists. "Big time, Jess."
"I know." Jessica averts her eyes from Sam and watches as Dean handcuffs her watcher, who looks mildly amused and rather aggrivated, but not the least bit scared. Then her boyfriend's brother turns to her and nods at her wrists. "Take 'em off."
"Can't you just do it over them?" Jessica asks.
"Could but not going to." Dean replies. "Take 'em off before I do."
Jessica removes the rubber bracelets with sharp, angry movements, and once done, drops them on top of one of their open duffels before presenting her arms to Dean. He startles at the scars on her wrists, but after a second fastens the cuffs over them.
"Okay, you two sit on the bed while we load the car." Dean orders. "You try to leave, I will shoot."
"Yeah, I've heard it before." Dawn rolls her eyes. "You scream for help, we'll kill you. You try to escape, we'll kill you. You attack us, we'll kill you. Not my first ride, cowboy, I know how this works."
Dean hesitates for a moment, suddenly very sure that this Dawn is just as human as him. She just arches an eyebrow as she plops back down on his bed, her handcuffed wrists resting on her lap. He can see Sam jerkily packing their stuff out the corner of his eye. He spots the four bags that aren't theirs, that must belong to Dawn and whatever the hell thing is disguising itself as Jessica, and grabs them. "Come on, Sammy, let's load up."
Sam wordlessly zips Dean's duffel closed and grabs his own before following his brother outside.
"You okay?" Dean asks pointlessly because he already knows the answer.
"No." Sam replies evenly as he tosses the bags into the trunk. "She looks like Jess, smells like Jess, even sounds like her."
"She has scars." Dean says as he tosses the girls four bags into the trunk. "On her wrists. They look like healed burn marks."
"Dean, she couldn't have survived that, right?" Sam asks quietly, casting a glance at their hotel room.
"I don't see how, Sammy." Dean tucks some holy water and a few knifes into his pockets before slamming the trunk closed. "We barely made it out before the entire house went up in flames. There's no way she survived that."
"But if she was still alive somehow and she….if I left her there, dying, and I could have saved her…" Sam whispers.
"Don't, Sam, it's…it's not her." Dean says. "You couldn't have saved her any more than dad could have saved mom. Jessica is dead. I don't know what that thing is, but it's not her."
-
"Seriously, do you know every Led Zeplin song?" Jessica asks Dawn after Dean puts in what has to be the tenth Zeplin tape and Dawn still continues to hum along.
"Yep." Dawn nods. "Giles is a major Zeplin fan, he has like all of their records…and by records, I mean actual records. Total rock fan. Back when I was little, I used to torture him by making him listen to N'Sync and the Backstreet boys, though it was almost as much of a torture for me to listen to them. Except for Justin."
"Hey, I liked N'Sync." Jessica says, slightly offended.
"Yeah, well you're all girly and stuff." Dawn wiggles down in the back seat, lifting her feet to rest on the back of the front seat.
"Hey." Dean smacks at her boot.
"Hey, yourself." Dawn wiggles her foot. "My boots are clean, they're not going to get anything on your precious baby."
"For someone being held 'hostage', you're awful cocky." Dean smacks at her foot again but doesn't really put any force behind it.
"That's me, cocky as hell." Dawn says.
"You know, you're the one wearing a skirt, not me." Jessica grumbles. "That makes you just as girly as me."
"You know what I mean." Dawn turns slightly and rests her head on Jessica's shoulder.
"Unfortunally, yes, I've been around you long enough to know what you mean without you saying it." Jessica says. "Which makes me question my own sanity."
"Hey." Dawn mutters.
"Giles really listens to Zeplin?" Jessica asks after a few minutes.
"Oh, yeah, Giles is a major rock music guy." Dawn replies. "Bay City Rollers, Led Zeplin, Metallica, Journey, Kansas….if it's classic rock, he listens to it."
Jessica looks startled.
"Yeah, I know." Dawn agrees. "Giles is all British and repressed, but back in his younger days, he was all with the rebelling. Bacchanals and orgies, he was in a band…"
"What's a bacchanal?" Jessica interrupts.
Dean coughs to cover up a laugh.
"It's this ritual thing that people show to worship the God Bacchus." Dawn explains. "Bacchus was a god of wine, kinda like the Greek god Dionysus or Roman god Liber. Back in the day, they were really into the worshipping thing but now it's just an excuse for a bunch of people to get together, do a little magic, get drunk, and have a big ole orgy. Which is actually gross cuz a good amount of the people that I saw were like Giles's age."
"You went to a bacchanal?" Sam asks.
"Year before last." Dawn replies. "But just for the magic part of it; I left before the drinking and the orgy."
"Giles…no, I can't see him doing anything like that." Jessica frowns. "He's so cultured."
"You guys see the parts of them that they want you to see." Dawn says. "They're supposed to be all perfect and flawless. Can't very well be flawless if you know he used to be all into summoning demons just for the kick of it."
Dean scowls. "What?"
"If you summon a demon, into a decently controlled area, and let it possess you, supposedly, it's like doing acid." Dawn explains. "Major high. Giles and his group of friends used to do that back in the day, didn't stop until it got out of control and the demon killed one of them. Then that's how Giles became all repressed and perfect." She tilts her head back to look at Jessica. "They're not perfect and they never will be. Nobody is. People make mistakes and sometimes people die because of those mistakes but they're still just mistakes."
After a second, Jessica nods.
"Okay then." Dawn says. "Dean, can I have your coat please?"
"Why?"
"Cuz I'm cold and tired and I want to go to sleep." Dawn replies. "Coat please."
With a grumble, Dean cleans out his pockets and jerks off his coat before tossing it into the back seat. After a second, Sam follows suit but doesn't say anything, just tosses his coat back to Jessica.
Dawn moves around a bit more until she ends up sprawled across half of the back seat, leg kicked up on the back of Dean's seat, with his coat pulled up to her nose. She's asleep within minutes.
Jessica, on the other hand, just brings Sam's coat up to her face and inhales his scent. God, she's missed him so much, more than anything, and to have him this close is both wonderful and devistating. Because the Sam in front of her, he's not the same man she fell in love with. He's so hard, so cut-off that it breaks her heart. She can feel the tears falling down her face but bites her lip to keep from openly crying.
