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THEN
From 6.04 - Singers' Weekend: In Bobby's House, Ness looking over a map of Scotland, searching on her laptop.
Bobby was answering calls on the walls. "Yeah, Garth, what do you got? Never heard of a Vamp doing that. It doesn't sound like our kind of thing. Better drop a dime to the FBI." He hung up, placing it back on its charger. Another phone labeled FBI Tom Willis rang. "Willis, FBI. No, Garth, not me, the FBI. The real FBI. How are you still alive?"
Ness chuckled, shaking her head.
From 7.08 - Season 7, It's Time for a Wedding!: In Mutual Freedom Insurance's foyer, Ness, Dean, Scarlett and Catty were posing as FBI, standing with Marsha.
Scarlett pointed at Marsha. "We drop this lady off at..."
"Where?" Catty asked. "Bobby's in the nest at Oregon. She can't go to Rufus' Cabin."
"Garth," Ness suggested.
Catty thought for a moment, nodding. "Yeah, okay. Garth."
Ness looked at Marsha. "Now, you'll be living with a semi-functional hunter until this all blows over, okay?"
From 7.17 - Born-Again Identity: Outside the Allen House, the Demon gripped Catty and Scarlett's throats.
"You know, I'd think twice," Dean told him. "Or don't you know that your bosses issued a hands-off memo?"
The Demon laughed, looking at Dean and Ness. "Please. What have you done for them lately? Roman's head on a plate? No? Whatever Emmanuel and William are, Crowley and Zane are gonna want them, a lot more than they want you these days." He looked at Scarlett and Catty. "You're the exception, darlings. They want to see you now, to use you against your own children like everyone has been using them against you these days."
Ness took Catty's Knife from Catty's jacket, trying to stab the Demon in the heart. The Demon raised an arm to block the move, receiving the blow in his arm instead. The knife made his wound flash with red. The pain made the Demon let Scarlett and Catty go. Dean, Scarlett and Catty grabbed the Demon, turning around, pushing him against a support beam on the porch. Ness tossed Catty's Knife to Scarlett. Scarlett stabbed the Demon in the heart, killing him, making him flash with red, taking the knife out. Dean pushed the Demon down the stairs. Two men were standing at the bottom of the stairs. Catty, Scarlett, Ness and Dean looked at the bodies of Jimmy Novak and Renny Epps, Castiel and Angelos's vessels in shock.
Castiel looked at Catty, Scarlett, Ness and Dean. "What was that?"
From 7.17 - Born-Again Identity: In the gas station, Dean and Ness turned to face Catty and Scarlett.
"Catty, Scar, how the hell is he alive?" Dean asked.
"Do I look like I have a clue?" Scarlett asked.
From 7.17 - Born-Again Identity: In the gas station, Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness walked to the next aisle of the store, finding three more Demons waiting for them. Catty raised her knife, slashing toward one of them.
Demon 1 blocked the move, taking Catty's wrist, twisting it behind her back, making her drop the knife, pushing her face first into the wall, restraining her. "The Kings will see you now."
Scarlett tried to punch Demon 2. Demon 2 caught her wrist, twisting her arm behind her back, pushing her against the wall face first, restraining her as well. "Both of you."
Catty and Scarlett struggled against their hold. Dean punched Demon 3. Demon 3 pushed Dean into some shelves, making him fall to the floor. He gripped Ness by her jacket collar, pushing her against a shelf, making the shelf and Ness fall to the floor, with Ness landing on the shelf. Demon 3 stepped closer to Ness. He stopped suddenly, flashing with red. Demon 1 and Demon 2 let Catty and Scarlett go, smoking out, disappearing, the host falling to the floor. Catty and Scarlett turned to face them. Demon 3 fell to the floor. Meg had been the one to stab him, holding Catty's Knife.
Scarlett, Ness and Catty sighed. "Meg."
Meg looked at Dean and Ness. "Rumors are really starting to fly about you two. Took you long enough to get hitched to Dean, Ness." Ness looked at her in annoyance. Meg looked at Catty. "And you, baby mamas, and those kids of yours. And these Emmanuel and William fellows. Imagine my surprise when I tracked you four, followed you to Emmanuel and William. And they're the spitting image of poor, dead Castiel and Angelos. Right now, rumors of these wandering healers are strictly low-level. But body count's getting high enough to change that. Folks start poking, they sniff Angel dust."
"Yeah, they start falling all over each other trying to tell Crowley and Zane about Cas and Los," Scarlett told them.
"And they're just gunning for you and Catty lately, Scarlett," Meg told her.
"Yeah, why is that?" Scarlett asked. "They said they wanted us to hunt Levis and then--"
"Then what?" Meg asked. "Give you your kids back? Sorry, times have changed. The brats are rebelling until they get to see their parents. They think their daddies are dead, but they know their mothers are alive. Apparently, they've been teaching them, and they've stopped instruction lessons until they see you two. That's why they're all out for you again."
Ness looked at Dean, Catty and Scarlett seriously, thoughtfully. "So, Zane and Crowley really do have them."
From 7.16 - Out With the Old: Frank and Catty/Scarlett's phone conversation. (Frank's Trailer and snow-covered riverside.)
"But even if you take out Dick Roman and the Levis, what makes you think you can protect those kids from every other Levi or monster on the face of the earth?" Frank asked.
"I don't know, but we're gonna die trying," Catty told him.
From 7.17 - Born-Again Identity: In Sam's hospital room, Castiel looked at Catty. "You have to find them.
"Cas, that's been on the agenda for a long time coming now," Catty told him.
Castiel slowly nodded, slowly sitting next to Sam on the bed. "I'll be fine."
Sam flinched. Castiel put a hand on Sam's head. Sam groaned in pain, his face and eyes glowing red. The red traveled up Castiel's arm and face, his eyes turning red. Sam groaned in pain, gasping for breath.
From 7.17 - Born-Again Identity: Outside the hospital, Angelos looked at the Winchesters. "I'm not trusting Meg alone with Cas. And after killing all of those Demons last night and making my condition worse, weakening me, I'm in no shape to be out there yet, not against Leviathans. So, until I'm back in fighting shape, and until Cas is better, we both stay here. Catty, Scar, we will find our children. Wherever they are. Sam, Dean, Ness, just make sure that they stay safe while you're all looking for our children."
Ness nodded. "Of course. We're not gonna let anything happen to them, Los. Not if we can help it."
"I have plenty of reason to worry about you, Los," Scarlett replied. "But when you tell me that you and Cas are gonna be okay here... I believe you."
Scarlett and Angelos looked at each other sadly, embracing.
NOW
§
Junction City, Kansas
Day One
Night - Woods
A teenage group of four was sitting around a campfire, two boys and two girls.
"Long ago, in these very woods, lived an old woman by the name... of Jenny Greentree," Boy 1 told them, shining the flashlight onto his face from under his chin.
"Whoo!" Girl 1 told them mockingly.
"Forced out after her family was killed in a fire," Boy 1 told them. "She last everything. Some say, even her humanity."
"That is so sad," Boy 2 told them.
"Shut up," Girl 2 told him.
"It's a true story, Ray," Boy 1 told him. "Look." He shone his flashlight onto the letters 'JG' carved into a nearby tree. "She carved her initials into that tree... right before she died."
"Those are not her initials," Girl 1 told them.
Someone or something was watching them from a distance.
"So, how'd she die?" Girl 2 asked.
"One night, a blizzard hit," Boy 1 told them. "She's cold, she's hungry, nowhere to go, no one to turn to. Jenny Greentree froze to death... right beneath that tree. And her evil Spirit has haunted these woods ever since."
Boy 1 shone his flashlight onto his face from under his chin, grinning creepily. Ray goosed Girl 2, making her jump, laughing.
"Don't do that," Girl 2 told him.
