"Supply run is done." Dean announces, walking into the bunker. "Hey. You know they make ghost pepper jerky?"
"Uh, you're not gonna like it." Sam warns.
"What're you talking about? I like all jerkies." Dean says, sitting down with the bag.
"Dude. Ghost peppers are really hot." Sam states.
"Shut up. I wanna see where this goes." Larissa smacks her husband's arm.
"Please." Dean scoffs, opening the bag. He eats one and shrugs, but everybody else is able to spot his regret.
"How is it?" Sam asks.
"It's good. It's really good. I like it. It's good flavor." Dean struggles to talk.
"Great. Uh, you should have another piece." Sam says.
"Hell, just eat the whole bag." Billy smirks.
"That's fine." Dean denies as Sam takes a water bottle out of the bag.
"Oh, thank you. Water. You mind if I...?" Sam asks and Dean nods. He starts shaking his head and gestures for the bottle which Sam opens. "What? What? Huh?" Dean gestures to the bottle. "Oh, you want... uh, well..." Sam opens the water bottle and chugs it. Larissa bursts out into giggles, her joy only growing at the death glare Dean sends his brother.
Dean quickly grabs the bag, getting a water bottle out and chugging half of it.
"Mountain lion." Dean pants.
"What? I didn't really catch that. Will you say it again, please?" Sam asks. Dean gulps down more water.
"Mountain lion... the case in Colorado with the mountain lion... where are we?"
"Wait. Say it one more time." Sam says.
"The case in Colorado with the mountain lion with the three dead. Where are we with that one?"
"Uh... we are at five."
"What?"
"We're up to five."
"Then what are we doing here?"
Dean pours the water into his mouth before pouring it over his head.
"Oh, sweet mother. I'm gonna go get ready for..." Dean spits out the piece of jerky and walks out.
"Okay, well, this doesn't involve Chuck, so I think you five got it covered." Ophelia says, getting up.
"You don't wanna work a case?" Sam asks.
"Not if he's on it." Ophelia says. "And it's not like you're missing me that much. It'd be just like when the first twins and I stayed in motel rooms all the time, we're cool here. Nate and I got the kids."
"Hey, hey, second twins." Natalie interjects.
"Sorry?" Ophelia shrugs.
"How's Nate doing?" Jacob asks.
"He's fine." Ophelia shrugs. "When he's not around dad, anyway. See ya." She walks out.
"I'll stay, too. Make sure... nobody ends up dead." Billy says.
"You know, if you wanna stop being referred to as a kid, maybe stop hanging out with the kids." Larissa remarks, ruffling the boy's hair.
"Nah, I'm good. They're extreme pains in the ass, but... they can be kinda cool. Plus, they definitely beat Dean, so..." Billy gives them a double thumbs up before leaving.
"He's not wrong on that last part." Jacob says.
+++
They pull up to the sheriff's station.
"We're here." Dean parks the Impala.
"We going Fed?" Sam asks.
"Nope." Dean answers.
They get out and Dean opens the trunk, grabbing a cap and putting it on his head, a salmon design on the hat.
"Fish and Wildlife." Dean states.
"Fish and Wildlife." Sam repeats.
"Check these bad boys out." Dean hands the twins badges.
"Hamill, Fisher, and Ford? Wow. That is deep cut." Sam says.
"Aw, you were a baby." Larissa gushes at her husband's old badge.
"You were so tiny." Jacob loudly whispers, looking at Natalie's badge. "And still so beautiful."
"You're a sap sometimes." Natalie comments.
"You love it." Jacob pecks her on the lips, Natalie not able to fight off her smile.
"Ugh." Dean grimaces. "Look at you. You look like a baby." Dean smiles at his brother.
"Me? Look at you." Sam says.
"What? I look exactly the same." Dean says. "Like nothing has changed. Nothing's changed."
"Yeah, sure." Natalie scoffs.
