Carry On

Giving three, loud knocks, Frankie waited with crossed arms for Ash to answer. Something was up, she could feel it and if she hadn't been the one to help Jo it had to have been Ash and he'd never been a good liar so she'd figured at the very least she'd just ask him out right. As usual, loud music was blaring from behind Ash's door and God knew what he was doing, but when he answered he was naked and sweaty.

"Jesus, Ash!" Frankie exclaimed, taking a step back and focusing up at the ceiling. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time she'd seen him naked as Ash had made a habit of exposing himself to her.

"Seeing something ya like, Francesca?" Ignoring his statement, Frankie looked Ash in the eyes, trying her best to overlook his nakedness.

"Where's Jo?"

"Las Vegas, Nevada. Left earlier today I do believe." Ash shifted uncomfortably, sensing that Frankie was onto him and she noticed. Ellen had already come to Ash, asking him to track Jo's credit card trail and even after it had checked she'd still gone so far as to call Dean, insisting to Frankie that Dean wouldn't lie to her on Jo's behalf.

"Cut the crap, Ash. Did she have you lay that credit card trail--and don't you lie to me." It wouldn't have been the first time he'd covered for Jo, hell even Frankie had used Ash's computer skills once or twice to get out of a jam, but this was different--he was putting Jo's life on the line lying for her.

Closing the door a little further, Ash took a deep breath, ready to confess, but fearing for his own safety. "Are you gonna tell Ellen?" He asked lightly, giving an innocent frown.

"Oh, great." Frankie growled, abandoning Ash and heading straight for the doors. She would deal with Ash later, firstly she had to go get Jo before something happened or worse; her mom found out. Ellen was in the back cleaning up so Frankie didn't bother to stop and explain her hurry. She knew Ash would make up some story as to where she'd ran off to--if only to protect his own skin.

Climbing into her Chevelle, Frankie did a mental check of where she was headed thankful that she'd scanned through the file before Ellen and Jo's argument had broke out. It was late, but if she drove straight through she'd be able to get there by morning and hopefully get Jo back before Ellen found out the truth.

As she pulled away, it was only then that Frankie wished she had actually had that talk with Jo about hunting. It was a pretty obvious and well known fact that hunting was dangerous, and though there were some that preferred to hunt in pairs, Frankie knew that hunting with someone could be just as dangerous as hunting alone. Every Hunter had their own baggage, their own problems, things that could potentially pose a risk to anyone pairing up with them, John had taught her that, but Jo should have known from all her time spent at the Roadhouse around Hunters.

It wasn't that Frankie didn't trust Sam and Dean and she sure as hell knew they were good Hunters--they were John Winchester's boys--it was the simple fact that if something went south and a decision had to be made and it was one of their lives or Jo's, they'd choose blood. Frankie understood that it didn't make them bad people, it just made them human.

The sun had well risen in the sky by the time Frankie pulled her Chevelle up to the apartment complex. Her eyes ached with exhaustion, but it still hadn't been difficult to spot the Impala so she pulled up behind it before tucking her father's hunting knife into it's sheath at her hip. Cops were already swarming the streets outside the building and as she slipped past them, hiding her knife behind her jacket, she overheard a few of them discussing something about another missing girl.

She'd barely made it through the doors and into the lobby when she noticed Sam's towering figure leaning against a wall with a newspaper and trying to look inconspicuous as he eavesdropped. His eyes widened as he noticed Frankie approaching with a more than pissed off expression.

Frankie held up a hand as Sam had opened his mouth to defend himself and Dean, or at least she assumed. She didn't care about the details or whatever excuses he had, her only concern was Jo's safety. She already knew that more likely than not they'd had no idea Jo was following them, but still Dean had lied to Ellen about knowing where Jo was and that was pinching a nerve.

"Is she safe?" Frankie asked, all seriousness. She knew she wasn't very intimidating, especially compared to Sam Winchester who was well over six foot, but if the missing girl the cops were talking about was Jo, she made a silent promise to have both Sam and Dean's heads. Sam shook his head, seemingly offended by the lack of faith Frankie appeared to have in them.

"Wha--no, of course not. Jo's safe, she's upstairs." Frankie let out a sigh of relief, placing her hands on her hips. So Jo was safe, that was a bonus as Frankie knew the hard part would be getting her home.

"Thank God." Frankie sighed, tucking a few loose curls behind her ear. The slight relief allowed her body to remember how tired it was and she gave her eyes a quick rub before focusing back up at Sam.

"Did you drive all the way here?" He could see the exhaustion in Frankie's face. Her eyes were heavy and her hair even more unruly than usual. Reaching out to lend her wavering balance some support, Frankie shrugged Sam's hand off, taking a step back.

"I'm fine, just take me to her." She didn't mean any offense by her gesture and Sam knew it. Frankie just wasn't much the touchy feely type and he'd picked it up from her early on when he'd asked her about his dad. She reminded Sam a lot of Dean, though maybe she didn't quite have the same sense of humor Dean did. Sam was careful to keep the comparison to himself though.

"Where's the coffee?" Dean asked as Sam had returned empty handed.