A bottle smashed against the tree. Girl 1 screamed. Everyone jumped.
Another teenage boy staggered toward them, laughing drunkenly. "You guys should have seen your faces."
Boy 1 rolled his eyes. "What the hell, Trevor? That's not funny, man."
"To you," Trevor told them.
Ray stood. "Yo. You drive here, man?"
"Oh, please," Trevor told him. "Look, why--why don't you take--take my phone, okay? Call Dad and bust me, why don't you?"
"No, I'm just saying, you're wasted," Ray told him. "You can't just drive--"
"Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah," Trevor told him. "I heard you." He laughed uneasily. "What was that?"
"What?" Ray asked. "No. Trevor, let's just sit down, okay? We'll--"
"Shh," Trevor told him. "You--you don't hear that?"
Something or someone was watching them.
"Trevor, there's nothing there, all right?" Ray asked. "Let's just sit down, and we'll--"
Trevor saw something in the distance. "What the..." He looked at the others. "You gotta run. You gotta run!"
Trevor ran away, leaving.
"Trevor!" Ray told him.
"I'm sorry, but what is your brother on?" Girl 2 asked.
There was a scream in the distance.
Ray ran toward the sound, in the same direction Trevor had run off to. "Trevor!" He slowed to a walk, looking around. "Trevor! Trev, come on. Stop being a tool." He saw Trevor sitting against a tree. "Come on, Trevor, let's head back." Trevor didn't answer. "Dude."
Trevor was dead. His face was cut, bleeding. There was a large hole in his abdomen. Ray looked at Trevor's body in denial, disconcerted.
§ Worlds Colliding (Supernatural) §
Day Two
Morning - Burger Heaven - Outside
(Song) Poison - Bell Biv DeVoe
A brown 1977 Ford Ranchero Squire pulled up to Burger Heaven. A scrawny man got out of the car, wearing sunglasses, closing the door behind him, slowly walking toward the restaurant.
(End of Song)
The two girls from the woods were talking at an outside table.
The man walked toward them. "Ladies."
"What do you want, Top Gun?" Girl 1 asked, chuckling.
"For starters, I'd like a little respect," the man told them, holding up a badge.
"Sorry, officer," Girl 2 told him. "We didn't realize."
"All's forgiven," the man told them. "Take a seat." They sat down at the table. "Tell me about Trevor McAnn. Other night up at Widow's Peak."
Girl 1 said, "Okay, well, at first, it was just like he was super-drunk," the same time Girl 2 said, "All right, it was weird, 'cause he was super-drunk."
"Whoa," the man told them. He pointed at Girl 1. "You. Go."
"It was Jenny Greentree," Girl 1 told him.
"Shut up," Girl 2 told her. "Okay? She's just a dumb legend."
"Hold up," the man told them. "Who?"
"Jenny Greentree," Girl 1 told him. "My Dad says she really died in the woods. And she's buried in the town cemetery."
§
Night - Cemetery
The man was digging up Jennifer Greentree's grave. "All right, Jenny G." He poured salt into the grave. "Your ganking days are over." He lit a match, tossing it into the grave, setting it aflame. "You've been Garth'ed."
(Song) Poison - Bel Div Devo
Garth walked toward Garth's Car, slinging his jacket over his shoulder.
(End of Song)
§
Woods - Car
Ray was sitting in the car with a bottle of alcohol. He was depressed, drunk and angry. He played a message on his phone.
Girl 2: (voicemail) "Ray, where are you?" Ray drank from another bottle. "You should be with your family right now. Don't do anything stupid. Please."
Ray put his phone down, taking another drink. He picked up a rifle, getting out of the car.
§
Woods
Ray walked through the woods with his rifle. He saw a long-haired woman in a white dress through the trees, running toward her. The woman disappeared. Ray stopped, looking around in confusion. An unseen force pulled Ray off of the ground, up into the air, making him scream. Ray's legs kicked and shook. There was the sound of flesh tearing. Blood ran down Ray's legs, onto his boots, dripping to the ground. Ray went still.
§
Street
Garth stood in front of a food van that read: Guanaco Salvadoran Cuisine
Garth was on the phone, holding a takeout container. "Yeah, I clocked out. Put it to bed. Problem solved. And I'm headed your way, so, uh... fire up that hot tub." He chuckled. "No, I heart you more."
§
Garth's Car
Garth got into the car, turning on the radio, opening the takeout container.
Man: (on radio) "Abandoned vehicle out by Widow's Peak. Uh, we got another body up here. Guy's torn to shreds."
"What?" Garth asked. "No way. How is that possible? I Garth'ed her!"
§
On the Road
Ness' Car drove down the road.
§
Ness' Car
Ness was driving. Catty was in the passenger seat. Sam, Scarlett and Dean were in the backseat.
Catty was on the phone. "All right, well, call us if Cas wakes up, if Los gets worse or better, or, you know, anything. Yeah, fine. Thanks for your help."
Catty hung up in annoyance.
"Told you, Catty," Ness told her. "Meg's a bitch."
"Yeah," Scarlett agreed.
"So, Cas is the same, then?" Ness asked.
"Yeah, down to the drool," Catty answered.
"Is Los okay?" Scarlett asked.
"Mostly," Catty answered.
Ness nodded.
Dean looked at Sam. "By the way, how is your custard?"
"It's all right," Sam told them. "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."
"No, you didn't," Dean told him. "You heard what Cas said. And I'm not just asking about the madness being gone, all right? I know you're okay with that, mostly. But I'm asking about how you're doing with Ava..."
"Ava being gone?" Sam finished.
"Yeah, Ava being gone," Dean answered.
Sam sighed, shaking his head. "Dean, I'm definitely not okay with Ava being gone. But I know that Ava wasn't the real Ava to begin with. But at least that Ava gave me a chance to say goodbye to any version of Ava. The real Ava. You know? I just... I just wish I had been with the real Ava more before she died." They nodded sadly. "You know what?" He looked at Catty and Scarlett. "So, we finally got something on your kids other than what we've been hearing. We're actually hearing something that they're doing. Or what they want. You."
"Yep," Scarlett agreed, sighing. "Which means that Demons are gonna be lining up to take us to them, and to Zane and Crowley."
Catty propped her elbow on the window frame, leaning her head against her hand, raising her eyebrows. "Of course, that's one way of finding them."
Ness looked at Catty in realization. "No." Catty looked at her. "No. No, no, whatever you're thinking of doing, no."
"Ness--" Catty started.
"Catty, you're not gonna let yourself be taken to Zane and Crowley," Ness told her. "Do you want me to list the number of ways that could go all kinds of wrong?"
"I'd find them, and we can get them back," Catty told them.
"How?" Dean asked. "No, seriously, Cat, how? You want me, Scar, Ness and Sam to bust in and get you three out? How are we gonna do that if we have no clue where you are?"
"They're right, Catty," Sam told her. "The answer's no. Scar, don't even think about doing this."
"I'm not thinking about doing this," Scarlett answered. "Los made you guys promise that we would look for the kids, but that me and Cat would be safe while we were doing this, and Cat's plan is not safe, so I'm not gonna break my promise to Los by doing it."
"Good," Ness told her. "Don't, Scar."
Catty looked away.
Sam gave her a look. "Catty. Promise us that you won't go through with that horrible plan."
"It's the only plan," Catty told them. "Crowley and Zane won't come when we call, because they know that we can find a way to make them give our kids back. So they're somehow blocking the signal on the summoning spells that we've tried in the past."
"Yeah, maybe so, but it's a horrible plan," Sam told her. "Promise us." Catty didn't answer, looking out of the window. "Catty!"
"Okay!" Catty told them in annoyance.
There was a long moment of silence.
Sam sighed. "You know, this is actually a good thing."
