BOBBY'S PANIC ROOM
Sam was inside the room. Dean was just outside, talking through the little barred window in the door.
"Okay," Sam said. "Let me out. This is not funny."
"Damn straight," Dean replied.
"Dean, come on. This is crazy."
"No. Not until you dry out."
"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you or Elena. Just open the door."
"You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault. It's not your fault that you lied to me and Elena over and over again. I get it now. You couldn't help it."
"I'm not some junkie."
"Really? I guess I've just imagined how strung out you've been lately."
"You're actually trying to twist this into some kind of ridiculous drug intervention?"
"If it smells like duck."
"Dean, I'm not drinking demon blood for kicks. I'm getting strong enough to kill Lilith."
"Strong?"
"Yeah."
Dean frowned. "This is about as far away from strong as you can get. Try weak. Try desperate. Pathetic."
"Killing Lilith is what matters. Or are you so busy being self-righteous you forgot about her?"
"Oh, Lilith's gonna die. Bobby, Elena and I will kill her. But not with you."
"You're not serious."
"Congrats, Sammy," Dean said. "You just bought yourself a benchwarmer seat to the apocalypse."
"Dean, Seri, look - no, wait-"
Dean shut the window.
Sam called after them. "Come back here. Dean! Let me out of here! Dean! Let me out of here! Let me out! Dean!"
INT. BOBBY'S PANIC ROOM
Sam banged on the door and circled the room. The room blurred and the light flickered.
"Guys!" Sam called. "Get down here! Something's coming!"
"Hello, Sam," Alastair greeted. "It's a pleasure to see you again. Looks like I have you all to myself here. Goodness. How will we pass the time?"
Sam was bound to a cross inside a Devil's Trap, gagged. "Don't. No, no, don't. Don't, don't. No - stop! Stop! Alastair - please. Please."
"So polite all of a sudden. Very nice. I appreciate that."
"No. Alastair, please. No, no-"
Sam screamed. He was neither gagged nor bound, but instead was on the cot in the middle of the Devil's Trap, arms over the open air on either side.
"No," Sam said. "No. God, no! Please! Please, please. God!"
BOBBY'S LIVING ROOM
Bobby poured three glasses of whiskey and handed one to Dean and one to Elena.
"Stop! Stop!" Sam yelled.
"How long is this gonna go on?" Dean wondered.
"Here, let me look it up in my demon-detox manual," Bobby replied. "Oh wait. No one ever wrote one. No telling how long it'll take. Hell, or if Sam will even live through it."
The phone rang. Bobby sighed and answered. "Hello." ... "Suck dirt and die, Rufus. You call me again, I'll kill you."
"What's up with Rufus?" Elena asked.
"He knows."
The phone rang and Bobby answered again. "I'm busy, you son of a bitch. This better be important."
BOBBY'S PANIC ROOM
Sam realized he was neither gagged nor bound and was surprised.
"The answer's yes," a boy said. "You're hallucinating."
Sam looked at the boy who continued. "That's right, it's me. Or I mean it's you."
"I'm losing my mind," Sam stated.
"Definitely," young Sam agreed.
"What do you want?"
"An explanation. How could you do this to me? I thought we were gonna be normal."
"I tried. I did. It didn't pan out that way. Sorry, kid."
""Sorry, kid"?" That's what you have to say? It's all we ever wanted. We were so close. You got away from Dad. You quit hunting. You were gonna become a lawyer and get married. Why'd you blow it?"
"Look. They killed Jessica."
"Yeah. And if you hadn't run off with Dean, if you'd been there to protect her, she'd still be alive."
"I know."
"You think Jess would want you to turn into this? She loved you. You think she'd be happy you using her as an excuse?"
"I'm sorry. I am. But life doesn't turn out the way you thought when you were 14 years old. We were never gonna be normal. We were never gonna get away. Grow up."
"Maybe you're right. Maybe there's no escape. After all, how can you run from what's inside you?"
Young Sam's eyes turned yellow.
