Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier sounded pretty good for Karina's reading time considering the trio was driving miles in the Impala together. She was in the backseat for the comfort of reading while the Winchesters were discussing the case that Dean found.
"So..." chuckled Sam. "... what's with this job?"
"Dude suffers a head-on collision in a parked car? I'd say that's worth checking out."
"Yeah, definitely. But we got bigger problems, don't you think?"
"I'm sure the Apocalypse I'll still be there when we get back."
Sam nodded understandably, "Right, yeah, but I mean if-if the Colt is really out there somewhere and if we use Lioness's blade-"
"Hey, we've been looking for three weeks. We got bupkis. Remember Kay mentioned that Lioness sided with the Devil? I'm not sure we should trust her on the fact it can kill anything."
"Okay... but Dean, I mean, if we're gonna ice the Devil--"
"This is what we're doing! Okay? End of discussion."
Sam turned his head aside, then he gave a great sigh. Dean looked back at the road, drowning in thoughts. Karina looked between them, she rolled her eyes as she closed the book.
"That's my cue.' Karina pulled herself up against the front seat to talk to Sam, "Sam... He's saying that this is our first real case together as a trio like it used to be. Not Angels, Demons, Lioness of God--nothing. I think this is a good second chance for all of us as a team."
Dean nodded as he suggested, "Like training wheels." Karina scoffed, then she smacked him in the head for the worse simile.
Sam asked when he looked down offendedly, "So you think I need training wheels?"
"No, dumbass meant like together. All of us. Sam, Karina, and Dean as a dynamic trio, okay?"
"Okay."
Dean looked after Sam, "Like Kay said, I really want this to be a fresh start, you know? For the three of us."
Sam looked after Dean and Karina whose eyes were on him. Karina softly smiled at him while he nodded as he agreed on the deal. Sam and Karina stared for a moment with hopeful gleamy eyes at each other. Taking all the moments they had for each other before their heads departed.
***
When they all arrived at Canton, Ohio, they were all dressed up as FBI Agents. Karina had her wavy hair down on her shoulders while she dressed in a black tie-blazer and skirt. They all showed their badges to the Sheriff, "Agents Bonham, Taylor, and Copeland."
Sheriff introduced himself as he shook their hands after Dean's introduction, "Rick Carnegie. Good to know you. So you're here on account of Cal Hopkin's death?"
Sam answered, "That's right."
"Well, afraid you came a long way for nothing. We already booked the guy that did it."
Trio looked at each other as they all frowned in confusion. Karina slowly asked, "Who do you think did it, I'm sorry?"
Rick guided them into the private room where he showed the videotape that Jim Grossman was recording of Cal Hopkin's death. Trio was focusing on Sheriff's point after the tape ended from the bloody scenery. He turned off the television before turning around to the trio, "Sicko taped his own handiwork."
Trio was still confused when Karina slowly pointed out, "We don't follow."
"It was Jim Grossman that killed Cal." Sam and Karina shared looks while Dean examined the nonsense. He continued on, "Well, he was the only one on the scene for miles."
Sam pointed out, "They were best friends."
"Most violent crimes are committed by someone close to the victim."
"And how exactly did Jim slam Cal into a windshield with all the force of an 80-mile-per-hour crash?"
"Drugs, maybe?" Dean raised his eyebrows before Karina looked in the distance. She slowly shook her head while her eyes were closed. "Look, you know this ain't brain surgery, guys! Whatever it looks like, that's what it usually is. It's simple."
Dean looked over his shoulder at Sam and Karina after his comment, "Simple. Right."
Sam suggested, "Right. If you don't mind, we'd like to speak to Jim Grossman anyway."
Dean and Karina were standing beside each other while Sam sat on the chair near the table. They all meet Jim who was questioned by them in his cell, "I was in the house when it happened, I didn't see it."
Karina advised him, "Trust me, pal, we believe you."
"Why would you? The cops didn't."
"We're not your typical cops."
Sam inferred from Dean's comment, "Please, just tell us what you saw."
"It's not what I saw, it's what I heard. Tires squealing, glass breaking. It was the car that did it."
They all raised their eyebrows at the approach, until Sam made sure, "The car?"
