ONE YEAR LATER
100 Mile Wilderness, Maine
A young man and woman were asleep in a tent. A bright light appeared outside and the woman instantly sat up and shook the man. "Will, get up. Something just happened."
The light outside disappeared and they heard footsteps approaching the tent. A tall figure walked past.
"Go. Go do something," the woman said.
Will turned to her. "W-what are we supposed to..." He grabbed a flashlight and went outside the tent. "Hello? Hello?" He stood for a moment, pointing his flashlight into the darkness. "It was a couple deer." He turned back to the tent door. "I don't know. It was like -- it was a deer or something-" He heard a noise and turned around and gasped. "Oh!"
Dean stood there, bloodstained and dirty, holding an axe-like weapon, standing in front of him.
"Where am I?" Dean demanded.
"What?" Will asked.
The woman walked out of the tent and Dean cocked a gun at her, then pointed it at Will.
"W -- hey, hey."
"Where's the road?" Dean questioned.
Will pointed. "Twelve miles, that way."
Dean kept his gun pointed at the couple, grabbed a backpack from the ground and ran off.
Clayton, Louisiana
FOUR DAYS LATER
An orange pickup came to a stop and Dean got out. The driver pointed directions. Dean walked down the road, holding his left arm.
By the time night arrived, he reached a stone pillar marking land that said 'Lafitte'. Dean read the sign and he walked onto the land. He carried a shovel and was still holding his left arm. He paced slowly and purposefully from a windmill.
"This better be you, you son of a bitch," Dean muttered.
He started digging and grunted in pain. Eventually, when it was deep enough, he threw the shovel down. He hoisted himself to sit on the edge of the grave and held his left arm. "All right."
Dean stood up over the grave. "Hold on, you bastard." He rolled up his left sleeve to reveal his red, glowing forearm. "Hold on!"
Dean cut his left arm with a large knife. "Anima corpori..." he held his arm out over the grave and the red growing liquid dripped from his arm onto the bones, "Fuerit corps... totem resurgent."
He groaned in pain as light played over the bones. As the light vanished, he dropped to the ground. "Wow." He rolled down his sleeve, still gasping in pain.
A man appeared behind him.
"Wow. That was fast," Dean stated bluntly.
The man looked at Dean. "No thanks to you. The hell took you so long?"
Dean got to his feet, still holding his arm. "You're welcome."
The man cracked his neck and Dean asked, "Everything working?"
"Good enough," the man replied, opening his mouth wide, revealing his vampire teeth. They retracted as he closed his mouth. "So... what now?"
"Like we talked about, I guess."
The man nodded. "Then this is goodbye."
"Keep your nose clean, Benny," Dean said. "You hear me?"
Benny walked towards Dean, holding out his hand and they shook. "We made it brother. I can't believe it." He laughed and pulled Dean into a hug.
"You and me both."
Dean made his way to Rufus' and was instantly doused with holy water. He wiped his eyes and glared before seeing who had splattered him. "Sersh?!"
Saoirse studied him. "You're back! I knew you weren't dead!"
"Nope. I'm not a Leviathan or a shifter either."
"We'll have to test each other. But first..." She kissed him and hugged him tightly. "I missed you so damn much."
Dean, relishing in her hug, kissed the top of her head and said, "I missed you too, amore."
Saoirse poured Borax over herself and cut her forearm. "Your turn."
Before Dean could test himself, the front door opened and Sam took a few steps inside and Dean pushed him to the ground and doused him with holy water.
Sam frowned. "What the-? I'm not a demon." Dean poured Borax over Sam. "Or a Leviathan. What-"
Dean grabbed Sam's arm and cut it with a knife. Sam gasped in pain. "Or a shifter. Good." Dean stood. "My turn. They're good. Come on. Let's go." He held out the bottles to Sam.
Sam shook his head. "I don't need to. I know it's you."
"Damnit, Sammy!" He splashed the holy water and Borax over himself and held out a knife to Sam, who had stood up. "Come on!"
"No! Dean, can I just say hello?"
Dean rolled up his sleeve and cut his own arm. "All right." He smiled and bound it up. "Well... let's do this."
"I don't know whether to hug you or take a shower."
Dean laughed and said, "Come here." He held out his arms and they hugged, Saoirse joining in.