BOBBY'S LIVING ROOM
"The news," Bobby stated. "The news ain't good."
Dean frowned. "This is what Rufus called about? 'Key West sees ten species go extinct'."
"Yep. Plus Alaska. 15-man fishing crew all stricken blind, cause unknown. New York, teacher goes postal, locks the door, kills exactly 66 kids. All this in a single day. I looked the them up. There's no doubt about it. They're all seals. Breaking. Fast."
"How many are left?" Elena questioned.
Bobby met her eyes. "Who knows? Can't be many. Where the hell is your angel pal?"
"You tell us," Dean said.
"I'm just wondering."
"What?"
"The apocalypse being nigh and all... is now really the right time to be having this little domestic drama of ours?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I don't like this any more that you two do, but Sam can kill demons. He's got a shot at stopping Armageddon."
"So what? Sacrifice Sam's life, his should, for the greater good? Is that what you're saying? Times are bad, so let's use Sam as a nuclear warhead."
"Look, I know you and Saoirse hate me for suggesting it. I hate me for suggesting it. I love that boy like my son. All I'm saying is maybe he's here right now instead of on the battlefield because we love him too much."
BOBBY'S PANIC ROOM
Sam sat crosslegged on the floor of the room and looked around. The room blurred in and out of focus. Sam spotted the pitcher of water and tree to get it; he had to brace himself on the cot to get off the floor.
"Poor baby," a woman said.
Sam looked up, startled. "Mom."
Mary was wearing a white nightgown with a large bloodstain. "Sam. You look just awful."
Sam laughed. "Let's hear it. Go ahead."
"What do you mean?"
"You're disappointed. You never thought I'd turn out this way. I'm a piss-poor excuse for a son. Your heart is broken. Am I close?"
"Not at all. You're doing the right thing, Sam. What you're doing is brave. You're not being crazy, you're being practical. Sam, I am so proud of you."
"But - but Dean and Elena-"
"Your brother and friend don't understand. I was raised a hunter from a long line. We understand that there are gonna be hard choices. And we do what we have to to get the job done. Yes, our family is cursed. But you - you have the power to turn it into a gift. You can use it against them."
"For revenge?"
"No, for justice. I know how scared you are."
"What's in me, Mom, it's-"
"Evil. And you know it."
"What if it's strong than me? Look at me. What if Dean and Elena are right?"
"Dean and Elena can never know how strong you are, because Dean and Elena are weak. Look at what he's done to you. Locking you in here? He's terrified. She may be terrified. They're in over their heads. You have to go on without them. You have what it takes. You have to kill Lilith."
Sam frowned. His brother and Elena weren't weak. Far from it. "Even if it kills me."
"Make my death mean something. I'm counting on you, Sam. Don't let anyone or anything get in your way. Not even Dean and Elena." She kissed Sam and vanished.
EXT. BOBBY'S SALVAGE YARD - NIGHT
"Well, it's about time," Dean said. "I've been screaming myself hoarse out here for about two-and-a-half hours now."
"What do you want?" Castiel asked.
"You can start with what the hell happened in Illinois."
"What do you mean?"
"Cut the crap. You were gonna tell me something."
"Well, nothing of import."
"You got ass-reamed to Heaven but it was not of import?"
"Dean, I can't. I'm sorry. Get to the reason you really called me. It's about Sam, right?"
"Can he do it? Kill Lilith, stop the apocalypse?"
"Possibly, yes. But as you know, he'd have to take certain steps."
"Crank up the hell-blood regimen."
"Consuming the amount of blood it would take to kill Lilith would change your brother forever. Most likely, he would become the next creature that you and Elena would feel compelled to kill. There's no reason this would come to pass, Dean, Elena. I believe it's you and Elena, not your brother or friend. The only question for us is whether you're willing to accept it. Stand up and accept your role. You are the one who will stop it and Elena will do what she can."
"If Elena and I do this, Sammy doesn't have to?"
"If it gives you comfort to see it that way."
