CAFÉ
Dean was flipping through a newspaper, Sam was on his laptop, and Susana was flipping through a journal.
Dean folded the paper. "Well, dude, Susie. Not a decent lead in all of Nebraska. What have you got?"
Sam chuckled before saying, "Well, I've been scanning Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota. Here. A woman in Iowa fell 10,000 feet from an airplane and survived."
"Yeah."
"Yeah, I dunno, maybe someday. In the meantime, we got a lot of work to do, Dean, you know that."
"Yeah, all right. What else you got?"
"Ahh, a man in Colorado, a local man named Daniel Elkins was found mauled in his home."
"Elkins? I know that name."
"Doesn't ring a bell."
Under his breath, Dean muttered, "Elkins... Elkins... Elkins."
"Sounds like the police don't know what to think. At first they said it was some sort of bear attack and now they've found some signs of robbery."
"Mm-hmm. There, check it out."
"You think it's the same Elkins?"
"It's a Colorado area code," Dean told him.
---
The Impala cruised down the road, snow capped mountains in the background.
They reached Elkins' cabin and Sam picked the lock. As he put it away, Dean flicked on a flashlight.
Susana looked around at the mess. "Guess the maid didn't come today."
"Hey, there's salt over here, right beside the door," Sam noted.
Dean asked, "You mean protection against demon salt or 'whoops I spilled the popcorn' salt?"
"It's clearly a ring. Do you think this guy Elkins was a player?"
"Definitely."
Sam came up behind his brother and friend. "That looks a hell of a lot like Dad's."
"Yep, except this dates back to the 60s."
---
Outside, two men stood in front of the shadows of a large tree, looking at the cabin.
Sam, Dean and Susana moved into the other room and shined their flashlights around the destruction, including up at the hole in the roof.
"Whatever attacked him, it looks like there was more than one," Sam said.
"Looks like he put up a hell of a fight, too," Dean replied.
"Yeah."
They looked around the room and Susana crouched to get a closer look at the floor.
"You got something?" Sam asked.
"I dunno. Some scratches on the floor," Susana told him.
"Death throes, maybe?"
"Yeah, maybe." She grabbed a page from a notebook, placed it over the marks, and rubbed a pencil over it to get an outline. "Or maybe a message."
She handed the paper to Sam. "Look familiar?"
Sam looked at the message. "Three letters, six digits. The location and combination of a post office box. It's a mail drop."
"Just the way Dad does it," Dean remembered.
They made their way to the post office box. Dean opened it, his brother and friend on each side. Dean removed a letter, stared, and showed it to Sam and Susana. The three shared a confused look.
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."
---
In a motel room, Sam and Dean were sleeping peacefully. Susana had woken and was sitting across from her father.
John was listening to the radio, which he was holding in his hands.
"Unit 22, let me confirm. Mile marker 41, abandoned car. You need a workup," Dispatch said.
The man on the scene replied, "Copy that. Possible 207. Better get Forensics out here."
John put the radio down, jumped to his feet and grabbed his jacket. He slapped his sons' feet. Pedro stood and Susana packed her bag. "Sam, Dean, let's go."
"Mm-hmm," Dean hummed, still asleep.
Sam half-sat up and Dean started rubbing his eyes.
"I picked up a police call."
"What happened?" Sam asked.
"A couple called 911, found a body in the street. Cops got there, everyone was missing. It's the vampires."
Sam rose from the bed. "How do you know?"
John, as he left, replied, "Just follow me, okay?"
Sam walked across the room and put his jacket on.
Dean, still half-asleep, said, "Huh, vampires. Gets funnier every time I hear it."
---
At the scene, John and Pedro finished talking to a cop and started walking back to the younger hunters who were waiting by the Impala.
Sam was slightly sulky. "I don't see why we couldn't have gone over with him."
"Oh, don't tell me it's already starting," Dean said.
"What's starting?"
Dean looked at his father and Pedro. "What have you got?"
"It was them all right," John replied. "Looks like they're heading west. We'll have to double back to get around that detour."
"How can you be so sure?" Sam questioned.
"Sam..." Dean warned.
