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Jo?” Dean said again shock and surprise on his handsome face.
“Yeah, Ellen thinks she can help me while you two are gone. You know give me pointers on how to deal with hunters, also more training with weapons.”
“Oh.”
Ari laughed.
“I know she isn’t your favorite person,” she started.
“What? Sam said something didn’t he?”
She nodded.
Sam has to learn to keep his mouth shut. Not that he cared if Ari knew about Jo, Cassie, or anyone before her.
“What?”
“I know Jo had a crush on you a while back.”
“Yeah well, can you blame her?” he teased.
She shook her head before she kissed him; slow and deliberately, then she settled beside him again.
“Either way, it will be nice to have some company who will be able to help if something happens.”
“I don’t know Jo is pretty cocky…but…” he sighed
“What?”
“I am not that confident of her skills?”
“Sam wouldn’t have suggested if he didn’t think she could be helpful,” Ari said with a raised eyebrow.
I am going to kill him. Why is he bringing Jo into this? Why not Missouri? That he would not have minded. Maybe I can call Missouri she would be happy to hang out with Ari a few days for company. But…Missouri had no training and he knew that would not work.
He sighed again.
“If it bothers you, then we can tell them to forget it,” she suggested as she watched several expressions cross his face. There was anger, concern and a hint of skeptism. Did he really dislike Jo so much or was there more to this?
He shrugged.
“No, its okay. Jo will do,…I guess,” he said before he pulled her into his arms.
Ari looked up at his profile as he closed his eyes.
“Dean, is there more going on with you and Jo then you’ve let on to Sam?”
Dean looked down at her.
“No. She is like a little sister to both of us, that’s it. She may have wanted more but that is how I see her.”
“Why? I mean she is a fellow hunter. Was it her age? Her attitude,” Ari enquired.
“Yeah, all of the above. She is young and careless even though she has knowledge. She knows enough to be dangerous to herself and others.”
“Like Paris?”
Dean explained the difference between Paris and Jo. He said Paris had only a head knowledge of the supernatural and that little bit had already gotten her into trouble. Jo had practical experience and knowledge, but her attitude is such that she does not have the proper respect for the things she chases after. Evil has a hierarchy like good, she doesn’t understand the boundaries.
“She has no foresight. She wants to rush in guns blazing, kind of the way I used to be at times. But I have learned my lessons.”
Ari smiled at him.
“So she has potential?”
“For hunting, sure. To be with me, not a chance,” he said as he claimed her lips again.
***
Sam waited in the car as Dean said his goodbye to Ari. His farewells had taken less than two minutes. He had hugged and twirled Amber and given Ari a respectful hug. It had been ten minutes he had sat in the car while Dean began his parting formalities and Sam was restless. He considered honking the horn but knew Dean would be livid. Though he understood, Dean had become attached to Ari and her daughter. So he closed his eyes as Dean kissed Ari again. Good grief.
“Miss me,” Dean said to Ari as he came up for air after their final kiss though his hands rested possessively on her waist as though he did not want to let go.
She grinned before she bit her lip.
“Not a doubt about that,” was her reply as Dean let go of her to give Amber a hug.
Amber had stood the entire time watching them. She smiled at Dean. Something about the way he was gentle with her mother made the little girl’s heart happy.
“Bye Dean,” Amber said with a little wave as he walked out to the car with a smirk on his face.
“See you later, Munchkin.”
“I didn’t know the good bye would involve you feeling her up in front of her daughter,” Sam said as Dean got into the driver’s seat.
“If I were going to fill her up I would have taken her to the bedroom, Sammy,” Dean smirked.
Sam groaned. Why did he bother?
Jo arrived the next day after dinner. Ari heard a car come into the drive so she looked out the window. She saw a blue Charger stop and a blonde haired young woman got out. Must be Jo? She watched as the girl got her bag out of the backseat. She had her blonde hair in a ponytail and she wore a short white t-shirt with tight jeans. Then the girl went around to the trunk and took out another bag and a gun, which she leaned up over her shoulder. Ari stood at the window as she waited for the doorbell to ring.
