The Impala zoomed up a two-lane, driven by Dean. He was in a good mood, grooving along to the music.
"Whoo!" Dean cried. "Listen to her purr! Have you ever heard anything so sweet?"
Sam glanced at his brother. "You know, if you two, want to get a room, just let us know, Dean."
"Oh, don't listen to him, baby, he doesn't understand us," Dean said.
"You're in a good mood," Sam noted.
"Why shouldn't I be?"
"No reason."
"Got my car, got a case, things are looking up."
"Wow. You hear a couple of severed heads and a pile of dead bodies and you're Mister Sunshine."
"How far to Red Lodge?"
"Uh, about another three hundred miles."
"Good." Dean floored it.
They reached Red Lodge and entered. The five, Lucie holding Cadence and Harriet's hands, entered the lodge and a sheriff with an impressive mustache began talking to them; they were posing as reporters.
"The murder investigation is ongoing, and that's all I can share with the press at this time," the sheriff said.
"Sure, sure, we understand that, but just for the record, you found the first, uh, head last week, correct?" Sam questioned.
"Mm-hmm."
"Okay, and the other, a uh, Christina Flanigan-"
"That was two days ago. Is there-" A young woman knocked on the door and pointed at her watch. "Oh. Sorry boys, young lady, time's up, we're done here."
"One last question-"
"Yeah, what about the cattle?" Dean asked.
The sheriff frowned. "Excuse me?"
"You know, the cows found dead, split open, drained... over a dozen cases."
"What about them?"
Lucie raised an eyebrow. "So you don't think there's a connection?"
"Connection... with..."
"First cattle mutilations, now two murders? Kinda sounds like ritual stuff."
"You know, like Satanic cult ritual stuff?" Dean added.
The sheriff laughed. "You -- you're not kidding."
"No."
"Those cows aren't being mutilated. You wanna know how I know?"
"How?" Sam asked.
"Because there's no such thing as cattle mutilation. Cow drops, leave it in the sun, within 48-hours the bloat will split it open so clean it's just about surgical. The bodily fluids fall down into the ground and get soaked up because that's what gravity does. But, hey, it could be Satan. What newspaper did you say you work for?"
"World Weekly News..." Dean said.
"Weekly World News," Sam corrected.
"World-"
"Weekly World-"
"Weekly... I'm new."
"Get out of my office," the sheriff ordered.
As soon as they exited, Lucie glanced at Dean. "I love your commitment you are to pretending."
Dean smiled. "That is my specialty, Luce."
Sam cleared his throat. "The girls and I are still here."
HOSPITAL
Dean and Sam entered the morgue, still wearing their shirts and ties. Lucie stayed outside with Cadence and Harriet. The intern on duty had a name tag that read J. Manners.
Dean looked the name tag, calculating. "John."
"Jeff," the intern corrected.
"Jeff. I know that. Dr. Dworkin needs to see you in his office right away."
"But Dr. Dworkin's on vacation."
"Well, he's back. And he's pissed, and he's screaming, man, so if I were you, I would... okay."
The intern ran off and Dean questioned, "Hey, those Satanists in Florida, they marked their victims, didn't they?"
"Yeah, reversed pentacle on the forehead," Sam said.
"Yeah. So much f-d up crap happens in Florida."
Dean handed Sam a pair of latex gloves and put on a pair of his own. Sam opened a compartment and wheeled out a corpse to see a box between its legs.
"All right, open it," Dean said.
"You open it," Sam shot back.
"Wuss."
He carried the box to another table and flipped off the lid. Sam approached, cringing.
Dean looked over the lid. "Well, no pentagram."
"Wow. Poor girl," Sam commented.
"Maybe we should, uh, you know, look in her mouth, see if those wackos stuffed anything down her throat. You know, kinda like Moth in Silence of the Lambs."
"Yeah, here, go ahead."
"No, you go ahead."
"What?"
""Put the lotion in the basket.""
"Right, yeah, I'm the wuss, huh? Whatever."
Sam started poking her fingers in the mouth and gagged. "Dean, get me a bucket?"
"You find something?"
"No, I'm going to puke."
Dean told him, "Wait, lift the lip up again?"
Sam frowned. "What? You want me to throw up, is that it?"
