( MAN DOWN )
Sam closes the curtains. Dean flicks closed a lighter and drops it on the table next to some of the several candles burning around the motel room. He brings one of the candles over to a bedside table, shielding the flame with one hand.
Pamela is sitting on a chair between the beds. "Tell me something, geniuses. Even if you do break into the veil and you find the reaper, how you gonna save it?" She asks as Sam closes the curtains on another window.
"With style and class." Dean says.
"You're gonna be three walking pieces of fog who can't touch or move anything." Pamela says. "You'll be defenseless, hotshot."
"I seem to recall a bunch of ghosts beating the crap out of us." Sam says.
"Yeah, well, they had plenty of time to practice."
"Well, then, I guess we got to start cramming." Dean says.
"Wow, couple of heroes. All right." Pamela pats one of the beds. "Lie down. Close your eyes."
Sam and Dean are lying on the beds, Sam diagonally. Elena lies next to Sam. "Animum vult decipi, ergo decipiatur. Vis, vis, vis. Okay, guys. That's it. Showtime."
Dean sits up as the room goes from full color to shades of blue. He looks at Pamela. "Well, nothing like shooting blanks. What's plan B?" He says.
Pamela does not hear him. Dean looks at Sam, lying on the other bed, then over one shoulder at Sam, standing. Sam spreads his hands. Dean looks over his other shoulder at himself, unconscious on the bed.
"Oh, I'm so feeling up Demi Moore." Says Dean.
"All right, so, I'm assuming you're somewhere over the rainbow. Remember I have to bring you back." Pamela stands and goes over to Sam. Dean watches her. "I'll whisper the incantation in your ear." She leans over Sam to do exactly that. "You have got a great ass." Sam grins.
"What'd she-" Dean looks at Sam. "What'd she say?" Sam shrugs.
STREET
[ ☼ ]
Sam and Dean walk along the street, looking around. Everything is still shaded blue. A car goes past. A jogger goes right through Sam without noticing. Dean laughs, watching her go. Dean turns back to Sam. "That was wild." Dean says as Sam looks at him, incredulous.
Dean sticks his arm into Sam's chest up to the elbow. Sam looks down at it, then up at Dean, face stony. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" Dean asks.
"Get out of me." Sam says.
Dean pulls his arm back. "You're such a prude. Come on." Dean keeps going. Sam follows.
Dean, Elena and Sam cross the street. Their breath is visible in the cold. "Oh, man, we've been spooking this town for hours. No demons, no black smoke. I say we hit Victoria's Secret and get our peep on, huh?" Dean asks.
Sam looks up and to the right. "Hey. Three o'clock. Kid in the window." He says and they look up. The kid is looking out an upstairs window at Sam and Dean. It's the Same face from the obituary photo earlier: Cole Griffith. "Am I crazy or is he looking at us?"
"It's 'cause we've seen him before." Elena says.
"We have?"
"Newspaper. Cole Griffith, the last person to die in this town." Elena says as Cole flickers and vanishes. Dean, Elena and Sam look at each other.
COLE'S ROOM
[ ☼ ]
Mrs. Griffith opens the door and comes in, looking around. "Cole?" She wraps her bathrobe tighter. "It's Mom. Your dad thinks I'm crazy. Are you here? A picture frame fell over. I could have sworn it was you, baby. Are you still here with me?"
A soccer ball is sitting on the dresser. It starts spinning. Mrs. Griffith stares. The ball flies past her and bounces off the door. She puts her hands to her head. "Oh, my god!" Mrs. Griffith leaves the room, going through Dean and Sam. Cole is standing by the dresser; he throws more balls.
"Stop! How are you doing that?" Dean asks.
"Who are you?" Cole asks.
"Relax, Cole. It's okay." Sam says.
"How do you know my name?"
"Look, this isn't gonna be easy to hear, but...you're-dead. You're a spirit. Us too." Sam says and Dean glances back at him.
"Yeah, thanks, Haley Joel. I know I'm dead. What do you want?" Cole says.
"We just want to talk."
"About what?" Asks Cole.