Sam clenches his good fist, lip clamped down between his teeth. He can hear her crying, so softly that she probably thinks nobody can hear it over the music, but he can and it pulls at something he thought died a year ago. He wants it to be her, wants it to be her so much that he can't stand it, but it's not. Jessica died a year ago and no matter how much he wishes it weren't so, nothing will change that.
-
"What do you think she is?" Ellen sips from the beer in her right hand as she leans back against the counter of her bar. The Roadhouse is cleared out but given that it's eleven o'clock in the morning, that's not surprising. Jo is standing beside her, looking rather worried which worries her because she knows Jo is upset about Dean. And that just opens a whole can of worms that she doesn't even want to think about. She doesn't want her daughter dating a hunter, or a Winchester, but she knows her little girl. And she's starting to fall head over heels for John's oldest boy.
"A demon probably." Bobby Singer leans against one of the pillars in the room. "Somebody wanting to mess with Sam and Dean."
"Do you think it's the Demon?" Jo asks.
Bobby pauses for a few seconds to think about it. "I don't know. Could be."
"What is that thing, exactly?" Jo asks, head tilted back to look up at the ceiling.
"It's called a Devil's Trap." Bobby replies. "Any demon steps inside it, it's stuck. Rumor has it that the Devil itself can be trapped inside."
"Huh." Jo murmurs. "That's handy."
"Yeah, it is." Ellen agrees. "Think I'll keep it up there after this is over."
The conversation ends there, the unmistakable sound of Dean Winchester's Impala revving out side. The car idles for a second before it turns off. A few seconds later, car doors open and slam close, the front door to the Roadhouse pushes open and a brunette girl walks through the door.
Jo straightens at the sight of Dean, her stomach fluttering and hands sweating at the sight of the hunter. He's dressed as he always is in jeans, a tee-shirt, and flannel. The girl in front of them, a brunette, looks like the kind of girl that Jo's always hated. Beautiful and so very girly, hell it's barely twenty degrees out and she's wearing a skirt. And those UGG boots that all the girls she went to college with loved. The girl's hands are cuffed in front of her and Dean is nudging her back with his gun. Sam walks in behind them, a girl with short blonde hair walking a few steps in front of him. Like the brunette, the blonde girl's hands are cuffed but unlike Dean, Sam isn't nudging her with his gun.
"I swear to god, if you don't stop nudging me with that gun I'm going to hurt you." Dawn growls, turning to face Dean.
"Yeah, whatever sweetheart." Dean laughs.
Dawn's eyes widen and with a growl, she starts towards the hunter only to have Jessica move between them. "Damn it, Jess, move."
"No, Dawn, this isn't the time." Jessica urges her watcher back, placing her body between the younger girl and Sam's obviously pissed off brother.
"Jess, I've bout had it up to here with this whole kidnapping thing." Dawn gestures with her cuffed hands. "I'm tired, my wrists hurt, I think I smell, and I'm freaking starving. We should have just tied them up and made them listen to us instead of letting them…."
"LET." Dean interrupts with a shout. "You didn't let us do anything."
"Oh, cupcake, we so let you." Dawn says sweetly. "You know how many times we could have escaped? More times than I can count. Word of advise, next time you take what you think is a killer demon hostage, knock them out and put 'em in the trunk. You got us here because we let you."
Dean clenches his fists, taking a step closer. "God, I hope you're a demon."
"Why, so you can hit me?" Dawn tilts her head back to look up at him. "Try it and you'll be talking soprano for a week, buster."
"Dawn." Jessica grabs her watcher with one hand and pulls them backwards. She can tell by Dawn's stance that she wants to hit something and with all the people pointing guns at them, that's not a good idea. She moves Dawn a good three feet away from Dean, into the middle of the room, before stopping. "Aren't you supposed to be the level-headed one? Isn't that what you're trained to do."
"Yes." Dawn agrees. "I'm just tired and cranky. Plus, ego-boy over there is pissing me off."
Dean starts forward, stopping only when Bobby places a hand on his chest. "What?"
Bobby glances towards the ceiling.
"Oh." A slow smirk crosses Dean's lips. "Gotcha."
Dawn looks up and frowns. "Seriously?"
"You're trapped." Sam says quietly.
"Huh." Dawn murmurs, head tilting down to look into Dean's eye. Then she steps outside of the Devil's Trap. "Jess, over here."
Jessica silently follows Dawn eyes trained on the drawling on the ceiling. "What is that thing?"
"Devil's Trap." Dawn replies. "Traps demons, any demon. Could probably trap the devil itself if the devil's real. English version though, am I right?"
"Yes." Bobby agrees, frowning as he rubs his beard.
"Yeah, the original Greek version is a little different." Dawn steps back under the trap, head tilting back as she studies it. "It's said that if you bless it with the blood of a virgin, it'll make the dwelling impossible for any demon to enter. But since you actually have to kill the virgin to do so, never actually tried it. Seems a little too black-magicy to me, what with the sacrificing of virgins."
"You've seen an original version of the Devil's Trap?" Bobby's eyebrows furrow.
"I have an copy of the Lesser Key of Solomon in the original Greek." Dawn replies. "Really different from the English and Latin versions, let me tell you."
Bobby reaches into his pocket and pulls out a flask which he hands to the girl. "Drink it."
Dawn studies him for a second before she twists the top off. She sniffs it for moment before taking a gulp out of the liquid inside. Once done, she hands the flask to Jessica who wordlessly does the same. "Let me guess, holy water."
"You're human." Bobby declares.
"Yep." Dawn agrees.
"And so is she." Bobby nods to the girl holding his flask of holy water.
"Yep." Dawn agrees again.
"No, Bobby, it can't…Jess is dead." Sam says.
"I know, Sam, but these two are as human as you and me." Bobby replies.
"One of you two want to explain what the hell is going on?" Dean orders.
"After you take these things off us and somebody gets us some food." Dawn replies. "The last time I ate was in South Africa like forty-eight hours ago. I'm starving."
-
Fiction two-Jess is a slayer-Dawn and her travel with the Winchesters
"I can't condone this behavior." Rupert Giles says, removing his glasses to polish them. "And outside of those in this room, the Council will not acknowledge any involvement in this. If you chose to take this path, you will do so virtually alone. Right now, we can't afford for the Council to have another black mark against it and…." Giles shoves the manila folder across the table across the table. "This is more than a black mark."