"No, no, no, I think I saw something." He pushed Sam's hands away and pulled back the lip. "What is that, a hole?" He pressed on the gum and a narrow, sharp tooth descended.
"It's a tooth."
He looked closer before saying, "Sam, that's a fang. Retractable set of vampire fangs, you've gotta be kidding me."
"Well, this changes things."
He met his eyes. "Ya think?"
BAR
That night, they made their way to a bar and Dean went around to park. They walked inside.
The three approached the bar and a man, Gordon, was at a table to one side, watching them.
"How's it going?" Dean asked the bartender.
"Living the dream," the bartender replied. "What can I get for you?"
"Three beers and a couple juices, please."
"We're looking for some people." Sam said.
"Sure," the bartender noted. "Hard to be lonely."
"Yeah. But um, that's not what I meant." He pulled out a $50 and dropped it on the bar and the bartender took it. "So these, these people, they would have moved her about six months ago, probably pretty rowdy, like to drink..."
"Yeah, real night owls, you know?" Lucie told him. "Sleep all day, party all night."
"Barker Farm got leased out a couple months ago. Real winners. They've been in here a lot -- drinkers. Noisy. I've had to 86 them once or twice."
"Thanks," Dean replied.
They left their half-finished beers and juices on the table and left. The man who was watching them was gone, a smoldering cigarette left behind. As the trio left, the man watched, then began stalking the them. They went down an alley and he followed. He lost sight of them and he turned. Dean, Sam and Lucie were suddenly there, pinning him to the wall, Dean with a knife to his throat, Lucie keeping the girls back.
"Smile," Dean ordered.
"What?" Gordon questioned.
Lucie narrowed her eyes. "Show us those pearly whites."
"Oh, for the love of -- you want to stick those things somewhere else? I'm not a vampire." Sam frowned. "Yeah, that's right. I heard you guys in there."
"What do you know about vampires?" Sam demanded.
"How to kill them. Now seriously, bro. That knife's making me itch."
"Good," Harriet said. "Don't scare my Mommy and Daddy or my uncle or my sister."
Dean cocked his head. Gordon started to pull away and Sam pinned him harder while Lucie pulled Cadence and Harriet closer.
"Whoa. Easy there, chachi," Gordon said, slowly bringing his right hand to his lip and pulled it back to reveal normal gums. "See? Fangless. Happy?" Dean let up. "Now. Who the hell are you?"
They followed Gordon to his car. He pulled out his arsenal.
Gordon glanced between them. "Sam, Lana, Rose and Dean Winchester. I can't believe it. You know I met your old man once? Hell of a guy. Great hunter. I heard he passed. I'm sorry. It's big shoes. But from what I hear, you guys fill 'em. Great trackers, good in a tight spot-"
"You seem to know a lot about our family," Dean noted.
"Word travels fast. You know how hunters talk."
"No, we don't, actually," Lucie said, keeping a grip on her daughters' hands.
"I guess there's a lot your dad never told you, huh?"
"So, um, those two vampires, they were yours, huh?" Sam asked.
"Yep. Been here two weeks."
"Did you check out that Barker Farm?" Dean questioned.
"It's a bust. Just a bunch of hippie freaks. Though they could kill you with that patchouli smell alone."
"Where's the nest, then?" Harriet demanded.
"I've got this one covered. Look, don't get me wrong. It's a real pleasure meetin' you fellas, lady and little girls. But I've been on this thing over a year. I killed a fang back in Austin, tracked the nest all the way up here. I'll finish it."
"We could help," Dean offered.
"Thanks, but I'm kind of a go-it-alone type of guy."
"Come on, man, I've been itching for a hunt."
"Sorry. But hey, I hear there's a Chupacabra two states over. You go ahead and knock yourselves out." He got in his car. It was real good meeting you, though. I'll buy you a drink on the flip side." He drove off.
Lucie stared after the car. "There's something about him that I don't trust."
"Babe, I'm sure it's fine," Dean reassured.
"Dean, I'm asking you to trust me on this."
"Luce, he seems okay."
She sighed and shook her head slowly.