Sam answered sharply, "I just wanna know we're going in the right direction."
"We are," John and Pedro said.
"How do you know?"
John handed something to Dean. "I found this."
Dean looked at what he was handed. "It's a... a vampire fang."
Susana grabbed at it and looked at it.
"Not fangs, teeth," Pedro corrected. "The second set descends when they attack."
John looked at Sam. "Any more questions?" Sam looked away and stayed silent. "All right, let's get out of here, we're losing daylight."
They started heading for their respective cars.
"Hey, Dean, why don't you touch up your car before you get rust?" John said. "I wouldn't have given you the damn thing if I thought you were going to ruin it."
Dean looked down at his car. Sam looked at Dean with a 'told you so' look and Dean grimaced.
Susana pursed her lips, biting her tongue.
Sam drove, following John and Pedro's truck.
Dean read aloud. ""Vampires nest in groups of eight to ten. Smaller packs are sent to hunt for food. Victims are taken to the nest where the pack keeps them alive, bleeding them for days or weeks." I wonder if that's what happened to that 911 couple."
"That's probably what Dad's thinking," Sam replied grumpily. "'Course it would be nice if he just told us what he thinks."
"So it is starting."
"What?"
"Sam, we been looking for Dad and Pedro all year. Now we're not with them for more than a couple hours and there's static already?"
"Hmph. No. Look, I'm happy he's okay, all right? And I'm happy that we're all working together again."
"Well good."
Sam continued. "It's just the way he treats us like we're children."
"Oh, God."
"My dad doesn't treat me like that."
Sam shot her a look. "Lucky you. He barks orders at us, Dean, he expects us to follow 'em without question. He keeps us on some crap, need to know deal."
"He does what he does for a reason," Dean told him.
"What reason."
"Our job! There's no time to argue, there's no margin for error, all right? That's just the way the old man runs things."
"Yeah, well, maybe that worked when we were kids, but not anymore, all right. Not after everything you two and I have been through, Dean, Susie. I mean, are you telling me you're cool with just falling into line, letting him run the whole show?"
Dean gave Sam a long look. "If that's what it takes."
Susana rolled her eyes. "Seriously, that's enough."
Later, Dean's phone rang and he answered. "Yeah, Dad. All right, got it." He hung up. "Pull off at the next exit."
"Why," Sam said angrily.
"'Cause Dad and Pedro think we've got the vampire's trail."
"How," Sam demanded in an angry tone.
"I don't know; they didn't say."
Sam gunned the engine, Dean looked at him like he was crazy and Susana looked at him, concerned. Dean and Susana turned to look at John and Pedro's truck as Sam overtook it. Once in front, Sam slammed on the brakes, causing the Impala to swerve sideways and John and Pedro's truck to halt.
Sam slammed out of his seat to meet John who was out of his truck, an angry expression on his face.
"Oh, crap," Dean muttered, following Sam. "Here we go. Sam!"
"What the hell was that," John demanded.
"We need to talk," Sam said.
John came to a halt face-to-face with Sam. "About what?"
"About everything. Where are we going, Dad? What this big deal about this job?"
"Sammy, come on, we can q&a after we kill the vampires," Dean said.
"Your brother's right, we don't have time for this."
Sam frowned. "Last time we saw you and Pedro, you two said it was too dangerous for us to be together. Now out of the blue you two need our help." He started yelling. "Something big is going down and we wanna know what."
"Get back in the car."
"No."
"I said get back in the damn car."
"Yeah. And I said no."
Dean hovered. "Okay, you made your point, tough guy. Look, we're all tired, we can talk about this later. Sammy, I mean it, come on."
Susana started pulling at Sam's arm and he let her pull him, still staring at John.
"This is why I left in the first place," Sam mumbled.
"What did you say?" John questioned.
Sam swung back. "You heard me."
"Yeah. You left. Your brother and me, we needed you. You walked away."
"Sam..." Dean and Susana called.
John yelled in Sam's face. "You walked away!"
"Stop it, both of you," Dean told them.
"You're the one who said don't come back, Dad, you closed that door, not me," Sam reminded his father. "You were just pissed off that you couldn't control me anymore!"