"He wouldn't do it." Jessica Moore protests. "Sam wouldn't do something like this or cover for his brother."
"Jess, you said so yourself you only met Dean for a few minutes." Willow Rosenberg points out softly. "And Sam did keep his knowledge of the supernatural a secret for a year and a half. Added in with his family's…criminal life, there's a lot you don't seem to know about him."
"He wasn't the only one that had secrets." Jessica replies. "I lied to him constantly, every single night. For god's sake, I let him believe I'm dead."
"Technically, we let him believe you're dead." Buffy points out. "Since ya know, you were all with the coma."
"I could have told him when I woke up." Jessica says. "But I didn't want him to get hurt or killed because of what I am. But now that I know he's a hunter….I need to see him. I need to help him."
"We know." Faith lounges back in her chair. "What G-Man is trying not to say, because we're not supposed to support you joining up with some fuggies, is that if you go, you can't except to have the support of the council like you would if stayed in Cleveland."
"Basically, what they're trying to say is you'll be like Angel and co." Dawn Summers says from the doorway, one perfect brow arched as she leans against the frame. "For all intents and purposes, one of the bad guys."
"Dawn, you're late….why do you have bags with you?" Buffy stands up, arms crossed over her chest.
"Jess needs a watcher and frankly, I don't want to be around here anymore." Dawn replies.
"No." Buffy shakes her head. "You're not going."
"I'm legally an adult." Dawn crosses her arms over her chest. "You can't stop me from going."
"The hell I can't." Buffy pushes to her feet with a shout.
"Jess, go get your stuff." Dawn orders. "Angel's plane is waiting for us."
Jessica nods and quietly leaves the room, not once questioning the younger girl's orders.
"No." Buffy says again. "You're not going."
"Buffy, you just don't get it." Dawn picks her bags up. "This isn't your choice, it's mine. I already talked to Angel and he's going to 'support' us."
"You talked to Angel." Giles removes his glasses. "After we made it very clear that the Council would not support Angel as long as he continues to work for Wolfram & Hart."
"Yep, I've been talking to Angel for months." Dawn nods. "Oh, and this would be me quitting."
"Dawn, what the hell is wrong with you?" Buffy demands. "You've been acting weird for a long time and now this…and you can't quit, you helped rebuild the Council."
"I don't want anything to do with this version of the Council." Dawn gestures at the group. "I honestly can't believe you guys can be so hypocrtical."
"Excuse me?" Buffy's eyebrows arch in outrage.
"You guys went on and on about how big of a prick Travers was, how callous the old Council was but we're not any different." Dawn says.
"The frilly heck we're not." Willow protests.
"We let Fred, a girl that you were friends with, a very nice, sweet, and most importantly, innocent human girl die." Dawn loudly says. "Angel helped us, gave us a place to stay for months, rent free, then gave us money to fly to England, got Faith a new idenity, and basically bent over backwards to help get the Council back on its feet and the second we were, we started treating him like the big bad."
"It's not that cut and dry, Dawn." Giles says. "There were a lot of circumstances and most of them boil down to what Wolfram & Hart is."
"No, it should boil down to what Angel is." Dawn looks at Buffy and then at Faith. "That he would trust both of you, without question, and be there, without question, but neither one of you would grant him even the slightest bit of trust in return."
"You don't know a fuckin' think about my relationship with Angel." Faith says defensively.
"I know that you backed them up when it came down to helping him or not." Dawn says. "I was there. If you'll recall, I was the one that offered to pull Willow out of her astral state or go try to help Angel myself but you guys wouldn't let me and since I was technically underage then, I couldn't do a damn thing about it. But I can now. If this is how the Council is going to work, I don't want to work for it anymore."
"And you think working for Angel is better?" Xander sneers out the name. "He's working for an uber evil law firm. An absolutely evil and totally powerful law firm. And you know what they say about…."
"That absolute power corrupts absolutely." Dawn interrupts, disdain evident of her face. "Yeah, I've seen first hand how that works." She reaches into her pants pocket and pulls out the Council issued cell phone and tossed it onto the table. "If you need to talk to me, and I don't know why you would, call Angel and he'll know how to get in touch with me."
"Dawn, you can't leave." Buffy protests, her tone softening.
"Buffy, I love you, I love all of you guys but I can't stay here." Dawn says softly. "It doesn't feel right and you've always told me to trust my gut." She walks over and brushes a kiss across her sister's forehead. "Stay safe, please." Then before anybody can stop her, she runs out of the room.
-
"Angel, chill." Dawn sighs dramatically. "We'll be fine, right Jess?"
"Yeah, we can handle things." Jessica agrees, though not as sure.
"Your sister will kill me…."
"Don't." Dawn holds up a warning hand. "I'm not in the mood to talk about Buffy. This was the hardest thing I've ever done, Angel, and I'd just like to forget about them for a while and focus on helping Jess get her man back."
"Just be careful." Angel repeats for the tenth time. "Some hunters are…."
"Nutty, yeah, I've heard a few stories." Dawn reaches up to peck him on the cheek. "We'll be fine. Love you, miss you, have some fun, and get laid. You're too stressed out."
"We'd all be in a better mood if the poof would get laid." Spike grumbles, flicking his cigarette out. "Jess, luv, you take care of yourself."
"I will, Spike." Jessica cautiously hugs the vampire, the slayer part of her claming up at the contact. "Don't torture Angel too much."
"It's what I live for, pet." Spike smirks and then holds his arms out. "C'mere, niblet."
Dawn throws herself into the vampire's arms without a bit of hesitation. Angel joins the hug after a second, the two vampires sandwiching the teenager between them. "Love you guys."
"Love you too, bit." Spike growls against her hair. "Stay safe."
"I will." Dawn murmurs against Spike's chest, breathing in the comforting scents of smoke, leather, whiskey, and blood. "We'll check in a few days. Try to keep the fighting down to a minimun…unless you two finally decide to give in and get on with the sex. That's probably relieve a heck of a lot of stress around here."