"Dude. You're... freakin' alive," Sam said. He walked a few steps away with his hands in his hair. "I mean, what the hell happened?"
"Well, I guess standing too close to exploding Dick sends your ass straight to Purgatory."
"You were in Purgatory?" Sam asked. "For the whole year?"
"Yeah, time flies when you're running for your life."
"How'd you get out?" Saoirse asked.
Dean met her eyes. "I guess whoever built that box didn't want me in there any more than I did."
"What does that mean?" Sam frowned.
"We're here, okay?"
"What about Cas? Was he there?"
Dean walked a few steps away and spoke, his back to Sam and Saoirse. "Yeah, Cas didn't make it."
"What exactly does that mean?"
"Something happened to him down there. Things got pretty hairy towards the end, and he... just let go."
"So Cas is dead? You saw him die?"
"I saw enough."
"So, then what, you're not sure?"
Dean turned back to Sam. "I said I saw enough, Sam."
"Right. Dean, I'm sorry."
Saoirse looked between them, wondering if she'd have to break up a fight. She especially hated when the brothers fought.
Dean said, "Me too. So you -- I can't believe you two are actually here." He took three beers from the fridge. "You know that half your numbers are out of service? Felt like I was leaving messages in the wind. Seri didn't answer, but at least her calls went through." He sat and set a beer down for Sam, who remained standing. Saoirse sat next to Dean who leaned closer to her.
Sam shook his head. "Yeah, I-I-I didn't get your messages."
"How come?"
"Probably because I ditched the phones."
Saoirse looked at Sam in surprise as Dean said again, "Because..."
"I guess, um... I guess something happened to me this year, too." He shrugged. "I don't hunt anymore." He smiled tentatively.
"Yeah. And Sasha Grey's gone legit," Dean retorted as Sam exhaled. "What?"
"Nothing. Um, she did a Soderbergh movie."
"What?"
"She did a Soderbergh-"
"No. You, Sam. You quit? What about Seri? What'd she do?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I -- you were gone... Dean. Cas was gone, Bobby was dead, Saoirse hunted alone. I mean, Crowley even shipped off Kevin and Meg to parts unknown."
"So you just turned tail on the family business."
"Nothing says "family" quite like the whole family being dead."
Dean glared at his brother. "I wasn't dead." He stood and walked around Sam. "In fact, I was knee-deep in God's armpit killing monsters, which, last I remembered, is what we actually do. Saoirse wasn't dead either. She was still in the life."
"Yes, Dean. And as far as I knew, what we do is the thing that got every single member of my family killed. I had no one -- no one. And for the first time in my life, I was completely alone. And honestly, I-I didn't exactly have a roadmap. So, yeah, I-I fixed up the Impala, and I just... drove."
"Saoirse was alive!"
"She said she wanted to be alone."
"After you looked for me." Sam said nothing. "Did you look for me, Sam, Seri?" Sam looked away and Saoirse nodded. "Good. That's good. Now, we -- we... always told each other not to look for each other. That's smart. Good for you. Of course, we always ignored that because of our deep abiding love for each other, but not this time, right, Sammy? Saoirse, looked for me!"
"Look, I'm still the same guy, Dean," Sam replied. "Saoirse mostly seems the same. She's your wife."
"Well, bully for you. I'm not."
Dean walked off and the door closed.
Sam sighed. "Welcome back."
Saoirse narrowed her eyes. "How did you expect him to react, Sam?"
Dean went through a box containing phones. "You want some dinner?" Sam asked.
"Pass," Dean said as he placed a phone to his ear.
"Okay," Sam replied, stirring something on the stove. "Seri?"
Saoirse shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
Sam sat at the table next to Saoirse who had papers out in front of her across the room and was doing her best to read them. Dean, who had been listening to phone messages, with earphones, turned to look at him harshly. "What?"
Dean took out the earphone and put the phone on speaker. "Sam Winchester, it's Kevin Tran. Crowley had me in his warehouse, and I just escaped. I don't know where I am. And I don't know if he or -- or any other demons are still after me. I need your help. I already called Saoirse. Call me back. It's Kevin Tran."
"When was that?" Sam asked.