"How is that a good thing, man?" Dean asked.
"If the kids are already turning against them, however old they are, or how small they are, then that means that we can get to them one way or the other," Sam told them. "I mean, if they want Scar and Catty more than them..."
Scarlett couldn't help a small smile, looking at them. "Means that they're more Human than Dean's giving them credit for. Doesn't matter if my and Los' son is an Arkosis, part-Demon, part-Angel and part-Human. And doesn't matter if Cas and Catty's daughter is every monster, Demon and Angel in the book, because she's still Human at heart."
"Yeah, but it's also very bad, because not only are every monster and Levi after you two, so is every Demon," Ness told them. "Do you want to be more of Zane and Crowley's prisoners?"
"Ness, how many times have Scar and I been a target?" Catty asked. "I mean, when the Angels wanted me to say yes to Michael and the Demons wanted to kill me so I couldn't ice the Devil. Scar was a target by Lilith and Azazel and Demons who didn't want or did want her to lead the Demon army back when. This is just like that. Except this time, there's two pieces of the puzzle on the board that don't want to be."
"Right," Dean agreed. "And we'll find another way to get them back without risking your asses in a Humanly impossible way. You understand that?"
Catty rolled her eyes, looking away. "Yes, Dean."
"Good," Dean told her.
Ness' phone rang. She pulled it out to answer. "Hello?"
Garth's voice was on the other line. "Hey, Ness. It's Garth." He was in his car, sounding proud and smug with his name. "Garth Fitzgerald IV."
"I know who this is, Garth," Ness told him. "You don't have to say your full damn name."
Garth smiled. "I know. I just like saying it."
Ness seemed amused, shaking her head. "How you doing, Garth?"
"There's something brewing in Junction City, Kansas," Garth told her. "I need some help with this one."
Ness looked at Catty, Sam, Scarlett and Dean.
§
Junction City, Kansas
Day Three
Morning - Hospital - Morgue
Sam, Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness were posing as FBI.
The coroner led them toward Garth, who was in an Army uniform, and the body. "Well, this is it. Agents... this is Corporal Brown."
"Corporal James Brown," Garth told them. "I'm shipping off to the AF manana. I'm here to pay respects to my cousin as I will not be able to attend the funeral."
"That must be terrible," the coroner told him. "Losing two brothers so fast."
Catty looked at Sam, Dean, Scarlett and Ness. Dean looked at Sam, Catty, Scarlett and Ness. Sam looked at Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness. Ness looked from the siblings to Garth, raising her eyebrows.
Garth hesitated. "Yeah. Yeah. My aunt, she's, uh... She's real broken up about it."
"Hey, Doc, can we see both files, please?" Sam asked.
"Mm-hmm," the coroner answered. His phone rang. "Ah." He handed Sam a file. "My wife. I'll, uh, be in my office."
"Great," Dean told him.
The coroner walked out of the room, leaving.
Ness looked at Garth. "You didn't say they were brothers."
"Ness, I just found out about the other corpse, and... started moving quick," Garth told her. "I'm sucking up info as I go."
"What, are you allergic to a suit?" Scarlett asked.
"No," Garth answered. "I just... look good in a uniform."
Catty and Scarlett rolled their eyes.
Sam read the file. "Yep. Same cause of death."
Sam walked over to a computer.
"Right, uh, gutted at night in the woods, where legend says that the Ghost of Jenny Greentree roams," Garth explained. Dean took out an EMF reader. "Oh, uh, I already scanned for EM..." The EMF reader made noise. "F. Oh. Um... I guess mine must be broken again."
"All right," Scarlett told him. "I'm reading your mail. Uh, Ghost of Jenny... whatever?"
"Greentree," Garth answered. "That's just it. I torched her bones."
"Yeah, well, maybe she's got something still laying around," Scarlett told him.
Ness was searching online for 'Juction City, Ray, Trevor McAnn'. She opened a web page for the Midwestern Brewing Company, which listed Thighslapper Ale, Headspinner Amber Ale and Hardhead Imperial Stout.
"Highly doubtful," Garth told them. "Chick was homeless." Dean looked under the sheet at the body, making a face. "Plus, is it me, or is this less evil Spirit, more monster chow?"
"A Werewolf?" Dean asked.
"Except, uh, the witness said that whatever was chasing victim numero uno was invisible," Garth told them.
"Uh..." Sam trailed off, chuckling. "So, invisible Ghost Werewolf?"
"Why'd you think I called for backup?" Garth asked.
"Hey," Ness told them. "Any of you ever heard of Thighslapper Ale?"
"Is that a stripper of a beverage?" Scarlett asked.
"Beverage for douchebags," Dean answered.
"Uh, number one microbrew in the Pacific Northwest," Ness told them.
"But we're in Kansas," Scarlett told them.
"Yeah, I rest my case," Dean told them. He looked at Ness. "What's your point?"
"The owner is the Dad to the dead brothers," Ness answered.
"Right," Garth told them. "You guys go to the brewery, go all Fed, and you can meet me back at the motel."
Garth walked out, leaving. Ness stood, turning to face Sam, Dean, Scarlett and Catty. Sam, Dean, Scarlett and Catty watched Garth go, looking at Ness, raising their eyebrows.
Ness shrugged. "He grows on you."
§
Midwestern Brewing Company
Sam, Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness were posing as FBI.
A woman led them inside. "Agents. I'm Marie. I'm a manager."
"Thanks for coming in on a Sunday," Catty told her.
"We want to help," Marie told them. "Anything we can do."
"Oh," Dean said. "So, all this is your Dad's, huh?"
"And his friend, Randy Baxter," Marie answered. "They own the place together now."
"Uh, 'now'?" Catty repeated.
"Well, since Dale died," Marie explained.
They saw a man standing in an office, lecturing a teenage boy as another man leaning against the wall watched. "Hold on, hold on, hold on. You think I just come in late whenever I want?"
"I'm sorry, sir," the teenage boy told him. "It won't happen again."
Marie held a hand toward the man lecturing the teenage boy. "The, uh, 'charming' Randy Baxter."
Scarlett nodded. "Mm."
Randy continued to lecture the teenage boy that looked like a janitor. "Tell you what. Congratulations. You're headed for the graveyard shift. Be one second late, and you're fired."
"Yes, sir," the teenage boy told him, walking away, leaving.
Marie looked at Sam, Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness. "He's actually a really nice guy. It's just not easy being the axman."
"So true," Dean told her.
"My comrades got you covered, so if you'll excuse me," Sam told her.
"Uh, yeah, I'll go with you," Catty told him.
"Me too," Scarlett agreed.
Sam, Scarlett and Catty walked into the office.
§
Office
Scarlett looked at the other Man. "Mr. McAnn? Uh, we'll be brief. I promise."
"Mr. McAnn, is there any reason to believe your sons may have had enemies?" Catty asked.
"We were told they were animal attacks," Mr. McAnn told them.
"We just need to explore every possibility," Sam told him.
"They got lots of friends," Mr. McAnn told them. "No."
"Well, do they work here with you?" Sam asked. "Like Marie does? Uh, could someone have been jealous?"
"N--no," Mr. McAnn answered. "Marie's the only one. Oh, no. Th--there's no, uh..."
"Jim," Randy told him. "It's okay. It's okay." He looked at Sam, Scarlett and Catty. "Let him get some rest. I'll answer your questions."
"Of course," Catty told him.
Jim walked out, leaving.
§
Main Room
Marie, Dean and Ness walked through the brewery.
"He blamed himself when Dale died, and now this," Marie told them.
"Why did he blame himself?" Ness asked.
"Well, Dale was sensitive," Marie told them. "But what do you do, watch them 24/7? You can't blame Dale's friends."
"But your dad still feels bad?" Dean asked.
