It's nighttime and Sam is driving while Dean sits in the passenger seat and Miranda is in the back with her kids.
"All right, well, call us if he wakes up or, you know, anything. Yeah, fine. Thanks for your help, Meg." Dean hangs his phone up. "What a bitch."
"So, Cas is the same, then?" Sam asks.
"Yeah, down to the drool." Dean says and Sam hums. "By the way, how is your custard?"
"It's all right. It's getting better. Just wish it wasn't like the damn tape from The Ring. I mean, I feel like I'm okay cause I passed on the crazy." Sam says.
"No, you didn't. You heard what Cas said." Dean says as his phone starts ringing.
"Let's-- let's not. You know what?" Sam says.
"Hello." Dean answers his phone. "Wait. W-who is this?" He asks. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, how you doing, Garth?"
+++
They're at the motel and Garth is working on his EMF meter. Sam and Miranda are sitting across from each other at the window while Dean is on the couch and reading John's journal. Serena is asleep in her mom's arms, Wyatt is playing with some of his toys on the floor, and Carly is standing behind Sam and trying to braid some of his hair, pouting each time he moves his head.
"There's a million things with claws that go bump in the night." Dean says. "Once you throw in invisible, the number goes down." Dean picks up a card that's on the table by him. ""Afternoon Delights?" Really, Garth? Don't you think this place is a little, uh..."
"Uh, you want a nice hot tub after a day at the office. It's the little things." Garth says.
"He's got a point." Miranda says.
"I feel sad for those brewery dudes. Spend your life beautifying the world through beer. First a partner offs himself." Garth says. "Now two kids get ganked by unknown freakadeek."
"According to this, Dale wasn't just a partner." Sam says, looking at his laptop. "He was also the brewmaster."
"Brewmaster?" Dean asks.
"He was widely considered a genius." Sam says.
"All right, that's it. No microbrew is worth... what was it? Eight Food Magazine awards?" Dean asks, getting beer out of the fridge. "Beer's not good. It's... whatever water is." He gives everybody a beer and opens his own. "Hmm. Thighslapper." He takes a drink. "Wow, that's actually awesome. Damn it, I'm not even mad anymore."
They watch as Garth downs the entire bottle of beer, letting out a loud belch afterwards making Wyatt laugh.
"Wow. Party on, Garth." Dean says.
"I don't even usually drink beer. It messes with my depth perception. Especially when I skinny-dip." Garth says. Miranda gives her husband a weird look.
"What's skinny dipping?" Miranda asks.
"It--" Sam starts.
"Swimming in your birthday suit." Garth informs.
"Dude." Miranda says.
"What's a birthday suit?" Miranda whispers to her dad.
"It means you're naked." He says.
"Why would you wanna swim naked?" She frowns.
"Some people like it." Sam says. "Just-- don't worry about it. Keep braiding or something."
Carly sighs and grabs a small chunk of his hair.
"Hey, you guys want to hear a joke?" Garth asks.
"Listen to this. This is something interesting." Sam says as Garth laughs. "Garth, are you drunk?"
"Dude, I just... drank a whole beer. Of course I'm drunk." Garth belches again.
"Something interesting?" Dean recalls.
"Right. Uh..." Sam says.
"Hey, can I have some more Thighslapper?" Garth asks.
"No." The three deny.
"Coffee for you, Tara Reid." Dean says.
"Coffee with kalhua in it?" Garth asks.
"So, it says that Dale actually left the company two weeks before he died. Or... maybe he got pushed out cause he didn't want to sell. I mean, Baxter said the deal's been in the works for months." Sam says.
"That would explain the widow. She's suing. Maybe Dale had a bone to pick, and he's still picking it." Dean says.
"Right. So, maybe he's a spirito malo." Garth says.
"Unit to McAnn residence. 698 Washburn." The voice on the police radio informs.
"McAnn residence, as in Jim McAnn?" Sam asks.
"As in, let's hope for their sake our spirito ain't made it out of the woods. All right. Let's go check it." Garth says.
"Uh, you two go. I'm gonna visit the widow." Sam says. Dean gives him a look and Sam smiles.
"Wha-what about Miranda?" Dean asks.
"I-- I gotta stay here with the three kids that I birthed." Miranda says.
"I can watch them." Dean says.
"Fuck no." Miranda denies.
+++
The guys took care of the Shojo and it's the next day.
"You sure you guys don't want to hang out? Grab some brunch, maybe some brews?" Garth asks.
