Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid 1
"Bobby, listen." Sam says as he, Dean and Alexis get out of the Impala. "When you get this message, call, okay?"
"Is he still not home?" Dean asks as they all walk toward the door of the diner. "How far could he get in that chair?"
Dean pulls open the door, letting Alexis in first. Alexis gave him a small smile, letting her free hand brush his side as she passed.
"So, what do we do?" Sam asks as the door closed behind him.
Dean nods to the man in the corner booth alone. "Well, guess we just do it ourselves." Dean set a hand on Alexis's back, leading her across the diner. Sam followed.
After taking a seat across from the man and ordering coffee, Dean asks, "Mr. Wells, why don't you tell us what you saw in your own words?"
"Call me Digger."
"Digger?" Dean repeats, bouncing Madilyn on his knee in hopes of keeping her calm and quiet. He nods. "Who--Who gave you that name?" Dean asks, a smile on his face.
"I did."
"You did?" Alexis questions.
"You gave yourself your own nickname?" Dean adds. "Can't do that."
"Who died and made you queen?" Digger quips, looking at Dean. Alexis bit back a smile.
"Okay, why don't you just tell us what you saw?" Sam suggests.
"I saw Clay Thompson climb into Benny Sutton's trailer through the window. Couple minutes later, Clay walks out and Benny's dead." Digger explains.
"And, uh--" Dean unfolded a paper he had. "Is this the guy you saw?" He asks, holding up the paper.
"He was all covered in mud, but yeah. That's Clay." Digger nods.
"And you are aware that Clay Thompson died five years ago?" Sam asks.
"Yep."
"But you saw him climb through some man's window?" Alexis asks.
"Yeah."
"And you're positive that it was this guy?" Dean flips the paper back around for him to see.
"You calling me a liar?" Digger asks.
"No, no, no. Of course not." Sam intervenes. "Look, can you think of any reason why Clay Thompson, alive or dead, would wanna kill Benny Sutton?"
Digger laughs. "Hell, yeah. Well, five years ago, Benny's the one that killed Clay in the first place."
"Is that a fact?" Dean asks, sharing a look with Sam and Alexis.
"Well, yeah, so called hunting accident. But if you ask me--" Digger leans forward. "Clay came back from the grave to get a little payback."
"Go on." Dean presses.
Digger looks behind them, sighing. "Heads up. Fargo."
"Digger." A female voice sounds as Alexis looks up to see a police officer.
"Sheriff." Digger greets.
"Lady, gentlemen, I'm Sheriff Jody Mills. I don't believe we've had the pleasure." She turns to look at the three hunters.
The three pull out their badges. "Agents Dorfman, Neidermeyer, and Plant. FBI."
"Welcome to Sioux Falls." Jody tells them. "Can I ask you what you're doing with Digger here?"
"Oh, they're doing their job." Digger says. "They believe me, sheriff."
"The FBI believes a dead man committed a murder?" Jody asks.
"Look, we're just asking a few questions, that's all." Sam explains.
"Of course, if a dead man didn't commit the murder, then who did?" Dean asks.
Alexis looks over when she felt Madilyn grab her arm. She lifts Madilyn out of Deans arms and set her down on her lap. Alexis turned back to the conversation.
"Where'd you say your jurisdiction was here again?" Jody asks, her eyes flickering to Dean.
"Our jurisdiction is wherever the United States government sends us." Dean counters.
"Uh, yeah, how about me and your supervisor chat about that?" Jody suggests.
"Absolutely." Sam pulls a card from his jacket, handing it over to her.
Jody dials the number, raising the cell to her ear. "Agent Willis, this is Sheriff Jody Mills--Bobby?"
Alexis tenses up, her eyes widening.
"Is this Bobby Singer?" Jody asks. "Bull crap." She hung up the phone, shoving it in her pocket. "FBI, huh?"
"So, uh, so you know Bobby Singer?" Sam asks, looking up at her.
"That is--that is a fun coincidence." Dean adds, chuckling nervously.