"I mean, I heard about the curse, but I just thought it was a load of crap."
Dean repeated, "Curse? What do you mean, curse?"
"The car. Little Bastard."
Dean and Karina's eyes went wide open with excitement until Dean asked as he was holding his excitement down. "Li-Little Bastard? As in the Little Bastard?"
Sam was confused as he looked at them between, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, what's Little Bastard?"
"It's James Dean's car. It's the one he was killed in."
Jim pointed it out, "Yeah, that's the one. Cal had been looking for it for years. I mean, hell, we both had. But he found it first."
Dean leaned closer to Sam while he spoke in his ear, "Oh, we are definitely checking this out."
Meanwhile, the trio was in an impound garage and there it was. The Porche Little Bastard awaits, including the bloody stain upon the windshield. Dean was walking around the car as he took the moment while Sam and Karina were watching him weirdly. Sam began to ask, "So, what, this is like Christine?"
Dean shook his head, "Christine is fiction. This-This is real."
"Okay." Karina squinted her eyes at the car while Sam exchanged looks with her before looking at Dean. "Enlighten us."
"Well after James Dean died, his mechanic bought the wreckage, and he fixed it up. And it repaid him by..." He clicked his tongue as he hand-gestured, "... falling on him. And Tony McHenry was killed when it locked up on the racetrack. I mean, death follows this car around like exhaust. Nobody touches it and comes away in one piece."
"Hmm."
"Then, in 1970, it vanished off the back of a truck. Nobody's ever seen it since. I'm telling you, guys, if this-if this car is Little Bastard, I will bet you dollars to donuts it's what killed the guy."
"So how do we find out?" asked Karina.
"Cal matched the VIN number, but the only real way to know is the engine number."
Karina nodded softly while she grinned, "So the number is--"
"On the engine." Dean looked at the car, nervously. "Yeah."
Sam and Dean had their jackets off and sleeves rolled up, they both stared at the car. Hesitating while Karina sighed impatiently between them. Sam asked Dean, who was holding the pencil and paper, "You want me to do it?"
"No. No-no, I've--got it." Dean stood still, hesitating while Karnia rolled her eyes and then pushed him to the car. Dean glared at Karina when she gave him a grin. He sighed, shaking as he looked at the car and began to talk. "Okay, baby. I'm not gonna hurt you, so... don't hurt me."
He lowered himself on the board with the pencil in his mouth, he rolled underneath the car. Sam and Karina waited before Sam lowered beside the car. He asked him for a flashlight until Dean shut him up terrified. Sam stood up while he and Karina were smirking in humor.
Dean slid out of the car, then exhaled deeply, and stood up quickly. Sam and Karina gave him judgmental looks while he was breathing still and calmly. He passed the paper to Sam and cleared his throat, "Find out who owned it. Not just the last owner-- you gonna take it all the way back to 1955."
"That's a lot of research."
Dean looked at Sam while he nodded shakily, "Well, I guess I just made your afternoon." Sam stared at him while he was still stressed. He whimpered softly as he made his exit. Karina volunteered to help Sam.
***
The sun was set upon the motel room, Sam was wearing his comfort clothing after suit. He was surrounded by a table with piles of paper and his laptop in front of him. He and Karina did the research and the result didn't satisfy them. Karina went out for a take-out dinner for her and Sam, not for Dean. Since he was punished enough to let them do the intense research.
Sam called his brother as he looked at the research to spread the bad news. "Hey. Took us a while, but we traced all the car's previous owners."
"Any of 'em die bloody?"
"No. In fact--" From the distant sound, he heard the billiard balls break from the triangle. "Dean, are you in the bar?"
"No, I-I'm-I'm in a restaurant." He overheard the female bartender offer him a beer, then he shook his head. "That happens to have a bar."
"We've been working our asses off here."
"Hey, world's smallest violin, pal, I spent the afternoon up Christine's skirt. I needed a drink."
"Actually, you didn't."
"Meaning?"
"The car's first owner was a cardiologist in Philadelphia-- drove it 'til he died in 1972."
"So you're saying?"
"That Porsche is not, nor has it ever been, James Dean's car. It's a fake Little Bastard."
"Well then, what was it that killed the guy?"