Jessica shakes her head, a small smile floating across her lips. There's not another person like Dawn in the world, she's fairly sure of that. At nineteen (though she's almost twenty), Dawn doesn't act like a teenager. Most of the time, she acts like an adult, so much so that Jessica follows her orders even though Dawn is almost three years younger than her. Dawn can speak six languages that Jessica knows of, and that's not including the demon ones. She also spent time with some coven and Willow, and can do magic, not anywhere near what the redhead can do, but enough to hold her own. Not to mention the fighting that she's been trained to do since she was sixteen. All and all, there's not another person like Dawn.
She's equal amounts innocent and worldly, an adult in many fashions but a teenager in others. She didn't finished high school, just got her high school equalavcy degree over the internet. In the few months that Jessica stayed with Buffy and Dawn in Italy, she can't remember seeing the teenager do anything that wasn't 'supernatural' related. Jessica can't even remember seeing the ex-watcher socialize with anyone outside of the council members, slayers, and some demons. Actually, a good amount of demons, much more than Jessica is comfortable with herself. But to Dawn, that's normal and as former physchology major, Jessica is looking forward to seeing Dawn interact with 'normal' people.
Jessica was nineteen when the slayer line was activated. She was sleeping in her dorm room and woke up just knowing something was different. She didn't know what it was until about two weeks later when Giles and Xander showed up at her dorm. She was part of the first wave of newly 'activated' slayers to be trained, the ones closest to L.A. where the temporary headquarters were set up. She spent the summer there, in Angel's hotel, learning about what she was. They gave her the opportunity to go to Europe with them but she declined and instead stayed in school. And met Sam fall term.
She didn't want to start dating, not that soon after finding out about being a slayer. Sam took her by complete surprise. In ways, he was a lot like Dawn. Smart, shy, confident in some ways, insecure in others, and most of the time, seemed much older than he actually was. Did she mention the smart? Sam and Dawn, both complete nerds. Hot nerds, but nerds. She's actually a little concerned (okay, very worried) that Sam and Dawn are much more compatible than her and Sam. That and the fact that Dawn is absolutely gorgeous. Long brown hair, big blue eyes, knockout body and most importantly, only a few small scars. Unlike the huge ones that Jessica has herself. One across the stomach, rib to rib from where the demon slashed her and burn scars that never completely healed over, mostly on her stomach, wrists and upper legs. They're ugly and red, the only thing she can see when she looks in the mirror. She knows she shouldn't be so upset over them, she's beyond lucky to be alive, but she hates the scars.
She's thrown of her musings when the pilot clears them for takeoff and just like that, Angel's private jet is in the air, on the way to the Lambert-St. Louis Airport.
-
"This is kinda neat." Dawn comments, bare feet resting on the elbow rest in front of her. "Smelly, but neat."
"You've never rode on a Greyhound?" Jessica frowns.
"Nope." Dawn replies. "This is actually the first time I've ever gone anywhere without Buffy, my mom, Willow, or Giles. And Greyhounding, not in Sunnydale. Buffy would have killed me if I ever tried to go to the bus station alone. It was like a freaking death zone."
Jessica arches a brow, a lot shocked.
"Nobody understands just how sheltered I've been." Dawn says. "I was nine when Buffy was called. From that point on, I've been in this little bubble thing that I get to sneak out from every once in a while, but not very often cuz somebody's always checking up on me….or when I'm kidnapped. And isn't it sad to say that sometimes, I welcome the kidnappings just to get some freedom."
"You are so weird." Jessica comments. "Like one of the weirdest people I've ever met. And before I was called, I would have never talked you."
"Wow, that's brutally honest." Dawn whistles.
"But now, I can't see why." Jessica continues. "You're an amazing person, scary as hell sometimes. And a good amount of the time, I want to call the guys in the white coats to come get you…."
"You're not the only one to have that thought." Dawn interrupts. "I think growing up as the little sister of the longest living slayer in history, on the mouth of hell, with an evil vampire as a best friend-slash-brother for some many years has made me kinda…"
"Nutso." Jessica supplies helpfully.
"Yeppers." Dawn agrees. "So, basically, you wouldn't have liked me back when you were all normal girl but now that you're superpowered, you think I'm neat. But scary."
"Basically." Jessica nods. "Are you offended?"
"No, because honestly, I wouldn't have liked you either." Dawn says. "You're all cheerleader-like, preppy, and perfect. I'm a spaz. Major spaz."
"That's what's so great about you." Jessica smiles. "Your spazness."
-
"I can't do this." Jessica whispers, backing up slowly.
"Jess, we just flew across the country, rode a couple hours on a bus, took a cab here…..we're doing this." Dawn lightly pushes the slayer towards the door. "I know this is hard…."
Jessica just looks at her.
"Okay, I don't know that this is hard, I just imagine that this is hard." Dawn corrects. "But we might as well get this over with cuz it's not going to get any easier the longer we wait."
Jessica nods, bottom lip trapped between her teeth. She fights the urge to fix her hair or straighten her clothes since it's pointless really; she's completely different than she was before, both physically and emotionally. Gone is the relatively care-free girl that she was back then, even when she was sneaking out to hunt vampires. She didn't do it often back then, only when the urge to hunt got to be too much to fight or when she felt vamps nearby. But the slaying didn't really affect her then. She still was just Jessica. Just the popular college girl with the cute but shy boyfriend, all blonde and hot. And knows she was hot then. She was hot, dressed hot, and had the hot boyfriend.
She's still hot, she knows that. It's not conceit, just a simple fact. Her hair is shorter now, just about chin level but is still the same blonde it's always been. Gone are the short skirts, shorts, and skimpy tops, replaced with jeans, trousers, leather pants, and less showy tops. In fact, only a handful of people have seen her legs since the fire, Willow, Buffy, Faith, Dawn, Vi, Giles, and a couple doctors. Other than that, she hasn't gone out in public without fabric covering her legs. But she's still as physically beautiful as she was before.
It's stupid and insecure, she hates that she's that insecure, but having always been physically attractive, she's pretty sure she couldn't handle people flinching at her. And her scars are very flinch-worthy. She only has a few on her arms, mostly translucent scars, the more visible ones on her upper arms and wrists, the latter which she covers with bracelets. She's dressed rather casually in dark jeans, a red baby-tee which covers up the scars on her upper arms, about thirty rubber bracelets on each wrists to cover the scars there, black boots, and a leather jacket to ward off the cold, and it is rather cold. Dawn is dressed more fitting to California, something she always does even though she hasn't lived there in years, huge UGG boots that reach her knees, black tights, short jean skirt, black stretch top , and a leather jacket that's about three sizes too big. They're both carrying two duffels each, three of them stuffed to the brim with clothes while the last houses weapons and books. Jessica is carry a satchel with their phones, ID's, makeup, and money while Dawn's satchel holds her laptop and some other watchery things.