"Really fun." Alexis smiles as Madilyn laughs.
"Here's what I know about Bobby Singer. He's a menace around here. Ass-full of drunk and disorderly and mail fraud. You understanding me?" Jody asks.
"I think we all can agree that you made yourself perfectly clear, yes." Dean nods.
"So whatever the four of you are planning, it ends here." Jody continues. "Now. Ten-four on that, agents?"
~~~
"You know how many times we called?" Dean asks Bobby as the three hunters follow the wheelchair bound man into his living room. Alexis looked around, noticing the place was clean. Books weren't scattered everywhere, there wasn't three inches of dust covering everything.
She wasn't sure what was up with Bobby. Even he looked different. He wasn't wearing a hat; his hair was combed. Something was up and Alexis couldn't figure it out. But she wasn't going to say anything, unsure if maybe she was just overreacting.
"Where have you been?" Dean continues.
"Playing murderball." Bobby replies.
"What is that smell?" Dean asks. "Is that soap?"
"So it's not just me?" Alexis looks over at Dean, adjusting Madilyn on her hip as the infant lays her head on Alexis's shoulder.
"Did you clean?" Dean asks.
"What are you, my mother?" Bobby asks defensively. "Bite me."
"Bobby, seriously." Sam spoke up.
"I've been working. Trying to find a way to stop the devil."
"Find anything?" Dean asks.
"What do you think?"
"Bobby, it's just, heh, there's a case less than five miles from your house." Sam began, moving to lean against the desk.
"What, the Benny Sutton thing?" Bobby asks. "That's what this is about?"
"You knew?" Dean asks.
"Hell, yes. I checked into it. Nothing here." Bobby shrugs.
"Except a witness who saw a dead guy commit murder." Sam quips.
Dean turned to Alexis, who was swaying back and forth slightly as Madilyn's eyes began to flutter shut. Dean reaches over, taking Madilyn from her. Dean cradled her to his chest, rubbing her back. Madilyn's small fingers curled around Deans shirt, the fabric bunching up in her tiny fist.
"What witness? Digger Wells?" Bobby asks.
"Yeah. So?" Dean presses.
"So he's a drunk."
"Well, what about the lightning storms? Looks like omens." Sam suggests.
"Except in February in South Dakota, in storm season. Guys, I thought it was something too. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."
"Then who killed the dude?" Alexis asks, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Take your pick." Bobby shrugs his shoulders. "This Benny Sutton guy was a grade-A son of a bitch. There's a list of the living a year long who wouldn't mind putting a cap in his ass."
"So you're telling us nothing." Dean says.
"Sorry," Bobby sighs. "Looks like you wasted a tank of gas on this one."
"Great." Dean mutters.
~~~
Alexis rocked Madilyn back and forth in her arms as she slept. Alexis wasn't sure what was wrong, but Madilyn wouldn't sleep. Not unless it was Alexis or Dean holding her. She would wake up the second they would put her down. She had been doing good with the whole sleeping thing, but now she wouldn't sleep. Dean kills the engine once reaching St. Anthonys Cemetery.
"What's up?" Sam asks.
"Isn't that the graveyard back there?" Dean asks, glancing over his shoulder.
Sam glances out the back windshield. "Yeah, so what? Bobby already checked it out."
"And? What, Bobby's never wrong?" Dean counters. "Come on, we'll take a peek and then hit the road. Can't hurt."
~~~
Dean whistles as the three hunters walk through the graveyard, flashlights in hand. Sam and Dean also had shovels while Alexis carried a sleeping baby.
"Hey, look." Sam says, shining his light at the headstone.
Clay James Thompson, it read.
"This look fresh to you?" Dean asks, shining his light on the ground in front of the headstone. The dirt looked like it had been moved recently.
"Yeah, actually." Sam agrees.
~~~
Alexis sat on the ground with a now awake Madilyn in her lap as Sam finished digging the rest of the grave. Alexis had one hand on Madilyn's stomach as she ran her other up and down Deans back. Dean had taken a break and now Alexis was bored. At least before she had a show.