Dean ignored his question and played another message. "Sam Winchester. It's Kevin Tran. I called you a week ago. Saoirse went off on a hunt. Call me, please. I don't know what the hell I'm doing out here, man."
Sam put his spoon down. "Okay." He stood. "I get it. So, what, you want to... strategize or something?"
Dean played another message. "Sam, it's Kevin. I'm... Whoo! I'm so good."
"Is he... drunk?"
"Three months since you ditched my ass. Haven't slept for more than four hours a night. Saoirse's pretty concerned. It's all good in the hood." He cleared his throat. "Uh, if you're still alive, eat me."
Dean played a fourth message. "Eat me!"
He played a fifth message. "Sam, it's been six months. I can only assume you're dead. If not, don't try and reach me. You won't be able to. I won't be calling this number anymore."
Dean stood and he gripped the phone tightly. "He was our responsibility." He tossed the phone at Sam's chest. "And you couldn't be bothered to answer the damn phone."
Dean made his way to the couch and started reading something. After a moment, Saoirse joined him.
Sam was on his laptop at the table. "All right, listen to his -- Kevin's last message. Listen to the background."
He played the message. "If not, don't try and reach me. You won't be able to. I won't be calling this number anymore."
"Hear that?" Sam asked.
"What is it?" Dean questioned.
"I think he was on a bus. Listen again."
"If not, don't try and reach me."
'Last stop -- Centreville,' a woman's voice said.
"...won't be calling this number-"
Dean and Saoirse stood up and walked over to Sam who said, "Centreville? Centreville, where?"
"Michigan," Saoirse answered.
Dean raised a brow. "And why exactly would Kevin by in Centreville, Michigan?"
"Because..." Sam began, doing an internet search for 'Kevin Tran BFF Link', "his high school girlfriend..." he turned the laptop to show Dean and Saoirse a page for Channing Ngo, "goes to college there."
"That's thin," Dean said.
"It's the best lead we got."
""We"?"
"You were right. He was our responsibility. Saoirse was the only one showing that. So... let's find him, okay?"
Dean, Sam and Saoirse put weapons and their bags into the trunk of the Impala. "Hey," Sam said, tossing Dean the keys.
Dean looked the Impala over. "Well... no visible signs of douchery -- I'll give you that." The three of them got in. Dean paused and looked into the back seat, catching Saoirse's eye. "Smell like dog to you?"
Saoirse nodded. "Yes. It does."
Sam inhaled. "In the car?"
"You tell me," Dean answered as Sam shrugged. "Hmm." Dean started the engine and they drove off.
At the Palm Motel, Dean stood in front of a vending machine. Sam and Saoirse unloaded the car and paused to look at Dean before Sam walked towards the room. Saoirse glanced at him worriedly. He'd obviously been through a lot, but she wouldn't hound him for answers. She knew he'd tell her in his own time.
Dean watched as two young boys ran across the parking lot shooting at each other with toy guns.
"Come on, I got you!" boy one cried.
Boy two shook his head. "No way."
"You're dead!"
"No way, I'm not dead at all!"
Dean continued standing in front of the vending machine and his mind flashed back.
---
Dean chased someone in Purgatory. He lost the trail and stopped before hearing a noise and ran off again. The man he was chasing stopped running. Dean came up behind him. The man turned with a yell and started grappling Dean. Dean hit the man's arm, making him drop the weapon. Dean kicked it out of the way. He pushed the man hard against a tree and held a knife to his throat. The man's teeth descended.
"Take a breath and calm down," Dean said, pointing his weapon at the vampire. "Where's the angel?"
"You're him," the vampire said. "The human."
Dean, in a forceful tone, demanded, "Where's the angel?"
"I don't know."
"Hmm," Dean hummed, plunging his knife into the vampire's arm, pinning him to the tree.
Dean picked up the vampire's weapon and beheaded him with it. "Hmm. I could get used to this."
His moment of appreciation was short-lived, as a second vampire tackled him to the ground. Benny appeared, flung himself at the second vampire, and beheaded him. Benny turned to look at Dean, fangs visible.
---
Dean shook his head a few times and entered the motel room, shortly followed by Saoirse who'd been watching him.