"Yeah. Right." Sam mutters.
~ ~ ~
"You the sheriff?" Dean asks as the three siblings walk in.
"That's what the mug says." The sheriff says.
"Fish and Wildlife. Agents Ford, Fisher, and Hamill." Dean says, the three showing their badges.
"This you?" The sheriff asks Dean. Natalie clears her throat to hide her laugh.
"Obviously." Dean says.
"Okay." The sheriff shrugs. Natalie quietly snickers, doing her best to hide it.
"We're here about the five... the mountain lion attacks." Sam says.
"If that's what you wanna call 'em." The sheriff says.
"Is that not what you wanna call 'em?" Dean asks.
"I don't know. Maybe. We don't get many big cats around here. Had a few bears, but they don't do sustained attacks like this." The sheriff says. "I mean, unless the bear's psychotic."
"So, your two theories are mountain lion or... psychotic bear?" Dean asks.
"Look, if you ask me, these aren't animal attacks at all. The scenes are too clean. There's no parts torn off. We're still working on this. We had to tell the papers something." The sheriff says.
"So, you think a person did this?" Natalie asks.
"If he did, he's a monster." The sheriff says.
"Yeah. Of course. Either way, we need to be sure. Do you have any case files? Any photographs of the bodies we can look at?" Sam asks.
"Sure. I can get you those." The sheriff says.
"And what about witnesses?" Natalie asks.
"One. Ashley Monroe. She's not saying much. I think she's in shock. I mean, having your friends' heart ripped out will do that. She asked us to keep her name out of the articles. You know, because of trauma."
"Where is she now?" Sam asks.
+++
After talking to Ashley who gave Dean a name, they get to the house in the woods.
"Alright. So, Andy lives here with his brother, Josh." Sam informs.
"He a wolf too?" Dean asks.
"One way to find out." Sam says. They knock on the door and a guy answers the door.
"Hi." Dean greets.
"Yeah?" The guy asks.
"Agents Ford, Fisher, Mayhew, Daniels, and Hamill. Fish and Wildlife." Dean says, the three siblings showing their badges, Larissa and Jacob standing back.
"That's you?" The guy asks Dean.
"Are you Andy?" Sam asks.
"No. Andy!" Josh calls and Andy walks to the door.
"Hi, there. You mind if we have a moment of your time?" Dean asks.
"Can we say no?" Josh asks.
"He's joking." Andy says, laughing. "We just don't have a lot of visitors."
"Because we don't want visitors." Josh says.
"Right. Well, we'll be quick. Tell me... have you seen this woman?" Sam holds his phone up, a picture of Ashley on it.
"Uh... never seen her." Andy says.
"What does that have to do with Fish and Wildlife?" Josh asks.
"She was attacked three nights ago, near here. Her friends were killed." Dean explains.
"She managed to get away." Sam says.
"Papers said it was a mountain lion." Josh says.
"Yeah, right, that's one of a few working theories." Sam says.
"Well, sometimes we go out in the woods at night. Maybe we could help. What exactly did you need?" Andy asks.
"You go out in the woods at night a lot?" Natalie questions.
"We set rabbit traps at night. Haven't seen anything bigger than raccoon for years." Josh says.
"Alright, then. We'll get out of your hair. Just do me a favor. Do you mind writing down your phone numbers so we can reach you for a follow up?" Sam asks, holding out a pen and pad.
"We don't have a phone. If you need us, we'll be here." Josh says before shutting the door.
"Well, I say we just shoot 'em right now. You know?" Dean says. His phone buzzes and he answers it. "Ashley? No, no, no. We'll be right there."
+++
They walk into the motel room, Dean turning the lights on with Ashley and the others following.
"I'm sorry. I... I didn't have anyone else to call. I just couldn't be alone." Ashley says.
"No, that's, uh... that's alright. Listen, why don't you take our room, and, uh..." Dean says.
"We'll just grab one of the rooms next door." Sam says.