---
Later that night, the boys made their way to the mill and saw Gordon pinned under an electrical saw, close to being decapitated. Lucie, Harriet and Cadence had gone to get food as the little girls were hungry and Dean and Sam told her they'd meet them there.
Sam pulled Gordon to safety. Dean attacked the vampire, getting him pinned under the electrical saw. He lowered the saw, decapitating the vampire.
"So uh, I guess I gotta buy you that drink," Gordon said.
Sam stared at his brother, stunned.
---
They made their way to a bar.
Gordon, Dean, Sam, Lucie, Cadence and Harriet were sitting around a table. A waitress brought them another round and Dean reached for his wallet.
"No, no, I got it," Gordon told them.
"Come on," Dean argued.
"I insist." He looked to the waitress. "Thank you, sweetie." He raised his glass. "Another one bites the dust."
"That's right."
Dean and Gordon drank a toast, Sam and Lucie sat back with their arms folded. Cadence was happily eating her nuggets while Harriet happily ate her hot dog.
"Dean." Gordon laughed. "You gave that big-ass fang one hell of a haircut, my friend."
"Thank you," Dean replied.
"That was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful."
"Yep. You all right, Sammy, Luce?"
"I'm fine," Sam and Lucie said.
"Well, lighten up a little, Sammy, Luce," Gordon told them.
"They're the only ones that get to call me that," Sam replied.
"Only Dean calls me Luce," Lucie said.
Gordon looked surprised at them before saying, "Okay. No offense meant. Just celebrating a little. Job well done."
Sam offered a tight smile. "Right. Well, decapitations aren't my idea of a good time, I guess."
Lucie nodded. "Nor mine."
Gordon looked between them. "Oh, come on, man, missy, it's not like it was human. You've gotta have a little more fun with your job."
Dean smiled. "See? That's what I've been trying to tell them. You two could learn a thing or two from this guy."
Lucie stood, pursing her lips. "Cady, Hattie, it's time to be getting to bed."
Cadence frowned. "No."
Harriet nodded. "I'm not sleepy either."
"You little ladies may not be, but it's late. Come on. We can take food to go."
"Okay. Bye, Daddy. Bye, Gordy."
"Gordon, sweetie."
"I know, but Daddy gives nicknames. I want to too."
Gordon smiled. "The nickname is fine, Lucie."
Sam stood as well. "Yeah, I bet I could. Look, I'm not gonna bring you guys down. We're just gonna go back to the motel."
"You sure?" Dean asked.
"Yeah."
"Sammy? Remind me to beat that buzzkill out of you later. Babe, try to relax." He tossed Sam the keys. "Cady, Hattie, listen to Mommy and sleep well."
Gordon frowned. "Something I said?"
"No, no, they just get that way sometimes. Tell you what. Match you quarters for the next round."
---
Sam, Lucie, Harriet and Cadence returned to the motel room and Sam dropped the keys on a hook.
---
In the bar, Dean and Gordon were still talking. "...So. I pick up this crossbow. And I hit that ugly sucker with a silver-tipped arrow right in his heart. Sammy's waiting in the car, and uh, me and my dad take the thing into the woods, burn it to a crisp. I'm sitting there and looking into the fire, and I'm thinking to myself, I'm 16 years old. Most kids my age are worried about pimples, prom dates. I'm seeing things that they'll never even know. Never even dream of. So right then, I just sort of-"
"Embraced the life?" Gordon finished.
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
"Yeah. How'd you get started?"
"First time I saw a vampire, I was barely 18. Home alone with my sister. I hear the window break in her room. I grab my dad's gun, run in, try to get it off her. Too late. So I shoot the damn thing. Which of course is about as useful as snapping it with a rubber band. It rushes me, picks me up, flings me across the room, knocks me out cold. When I wake up, the vampire's gone, my sister's gone."
"And then?".
"Then... try explaining that one to your family. So I left home. And then bummed around looking for information: how you track 'em, how you kill 'em. And I found that fang -- it was my first kill."
"Sorry about your sister."
"Yeah. She was beautiful. A lot like your girl. I can still see her, you know? The way she was. But hey, that was a long time ago. I mean, your dad. It's gotta be rough."