"And it doesn't help Dale's wife is suing us," Marie told them.
"Really?" Dean asked. "Why?"
"She's angry and grieving, and this is America," Marie answered.
Dean and Ness exchanged a look.
§
Office
Sam, Scarlett and Catty were interviewing Randy.
"I knew Ray and Trevor," Randy told them. "Hell, I'm the godfather to all four of Jim's kids. Ray and Trevor loved their fun, but they'd never do anything crazy."
"No children of your own?" Scarlett asked.
Randy shook his head. "Just Jim's. They'd borrow my car, raid my fridge."
"Now, the two of you started this company with a third partner, right?" Sam asked.
"Yeah," Randy answered. "Dale." They looked at two framed photographs of the three men. "He passed away a few months ago."
"Passed away in the woods, or..." Catty trailed off.
"He took his own life," Randy answered.
"Oh," Scarlett told him. "Sorry."
"Well, he had problems for a long time," Randy told them. "Look, this is just a nightmare. First Dale, now this. This was gonna be our big year. We're selling Thighslapper to one of the largest distributors in the US. It's been in the works for months. News is gonna hit public pretty soon."
"Well, that's the brass ring, huh?" Catty asked.
"Given other circumstances, yeah, we'd be celebrating right about now," Randy told them.
Sam, Scarlett and Catty exchanged a look.
§
Night - House - Living Room
There was a family photo of Jim, Ray, Trevor, Marie, a woman, and a little girl sitting in the woman's lap.
§
Kitchen
The woman from the photo walked into the kitchen, carrying a bottle of vodka. She poured some into one of two glasses of orange juice, taking a drink.
§
Dining Room
The little girl from the photo was sitting at the table, drawing.
The woman walked in, carrying both glasses of orange juice, looking at the drawing. "That looks great, sweetie."
The woman set both glasses on the table. There was a knock on the door.
They heard Jim's voice. "Hello?"
"There's Grandpa," the woman told her. She walked toward the entryway, greeting Jim. "Hi."
The little girl picked up one of the glasses of orange juice, taking a drink. From her face, it was clear that she picked up the glass with the vodka. "Oops."
The woman led Jim inside. "I'll get some snacks. You should eat."
"Yeah," Jim agreed.
"Sit, Dad," the woman told him, walking into the kitchen.
Jim walked toward the table, sitting down. The little girl giggled.
"Hey," Jim told her. "What're you drawing?"
"My world," the little girl answered, giggling, drawing.
The little girl looked up, seeing something move through the air. The long-haired woman in the white dress from the woods walked into the entryway. The little girl stood, looking around the entryway, walking out, leaving.
§
Kitchen
The woman was making sandwiches. The little girl walked in. The long-haired woman in the white dress was standing behind the woman. The little girl looked at the long-haired woman in shock.
Jim walked in from behind the little girl. "What is it, sweetie?"
The little girl pointed at the long-haired woman. Jim followed her gaze, but could only see the woman behind the counter.
"What is it?" the woman asked.
The little girl continued to point at the long-haired woman. The woman turned around. She was able to see the long-haired woman, gasping. The little girl screamed. The woman tried to run away. The long-haired woman put her fist through the woman's back.
Jim turned the little girl away, looking at the woman in denial, confused by what he couldn't see. "Lillian!"
Jim could only see Lillian with her back arched and her arms outstretched. Lillian looked down to see a hand protruding through her body beneath her shirt, falling to the floor. The little girl held onto Jim in fear.
§
Motel Room
Garth was working on his EMF reader. Sam was sitting at the table, reading different books. Catty and Scarlett were sitting down across from him.
Ness was using the laptop. "There's a million things with claws go bump in the night. Once you throw in 'invisible', the number goes down."
Dean was sitting on a sofa, reading a journal.
Garth looked at Catty and Scarlett. "Guess you should read up on all that to find out all the deets for the little ones."
Catty gave Garth a look. "W--Was there a letter in the World Weekly News that we missed? How do you know about that?"
"Monsters and Demons tend to talk when you have the right tools," Garth answered. "Any luck?"
"No," Scarlett answered. "Well, not luck in what you would consider of the word."
"Cat's trying this whole suicide plan that Scar, Ness, Dean and I are neatly trying to get her to rethink and avoid," Sam explained.
"What suicide plan?" Garth asked.
Ness, Sam, Scarlett and Dean gave Catty a look, raising their eyebrows.
Catty ignored them, picking up a motel card on the table next to her. "'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," Garth told them. "It's the little things. I feel sad for those brewery dudes. Spend your life beautifying the world through beer."
Sam sighed. "First a partner offs himself." Ness drank from Bobby's Flask. "Now two kids get ganked by unknown freakadeek."
Ness looked at her laptop, bringing up an article on the Midwestern Brewing Company. "According to this, Dale wasn't just a partner. He was also the brewmaster."
"'Brewmaster'?" Scarlett repeated.
Ness shrugged, standing. "He was widely considered a genius."
"All right, that's it," Dean told them. "No microbrew is worth..." Ness put Bobby's Flask down on the counter near Garth. The EMF in his hands started to make noise. "What was it? Eight Food Magazine awards?" Ness took beer bottles out of the fridge. "Beer's not food. It's..." Ness put a bottle down for Garth. "Whatever water is." Ness gave Sam, Dean, Scarlett and Catty each one. Dean inspected the label on his own bottle. "Hmm. Thighslapper." He took a drink. "Wow. That's actually awesome. Damn it. I'm not even mad anymore."
Garth drank the entire bottle, shaking the last few drops into his mouth, burping.
"Wow," Sam told him. "Party on, Garth."
"I don't even usually drink beer," Garth told them. "It messes with my depth perception." He burped, hiccuping. "Especially when I skinny dip." Sam, Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness exchanged a look. "Hey, you guys want to hear a joke?"
"Listen to this," Sam told them. "This is something interesting." Garth laughed. "Garth, are you drunk?"
"Dude, I just... drank a whole beer," Garth told him. "Of course I'm drunk."
Garth burped.
Dean looked at Sam. "Something interesting?"
"Right," Sam told them. "Uh..."
"Hey, can I have some more Thighslapper?" Garth asked.
Sam, Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness answered together. "No."
"Coffee for you, Tara Reid," Ness told him.
"Coffee with Kalhua in it?" Garth asked.
Sam ignored him, looking at Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness as he continued. "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."
"That would explain the widow," Dean told them. "She's suing. Maybe Dale had a bone to pick, and he's still picking it."
"Right," Scarlett agreed. "So, maybe he's a Spirito malo."
They heard a voice from the police radio. "Unit to McAnn residence. 698 Washburn."
"'McAnn residence', as in Jim McAnn?" Catty asked.
"As in, let's hope for their sake our Spirito ain't made it out of the woods," Garth told them. "All right. Let's go check it."
Dean sighed. "Ness, you and Garth go. Catty, Sam, Scar and I are gonna visit the widow."
Ness looked at Sam, Dean, Scarlett and Catty. Sam, Dean, Scarlett and Catty smiled.
§
McAnn House - Hallway
Garth and Ness walked along, checking for EMF.
"Well?" Ness asked.
"Place is clean," Garth told her. "My EMF is nada." He took another EMF out of his jacket pocket. "So is this one."
"Is that mine?" Ness asked.
"Yeah," Garth answered. "I borrowed it in case mine's broke."
Ness nodded, looking away. "Oh."
"So, uh... we still on invisible Werewolf?" Garth asked.
"Maybe, maybe not," Ness told him. "I think Tess saw something, but she won't talk with Jim and Marie around."
They looked toward Jim, Marie and the little girl.
"I'm gonna take a run at her," Garth told her.
"A what?" Ness asked.
"Trust me," Garth told her. "My special lady has twins." He walked into the living room. "Mr. McAnn?"