The puppy barked outside and Amber showed up in the kitchen.
“Is she here Mommy?”
“Looks like it, let’s go let her in.”
They went down the stairs to the door but looked out to make sure no one stood in the shadows or had grabbed her before they made it to the door. A precaution they had to always take, according to the Winchesters.
“Hey,” Ari said as she finally opened the door.
“Hey,” Jo said with a forced smile.
Jo followed them up the stairs to the living quarters. She put her bags down in the kitchen and the gun against the door.
“I’m Jo,” she said.
“I’m Arianna,” Ari said as an introduction.
“You should have asked my name at the door just in case I wasn’t who you were expecting,” Jo warned.
Ari was taken back by the reprimand but gathered her wits and only nodded.
“This is Amber.”
Jo could see the little girl was almost white. She could definitely pass for Hispanic; with her long dark hair and pale brown eyes with their blue and green flecks. She was a bit surprised by the beauty of the child but did not ask about her parentage.
“Nice to meet you,” Jo said with a smile at the little girl.
Amber grinned.
“You are right, I should have had you stand outside so I could check your ID,” Ari said when Amber left the room.
“What?”
“Your mother described you perfectly I didn’t feel I should have you standing outside when I was expecting you,” Ari said as she busied herself as she made Jo a plate.
“The first thing you learn in hunting is not to take things at face value. I am surprised Dean did not inform you of that.”
Where they already fighting? Ari couldn’t believe it. The girl just got to her house. But maybe she was right. She took a deep breath.
She stood eye to eye with Jo. For a few moments, only the sound of the clock on the wall could be heard. Neither flinched for long seconds, but inside they both panted as they fought of the anger that had begun to build. Then Jo backed away.
“Nope, you seem human,” Ari said.
Jo laughed.
“If that is the way you are going to test for demons you won’t last long.”
“You are a smart ass I can tell. It’s surprising Dean didn’t fall for you. I guess he didn’t want someone so much like him.”
Jo got back in her face.
“Look lady I came here as a favor to my mother. If you don’t think I can be any help to you, I will leave now.”
Ari sighed. They had really gotten off on the wrong foot.
“Look, you are right, okay. But don’t’ think you can come in here and act as though you own the place. Deal?”
Jo pissed off, but she rolled her eyes as she nodded. Why had she said she would come? She knew Dean was gone. Her curiosity about Ari had gotten the best of her. Now she could see the woman was no fragile flower and she was beautiful to boot. She had come on a fool’s errand with hopes that she could blow a hole in Dean’s boat. Maybe she should try being nicer just to see what that got her. If she and Ari could get along maybe Dean would at least talk to her. Although up until this point, he had refused to do that very thing.
Dean and Sam arrived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan almost two days after they left. It wasn’t that the drive was that long but they had made a couple of stops on the way.
“So Ari doesn’t know the real reason we came?”
“I didn’t want to get her hopes up. Plus you did mention a vamp in this parts, right?”
“Yeah but they are probably long gone by now.”
They settled into the hotel and Sam went to take a shower while Dean phoned Ari. No one answered after four rings so Dean hung up. The expression on his face was one of worry but he refused to give into it. He leaned back on the bed to wait for his turn in the bathroom. I call back after my shower.
After dinner, Ari and Amber took Jo down stairs to show her the space they planned to use as the Hunters Stop. They had already begun to add furniture for the flat. There was a sofa, a couple of desks in two of the rooms, a television in another room, end tables, coffee maker, microwave, and bookshelves. The idea was to set it up like an internet café. One of the first things they had done was photocopy John’s Journal so that each room had a copy as a resource. They would also add reference books, various notes that Sam had taken, computers, and more furniture. Jo nodded as she browsed. She thought they had a unique idea. Ellen would be impressed by the effort, maybe even a bit jealous.