"Tempting, but, uh, we better roll." Dean says.
"All right, well..." Garth hugs Dean.
"Oh. Yeah." Dean pats his back.
"Call me anytime." Garth says.
"All right." Dean says.
Garth hugs Miranda who lightly hugs him back.
"And you, Sam." Garth says, the two shaking hands. "Aw, come here." He hugs the Winchester.
"Uh, yeah. Thanks, Garth." Sam awkwardly hugs him back.
"Sayonara, kemosabes!" Garth bids. "Nice ride." He points to their car. He gets in and drives off.
"You're right. He has grown on me." Sam comments making Miranda chuckle. "All right, um... so, let's talk about it." Miranda glances between them in confusion.
"About what?" Dean asks, but sees Sam's look. ""h. The, uh, talking board? That's fine. I get it, I guess."
"No, not that. Look, I heard you." Sam says.
"Heard me what?" Dean asks.
"What happened in the brewery, Dean?" Sam asks.
"Nothing. It was, uh-- it was just my imagination." Dean says.
"Dean, look, I know something happened." Sam says as they go back into the motel room. Miranda stays in the doorway, glancing back at the Impala where the kids are. "I just want you to be straight with me."
"The blade was across the room and then it was in my hand." Dean says. "And then my beer drank itself. Oh, and then that page magically appeared on the bed. And-- and then Bobby's book fell down and out popped the number of the guy who found Cas. Nothing, I'm sure."
"Clearly."
"Well, then what, Sam? Is Bobby here or not?"
"You know what I think, Dean? I think that regular people, they see ones they lost everywhere too."
"Yeah, fucking ghosts!"
"Or they just miss 'em a lot. I mean, they see a face in a crowd, we see a book falling off the table. Same thing, Dean. I did the talking board, I ran plenty of EMF. When that beer went poof... I went a little nuts."
"Yeah, why didn't you tell us?"
"Like I said, little nuts at the time."
"All right, well, if it wasn't Bobby, then what Jedi'd that sword into my hand?"
"The Shojo slammed the door from across the room. Maybe it was trying to grab the sword, too."
"Right. Right, I mean if it was Bobby, he would let us know. I mean, who knows more about being a ghost than Bobby? Instant Swayze, right?"
"Exactly."
"Okay. Okay, you-- so your theory is that-- that we're practically regular people about something for once. All right." Dean says. "Well, you want to grab some brunch and some brews?"
"Ugh, no. I'm so hungover. Let's just hit the road." Sam says.
"All right." Dean nods.
+++
Sam is sitting on the car with Miranda standing by him and Dean walks over. Serena and Wyatt are both asleep in the backseat and Carly is sitting by her dad.
"All right, here we go." Dean says, sitting down next to Sam. He puts the tray of take out food and drinks down between them. Sam gives Miranda her food and drink before getting Carly's food figured out.
"There." He mumbles, handing the girl her taco.
"You know... even though the world is going to shit, there's one thing that I can always count on. These things tasting the same in every drive through in every state in our great nation." Dean says, taking a bite of his taco and humming in delight.
"No!" Carly whines when half of her taco contents fall out and onto the Impala.
"Oh, come on." Dean groans.
"Shut up, Dean." Her parents chorus.
"But the--"
"It's some meat and a few vegetables. Just go through a damn car wash." Miranda tells him.
"Here, you want some more?" Sam asks and Carly nods. He takes her taco and holds it a bit open, dumping some of his taco into hers. Putting his taco down, he tries to fold Carly's better.
"There." He gives it back to her, putting the napkin over her lap.
Dean's phone rings and he answers it.
"Annie." He says. "A nice surprise. How you been?" He asks. Miranda tunes the conversation out, focusing on her taco and making sure Carly's good.
+++
They're sitting at a restaurant and waiting for Annie. Sam and Miranda are going over the menu while Dean is reading a newspaper.
"Hey, get this. Dick Roman is funding another archaeological dig. Guy moves more dirt than "The Drudge Report."" Dean says.
"Well, any anything on what he's digging for?" Sam asks.
"Don't you think I would have led with that?" Dean asks.
"Annie's not usually this late, is she?" Sam asks, looking at his watch.
"No, never. She's totally compulsive. I'll try her cell." Dean says.
"You know, uh, you know she and Bobby had a thing, right?" Sam asks.
"Yeah. Yeah, I knew that." Dean nods. "Really?" He asks after a moment.