Sam moved the last bit of dirt to reveal a wooden coffin with what looked like claw marks on it, breaking through the box. Sam drops the shovel, leaning down and opening the coffin.
Sam sighs, straightening up. "What is going on here?"
"I don't know. But something stinks." Dean says.
"Well, I wanna know what's up with Bobby." Alexis speaks up. "I think it's got something to do with this."
~~~
Dean pushes open the door, stepping inside the dark home. Sam and Alexis follow behind him. Alexis stayed close to Dean as they veered off into the living room where photos of Clay and his wife sat in every space possible.
Dean looked over his shoulder, nodding to Sam. The younger Winchester turned, walking in a different direction. Alexis let her hand brush Deans bicep as she moved toward another room.
She looked around, keeping quiet. Her head jerked to the right as she heard the sound of glass shattering. She quickly made her way back to the living room where she left Dean. Sam was already beside his brother, gun in hand.
"Don't shoot me, please. There's money in the safe." Clay knelt to the floor, covering his head.
"We don't want your money." Dean tells him.
"What?" Clay asks, peeking over his arm to look up at the three hunters. "What do you want? Anything, please."
"You're Clay Thompson, right?" Sam asks.
"Who are you?" Clay asks, moving his arm and standing up.
Sam clears his throat. "FBI."
"FBI?" Clay echoes. "Oh, my god. This is about Benny."
"What about Benny?" Alexis asks, her grip on her flashlight growing tighter.
"He killed me, he shot me in the back. I'm supposed to let him get away with that?"
"Hold up." Dean says. "Are you confessing?"
"Please, I'll go with you. Just don't wake my kids." Clay reasons.
"You'll go with us where?" Sam asks.
"Jail." Clay answers as if it's obvious.
"Let me get this straight." Dean begins. "You're Clay Thompson and you died five years ago?"
"Yes." Clay nods.
"And three days ago, you climbed out of your grave and you killed Benny Sutton."
"Yes."
"So you are, in fact, a dead guy."
"I guess. I don't know what I am."
"Wow, I am so confused." Alexis mutters.
"Clay?" A shaky feminine voice calls out. The three hunters turn to see a blonde woman standing in the doorway, tears in her eyes. "I called 911."
"It's okay, honey. These three are the FBI. They're here about Benny." Clay tells her.
"Why don't you come with us, Mr. Thompson? I think that'd be best." Dean says.
~~~
The three hunters follow Clay out of his house. Dean pulled his gun from his coat.
"Dean." Sam hisses.
"He's a monster." Dean argues.
"Dean, we can't kill him. He's got a wife and kids. It was just revenge." Alexis grabbed his arms, her fingers curling around his bicep as she looked up at him.
"He's a soccer dad." Sam adds.
"What do you wanna do with him?" Dean asks.
"Freeze!" Jody yells making the three hunters turn to face the bright lights and the guns now facing them.
"Crap." Alexis mutters.
"Drop your guns." Jody demands.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay. Alright, hey." Dean held up his hands, setting the gun down as Sam and Alexis did the same. "Remember the guy you said was dead and couldn't possibly commit murder? There he is." Dean pointed to Clay.
"And?" Jody asks.
"What?" Alexis asks. "Are you okay? He's dead. Well, not anymore, but he was. For five years."
"'And'?" Dean asks. "And you're welcome for catching the undead killer zombie."
"Whatever he is or isn't, that don't give the right to shoot him in the middle of the street." Jody pulls out handcuffs, walking toward the hunters.
"Shoot me?" Clay asks.
"You're free to go, Mr. Thompson." Jody tells him as she and two other officer cuff the hunters.
"Free to go?" Dean asks.
"You were gonna kill me." Clay says.
"He did kill someone. How come we're getting arrested?" Alexis asks.
"You're a zombie." Dean tells the man.
"I'm a taxpayer." Clay counters.