"How are we getting in?" Jessica shifts her weight from foot to foot. "Cuz they're not in there."
"They haven't checked out yet." Dawn points out.
"I know." Jessica agrees. "But there's nobody in that room; I'd at least hear them breathing and they can't be sleeping because Sam snores the slightest bit so I know I'd hear that. Plus, the car is gone."
"K, I'll trust the super senses." Dawn lifts up her right hand, flashing a plastic card. "And I stole off the check-in guy."
Jessica just shakes her head. "I thought you got passed your whole klepto stage?"
"While in Rome, do as Romans do." Dawn grins. "And if we're hanging out with criminals, why not embrace that life?"
"Dork." Jessica shakes her head as she watches Dawn unlock the hotel room. They slip inside silently, carefully stepping over the lines of salt the boys put up as protection.
"Man, I gotta say, it's going to be so different living with guys." Dawn comments as she looks around the rather messy hotel room. Empty pizza boxes, fast food wrappers, and beer cans are scattered throughout the room, though amazingly enough, their clothes aren't spread about. They're not neatly packed away by any means but they are sitting on the dresser next to the TV, piled on top of duffel bags. She drops her bags by the window and then plops down on the bed closest to the door. "Who's bed is this?"
Jessica arches a brow.
"C'mon, Jess, slayer senses, you can smell which one Sam sleeps in." Dawn grabs one of the pillows and hugs it to her chest while her face snuggles into the other one. It smells warm and musky, a rich, male scent. Giles and Spike's scents are the males' whose scents she's the most familiar with and whoever's pillow this is, don't smell nothin' like the watcher or vampire. She's hoping it's not Sam's cuz that'd just be weird, her liking the way her friend's boyfriend smells.
"That one." Jessica points to the opposite bed.
"Well, pop a squat while we wait." Dawn gestures. "Your pacing makes me nervous."
"Sorry." Jessica murmurs as she plops down on the end of Sam's bed. "You think they're okay?"
Dawn shrugs. "They've been doing this for a good, long while so I'm thinking they can take care of themselves." Her eyes drift closed, the last couple days of flying around the world finally catching up with her.
Jessica crosses her legs on the mattress, eyes closing as she meditates. Dawn is asleep, lightly asleep, but she can't. Doesn't matter that she hasn't really slept in the three weeks since she's learned that Sam and his family are hunters, she can't relax. She can't wait to see Sam. Just to touch him again. When she woke up from the coma, the first thing she thought was Sam. She remembers seeing him being dragged out of the room as she was burning to death, only seconds before Willow showed up and saved her life. She remembers the horror in his eyes, the despair in his voice as his brother literally dragged him out of the room. She doesn't remember anything after that, doesn't remember Willow showing up and saving her, doesn't remember anything until she woke up three months later.
Time passes and to Jessica, it feels like hours though she knows it's only about thirty minutes, before they return. She can hear the car pull up in front of the room and hear Sam and Dean get out. They're not talking but she can hear them walking, smell Sam's cologne. And Dean's but she doesn't care about that. All she cares about is Sam but instead of jumping up and running towards the door, she pushes off the bed and kicks Dawn's foot. "They're back." Then she jumps over the bed and runs into the bathroom, the small bit of food that she's eaten today coming up.
Dawn opens one eye when her foot is kicked and manages to see the back of Jessica's back as the slayer runs into the bathroom. Confused, she opens the other eye right as the door opens.
-
Dean turns off the car and without saying a word, exits the car. Today has been bad, second only to when their father died. The whole thing with Neil bringing a girl back to life when she should have stayed dead just hits to close too home. That added in with seeing their mom's grave and Sam breaking his arm, today has been hell. A glances over to see Sam itching at his new cast and he can't help but think that the six to eight weeks the doctor told them will end up being only four to six. Winchester men don't do things like handicaps well.
Sam pauses at the door, key card in hand.
"What?" Dean grunts, wanting nothing more than to crash in his bed.
"Something feels off." Sam says.
Dean pulls out his gun as Sam does the same, neither saying anything else. Something feels off and it usually is.
Sam slides the key through the lock and when the light turns green, quietly pushes the door open. He glances down as he walks in, nothing that the salt is still where it was when they left. But somebody is in the room, laying on the bed his brother slept on.
"Dude, what the hell?" Dean moves past Sam, frowning at the girl sitting up on his bed. Typically, the first thing he notices is that she's hot. Long, really, long legs, though all he can see is tight-covered knee and thigh since she's wearing huge furry boots. His eyes trace up her flat tummy to her small but pert breasts to her neck, which she's currently arching side to side, cracking it. Pillow lines mark her face, her make up smeared in a way that would bother most girls to have seen, and her hair is a mess. A 'I just got laid' mess but a mess nonetheless. "Darlin', I think you got the wrong room."
"Really?" Dawn straightens her neck and plasters a shocked look across her face. "Are you sure? Because I clearly remember lining my windows and doors with salt. And leaving empty beer cans and boxes everywhere. Along with my boxers and obviously male clothing."
Dean scowls.
"Sorry." Dawn mutters as she stands up. "I tend to take sarcasm to a whole 'nother level when I'm sleepy. Yes, I am well aware that this is your room. It's why we're here."
Dean, who was in the process of pocketing his gun, stops. "We?"
"As in two of us." Dawn rotates her shoulders, wincing at the sore muscles. She's spent way too much time on airplanes in the last few days.
Sam looks around the hotel but already knows there's nobody else in the room. "Um, Miss, I think you must be mistaken….."
"And you must be Sam." Dawn interrupts, tilting her head back to look up at the tall man. Like really tall. She's five-seven and he's almost a foot taller than her. "You're a lot cuter in person."
Sam frowns.
Dean tenses, gun clenched in his hand. "You know him?"
"Sam Winchester." Dawn nods her head. "Which would make you Dean, correct?"
"Who the hell are you?" Dean demands.
