IMPALA
Dean's phone rang and he answered. "Yeah?"
MOTEL ROOM
"There's a cop car outside," Sam said.
"You think it's for us?"
"I don't know."
INT. IMPALA
Dean frowned. "I don't see how. I mean, we ditched the plates, the credit cards."
MOTEL ROOM
The cop car drove away and Sam and Shannon let out a breath. "They're leaving. False alarm."
"You see. Nothing to worry about," Dean reassured.
"Yeah, being fugitives? Freaking dance party," Sam shot back.
IMPALA
"Hey man, chicks dig the danger vibe."
MOTEL ROOM
Sam and Shannon were standing in front of books. Leo was asleep on a bed. They were all about a demon called a Djinn, and on top of them was John's journal, open on the same subject.
"So, you got anything yet?"
IMPALA
"Are you kidding me? How could I? You two got me sifting through like 50 square miles of real estate here."
MOTEL ROOM
"Well, that's where all the victims disappeared."
IMPALA
"Yeah well, I get at least squat. What about you two?"
MOTEL ROOM
"Just one thing. I'm pretty sure of it now." He pulled one book closer. "We're hunting a Djinn."
IMPALA
"A freaking genie?" Dean asked.
"Yeah."
"What? You think these suckers can really grant wishes?"
MOTEL ROOM
Shannon let out a sigh. "Sam and I don't know. I guess they're powerful enough. But not exactly like Barbara Eden and the harem pants. I mean, Djinn have been feeding off people for centuries. They're all over the Koran."
IMPALA
"My God. Barbara Eden was hot, wasn't she? Way hotter than that Betwitched chick. But you're hottest, baby."
MOTEL ROOM
"Are you even listening to us?" Sam asked.
IMPALA
"Yeah. So uh, what do the Djinns lair at?"
MOTEL ROOM
"Ruins usually. Uh. Bigger the better, more places to hide."
IMPALA
"Yeah, I think I saw a place a couple miles back. I'm gonna go check it out."
MOTEL ROOM
"No, no, no, no. Come pick us up first."
IMPALA
"No. I'm sure it's nothing. I just wanna take a look around."
Dean hung up the phone.
MOTEL ROOM
Sam lowered his hand holding the phone and sighed. Shannon glanced at him and let out a frustrated sigh.
FACTORY
The Impala pulled up to a factory and almost came to a stop.
Dean entered the factory, seeing that it was empty. Dean looked back and forth a few times, then started walking back in the same direction he'd come from, but in the hall. On his right, among all the old things and such, he passed a figure. He didn't see it and continued walking. Suddenly, the figure attacked him, pinning him against the window wall. He dropped his flashlight and the Djinn forced Dean to drop his knife. The Djinn opened its left hand and it began to glow blue, his eyes doing the same. It put its glowing hand on Dean's forehead and Dean's eyes rolled up as they became a washed-out blue.
BEDROOM
A TV was showing an old black and white movie. Dean woke up and saw a woman lying next to him.
APARTMENT
"Dean?"
"Sam?"
"What's going on?"
"I don't know. I don't know where I am."
"What? What happened?"
"The, uh, the Djinn. It attacked me."
"The gin? You're... drinking gin?"
"No, asshat. The Djinn. The, uh, scary creature. Remember? It put its hand on me and I woke up next to some hot chick..."
"Who? Carmen?"
"Who?"
"Dean, you're drunk. You're drunk-dialing me."
"I'm not drunk! Quit screwing around!"
"Look, it's late. All right, just get some sleep and I'll... see you tomorrow. Okay?"
"Wait, Sam! Sam!"
ANOTHER APARTMENT
"Hello?" Shannon asked.
"Shay?"
"Who is this?"
"It's me. Dean."
"Um, I'm sorry, I've never met a Dean in my life."
"Honey, listen to me. Something is wrong. I woke up next to this chick named Carmen."
"Look, Dean, I don't know you. Maybe you should talk to her, explain what you're going through."
LIVING ROOM
Dean picked up an envelope addressed to:
CARMEN PORTER
53 BARKER AVE
LAWRENCE, KS 66044
"Lawrence?"
The next two envelopes were addressed to Dean, same address as Carmen's.
"What the hell?"
"Honey? What are you doing up?" Carmen asked.