KITCHEN
[ ☼ ]
Mrs. Griffith pours herself a glass of vodka and takes a sip. Cole is leaning on the wall watching her. Dean, Elena and Sam are sitting at the dining room table watching him. "I was outside all morning." Cole turns around. "They tell you to be careful when it's cold."
"Cold air can cause an asthma attack?" Dean asks.
Cole nods, shrugging. "But then I was in my room. It happened so fast. I called out for my mom, but nothing came out. Everything started spinning, and then I was just standing there, looking down at my body. He leans on the table.
"And that's when you saw the man?" Asks Elena.
"Creepy old guy in a black suit. He wanted me to go with him, but..." Cole looks back at Mrs. Griffith. "I didn't want to go."
"Reaper." Sam says and Dean nods. "How'd you get rid of him?"
"I didn't. The black smoke did." Cole says.
"Black smoke?" Elena asks.
"It was everywhere. I hid in the closet, and when I came out, it was gone, and so was he." Cole says.
Dean leans forward. "Do you know where the smoke went?" He asks.
"No. But I know where it is." Cole says as the lights start flickering. He jumps. Dean looks up. Mrs. Griffith looks around. "They're back."
"Who?" Dean asks as Cole vanishes. Dean, Elena and Sam look around. A blast of wind hits them in the face. Something white and human-shaped goes through the room and up the stairs.
"Another reaper." Sam says. Sam, Elena and Dean get up and go to the stairs.
"Hey! Hey! Wait! We need to talk to you!" Dean yells. They stare. A Woman descends the stairs: it's Tessa.
"Dean." She says. Sam glances at Dean, who is still confused.
"Do I know you?" Dean asks.
"We go way back."
KITCHEN
[ ☼ ]
Tessa goes into the kitchen, Dean, Elena and Sam following, and turns around. "You don't remember me?" Asks Tessa.
"Honestly, if I had a nickel for every time I heard a girl say that... You're gonna have to freshen my memory." Dean says as Tessa steps forward, reaches up, and pulls Dean down into a kiss. Tessa pulls away. Dean watches her for a moment. "Tessa."
"That's one of my names, yeah." Tessa says.
"So, you do know her." Elena says.
"From the hospital after the accident." Dean says.
"The accident with Dad?" Sam asks and Dean nods. "So, this is the reaper that came after you."
"Yeah."
Tessa turns to look at Sam. "Well, this was fun." She turns back to Dean. "Now, if you'll excuse me-" Tessa moves to turn away and Dean stops her.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, you can't-you can't take the kid." Dean says.
"Why?"
"Demons are in town, that's why. They've already snatched your reaper pal. The kid knows where." Says Dean.
"So?" Tessa says.
"So, you should shag ass. For all we know, they could try and snatch you, too." Sam says.
"Except that this town is off the rails." Says Tessa. Mrs. Griffith comes out of the dining room, picks something off a side table, puts up her hair, and leaves. Sam watches her. "And someone has to set it straight."
"Yeah, we understand that, but these are special circumstances." Dean says.
"What? Your whole angel-demon dance-off? I could care less. I just want to do my job." Tess says.
"Right, yeah, and, look, we want to help you do your job. So, if you would just bail town-" Elena starts.
"No."
"Well, then, could you hold off until we fix this? Please." Dean says.
Tessa sighs. "All right, but just so we're clear, when I start reaping again, I'm starting with the kid." She says.
"Understood. I'll find him." Sam turns to go upstairs.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait. What-" Dean starts and Sam turns back. "What are you gonna say to him?"
"Whatever I have to." Sam leaves. Dean and Tessa watch him go.
COLE'S ROOM
[ ☼ ]
Sam comes into the room, looking around. He sits down next to the open closet. Cole is just visible inside. "This all must be pretty overwhelming, huh? Pretty scary, too." Sam says.
"The worst is my mom." Cole says.
"Must be hard seeing her like this." Sam says and Cole leans out of the shadow. "She's always coming in here, talking to me, telling me how sad she is. I knock some stuff over to let her know I'm here, but...she only gets sadder."
Sam laughs a little. "Well, you might want to ease up on the flying soccer balls." He says.
"I'm not telling you where the smoke is."
Sam thinks. "Hey. What if I told you that if you helped me, you wouldn't have to leave here? Ever?" He asks.