"Dawn Summers." Dawn holds out her hand which neither one of them shake. "Nice to meet ya."
Dean frowns, not sure exactly what to make of the girl standing in front of him. She got pass their salt lines so she's most likely human, unless she's an upper-level demon in which case, she might be able to cross salt. "What do you want?"
"That's a really long story and kinda depends on the other part of my 'we'." Dawn replies, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She noticed the guns the second they walked in and had to force herself to not physically react. She doesn't like guns, not since Tara. And she has the feeling the guns aren't going anywhere, especially when Jessica comes out of the bathroom. And being as impatient as she is, Dawn decides just to get it over with in one tug. "Jessica, get your butt out here."
Sam visibly tenses for a few seconds at hearing his dead-girlfriend's name. Just like he does every time he hears the name.
"Look, honey, whatever you're selling, I'm not buyin'." Dean says. "Get your stuff and your little friend, and go."
"Sweetie." Sarcasm drips from Dawn's words like honey. "The ordering…isn't going to work."
Dean scowls. "Go."
"Sorry, not the least bit intimidated." Dawn smiles sweetly at him. "But maybe if you try harder at the scary voice, it might work."
Dean clenches his empty fist. "Little girl…."
"Oh, don't even go there." Dawn interrupts, fire flashing through her eyes. "God, Jess should have told me you were such a chauvinistic asshole cuz if I had know, I probably wouldn't have come."
"Yes, you would have." Jessica quietly says from behind her watcher. "You wanted out of there almost as much as I wanted to come here."
Sam hears the voice, eyes drifting closed for a brief second to let it wash over him, and then aims his gun at the thing impersonating his dead-girlfriend. "You sick, son-of-a-bitch."
"Whoa, Sammy." Dean says. "Why are you….dude, that's Jessica."
"Yeah, way to keep up, Einstein." Dawn rolls her eyes.
"No, it's not Jessica." Sam growls. "It's some bastard demon impersonating her. Jessica is dead."
"No, Jessica is very much alive." Dawn argues. "She's standing right in front of you."
"Dawn." Jessica shushes.
"No." Sam shakes his head. "I don’t know what the hell you two are but get the hell out before we kill you."
"Wow, he sure has embraced the grumpy side of the force." Dawn mutters. "It's Jessica, Sam, whether you want to believe it or not, she is Jessica."
"Jessica died." Sam growls. "I watched her die."
"No, you watched her dying." Dawn corrects. "But she didn't die."
Jessica coughs.
"Okay, she died about four times before the doctors could get her stable, but only for a few seconds at a time." Dawn corrects. "But that doesn't count."
"There's no way she survived that." Dean moves in front of Sammy, his brother looking close to losing it.
"And the fact that she's standing right here says she kinda did." Dawn replies.
"The fact that something that looks like her is standing right there says the Demon is fucking with us." Dean says.
"Aren't you two a suspicious lot." Dawn murmurs, mostly to herself.
"Dawn." Jessica whispers, knowing that Dawn's somewhat warped view on things aren't going to be appreciated right about now.
"K, I'll knock it off with the smart-assness." Dawn grumbles as she stretches, fingertips reaching towards the ceiling. A small moan escapes her lips as her back cracks, eyes drifting closed as the movement pulls on sore muscles.
"Dawn." Jessica shakes her head. Dawn is so freaking smart when it comes to most things but when it comes to herself, she's an idiot. Jessica's guessing it's mostly because of having Buffy for an older sister, the blonde very beautiful and very secure at her level of attractiveness, that Dawn doesn't see herself as attractive. Walking through the airport alone was enough to convince Jessica of this, even if she hadn't lived with the Summers' girls for months. Dawn didn't notice not one of the various guys that checked her out, and there were a good amount. Didn't notice that the cab driver was flirting with her or that the check-in boy was either. Just like she's not noticing that Sam's brother is clearly checking her out and that her stretching is baring a heck of a lot of skin, her shirt pulling up to about the middle of her rib cage at her movement.
"Man, I need a massage or something." Dawn says. "If I never ride in a plane again it'll be too damn soon." She cocks her head to look at Jessica. "Crack my back, will ya?"
"Now?" Jessica arches a brow.
"I have to go to the bathroom first but then, yes, now." Dawn grabs Jess's hand. "C'mon."
"Whoa, whoa, where do you two think you're going?" Dean gestures with his gun.
"Don't you know that girls have to go to the bathroom in pairs?" Dawn replies. "Sides that, I'm not leaving Jess out here with you two, alone."
"Dawn, I'll be fine." Jessica says.
"Wasn't an option, Jess, come on." Dawn tugs.
She looks like she wants to argue but without saying a word, Jessica follows Dawn into the bathroom.
The second the door closes, Dean pulls out his cell phone. "Bobby, we need help."
-
"Jess, honestly, I don't know what you expected but of course he's going to be freaked out." Dawn studies her reflection in the mirror, sticking her tongue out at her face.
"He pointed a gun at me." Jessica says. "I never in a million years thought that he'd do that."
"Well, honestly, I'm surprised they didn't attack or something." Dawn washes her hands and then turns to face Jessica. "Okay, do it."
Jessica picks Dawn up and squeezes her tightly. The watcher groans as her spine literally pops from neck to tailbone. "God, that's disgusting."
"Nuh ah, it's the best feeling in the world." Dawn argues. "Thanks."
"No prob." Jessica pauses at the door. "I don't think I can do this anymore."
"Don't really have a choice in that." Dawn opens the door and pushes the slayer out. Right into the muzzles of two guns. "Okay, then, so, you two going to kill us or what?"
"Not right now, sweetheart." Dean smirks. "But eventually, maybe. But that just depends."
Dawn shrugs. "Okay, depends on what exactly?"
"We're going to visit an old friend of ours." Dean says. "Demon expert. You two are coming with us. Now, the only question is if you're going to come quietly or not."
Dawn wants to argue, the part of her that's been trained not to take crap from anyone wants to tell the incredibly hot guy to fuck off, but a glance at the Jessica has her biting back that reaction. "Oh, you so owe me big time Jess, I can't believe I am willingly doing the hostage thing. And you can't say anything to Buffy or anybody because they will so freak out if they find out. Spike especially."
"We're not…" Sam starts.