"Hey. Carmen. Carmen, uh, I just uh..."
"Aw, you can't sleep, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Well, why don't you come back to bed and let's see if I can do anything to help."
"Sure. Yeah. In a minute. You - you go ahead."
Carmen smiled. "Okay. Don't stay up too long."
"No." He picked up a photo, looked shocked, and dropped it.
HOUSE
The Impala drove up to the Winchester house. Dean shut off the engine and walked to the house. He banged on the door and rang the bell twice. The porch light turned on and the door opened.
"Dean," Mary greeted.
Dean stared at her, not believing his eyes. His voice was broken when he talked to her, on the verge of crying. "Mom?"
"What are you doing here? Are you all right?"
"I don't know."
"Well... come inside."
They walked inside and Mary closed the door. Dean continued staring at Mary.
"Carmen just called and said you took off all of a sudden."
Dean frowned. "Carmen? Right... Let me ask you a question. When I was a kid, what did you always tell me when you put me to bed?"
"Dean, I don't understand-"
"Just answer the question."
"I told you angels were watching over you."
"I don't believe it." Dean walked over and hugged Mary tightly.
"Honey, you're scaring me," Mary said and Dean backed off. "Now just tell me what's going on."
"You don't think that wishes can, can really..." Dean stopped himself.
"What?"
"Forget it." He hugged her again. "I get it. I'm just uh... I'm happy to see you, that's all." He almost started crying, but pulled it together and released the hug, looking down on Mary. "You're beautiful." He laughed a little.
Mary smiled. "What?"
"Hey, when I was uh... When I was little, was there ever a fire here?" He walked towards the wall, looking at the books and pictures.
"No. Never."
"I thought there was."
There was a picture of John and Mary smiling with Dean and Sam as little kids in front of them.
"I guess I was wrong," Dean noted.
There was another picture of Dean, in a cap, looking cool into the camera. One of Dean and his prom date. Another of Sam as a graduate. Dean picked up another picture. It was in black and white and showed John, dressed in baseball clothes with a cap and a baseball bat in hand, ready to swing, smiling at the camera.
"Dad's on a softball team," Dean said to himself.
Dean turned around and Mary looked at him. "Dad's... Dad's softball team. It's... That's funny to me."
"He loved that stupid team," Mary told him.
"Dad's dead? And the thing that killed him was a..."
"A stroke. He died in his sleep, you know that."
"That's great."
"Excuse me?"
"That -- that's great. That he went peacefully, I mean. That... that sure beats the alternative."
"You've been drinking."
"No, I haven't. Mom."
Mary looked at Dean. "Just gonna call Carmen and have her come pick you up, okay?"
"Wait. No, no!" Dean cried, placing his hand over Mary's, which was over the phone about to pick it up. "Don't - don't do that. Don't do that. I wanna stay here."
"Why?"
"Because I-I miss the place. It's okay, you -- you go to bed. Okay?"
Dean went over to the couch, sat down and looked around a bit.
Mary walked up to him and stroked his face. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"I think so," Dean replied.
"Okay." She bent down and kissed his forehead. She started out of the room and stopped by the door. "Get some rest. I love you."
"Me too."
The next day, he heard birds chirping and woke up momentarily confused before getting up. He called Sam, but got no answer. He called Shannon and got nothing from her.
---
He made his way to a professor's office.
"But I don't think I've seen you in my class before."
"You kiddin' me?" Dean asked. "I love your lectures. You... You make learning fun."
The two of them laughed.
"So, what can I do for you?"
"What can you tell me about Djinns?"
Dean and the professor were standing over a bunch of books.
"A lot of Muslims believed the Djinn are very real," the professor explained. "They're mentioned in the Koran."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah," Dean said. "I know. Get to the wish part."
"What about it?"
"Do you think they could really do it?"
"Um... Uh, no. No, I don't think they can really do it. You understand these are mythic creatures?"
"Yeah, I know. I-I-I- know. I know. But uh... I mean in the stories. You know. Say you had a wish uh, but you never even said it out loud. You know, like that ah... that a loved one never died. Or that ah, something awful never happened."
"Supposedly, yes. I mean they have godlike power. They can alter reality however they want. Past. Present. Future."
"Why would the Djinn do it? It was self-defense? Or maybe it's not really evil."