"Good question." Karina entered the room with bags of food, then Sam looked over. "I gotta go."
Sam hung up the call, leaving Dean hanging up without any exchange of words. He faced down on the papers and then swallowed his throat nervously. "Hey, stranger." Karina sat beside Wendy's bags, then she began to sort out the meals for two. "Parmesan Caesar salad for pour toi."
Sam raised his eyebrows in shock while Karina continued, "Spicy Chicken and Frosty pour moi."
"You know French?"
"Bien sûr, je connais le français. Je ne suis pas une petite idiote." Sam was still confused after she finished the language, then she laughed softly. "I know a little French, my father and I would watch foreign films, especially ones mostly taking place in Paris."
Karina began to sort her meal while Sam shook his hand in amazement. He chuckled lightly, then he began to sort his meal. "I swear every day I would learn more and more about you."
"So do you, why do you think I got your rabbit diet?" She took a bite of her sandwich with a pointed look while he laughed softly. Sam took his first bite then Karina asked, "So you got anything special for this weird case?"
"Not at all. I just informed Dean a while ago, we got nothing."
"Great."
Sam looked over at Karina who was eating her fries, then she dipped them in her Frosty. "Um... you believe that Ariel is not worth trusting?"
"I don't know what to believe. I mean, you got visited by Lucifer in your sleep and so did mine. But at the same time... I felt like I knew her like she's family." Sam gave a concerned look, "Look, I know it's bad, but... there is something missing here. Why would she be part of it? Why am I challenged to be part of it?"
"You're not going to say yes, are you?"
"No, Sam. I'm not going to say yes until I know what's going on. Mostly me."
"What are you talking about?"
Karina sighed before she turned to Sam to look into his eyes, "Sam... Remember that Ghouls case? The one we found your "brother"?" He nodded lightly, "Look, I don't know if you noticed it or not, but- I decapitated it with a blade. One blade. Somehow, I feel strongly that I can actually decapitate a supernatural creature with my bare hands."
"You think Ariel had something to do with it?"
"She's my bloodline, remember?" Sam shrugged as he slowly nodded, "The same thing happened with Ruby, your slut." Sam glared slightly at Karina when she grinned softly, "At that motel... I was stronger than her. I was close to putting that blade into her heart."
Sam sighed a little as he took it all in, then he remembered something else that happened from that day. It killed him, then he slowly spoke to her. "Karina... you were trying to help, I didn't listen."
"Sammy, I don't wanna talk about that."
"But we should! You didn't breathe. The next day, I thought you were dead. It was all my fault." Karina avoided him looking at her, then he began to confess. "It is the truth-- the reason why I wanted to end the Apocalypse. It was for you."
Karina looked at Sam, eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"
Sam lifted his head as their eyes connected. Beating hearts began to flow, his eyes were drawing each stench of her portrait. Her eyes relaxed, reading what was on his mind. His hand landed on her hand, her eyes followed the sight of the hands colliding together. His thumb rubbed softly against her knuckles, the electricity ran through her soul at the touch.
Karina raised her eyes at him as she saw him struggling for words. "Karina... I lo-"
The door opened and interrupted his saying, then each of them pulled the hands apart. Turning their heads toward Dean who entered the room, he began to untie his tie. He walked over to the table to see a bag for his order, "Ah, just what I needed. Thanks, Kay."
Karina rolled her eyes slightly at his mannerisms before she turned to Sam. "Hey, what were you going to say?"
Sam paused for a moment, knowing it wasn't the time. "Other time." He nodded awkwardly with a disappointed grin. She examined her eyes on him, knowing that he wasn't honest. She continued on eating her meal with a sided-looks on him.
***
The next day, there was another kill. Trio dressed in their FBI Agents' suits while they all investigated the crime scene, the details they gathered were all chaos. They approached the Sheriff who was clearly off with his head, then Dean spoke to him after he talked to the police.
"Heard you got another weird one."
He stuttered when he exited the scene to discuss with the trio, "Well, it's a- it's a little strange on the surface, I admit, but you-you know, once you-you look at the facts-"
Sam pointed out, "William Hill died from a gunshot wound to the head. No gun, no gunpowder, no bullet."
Karina shrugged, "Nope. Nothing strange about that."