“It’s coming together still,” Ari said a bit apprehensive of Jo’s quiet.
“No, you seem to have a handle on where its going. I envy you the space. Your grandfather’s money, right?” she asked as she rummaged through the kitchen cabinet.
“Yes,” was Ari’s calm reply.
She is not going to bait me into another argument.
“I would love a cup of Java right now,” Jo said as she sighed.
Ari agreed that was a good idea as they headed back upstairs.
Dean called again but this time the phone was answered on the second ring by Jo.
“Hello?”
“Jo?”
“Yeah, hey Dean.”
“Where is Ari?”
“She went to put Amber to bed,” Jo said dryly as she realized Dean did not seem happy to hear her voice.
“Okay, tell her to call when she is done,” he said as he hung up.
Jo seethed. Maybe she wouldn’t tell Ari that Dean called. Though Ari would probably call him anyway, since it’s what lovers do and if he found out Jo had not told her things would only get worse. She sighed.
Ari smiled when Jo told her about the call but she did not go to her room right away. She sat across from Jo as she sipped her coffee.
“So, how long do you plan on staying?”
“Not sure, um, Mom said you needed more weapons training. You also are having bad dreams that could be premonitions about your death,” Jo said as though she couldn’t care less about Ari’s safety.
Ari felt a chill run up her spine. Was the woman so taken with Dean that she would be tempted to let something happen to her or Amber? Suddenly she realized they needed to kill the elephant in of the room.
“Jo, look at me,” Ari commanded.
Jo looked up.
“Yes?”
“I love Dean and…..”
“He loves you? That’s the rumor,” Jo said as she got up to rinse out her cup.
“I’m not going anywhere so you may as well get used to me being in his life.”
“Easier said than done,” was her reply before Ari stood in her face again.
Jo tried to push her back but Ari stood firm.
The phone rang before Ari did something stupid. She picked it up to her the sweet voice of her sweetheart. She took the cordless with her to the bedroom without a second glance at Jo who frowned at her back.
“Hey,” he said as leaned back on the bed and eyed Sam while he worked on the laptop across the room.
“Great timing,” she replied as she got comfortable on her bed.
“Why? What’s up?”
“I was real close to slapping your friend.”
“What?”
“She was in my face, Dean, I don’t know where she gets off….”
“Hold on now, you two have been fighting already?” he frowned as he glared at Sam who looked up at the word fighting.
If Sam had not called Ellen about Ari being alone this could have been avoided. Ari would have been fine, they had all the bases covered. But no, his help could be the catalyst to provoke more bad blood between them and the Harvelle's.
“Nothing physically yet, but she did push me in more than one way. I am a grown up but I am not used to someone putting their hands on me. Especially, a smart ass kid.”
Dean groaned. This was not good. He took a deep breath.
“Ari I know you will do the right thing. Not that I disapprove of her getting her ass kicked. But I hoped you two could work together since she can teach you things.”
Ari felt bad. She was letting her emotions take her to Jo’s level.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize just keep the goal in mind. And….it’s you that I love. Don’t let her bait you.”
Ari sighed.
“Hey.”
“Yeah.”
“I phoned to tuck you in.”
She laughed.
“Yeah.”
“Absolutely.”
“What do you want to do?”
After Dean got off the phone, he came out of the bathroom and stalked over to stand in front of Sam. Sam ignored him.
“Sammy?”
“Yeah?”
“Your plan is not working so well,” he said as he continued to stand in front of his brother.
“You sure you aren’t just upset that you missed the cat fight?” Sam asked with a grin.
Dean raised his eyebrow at him.
“Not funny, Mr. Eavesdropper.”
“Hey you didn’t start to whisper until you went into the bathroom.”
Dean couldn’t help but laugh.
“At least I didn’t do it in the car.”
TBC