"You're forcing us to go somewhere, at gunpoint I might add, in my book, that's hostage taking." Dawn interrupts. "But hey, I get it and as long as you don’t go slashing at me with sharp things, we'll be fine."
"Speaking of hostages…" Dean walks over to rummage through his bag until he finds two sets of handcuffs.
"You've got to be kidding me." Dawn mutters but an elbow from Jessica has her holding out her wrists. "Big time, Jess."
"I know." Jessica averts her eyes from Sam and watches as Dean handcuffs her watcher, who looks mildly amused and rather aggrivated, but not the least bit scared. Then her boyfriend's brother turns to her and nods at her wrists. "Take 'em off."
"Can't you just do it over them?" Jessica asks.
"Could but not going to." Dean replies. "Take 'em off before I do."
Jessica removes the rubber bracelets with sharp, angry movements, and once done, drops them on top of one of their open duffels before presenting her arms to Dean. He startles at the scars on her wrists, but after a second fastens the cuffs over them.
"Okay, you two sit on the bed while we load the car." Dean orders. "You try to leave, I will shoot."
"Yeah, I've heard it before." Dawn rolls her eyes. "You scream for help, we'll kill you. You try to escape, we'll kill you. You attack us, we'll kill you. Not my first ride, cowboy, I know how this works."
Dean hesitates for a moment, suddenly very sure that this Dawn is just as human as him. She just arches an eyebrow as she plops back down on his bed, her handcuffed wrists resting on her lap. He can see Sam jerkily packing their stuff out the corner of his eye. He spots the four bags that aren't theirs, that must belong to Dawn and whatever the hell thing is disguising itself as Jessica, and grabs them. "Come on, Sammy, let's load up."
Sam wordlessly zips Dean's duffel closed and grabs his own before following his brother outside.
"You okay?" Dean asks pointlessly because he already knows the answer.
"No." Sam replies evenly as he tosses the bags into the trunk. "She looks like Jess, smells like Jess, even sounds like her."
"She has scars." Dean says as he tosses the girls four bags into the trunk. "On her wrists. They look like healed burn marks."
"Dean, she couldn't have survived that, right?" Sam asks quietly, casting a glance at their hotel room.
"I don't see how, Sammy." Dean tucks some holy water and a few knifes into his pockets before slamming the trunk closed. "We barely made it out before the entire house went up in flames. There's no way she survived that."
"But if she was still alive somehow and she….if I left her there, dying, and I could have saved her…" Sam whispers.
"Don't, Sam, it's…it's not her." Dean says. "You couldn't have saved her any more than dad could have saved mom. Jessica is dead. I don't know what that thing is, but it's not her."
-
"Seriously, do you know every Led Zeplin song?" Jessica asks Dawn after Dean puts in what has to be the tenth Zeplin tape and Dawn still continues to hum along.
"Yep." Dawn nods. "Giles is a major Zeplin fan, he has like all of their records…and by records, I mean actual records. Total rock fan. Back when I was little, I used to torture him by making him listen to N'Sync and the Backstreet boys, though it was almost as much of a torture for me to listen to them. Except for Justin."
"Hey, I liked N'Sync." Jessica says, slightly offended.
"Yeah, well you're all girly and stuff." Dawn wiggles down in the back seat, lifting her feet to rest on the back of the front seat.
"Hey." Dean smacks at her boot.
"Hey, yourself." Dawn wiggles her foot. "My boots are clean, they're not going to get anything on your precious baby."
"For someone being held 'hostage', you're awful cocky." Dean smacks at her foot again but doesn't really put any force behind it.
"That's me, cocky as hell." Dawn says.
"You know, you're the one wearing a skirt, not me." Jessica grumbles. "That makes you just as girly as me."
"You know what I mean." Dawn turns slightly and rests her head on Jessica's shoulder.
"Unfortunally, yes, I've been around you long enough to know what you mean without you saying it." Jessica says. "Which makes me question my own sanity."
"Hey." Dawn mutters.
"Giles really listens to Zeplin?" Jessica asks after a few minutes.
"Oh, yeah, Giles is a major rock music guy." Dawn replies. "Bay City Rollers, Led Zeplin, Metallica, Journey, Kansas….if it's classic rock, he listens to it."
Jessica looks startled.
"Yeah, I know." Dawn agrees. "Giles is all British and repressed, but back in his younger days, he was all with the rebelling. Bacchanals and orgies, he was in a band…"
"What's a bacchanal?" Jessica interrupts.
Dean coughs to cover up a laugh.
"It's this ritual thing that people show to worship the God Bacchus." Dawn explains. "Bacchus was a god of wine, kinda like the Greek god Dionysus or Roman god Liber. Back in the day, they were really into the worshipping thing but now it's just an excuse for a bunch of people to get together, do a little magic, get drunk, and have a big ole orgy. Which is actually gross cuz a good amount of the people that I saw were like Giles's age."
"You went to a bacchanal?" Sam asks.
"Year before last." Dawn replies. "But just for the magic part of it; I left before the drinking and the orgy."
"Giles…no, I can't see him doing anything like that." Jessica frowns. "He's so cultured."
"You guys see the parts of them that they want you to see." Dawn says. "They're supposed to be all perfect and flawless. Can't very well be flawless if you know he used to be all into summoning demons just for the kick of it."
Dean scowls. "What?"
"If you summon a demon, into a decently controlled area, and let it possess you, supposedly, it's like doing acid." Dawn explains. "Major high. Giles and his group of friends used to do that back in the day, didn't stop until it got out of control and the demon killed one of them. Then that's how Giles became all repressed and perfect." She tilts her head back to look at Jessica. "They're not perfect and they never will be. Nobody is. People make mistakes and sometimes people die because of those mistakes but they're still just mistakes."
After a second, Jessica nods.
"Okay then." Dawn says. "Dean, can I have your coat please?"
"Why?"
"Cuz I'm cold and tired and I want to go to sleep." Dawn replies. "Coat please."
With a grumble, Dean cleans out his pockets and jerks off his coat before tossing it into the back seat. After a second, Sam follows suit but doesn't say anything, just tosses his coat back to Jessica.
Dawn moves around a bit more until she ends up sprawled across half of the back seat, leg kicked up on the back of Dean's seat, with his coat pulled up to her nose. She's asleep within minutes.