"Not for five years you haven't been." Alexis argues. "Hey, listen, Jody, look, this is all just a big misunderstanding. Uh, look, see, uh, oh, you--you're a mom. I'm a mom. So mother to mother, how about you let me go 'cause I have to get to my daughter."
~~~
"So what? The sheriff's on the take?" Dean asks as Sam paces back and forth in front of them in the small jail cell.
"Yeah, no." Sam replies. "What, the zombies are paying her off?"
"This is so weird." Alexis mutters as she plays with the hair at the base on Deans neck. "She just--she just--there was a dead guy who had killed someone and yet we're arrested. And it was normal. What is wrong with these people?"
Dean gave her hip a squeeze as she sat in his lap. A officer pushes through the doors.
"Hey." Sam says making the two lean forward to see Bobby talking to Jody Mills in the other room. He had Madilyn on his knee as Jody nodded along.
"So, what, now they're friends?" Dean asks.
"I--I--" Alexis's voice died off.
~~~
"Bobby, I thought the sheriff hated you." Sam says as he pushes the wheelchair through the police station.
"She did till five days ago." Bobby explains.
"What happened five days ago?" Dean asks, gently bouncing Madilyn in his arms.
"The dead started rising all over town." Bobby replies.
"What happened to nothing's going on, Bobby?" Alexis asks.
"Don't take that tone with me, girl." Bobby warns her.
"So you knew about this?" Sam asks.
"Yep."
"Have you lost your damn mind?" Alexis asks.
"I think what Sam meant to say is, you lied to us?" Dean adds.
Bobby turns to face them. "Look, I told you there was nothing here, and there isn't. Not for you."
Sam clears his throat as an officer passes by.
"There are literal dead people just walking around, but there's nothing here?" Alexis asks, reaching up as Madilyn held her hand out. Madilyn grabbed into Alexis's finger, pulling her hand toward her.
"There are zombies here." Dean states.
"There's zombies and then there's zombies." Bobby argues.
"Come with me." Bobby turns, gesturing for them to follow.
~~~
Bobby dropped his hat on the table by the door as he heads for the living room.
"You wanna tell us what the hell--?" Dean stopped talking abruptly as he sees Bobby's wife walk in the room.
"Oh, hey." She smiles. "I didn't realize you were bringing company."
"It's 4 a.m., babe. You didn't need to cook." Bobby moved toward his wife.
Alexis stood, slack-jawed as she stared at the scene before her.
"Oh, please. I'll get some more plates." Karen waves a hand, walking back into the kitchen.
"Who is that?" Dean asks, not believing it.
"Karen, my wife." Bobby answers.
"Your new wife?"
"My dead wife."
"Naturally." Alexis nods.
~~~
"Mm. Mm." Dean hums.
"You wanna get a room with the pie, Dean?" Alexis asks teasingly.
Dean shot her a look. "This is incredible, Mrs. Singer." He says through a mouth full of pie.
"Thank you, Dean." Karen smiles, walking back toward the kitchen.
"Here, try some." Dean held the fork toward Alexis as Sam cleared his throat.
Alexis leans forward, taking a bite. "Hmm. You're right."
"I know." Dean nods, pulling the plate toward him. Madilyn reaches up, grabbing at Deans arm as she sat in Alexis's lap. "Sorry, munchkin, you can't have it yet."
Sam gave the two a look.
"What, it is." Dean shrugs his shoulders.
"Look great, Karen. Thanks." Bobby smiles up at his wife as she placed a slice of pie in front of him. Karen set a hand on his shoulder, rubbing her thumb in circles.
Karen moved around him, placing a plate in front of Alexis.
"Thank you, Mrs. Singer." Alexis smiles.
"You're welcome." Karen nods.
"Could you--? Could you give us a minute?" Bobby asks his wife.
Karen walks into the kitchen, closing the door.
"Are you crazy? What the hell?" Dean hisses as all three hunters turn toward Bobby.
"Dean, I can explain." Bobby says.