"What about the one downstairs?" Cole asks.
"Tessa? Oh, she wouldn't bother you. No reaper would. You could just stay here with your family for as long as you wanted."
"You can do that?" Cole asks.
"Yeah, you bet I can do that."
"You swear?" Cole asks.
Sam hesitates. "I swear."
KITCHEN
[ ☼ ]
"I'll go see what's taking them so long." Elena says and goes upstairs.
"I'll tell you, life is funny." Tessa says.
"What do you mean?"
"You and me, together again." She says.
"Are you-are you making a move on me?" Dean asks.
Tessa shakes her head. "You're the one that got away, Dean. You'd be surprised how little that happens to me." She says.
"Can I tell you something between you and me?" Dean asks.
"Who am I gonna tell?" Tessa asks.
Dean nods. "After our little, uh, experience...for that whole year, I felt like I had this...hole in my gut...like I was missing something. I didn't know what. Do you know what it was?" He asks and Tessa listens. "It was you. The pain of losing my father and Sammy. I just...I wish I had gone with you for good. But I guess things are different now."
"What? The angels on your shoulder?" Asks Tessa.
"So, you know about that, huh? Well, hey, don't get me wrong. I mean, most the ones I've met are dicks with wings. But still... You know, I've done things. Horrible things." Dean says. "And someone upstairs still decided to give me a second chance. It just makes me feel...I don't know."
"Uh-huh." Tessa says.
Sam clears his throat. He has just come downstairs, Cole and Elena behind him. "Hey, guys." He says.
"Hey, Cole. I'm Tessa. I'm not going to hurt you."
"It's okay, Cole. Just tell them what you told me." Sam says.
"I saw the black smoke at my funeral." Cole says. Sam glances back at Dean.
"At the cemetery?" Dean asks.
"At the funeral home. It was everywhere." Cole says as the lights flicker. Everyone looks around.
Dean looks at Tessa. "You doing that?" He asks.
"No." Tessa says.
The front door opens. Black smoke pours through, filling the house. Everyone ducks as it pours over them. When it is gone, everyone looks around: Tessa is gone.
"Tessa!" Dean yells.
Sam looks at Cole. "Cole, you okay?" He asks.
"Well, how the hell are we supposed to fight that?" Dean asks.
"I don't know. Learn some ghost moves?" Elena asks.
"By tonight? Yeah, sure. I'll meet you back at Mr. Miyagi's." Dean jokes.
"Who's Mr. Miyagi?" Cole asks. Sam looks between Dean and Cole.
PORCH
[ ☼ ]
Dean, Cole, Elena and Sam stand on the porch. Dean is staring at a miniature windmill. "It's not gonna move if you don't concentrate." Cole says.
"I am concentrating." Dean says and Sam raises his eyebrows. Dean lets out a breath and glares. The windmill turns a quarter turn. "Ah, here we go, baby." The windmill stops.
Cole looks at Dean. "You pull a muscle?" He asks.
"All right, Yoda, let's see what you got." Dean asks. Cole looks at the windmill. It starts spinning and doesn't stop. The porch swing starts swinging. The wind chimes start chiming. Sam laughs a little. "Dude! You are so Amityville."
Cole grins. "This isn't even the good stuff." He says.
LIVING ROOM
[ ☼ ]
Cole punches Sam in the stomach. Sam folds over. "See? If you want to hit something, you just got to get mad." Cole says.
"I think I've got that covered." Elena says.
Sam straightens up. "Yeah, got it." He says. Cole looks at Dean.
"Now you try. Hit me."
"Uh, I think I'll stick to just picking on somebody my own size." Dean indicates Sam. Cole whacks Dean in the face. Sam laughs. Dean rubs his face.
Cole goes over to Sam. "Hit me as hard as you can." He says.
"Dude, I'm not gonna do Fight Club with a twelve-year-old." Sam says as Cole whacks Sam in the face. Sam shakes it off. "All right, cut it out."
"Make me." Cole takes another swing. Sam blocks and swings back. Cole vanishes. Dean and Sam look around. Cole reappears out of reach.
"Whoa. Whoa, you got to teach us that." Says Dean.