Susana stepped between them as Dean forced them apart.
"Stop it!" Susana yelled. "That is enough!"
"Like she said," Dean said, joining Susana in standing in front of Sam. "That's enough!"
"Let's go, John," Pedro said.
Sam and John stared at each each other over Dean and Susana's heads.
Dean looked at John. "That means you too."
Sam got into the Impala. John turned back to his car. Dean stood in the middle, next to Susana. He looked from one to the other.
"Terrific," Dean and Susana muttered to the midnight air.
---
They reached the vampire nest and watched as Luther looked around and went back inside.
Dean, who was hiding in the trees with John, Sam, Pedro and Susana, said, "Son of a bitch. So they're really not afraid of the sun?"
"Direct sunlight hurts them like a nasty sunburn," John answered. "The only way to kill 'em is by beheading. And yeah, they sleep during the day, doesn't mean they won't wake up."
"I guess walking right in's not our best option."
"Actually. That's the plan."
They walked back to their cars and Dean opened the trunk. The trio weaponed up while John did the same from an automatic hidden compartment that slid from the back of his truck.
Dean looked over. "Dad, Pedro, I've got an extra machete if you need one."
The elder brother held up the machete, but John and Pedro both unveiled a massive shiny serrated edge machete from a leather holder.
"I think we're okay," John replied. "Thanks."
Dean checked them out. "Wow."
"So, you boys and girl really wanna know about this Colt?" John asked.
"Yes, sir," Sam said.
"It's just a story, legend really. Well, I thought it was. Never really believed it until I read Daniel's letter... Back in 1835, when Halley's Comet was overhead, the same night those men died at the Alamo. they say Samuel Colt made a gun. A special gun. He made it for a hunter, a man like us only on horseback. Story goes he made 13 bullets, and this hunter used the gun half a dozen times before he disappeared, the gun along with him. And somehow Daniel got his hands on it. They say... they say say this gun can kill anything."
"Kill anything, like, supernatural anything?"
"Like the demon," Susans realized.
"Yeah, like the demon," Pedro replied. "Ever since John and I picked up its trail, we've been looking for a way to destroy that thing. Find the gun, we may have it."
At the vampire's nest, a barn window swung inwards. John and Pedro jumped through and disappeared. Sam followed, then Susana, then Dean. They surveyed the room... vampires were sleeping in hammocks and all was quiet.
John and Pedro looked into the stalls. Sam, Dean and Susana made their way through the barn. As Dean passed a hammock, he kicked an empty bottle on the ground. It clinked, but the vampire didn't wake. Susana shot him a look, warning him to be quiet.
At the back of the barn, John and Pedro found Kate and Luther asleep on a bed in an alcove. The gun hung in a holster beside them.
Sam found the 911 girl tied up against the pole, sleeping or unconscious and whispered, "Dean. Susie."
John and Pedro slowly made their way down a few steps to the bed. Luther turned over in his sleep.
Sam began untying the girl and they heard a noise.
Dean stood behind them. "There's more."
Dean and Susana made their way to a locked metal grid. Inside, people were tied up, also sleeping or unconscious. There was a lock on the door. Susana grabbed a metal hook to break the lock. Sam looked sharply at the noise and they looked over to the hammocks. There was no movement.
John and Pedro approached the gun.
The girl tied against the pole began to stir.
"Hey," Sam whispered. "Hey, hey, I'm here to help you."
The girl screamed an unearthly scream. Sam reared back, Dean and Susana looked around. The vampires woke.
"Sam!" Dean and Susana called.
John and Pedro turned toward the noise. Beside them, Luther and Kate woke. Luther reared up and threw them against the wall. John grabbed a rock and hurled it at the blackened window, letting in the daylight. Luther and Kate flinched away.
"Boys, Susana, run!" John and Pedro yelled.
Sam, Dean and Susana ran, calling to their dads as they did so. The vampires gave them a chase. Sam, Dean and Susana burst out the barn doors into the daylight and ran up the slope to the cars before turning to look back.
"Dad?" Dean called. "Dad!"
"Dad!" Susana yelled.