"Yeah. Yeah, you know. He was just one of those guys. Took some terrible beatings, just kept coming. So you're always thinking to yourself, he's indestructible. He'll always be around, nothing can kill my dad. Then just like that," he snapped, "he's gone. I can't talk about this to Sammy and Lucie. You know, I gotta keep my game face on." He cleared his throat. "But uh, the truth is I'm not handling it very well. I feel like I have this-"
"Hole inside you? And it just gets bigger and bigger and darker and darker? Good. You can use it. Keeps you hungry. Trust me. There's plenty out there needs killing, and this'll help you do it. Dean, it's not a crime to need your job."
MOTEL
Lucie tucked Harriet and Cadence in and said, "Sam, I think you should call Ellen. There's something about Gordon I can't quite put my finger on."
"Good idea." He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Hey, Ellen, uh, Sam Winchester."
"Sam, it's good to hear from you. You boys and girls are okay, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine. Got a question."
"Yeah, shoot."
"You ever run across a guy named Gordon Walker?"
"Yeah, I know Gordon."
"And?"
"Well, he's a real good hunter. Why are you asking, sweetie?"
"Well, we ran into him on a job and we're kinda working with him, I guess."
"Don't do that, Sam."
"I-I thought you said he was a good hunter."
"Yeah, and Hannibal Lecter's a good psychiatrist. Look, he is dangerous to everyone and everything around him. If he's working on a job, you boys and girl just let him handle it and you move on."
"Ellen-"
"No, Sam? You just listen to what I'm telling you, okay?"
"Okay." He hung up.
"What'd she say?" Lucie asked.
"Gordon's trouble. You were right."
"It'll be difficult to persuade Dean."
"Yeah, I know."
BAR
"Know why I love this life?" Gordon asked.
"Hmm?" Dean hummed.
"It's all black and white. There's no maybe. You find the bad thing, kill it. See, most people spend their lives in shades of gray. Is this right? Is that wrong? Not us."
"Not sure Sammy or Lucie would agree with you, but uh..."
"Doesn't seem your brother or wife are much like us." Dean stared at him, startled. "I'm not saying they're wrong. Just different. But you and me? We were born to do this. It's in our blood."
MOTEL PARKING LOT
Sam bought two sodas from a vending machine and started walking back to the room. He paused, hearing something, cautiously opened the door, and looked around. He got inside and leaned against the door, relieved. His eyes widened, seeing Lucie passed out on the floor. A dark figure jumped him from behind. He knocked his first attacker down, then the second. The first attacker rose up behind him and slammed a heavy telephone into the back of his head, knocking him out.
The truck crossed a bridge.
Sam and Lucie were both bound to a chair and gagged, sacks over their heads. They were pulled off by the bartender. He showed fangs and advanced on Sam and Lucie, who struggled.
A woman, Lenore, appeared in the doorway. "Wait! Step back, Eli."
Eli pulled back, his fangs retracting. The woman walked over and pulled off Sam and Saoirse's gags. "My name's Lenore, I'm not going to hurt you two. We just need to talk."
"Talk?" Sam repeated. "Yeah, okay, but we might have a tough time paying attention to much besides Eli's teeth or how he's eyeing my sister-in-law like food."
"He won't hurt you two either, you both have my word."
"Your word, Oh yeah, great, thanks. Listen lady, no offense, but you're not the first vampire we've met."
"We're not like the others. We don't kill humans, and we don't drink their blood. We haven't for a long time."
Lucie narrowed her eyes. "What is this, some kind of joke?"
"Notice you're both still alive."
"Yeah, and you left my daughters alone in the hotel room!"
Sam frowned. "Okay, uh, correct me if I'm wrong here, but shouldn't you be starving to death?"
"We've found other ways," Lenore said. "Cattle blood."
"You're telling us you're responsible for all the-"
"It's not ideal, in fact, it's disgusting. But it allows us to get by."
Lucie raised a brow. "Okay, um, why?"
"Survival. No deaths, no missing locals, no reason for people like you two to come looking for people like us. We blend in. Our kind is practically extinct. Turns out we weren't quite as high up on the food chain as we imagined."
"Why are we explaining ourselves to these killers?" Eli asked.
"Eli!"
"We choke on cow's blood so that none of them suffer. Tonight, they murdered Conrad and they celebrated."
