The impala drives up to a very sleazy-looking motel and pulls into the parking lot. Sam scoffs.
"Dude, this place charges by the hour," Sam tells them.
"Yeah, well, the book says Lilith finds you at the Red Motel. Hence, the uh, hooker inn. It's opposite day, remember?" Dean looks to Erika who gives him a look back.
....................
Dean drops a bag on the bed and starts pulling out items. Erika rummages through her bag and takes a few small string-tied bags and places them around the room.
"What are you doing?" Sam asks her.
"Hex bags, love" she answers. "Lilith-proof the room"
"So, what? I'm supposed to just hole up here all night?" Sam asks.
"That's exactly what you're gonna do, okay? And no research. I don't care what you do – use the Magic Fingers or watch Casa Erotica on Pay-Per-View" Dean tells him as he reaches into Sam's bag and pulls out Sam's laptop, smiling.
"Oh, dude, come on"
"Just call it a little insurance"
"What are you two gonna do?" Sam asks.
"Well, the pages say that we spend all day riding around in the Impala. So I'm gonna go park her and we're going to take a walk. Behave yourself, would you? No homework. Watch some porn" He smiles, pleased with himself, and leaves with Erika. Sam fumes.
.....................
As the impala drives away from the motel, the neon sign out front, the word "Toreador" sputters and several of the lights burn out. The remaining letters spell: RED
......................
ELSEWHERE, Dean parks the impala and he and Erika get out. Dean checks the doors, then moves to Erika, wraps his arm around her waist, the two of them then walk away across the street. Moments later, Dean looks back to see two teenagers attempting to break into the car. He runs towards them.
"Hey!"
"Dean!" Erika shouts just before a van careens towards him; he can't get out of the way in time, and it hits him. He is knocked to the ground, unconscious. Erika throws her head back and groans before moving to him.
........................
Sam opens the door to reveal Chuck.
"You wanted to see me?" Chuck asks.
"Yeah" Looking around shiftily, Sam opens the door wider and Chuck enters. He shuts the door behind him. "Thanks for coming"
"Ah, sure"
"Um... I was just wondering how much you know. About me"
"What do you mean?" Chuck asks.
"Have you seen visions of me when I'm not with Dean and Erika?"
"Oh... You want to know if I know about the demon blood"
"You didn't tell Dean"
"I didn't even write it into the books. I was afraid it would make you look unsympathetic"
"Unsympathetic?"
"Yeah, come on, Sam. I mean, sucking blood? You got to know that's wrong" Sam raises an eyebrow. "Right...Erika is a vampire that uses blood bags, that's kind of a good vampire, you know.....morally" Sam nods a little. "And she had that whole...reformed arc"
"It scares the hell out of me. I mean, I feel it inside of me. I... I wish to god I could stop"
"But you keep going back"
"What choice have I got? If it helps me kill Lilith and stop the apocalypse...."
"I thought that was Dean's job. That's what the angels say, right?" Chuck asks.
"Dean's not... he's not Dean lately. Ever since he got out of hell. He needs help"
"So you got to carry the weight?" Chuck asks.
"Well, he's looked out for me my whole life. I can't return the favor?"
"Yeah, sure you can. I mean, if that's what this is"
"What else would it be?"
"I don't know. Maybe the demon blood makes you feel stronger? More in control?"
"No. That's not true"
"I'm sorry, Sam. I know it's a terrible burden – feeling that it all rests on your shoulders"
"Does it? All rest on my shoulders?"
"That seems to be where the story's headed"
"Am I strong enough to stop Lilith tonight?"
"I don't know. I haven't seen that far yet"
...................
Dean wakes slowly, still lying in the middle of the road, Erika's voice in his ear.
"Dean" she begs. Another woman hovers above him; she has very long dangling earrings shaped like stars.
"Oh my god. Just take it easy, you're gonna be okay"
"Stars" He mumbles.