Ness looked up. "'Special lady'?"
Ness shook her head, following Garth.
"Do you mind if we speak to Tess alone for just a sec?" Garth asked. "It would really help."
Jim looked at the little girl, revealed to be Tess. "Honey, we'll... we'll be right out there, okay?"
Tess nodded barely.
"Thanks," Garth told them. Jim and Marie walked out, leaving. Garth looked at Tess. "Hi, Tess. I'm Garth. This is my friend, Ness, Tess." He sat down on the coffee table in front of her. "You want to tell me what you saw tonight?" Tess shook her head. "Or maybe you'll talk to..." Garth raised a hand in a sock puppet, speaking in a high-pitched voice. "Mr. Fizzles!" He waved the puppet around. "I'm your friend! Yay!"
Ness rolled her eyes slightly, smirking, leaning against the doorframe, crossing her arms over her chest, watching.
"It was a monster," Tess told them.
Garth used Mr. Fizzles' voice. "I believe you, Tess. Did it have claws?"
Tess nodded.
Ness stepped closer. "How come you were the only one that could see it, Tess?" Tess shrugged. Ness sat down on the couch next to Tess. "What else, Tess?"
Tess shrugged.
"You sure?" Garth asked, still using the puppet voice. "'Cause Mr. Fizzles can sense when you're being a..." He used a deep voice. "Liar."
"All right," Ness told him. "That's--that's enough... Mr. Fizzles."
"I drank a grownup drink," Tess told them.
"Uh, grownup like, uh, coffee?" Ness asked. Tess shook her head. "Well, you mean alcohol?"
"It was an accident," Tess told her. She looked at the sock puppet. "Don't let them arrest me, Mr. Fizzles."
Garth looked at Ness, using Mr. Fizzles to point at her, both of them nodding.
§
Dale Lampert's House - Living Room
Sam, Dean, Scarlett and Catty were interviewing Dale's widow, Mrs. Lampert.
"Your husband did a lot of traveling, huh?" Sam asked.
"He went to all kinds of exotic places for the best ingredients," Mrs. Lampert answered.
"Right," Dean told her. "We've tried his work. It's--it's great. Um, I hear you're not exactly on the best of terms with Dale's old partners."
"Well, they sold his company right out from under him," Mrs. Lampert told them. "It's not about money. It's about... it was his baby, you know?"
"You sound pretty upset about it," Catty told her.
"I'm furious," Mrs. Lampert told them. "I hate them. But then I think how Dale was."
"What do you mean?" Scarlett asked.
"His friends left him behind, but you know what he said?" Mrs. Lampert asked. "'I'm gonna send them a gift that shows I forgive them.'"
"Do you have any idea what he sent them?" Sam asked.
"Bottle of Saki," Mrs. Lampert answered. "From one of his trips. In a... gorgeous box with writing. He was so careful with it. Wouldn't let me touch it. In fact, it's probably locked up in his office, still at the brewery."
Sam, Dean, Scarlett and Catty exchanged a look. "Okay."
§
On the Road - Garth's Car
Garth was driving.
Ness was in the passenger seat. "So, kid in the woods sees something that nobody else does. Then Tess sees a monster, and Jim doesn't. What's the thread?"
"Hmm," Garth hummed. "Well, certain mutants see infrared."
Ness thought for a moment, realizing. "'Grownup drinks'. Tess chugged her mom's, and vic number one was plastered."
"Right," Garth agreed. "So... Whoa. Monster you got to be drunk to see. Cool! Also... hard to fight."
Ness chuckled, taking a drink from Bobby's Flask. "Ah. Just getting in the zone. You are strictly on wine coolers."
"Hey, I love those," Garth told her. "Anything sweet." He chuckled. "Whoo!" Ness took a drink from Bobby's Flask. "So, uh, what's with the Grody flask, anyway? Lucky charm?"
Ness took a drink. "It's my Dad's."
§
Flashback
Night - Motel Room
Dean was speaking. "No microbrew is worth..." Ness put Bobby's Flask down on the counter near Garth. The EMF in his hands started to make noise. "What was it? Eight..."
§
Now
Night - Garth's Car
Garth looked at Ness. "Hmm. Really? 'Cause, um... You think there's a possibility that Bobby's riding your wave?"
"No, we gave him a hunter's funeral," Ness told him.
"Yeah, I--I burned my cousin, Brandon, and he stayed stuck," Garth told her. "And--and--and they got Ghosts in India, and they cremate everybody over there. It's just instinct, but maybe there is EMF around here. It just ain't the job."
"All right, we're not gonna talk about this, okay?" Ness asked. "Not in the middle of work."
"Sorry," Garth told her. Ness' phone rang. "Just hope that fire did the trick."
Ness ignored him, answering her phone. "Hey, Dean. Yeah. Got it. We're on our way."
§
Midwestern Brewing Company - Outside
Ness and Garth's Cars were parked outside the brewery. Garth was sitting in his car. Catty picked the lock on the brewery door. Sam, Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness walked in.
§
Office
Sam, Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness walked in, looking around.
"Where's the box?" Sam asked.
"Dale's wife said it was locked up somewhere," Catty told them.
"Well, how are we gonna find it?" Dean asked.
"Well, hang on," Scarlett told him. "Don't get your panties in a twist."
"What?" Sam asked.
Scarlett smirked.
Catty looked at the wall. "Hey, check it out." They followed her gaze to the security camera. "God, I love paranoid people."
Scarlett looked at Ness, gesturing to the computer. "See if you can get on."
"Okay," Ness told them, sitting down at the desk, hacking into the computer, bringing up an imagine of the five of them behind the desk. "Huh." Sam, Dean, Ness, Scarlett and Catty waved at the camera. "All right, so, first death was, what, uh, four months ago? Yeah?"
"Mm-hmm, and, uh, Trevor McAnn," Catty answered. "Patient zero."
"So, what did he let out of that bottle?" Dean asked. Ness played the security footage, showing Jim McAnn and Randy Baxter in the office, the cleaner, and Trevor. "Nothing there."
"That we can see," Scarlett told them.
The security footage showed Trevor taking some bottles from the office. Ness put a bottle and a glass on the desk, patting Sam, Dean, Scarlett and Catty on the shoulders.
"What, are you kidding?" Sam asked.
"Tick-tock," Catty told them.
Sam poured himself a glass of whiskey. Catty sat down next to them with another bottle, drinking from the bottle, propping her feet up on the desk. Scarlett poured herself some, drinking. Dean poured himself a drink, putting the cap back on the bottle.
Scarlett looked at Dean. "I mean, can you even get drunk anymore? It's kind of like, uh, drinking a vitamin for you, right?"
"Shut up," Dean told her, sniffing another bottle. "Holy..."
Dean drank from the bottle, coughing. Sam poured himself another glass. Sam, Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness clinked their glasses, drinking. Ness poured herself another glass of whiskey. Sam, Dean and Scarlett drained their glasses. Catty continued to drink from her bottle.
Scarlett smirked. "All right. Party time."
"Yeah," Dean agreed.
"Okay," Sam told them.
Catty patted Ness on the shoulder. "Rewind and go."
Ness played the footage of Trevor. Trevor unlocked a hidden compartment in the dresser that was behind them, pulling out a box, taking the bottle of Saki out, releasing the long, black-haired woman in the white dress.
"So, he--he let that thing out of the box, and it must have just followed him to the place with all the thingies," Sam told them.
"Yes," Catty agreed. "Yes. That's smart."
"I'm actually kind of drunk," Dean told them, looking at his glass. "What is this?" He turned to see some more alcohol. "Me likey. I miss these talks."
Sam and Ness stood, walking toward the dresser, unlocking the hidden compartment.