"Eli, that's enough," Lenore warned.
"Yeah, Eli, that's enough," Sam and Lucie repeated.
"What's done is done. We're leaving this town tonight."
"Then why did you bring us here?" Sam asked. "Why are you even talking to us?"
"Believe me, I'd rather not. But I know your kind. Once you have the scent, you'll keep tracking us, it doesn't matter where we go. Hunters will find us."
"So you're asking us not to follow you."
"We have a right to live, we're not hurting anyone."
Lucie's eyes narrowed once again. "Right. You keep saying that, but give me and him one good reason why we should believe you."
"Fine. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to let you two go." They looked at her, startled. "Take them back. Not a mark on them."
Two vampires led Sam and Lucie back to the truck, their heads covered in the sacks again. They drove off.
MOTEL
Dean and Gordon sat at the table, discussing strategy over a map. Harriet and Cadence were still asleep on the bed.
"This is the best pattern I can establish," Gordon said. "It's sketchy at best."
"Looks like it's coming from this side of town," Dean noted. "Which means the nest would be around here someplace, right?"
"Yep, that's what I'm thinking. Problem is, there's 35, 40 farms out there. I've searched about half of them already, but nothing yet. They're covering their tracks real good."
"Then I guess we'll just have to search the other half." Dean looked at his watch. "What time is it? Where are Sam and Lucie?"
"Car's parked outside. Probably went for a walk. Seem like the take a walk types."
"Yeah, they are, but... Lucie would never willing leave the girls."
The door opened and Sam and Lucie entered. They shot Dean a look.
"Where you two been?" Dean asked.
"Can we talk to you alone?" Sam questioned.
Dean turned to Gordon. "You mind chillin' out for a couple minutes?"
The trio left the motel room and to the parking lot.
"Dean, maybe we've got to rethink this hunt," Sam said.
"What are you talking about? Where were you two?" Dean asked.
Lucie met his eyes. "In the nest."
"You two found it?"
"They found us, man," Sam told him.
"How'd you two get out? How many did you two kill?"
"None."
"Well Sam, Luce, they didn't just let you two go."
"That's exactly what they did," Lucie said.
"All right, well, where is it?"
"We were blindfolded, we don't know."
"Well, either of you've got to know something."
Sam looked at his brother. "We went over that bridge outside of town, but Dean, listen. Maybe we shouldn't go after them."
"Why not?"
"Lana and I don't think they're like other vampires. We don't think they're killing people."
"You're joking. Then how do they stay alive? Or undead, or whatever the hell they are."
"The cattle mutilations," Lucie explained. "They said they live off of animal blood."
"And you two believed them?"
Lucie held out her arms. "Look at us, Dean. They let us go without a scratch."
"Wait, so you two are saying... No, man, babe, no way. I don't know why they let you two go. I don't really care. We find 'em, we waste 'em."
"Why?" Sam and Lucie demanded.
"What part of 'vampire' don't you two understand, Sam, Lucie? If it's supernatural, we kill it, end of story. That's our job."
"No, Dean, that is not our job," Sam said. "Our job is hunting evil. And if these things aren't killing people, they're not evil!"
"Of course they're killing people, that's what they do. They're all the same, Sam. They're not human, okay? We have to exterminate every last one of them."
"No, Dean, Lucie and I don't think so, all right? Not this time."
"Gordon's been on those vamps for a year, man, Luce, he knows."
"Gordon?" Lucie repeated.
"Yes."
"You're taking his word for it?"
"That's right."
"Ellen says he's bad news."
"You called Ellen?"
"Sam did."
Dean frowned at Sam. "And I'm supposed to listen to her? We barely know her, Sam, Lucie, no thanks, I'll go with Gordon."
"Right, 'cause Gordon's such an old friend," Sam replied sarcastically. "You don't think Lucie and I can see what this is?"
"What are you talking about?"
"He's a substitute for Dad, isn't he? A poor one."
"Shut up, Sam."
"He's not even close, Dean. Not on his best day."
"You know what? I'm not even going to talk about this."
"You know, you slap on this big fake smile, but Lucie and I can see right through it. Because I know how you feel, Dean. Dad's dead. And he left a hole, and it hurts so bad you can't take it, but you just fill up that hole with whoever you want to. It's an insult to his memory."
