better man/worse than nicotine » arthur ketch

twenty-seven: you're not you right now.

A/N: I'm back! And the end is near. But hey! Good news! There will be a sequel :)

The next few days have hardly felt normal.

Ketch walks around the compound, talking to Dr. Hess like he is so overly heartbroken that Lady Bevell was "lost" on our mission to the Winchester's bunker. He claims the tall one had a grudge – Sam. When all along it has been Ketch.

I'm not an idiot. I know Ketch and Toni used to have something. And I also know they were up for the same position here at the compound. Like I said, it doesn't take an idiot to put the pieces together on that one.

Ketch has also been overly insistent on keeping me here at the compound. At first, I thought it was sweet. I would mention leaving, and he would immediately turn around and ask for my help on something, claiming he needs my intelligence to do it. It was sweet because he used to make such a scene out of asking me for help. But now he was doing it because it appeared as though he didn't want to make a scene, he just genuinely wanted help and was no longer afraid to ask for it.

But then it was simpler tasks. Like identifying a creature. Or making hunting plans. Stupid things that I know he is better at, all the way. Or things that I know for sure he is capable of completing on his own because he has before.

So I have to be sneaky. All I want is to go see Jody. I just want to let her know I'm okay, that's all. But Ketch is so overbearing you'd think I told him I was going to leave forever.

After he enters a meeting, I make my way back to my room, acting like I'm going to rest for a minute. But what I really do is take a right at the end of the hall and grab the keys to his Bentley from his room.

I smile as the engine purrs to life, immediately grimacing at the smooth jazz music coming through the speakers. That's the first thing I shut off.

I back out of the garage and exit the compound, thankfully getting past all the guards and gates. It's smooth sailing from here.

+++

Jody's place feels farther than I remember, but I drive without thinking about it too much. I can't find my phone anywhere, which is annoying, but I assume I lost it in the midst of fighting with the Djinn. I don't feel too bad about not calling ahead, though. I'm practically a daughter to her.

By the time I pull into her driveway, it's almost two in the afternoon.

I knock on her door after finding that it's locked, waiting patiently. It looks like she's painted since I've been here last.

The door opens, revealing Jody who looks incredibly relieved to see me. I don't get a single word in before she's pulling me in for a bone-crushing hug.

"Your brothers have been so worried!" She rubs my back furiously, pushing away from the hug to look into my eyes. My confusion must be evident. "Joy?"

"Brothers?" I ask.

She pulls me into the house, sitting me down on the couch. She sits next to me in her reclining chair, still close enough to rest a soothing hand on my leg.

"Are you okay? Did you hit your head?"

I give her another strange look. "Are you talking about Sam and Dean? They said I was their sister the other day, but I don't..."

"They've been worried sick about you," Jody replies, still not sure of how to handle this.

"They're alive?" I blurt. That's impossible. The spells and everything Ketch put on that bunker were the harshest I've ever seen.

She blinks. "They're...alive. They've been calling every day. I've been looking for you since last week, Joy," she pauses. "What happened?"

"I don't know what's going on, I—I was attacked by a Djinn and um, Arthur Ketch saved me. Brought me back to the British Men of Letters compound and—I've been trying to leave for the past couple days, but only managed to sneak out today and come see you and—" I pause, taking a deep breath. "I keep dreaming. About Sam and Dean." I shake my head. "I'm an only child, Jody, you...you helped raise me. I don't know where these Sam and Dean guys are coming from, but...every time I dream about them I just...I don't know."