"Well, there's gotta be a reasonable explanation. There always is."
"Sheriff, what is your reasonable explanation?"
He looked around cautiously for a moment and leaned toward them. He whispered, "Professional killer."
"Come again?" asked Sam.
"Well, CIA, NSA, one of them trained assassins-- like in Michael Clayton."
Sam, Karina, and Dean were silent while they were weirdly taken all over the moment. Dean spoke slowly, "Right." He looked over to Sam and Karina while they all shared looks before returning back to the Sheriff.
"You're welcome to look around, but-but these guys don't leave fingerprints."
"Mind if we talk with the witness?" asked Sam.
"Be my guest. She's not making any sense. And she's not making any sense in Spanish either."
Dean nodded slowly before repeating, "Right."
Trio walked out of the building, and they all saw a Hispanic maid talking to a police officer. She was sobbing hysterically, causing the poor officer to misunderstand the language she was speaking. Karina was trying to listen to what she was saying but she was frantically talking.
Dean spoke to her as he made the introduction to her while the officer left her be with the FBI. "Now, you said you saw something in the professor's house. Right? Something in the window?"
She continued to talk in Spanish while Dean looked at Sam and Karina for help. Karina was concentrating on what she was saying, translating in her head. Before the moment she opened her mouth, Sam volunteered to speak to her calmly in Spanish. He sat right beside her on the bench while he looked at Dean and Karina thinking for a moment before he continued on.
He left Karina impressed with a grin and so did Dean, "Nice."
"Freshman Spanish."
She spoke to him in Spanish while Karina understood what she said. Sam began to translate for them, "Okay, tall man, very tall. With a long black coat and a--" He looked at her to correct himself, "A beard?" She nodded, "A beard."
"Y un sombrero."
Dean asked, "Dude was wearing a sombrero?"
Sam corrected him, "A hat. Not a-a-" He gestured for a sombrero, then she spoke again. Sam and Dean were trying to translate for the tall hat while Karina looked between them with a humorous smirk. She knew exactly what she said, it was a stovepipe hat like Abraham Lincoln.
She nodded when they both got it right, "Si. El Presidente Lincoln." She cried out, "Abraham Lincoln kill Mr. Hill!!" Trio was all confused about the killings and now it got weirder. She asked them, "S-so I go home now?"
"Si. Gracias."
Dean and Karina responded with soft grins, "Gracias." She walked away while Sam looked at them, sharing confusing glances.
Meanwhile, they all went back to the motel room to do more investigating. Sam and Dean had their laptops while Karina was sitting between them, reading her book. Dean exclaimed softly as he looked at the laptop, then Sam and Karina noticed it. He turned his laptop to show a screen as he explained, including a figure in a red leather jacket.
"Here's a freeze-frame from Jim Grossman's video. Am I crazy, or does that look like James Dean?"
"That looks like James Dean."
"And you're not crazy."
Dean set his laptop back on the table, "So we got Abraham Lincoln and James Dean? Famous ghosts?"
"Maybe," said Sam.
"Well, that's just silly."
"No, actually, there is a ton of lore on famous ghosts. More than the-- you know, not-famous kinds. I'm actually surprised we haven't run into one before."
"Yeah, but now we got two of them? Two extremely pissed-off ghosts?"
"Who are apparently ganking their fans."
Karina turned to Sam after she read a page, "How so?"
"Professor Hill was a Civil War nut. He dug Lincoln."
"Cal was a nut-so for James... I mean he spent 17 years of his life finding that ugly-ass car."
Dean asked as he rephrased, "So you guys are saying that we've got two super-famous, super pissed-off ghosts kill their... super fans?"
Sam shrugged for a moment, "That's what it looks like."
"Well, that is muchos loco."
Sam chuckled softly when he opened his mouth to correct the language, then a voice interrupted him. "It's muy, not muchos." Karina corrected when she was reading the page while Dean slightly glared at Karina. Dean rolled his eyes when Sam looked at her, who winked at him slightly. He looked down, then gave a soft smile with the pink rushes upon his cheeks.
"Yeah, well, the big question is, what the hell are they doing here?"
"Exactly, ghosts haunted the places where they once lived. Lincoln-- the White House..."
