DEAR JACK,
Leaving the people you love is a challenge.
Only your goodbye will be the hardest.
Venturing into the lank unknown,
Evenings will grow long and cold.

❂

THE CELL HAD FELT EERIE IN ITS SILENCE. Jack had looked over Sam's tall features as he headed towards Rose. He had stood so close to her, that Jack had been sitting close to the edge as he waited for any moment to step in if need be. All he had been able to hear was Sam's hushed voice as he spoke to Rose, unsure of what, but the look on her face had told him that she was suffering much. If they had been talking about Jack-- though they were not-- he feared that he had already messed up on building a relationship with Rose.

Reaching out, Sam laid his hand down Rose's hair in a comforting manner. Pulling her in towards his chest, he gave a quick embrace, knowing anything more would be too uncomfortable for her. As they had pulled out from each others arms, she flashed him a smile that even struggled to appear on her face. Her lips had twitched as if she could barely bring herself to do it. This was Sam Winchester, and she loved him-- she would tough out anything for him.

When the sound of heavy footsteps made their way over to the cell door, Sam gave Rose a quick pat on her arm as he made his way towards the cell bars to speak with his older brother.

Seeing his opportunity to talk, Jack nearly stumbled out of his seat as he rushed over to Rose. "I'm sorry." He paused, scrunching up his face as he looked to her in concern. "Will you forgive me?"

"I'm not mad at you," she whispered. "Stop apologizing."

It had felt like a demand to Jack. Brushing off what felt like scolding to him, he realized he had to be tougher if he had wanted to speak to her. Glancing up from her hands, Rose felt that she would look up to find Jack furious with how she acted. Instead, he had looked heartbroken no matter how hard he had told himself he was just brushing it off.

Shaking her head, she knew he had her beat even if he didn't realize. "I'm sorry." Placing her hand out in front of him, she raised up an eyebrow in his direction, "I'm Rose."

Scrunching up his face once more, he wasn't sure what was to be done. Her hand was out in front of him but he did not want to hold it in case she had been upset with him again. She already had taken away the strange container that held a liquid inside, scolded him for not wearing clothes, attempting to lick his fingers and apologizing. He decided what was best was to ask. "I'm not sure what you're doing."

Grabbing his hand, she placed it in his, forming a strong grip as she gave a firm shake. "Now you tell me your name. It's how you meet people."

"You already know my name though."

Releasing her hands from his, a frown settled in on her face as she gave a small shrug. "Fine. It's really nice to meet you, Jason."

Startled and slightly afraid that she had already forgotten his name, he reached out, slipping his hand into hers, "I'm Jack."

Slowly pulling her hand away, she tried her best to hide the amused smile on her lips. "You're not at all what I expected."

Glancing down to his attire, he was uncertain what she meant. "These are not my clothes."

"I mean you. Like how you act."

"You were nice to me so I should be nice to you," he stated as if obvious. As the two grew quiet, Jack had started to grow antsy. He did not want the conversation to end just like that. If he had the choice, he would chose to talk to her for the rest of his life because he felt good around her. Already she was teaching him how to act, even if sometimes he felt terrible when she would get angry with him. Finding it in him to strike up a conversation, he settled in on something he knew she liked. This was the easiest thing ever is what he told himself. "I wish they had nougat in here."

"You really like that stuff, huh?"

"It's my favorite... I like you too."

A sting had fell through Rose. She gave him a shake of her head. Never did she feel as if she deserved for anyone to like her and if they did, she feared that she would lose them just as well. "You don't know me, Jack."

"So, you want me to hate you?"

"I want you to realize that the nice people, they can be faking it to hurt you."

"Do you want to hurt me?"

A look of wonder had spread over Rose's face. She hadn't really looked at Jack properly. Getting him this far was only her concern. His blue eyes had looked over her face in hopefulness and it brought a smile to her lips. She was glad that he had chosen to grow up fast. The last thing she had wanted was for a babysitting job when they already had so much more on their plate.

Her lips began to part, prepared to give him an answer that was as truthful as it could get, a cry for help had ripped her thoughts away from the conversation with Jack. Rushing over to Sam, she grabbed onto his arm as she looked over the brothers. Before anyone could get proper answers on what to do or what was happening, Dean had stomped his way right out of the room in search of what could be troubling them this time.

Pulling her hand free from Sam, Rose looked over to Jack and gestured right to the cell doors. "Can't you, like, blow this off or something?"

"Can I?" he questioned with a worried expression.

It had been too late for them to even try with Jack as the door leading to the outside had cracked under the pressure of the angels on the other side. The glass had shattered from the window before the door had fallen flat to the floor.

Through his heavy breathing of worry, Sam laid his arm out to the side as he moved Rose back towards Jack. With no weapons on them, he knew there was a very little chance he could take on the angels if they were strong, but he could protect the two residing in the cell with him.