"God, you're a dick these days." He walked a few steps away and sighed. "Fine, I'm in."
"You give yourself over wholly to the service of God and his angels?"
"Yeah, exactly."
"Say it."
"I give myself over to serve God and you guys."
"You swear to follow his will and his word as swiftly and obediently as you did your own father's?"
"Yes, I swear. Now what?"
"Now you wait, and we call upon you when it's time."
BOBBY'S PANIC ROOM
Sam sat on the floor, twitching. Black veins spread across his palms and up his arms. He got up and looked in the mirror to see black veins spreading across his face.
"Guys!" Sam cried. "Help!"
BOBBY'S LIVING ROOM
Sam's cries were heard. "Bobby! Dean! Elena! Help! Hey! Hey! Guys! Guys! Help! Dean!"
Bobby frowned. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you willingly signed up to be the angels' bitch?" Dean looked at him. "I'm sorry. You prefer 'sucker'? After everything you said about them, now you trust them?"
"Come on, give me a little extra credit, Bobby," Dean said. "I've never trusted them less. I mean, they come on like shady politicians from planet Vulcan."
"Then why the hell did you-"
"Because what other choice do I have? It's either trust the angels or let Sammy trust a demon."
"I see your point."
"You guys hear that?" Elena asked as she walked up.
"Yeah, that's a little too much nothing," Bobby answered.
Dean, Bobby and Elena hurried to the basement and opened the window in the door. Sam was on the floor of the panic room, having a seizure.
"What if he's faking?" Dean questioned.
"You really think he would?"
"I can't speak for Elena, but I think he'd do anything."
Elena shook her head. "That isn't faking, Dean."
Sam was slammed against the wall by an invisible force.
"Saoirse's right. That ain't faking," Bobby said.
They threw open the door and charged in to get Sam down and pinned him to the cot.
"We're gonna have to tie him down for his own safety," Bobby instructed. "Dean? Elena? You two with me? Dean! Elena! Before he has another fit."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get it over with."
"Support his head," Elena ordered.
BOBBY'S PANIC ROOM
Sam, calm, discovered he'd been chained to the cot and sat up.
"We had to," Dean told him. "The demon blood was flinging you all over the room. Tell us something, Sam. Why did you do this to yourself?"
"You two know why," Sam answered.
"Right," Elena said. "'Kill Lilith'. The big excuse. But why? What, revenge? Right?"
"Of course."
"Revenge for what? For sending me to Hell?" Dean shot back. "Did you happen to notice I'm back? Alive and kicking. So what's the point?"
"Point? How about 'stop the damn apocalypse'?" He was addressing an empty room.
"Our gig," Dean said. "Not yours. The angels said so, remember? God picked me, man. So you got any other fantastic excuses? Hmm?"
BOBBY'S LIVING ROOM
"I'm gonna ask one more time. Are we absolutely sure we're doing the right thing?" Bobby asked.
Dean frowned. "Bobby, you and Elena saw what was happening to him down there. The demon blood is killing him."
"No, it isn't. We are."
"What?" Dean questioned.
"I'm sorry. I can't bite my tongue any longer. We're killing him. Keeping him locked up down there. This cold-turkey thing isn't working. If-If he doesn't get what he needs, soon, Sam's not gonna last much longer."
Elena shook her head. "No. Dean and I aren't giving him demon blood. We won't do it."
"And if he dies?" Bobby pressed.
"Then at least he dies human!" Dean yelled.
BOBBY'S PANIC ROOM
"I know why you really drink that blood, Sam," Dean said.
"Just leave me alone," Sam replied.
"Makes you feel strong. Invincible. A big bad wolf in a world of little pigs. Like Elena with whatever she can do."
"No. You're wrong, Dean."
"It's more than that, isn't it? It's because your whole life, you felt different. Am I close?"
"Stop."
"Oh, hit a little close to home, huh? Not different because you were some lonely kid or because of your weirdo family."
"Stop it."