"What was that?" the woman asks, Dean blinks and tries to raise his head, he looks to Erika. "I'm so sorry. I just didn't see you. Are you okay?" the woman asks, Erika helps Dean sit up. "And sorry about... you know" the woman indicates a young girl standing nearby. "M-My daughter's going through a doctor phase" Dean frowns.
"What are you talking about?" Dean asks.
"You're all better now," the little girl tells him. "Your girlfriend kissed it all better" Dean raises an eyebrow and looks to Erika who shrugs and looks away. Dean smirks at her, though he drops it looking over her shoulder, he stares in horror: The impala's back window is shattered.
"Oh, no..." Erika helps him stand and Dean approaches the car, fuming. He catches a glimpse of himself in the side window and sees the Band-Aids. Frowning, he slowly peels one-off. He looks to Erika who shrugs.
"How could I tell her no?" she asks him looking to the little girl who smiles and waves at her, Erika smiles warmly at the girl. Dean watches Erika who's look turns sad, longing, she looks away from the girl and gives Dean a small smile.
........................
Dean drives along, still fuming. Erika sits beside him playing with the wolf bracelet around her wrist. A tarp covers the rear window, flapping like the wings of a crow.
..........................
Chuck, carrying a bottle in a brown bag and six-pack of cans, unlocks the door to his house and enters. He walks in slowly and does not appear very surprised to find Erika and Dean sitting in his living room.
"Dean. Erika"
"I take it you knew we'd be here," Dean tells him.
"You look terrible" Chuck points out looking at Dean.
"That's 'cause I just got hit by a minivan, Chuck," Dean tells him.
"Oh"
"That it? Every damn thing you write about us comes true; that's all you have to say is "oh"?!"
"Please don't yell at me"
"Darling, I get feeling there's something that you're not telling us" Erika coos as she stands.
"What wouldn't I be telling you?" he asks as she stalks towards him.
"How it is you know what you know" she states.
"I don't know how I know, I just do!" she pushes him back against the wall.
"I'm sorry, but that's not good enough, love" she shows her vampire face and lifts Chuck up by the throat. "How are you doing this?" Castiel appears out of nowhere, as usual.
"Eris, let him go!" Erika releases Chuck, her face returning to normal as she turns to face Castiel. "This man is to be protected"
"Why?" she asks.
"He's a Prophet of the Lord" Castiel answers.
"You... You're Castiel... aren't you?" Chuck asks.
"It's an honor to meet you, Chuck. I... admire your work" Castiel picks up one of the books and starts paging through it.
"Whoa, whoa, what? This guy, a prophet? Come on, he's – he's... he's practically a Penthouse Forum writer" Dean points out and then looks to Chuck. "Did you know about this?" Chuck has stumbled over to his armchair; he cracks open a fresh bottle of whiskey and pours himself some.
"I, uh, I might have dreamt about it"
"And you didn't tell us?" Erika asks.
"It was too preposterous. Not to mention arrogant. I mean, writing yourself into the story is one thing, but as a prophet? That's like M. Night-level douchiness" Erika nods agreeing. Chuck finishes this tirade and desperately gulps down the whiskey. Dean looks to Castiel.
"This is the guy who decides our fate?"
"He isn't deciding anything. He's a mouthpiece – a conduit for the inspired word"
"The word? The word of god? What, like the new new testament?" Erika asks.
"One day, these books – they'll be known as the Winchester-Mikaelson gospels"
"You got to be kidding me" Chuck, Erika, and Dean all tell Castiel.
"I am not... kidding you"
"If you'd please excuse me one minute" Chuck states before he stands, still clutching the bottle, and disappears upstairs.
"Him? Really?" Dean asks.
"You should've seen Luke."
"Why'd he get tapped?"
"I don't know how prophets are chosen. The order comes from high up on the celestial chain of command" Castiel tells them.
"How high?" Erika asks.
"Very"
"Well, whatever. How do we get around this?"
"Around what?"
"The Sam-Lilith love connection. How do we stop it from happening?"
"What the prophet has written can't be unwritten. As he has seen it, so it shall come to pass" Castiel states, Dean and Erika share a look.