CHAPTER TWELVE

"You and John Winchester — you used to own this garage together?" Dean asks.

"Yeah, we used to. A long time ago." The man says. "Matter of fact, must be twenty years since John disappeared. So, why are the cops interested all of a sudden?" The mechanic asks as he looks at the hunters.

"Oh, we're reopening some of our old unsolved cases, and the Winchester disappearance is one of them."

"Uh-huh. Well, what do you wanna know about John?"

"Whatever you remember. Whatever sticks out in your mind." Dean tells him.

"Well... He was a stubborn bastard. I remember that. And, uh, whatever the game, he hated to lose, you know? It was that whole Marine thing. But​, uh... Well, he sure loved Mary, and he doted on those kids." He tells them.

"But that was before the fire." Sam says.

"That's right."

"He ever talk about that night?" Nyx asks.

"No, not at first." He says. "I think he was in shock."

"Right, but eventually..." She says. "What did he say about it?"

"Oh, he wasn't thinking straight. He said, uh— He said something caused that fire that killed Mary." He says.

"Did he ever say what did it?" Dean asks.

"Nothing did it. It was an accident. An electrical short in the ceiling or walls or something." He says. "I begged him​ to get some help, but..."

"But what?"

"Oh, it just got worse and worse."

"How?" Nyx asks.

"He started reading these strange old books. He started going to see this palm reader in town."

"Palm reader? You have a name?"

"No." He shakes his head.

After talking to the mechanic that John used to be friends with, the trio leave and pull off to the side of the road to see if they can make any sense of any of what they've heard.

"Hey, hand me the journal." Dean says as he leans into the back of the car through the open window, and Nyx pulls​ it out of his duffle bag. "Come here. Look at this." He says, and she gets out of the car as Sam walks over to them. "First page, first sentence, read that."

Sam takes the journal from his brother's hand. "I went to Missouri... And I learned the truth." He reads.

"I always thought he meant the state."

"Alright. Let's​ go talk to this psychic." Nyx says, and they get back in the car.

The hunters get to this place — it looks like she works out of her home — and have to wait for her to finish with the client that she's talking to. She's in the middle of a reading.

"Alright, then. Don't you worry about a thing. Your wife is crazy about you." A woman with a high, sweet voice tells the man who's walking out. He leaves the house, and she turns around to face them. "Poor bastard. His woman's cold-bangin' the gardener​."

"Why didn't you tell him?" Dean asks.

"People don't come here for the truth. They come for good news." She says.

"I wouldn't. I'd want to know what's really going on." Nyx says, and she looks at her.

"You really mean that." She says, and it's not a question. "Well? Sam, Dean, and Nycole, come on already. I ain't got all day." She tells them and then walks back into the room she was in before.

They get up and walk over to her.

"Well, let me look at you. You boys grew up handsome. And you were one goofy-looking kid, too." She points at Dean, and Nyx laughs. "You are beautiful, my dear." She tells her, and Nyx smiles at her.

Nycole looks up at Dean and smiles. He shakes his head at her, fighting back a smile of his own as he looks at her.

"Sam." Missouri turns her attention to him, taking his hand in her own. "Oh, honey. I'm sorry about your girlfriend. And your father..." She says, and the moment between the other two immediately ends. "He's missing."

"How'd you know all that?" Sam asks.

"Well, you were just thinking​ it, just now." She tells him.

"Well, is he here? Is he okay?" Dean asks.

"I don't know."

"Don't know?" He questions. "You're supposed to be a psychic, right?"

"Boy, you see me sawing some bony tramp in half? You think I'm a magician?" She questions​. "I may be able to read thoughts and sense energies in a room, but I can't just pull facts out of thin air. Sit. Please."

Sam laughs as he walks past them, and Nyx goes to sit down next to him. Dean sits on the other side of her.

"Boy, you put your foot on my coffee table, I'm gonna whack you with a spoon." Missouri tells him, and Nyx puts her hand over her mouth.

"I didn't do anything." Dean says defensively.

"Well, you were thinking​ about it." She argues, and Nycole clears her throat.