"Because you're a monster."
"Shut up! Just - shut. The hell. Up."
"You were always a monster. And you only feel right when you're sucking down more poison and more evil."
Sam rattled his chain.
BOBBY'S LIVING ROOM
"I would die for him in a second, but we won't let him do this to himself," Dean said. "We can't. I guess we found our line. She and I won't let my brother turn into a monster."
BOBBY'S PANIC ROOM
"Monster, Sam. You're a monster," Dean told him.
"Dean, no," Sam replied.
Dean stared at Sam. "And I tried so hard to pretend that we were brothers. That you weren't one of the filthy things that we hunt. But I'm not even the same species. You are nothing to me."
"Don't you say that to me. Don't you say that to me."
Sam looked around the empty room.
Night fell and the cuff on Sam's left arm opened, then his left ankle, then the other two. The door opened. Sam sat up, confused.
"Hello?" Sam called, getting up and slipping out the door. "Someone here?"
Sam hurried quietly from the basement without noticing Castiel behind the stairs. From a distance, Castiel closed and locked the panic room door.
CITY RIVERFRONT
Castiel stood at a railing, looking over the water. The streetlights flickered. He turned to see Anna.
"What did you do?" Anna asked.
"You shouldn't have come, Anna," Castiel replied.
"Why would you let out Sam Winchester?"
"Those were my orders."
"Orders? Cas, you saw him. He's drinking demon blood. It's so much worse than we thought. Dean and Saoirse were trying to stop him."
"You really shouldn't have come."
Two angels appeared on either side of Anna. White light illuminated Castiel and when it was gone, so were the other three angels. Castiel turned back to the river.
BOBBY'S SALVAGE YARD
Sam was working on stealing a car. A gun cocked and he turned.
"Uh-uh, Sam," Bobby said. "The only place you're going is back inside with me."
"No," Sam replied.
"Damn it, boy."
"You won't shoot me, Bobby."
"Don't test me."
"You won't do it. You can't do it."
"We're trying to help you, Sam."
Sam took hold of Bobby's shotgun so Bobby couldn't aim anywhere but point-blank at Sam. "Then shoot."
There was a long pause. Sam took the gun and knocked Bobby down, then threw the gun on the ground and returned to hot-wiring the car and drove off.
BOBBY'S PANIC ROOM
Bobby, Dean and Elena unlocked and opened the panic room door.
"How the hell did he get out?" Dean asked.
"Maybe he had help," Bobby guessed. "Room full of busted Devil's Traps."
Elena narrowed her eyes. "Demons? Ruby."
"That'd be my guess."
"How did she even touch the door?"
"You two think she's got the mojo?" Bobby wondered.
"I didn't think so," Dean replied.
Bobby frowned. "What difference does it make? How he got gone ain't as important as where he got gone to."
"Well, I'll tell you one thing. At this point I hope he's with Ruby."
"Why?"
"'Cause killing her's the next big item on our to-do list," Elena answered.
Bobby looked at Dean. "I thought you were on call for angel duty."
"I am on call," Dean said. "In my car, on my way to murder the bitch. Elena?"
She nodded. "I'll come with you."
Dean and Elena left the room.
"One thing," Bobby stated.
"What?" Dean and Elena questioned.
"Sam don't wanna be found, which means he's gonna be damn near impossible to find."
Elena met his eyes. "Yeah, we'll see."
NICE HOTEL ROOM
Sam sat in the corner, shaking. He got up. Someone knocked on the door. He answered to see Ruby.
"Honeymoon suite, really?" Ruby said. "I'm flattered."
Sam shut the door behind her. "Did you bust me out of that room?"
"How could I, Sam? The whole thing's engineered to bite me in the ass."
"Then how did I get out of there?"
"I don't know. I don't wanna know. You're out. That's all that matters. I'm glad you're here."
"Yeah? Where the hell have you been?"
"I got here as quick as I could."
"I mean the past three weeks. I've been calling you."
