The cast still felt heavy on Jess' arm. She had already bumped it a few times against the doorframe at Bobby's, earning a worried glare from Dean each time it happened. The arm needed to be treated with extra care. She had already been through surgery with the thing and been gifted with enough metal inside her to set off airport security ever time. Not surprisingly, though, her arm had not been her highest priority.

Sam had been through the wringer, getting steadily worse from the moment Azazel died. She had managed to convince Dean and John to leave her at the local hospital while they shuttled Sam to Bobby's, the safest place they could think of, as quickly as they could. Jess hadn't been pleased to arrive at Sioux Falls and find her fiancé bedridden and barely lucid.

Dean had given her a blank look through bloodshot eyes. "It was worse before," he told her in reply, which just made her all the more anxious. It took a few more days after that before Sam could even recognize her and speak to her and then he was still sick for the longest time.

"Hey," Sam greeted, interrupting her thoughts. He was leaning against the wall, but otherwise stood under his own power which was definitely a win.

"Hey." Jess slid over on the couch. "Come join me."

Sam shuffled over, hands buried in his hoodie. He still looked a little grey in the face, and when Jess leaned against him, she could tell that he had lost a lot of weight while detoxing from the blood in his system.

"Have you eaten?" she asked, her words muffled by his hoodie.

"I had some toast," Sam shrugged.

"You need to eat more," Jess told him.

"Not really feeling up to it yet."

"I could make you, like, a protein shake or something."

"I don't think Bobby has a blender," Sam chuckled.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess not." They had a blender back at Stanford. What had ever happened to it?

"There you are, Sammy," Dean greeted as he entered the room. "I was looking for you."

"I didn't go far, Dean," Sam replied in amusement.

"Yeah, I guess it was about time you got out of bed," Dean grinned and dropped in a chair opposite the couple. "Check out what I found." He tossed a Sharpie marker over to Sam, who caught it and turned it over in his hand.

"What's this for?" Sam asked.

"Your girl's got a blank canvas there," Dean explained. "We can't just leave that alone."

"No way are you drawing on my cast, Dean," Jess objected.

"Aw, I wouldn't do anything too mean," Dean teased. "But you are gonna be my sister, Jessie. And I take that responsibility very seriously."

"Great," Jess groaned.

"Speaking of which, when are you gonna make my brother an honest man? I've gotta look after his virtue, you know."

Sam snorted. "Jerk."

"Well…" Jess pondered. "I don't think either of us wants a long engagement."

"No, definitely not," Sam agreed.

"Awesome," Dean nodded. "Give it a few more days for Sammy to get his legs under him and we'll head down to Vegas."

"Not Vegas," Jess shuddered.

"You know, there's no waiting period in California," Sam mentioned.

"See, that's why I'm marrying a pre-law student," Jess smiled.

Dean frowned. "Right. I guess California is better for you guys anyway."

"Well, my family's down there again," Jess reminded Dean. They had stayed for a week when Jess first came back from the hospital but then needed to head back home and restart their lives. "I'm sure we can get your dad and Bobby to come down easier than to have my family come up," she mused.

"And a lot of our friends live California still," Sam added.

"And you gotta get back to school soon," Dean nodded, giving a tight grin.

"Um, right. School." The prospect glinted faintly in the distance, holding none of the allure it did when they had first been forced to leave Stanford.

"Cause you've got your futures," Dean continued, still nodding mechanically." And… everything."

"You know, there's this case I think we should check out near Redding," Sam mentioned, shifting on the couch.

"Really?" Dean asked, looking at his brother sharply.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "There's been some weird deaths reported that I noticed while I was… um… checking my email. Nothing urgent, but if we can check it out in a few days as we make our way back to Palo Alto, we'd be doing a few people some favours."

"Jess?" Dean turned to her. "You'd be okay with that? You don't have… I dunno, flowers to buy or something?"

"Hell, no," she laughed. "I'll let my mom take care of all that; she'll love it. As long as you guys promise not to leave me in the car just cause I have a gimp arm."

Dean evaluated her with consideration. "We'll just keep you off any of the rifles," he decided. "And make Sammy hold your flashlight."

"Hey!" Sam objected.

"Oh, quit bitching. It's a miracle I'm even saying yes to a hunt like this. You look like a freaking pixie could knock you over right now."

Jess didn't need the use of her fading psychic powers to tell that Dean was excited about the chance of a hunt. And she surprised herself by feeling a little of that excitement as well.

"We'll wait a little bit longer," Jess reassured Sam. "Let you get some more of your strength back."

"Have you eaten yet, Sam?" Dean asked suddenly. "I'll make you something."

"Dammit," Sam rolled his eyes. "Do you two realize that I'm going to get buried under your collective nagging?"

Jess tightened her hug and snuggled a little closer. "You wouldn't want it any other way," she whispered.

He sighed. "You're right," Sam agreed. "I don't."