The Life (Book One/Supernatural)

Simon Said

At TJz, at work during the day, I was pressing a few buttons on the jukebox, to play REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling". "I can't fight this feeling any longer / And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow / What started out as friendship / Has grown stronger / I only wish I had the strength to let it show." I carried a tray to the bar, setting it down, putting the glasses on the bar. "I tell myself that I can't hold out forever / I said there is no reason for my fear / 'Cause I feel so secure when we're together / You give my life direction / You make everything so clear..."

I heard Dean's voice behind me. "REO Speedwagon?" I turned to face him in surprise. "Really, Ness?"

"Damn right REO," I told him. "Kevin Cronin sings it from the heart."

"He sings it from the hair," Dean told me. "There's a difference."

I smirked, tilting my head, seeing Sam standing in the bar a few feet away. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, swung by the Roadhouse to track down a job, and decided to swing by here," Dean told me.

"Right, 'cause the Roadhouse is in the neighborhood," I told him sarcastically.

Dean sat across the bar from me. "Aw, you know we can't go too long without our Loch Ness Monster."

"Ha ha," I told him sarcastically, wiping the bar clean, looking toward Sam. "Sammy!"

Sam walked closer. "I'm not even gonna tell you to not call me that because I know you'll do it anyway."

I clicked my tongue. "You know me so well. We guys want beer? On the house."

Sam sat down at the bar next to Dean. "Sure."

I turned to grab the bottles. "So the demon that you're looking for, the one you're having Ash track..."

"Look, Ness, it's kind of a family thing," Dean told me.

"I could help," I told him.

"I'm sure you could," Dean told me. "Hell, I know you can." I smirked. "But we've got to handle this one ourselves. Besides, I don't know how many time I can run off with you without Bobby killing me."

I raised my eyebrows in amusement. "You're afraid of my father?"

"My father used to be afraid of yours," Dean told me. "Of course I'm scared of your dad."

I tilted my head in acknowledgement, putting the beers in front of them.

"Come on, Dean," Sam told him. "If we can trust anyone with this, and if anyone can help..."

"It's her and Bobby," Dean finished.

"Help with what?" I asked. Sam and Dean hesitated, exchanging a look, as if debating on telling me. "Look, me and my dad told you before that this was getting ugly. You remember that?" They barely nodded. "This isn't just your war, this is war. Now, something big and bad's coming and it's coming fast, and their side holds all the cards. Now, at best all we got is us. Together. No secrets or half-truths here."

Sam sighed. "This last hunt of ours, we, uh... We went to this Andrew Gallagher guy. He had a twin named Weber, or Ansem Weems or whatever. But, uh, we thought that they had some kind of connection to us. To me. Andy's house burnt down on his six month birthday, just like my house."

"You think it was the demon both time?" I asked. "You think it went after Gallagher's family?"

"Yeah, we think so," Sam answered. "There are people out there, like Andy Gallagher, like me. And, um... we all have some kind of ability."

"Ability?" I repeated.

"Yeah," Sam answered. "Psychic ability. Me, I have, um... I have visions. Premonitions. I don't know. It's—It's different for everybody. The demon said he had plans for people like us."

I took a second to process. "What kind of plans?"

"We don't really know for sure," Sam told me.

"These people out there, these psychics..." I trailed off. "They dangerous?"

"No," Dean answered. "Not all of them."

"But some are," Sam told me. "Some are very dangerous."

"Okay, how many of them are we looking at?" I asked.

"We've been able to track a clear pattern so far," Dean explained. "They've all had house fires on the night of the kid's six month birthday."

"That's not true," Sam told us.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Weber?" Sam asked. "Or Ansen Weems, or whatever his name is... I looked at his files, and there was no house fire. There's nothing out of the ordinary."

"Which breaks pattern," I realized. "So, if there's any others like him, there'd be nothing in the system. No way to track them all down."

"And so who knows how many of them are really out there?" Dean asked.

I looked at Sam and Dean's untouched and unopened beer bottles. "I'd better break out the whiskey instead."

Sam and Dean were in silent but violent agreement there.