Dean sat on the edge of a bed, next to each other. Dean rubbed his hands together. Saoirse was seated in a chair. Sam walked out of the bathroom and leaned on the door frame. "You okay?"
Dean had a tense, nervous look plastered on his face. "Yeah, hey, what do you say we blow this joint, hit the road?"
"Now?"
"Why not? Kevin isn't getting any more found."
"The kid survived a year without us. He'll be okay for another twelve hours. Besides, when's the last time you slept?"
"Hmm."
"What?"
Dean shook his head. "Nothing. Is that, uh, that how you rationalized taking a year off? People will be okay?"
"People were okay, Dean. You're okay."
"Wow."
"Look, I did what we promised we'd do. I moved on. I lived my life. Saoirse decided to stay in it."
"Yeah, no, I'm getting that."
"Look, it wasn't like I was... just oblivious. I mean, I read the paper every day. I saw the weird stories..." he sat down on the other bed, facing Dean, "...the kind of stuff we used to chase."
"And you said what? "Not my problem"?"
"Yes. And you know what? The world went on."
"People died, Sam."
"People always die, Dean. Or maybe another hunter took care of it. Pretty sure Saoirse dealt with a few. I don't know, but the point is, for the first time, I realized that it wasn't only up to me to stop it."
"So that was it, huh? What could possibly make you stop cold turkey?" He caught Saoirse's eye. "A girl? Was there a girl?"
"The girl had nothing to do with it."
Dean's eyes widened slightly. "There was a girl."
"Yeah. There was. And then there wasn't. Any more questions?"
Saoirse narrowed her eyes. "Really, Sam? My husband was deep in monster territory and you got out of the life to live with a girl?"
"Yeah, looks like," Sam said, moving to the edge of the bed. "Listen, I know this is gonna sound crazy to you two. I don't necessarily need you to understand. But... you need to know. I didn't just drop out, Dean, Saoirse. I found something. Something I've... never had all my life."
Dean was on the floor, leaning against the other bed, his back to Sam. Saoirse had gotten up and was leaning against the counter, frowning at Sam.
"Yeah, what was her name?" Dean asked.
"Amelia," Sam replied.
"So, what, you, uh, you dropped your peanut butter in her chocolate? How'd it happen?"
"I hit a dog."
Dean turned and pointed a finger at him. "I knew I smelled dog."
"And I knew you'd throw a bitch fit."
"The rules are simple, Sam. You don't take a joint from a guy named Don, and there's no dogs in the car!"
"All right, what about you?"
"What about me?" Dean questioned.
"Look at you. You've still got that look. You're shaky. You're on edge. What was it like?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try us," Saoirse challenged. "We've seen a ton of crap."
"It was bloody. Messy 31 flavors of bottom-dwelling nasties. Hell, most days felt like 360-degree combat. But there was something about being there."
---
Dean stood, still holding the vampire's weapon.
---
"It felt pure."
---
Benny retracted his teeth. "What, no thanks for saving your hide?"
"Sure," Dean replied. "I won't shove this up your ass."
"Mm. Awful strange way to punch your meal ticket, friend. I got something you need."
"Yeah, what's that?"
"A way out."
Dean laughed. "Even a dental apocalypse like you knows there's no such thing."
"There is if you're human. God has made it so. At least, that's the rumor."
"Bull."
"Suit yourself. Maybe you've gone native. Maybe you like being man meat for every Tom, Dick, and Harry."
"Prove it," Dean challenged.
"Nah. You're either in or you're out."
"So you just want to guide us out of Purgatory out of the goodness of your undead heart?"
"More or less."
"What's in it for you?"
"I'm hopping a ride."
"What?"
"It's a human portal, jackass. Only humans can pass through. I show you the door, you hump my soul to the other side."
"So you're looking for a soul train."
Benny shrugged. "If that's what you're into."
"And how do I know this isn't a set-up? How do I know I ain't gonna end up like your friend over there?"
"He was my friend. Now you are. First rule of Purgatory, kid. You can't trust nobody."
"You just asked me to trust you."
"You see? You're getting it now. Smart man."
Dean thought for a moment. "Hmm. First we find the angel."
"Mm, three's a crowd, chief."
"Well, hey. Either you're in or you're out."