"Here it is," Sam told them, taking out the wooden box with Japanese writing, setting it on the desk, opening it, revealing a fancy box decorated with a face and more Japanese characters, and inside that box was the bottle of Saki, the seal broken. "Oh." He held the box toward Ness. "What's it say?"
Ness took the box, trying to focus enough to read the Japanese on the box. "Anata ga marou mono... wa anata ka ra mo marau."
"God, I love it when you do that," Dean told her.
Ness smiled a small smile, translating. "'What you took will be taken from you.' Like, eye for an eye. You with me?" They nodded. "Kono bin niwa syoujou zuke no sake ga hu-in sarete iru. This says the bottle inside contains a Shojo."
"What's a... Shojo?" Scarlett asked.
"An alcohol Spirit," Ness answered. "Look, it's an old myth. You can only seen them when you're drunk, which explains why only Trevor and Tess could see it. And why we could only see it when we got plastered. But they are not known for being friendly."
Dean and Scarlett both took a drink. Catty continued to drink from her bottle.
Randy walked in. "What the hell?"
Catty lowered her feet to the floor. "Oh, man."
"Uh..." Sam trailed off.
Dean looked at Ness, gesturing to the computer. "Turn it off. Turn it off."
"We can explain," Scarlett told him.
"FBI, huh?" Randy asked. "You know what?" He picked up a phone, pushing a button. "You can save it for the cops."
"Whoa, whoa, Mr. Baxter," Sam told him. "Listen. If--if you just let us explain, you might not--"
Randy yelled out in pain, falling to the floor. Garth had been standing behind him, having a taser in hand.
They heard a voice on the phone. "911. What is your emergency? Hello? Do you need assistance?"
Sam, Dean, Ness, Catty, Scarlett and Garth exchanged a look.
§
Motel Room
Sam, Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness walked into the motel room, coffee cups in hand. Garth was performing some sort of martial art exercises.
"Garth," Scarlett told him. "Where's Baxter?"
Garth walked closer, pointing at the hot tub. "Dude's a lot heavier than he looks, FYI." Randy was in the hot tub with a pillowcase over his head. "But here." Garth gestured to Ness' EMF on the table. "Thought you might want this back."
"You have the CEO of the douchiest microbrew in the US gagged in your hot tub?" Dean asked. "You really think that's gonna end well?"
"I'm not feeling the love," Garth told them.
"All right," Catty told them. "Shojo. Uh, let's see what we can see."
Ness sat down at the table to use the laptop.
"What's Shojo?" Garth asked.
"Japanese booze monster," Scarlett answered.
"I guess that would explain why you got to be drunk to see it," Garth told them. "Very poetic."
Ness did a search for 'Shojo', clicking on the first link, which was to the page 'Open Minds to Deeper Knowledge.' The text was in Japanese. There was a black-and-white drawing.
Dean looked over Ness' shoulder. "Oh. Creepy."
A message box that said 'translating Japanese text to English' popped up on screen, and then the page appeared in English. A Shojo (Heavy drinker or Orangutan) is a kind of Japanese sea Spirit with a red face and hair and a fondness for alcohol. Legend has it, that workers at the breweries in Japan have seen a Shojo lurking about after indulging in their products. With the right Spell Box you can harness a Shojo to your will. The legend is the subject of a Noh play of the same name. There is a Noh mask for this character, as well as a type of Kabuki stage makeup, that bares [sic] the name. The Chinese and Japanese characters for Orangutan are the same, and can also be used in Japanese to refer to someone who is particularly fond of alcohol. Fatal weakness: Samurai sword consecrated with a Shinto blessing.
"Okay," Ness told them. "So, a Shojo is said to roam where there's lots of alcohol. There's lore saying that, back in the day, if you were plastered enough, you can see on skulking around the breweries in Japan."
Ness refilled Bobby's Flask with whiskey.
"Yeah, but why is this one shredding brewers' kids?" Scarlett asked.
"Apparently, you can harness the will of a Shojo with the right spell box," Ness told them. "Then you basically have an attack dog that you can sic on whatever sort of personal revenge mission you want."
"So, Dale nabs one to punish his pals," Catty told them.
"Send the bottle, sooner or later, it's popped open," Ness told them. "Then you have a Shojo that will do whatever Dale compelled it to do right here on the box."
"Wait," Garth told them. "Except it's not killing the people that screwed him over."
"Well, Dale's widow said the company was his baby," Sam explained. "So, if he really wanted his friends to feel what he felt..."
"He would take theirs," Catty finished. "Well, their kids. Jim's, anyways."
"And Baxter was the godfather," Sam told them.
"Why is it always about the kids?" Catty asked in complaint, turning away.
"I know, right?" Scarlett asked.
"Sorry, Catty," Sam told her. "Sorry, Scar."
Catty and Scarlett sighed. "Yeah."
Dean looked at Ness from over her shoulder. "All right, skip to how do we gank it."
"Good news," Ness told them. "It is killable."
"But..." Dean trailed off.
"But only with a samurai sword consecrated with a Shinto blessing," Ness answered.
"Well, that's not a silver lining," Sam told them. "All right, the Shojo already cleaned house, right? I mean, Marie's the last target standing, so..."
Dean sighed. "I'll hit the pawn shops, and, uh, look for the sword, and you babysit Marie."
Garth dropped, catching an EMF near Ness and Bobby's Flask, the EMF starting to make noise. "Yikes. Sorry."
Ness gave Garth a look, taking the EMF from him. "Don't worry about it."
Ness turned the EMF reader off.
"Unless I've got nothing to be sorry for," Garth told her.
"Garth," Ness told him.
"What's he talking about?" Sam asked.
"I'm concerned that Bobby might be haunting you," Garth told them. "I--I brought it up to Ness, but she shut me down."
"Garth," Ness told him. "Leave it alone."
"It's okay," Dean told her.
"No, it's far from okay, Dean," Ness told him.
"I've already tried contacting Bobby," Dean told her. Ness looked at him in surprise. "When that beer disappeared, I pulled out a talking board."
"Without me?" Ness asked.
"You know, I figured, why drag you in... when it's something I could just put to bed myself," Dean told her.
"And?" Ness asked.
"And if he was there, I'd have told you," Dean told her.
Randy groaned himself to consciousness.
Scarlett sighed. "Talk about this later." She looked at Garth. "You stay here. Sam, Catty and I'll follow Marie. Ness, Dean, give a Shinto blessing to a samurai sword."
Ness nodded.
§
Later
Sam, Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness weren't here anymore.
Garth removed the pillowcase from Randy's head. "I'm trying to help you, Mr. Baxter."
"And who the hell are you?" Randy asked.
"Now, I'm confused," Garth told him. "Dale goes to get you all where it hurts. The kids. Only, you don't have any kids."
"It still affects me," Randy told him. "Believe me."
"Nah," Garth told him. "You want to tell me what you're hiding?"
"Hiding?" Randy repeated. "I--"
"Tell me this," Garth told him. "When was the last time you gave an employee three chances?"
"Probably never," Randy answered.
"Exactly," Garth told him. "You're the axman, right? Tough job, but, hey, somebody's got to. So, how come you cut that slacker janitor so many breaks?"
"I--I--I--I don't know," Randy told him.
Garth nodded sarcastically. "Yeah. Well, I Googled. Come to find his mother... was your secretary way back in the day. Of course, you were married to Mrs. B., so, uh... No way there's anything naughty there, right?" Randy didn't answer. "What do you need to get? It don't matter what Dale knows about you, 'cause that thing out there killing the kids? It knows!"
"It didn't end well with his mom," Randy told him. "She made me swear never to tell him."
Garth nodded. "Oh. So much for that. Where is he?"
"He's, uh, he's at the brewery," Randy answered. Garth took a bunch of miniature bottles of alcohol from under the counter. "Working the graveyard shift."