"Son?"
"Hm?"
"You been drinking?"
"Everybody keeps asking me that. But uh... No."
Dean left the office and made his way to the Impala.
Dean opened the trunk to find old magazines and paper cups and rags but no guns or anything else he'd had in the trunk.
He laughed. "Who'd a thought, baby. We're civilians."
Dean closed the trunk and looked over at the building. He saw a girl in a white shirt, skirt and shoes, staring at him. He looked at her for a short while, then started to cross the street, walking towards her. Suddenly, a car screeched to a halt as it avoided running into him. The driver hit the horn and Dean held out his hand to the car. When he turned back towards the girl to start walking again, she was gone.
WINCHESTER HOUSE
Dean took a bite out of a big sandwich and grunted.
With a full mouth, Dean said, "This is the best sandwich ever!"
"Thank you," Mary replied.
Dean was still calling. "I tried to get hold of Sam and Shay earlier. Where - where - where is he?"
"Oh. He'll be here soon. I'm afraid I don't know a Shay."
"Good. Dying to see him. Shay, Shannon, is great."
Mary looked at Dean. "Sweetie, I... Don't get me wrong. I am thrilled you are... hanging out here... all of a sudden." She quickly stroked Dean's chin. "But uh... shouldn't you be at work?"
"Work?"
"At the garage."
"Right. The garage. It's where I work, yeah. No, I-I've got the day off." He snickered. "Good thing."
Dean took another bite of his sandwich and looked to the window.
After finishing his sandwich, Dean looked out the window. "That lawn looks like it could use some mowing."
"You wanna mow the lawn?" Mary asked.
"You kidding? I'd love to mow the lawn."
"Knock yourself out. Could think you never mowed a lawn in your life."
Dean grinned, incredibly happy.
Dean started the lawnmower. He began mowing the lawn, enjoying the yard work. He saw the neighbor across the street putting out the garbage. Dean waved to the neighbor and the neighbor waved back as Dean continued mowing.
When he finished, Mary brought her son a beer.
A car drove up outside the front yard.
"I don't believe it," Dean said.
He got up to greet Sam, Shannon and Jessica who were getting out of the car. Dean attacked Jessica with a hug while Sam got luggage out of the trunk.
"Jessica," Dean greeted.
"You're, uh... Good to see you too, Dean," Jessica replied as Dean laughed. "Can't breathe." He let her go, turning to Shannon. "Nice to meet you."
Shannon nodded slowly. "Call it weird, but your tone worried me and I felt the need to check on you. So I think I'd take some time off and check it out."
"Sammy," Dean greeted.
"Hey," Sam replied.
Dean smiled big. "Look at you. You're with Jessica, it's - I don't believe it." He laughed.
"Yeah."
"Where'd you guys come from?"
"We just flew in from... Califor-"
"California! Stanford. Huh? Law school, I bet."
Sam motioned to the beer in Dean's hand. "I see you started off Mom's birthday with bang as usual."
"Wait. Mom's birthday, that's today?"
"Yeah. Yeah, Dean. That's today. That's why we're here. Don't tell me you forgot."
"Wha..." He turned to Shannon. "Where's Leo?"
Shannon frowned. "Um, who's that?"
Dean looked at her sadly. "Ah, never mind."
RESTAURANT
Everyone sat at a round table.
Dean got served a plate. "Wow, that... looks awesome."
Shannon got served a plate and gave a light smile. "Thank you."
"All right. To Mom." Sam raised his glass. "Happy birthday."
"Happy birthday," Jessica said.
"Thank you," Mary replied.
They clinked their glasses in a cheer.
"To Mom," Dean said.
As Dean watched, Sam and Jessica kissed and Dean smiled while Shannon looked lightly worried.
Carmen turned to Dean. "I was really worried about you last night."
"Oh I'm... I'm good," Dean replied. "I'm really good."
"Okay. What do you say, later we get you a cheeseburger?"
"Oh God, yes." She smiled. "How did I end up with such a cool chick?"
"Just got low standards."
Dean laughed and kissed her, glancing at Shannon.
"All right," Sam said. "Jess and I actually have another surprise for Mom's birthday. Ah... You wanna tell 'em?"
"They're your family," Jessica told him.
"All right."
Mary smiled. "What? Tell me what?"