"Okay." Dean started turning away, then punched Sam, hard.
Lucie stared at Dean, a disappointed expression on her face.
Sam paused and turned back slowly, not rising to the bait. "You hit me all you want. It won't change anything."
"I'm going to the nest. You and Lucid don't want to tell me where it is, fine. I'll find it myself."
"Dean?" Sam and Lucie called.
Dean returned to the motel room, Sam and Lucie following, and they found Gordon gone.
"Gordon?" Dean called.
"You think he went after them?" Sam asked.
"Probably."
"Dean, we have to stop him," Lucie warned.
"Really, Lucie? Because I say we lend a hand."
"Just give her the benefit of the doubt, would you?" Sam replied. "You owe us that."
"Yeah, we'll see. I'll drive. Give me the keys."
Sam pointed to the table where he'd set them earlier and they were gone.
"He snaked the keys," Sam and Lucie said.
Lucie picked up a sleeping Cadence, hoping she wouldn't wake and gave a small smile when the little girl didn't wake. Sam picked up a sleeping Harriet who also didn't wake.
They made their way out to the Impala and Dean hot-wired her with a grimace. "I can't believe this. I just fixed her up, too." The car started. "So the bridge, is that all you two got?"
"The bridge was four-and-a-half minutes from their farm," Sam informed.
"How do you know?"
"We counted," Lucie explained simply.
Sam started tracing a path on the map in his lap. "They took a left out of the farm, then turned right onto a dirt road, followed that for two minutes slightly up a hill, then took another quick right and we hit the bridge."
"You're good," Dean complimented. "You're a monster pain in the ass, but you're good."
As they drove, Sam sighed, staring at the map. Dean glanced at him, then looked back at the road. Sam frowned at Dean before glancing back at Lucie who was eyeing the road and the sleeping girls.
They arrived at the farmhouse and Gordon dipped the knife into a jar of blood. Lenore was sitting in a chair, covered in cuts, pale and sickly. He circled around her before slicing the bloody knife across her chest and she gasped. The five arrived. Harriet and Cadence stayed in the car and the adults entered the house.
"Sam, Dean, Lucie," Gordon called. "Come on in."
"Hey, Gordon," Dean greeted. "What's going on?"
"Just poisoning Lenore here with some dead man's blood. She's going to tell us where all her little friends are, aren't you? Want to help?"
"Look, man-"
"Grab a knife. I was just about to start in on the fingers." He dragged the knife across her arm.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey, let's all just chill out, huh?"
"I'm completely chill," Gordon answered calmly.
"Gordon, put the knife down," Sam and Lucie instructed.
Sam and Lucie stepped toward Gordon. Dean stopped Sam with a hand on his chest and grabbed Lucie's wrist.
"Just step away from her, all right?" Sam said.
"You're right. I'm wasting my time here. This bitch will never talk. Might as well put her out of her misery." He pulled out a larger knife. "I just sharpened it, so it's completely humane." He turned toward Lenore.
Lucie moved to block him. "Gordon, we're letting her go."
Gordon pointed the knife at Lucie's chest, stopping her. "You're not doing a damn thing."
"Hey, hey, hey, Gordon, let's talk about this," Dean said, trying to stay calm.
"What's there to talk about? It's like I said, Dean. No shades of gray."
"Yeah. I hear ya. And I know how you feel."
"Do you?"
"That vampire that killed your sister deserved to die, but this one..."
Gordon laughed. "Killed my sister? That filthy thing didn't kill my sister. It turned her. It made her one of them. So I hunted her down, and I killed her myself."
"You did what?"
"It wasn't my sister anymore, it wasn't human. I didn't blink. And neither would you."
"So you knew all along then?" Sam said. "You knew about the vampires, you knew they weren't killing anyone. You know about the cattle. And you just didn't care."
"Care about what? A nest of vampires suddenly acting nice? Taking a little time out from sucking innocent people? And we're supposed to buy that? Trust me. Doesn't change what they are. And I can prove it."
Gordon grabbed Lucie's arm, sliced the knife across it, then laid the knife against her throat, dragging her toward Lenore.