After a long pause, John and Pedro came running up the slope. As soon as they saw them, the boys turned to leave.
John told the three, "They won't follow. Not til tonight. Once a vampire has your scent, it's for life."
"Well what the hell do we do now?" Dean asked.
"You gotta find the nearest funeral home, that's what."
The trio looked at him, confused, then to each other.
Dean and Susana made their way to the funeral home.
Susana tapped the guard's shoulder and smiled. "Hey. How do you like this job?" She inwardly grimaced, irritated about having to play distraction.
The guard looked her up and down with a smile. "Well, it certainly just got better."
She inwardly gagged as she continued smiling.
Dean held up the blood behind the guard and the two left.
"You okay?" Dean asked.
Susana narrowed her eyes. "You make me play bait again I will stab you."
"You didn't use to mind it."
"Times change, Dean."
"Clearly."
MOTEL ROOM
Sam paced while John and Pedro sat at the table.
"It shouldn't be taking this long," Sam said. "I should go help."
"Dean and Susana have got it," John replied, watching Sam pace. "Sammy."
"Yeah."
"I don't think I ever told you this, but... the day you were born, you know what I did?"
"No."
"I put $100 into a savings account for you. I did the same thing for your brother. It was a college fund. And every month I'd put in another $100 until... anyway, my point is, Sam, that, this is never the life that I wanted for you."
"Then why'd you get so mad when I left?"
"You gotta understand something. After your mother passed, all I saw was evil, everywhere. And all I cared about was keeping you boys alive. I wanted you... prepared. Ready. Except somewhere along the line I... uh... I stopped being your father and I... I became your drill sergeant. So when you said that you wanted to go away to school, all I could think about, my only thought was that you were gonna be alone. Vulnerable. Sammy, it just never occurred to me what you wanted. I just couldn't accept the fact that you and me were just different." Sam huffed a laugh. "What?"
"We're not different. Not anymore. With what happened to Mom and Jess... well, we probably have a lot more in common than just about anyone."
"I guess you're right, son."
"Hey, Dad? Whatever happened to that college fund?"
John smiled. "I spent it on ammo."
They looked at each other. Sam cracked up, as did John. Pedro smiled lightly, finally looking up from his book.
Dean and Susana entered the room and the former said, "Whew. Man, some heavy security to protect a bunch of dead guys."
"Get it?" John and Pedro asked.
Dean fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a paper bag, and from that, a bottle full of red liquid. He handed it to John.
"You know what to do," John told them.
ROAD
Dean leaned over the open trunk of the Impala, looking at the engine.
"Car trouble?" a woman asked.
Dean turned to see Kate who continued. "Let me give you a lift. I'll take you back to my place."
Dean grinned. "Nah, I'll pass. I usually draw the line at necrophilia."
"Oooh." She backhanded him, then grabbed his face and lifted him into the air.
Dean grabbed her wrist. "I don't usually get this friendly until the second date, but..."
"You know, we could have some fun. I always like to make new friends." She lowered him to her level and kissed him, still holding his cheeks tightly.
Another vampire watched, smiling.
"Sorry," Dean said. "I don't usually stay with a chick that long. Definitely not eternity." He glanced at Susana, hoping for a future with her.
An arrow pierced the other vampire's back and a second later, the same happened to Kate.
Kate looked down at the point sticking out of her chest. "Damn it."
After a moment, she added, "It barely even stings."
"Give it time, sweetheart," John told her. "That arrow's soaked in dead man's blood. It's like poison to you, isn't it?"
Kate looked shocked, then wavered and lost consciousness.
"Load her up." John gestured to the other vamps. "Pedro and I'll take care of this one."
John and Pedro approached the other camp who was sitting groggily on the ground. They raised their machetes and brought them down. Blood sprayed over a boulder.
That night, they had a campfire burning. John handed Dean a bag with a body and they moved from the Impala's trunk back towards the fire where Sam and Susana were patrolling with machetes.
"Toss this on the fire," John instructed. "Saffron, skunk's cabbage and trillium. It'll block our scent and hers, until we're ready."