---
They made their way to the college campus where Kevin's girlfriend was. A girl was using a laptop and Channing was standing. "The last time I saw Kevin was, like, a year ago."
"When he disappeared?" Sam asked.
Channing nodded. "Mm-hmm. He stole his mother's car because he thought he was on a mission from God or something?"
Sam and Dean were in suits while Saoirse was in a dress, glaring like she saw something.
"It was crazy," Channing added.
"Shut up!" the girl cried. "Adam -- who got addicted to Adderall but got a perfs on his SATs, so it was totally worth it -- same thing."
"Shut up!"
"Serious. Mission from God."
Sam cleared his throat. "Look, Channing, we know Kevin was here."
"No, he wasn't."
Saoirse offered a tight smile. "And we get if you're trying to protect him. But no one can protect Kevin better than us."
"I hate Kevin. I wouldn't protect him."
Dean frowned. "I thought you two had a thing."
"Yeah, when he was going to Princeton."
"Wow. Just like that?"
"Yeah," the girl said.
Channing nodded. "Mm-hmm."
They left the room and Dean asked, "So why would Kevin come sniffing around here if not to see her?"
Sam shook his head. "No idea. Maybe we should split up, ask around, see if anybody's seen him?"
"Yeah, Asian kid, yea high, at a university. That should be easy."
Back in the dorm room, the girl was still on her laptop. Channing was seated at a desk, pulling something from a bag.
"Okay," the girl said. "Are you read to forget all about what's-his-name? Okay, this guy's name is Kyle, he's Jewish, um, I'm pretty sure he has an Asian thing. Perfs, right?"
Channing turned around, bowl and dagger in hand. Her eyes turned black. "Shut up, bitch."
"What?"
Channing cut the girl's throat and filled the bowl with her blood. "Inferni clamavi ad te regem semonos meos." The blood bubbled and boiled. "The prophet still has not yet shown his face to me. But you should know Dean Winchester is back."
Outside, Sam flashed back to hitting the dog and meeting Amelia.
"Don't judge me," Dean said. "I got bupkis. Sersh, I see that look."
Saoirse's tone was sharp. "I'm just glad you're back. By the way, Channing probably tattled on us."
"She was possessed? Why didn't you say anything?"
"Yes. And risk death for us all?"
"Fair point."
"Well..." Sam began.
A waitress put a plates of food in front of Sam. "And here you go."
"Ah, thank you." Sam pushed the plate towards Dean.
Dean's eyes widened. "Sweet mother of God. It's for me? Seriously?"
Saoirse gave a small smile as Sam said, "Check this out. So, Seri and I went through campus security archives around the time Kevin should have been here." Dean bit into his burger. "Anyone look familiar?"
Sam turned the laptop towards Dean, who was chewing with his eyes closed. The laptop showed security footage of Kevin wearing a baseball cap. "Dude. It's a burger."
Dean nodded. "It's a treasure. All right, so, what, Kevin comes all the way to campus and doesn't see his girlfriend?"
Sam shook his head. "I don't know... but I went to the computer lab and found the computer he was on."
"And?"
"And we found the website he was visiting, found his account username, hacked into the website, found when else this username logged in, and then I reverse-tracked the IP address back to the original user, Kevin, who has apparently been using the same wireless router for the past two months."
"That is spectacular work. Any chance I can get that in English?"
Saoirse nodded. "Yeah, we're guessing he's in Iowa -- at a coffee shop." She flipped the laptop again, showing Dean a map.
The three of them made their way to Fairfield, Iowa, to a church.
"A church?" Dean asked. "You two sure this is right?"
Sam glanced at Dean. "Barista at the coffee shop swears he's seen Kevin ducking in here for the past few months." He tried the door, then knocked. "Kevin. It's Sam, Saoirse and Dean Winchester."
Sam shook his head at them and Saoirse started picking the lock.
Sam, Dean and Saoirse entered the church. Kevin sprayed them with Borax from a large water gun.
"Stop!" Dean yelled. "Stop! Not Leviathans. It's us."
"What the hell happened to you guys?" Kevin wondered.
"Cliff Notes? I went to Purgatory. Sam hit a dog. Saoirse hunted."
"For real?" Kevin asked as Dean and Saoirse wiped their faces with their sleeves. "You want some towels?"
