Love Heals All Wounds, A Supernatural FanFic

Chapter 1: Faded Memories

        Jo sat at the empty bar staring at a glass of water. The Roadhouse had been deserted for days, no one was stopping through. This was unusual for this time of year. Usually, the bar would be filled with hunters passing through, but for the past few days there have only been a handful of people at a time. Jo was okay with this, she hated working at the bar. More than anything else, she wanted to be out hunting, like her father...Like her father....

        Without realizing it, her thoughts drifted off to memories of her father. She could see him so vividly behind her closed eyes. His strong hands, holding her delicate ones as they walked through the woods together on the weekends. The way that he would always smell of sandalwood soap and gunpowder. The way that he would hold her right before he left for a hunt. A hunt...

        Her thoughts then drifted to the moment when the news came that her father would never return. She didn't cry, she just stood there in shock. Her mother, Ellen, held onto her shoulder as a sob ripped through her throat. Jo had held her mother's hand while she cried, but not once did she shed a tear. She did not cry until later that night... 

        "Jo..?" The concerned voice sounded from behind her. That voice. The voice that she would know anywhere sent shivers down her spine. She turned to look at Dean Winchester who slowly walked over to where she was sitting. She wanted to get up and run to him, to throw herself in his arms. But she didn't. She stayed where she was. Jo didn't want him to think of her as a child that needed saving. She was stronger than that. She could take care of herself. But there was something about Dean that made her feel weak, and as a hunter, there was no room for weakness. So she stayed where she was and let him come to her. 

     His green eyes were sad as he lightly brushed away the tears that she did not know she had been shedding. "What's wrong..?" His fingers continued to brush against her skin even though there were no more tears. When she realized this, she pulled away, afraid of looking vulnerable in front of him. 

        "I'm fine," Jo said, taking a calming breath. "What are you doing here, Dean?" Her eyes searched his face, trying to move the attention to him. He closed his eyes and dropped his hand with a small sigh. 

        "It's Sammy," he said, opening his eyes slowly. "He's missing." Her eyes widened at the news and she blinked once. 

        "He's what?" 

        "He's missing, Jo. He's been missing for about a week now. And...and I don't know where to even begin looking. I was hoping that he would be here. Have you seen him at all?" She shook her head slowly. 

        "No, I haven't seen him. I'm sorry Dean." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Slowly, Jo stood up and went behind the bar, she grabbed an empty glass as Dean slammed his fist down on the counter. She didn't flinch, but she looked up at him. He kept his gaze low and his shoulders slumped, almost defeated. Jo turned around and grabbed a bottle of whiskey, pouring him a glass. She walked back out from behind the bar and to his side, gently she handed him the glass. "Here."

        His rough fingers brushed against her soft ones as she handed him the drink. "Thanks," he said, looking up from their hands and into her eyes. Their gazes locked and the tension in the room became almost unbearable. 

        "You're welcome," Jo said, staring into Dean's green eyes. Slowly, he brought the glass to his mouth and took a long drink, but kept his gaze on her. She cleared her throat and did what she did best. She walked away from Dean and went back behind the bar, grabbing a rag and began cleaning, even though she had already done so moments before he had walked through the door. 

        He took a seat on one of the barstools and stared at the now empty glass. "So," Jo said, keeping her eyes on her work. "Where have you looked so far?"  

        "Just Bobby's...and here..." Dean said as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. She stopped cleaning and looked up at him. 

        "Those are the only places that you've looked?" Her eyebrow raised slightly at him. 

        "Yeah, when I figured that Bobby couldn't help me..." 

        "Dean Winchester, are you asking me to help you find your brother?" She asked with a smile spreading across her lips and a glint in her eyes. Dean squirmed a bit in his seat and looked out of the corner of his eye for a moment before shifting his gaze back up to her. 

        "Well, I mean, if you're not up for it, I could always ask Ash..." He grinned, knowing exactly how she would react. Her eyes narrowed a bit and she tossed the towel at him. He chuckled softly as he caught the towel mid-air and waved it back at her. "I'll take that as you're not interested," he said grinning even wider at her. 

        "Shut up," she said, taking off her apron. "Just let me grab a few things and we'll head out to find Sam." She left the apron on the counter and turned to make her way into the back room. Once she had reached the second door, she opened it and stepped inside of her father's old hunting storage room. The room still smelled faintly of leather and the sandalwood soap that he had used. Hanging on the small coat rack in the corner of the room was his leather jacket. 

        Jo smiled a bit to herself as she packed a small bag with a hunter's essentials; a couple changes of clothes and several weapons. A few daggers, a bottle of holy water, salt, two pistols, and the knife with her father's initials carved into the end of the hilt. She took one last look at the leather jacket as she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked back into the bar, shutting both doors behind her as she went. 

        Dean looked up from the counter and smiled at her as she shut the last door. "All ready then?" He asked, standing up and pulling on his jacket. She nodded and his smile faded slightly. "Great. Let's not waste any more time here and go find Sam." Just as Jo was about to say something, the doors to the Roadhouse slammed open and Sam stood in the doorway. His face was badly bruised and blood trickled down from his hairline. His eyes widened when he saw Dean and Jo standing there. 

        "Dean..?" He whispered hoarsely before collapsing to the floor in a broken heap. 

        "Well, that didn't take long..." Jo said as she and Dean rushed to Sam's side.