Jessica, on the other hand, just brings Sam's coat up to her face and inhales his scent. God, she's missed him so much, more than anything, and to have him this close is both wonderful and devistating. Because the Sam in front of her, he's not the same man she fell in love with. He's so hard, so cut-off that it breaks her heart. She can feel the tears falling down her face but bites her lip to keep from openly crying.
Sam clenches his good fist, lip clamped down between his teeth. He can hear her crying, so softly that she probably thinks nobody can hear it over the music, but he can and it pulls at something he thought died a year ago. He wants it to be her, wants it to be her so much that he can't stand it, but it's not. Jessica died a year ago and no matter how much he wishes it weren't so, nothing will change that.
-
"What do you think she is?" Ellen sips from the beer in her right hand as she leans back against the counter of her bar. The Roadhouse is cleared out but given that it's eleven o'clock in the morning, that's not surprising. Jo is standing beside her, looking rather worried which worries her because she knows Jo is upset about Dean. And that just opens a whole can of worms that she doesn't even want to think about. She doesn't want her daughter dating a hunter, or a Winchester, but she knows her little girl. And she's starting to fall head over heels for John's oldest boy.
"A demon probably." Bobby Singer leans against one of the pillars in the room. "Somebody wanting to mess with Sam and Dean."
"Do you think it's the Demon?" Jo asks.
Bobby pauses for a few seconds to think about it. "I don't know. Could be."
"What is that thing, exactly?" Jo asks, head tilted back to look up at the ceiling.
"It's called a Devil's Trap." Bobby replies. "Any demon steps inside it, it's stuck. Rumor has it that the Devil itself can be trapped inside."
"Huh." Jo murmurs. "That's handy."
"Yeah, it is." Ellen agrees. "Think I'll keep it up there after this is over."
The conversation ends there, the unmistakable sound of Dean Winchester's Impala revving out side. The car idles for a second before it turns off. A few seconds later, car doors open and slam close, the front door to the Roadhouse pushes open and a brunette girl walks through the door.
Jo straightens at the sight of Dean, her stomach fluttering and hands sweating at the sight of the hunter. He's dressed as he always is in jeans, a tee-shirt, and flannel. The girl in front of them, a brunette, looks like the kind of girl that Jo's always hated. Beautiful and so very girly, hell it's barely twenty degrees out and she's wearing a skirt. And those UGG boots that all the girls she went to college with loved. The girl's hands are cuffed in front of her and Dean is nudging her back with his gun. Sam walks in behind them, a girl with short blonde hair walking a few steps in front of him. Like the brunette, the blonde girl's hands are cuffed but unlike Dean, Sam isn't nudging her with his gun.
"I swear to god, if you don't stop nudging me with that gun I'm going to hurt you." Dawn growls, turning to face Dean.
"Yeah, whatever sweetheart." Dean laughs.
Dawn's eyes widen and with a growl, she starts towards the hunter only to have Jessica move between them. "Damn it, Jess, move."
"No, Dawn, this isn't the time." Jessica urges her watcher back, placing her body between the younger girl and Sam's obviously pissed off brother.
"Jess, I've bout had it up to here with this whole kidnapping thing." Dawn gestures with her cuffed hands. "I'm tired, my wrists hurt, I think I smell, and I'm freaking starving. We should have just tied them up and made them listen to us instead of letting them…."
"LET." Dean interrupts with a shout. "You didn't let us do anything."
"Oh, cupcake, we so let you." Dawn says sweetly. "You know how many times we could have escaped? More times than I can count. Word of advise, next time you take what you think is a killer demon hostage, knock them out and put 'em in the trunk. You got us here because we let you."
Dean clenches his fists, taking a step closer. "God, I hope you're a demon."
"Why, so you can hit me?" Dawn tilts her head back to look up at him. "Try it and you'll be talking soprano for a week, buster."
"Dawn." Jessica grabs her watcher with one hand and pulls them backwards. She can tell by Dawn's stance that she wants to hit something and with all the people pointing guns at them, that's not a good idea. She moves Dawn a good three feet away from Dean, into the middle of the room, before stopping. "Aren't you supposed to be the level-headed one? Isn't that what you're trained to do."
"Yes." Dawn agrees. "I'm just tired and cranky. Plus, ego-boy over there is pissing me off."
Dean starts forward, stopping only when Bobby places a hand on his chest. "What?"
Bobby glances towards the ceiling.
"Oh." A slow smirk crosses Dean's lips. "Gotcha."
Dawn looks up and frowns. "Seriously?"
"You're trapped." Sam says quietly.
"Huh." Dawn murmurs, head tilting down to look into Dean's eye. Then she steps outside of the Devil's Trap. "Jess, over here."
Jessica silently follows Dawn eyes trained on the drawling on the ceiling. "What is that thing?"
"Devil's Trap." Dawn replies. "Traps demons, any demon. Could probably trap the devil itself if the devil's real. English version though, am I right?"
"Yes." Bobby agrees, frowning as he rubs his beard.
"Yeah, the original Greek version is a little different." Dawn steps back under the trap, head tilting back as she studies it. "It's said that if you bless it with the blood of a virgin, it'll make the dwelling impossible for any demon to enter. But since you actually have to kill the virgin to do so, never actually tried it. Seems a little too black-magicy to me, what with the sacrificing of virgins."
"You've seen an original version of the Devil's Trap?" Bobby's eyebrows furrow.
"I have an copy of the Lesser Key of Solomon in the original Greek." Dawn replies. "Really different from the English and Latin versions, let me tell you."
Bobby reaches into his pocket and pulls out a flask which he hands to the girl. "Drink it."
Dawn studies him for a second before she twists the top off. She sniffs it for moment before taking a gulp out of the liquid inside. Once done, she hands the flask to Jessica who wordlessly does the same. "Let me guess, holy water."
"You're human." Bobby declares.
"Yep." Dawn agrees.
"And so is she." Bobby nods to the girl holding his flask of holy water.
"Yep." Dawn agrees again.
"No, Bobby, it can't…Jess is dead." Sam says.
"I know, Sam, but these two are as human as you and me." Bobby replies.
"One of you two want to explain what the hell is going on?" Dean orders.
"After you take these things off us and somebody gets us some food." Dawn replies. "The last time I ate was in South Africa like forty-eight hours ago. I'm starving."
-