"There you go." Dean agrees.
"Thank you." Ashley tells them.
"And then we'll circle back and take down the lumberjack twins. Right? Guys? Right?" Dean asks.
"Yeah. Right. It's just-- this case, I-I mean, it just feels weird. I mean, we roll into town, there's an eyewitness, we find them immediately... doesn't it seem a little too easy?" Sam asks.
"Easy's good. I like easy." Dean says. "Okay, um... you gonna be alright?" He asks Ashley.
"Yeah. Thanks. Actually, could you... stay with me? Just until I fall asleep?" Ashley asks Dean.
"Sure. Yeah." Dean nods.
+++
"Okay." Ophelia whispers, quietly shutting Athena's door. She huffs, trudging to her and Nathan's room and plopping down on the bed.
"Hey." She hears after a few minutes. "That's no fair. How come you're already laying down?" Nathan pouts.
"Because I tucked those little monsters in. God, they hate bedtime more than any other child on this earth." Ophelia groans.
"Least you didn't have to clean up their stupid food fight." Nathan grumbles, falling onto the bed next to his wife.
"How do their parents handle this every day?" Ophelia questions.
"By having seven babysitters on hand." Nathan says. "Also Nat and Rissa can be pretty scary. I'd be following the rules." Ophelia lets out a laugh.
"Well, now that we're alone..." Ophelia smiles, moving closer to him. She leans in, her breath fanning over his face.
As she lightly kisses him, going to deepen it, he groans.
"What?" She frowns, pulling away.
"I'm too tired for sex." He whines.
"You're too tired for sex? You?" Ophelia questions.
"Yes." Nathan huffs. "God damn it, I'm gonna go kill those midgets." He mutters, getting up and leaving.
"Wh-- hey, don't actually murder anybody!" Ophelia yells out, getting up. "I-- oh, fuck it." She plops back down on the bed.
+++
Sam, Larissa, Natalie, and Jacob get back to the motel room only to find Dean asleep and Ashley gone.
"Dean. Hey, Dean!" Sam wakes his brother up.
"Where is she?" Dean asks, not seeing Ashley.
"I don't know. She was with you." Sam says.
"What?" Dean asks.
"Dean, we just went out for food. We got back, the door was open, she was gone, and you-- you were sleeping." Sam says. "Dude, what the hell?"
"Come on!" Dean yells.
+++
They pull up to Andy and Josh's house and get out.
"Yeah, look, I get why we're here, but there is no way that those dumbasses took Ashley without me waking up. No way." Dean objects.
They hear Ashley scream from inside and run to the cabin, taking their guns out. They burst in, guns aimed. They walk through the cabin and find Ashley tied to a chair with a gag in her mouth.
"Okay, alright, okay." Dean rushes over to her. He takes the gag out of her mouth.
"Thank you." Ashley tells him.
"Where are they? Where are they?" Dean asks.
"I-I don't know. They ran." Ashley says.
"Okay, let's go. Come on." Dean gets her untied and helps her up, leading her out behind his family.
Dean leads Ashley for the door when Josh comes up behind them and pushes Dean against the wall. Ashley moves to the bookshelf on the other side of the room. Andy grabs Sam, throwing him back, both falling over a chair and landing on the ground.
Josh smacks Dean's gun away and starts to choke him.
"Hunters. I bet you even had silver bullets in that gun." Josh says.
"Well, you win that bet." Dean says.
Sam repeatedly punches Andy as Dean knocks Josh's hand away and then headbutts him. Dean grabs deer antlers from the wall above him and hits Josh with it, but it breaks. Andy and Sam continue to fight, Larissa knocking him away from Sam, and Dean slams Josh into the coffee table.
Andy growls at Sam and picks the hunter's gun up. He aims it at Sam who puts his hands up in surrender. Andy looks over at Josh who is pinning Dean against a wall.