"I like her." Nyx says, and Dean shoots her a dirty look as Sam laughs.

"Okay, so..." Sam starts. "Our dad. When did you first meet him?"

"He came for a reading a few days after the fire." Missouri says. "I just told him what was really out there in the dark. I guess you could say, I drew back the curtains for him."

"What about the fire?" Dean asks. "Do you know about what killed our mom?"

"A little​. Your Dad — he took me to your house. He was hoping I could sense the echoes, the fingerprints of this thing."

"And could you?" Sam asks.

"I don't..." She shakes her head. "I don't know, but it was evil." She tells them, and the boys fill her in on what brought them back to Kansas. "So, you think something's back in that house?"

"Definitely."

"I don't understand."

"What?" Nyx asks.

"I haven't been back inside, but I've been keeping an eye on the place, and it's been quiet." She says. "No sudden deaths, no freak accidents. Why is it acting up now?"

"I don't know." Sam says. "But Dad going missing, and Jessica​ dying, and now this house — all happening at once — it just feels like something's starting."

"That's a comforting thought." Dean says sarcastically.

—

Dean knocks on the door to the boys' old house, and Jenny answers. She's holding Richie and she seems freaked out. "What are you doing here?" She asks as she looks at the four of them.

"Hey, Jenny. Um, this is our friend, Missouri." Sam says as she steps up beside Nyx.

"If it's not too much trouble, we were hoping to show her the house, for old times sake." Dean says.

"You know, this isn't a good time. I'm kind of busy." She says and then starts to close the door.

"Listen, Jenny, it's important—" He's cut off by Missouri smacking the back of his head. "Ow!"

"Give the poor girl a break. Can't you see she's upset?" Missouri asks.

"Yeah, Dean." Nyx says, causing him to wrap his arm around her shoulders and put his hand over her mouth.

"Forgive this boy, he means well." She says, talking to Jenny, and his eyebrows furrow as he looks down at her. "He's just not the sharpest tool in the shed. But hear me out."

"About what?" Jenny asks.

"About this house."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you know what I'm talking about. You think there's something in this house, something that wants to hurt your family. Am I mistaken?" She asks.

Nyx then grabs Dean's hand and removes it from her mouth, but she doesn't let it go. He keeps his arm around her and his fingers curl around hers. The action isn't a conscious decision on his part, but she's not complaining either way.

"Who are you?" Jenny asks, looking at the four people standing on her porch.

"We're people who can help, who can stop this thing, but you're gonna have to trust us just a little." She tells her.

Missouri and the boys go upstairs to see if she can sense anything, and Nyx stays​ downstairs to help Jenny with the kids. They go to the kitchen, and the teenager cleans up a mess by the fridge where milk spilled out of it.

"Did Sam and Dean really used​ to live here?" Jenny asks as she looks over at the brunette, and she nods.

"When they were kids. That's why you found those old pictures."

"How did you guys know something was wrong here?"

Nyx sighs as she turns to her. "I think some questions are better left unanswered. But I promise you, we're going to do everything that we can to protect you and your kids." She says.

"How did you meet them?" The older girl asks as they both sit down at the table.

"I had a problem​ of my own, and Dean showed up. He saved my life​." She tells her.

"And you've just been with them ever since?" She asks, and Nyx nods.

"Yeah, pretty much. I had a lot going on when I met Dean. I was scared and I didn't really know my place in the world anymore." She explains. "But something about him and what he does, it just made sense to me. So, I convinced him to take me with him and let me be a part of it. He's a stubborn one so it wasn't easy, but so am I."

Richie crawls across the table and sits in front of Nyx. She smiles at him, and they start playing while Jenny tries to convince Sari that everything's okay.

"You're good with kids." Jenny says, and Nyx looks over at her.

Richie's facing Nycole, and she has one hand on his back to make sure that he's stable since he's sitting on the tabletop. He's playing with the toy that she's holding in her other hand.