"Explain what? Lying to us?" Dean asks. "Or the American Girl Zombie making cupcakes in your kitchen?"
"First of all, that's my wife, so watch it." Bobby warns.
"Bobby, whatever that thing is, it is not your wife." Sam argues.
"Sam." Alexis hisses. "Have some empathy."
"How do you know that?" Bobby asks.
"Are you serious?" Sam replies.
"You think I'm an idiot, boy?" Bobby questions. "My dead wife shows up on my doorstep, I'm not gonna test her every way I ever learned?"
"So what is it?" Dean asks. "Zombies, reverents?"
"Hell is I can tell. She's got no scars, no wounds, no reaction to salt, silver, holy water."
"Bobby, she crawled out of her coffin."
"No, she didn't. I cremated her. Somehow, some way she's back."
"That impossible." Sam argues.
"Tell me about it." Bobby agrees.
"You bury her ashes?"
"Yeah."
"Where?" Dean asks.
"The cemetery."
"Dean, where else would you bury ashes?" Alexis asks, looking over at him.
"That's where they all rose from." Bobby continues.
"How many?" Dean asks.
"Fifteen, 20. I made a list." Bobby pulls a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and handing it to Sam. "There's, uh, Karen, Clay. Sheriff Mills, her little boy came back."
"And there were no signs? No omens?" Sam asks.
"Well, there were the lightning storms." Bobby admits.
Dean rolls his eyes. "That's what we said. What else?"
Bobby turns, moving toward his desk and grabbing a book. "'And through the fire stood before me, a pale horse. And he that sat atop him carried a scythe. And I saw since he had risen, they too shall rise and from him and through him.'" Bobby read, placing the book back down.
"So, what, Death is behind this?" Dean asks, leaning back in his seat as he ran his finger over Alexis's shoulder.
"'Death' death? Like, Grim Reaper, death?" Sam questions.
"No, Death, the fluffy bunny rabbit." Alexis says sarcastically with an eye roll.
Dean brought his hand up, running it over his face. "Awesome. Another horseman. Must be Thursday."
Alexis reaches over, setting her hand on his leg. "It's alright, we'll figure it out." She looks over at him as he ran his hand over his forehead, eyes closed.
"Bobby, why would Death raise 15 people in a podunk town like Sioux Falls?" Sam asks, standing and walking around the table to the desk. He sat down on top of the desk, picking up the book.
"I don't know." Bobby shakes his head.
"You know, if Death is behind this, then whatever these things are...it's not good." Dean looks at Bobby. "You know what we have to do here."
"She doesn't remember anything, you know." Bobby says.
"What do you mean, Bobby?" Alexis asks, adjusting Madilyn on her lap.
"Being possessed. Me killing her, her coming back."
"Bobby--" Dean began.
"No, no, don't 'Bobby' me. Just--" Bobby stopped as he heard Karen humming in the kitchen. "Just listen, okay. She hums when she cooks."
"Yeah."
"She always used to hum when she cooked." Bobby says. "Tone deaf as all hell. And I never thought I would hear it again."
Alexis saw the pain and sadness in Bobby's eyes. She'd seen the way he looked at his wife, smiled at her even if she was dead. Alexis hadn't seen that look many times in her life. That look of pure love and adoration. But one place she'd seen it again and again without fail was when Dean looked at her. And she didn't doubt she looked at him the same way.
Alexis couldn't fathom the idea of losing Dean and to live the rest of her life without him would be horrible. She couldn't imagine what Bobby had gone through. What it must feel like to have his wife back.
"Look, just read Revelation. The...the dead rise during the apocalypse." Bobby looks over at Sam. "There's nothing in there that says that's bad. Hell, maybe it's the one good thing that comes out of this whole bloody mess."
Dean leans toward Bobby. "And what would you do if you were us?"
Bobby went silent for a few moments. "I know what I'd do." He pauses. "And I know what you think you gotta do. But I'm begging you. Please. Please. Leave her be."