"Josh!" He calls to his brother. Andy shoots Josh who falls to the floor.
Natalie and Jacob glance at each other in confusion.
Andy points the gun at Sam as he starts to get up.
"No!" Larissa immediately steps in front of her husband, pressing her back to his chest, pushing him back a little. Sam tries to move her back, but she doesn't budge.
"Whoa, whoa, Andy, no. You don't have to do this, okay? You don't wanna do this." Sam says.
"He-- he was my brother and he promised. But he was never going to stop. And he turned into a monster. And I'm a monster too." Andy shoots himself in the stomach, falling to the floor, dead.
"What the fuck was that shit?!" Jacob exclaims.
"You guys good?" Sam asks. "You okay?" He turns to Larissa.
"I'm okay." She assures.
"I'm good." Natalie says.
"What the fuck was that?!" Jacob hisses.
"Yeah. Yeah, that was... that was weird." Dean says.
"Hey, you okay?" Dean asks Ashley. He reaches out and touches her arm making her flinch.
"Don't touch me!" She yells. She loses her balance and falls back, the deer antlers piercing through her.
"Whoa!" Dean exclaims.
"Oh, my God!" Natalie yells, her hands flying up to cover her mouth.
The five stare in shock.
"Well, this is a bitch." Ashley says. She stands up, the antlers still in her back, the five hunters staring at her in confusion. "And I was doing so well, too." She bends her back, the antlers falling out.
"What are you?" Sam asks.
"Aww, Sam. You don't remember little ol' me?" Ashley asks. Her pupils turn up, her eyes white. They return to normal after a moment.
Natalie's eyes widen and she immediately steps in front of Jacob, pushing him back.
"Lilith." Dean says.
"No. You're dead." Sam states.
"Was dead. Yeah. In the Empty, sleeping the big sleep, until the boss brought me back." Lilith says.
"The boss? Lucifer?" Sam asks.
"God. I was supposed to get rescued and in a moment of sweet relief seduce Dean, blah, blah, blah, obviously that's not happening now, so... no?" She looks at Dean questioningly. "Oh, well." Lilith says.
"So, Chuck sent you to kill us?" Sam asks.
"No. I wish. That's not how this story goes." Lilith says.
"Story?" Dean asks.
"Oh, come on. You know how he is. All this? Personally, I thought the whole thing was kinda... easy. Stupid. But I batted my eyes and put Dean to sleep. Made sure you guys saw those two mutts go all murder-suicide. So, yeah."
"Right. If you're not here to kill us then what do you want?" Sam asks.
"The magic gun. The one he gave you." Lilith states.
"The Equalizer?" Dean asks.
"I'm not calling it that. Just give me the gun and we'll be done." Lilith orders.
"If God wants his little toy back, he can come get it himself." Dean says.
"Oh, okay. We're gonna do this the hard way. I love the hard way." Lilith says. Sam takes the demon blade out. "Demon blade." The others take out angel blades. "Angel blades. You upgraded."
"Lady, you have no idea." Dean says.
They move towards her, but Lilith blasts them away, knocking everybody but Dean out. Lilith moves towards the four unconscious adults -- specifically the twins.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Don't touch them." Dean rushes forward. "Fine. You want the gun, I'll show you where it is."
"Oh. You would promise a girl the moon, wouldn't you, Dean Winchester? I should've spent more time with you the last go-around. But what if you're lying?"
"Then you can kill me." Dean says.
"Except, like I said, I can't. Still, a girl has needs. So... if this is just some desperate attempt save your poor family, by the time I'm through with you, you'll be begging to die. So are you sure?" Lilith asks.
"Yeah, I am." Dean nods.
"Deal." Lilith smiles.
+++
The four storm into the motel room where Dean and Lilith are. Sam aims his gun at Lilith, shooting her with a bullet to her forehead. Lilith tries to move, but is unable to.
"What?" Lilith questions, confused.