"... and James Dean at a race track, but... what the hell are they doing in Canton?"
Dean got his answer when Sam found out the location where the possible solution was and it was creepy Karina out. All the things she wasn't afraid of, including Satan, were the worst for her. She even hated the movie House of Wax with Vincent Price and she couldn't bear to watch the remake. She crossed her arms when they all arrived at the location, the Canton Wax Museum.
There were many famous figures in wax all around the room, it was getting weirder and weirder for the case. Karina was cringing the whole time, trying to keep a straight face as she looked at the wax figures. Sam and Dean were in separate directions, looking at the different figures from Abraham Lincoln and Gandhi.
"Dudes, he's short."
"Hey." Dean looked over to Sam, "Gandhi was a great man."
"Yeah, for a Smurf."
A male voice entered the room, "Oh, sorry to keep you waiting." There was a short manager who was wearing a leather jacket as he jogged down the stairs. "This is our busiest time of the year."
Dean looked around, seeing no one but them. "This is busy?"
"Well, not right now, but it's early."
"It's 4:30."
"So, what can I do for you?"
Sam introduced, "Well, we are writing a piece for Travel Magazine."
"Yeah, how awesomely, non-creepy, non-boring wax museums are." Sam furrowed his eyebrows at Karina at her behavior then she controlled herself for not bursting out with honesty.
"That's fantastic! A little press, just what we need."
"Exactly, we're very interested in-in the works that you do. Like-like Lincoln for example and the classic James Dean."
"Two of our most popular displays."
Sam asked, "Oh, yeah? So they bring in a lot of visitors?"
"Yeah, we have our regulars."
Dean asked, "I don't suppose that William Hill and Cal Hawkins were regulars, were they?"
He nodded, "As a matter of fact, they were. Yeah, I heard what happened to them. It's tragic, just tragic. Well, that's not gonna be in the article, is it?"
"No, no, no. 'Course not."
Dean grinned at the Lincoln display, "You know, I gotta tell you, that Lincoln is so lifelike, I mean you-you can imagine him moving around. You ever seen anything like that?"
He frowned, "Uh... no." Dean repeated while he shook his head.
Karina asked, "Do you recall anything special about the museum, you know besides waxing people to death?" She nervously chuckled then she cleared her throat to be quiet.
"Well, I'll say. There isn't another place like us, not anywhere."
"How so?"
He pointed at Lincoln's display, "Well, for one, that's Honest Abe's real hat."
Sam asked softly, "It is?"
Dean looked at Sam and Karina as he made a point, "Almost like his remains."
Sam and Karina looked at Dean, cocking their heads at him. The manager looked at him weirdly, "I guess?" When he wasn't looking, Karina smacked Dean on the back of his head. He reacted to her quietly before Sam continued on asking.
"You wouldn't happen to have any of James Dean's personal effects, would you?"
"Ooh, yeah. Got his keychain. We got a bunch of stuff-- Gandhi's bifocals, FDR's iron lung. This." He indicated the leather jacket he was wearing.
"And who did that belong to?"
He pulled double thumb-ups at them, "The Fonz. Seasons 2 and through 4."
"W-wow. Yeah, that's--that's really cool... ish."
"This? This is nothing. I've been working on a new collection of figures. Stuff that'll really wow the kids."
Dean asked, "The kids?"
"Yeah, Gen "Y." Computer games, cell phones, sexting-- they're just fads. I'm gonna make wax museums hip again." He raised another double finger-guns at them, then Dean and Karina softly chuckled when Sam responded back with a small double thumbs-up.
***
The trunk was opened, revealing Sam and Karina suited the weapons up. He collected the rifles to load the salted bullets and cocked them up while Karina was gathering iron knives in her jacket and her holsters. Sam looked at her with a small grin, "So Huntress is afraid of wax figures?"
"Hey. Have you seen the movie? It scarred me for life!" Sam laughed softly, then Karina challenged him easily. "What are you going to do about it, Mr. Coulrophobia?"
"You know they are creepy."
"So do the wax displays." Karina raised her eyebrows as she made her point. Sam nodded his head when she made the rightful point, then he closed the lid and the trunk. "Come on, Georgie."