"I've always loved kids. Lately, I think I like them even more. They're so innocent, they have no idea what could go wrong." The younger girl says as she looks back at the toddler sitting in front of her. "Everything is new and exciting to them. And they know that everything's​ going to be okay because when it's​ not, there's Mom or Dad right there to make it better."

"Do you want kids of your own?"

"I'm only seventeen." Nyx tells her, taking her by surprise.

"When you're older then?" She chuckles.

"I did, yeah." She nods.

"What happened to change your mind?"

She takes a deep breath. "My parents died, and the world changed. And now I'm out here, doing stuff like this. This is no life for a kid." She says, and Jenny nods.

"So, this is what you plan to do for the rest of your life?" She asks. "Seventeen's a little young to decide on forever, don't you think?"

"Knowing what I know now, I could never go back to how things used to be." Nyx tells her. "I'm never gonna see the world the same way again."

"I think you'd be a good mother."

"After spending five minutes with me?"

Jenny smiles. "Someone who would be a bad mother, wouldn't worry about the things that you are." She says, and Nycole takes a deep breath as she looks back at Richie.

Dean's walking down the stairs then, after excusing himself from Sam and Missouri, who stayed upstairs to continue looking around for anything that might be useful.

"Yeah, well, my life is hectic enough as it is." Nyx says. "And I can't imagine a man who would be so willing to deal with all of it."

"What about Dean?" Jenny asks suddenly, causing him to stop before he could walk into the kitchen. Nyx's eyebrows furrow as she looks at her. "Come on, it's not totally crazy. I saw the way you were watching him before, the first time you were here. It was like you were trying to make sure that he was okay, in case you needed to do something to help. And then at the door a few minutes ago — you two seem pretty comfortable with each other."

"We're not together. And even if we were, this has been his life a lot longer than it's been mine." She tells her. "I don't see him ever walking away from it."

"You never know." She shrugs. "Love has a habit of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. You'd be amazed at the things you could find yourself doing for the person you love."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience." Nyx says, and she smiles.

"Is it that obvious?"

"You have the same look on your face my mom always had whenever​ she'd talk about my dad." She tells her. "Or when she heard his name, or when he walked into a room. I could only ever dream of finding a love like theirs."

"You're still young. I'm sure it'll happen some day." She says, and Nyx smiles.

"I hope so." She admits. "Even with this crazy life, I really do hope so."

"Any other prospects?" Jenny asks, and she chuckles.

"I spend all my time with Dean and Sam."

"And there's no one back home?" She asks, and Nyx shakes her head.

"There was a time when I thought so, but no." She tells her, and Jenny seems interested. "My ex — we grew up together, we were practically together for ten years. He was my first everything for so long. First crush, first date, first kiss, first boyfriend, first..."

"Right." She chuckles, getting what Nyx meant. "So, what happened?"

"Life." She shrugs. "My parents died, his anger issues took a turn for the worst, we​ both just changed. It wasn't meant to be."

"I don't believe in meant to be — fate or destiny." Jenny tells her. "I think we make choices, and those choices lead down different paths. Relationships are hard and they take work, but when you really love someone... It's all worth it in the end."

"A love to fight for... Yeah, I want that." Nyx says, and both girls smile.

"And kids?" She asks, and Nycole looks back at Richie, who's still playing.

"With the right person, maybe." She nods. "I guess I wouldn't rule it out just yet."

"So, with the only current prospect in mind..."

"Dean?" Nyx asks, and she nods. "I don't know. I mean, I like him. I really like him, but... But my life is so chaotic...and I don't even know if he would want kids. Either way, a decision like that for me is nowhere near being made in the near future. I'm a long way off, especially since I don't have anyone to make that decision with at the moment."

"Mm, I wouldn't be so sure about that." She says as she stands up. "That boy definitely likes you."

Nyx chuckles. "You hardly know us."

"It's all in the way he looks at you." Jenny tells her. "It's there, trust me. So, what's holding you two back?"

"That would be me." She sighs. "I ended things with my last boyfriend because he got angry and tried to force a beer down my throat...and then he hit me. And don't get me wrong, I know that Dean is not like that. He would never hit me, and I trust him more than I trust anybody anymore, but..."

