memento vivere - supernatural & criminal minds

chapter 23

Chapter 23
Hello/Goodbye

The state of the Impala was no better than its owner. Jude frowned at the image Sam had sent her, flicking her eyes back to Dean where he lay in his bed. When he woke up, he wouldn’t be pleased with the state of his beloved car. If he woke up.

Footsteps thundered down the hallway. “Jude?” Sam appeared in the doorway, breathing heavily. Jude swung her legs off the arm of the chair and stood to greet him. “C’mon, we gotta talk to my dad again.”

“Lovely,” Jude grumbled. “Did you get the stuff he asked for?” She almost had to run to keep pace with him.

“Yeah,” Sam seethed, his grip tightening on the duffel bag in his hand as they rounded the corner to John’s room. “That’s the problem.” Sam stormed in, tossing the bag on his dad’s bed with a clatter. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

John’s eyes flicked briefly to Jude as if testing how much she knew. When he saw her furrowed brow, he shrugged and said “What are you talking about?” A chill settled back over the room. Jude closed the door, leaning against it and rubbing the goosebumps that had risen on her arms.

“The stuff from Bobby. You don’t use it to ward off a demon, you use it to summon one.” That’s where she knew the items, from the stack of books under Bobby’s desk she’d been warned not to touch as a child. She had not listened. “You’re planning on bringing the demon here, aren’t you? Having some fucking macho showdown?” Jude propped her leg against the door as if preparing to lunge forward as a mediator. She held her tongue, however. She’d already spoken out of line to a Winchester once today.

“I have a plan, Sam,” John replied, his cool tone riling his son even further.

“That’s exactly my point!” Sam shot back. He paced the length of the room, his shoulders heaving. “Dean is dying, and you have a plan! You know what, I think you care more about killing this demon than you do saving your own son!”

“Do not tell me how I feel!” John jabbed a finger at his son. His voice had risen and a growl laced his words. “I’m doing this for Dean.” Jude shrank against the door, feeling ten years younger at the sound of John’s bark. Her eyes flashed between the men, watching the fire of their rage volley back and forth.

“How? How is revenge gonna help him? You’re not thinking about anybody but yourself. It’s the same selfish obsession.” Jude was reminded of his vindictive tendencies right after Jess died, but stayed quiet.

John did not have the same idea. “It’s funny, I thought this was your obsession too. This demon killed your mother, killed your girlfriend. You begged me to be a part of this hunt. If you’d killed the damn thing when you had the chance, none of this would’ve happened.”

“It was possessing you, Dad,” Sam’s voice quieted and his stature dropped. Because despite everything John had done, he was still their father. Unfortunately. “I would have killed you, too.” 

“Yeah, and your brother would be awake right now.”

“Go to hell,” Sam hissed. He stepped closer to the door, which Jude opened as an escape for them both.

“I should’ve never taken you along in the first place. I knew it was a mistake, I knew I was wrong-” John’s water glass flew off the table. It shattered against the wall, sending glass shards skittering at Jude’s feet. She bent to grab one and found that it was freezing cold.

A breeze rippled her hair. Something flashed behind her in the reflection of John’s window and she turned to see a stampede of staff running down the hallway. They all stopped at Dean’s room. Sam realized this a split second before Jude did and took off after the horde, dragging her by the arm.