Good Times, Bad Times

13. Dead Man's Blood

They got back into the Impala and Sam said, "'J.W.' You two think? John Winchester?"

"I don't know," Dean replied. "Should we open it?"

There was a knock on Dean's window. Susana grabbed her gun and Dean reared back, automatically raising his arm, fist clenched. John Winchester and Pedro Martínez. When Dean and Susana saw their dads, their expressions turned from shock to a smile.

"Dad?" Dean and Susana called.

John and Pedro got in the backseat, Susana between them.

"Dad, Pedro, what are you doing here?" Sam asked. "Are you two all right?"

"Yeah, we're okay," John answered. "We read the news about Daniel, we got here as fast as we could. We saw you three at his place."

"Why didn't you two come in?" Susana questioned.

"You know why," Pedro told her. "Because John and I had to make sure you weren't followed... by anyone or anything. Nice job covering your tracks, by the way."

Dean looked proud as he said, "Yeah, well, we learned from the best."

"Wait, you two came all the way out here for this Elkins guy?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah," John replied. "He was... he was a good man. He taught me and Pedro a hell of a lot about hunting."

"Well, you never mentioned him to us and I don't think Pedro mentioned him to Susie."

"We had a... we had kind of a falling out. I hadn't seen him in years." He gestured to the envelope. "I should look at that." He opened it. "'If you're reading this, I'm already dead.'...that son of a bitch."

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"He had it the whole time."

"Dad, what?" Sam pressed.

"When you searched the place, did you see a gun? An old revolver, an antique, did you see it?"

"Ah, there was an old case, but it was empty," Dean replied.

"They have it," Pedro said grimly.

"You mean whatever killed Elkins?"

John started to get out of the car. "We gotta pick up the trail."

"Wait. You want us to come with you?" Sam asked.

"If Elkins was telling the truth, we gotta find this gun."

"The gun, why?" Susana wondered.

"Because it's important, that's why."

Susana huffed and crossed her arms.

"Dad, Pedro, we don't even know what these things are, yet," Sam said.

"They were what Daniel Elkins killed best: Vampires," John said.

"Vampires?" Dean repeated. "I thought there was no such thing."

"You and Pedro never even mentioned them, Dad," Sam added.

"We thought they were extinct," John admitted. "We thought Elkins and others had wiped them out. We were wrong."

John began explaining about vampires to his kids and Susana. "Most vampire lore is crap. A cross won't repel them, sunlight won't kill them and neither will a stake. But the bloodlust, that's true. They need fresh human blood to survive. They were once people, so you won't know it's a vampire until it's too late."

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In a motel room, Sam and Dean were sleeping peacefully. Susana had woken and was sitting across from her father.