"But you trusted your ex too, and he was someone that you've known for a lot longer." Jenny says as she leans against the counter, and Nyx nods.

"Yeah. I knew him my whole life. I went from seeing him literally every single day, to not even being able to hear his name. I refused to go anywhere near him for eight months after what happened. And I only saw him again the first time because my best friend had died, and it was hard on the both of us." She shrugs. "It scares me — trusting someone that much after what happened with him... Giving someone the power to hurt me, and trusting them not to..."

"Have you told Dean any of this?"

"What? That I'm afraid to be with him because I have an irrational fear of him losing his temper and hurting me?" She asks. "No, of course not. It's the one thing I haven't told him."

"It's not irrational." Jenny tells her, shaking her head as she looks at the younger girl. "It's actually completely understandable. And you should try talking to him."

"If only I were better at that."

"Sometimes the hardest conversations are the most important to have." She says, and Nyx looks down. "What is it?"

"Back in February, something happened and I almost died. After making it out in one piece — because Dean saved me, I might add... We were in our motel, and he kissed me. And I decided...screw all my fears. I had this amazing guy in front of me, who liked me as much as I liked him. So, ignoring what I felt was just plain stupid. And we slept together." She tells her.

"What happened to change your mind?" Jenny asks.

"We had fallen asleep, and I woke up before him. I saw him laying next to me, and I was happy. It was the first time in a long time that I was completely happy and content...and so worry free, and then... And then I got a call from my sister... I went into the bathroom so that I wouldn't wake him, and I talked to her. She was freaking out, and she told me that three of our friends were in a car accident, and one of them was in surgery — she was dying. And that someone broke into our house and tried to kill our uncle, who she had just told me, a few hours earlier, was our biological father. And then she told me that our fifteen-year-old brother tried to kill himself because his girlfriend had just died... I saw her get killed, right before I saw my ex's father get killed, a man who used to babysit me...

"We got off the phone, and I was putting my shoes on. I was just about to wake Dean up and have him come with me to the hospital when I got a text from my sister. She told me that the sheriff had told my ex about his dad...and I sat there for a second, looking at him... And I remembered that this is our life — death and monsters, and... And everything that had just happened, happened in the few hours since we left my sister with her boyfriend. And I just— I panicked. I left him in the room, I took the car, and I went to the hospital by myself.

"My friend was freaking out, and my sister was on the verge of a meltdown, and I tried to take control of the situation. I tried to be the strong one, for them... I always try to be strong...

"The next night, I saw another one of my friends, someone that I thought I could trust... He tried to kill my brother right in front of me. We got lucky that my brother survived, but I just couldn't get that image out of my head. I still can't.

"So, after Dean kissed me the next day... I told him that we couldn't be more than friends." She shakes her head. "It seems like whenever I decide to let myself be happy... Something happens, and it all just goes to hell. So, I just shut down, and I shut him out. Because I can't let him get hurt because of me. But in trying to protect him, I know I hurt him anyway, so..."

Jenny clears her throat as she shifts uncomfortably at the counter. She has no idea what to say to any of that.

"So, that's my story." Nyx scoffs as she wipes a tear from her cheek.

Dean's still standing outside the kitchen, and he heard every word that she said. Sam and Missouri haven't come downstairs yet because she could hear their thoughts, and didn't want to interrupt a conversation that she knew Nyx needed to have with someone. As well as something that Dean needed to hear.

"I wouldn't know how to give you advice on any of that stuff back in your hometown, but as far Dean goes... If he knows everything that you just told me, and he still wants to be with you, then you should definitely talk to him about how you feel." Jenny tells her, and the teenager looks up at her. "Tell him why you're afraid, because it is understandable. Anyone who's been through all of that, would have every reason, and every right, to be cautious and hesitant before getting into a relationship. Especially considering the condition surrounding the reason your last one ended."

Nyx takes a deep breath. "Thanks. It's nice to hear that I'm totally insane for feeling the way that I do." She says, and the older girl smiles.