Dean and Sam pulled their guns and demanded, "Let her go. Now!"
"Relax. If I wanted to kill her, she'd already be on the floor. Just making a little point."
Gordon held the cut on Lucie's arm over Lenore so the blood dripped on her face and she hissed as her fangs extended.
"Hey!" Dean and Sam yelled.
"You think she's so different? Still want to save her? Look at her. They're all the same. Evil, bloodthirsty."
Lenore controlled herself. She retracted her fangs and turned her face away. "No. No!"
"You hear her, Gordon?" Lucie said.
"No! No!"
Lucie pushed Gordon away. "We're done here."
"Sam, get her out of here," Dean told his brother. "Luce, you should go too, get that cleaned up."
"Yeah," Sam agreed.
Sam picked Lenore up in his arms. Lucie glared at Gordon and followed Sam. Gordon took a step toward him, but Dean still had the gun trained on him.
"Uh-uh," Dean said. "Uh-uh! Gordon. I think you and I've got some things to talk about."
"Get out of my way," Gordon demanded.
"Sorry."
"You're not serious."
"I'm having a hard time believing it too, but I know what I saw. If you want those vampires, you've gotta go through me."
Gordon nodded, considering. He looked at his knife, then jammed it into the table. "Fine."
Dean looked at the knife and his gun. Dean pulled the clip out of his gun and set it aside. Gordon punched him and and they started fighting. Gordon grabbed the knife again and Dean groaned.
"What are you doing, man? You doing this for a fang? Come on, Dean, we're on the same side here."
"I don't think so, you sadistic bastard."
Gordon threw Dean across the room. "You're not like your brother. You're a killer, like me."
Dean kicked Gordon down, hauled him up against the wall and elbowed him in the face, knocking him out. He pinned Gordon under his elbow and slammed his head into another wall. He set him in a chair and tied him up.
Dean said, "You know, I might be like you, and I might not. But you're the one tied up right now."
Sam and Lucie returned to find Gordon tied to the chair and Dean pacing.
"Did we miss anything?" Sam asked.
"Nah, not much. Lenore get out okay?" Dean questioned.
"Yeah. All of them did."
"Then I guess our work here is done. How you doin' Gordy? Gotta tinkle yet? All right. Well, get comfy. We'll call someone in two or three days, have them come out, untie you." He jammed Gordon's knife into a table behind him.
"Ready to go, Dean?" Lucie questioned.
"Not yet. I guess this is goodbye. Well, it's been real." He hit Gordon, knocking him to the floor. "Okay, I'm good now. We can go."
The trio exited the farmhouse and winced at their recent injuries. Dean stopped, setting himself on his feet like a boxer.
"Sam? Clock me one."
Sam frowned. "What?"
"Let's go, you can get a freebie. Hit me, come on. Lucie, if you want to, you can too."
Lucie shook her head. "I'm not going to hit you, Dean."
"You look like you just went 12 rounds with a block of cement, Dean," Sam told his brother. "I'll take a raincheck."
"I wish we never took this job, just... jacked everything up," Dean admitted.
"What do you mean?" Sam and Lucie asked.
"Think about all the hunts we went on, Sammy, our whole lives."
"Okay," Sam replied.
"What if we killed things that didn't deserve killing? You know? I mean, the way Dad raised us..."
"Dean, after what happened to Mom, Dad did the best he could."
"I know he did. But the man wasn't perfect. And the way he raised us, to hate those things; and man, I hate 'em. I do. When I killed that vampire at the mill, I didn't even think about it; hell, I even enjoyed it."
"You didn't kill Lenore," Lucie reminded him.
"No, but every instinct told me to. I was gonna kill her. I was gonna kill 'em all."
"Yeah, Dean, but you didn't. And that's what matters," Sam said.
"Yeah. Well, 'cause you're a pain in my ass."
"Don't mention it," Sam answered, getting into the passenger's seat.
Dean turned to Lucie and she stepped closer, pressing a gentle hand to his cheek. He closed his eyes and smiled softly, kissing her temple.
Lucie squeezed his hand and got in the back next to Cadence who was doing a puzzle with her sister. Dean stared off into the distance for a moment before climbing in and driving away.