Sam held up Jessica's left hand, revealing an engagement ring on her finger.
Mary laughed happily. "Oh my God! That's so wonderful."
She got up and hugged Jessica, who'd also gotten up. Sam and Carmen got up while Dean sat.
Carmen looked at Jessica. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," Jessica replied.
She looked to Sam. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," Sam answered.
Mary walked over and hugged Sam. "I wish your dad was here."
"Yeah. Me too."
"Jessica, let me see that ring."
"Congratulations Sammy," Dean said.
"Thanks," Sam replied.
"I'm really glad you're happy."
The girl Dean had seen on campus was back. Dean saw her, brushed past Sam and Shannon and walked towards her. Sam and Shannon turned around when Dean hit their shoulders while passing by. Dean passed a number of people and when he passed the last one, the girl was gone.
Dean turned and looked at his family, as they stood looking at him, wondering what was up.
WINCHESTER HOUSE
The door opened and the women laughed as they entered.
"So, Dean, what was uh... what was all that back at the restaurant?" Sam asked.
Dean answered, "Ah... I-I thought I saw someone. Sure it's nothing."
"Well, I had a lovely birthday," Mary told them. "Thank you. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Jessica, Shannon and Carmen said.
"Goodnight," Dean repeated.
"Night, Mom," Sam said before turning to the others. "Yeah, well I'm beat." He turned to Jessica. "Ready to turn in?"
"Sure," Jessica replied.
"All right. Goodnight guys."
"Wait a second," Dean called. "Wait a second. Come on, it's not even nine o'clock yet. Let's uh... Let's go have a drink or something."
"Yeah, maybe another time."
"Come on, man. Look at us. Huh? We both have beautiful women on our arms. You're engaged. Let's go celebrate."
Sam glanced to Jessica, Shannon and Carmen. "Guys, can you excuse us? I just want to talk to my brother for a bit."
"Sure," Jessica agreed.
"Thanks."
"Come on, Carmen." The girls left the room.
Sam turned to his brother. "Come here." He walked to the other side of the living room.
"What?" Dean wondered.
"Okay. What's gotten into you?"
"What do you mean?" Dean asked.
"I mean this whole warm, fuzzy, ecstasy trip thing."
"I'm just happy for you, Sammy."
"Yeah, right. That's another thing. Since when do you call me Sammy?" He paused a beat. "Dean, come on. We don't talk outside of holidays."
"We don't? Well, we should. I mean, you're my brother."
""You're my brother"?"
Dean laughed. "Yeah."
"You know, that's what you said when you snaked my ATM card, or when you bailed on my graduation, or when you hooked up with Rachel Nave."
"Who?"
"Uh, my prom date. On prom night."
"Yeah, that does kinda sound like me. Whoa, hey man, I'm sorry about that. Shay doesn't know me." He walked towards Sam.
Sam backed away. "No that, look, that's all right man, I-I just... You know I'm not asking you to change. I-I just I... I don't know, I... guess we just don't really have anything in common. You know?" He started walking away. "You've never met her obviously."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Yes we do. Yes we do." He chuckled lightly. "I do know her."
"What?"
"Hunting."
"Hunting? I've never been hunting in my life, Dean."
"Yeah, well. We should go at it sometime. I... I think you'd be great at it." Sam started walked away again and turned. "Get some rest." He walked away, leaving his brother in the living room.
DEAN'S LIVING ROOM
Dean was sitting on the sofa, thinking, with a furrowed brow. Carmen handed Dean a beer.
Dean looked at the beer. "My favorite. I guess you know me pretty well."
"'Fraid so. You all right? " Carmen questioned.
"Sammy and I... You know we don't get along. Shay doesn't know me."
"Well, you don't spend a lot of time together. I mean, I just think you don't know each other all that well."
"Hm."
"For the record: He doesn't know what he's missing."
"I can fix things with Sam. I can make it up to him. To everyone."
"Okay. What's gotten into you lately?"
"This isn't gonna make a lick of sense to you. But I kind of feel like I've been given a second chance. And I don't wanna waste it."
"You're right, that doesn't make any sense."
Dean leaned in and kissed Carmen. "You know, I get it."
"Get what?"
"Why you're the one."