"There are cops outside. Another girl disappeared." Sam quickly explained, stepping completely into the apartment. He was so much larger than Frankie, Dean and Jo hadn't even noticed her until she stepped out from behind him. "Also--"

"Surprise." Jo's and Dean's eyes widened simultaneously as though they'd just been caught playing doctor. "Get your things, we're leaving." Frankie stated, crossing her arms and snapping her fingers towards the door to emphasize her urgency.

"Frankie--" Jo began, only to to be cut off.

"No, I don't want to hear 'Frankie'. You lied to me, Jo." The hurt was evident in Frankie's voice and Jo felt a pang of guilt. The two had always trusted each other with their secrets, but she knew even Frankie wouldn't have agreed to her running off to work this case. It was true, but Frankie would have just tagged along to help keep her safe before snitching or fighting her.

"I had to, there was no way--"

"You should have trusted me!" Frankie again, interrupted Jo, letting her anger bubble over. "I've always had your back and here you are, running off with friggin' Rocky and Bullwinkle who you've barely known a month--no offense" Frankie quickly added to the boys, "and Jo, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into!" Frankie only objected to Jo hunting because she was so inexperienced in the matter. Jo running off to work a case with Sam and Dean had been reckless and being a hunter, recklessness could be fatally dangerous. John had trained Frankie for a full year before taking her on her first hunt, teaching her how to fight and informing her on the different types of monsters that were out there. Jo may have been a research guru, but it was one thing to read about a vampire and a complete other to actually fight one.

"And I won't ever learn if you and mom are always treating me like a child!" Jo finally snapped back.

"When have you ever asked me to tag along?" As much as she'd fought the pained expression, it was evident in Frankie's face. Jo had never asked to accompany her on a hunt, because if she had Frankie would have fought Ellen for a chance to take her, but it seemed Jo was always trying to make her hunts some sort of lone wolf thing. Frankie could sort of understand where Jo was coming from as she more than often hunted alone, but Jo was different. She was inexperienced and that was precisely what it all came down to. "You're always trying to run off on some crazy kamikaze mission by yourself!"

"Hey, we wouldn't have let anything happen to her." Sam and Dean had been so quiet up to this point, the girls had nearly forgotten they were still there until Dean spoke up. It felt like Ellen and Jo's fight all over again and Dean felt no urgency in being caught in the middle of another cat fight.

Biting her bottom lip in frustration, Frankie rolled her eyes before turning to Dean. She hadn't wanted to bring the boys into this argument, but she wasn't about to let them stick up for Jo when she was so clearly in the wrong.

"Oh really?" At her tone, Dean began to second guess his intervention, but stood his ground and gave a slight nod. He and Sam wouldn't have let anything happen to Jo, even though he hadn't agreed that she come in the first place. "So you're telling me that if whatever this thing is had Sam and Jo and you could without a doubt only save one of them, you would let Sam die to save her?" Dean's eyebrows knitted together, surprised by the question. He hadn't thought of such a situation occurring, though he was painfully aware Frankie already knew his answer. "Because I would." And Dean wouldn't.

The room fell silent as the boys understood where Frankie was coming from. It wasn't that she didn't trust them with Jo's life, she just knew the consequences of the business and like them had set her priorities; Jo being her's as Sam was Dean's.

"No one is going to die." Jo responded incredulously. Frankie was beginning to take things overboard, thinking of only extreme situations. Yes, her plan had been to use herself as bait, but she wasn't going to let that ghost get anywhere seriously close to her.

"She's right, Jo." This time it was Sam who had spoken up. "If you're gonna sneak out and hunt, you should go with Frankie." As sincere as he may have sounded, it didn't ease Jo's tension any as everyone was now back on Frankie's side. No one seemed to care that Jo needed this, she needed the hunt because it was all she had left of her father. It was her way of feeling close to him and if she had to fight everyone to do it, then so be it.

"What's done is done, alright?" Jo snapped. "I'm not going home until we solve this case, so if you want to go and tell mom go ahead, but I'm staying right here." Jo stood her ground, eyeing Frankie fiercely as she folded her arms across her chest.

"I was never going to tell your mom." Frankie admitted, hurt by Jo's sudden lack of trust in her. Crossing her arms, mirroring Jo, Frankie gave a sigh of defeat. If Jo refused to leave, then she wasn't going to leave her. "Damn--alright, what've we got?" Frankie rolled her eyes, knowing she was making a decision she would likely regret later. Jo gave a smile, picking up her notes from the table to show to Frankie.

"One pissed off Casper." Dean explained, standing up from his place at the table. This hunt was becoming a little crowded for his taste, but he agreed that if Jo was going to stay so should Frankie. It wasn't that he wouldn't try with every fiber of his being to protect Jo, but Frankie was right; he would never put one of them before Sammy. It just didn't sound so nice when you said it out loud, but that was alright because Frankie would never put him or Sam before Jo and in that aspect, Jo would be safe.

"A powerful one, at that." Sam added, waking over to get a glimpse of the notes Jo was showing Frankie.

"Four hunters after one ghost, he damn well better be." Frankie sighed, grabbing the blueprints from the table as the three began filling her in on everything they'd discovered so far--which wasn't much. She could only hope they'd solve this thing quickly though because if Ellen found out, they were all screwed.