As It Was - Dean Winchester

Part 34

The nightmare I had woke me up covered in a cold sweat, and my heart was beating hard in my chest.

It took me a couple of seconds to realize where I was. The wooden panels in the room and the creaky cot I was on soon reminded me of the last few weeks' events. For just a moment, I had forgotten all about my dream. I sat up and looked down at my hands. My nails had formed small crescent moons on the inside of my palm.

As my mind began to work, I shot up and out of bed. I hurried past the desk in the small office and into the small bathroom, washed up, and once I was finished, I walked out to the front of the bar.

It was still early, and it hadn't opened yet. A blonde girl sat with a cup of coffee in her hands, reading a newspaper. Another cup was on the bar disk next to her. She glanced over at me when I rushed in.

"Good morning, Sunshine," she teased, looking me over. "Sleep well?" I probably looked like a mess, but right now, I didn't care. The nightmare had formed an idea in my head, a theory, and I needed to see if I could find any proof for it.

"Jo," I greeted, taking the cup of coffee and drinking deeply. "When do you open?"

"In, uh," she looked at the watch on the wall that read 8. "three hours. Why?"

I offered her a sheepish smile.

I had run into Jo Harville just the previous day. We were both hunting the same nest of vamps. I had heard from both Ash and Ellen that Jo was out doing her own thing and had been ever since she had worked with the Winchesters and me, but I was surprised to run into her. She had offered me a place to stay, just for the night, and I accepted, glad to get out of the motels. Had I known she was talking about a cot in the back of the bar she worked at, I might have chosen differently.

"I might need the basement for some... uh-, some demon interrogation."

Her eyes widened. "No!"

"Oh, come on. It's only for a few hours. I will be done by opening time!"

She gave me a skeptical look. "A demon in a crowded bar does not sound like a good idea to me," she argued, narrowing her eyes at me.

I nodded at her words, she was right, but the new idea I had urged me to push on. "I only need to ask a few questions." Jo sighed and put her coffee cup down.

"What are you working on?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at me. I bit my lip, contemplating how much I should tell her. Honestly, I wasn't even sure if the idea I had would lead anywhere, but I needed to rule it out as a possibility, or it would nag in the back of my brain until I died.

"I don't really know," I told her truthfully. "It's just a feeling so far..."

"What do you mean?"

"I had a nightmare," I told her, and she raised her brows, wondering what that had to do with anything. "About Sam."

"Okay? So?" She put her hand on her hip. I gave her a look, letting her know I didn't really want to tell her. "Wait... Do you mean like a-- psychic dream?"

"What? No!" I scrunched my face together. "No, it was just an ordinary nightmare. But it gave me an idea I need to test out. And, to do that, I need to speak with a demon. I'll find somewhere else if..."

"No," she interrupted me. "Take the basement. Just... Try not to let the demon out."

I smirked at her, sure of myself. "I wouldn't let that happen." The younger female rolled her eyes at me and turned back to the bar.