"Well." He kissed her again. "Whatever's gotten into you... I like it. Ohhh... come on. Don't do this to me now. I've gotta get ready for work."
Carmen got off the couch, leaving Dean sitting with his hands as though she was still between them.
"Go to work now?" Dean asked.
"Yeah, I told you. I've got the night shifts on Thursday."
Dean got up. "You work nights at the, uh..." He followed Carmen into the bedroom and saw Carmen pulling out scrubs. He stood in the doorway. "...hospital."
He said to himself, "I'm dating a nurse. That is so... respectable." He thought of Shannon, who immediately brought a smile to his face.
Carmen smiled at his words. Dean looked at her and took a sip of beer.
After Carmen left, Dean went back into the living room, turning on the TV.
He sat on the couch, put his feet on the table, drank beer, and he watched TV.
"The olive oil must have a purpose here," the woman said.
"Yeah," the man agreed.
"Yeah?"
"I'll take the olive oil and we'll just put a, just a touch of olive oil, okay? That's all."
"Oh."
"Can't make any mistakes with this machine. Now, the liquid. I could use water but I'm gonna use a little spinach-"
Dean changed the channel to the stock market, cartoon, then the news. There was a plane and a reporter spoke.
"And today marks the anniversary of the crash of United Britannia Flight 424."
He leaned forward to watch.
"Indianapolis residents held a candlelight vigil in memory of the hundred people who lost their lives..."
"No, no. I stopped that crash," Dean said.
He looked through the house and found his laptop. He started reading headlines to cases they'd solved.
Dean drove to a graveyard and stood by John's grave.
John E. Winchester
1954-2006
LOVING HUSBAND AND FATHER
REMEMBERED FOREVER
"All of them," Dean said. "Everyone that you saved, everyone Sammy, Shay and I saved. They're all dead. And there's this woman that's haunting me. I don't know why. I don't know what the connection is, not yet anyway. It's like our old life is coming after me or something. Like it, like it doesn't want me to be happy. 'Course I know what you'd say. Well, not the you that played softball but... So go hunt the Djinn. He put you here, it can put you back. Your happiness for all those people's lives, not contest. Right? But why? Why is it our job to save these people? Why do we have to be some kind of hero?" He began crying. "What about us, huh? Mom's not supposed to live her life. Sammy's not supposed to get married. Shay's supposed to be my wife and we have a little boy named Leo. Why do we have to sacrifice everything, Dad?" He paused. "It's... Yeah..." He turned and walked away.
WINCHESTER HOUSE - SAM AND JESSICA'S ROOM
A car sounded outside. A dog barked. There was a noise downstairs and Sam woke.
Sam went down the stairs, quietly, with a bat in hand.
He stopped ion the doorway, leaning as he looked into the living room. He saw the window open and under it, someone was in one of the cabinets. Sam went in swinging. The taller figure got up and counterattacked, throwing him on the floor. It was Dean.
Dean breathed. "That was so easy, I'm embarrassed for you."
"Dean? What the hell are you doing here?"
Dean got up, letting Sam off the floor.
"I was looking for a beer," Dean said.
"In the china cabinet?" Sam asked.
Sam went to turn on the light and a box of silverware was open on the floor. "That's Mom's silver."
"Sam," Dean called.
"What, you... broke into the house... to steal Mom's silver?"
"It's not what it looks like," Dean told him. "Okay, I didn't have a choice."
"Oh really? Why? What's so damn important you gotta steal from your own mother?"
"You want the truth?"
"Yeah, yeah I do."
Dean shrugged. "I owe somebody money."
"Who?"
"A bookie. I lost big on a game, I gotta bring him the cash tonight."
"I can't believe we're even related."
"Sam, I'm sorry."
"Yeah," Sam replied quietly.
"I'm sorry we don't get along. And I wish to hell I could stay to fix it. But we gotta do this. People's lives depend on it." He took a knife from the box.
"What are you talking about, Dean?"
"Nothing. Forget it. Just uh... hey, tell Mom I love her."
Sam frowned, seeing that something was was up as Dean went for the door. "Dean."
Dean turned around as he said, "I'll see you, Sammy."
He walked out the door, giving Sam one last look. Sam stood in the living room where Dean had left him, confused. The Impala's engine started.