Sam rolled his eyes, then he followed her back to the motel room. When they both arrived in the room with chuckling grins on their faces, they both saw Dean talking on the phone by the window. "Yeah, Abraham Lincoln and James Dean, can you believe that? Why so kill-crazy? Ah, maybe the Apocalypse has got them all hot and bothered. Yeah, well, we all know whose fault that is."
Karina looked over Sam's face who frowned then she looked down at the floor. She swallowed her throat when reality appeared in her brain, stabbing glass laid across her memory. She did want a second chance with him as much as he does, but she can't trust him anymore. She distanced herself away from Sam as she sat down on the bed.
He noticed her distance when Dean continued on with the call, "Well, I'm sorry, but it's true." He slammed the door shut which caused Dean to turn around. He saw Sam and Karina in the same room, "I'll call you later. Bye." He hung up on the call and faced Sam.
"What's going on?"
"Did you guys get the trunk packed up?"
"Yeah, trunk's packed. Who was on the phone?"
He put away his cell phone, "Bobby."
"And?"
"Nothing."
"So we're just gonna pretend I didn't hear what I just heard?"
He shrugged as he backed away to grab his jacket, "Pretend or don't pretend. Whatever floats your boat."
"This was supposed to be a fresh start, Dean."
"Well, this is about as fresh as it gets. Now, we going or not?"
Dean passed Sam and Karina then walked out of the door. He left the door open when Sam turned to Karina who was quiet, then she avoided his glance at her. Sam called out, "Karina." She ignored him as she made an exit, he watched them both go before he got a chance to follow them.
When the night darkened, the museum was empty but had three visitors. Huntress and the Winchesters walked around the room, then Dean approached Lincoln. He took off his stovepipe hat when Sam grabbed the metal trash can. He turned around to see Dean wearing the hat, "Check it out." He imitated Lincoln, "Four score and seven years ago, I had a funny hat."
Karina quietly smirked while Sam was annoyed, "Dean." He sighed as he put the can down on the floor. He held his hand out for the hat.
"We can't have any fun with this?"
He tossed the hat in the can while Sam continued on with the plan, "Let's just torch the objects, torch the ghosts, get out of here, okay?"
"I'll go grab East of Eden's keychain." He walked to the next room while Karina volunteered to follow him. They both left Sam behind with wax figures as he closely checked out Lincoln's display.
Dean and Karina walked around the room, then she raised her voice. "What the hell are you doing!?"
Dean looked over, "What are you talking about?"
"For starters, your gossip with Bobby about Sam?" Dean lowered his head down, "He doesn't need that, Dean. Don't you think he has been through enough?"
"Come on, Kay! You almost died!"
"Yeah for like a few times, Dean. Get over it! The past is in the past. Look, I don't trust him as much as I was right now, but we all deserve a second chance. He did it with you, remember?" Dean Winchester stared at Karina Leone, her words spoke to him. "He's your brother and he needs us to move on to the future especially when there is an Apocalypse hanging over us."
All of the sudden, the distant doors slammed shut, and they both heard Sam's calling out to them. "GUYS!! DEAN!! KARINA!! GUYS!!" They ran to the door as they burst the doors open, they both saw Sam being strangled from his back by Gandhi. "Guys!"
Karina yelled, "Is that Gandhi!?!"
"Yeah!!"
Dean commented, "Dude, he's squirrelly."
"Get the--"
He moved his head toward the display of him, then Dean ran to it while Karina tried to save Sam. She threw a knife at Gandhi on the shoulder, he hissed at her. She flew against the figures, and only one of them stared at her soul. She was getting furious at the figure that was hovering over her, Adolf Hitler. She growled in frustration, then she stabbed it in the eye then pushed it away from her. She stomped the face over and over again until the wax cracked open.
Karina returned back to Sam and Dean. She saw Sam breathing heavily after Gandhi disappeared. She rushed to him and then kneeled down on the floor to check on him. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm ok."
She sighed in relief then she put her hand on his shoulder when he was resuming his breathing. Dean looked at Sam as he asked him a serious question, "You couldn't have been a fan of someone cool?" Karina squinted her eyes at Dean while Sam was giving an annoyed look as he was still taking his breath back. "Really? Gandhi?"