Saoirse frowned at Kevin. "Next time, tell me where you're going."
"Sorry. I just needed to get away. Thanks for checking up on me, though," Kevin said, leading them into a room with symbols painted on the floor.
"Who taught you all this?" Dean questioned.
"I guess... God."
"God taught you how to trap demons?"
"Technically, yeah."
"Wait, wait, hold on. Crowley kidnapped you. Saoirse and I saw that. But then you left a message saying you escaped. How?" Sam wondered.
Kevin said, "There was a tablet there, like the last one."
Dean held up a hand. "Wait a minute. There's another tablet? Another Word of God."
Kevin nodded. "Yes."
"How many Words of God are there?"
""Demons"."
"What about demons?"
"As far as I could tell... everything."
"What about Hell Gates?" Sam asked.
"There's one in Wisconsin. The tablet told me how to open it. There were ingredients for a spell."
"You showed the King of Hell how to open a Hell Gate?" Dean asked in disbelief. "So that all the demons in Hell could come out all at the same time?"
"What? No." Kevin frowned, then smiled. "I told Crowley I was opening a Hell Gate, but I was reading from another chapter -- how to destroy demons."
"You son of a bitch."
Sam frowned, looking to the prophet. "Wait. Kevin? Where's the tablet now?"
"Safe," Kevin replied.
"Safe where?"
Dean glanced at him. "Hey. As long as it's safe, okay? Kevin, were you able to read anything else off the tablet before you stashed it away?"
Kevin met his eyes. "Only the stuff about closing the gates of Hell. Forever."
"Come again?"
"Banish all demons off the face of the Earth, lock them away forever. That could be important, right?"
Sam, Dean and Saoirse looked at each other before Dean said, "Closing the gates of Hell forever? Yeah. Yeah, that could be important."
Sam, Dean and Saoirse exited the church and stood outside, talking. Dean spoke first. "Okay, if this kid is right, he's sitting on a bombshell. Hell, he is the bombshell." Sam looked away. "What?"
"That," Sam replied. "I mean, there's no way that Kevin's getting out of this intact, is there?"
Saoirse shrugged. "It seems to me he's doing pretty well for himself so far."
"Yeah, he got out."
Dean sighed. "Now the kid's in it... whether he likes it or not."
Sam looked between them. "So... free will, that's only for you two?"
Dean narrowed his eyes. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. Sam, we have an opportunity to wipe the slate clean. We take Kevin to the tablet, he tells us the spell, we send every demon back to Hell -- forever. Every single bastard that destroyed our lives, killed our mother, killed Jess. And you're not sure?"
Sam walked inside and Saoirse let out a sigh. "Gods, he's stubborn."
Saoirse and Dean watched as Sam spoke to Kevin. Saoirse couldn't hear what was going on, but she could guess. Sam was probably reassuring Kevin about the whole situation in his comforting way.
Moments later, Kevin walked off.
Eventually, Kevin walked into the room to join the hunters and the church started shaking. Sam drew his brother and sister-in-law's attention to the floorboards breaking.
"We got company. Sam. Sersh," Dean said, handing Sam a knife before he picked up his weapon from Purgatory. Saoirse drew her sword.
Sam frowned, looking at his brother's weapon. "What the hell is that?"
"It's Purgatory."
"Boys and their toys," Saoirse teased.
The doors flew open and two demons entered. "Dean Winchester. Back from Purgatory."
"Spanky the demon," Dean taunted as Sam moved to stand in front of Kevin, Saoirse to Kevin's side. "Yeah, I heard about you. You're the one who uses too much teeth, right?"
The demons rushed them and they fought. Kevin squirted one of the demons with a water gun full of holy water.
Dean was taking on a demon without a proper demon-killing weapon and was struggling. "Dean!" Sam yelled, tossing Dean the knife. Dean killed the demon.
"Hello, boys, lady," Crowley greeted, appearing in the doorway with Channing. "Dean. You're looking... well, let's just say Purgatory didn't do you any favors. Where's your angel?"
"Ask your mother," Dean retorted.
"There's that grade-school zip. Missed it. I really did." Crowley turned to Sam. "Moose. Still with the pork chops. I admire that." He turned to Saoirse. "Lady. You're looking fit. Seems like you've been busy. Pleased that your darling beau is back?"