"I've been pretty deep in it trying to dig out Lilith. Sometimes I can't sit around and check my voicemail. I'm sorry you're hurting. Really. I had no idea that Dean would do that to you."
"You and me both."
"You didn't book this joint just to impress me, did you?"
"Dean and Elena are gonna come after me. They know my habits, my aliases, everything; Dean especially. They know exactly which motel I'd pick."
"Hence the room."
"Whatever it takes to shake them."
"It won't be easy. I mean, they know you better than anyone."
"Not as well as they think."
"You know, it's sad."
"What?"
"That things have gotten this bad between you three."
Ruby stroked Sam's hair. Sam slammed Ruby down onto the bed and leaned over her, moving down her body until he found the knife in her ankle sheath. He drew it and cut her arm, then leaned down to suck her blood and she smirked.
BOBBY'S SALVAGE YARD
"Police found my car," Bobby informed. "Abandoned in an alley in Jamestown, North Dakota."
"He's switching it up," Dean realized. "Any other cars stolen in Jamestown?"
"Two. 1999 Honda Civic, blue. Nice and anonymous, like Sam likes."
"What was the other one?" Elena asked.
"White '05 Escalade with custom rims. It's a neon sign."
"You're right. He'd never take that. Which is exactly what he did," Dean said.
Bobby looked between the goddess and Dean. "You two think?"
"I know that kid, Elena knows him reasonably well," Dean said. "All right, Elena and I'll head in that direction. You stay here, ride the police databases. We gotta find him quick."
HONEYMOON SUITE
Ruby was lying in bed next to Sam, both wearing fewer layers.
"You're appetite's gotten much bigger," Ruby commented.
Sam frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Sam, relax. It's okay. It's good. Just means you're getting strong, that's all. It means you're strong enough to kill Lilith. Just in time, too, because the final seals are breaking."
"How many are left?"
"Three... two..."
"What? Where are the angels?"
"Screwing the pooch, wherever they are. The point its, it's looking more and more like we're getting down to the final seal. And I found out something big."
"What?"
"Seal 66. It can't be broken by just any demon. Apparently, only Lucifer's first can do it."
"Lucifer's first?"
"Demon Sunday school story. God prefers humans to angels. Lucifer gets jealous and then he gets creative. And he twists and tempts a human soul into the very first demon as a 'screw you' to God. It's what got him locked up in the first place."
"That was Lilith?"
"She's way older than she looks."
"Wait. So if Lilith is the only one who can break the final seal, if I get to her in time-"
"Then Lucifer never busts out of his cage. Exactly."
"Great. You figure out where she is?"
"The bitch can hide. But I finally have a lead on someone who might be able to help us. I closed in on a member of Lilith's entourage. You might call her a personal chef."
"Chef? Seriously? What does she eat?"
"You don't wanna know."
HOSPITAL
A voice over the intercom said, "X-ray head to Radiology."
"How about that horrible thing at St. Paul's?" a blonde nurse questioned.
"No," the brunette nurse replied.
"One of the neonatal nurses walked right off the unit with two babies."
"You are kidding me."
"Swear to God. Worked there 17 years. Then one day, out of the blue, she just does it."
The nurses entered the baby-filled nursery.
"That's just horrifying," the brunette nurse commented.
"Now she's saying that she doesn't even remember what happened," the blonde nurse said. "Like she was possessed."
"Heh, nuts."
"I know. Who could ever lay a finger on them?"
"I know. They're just delicious." Her eyes turned demon black.
HONEYMOON SUITE
"She'll be there," Ruby said. "Graveyard shift tomorrow night. Meantime, if you're gonna be strong enough to kill Lilith, you're gonna need more than I can give you now." Sam sighed. "Sam. Come on. It's okay."
"I know I need more," Sam told her. "I get it. I know it's okay. I just - I wish they'd trusted me, you know?"
"Sorry."
"I just hope... you know, when all this is over... I hope we can fix things."