Dean sniffed it and coughed. "Stuff stinks!"
"That's the idea. Dust your clothes with the ashes and you stand a chance of not being detected."
"You sure they'll come after her?" Sam asked.
Pedro nodded. "Yeah. Vampires mate for life. She means more to the leader than the gun. But the blood sickness is going to wear off soon, so you don't have a lot of time."
"A half-hour oughta do it."
"And then Pedro and I want you out of the area as fast as you can," John instructed.
"But..."
Dean cut him off. "Dad, you and Pedro can't take care of them all."
"We'll have her. And the Colt," John said.
"But after," Sam said. "We're gonna meet up, right? Use the gun together. Right?"
There was a long pause and Sam came to a realization. "You two are leaving again, aren't you? You two still wanna go after this demon alone. You know, I don't get you. You can't treat us like this."
"Like what?" John asked.
"Like children."
"You are my children. Susana is Pedro's daughter. We're trying to keep you safe."
"Dad, all due respect, but, that's a bunch of crap," Dean said.
Sam, John, Pedro and Sussna looked at Dean, shocked.
"Excuse me?" John questioned.
"You two know what Sammy, Susie and I have been hunting. Hell, you two sent us on a few hunting trips yourselves. You two can't be worried about keeping us safe."
"It's not the same thing, Dean."
"Then what is it? Why do you want us out of the big fight?"
"This demon? It's a bad son of a bitch. Pedro and I can't make the same moves if we're worried about keeping you alive."
"You mean you two can't be as reckless."
"Look... Pedro sjd I don't expect to make it out of this fight in one piece. Your mother's death, it almost killed me. If Pedro's wife died, he'd be devastated too. We can't watch our children die too, we won't."
"What happens if you two die? Dad, Pedro, what happens if you two die and we coulda done something about it. You know, I been thinking. I... maybe Sammy's right about this one. We should do this together." Sam and Susana nodded. "We're stronger as a family, Dad, Pedro. We just are. You know it."
"We're running out of time. You do your job and you get out of the area. That's an order."
They made their way back to the road near the vamp nest. John went to get Kate, and Dean went to free the victims of the vamps.
Sam, Dean and Susana gathered in the trees and watched as Kate swung around, knocking John back against his truck. Luther approached, backhanding John back against his open car door, shattering the glass before he landed unconscious on the ground. Luther approached again.
An arrow pierced one of the vamps and Sam, Dean and Susana ran out of the trees, Dean and Sam paused to line up and shoot another vamp with their crossbows. Susana moved towards Luther who backhanded her. Sam and Dean grabbed a machete and turned to help, but Luther had his arm around Susana's throat.
"Don't!" Luther cried. "I'll break her neck. Put the blades down."
For a moment, Dean and Sam did nothing. Luther tightened his hold on Susana's neck, cutting off her supply completely. Dean and Sam dropped their machetes.
"You people," Luther said. "Why can't you leave us alone? We have as much right to live as you do."
John and Pedro, from behind, replied, "I don't think so."
Luther turned. John raised the Colt and shot him between the eyes. Luther let go of Susana who stumbled away, gasping, and Dean pulled Susana behind him and Sam. A sigil appeared where the bullet hit Luther and he stumbled. A brief flash of light reflected his skeleton, before he fell to his knees.
"Luther!" Kate cried.
Another flash of light passed through Luther and he slumped to the ground, dead.
Kate started towards John. Another vamp grabbed her, pulling her to their car. They took off, wheels screaming.
MOTEL ROOM
Sam, Dean and Susana were packing as John and Pedro entered.
"So boys, Susana," John said as they turned to face him.
"Yes sir," Sam answered.
"You ignored a direct order back there."
"Yes sir."
"Yeah, but we saved your ass," Dean shot back.
"And my daughter's," Pedro added.
"You're right," John told him.
"I am?" Dean asked.
"It scares the hell out of me. You two are all I've got. Susana is the only kid Pedro's got. But I guess we are stronger as a family. So... let's go after this damn thing. Together."
Pedro nodded. "I'm in."
"Yes sir," the boys replied in unison.
"Yeah, John, Dad," Susana agreed.