Kevin glared at Crowley. "Let Channing go."
Saoirse glanced at him. "That's not Channing, Kevin. Not anymore. I'm sorry."
Crowley frowned at her. "What an awful thing to say to the boy. Of course it's Channing. Kev. Last time we danced, you stole my tablet and killed my men. Tell you what. Come with me now, bygones. And I'll let the girl go back to... What's-the-Point U."
Dean looked at Kevin. "He's lying. You won't get Channing back. She's probably dead already."
Crowley sighed. "Will you please stop saying that? Let the girl speak." He snapped his fingers.
"Kevin?" Channing asked.
"Channing?"
"What's going on?"
"There's a demon in you, and you're going to your safety school."
"What?!"
"But it's gonna be okay," Kevin reassured.
"I-I-I-I just -- I can't," Crowley said.
"No, no, wait."
Crowley snapped his fingers again and Channing's eyes turned back.
"Okay. I'll do it," Kevin decided.
"Kevin," Sam warned.
"Myself for the girl. But this ends. All right? No fighting, no nothing. It ends."
Dean turned to Kevin. "Can't let you do that, buddy."
"Or what? You'll kill me?" Kevin retorted before turning to Crowley. "I'll grab my stuff." He left.
"Chin up, gentlemen, lady. I'm a professional," Crowley said.
Dean narrowed his eyes. "This ain't over by a long shot, Crowley."
"Really, Dean, who writes your stuff? A marshmallow?" Crowley asked before calling out, "Come on, Kevin. Chop, chop." He paused. "Kevin?"
Crowley took a step forward and Dean raised his knife. Crowley snapped his fingers and the knife glowed red. Dean dropped his knife and cried, "Aah!"
"Ready, boys, girl?" Crowley walked past Sam, Dean and Saoirse. "Kevin!"
Dean picked up his knife.
Crowley, with Channing standing behind him, opened another door in the church. Kevin was standing in the room holding the end of a cord. "Kevin."
Kevin pulled the cord and holy water dropped onto Crowley and Channing. They yelled and Kevin shouted, "Sam, Dean, Saoirse, run!"
Crowley and Channing continued yelling and sizzling. Sam, Dean, Saoirse and Kevin ran for the Impala. Crowley and Channing walked outside the church.
"Find another meat suit," Crowley ordered.
Black smoke poured from Channing's mouth. As Sam, Saoirse and Kevin watched, Crowley made a hand motion, snapping Channing's neck and she fell to the ground. The Impala sped off and Crowley wiped his face with a handkerchief.
They arrived at a gas station and as Dean pulled up to the pumps, Dean's phone rang. "Hello?" He listened. "Wrong number." He hung up. "Automated jackass. All right, anybody want anything?"
"I'm good," Sam replied.
Saoirse said nothing, but had an obviously angry expression.
Dean looked at Kevin in the back seat, and he was silent. Dean looked at Sam and asked, "Kevin? How are you holding up?"
"Awesome," Kevin retorted. "The King of Hell just snapped my girlfriend's neck. How about you?"
Sam, Dean and Saoirse looked at each other before Dean said, "All right, listen to me. I'm sorry about your girlfriend, okay? I am. But the sooner you get this, the better. You're in it now, whether you like it or not. That means you do what you got to do. I'm hitting the head."
Dean got out of the Impala and headed towards the men's room. He pulled out his phone.
"There he is," Benny said.
"How did you get a phone?" Dean asked.
Benny, from a cemetery said, "Would you believe they sell these things in convenience stores now? A lot's changed in 50 years."
"Must be a hell of a lot to take in."
"Mostly it's the choices, you know? So many choices."
"Yeah, I hear that. Listen, Benny, not to beat a dead horse; what we did down there is what we had to do. Now, I don't regret it for a second. But... you know, maybe until we each adjust, it's best we don't talk for awhile."
"There it is."
"One day at a time, just like we all talked about, right?"
"I think you had it right, man."
"What's that?"
"Purgatory was pure. I'm kinda wishin' I had appreciated it more. You know? Like you."
"Listen, you got an emergency, you call me, you understand?"
"I hear you. You keep your nose clean, too, brother."
"Yeah."