"Here," Garth told him, tossing Randy the keys to the handcuffs chaining him to the hot tub rail. "If you care about that kid at all, don't call the cops on me just yet."
Garth walked out, leaving.
§
Midwestern Brewery Company - Foyer
The teenage janitor, Randy's son, sprayed window cleaner all over the inside of the glass door. He wiped it off, revealing the Shojo standing on the other side of the glass door, unable to see the glare she was boring into him.
§
Alley
Dean and Ness stood outside in an alley. Dean took a sword out of its sheath, lying it down on a wooden box.
Ness was reading from a piece of paper. "It says it's best to do this in a running spring."
"Uh, yeah," Dean agreed. "I, uh..." He took a bottle of spring water out of his jacket. "I got it. Okay. We good?"
"I'll do my best," Ness told him.
"All right," Dean told her, picking up the sword, holding the water bottle over the sword, preparing to pour water over it.
"Shichihukujin..." Ness trailed off, looking at Dean. "Go."
"Oh," Dean told her, pouring water over the sword.
Ness continued. "Hito no teni rori korekara seitoun yakuwari wo hatasu kono ken wo tataer." She looked at Dean. Dean looked at Ness, continuing to pour water onto the sword. "That's it."
"Oh," Dean told her, stopping. "All right."
Dean put the sword into the sheath. They walked toward Ness' Car.
Ness' phone rang. She answered. "Garth?"
Garth was running toward Midwestern Brewery Company, dropping an empty miniature bottle of alcohol. "Ness, Baxter's got a secret love child! The Shojo might come for him first!"
"Whoa, slow down," Ness told him.
"I'm trying to save lives here!" Garth told her, fumbling with tools to break into the brewery.
"Are you drunk?" Ness asked.
Garth dropped his phone. "Damn it! Damn it."
"Garth?" Ness asked. Garth opened the door, walking inside the brewery. "You dropped the phone, didn't you? Hello? Garth!"
Garth picked up his phone, walking up the stairs in the brewery. "Sorry, sorry, sorry. I'm here."
"Where the hell are you?" Ness asked.
Garth came to a stop. "I'm in the brewery."
§
Bar
Sam, Scarlett and Catty were sitting at the bar, drinking whiskey. Marie was at a table with her friends.
Scarlett looked at Sam and Catty. "If the Shojo doesn't show up here, getting our asses drunk might've been a complete waste."
"Oh, the horror," Catty told her sarcastically. "I actually feel good for a change, so stop raining on my parade."
Sam smirked. "Always find the silver lining, Catty."
"Damn straight," Catty told them, signaling the bartender for another drink.
Sam and Scarlett chuckled.
§
Alley
Ness was still standing by Dean and Ness' Car, still on the phone. "Garth?"
Garth was still in the brewery, seeing the Shojo watching the janitor, whispering into the phone. "Ness. It's here."
Ness hung up, getting into the driver's seat.
§
Ness' Car
Dean got into the passenger seat.
"You ready to get drunk to fight against this thing?" Ness asked.
Dean pulled out a bottle of alcohol. "What do you think?"
"Good," Ness told him, driving quickly. "Get drunk." Dean took that in, chuckling. "What?"
"Those are two words you'd never expect a wife to say," Dean told her.
Ness smirked, chuckling once.
§
Midwestern Brewery Company
Garth grabbed the janitor's arm.
"Whoa, whoa, hey!" the janitor told him. "What the hell?"
"Come with me if you want to live," Garth told him.
"Hey," the janitor told him.
Garth pulled the janitor along.
§
Bar
Sam, Scarlett and Catty were still sitting at the bar, watching Marie through the mirror in front of them. Catty was drinking. Sam and Scarlett finished their glasses.
Catty's phone rang. She pulled it out to answer. "Yeah."
Ness' voice was on the other line. "Hey, you good to drive? Or if you're not, are Scar or Sam?"
Catty hesitated, looking at the drinks that they had drunk. "Uh..."
Ness was still driving her car. "Well, get a ride." Dean was in the passenger seat, drinking. "It's at the brewery."
"What?" Catty asked.
"There's another kid," Ness told her. "Don't think. Move."
§
Outside
Sam, Scarlett and Catty walked out of the bar. A valet was helping a couple into a taxi.
"Wait!" Sam told them. "Wait, wait, wait. Taxi! Hey, hey, hey!" Sam, Scarlett and Catty ran toward them. "Hey, hey, hey! Stop. Hold on, hold on. National security." Sam, Scarlett and Catty showed them their fake badges. "Please." The woman who had been about to get into the taxi backed away. "Thank you, ma'am. Sorry."
"Thanks, guys," Scarlett told them.
Sam and Scarlett got into the taxi. Catty looked at the couple and the valet, smiling awkwardly, getting into the taxi.
§
Taxi
Scarlett looked at the taxi driver. "Okay. Brewery. Step on it!"
"What?" the taxi driver asked.
"The brewery," Scarlett told him. "Hurry. Hurry." The taxi driver started to drive really slow. "Hurry, hurry. Please."
"Yeah, but I like to drive safe, you know," the taxi driver told them.
Sam, Scarlett and Catty exchanged an annoyed look.
§
Midwestern Brewery Company
Garth was still holding the janitor's arm, pulling him along.
"Dude, what's going on?" the janitor asked. "Who are you?"
"I'm the law, son," Garth told him. "Now, follow me."
"Are you drunk, dude?" the janitor asked, pulling his arm away from Garth. "Get away from me."
"All right," Garth told him. "I'll just shoot. Baxter is your father. Baxter screwed Dale. Dale roped this Japanese monster you can only see when you're drunk, and now it's here to kill you."
"Whoa, wait a minute," the janitor told him. "Baxter is my father?" Garth looked past him, seeing the Shojo approaching, grabbing the janitor's arm, trying to pull him away. The janitor looked from Garth to the direction of the Shojo. "What are you looking at?"
Garth pulled the janitor by the arm. "Damn it, run!"
The janitor pulled his arm away from Garth. "Dude, there's nothing there!"
The Shojo appeared in front of Garth. Garth smiled awkwardly, nervously. The Shojo used magic to throw Garth into a wall of glass windows, making the windows shatter, and Garth fall unconscious. The janitor started to run away, rounding a corner, standing with his back to the wall. He started to run for an open door. The door slammed shut. Large scratches appeared on the wall in front of the janitor. The janitor opened the door, continuing to run through the brewery. Sam, Scarlett and Catty ran closer.
"Whoa," Catty told him. "Whoa. Easy!"
"We got to get out of here," the janitor told them, pushing past Sam, Scarlett and Catty. Sam, Scarlett and Catty turned to follow. "It's here!"
"Where's Garth?" Sam asked.
"Who?" the janitor asked.
Sam looked around. "Garth!"
"I--I--There was a guy," the janitor told them. "He got knocked out."
Scarlett nodded. "Oh. Oh, okay." Sam, Scarlett and Catty could see the Shojo approaching. Scarlett looked at the janitor. "Stay behind us. Stay behind us."
"Okay," the janitor told them, backing away behind Sam, Scarlett and Catty. "Okay. What, you can--you can see it?"
"Yeah," Sam answered. "We're--we're skunked. Just, uh..." He looked to their right, seeing an open door. "Fire exit. On three."
"Okay," the janitor told them.
"All right?" Catty asked. The door slammed shut. "Okay. So much for that."
The Shojo appeared in front of them, using magic to throw Sam into the wall hard enough to crack it, making him fall to the floor, unconscious.
Scarlett and Catty watched worriedly. "Sammy!"
Catty backed away, backing the janitor back away with her. "Get back!"