BOBBY'S HOUSE / DEAN'S CAR
"Cops found the Escalade in a ditch outside Elk River," Bobby informed.
"How far away are Elena and I?" Dean asked.
"A couple of hours. I pulled up a weather map, made some calls. There's a town not far from there, Cold Spring. Lighting up with demon sign."
"A good place to look," Elena stated.
"Hey, listen."
"What?" Dean and Elena asked.
"Us finding Sam? It's gotta be about getting him back, not pushing him away."
"Right."
"I know you're mad, Dean," Bobby replied. "I understand. You got a right to be, but I'm just saying. Be good to him anyway. You two gotta get through to him."
Dean hung up.
MOTEL HALLWAY
Sam left the motel room. Dean and Elena , hidden, watched him go, then entered the room.
HONEYMOON SUITE
Ruby was still in the room. She, Dean and Elena fought.
Sam reentered and defended Ruby. "No. Let her go. Just take it easy."
Dean frowned. "Well, it must've been some part you two had going, considering how hard you tried to keep me and Elena from crashing it. Well, solid try, but here we are."
"Dean, Elena, I'm glad you're both here. Look. Let's just talk about this."
"Sure," Elena said. "Soon as she's dead, we can chat all you want."
"Ruby, get out of here."
"No, she's not going anywhere," Dean retorted.
Ruby made her escape and Sam watched her go.
"She's poison, Sam," Dean told him.
"It's not what you think, Dean, Elena."
"Look what she did to you. I mean, she up and vanishes weeks at a time, leaves you crackling out for another hit-"
"She was looking for Lilith."
"That is French for manipulating your ass ten ways from Sunday."
"You're wrong, Dean."
Elena shook her head. "Sam, you're lying to yourself. Dean and I just want you to be okay. You would do the same for me or him. You know you would."
"Just listen." He raised his hand, realizing he was still holding Ruby's knife that he'd taken from Dean and tossed the knife on the bed. "Just listen for a second. We got a lead on a demon close to Lilith. Come with us, Dean, Saoirse. We'll do this together."
Dean and Elena exchanged a look before he replied, "That sounds great. As long as it's you, me and Seri. Demon bitch is a dealbreaker. You kiss her goodbye, we can go right now."
"I can't." Dean and Elena turned away, nodding. "Dean, Elena, I need her to help me kill Lilith. I know you two can't wrap your heads around it, but maybe one day you'll both understand. I'm the only one who can do this, Dean, Elena."
Dean turned back around. "No, you're not the one who's gonna do this."
"Right, that's right, I forgot. The angels think it's you."
"You don't think I can?"
"No. You can't. You're not strong enough."
"And who the hell are you?"
"I'm being practical here. I'm doing what needs to be done."
"Yeah? You're not gonna do a single damn thing."
"Stop bossing me around, Dean. Look. My whole life, you take the wheel, you call the shots, and I trust you because you're my brother. Now I'm asking you, for once, trust me."
"No. You don't know what you're doing, Sam."
"Yes, I do."
"Then that's worse," Elena said in a sad tone.
"Why? Look, I'm telling you two-"
Elena pursed her lips and looked at Sam sadly.
Dean spoke. "Because it's not something that you're doing, it's what you are! It means-" He cut himself off.
"What? No. Say it." He had tears in his eyes.
"It means you're a monster."
Sam nodded. A tear fell from Dean's eye. Sam didn't see it before he punched Dean. Dean went down hard then got back up and watched Sam for a moment before punching back. Elena tried breaking up the fight with no luck.
Sam and Dean fought while Elena tried to stop them, Sam dominating. Anything in the room that could break did so. Dean hit the floor and didn't get up. Sam pinned him down while keeping Elena back, choking him, then let go.
"You two don't know me," Sam said. "You two never did. And you two never will." He walked away.
"You walk out that door, don't you ever come back," Dean told him.
Sam stopped at the door and turned back, then left.
Elena stared at the door, wondering if Sam would come back, but the door remained shut. "Oh, Sammy," she whispered.