IMPALA
Dean was sitting in the car, engine going, thinking. Suddenly, the passenger door opened and Sam got in the car. The back door opened and Shannon got in.
"Get out of the car," Dean ordered.
"I'm going with you," Sam said.
Shannon nodded. "So am I."
"You're both just gonna slow me down," Dean told them.
"Tough," Sam and Shannon retorted.
"This is dangerous and you two could get hurt."
"Yeah, and so could you, Dean," Sam shot back.
"Sam! Shannon!" Dean called.
"Look, whatever stupid thing you're about to do, you're not doing it alone. And that's that."
"I don't understand. Why you two doing this?"
Sam sighed. "Because you're still my brother."
Shannon frowned. "I don't know. Call me crazy, but I feel like there's something about you; like I know you."
"Bitch," Dean said.
Sam glanced at Dean. "What are you calling me or her a bitch for?"
"You're supposed to say jerk," Dean told Sam. "I'd never call her that."
"What?" Sam asked.
"Never mind." He pulled the Impala in gear and they drove off.
Sam looked down at a bag on the seat between him and Dean. "What's in the bag?"
"Nothin'."
"Nothin'?"
"Yeah, nothin'."
"Fine." He grabbed the bag and began opening it.
"You don't wanna do that."
"Oh really?" He took out what was in the bag to see a container of blood and studied it. "What the hell is this?"
"Blood."
"Yeah, I can see that it's blood, Dean! What the hell is it doing in here?"
"You don't really wanna know."
"No, I-I do really wanna know. I really, really, do."
"Yeah, well, you're gonna find out sooner or later. I needed the silver knife dipped in lamb's blood."
"You need a silver knife dipped in lamb's blood, why?"
"Because there's this creature. A Djinn. And I have to hunt it."
"Okay. Um... stop the car."
"I know how it sounds."
"Great. Just... stop the car."
"It's the truth, Sam. All right, there are things out there in the dark. There - there - there are bad things. There are nightmare things. And people have to be saved and if I don't save them, then nobody will."
"Look, I wanna help you, all right? I-I really do, but you're having some kind of psychotic breakdown so... just-"
"I wish."
Sam picked up his phone and started dialing a number. Dean rolled down his window, grabbed Sam's phone and threw it out the window.
"What the hell was that, Dean? That was my phone!" Sam complained.
"I'm not going to a rubber room, Sammy, Shay. And we've got work to do," Dean told him.
"What? I was just trying to help you out, Dean. I don't - I don't want you to get yourself hurt."
Shannon shook her head. "I don't either."
"What? You protect me?"
"Yeah!" Sam and Shannon exclaimed.
Dean laughed. "That's hilarious. Why don't you two just sit tight and try not to get us all killed." He started the radio and music blared.
They reached the factory.
Dean looked at Sam and Shannon who were asleep. He picked up his flashlight and shined it on Sam and Shannon's faces.
Sam and Shannon awoke with a start. "Where are we?"
"Well, we're not in Kansas anymore," Dean replied, smiling at Sam before dropping his after seeing none returned. "Illinois."
"And you think something's in there?"
"I know it is."
They entered the abandoned factory, flashlights in hand.
"See? There's nothing here, Dean," Sam told him.
Dean started walking down the hallway, the same way as when he'd gotten attacked. Sam and Shannon followed closely behind.
"Look, Carmen's gotta be worried about you, Dean," Sam said. "Come on, let- Let's just go."
"Shh!" Dean replied.
There were sounds and Sam and Shannon started taking it seriously.
"What the hell is that?" Sam asked.
"What's going on?" Shannon questioned.
Dean glanced at them. "Stay behind me and keep your mouths shut."
Dean, Sam and Shannon approached a big room to see bodies hanging from the ceiling.
A drained blood bag was hanging next to one of the bodies.
"What the hell?" Sam commented.
Dean looked forward and saw the woman he'd seen several times, hanging like the bodies. He approached her and there was a blood bag next to her, filled with blood. Her eyes were opened and she looked dead.
"It's her," Dean said.
Sam looked at the bag and at her. Her wrists were tied, just like the others. She began making sounds.
"Dean, what's going on?"
Dean grabbed him. "Shh!"
The Djinn walked out from behind a wall and walked up behind the woman. The trio had disappeared.