Scarlett and Catty pushed the janitor back. Ness and Dean arrived. Ness held the sword ready. The Shojo hit Ness hard enough to make her fall to the floor. The sword skidded along the floor. Ness sat up, looking at Sam. Sam was still unconscious. Ness looked at Scarlett, Catty, the janitor and Dean, looking around for the sword, turning to see it on the floor behind her. The sword slid back along the floor toward Ness.
Ness was confused but didn't have time to register it, picking the sword up, looking at Scarlett, Catty and Dean. "Where is it?"
"Uh, s--s--swing right!" Dean told her. Ness slashed to her right with the sword. "My right."
Ness slashed to her left with the sword. The Shojo ducked.
"3:00, Ness!" Scarlett told her. Ness slashed to her right. "6:00!"
Ness swung the sword to her left. Scarlett and Catty grabbed the janitor, making them all duck the swing. Ness plunged the sword into the direction Scarlett and Catty had told her, letting the sword go, watching as it stayed in the air. The Shojo materialized around the sword, screaming, falling to the floor, disappearing.
Ness picked up the sword, looking at the janitor. "You okay?"
"I'm alive," the janitor answered. "Yeah."
Sam groaned himself to consciousness.
"Sam?" Catty and Scarlett asked.
"Yeah," Sam answered, giving a thumbs up.
"Where's Garth?" Ness asked.
"Well, he's--he's over this way," the janitor, answered, gesturing in front of them toward the broken wall of windows where Garth was still unconscious.
"Would you go get him?" Scarlett asked.
"All right," the janitor told them, leading the way toward Garth.
Catty and Scarlett helped Sam stand, both following Randy's son. Ness looked at the sword in her hand, then in the direction from which it moved toward her, looking over her shoulder toward the others. Garth stood, holding his head. Sam, Catty, Scarlett and the janitor approached him.
"What'd I miss?" Garth asked.
Ness looked from them to the direction the sword had slid toward Ness. "This moved." She looked around, seeing nothing. "Dad? Are you here? Come on. Do something. Dad?"
Ness got no response. Dean was watching from behind a corner.
§
Day Four
Morning - Motel - Outside
Garth walked toward his car, carrying a bag, looking at Sam, Dean, Catty, Scarlett and Ness. "You sure you guys don't want to hang out? Grab some brunch, maybe some brews?"
"Tempting, but, uh, we better roll," Scarlett told him.
"All right, well..." Garth trailed off, embracing Ness.
Ness smiled a small smile, returning the embrace. "Oh. Yeah."
Sam and Dean exchanged a look.
Garth pulled away. "Call me anytime."
"All right," Ness told him.
Garth embraced Catty and Scarlett, pulling away.
Garth looked at Sam and Dean. "And you, boys."
Garth embraced Sam.
Sam patted his back awkwardly. "Yeah."
Garth pulled away. Dean held his hand toward Garth.
"Aw, come here," Garth told him, embracing Dean.
"Uh, yeah," Dean told him. "Thanks, Garth."
Garth pulled away. "Sayonara, kemosabes." He pointed to Ness' Car, nodding to Ness. "Nice ride."
Ness smiled a small smile, nodding, sighing. Garth got into his car, starting the engine.
Sam looked at Ness. "You're right. He has grown on me."
Catty and Scarlett nodded in agreement. Garth was blaring music from the radio.
(Song) Poison - Bel Biv Devo
Catty and Scarlett waved bye. Ness turned around, walking toward the motel. Garth's Car started to drive away. Dean noticed that Ness had left, walking toward the motel. Sam, Catty and Scarlett listened to the sound of the song fade into the distance.
(End of Song)
§
Dean and Ness' Motel Room
Ness was starting to pack her things.
Dean walked in. "All right, um... So, let's talk about it."
"About what?" Ness asked. "Oh. The, uh, talking board? That's fine. I get it. I guess."
"No, not that," Dean told her. "Look, I heard you."
"Heard me what?" Ness asked.
"What happened in the brewery, Ness?" Dean asked.
Ness shook her head. "Nothing. It was, uh... It was just my imagination."
Ness turned to pack her stuff.
"Ness, look, I know something happened," Dean told her. "I just want you to be straight with me."
Ness sighed, turning to face Dean.
§
Flashback
Night - Midwestern Brewery Company
Ness looked around for the sword, turning to see it on the floor behind her. The sword slid back along the floor toward Ness. Ness was confused but didn't have time to register it, picking the sword up.
Ness: (voice over) "The blade was across the room, and then it was in my hand."
§
Flashback - 7.11 "Adventures In Babysitting"
Day - Rufus' Cabin
Ness picked up a full bottle of beer from the table, drinking, placing it aside. Ness picked up her beer, which was now empty.
Ness: (voice over) "And then my beer drank itself."
§
7.13 "The Slice Girls"
Night - Sam and Catty's Motel Room - Sam's Side
Ness looked down at the research on the bed. The pictures of the Greek building and Amazon woman had moved, and the only thing now on top of the leather-bound book was a piece of parchment with writing.
Ness: (voice over) "Oh, and then that page magically appeared on the bed."
§
7.17 "Born-Again Identity"
Day - Rufus' Cabin
The journal fell to the floor. Ness walked closer, picking it up. A business card for Mackey's Taxidermy had fallen out. On the back was a cell phone number.
Ness: (voice over) "And--and then my Dad's book fell down and out popped the number of the guy who found Cas and Los."
§
Now
Day - Dean and Ness' Motel Room
Ness looked at Dean. "Nothing, I'm sure."
"Clearly," Dean told her sarcastically.
"Well, then what, Dean?" Ness asked. "Is my Dad here, or not?"
"You know what I think, Ness?" Dean asked. "I think that regular people, they seen ones they lost everywhere, too."
"Yeah, freaking Ghosts," Ness told him.
"Or they just miss them a lot," Dean told her. "I mean, they see a face in a crowd, we see a book falling off the table. Same thing, Ness. 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 me?" Ness asked.
"Like I said, little nuts at the time," Dean told her. "And I knew that you were hurting, and I didn't want to add more to the list of pain."
"All right, well, if it wasn't my Dad, then what Jedi'd that sword into my hand?" Ness asked.
"The Shojo slammed the door from across the room," Dean told her. "Maybe it was trying to grab the sword, too."
Ness cleared her throat, seeming to be trying to convince herself. "Right. Right, I mean, if it was my Dad, he would let us know. I mean, who knows more about being a Ghost than Dad? Instant Swayze, right?"
"Exactly," Dean told her.
Ness sighed. "Okay." She nodded. "Okay, you--So, your theory is that--that we're practically regular people about something for once. All right." They picked up their bags. "Well, you want to grab some brunch and some brews?"
Dean groaned. "No. I'm so hung over. Let's just hit the road."
"All right," Ness told him.
Dean opened the door, gesturing for Ness to lead the way. Ness smiled a small smile, walking outside. Dean followed, closing the door. Bobby's Ghost was standing in the room, watching them go. He sighed sadly.
§
Outside - Ness' Car
Ness got into the driver's seat. Dean got into the passenger seat. Catty, Scarlett and Sam got into the backseat.
Ness started the engine, looking around, realizing something. "Hang on."
Ness got out of the car, closing the door.
§
Dean and Ness' Motel Room
Ness walked in. Bobby looked at Ness in slight confusion.
Ness looked around. "There you are."
Bobby smiled. Ness walked toward Bobby, picking up Bobby's flask from on the bed behind Bobby.
"I'm right here, you idjit," Bobby told her. Ness walked toward the door. "Ness. Nessie!" Ness paused, as if she sensed something, looking over the room without seeing anything, walking out, closing the door behind her. Bobby was frustrated with the fact she couldn't see him. "Balls!"
Bobby flickered in and out of focus, disappearing.
§
Outside
Ness walked toward Ness' Car, getting into the driver's seat. Ness' Car drove away, leaving.