"Devil's Trap bullet. We upgraded." Sam says. "Dean, you good?"
"Nothing that a box of Band-Aids can't fix." He answers.
"Where's Chuck?" Sam asks Lilith.
"Why would I ever tell you anything?" Lilith asks.
"Because I've killed you before..." Sam takes the demon blade out. "And I can do it again."
"See, you keep saying that, but you killed me because I let you. Now I'm feeling... less generous." Lilith's eyes roll up and the room starts to shake.
"Let's move!" Dean yells, the five running out of the room.
"Wait!" Sam protests.
"That shot ain't gonna hold her forever, man. We gotta get--" The five are suddenly stuck in place.
"Dean, I can't move." Sam says.
"Fuck!" Natalie hisses.
"Oh, shit." Dean mutters.
"Sucks, doesn't it?" Lilith stands in front of them.
"You're never getting that gun." Dean states.
"Sure I am. See, you bunch left that room so fast you had no time to grab anything. So, the gun was never there. Would you really take something like that home? I mean, what if you needed it? Hmm? So, it's not in the room... and it's not in the bunker."
Lilith walks towards the Impala.
"No, no, no." Sam whispers.
"Come on." Dean mumbles.
"Shit." Jacob whispers.
Lilith leans in the car and looks for the gun. She opens the glove box, laughing as she pulls the gun out.
"Well, this was fun." Lilith walks back over to them.
"You know what? Go ahead and take it. We'll get it back." Sam says.
"Will you?" Lilith questions. She holds the gun in her open palm, the group watching it heat and melt to the ground. "Thank you, boys, girl. See you soon." She disappears, the four now able to move.
+++
Sam hangs up his phone, his other hand resting on Larissa's shins, her legs on his lap as they sit in the library. Natalie and Jacob are sitting across from them. Dean walks in, giving Sam a glass of whiskey.
"That Cas?" Dean asks.
"Yeah, straight to voicemail. Again." Sam says.
"Yeah, well... we gave the heads up on Chuck and Lilith, so... what else are we supposed to do?" Dean asks, sitting down with his own glass of whiskey. "He was supposed to be gone. God was supposed to be gone."
"Yeah." Sam mumbles.
"So, what? We're just stuck in his... in his maze still? And now, Lilith is back. I mean, what's he gonna do? Just throw our greatest hits at us?" Dean asks.
"I mean... why doesn't he just kill us already?" Sam asks.
"Because that's not what he wants. Lilith said that... Chuck only likes one kind of ending. You kill me or I kill you." Dean says.
"What?" Sam asks.
"Yeah. Well, that's not happening."
"What about me?" Natalie asks.
"He wants one of us to kill you... or vice versa. But apparently he doesn't care as much. In the words of Lilith in the words of Chuck, you don't... you don't have the same amount of co-dependency. Not as fun for him." Dean says.
"Sweet. Well, Sammy, let's just team up and fix part of the problem now." Natalie says.
"Dean, my dreams, or visions or whatever... they all end the same way. With us killing each other." Sam says.
"You're just telling me this now?" Dean asks.
"I-I thought they must've been some form of messed up PTSD, but... but what if they're not? What if I'm somehow seeing Chuck's endings? You know, different ones." Sam says.
"How would that be possible?" Dean asks.
"Cause of this." Sam puts his hand over where his bullet wound is. "When I shot Chuck, the bullet wasn't a bullet, it was, uh... a piece of me. Right? So, what if it created a-- a link of some sort, you know? I mean, what if-- what if I don't... what if, somehow, I'm in his head?"
"This was supposed to be over. We were done. We were free. And now... what are we supposed to do, man? We just keep running this-- this... fuckin' hamster wheel until we die? Or until we get boring and he ends us?"
"Or we fight."
"Fight God?" Dean asks, letting out a bitter laugh. Sam nods. "Without the gun? It's God, Sam. And he's coming for us. How the hell are we supposed to fight God?"