The woman sobbed. "Where's my dad? I wonder how..." She looked at the Djinn. "Don't." She moved her feet away from the Djinn and was crying. "Where's my dad."
The Djinn touched her face. "Sleep." Blue flares went over her cheek as he stroked her and her eyes glowed bright blue. "Sleep."
Her head fell forward, eyes still open and her feet relaxed, falling forward again. The Djinn rested his face against her arms, touching her right arm and breathing heavily, eyes closed. He went for the blood bag, pulled out one straw and put it to his mouth, drinking her blood.
Sam saw and coughed in disgust. The Djinn turned as his eyes flashed blue and he began moving towards their hiding place. When he got there, the three were gone.
The Djinn walked up some creaky steps and Sam, Dean and Shannon stood below them, looking up and following his steps. When a door closed, Sam began breathing loudly.
"This is real?" Sam asked. "You aren't crazy?"
"She didn't know where she was," Dean said. "She thought she was with her father."
The three of them walked up to the woman again.
Dean continued. "What if that's what the Djinn does? It doesn't grant you a wish, it just makes you think it has."
"Look man. That thing could come back, all right?"
Dean walked past Sam and Shannon in the opposite direction of the woman. He looked up at a lightbulb and it started to flicker in brighter light. Dean struggled to breathe, realizing what was happening.
"Dean, please."
Dean breathed heavily and he asked, "What if I'm like her? What if I'm tied up here someplace? What if all this is in my head?" He walked up to the woman. "I mean, it could, you know, maybe it gives us some kind of supernatural acid, and then just feeds on us slow."
"No," Sam told him. "Dean, that doesn't make any sense. Okay?"
"What if that's why she keeps appearing to me? She's not a spirit. It's - it's more and more like I'm catching flashes of reality. You know, like I'm in here somewhere. I'm - I'm catatonic, and we're taking all this stuff in but we, but we can't snap out of it."
"Yeah, okay, look. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're right. Shannon and I were wrong. You're not crazy but we - we - we need to get out of here. Fast." He started pulling Dean with him, but he pulled his arms loose from Sam.
Sam looked at him and threw his arms as though he was asking what he was doing.
"I don't think you two are real," Dean said sadly.
Sam, agitated, sucked in a breath. "Dude, you feel that?" He grabbed Dean by the arms. "You feel this? I'm real. Shannon's real. This is not an acid trip. I'm real, and that thing its gonna come down here and kill us for real. No please."
"There's one way to be sure," Dean replied as he pulled out the silver knife.
Sam backed off. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?"
"It's an old wives' tale. If you're about to die in a dream, you wake up."
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's crazy. All right?"
Dean, with a determined look, answered, "Maybe."
Sam started walking towards Dean. "You're gonna kill yourself-" Dean held out the knife and his other hand stopped him. "Okay."
"Or I'm gonna wake up. One or the other."
Shannon shook her head. "Okay. This isn't a dream, all right. Sam and I are here, with you, now. And you're about to kill yourself, Dean."
"No, I'm pretty sure. Like, 90% sure. But I'm sure enough."
Dean turned the knife on himself, and took his knife to the handle, ready to thrust it into himself.
"Wait!" Sam and Shannon cried.
Suddenly, Mary walked up to Dean, in the same nightgown as she'd died in. Behind Sam and Shannon, Carmen appeared.
"Why'd you have to keep digging?" Sam asked.
Dean looked back at Mary. Jessica appeared on Dean's right side.
Sam continued. "Why couldn't you have left well enough alone?" Dean looked around. "You were happy."
Mary came up in front of Dean. "Put the knife down, honey."
"You're not real," Dean said with tears in his eyes. "None of it."
"It doesn't matter. It's still better than anything you had."
"What?"
"It's everything you want. We're a family again. Let's go home."
Dean shook his head as he replied, "I'll die." His voice broke. "The Djinn'll... drain the life out of me in a couple of days."
"But in here, with us, it'll feel like years. Like a lifetime." Dean looked at Sam and Shannon who half-smiled and nodded to him. "I promise." She took his chin in her hand and Dean looked down on her. "No more pain." She stroked his cheek. "Or fear. Just love and comfort. And safety. Dean, stay with us." She stroked his cheek, and he leaned into her hand, closing his eyes. "Get some rest."