Doing just as Sam had done, Rose went to move Jack back when two angels, a man and a woman had invited themselves in. However, Jack did not want to be that kid that the group had labeled him as. He grew up fast for a reason and it was not to sit back when people needed him to fight. Pushing her arm down, he moved to stand in front of her. Scoffing, an unspoken battled had formed between the two as they had fought over who would have the chance to protect who.

"Babysitting?" the woman had asked as she gestured to Jack now pushing Rose back with one arm as she tried to take another step forward.

The angel controlling the vessel of the man had not been in the mood for any teasing. Eyes flashing blue, he had called to the angel that Dean had been dealing with-- He's here. We have the boy.

Kneeling over in pain from the sound of the angelic voices shrieking in his ears, the fight between the two younger ones had come to a halt. Jack had his hands clasped over his ears when the angels had torn the door clean off and made their way into the room.

Stepping over the boy now crouched on the floor, Rose made her way over just as Sam had his fist colliding right into the woman's jaw, completely unfazed by his blow.

The four had begun to wrestle with one another, taking many hits to the face and scraps against the hard concrete floor. All of this and Jack has still sat cowered on the floor as he shook in pain from the shrill voices in his ears.

Sliding across the floor, Rose hit the wall opposite, groaning in pain. Blood had trickled down from the side of her face, yet to leave another mark on her from these dreadful past two days. Propping herself up, she had been frustrated to see the angel that had taken her on had not given up in the slightest bit. Crouching down, he lifted up her chin as he examined her over in disgust. Scoffing, his hand fell down to his side. "Not even the Winchesters can protect this boy."

Forcing herself to sit up further, Rose clutched onto her side causing the angel to laugh at her pain. "I'm not a Winchester," she whispered. Reacting quickly, she pushed away the pain and reached within the coat of the angel, yanking out his angel blade and forcing it up into his chest.

Rose has sucked in a air as the glow from the angel had shined out from his eyes and mouth. Dropping the blade down, her heart had been racing as the memories of Castiel dropping dead before her had played over in her mind.

Sam Winchester had sent the second angel across the world with the angel banishment sigil. Rushing over to Rose, he grabbed onto her shoulders, leaving a bloody handprint on her jacket. "You good?" he whispered in concern.

Pulling her eyes up off the dead angel, Rose met his eyes with a frown. "I'm good," she confirmed. Giving her a nod of understanding, Sam helped her up onto her feet to check on the boy that had been slowly removing his hands from his ears as he looked around the cell.

It had not been peaceful long enough before Miriam, the angel that Dean had been taking on in the other room had made an entrance. After getting Jack to his feet, Sam stood tall between the doorway and the newest angel. "Don't," he instructed.

"Or what?" she spat.

Coming up behind her, Dean wiped at his busted lip, "Guess."

Scoffing Miriam had looked at the battered up group standing around her. They were typical Winchesters and it was just as annoying as the stories she had heard. No matter what it took, they had not given up. "If we can't have him..." Voice dropping off, Miriam held a tight grip to her own blade as she spotted Jack through the cell bars. He had been so close and there was no Winchester blocking her way. Lifting up her blade, she dug it into his chest from between the bars. "No one can."

Shocked from the sudden action, Sam lifted his own blade and stabbed her right through the chest. All eyes had torn away from her body as they looked wide eyed at the boy that had just been stabbed.

Slowly getting to his knee's Jack had expected the world around him to go dark. To him, he had failed everything that he had promised his mother he would do and now he would die.

Breathing heavily, he had waited for death to accept him but nothing ever came. Jack had wondered if dying was just going to be annoyingly long and boring.

Swallowing hard, he brought his attention down the the blade that had been buried deep in his chest. Lightly taking hold of it, he yanked it out of him as gently as he could, surprised by the numbness he had felt to it. Concern had quickly washed over him when he realized that today was not the day he would die. Tracing his eyes over the bloody blade, he had soon saw as a shaky hand had wrapped around his, taking the blade from his grip.

With a shaky breath, he followed the hand to where Rose had kneeled beside him unknown if it had been fear or worry that she had been expressing. "I... I'm fine," he assured her. Nodding her head along to his words, she slowly had backed away from him as she had gotten to her feet. Jack had been quite strange even though he was harmless. Rose had still felt uneasy as she made her way towards Sam and Dean.

"Kids in there with his mom, he was stabbed," Dean mumbled to her. "Go check on him, 'kay?"

Without acknowledgement, Rose made her way out of the cell and down the hall. Once out out the door, she held out the bloody blade in her hands, terrified of what Jack was. If he had been evil or grown to become just that, what would ever slow him down? Accepting that she was never going to get those answers by standing around with a blade in hand and stuck in a police station, she stashed it into her jacket before settling back on the job that they still had to get done.