"Yeah. Kind of a foxhole thing -- very Hemingway." Sam says.
"Huh. She and I kind of went Hemingway this one time, too." Dean says.
"All right, well... that happens." Sam says, making a face.
"Hell, no." Miranda realizes.
"What, you too?" Dean asks.
"Look, it was a while back. We ended up on the same case. She was stressed. I-I-I... I didn't... have a soul." Sam says.
"Oh, so, just a... another one to add to the list." Miranda remarks.
"I--" Sam frowns at her.
"Why would you out yourself with that?" Dean questions.
"Shut up." Sam hisses.
"That's a lot of foxholes." Dean says.
"Hey." Sam mumbles, resting his hand on Miranda's arm. "We're, like... I'm sorry."
"You were a major dick when you were soulless." Miranda says.
"I know." Sam kisses her on the cheek.
"She's not answering. Well, here's to ghosts that aren't there." Dean says, pouring some whiskey from his flask into his coffee mug.
"You sound kind of disappointed."
"Ah, it's better this way. I mean, even though I wish we could see him again doesn't mean that we should." The brothers clink their mugs together and drink. "Are we being stood up?"
"Yeah, let's hope that's all this is." Sam says.
+++
"The house dates back to the mid 19th century. Miles Van Ness made his fortune in the gold rush, eventually settling his family in Bodega Bay." The historian they're talking to at the Bodega Bay Heritage Society tells them.
"Anything... unusual ever happen in the house?" Sam asks.
"Oh, over the course of a century, things are going to happen in a house." The historian says. "Some locals swear it's haunted. Every village has its idiots."
"We only want the real scoop, of course." Dean says.
"Whitman Van Ness. Son and heir. Handsome, charming, dogged by tragedy all his life. He lost the family fortune, then the house. It became a bordello. He lived in isolation till his death at age 40."
"Who's the, uh, the bruiser there?" Dean asks.
"Dexter O'Connell. A convict. An extremely violent man." The historian says. "Mr. Van Ness was socially progressive and took pity on him. He worked as groundskeeper. Dexter was convicted for murdering Whitman's fiancé on the eve of their wedding. Another calamitous event in the poor man's life."
"Well, thank you." Dean says.
"The house is popular this week." The historian says.
"What do you mean?" Sam asks.
"A lady came by the other day asking all sorts of questions."
"Uh, 30s, red hair, good looking?" Dean asks.
"I gave her the same advice I'll give you. Stay away from the place. It's extremely unsafe."
+++
"So, besides Whitman's fiance, Dexter O'Connell was also convicted of killing a bunch of hookers who worked at the brothel." Sam says. "He escaped before they could hang him. But then he returned to the house where he was found shot to death. Why would he escape and then go right back to the house where he got arrested?"
"I don't know. Add that to a list of things I don't know." Dean says from the shower.
"So what's the next move?" Sam asks.
"Sam?" Dean calls.
"What?" He asks.
"Tell me you wrote that." Dean says. Sam walks into the bathroom, looking at the words written in condensation on the mirror.
Annie trapped in house
"Uh... no. No, I didn't." Sam answers. "Randi?" She walks into the bathroom.
"Not me." Miranda says. Sam glances back, all three of the kids asleep in one bed.
"Well, then, who's there?" Dean asks. "I said, who's there?!" The hot water faucet on the sink turns on, steam rising. They watch as B and O get written on the mirror. "Bobby?" The watch Bobby be written out on the mirror. "Bobby?"
"This whole time, we've been trying to talk ourselves out of it, he's been-- what's he doing here?" Dean asks.
"Dude." Sam picks the flask up.
+++
"I'll miss her." Bobby says as they stand outside the house.
"Me too." Dean says.
"Yeah." Sam agrees.
Miranda smacks her husband over the head.
"Ah-- uh-- not-- I won't miss her that much." He says.
"Well, uh... here's to Annie." Dean says. "She got the hunter's funeral she wanted. Kind of like the one we thought we gave you." He tells Bobby.
"Dean." Sam sighs.
"What were you thinking, Bobby? You could be in Heaven right now, drinking beer at Harvelle's, not-- not stuck..." Dean says.
"Stuck here with you? We still have work to do. I just thought that was kind of important, Dean." Bobby says.
"It's not right and you know that." Dean says.
"Sorry. You're right. What was I thinking?" Bobby disappears. Dean tosses the flask into the trunk.