"You don't have to worry about Sam anymore," Jessica told him and Dean looked over at her. "You get to watch him live a full life."
Mary stepped away, and Carmen walked up to Dean, taking his face in her hands and kissing him before saying, "We can have a future together. Have our own family. I love you, Dean. Please."
Sam walked up to his brother. ""Why is it our job to save everyone? Haven't we done enough?" I'm begging you." He breathed in. "Give me the knife."
Dean looked at Carmen, Sam, Shannon and Mary with tears in his eyes. He backed away, looking at the floor.
He raised his head, looking at Sam and Shannon and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Dean thrusted the knife into himself and blood immediately came from his mouth.
"Dean! Dean! Dean," Sam and Shannon called.
Sam and Shannon walked up to Dean, seeing him hanging from the ceiling like the other woman, eyes open. A blood bag hung next to him.
"Oh God," Sam said. "Come on." He shook his brother. "Hey. Wake up. Wake up, damn it!" Dean grunted a little and began focusing on Sam and Shannon. "Hey. Hey."
"Ahh... Auntie Em. There's no place like home," Dean said.
"Thank God. Thought we lost you for a second. Shannon was scared she had." He pulled out the tube in Dean's throat.
"You almost did," Dean told them. "Shay, sweetheart, I'm okay. I'm okay."
"Oh God." He breathed heavily. "Let's get you down."
Sam reached up and started to cut through the ropes as Dean winced over the pain and grunted a little. Two bright blue eyes glowed next to Sam and Shannon in the shadows and the Djinn came out.
Dean saw the Djinn. "Sam! Shay!"
Sam and Shannon turned around, going to the Djinn with the knife. The Djinn had Sam and Shannon for a moment and got them to drop the knives. Dean tried to pull himself loose where Sam had started cutting through the rope before. The Djinn got the upper hand on Sam and Shannon and had them by the throat and moved his hand to their foreheads, but Sam had a hold of his wrist, trying to stop him. The Djinn opened his fist and blue light began appearing around his hand, like when it had gotten Dean.
When its hand was almost at Sam's forehead, Dean and Shannon thrusted the knives into the back of the Djinn, turned it out, and the lights went out in the Djinn's eyes. It closed its eyes and its head rolled down and when Dean and Shannon pulled out the knives, it fell to the ground dead.
Sam breathed heavily from being strangled, Dean looked poor, and Shannon looked relieved.
Dean walked up to the girl and a tear rolled down one cheek. He put his hand to her neck, feeling for a pulse. "She's still alive." He handed the knife to his brother. "Sam..."
Dean pulled the tube from her neck as Sam cut her rope and he caught her as she went down."
"I gotcha, I gotcha," Dean reassured. "We're gonna get you out of here, okay? I gotcha." She made small whining sounds. "I got you."
MOTEL ROOM
Dean and Shannon were on the beds. Leo was sleeping in his father's arms.
Sam was on the phone. "Okay, uh, thank you so much for the update. Okay, bye." He hung up. "That was the hospital. Girl's been stabilized. Good chance she's gonna pull through."
"That's good," Dean and Shannon said.
"Yeah. How 'bout you? You all right?"
Dean cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm all right." He paused. "Should have seen it, Sam, Lana. Our lives. You were such a wozzle. I hated not being with you, Shay."
Sam smiled. "So we didn't get along then, huh?"
"No."
"Huh. Yeah... I thought it was supposed to, to be this perfect fantasy."
"It wasn't. Was just a wish. I wished for Mom to live. That Mom never died, we never went hunting, Shay didn't know me and we didn't have Leo, and you just never uh... You know."
"Yeah. Well, I'm glad we do. And I'm glad you dug yourself out, Dean. Most people wouldn't have the strength, would have just stayed."
"Yeah... Lucky me. I gotta tell you though, man. You know, you had Jess. Mom was gonna have grandkids..."
"Yeah, but... Dean... wasn't real."
"I know. But I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay so bad. I mean, ever since Dad... all I can think about is how much this job's cost us. We've lost so much. We've... sacrificed so much."
Shannon ran a hand through her husband's hair. "Dee, people are alive because of you. It's worth it. Believe me, it is. It's not fair, and I know it hurts like hell, but it's always worth it in the end."
Dean said nothing, but instead kissed her temple and gently stroked Leo's hair back.