We got out of the impala at a motel,
Dean said" Wow. You know, of all the lame-ass things you've ever said, that's got to be the lame-assiest."
Sam said" I'm sorry, but I happen to think Shemp was a funnier stooge than Curly."
" Curly was a freaking genius!"
" I always found Curly's work a bit obvious."
" It's supposed to be obvious, man. They're Stooges."
I said" You both are actual idiots, I'm not sure whether to be concerned or laugh."
They both said" Shut up." Sam opened the door,
Sam said" So, we calling James tonight?"
Dean said" No. I'll just call him tomorrow. That drive was a bitch."
" I wonder what he wanted."
" Well, his text said that he needed help. He's a cop. I figured it was work-related."
" Yeah, well, we do owe him."
" The guy saved our lives once, Sammy. I mean, it's not like the guy-"
" Saved our lives?" I smirked,
" I'm gonna go for a beer run. You need anything?" I shook my head, leaning back,
" No, I'm good."
" You sure?"
" Yeah."
" 'Cause you did just gank a hellhound, which is no slice of pie, and, uh, there is a mine field of who knows what crap ahead. Just want to make sure that you are okay."
" I'm good."
" 'Cause, you know, we could find another devil dog. You could tag out. I could snuff the son of a bitch."
" Dean, Kevin doesn't even know what the next trial is yet. So whatever it is you're worried about, stop. I'll be ready."
I was upside down, hanging off the bed, I heard scratching at the door, I pulled up, flipping over. Sam walked out of the bathroom, we walked to the door, Sam opened it and we saw a dog. What the... It ran in,
Sam said" Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." It jumped onto the bed, I smiled," Uh... no. Um..." Sam closed the door, we walked towards the dog,
I said" Hey. You friendly?" Sam pet the dog,
" Friendly. Good. All right. You're a pretty dog." It rolled over," You want, uh- you want a little belly scratch, huh? So, who do you belong to? Right. No tags. Uh, what are you doing here?" Then we heard the car,
" Oh, shit."
" Oh, no."
" Sam, sam, sam..." Sam went out there to calm Dean, I hissed as the dog turned into a woman. Hot woman, but nonetheless a woman! Sam opened the door and then came in, I fully shifted.
She said" I'm a familiar."
Dean said" A what?"
Sam said" Companion to a witch- some witches split their time between human and animal form."
She said" I get a more accurate read on people in my other persona. Approaching guys in a motel room like this- well, it gets complicated. My name's Portia. I belong to James Frampton."
Dean said" No. No, no. See, that-that doesn't work for us, 'cause that would mean that our buddy James is a witch."
" Wow. You're quick."
" James is a freaking witch?"
" He wasn't when you met him, but that last case you worked on with him-"
Sam said" Uh, lunatic alchemist. It was nasty."
" James wanted to learn more about that world- the black arts, witchcraft. It became the center of his life."
Dean said" Wait, so you're telling me that James the cop became a witch because of us? Unh-unh."
" You don't like dogs, do you?"
Sam said" Wait. So James isn't a cop anymore?"
" Sure he is. Homicide detective. His new powers make his work even better."
" Then what does he need from us?"
" Well, something's been happening to him. It started with excruciating headaches, screaming sounds in his ears, horrible nightmares. Unable to sleep or think. He can't work. It-It's like he's having a breakdown. Maybe you can find a way to help him."
Dean said" Well, here's the thing. Uh, witches- not real fans."
" Really? Well, James is a cop with a spotless record. He's used his skills for nothing but good. So why don't you lose the ignorant bigotry for maybe two seconds and give him a shot?"
" That was incredibly hot." She gave a look to Sam,
Sam said" It was pretty hot."
I said" I respect women."
Dean said" So, these dreams James is having, he thinks that they're real? He thinks that he is actually killing people?"
Portia said" I think so. At least that's what I picked up before he started blocking me."
Sam said" What does that mean, blocking you?"
" Familiars and their masters- we can communicate telepathically. I can get inside of James' head anytime I want. But he shut me out."
" So, what, you think maybe there's something in there he doesn't want you to see?"
" Possibly, yeah- something dark, you know, that's destroying him. He can't go to the police, and he doesn't trust other witches."
Dean said" But he trusts us? You do know who we are, right? We're the last people that somebody like James needs to be telling his troubles to."
" This was my idea. I was the one who sent you the text under James' name. He doesn't know you're here. But... I think you're maybe all he has."
——
We were doing Bobby's witch-killing spell, never been done before, so we have no clue if it'll even work. Dean's out getting the last of the stuff, Sam and I are looking at all of the crime scenes, James described to them when they visited him.
Dean walked in,
He said" Got the last of it."
Sam said" All right. Well, I have been looking at the crime-scene reports, and they are exactly the same as James told us- vics, dates, location. The most recent one was a blind man, just like he said."
" That's not good."
" Also, I looked into his record on the force. He went from rookie detective to lieutenant basically overnight, and in the last four years, his solve rate's been right at about 100%."
" Of course. He's got the booga-booga on his side. Man, you know that we've never actually seen this witch-killing spell of Bobby's work, right? I mean, this is not a sure thing."
" Is anything we ever do a sure thing?"
" Well, no, but I would just like to have odds in our favor as much as possible."
" Right." We looked at him,
" Well, I'm concerned."
" Concerned about the, uh- the witch-killing spell... or that I'm gonna mess these trials up?"
" Look, we get too far down the road with this, we can't go back. And it'll be too late for me to jump in."
" Who says that you're gonna have to? You know, maybe I'll actually pull this one off."
" I'm just saying."
" I know what you're saying, Dean. You've said it. You know, I've been going over this and over this, asking myself why doesn't he trust me? And it occurred to me finally- it's not that you don't trust me. It's that you can only trust you."
" Are you done?"
" Yeah, I'm done if you're done."
" You know, once I get this put together, we can't hesitate. If we got to use it, we use it."
" You mean if we find the witch that's doing this to James?"
" Or if there is no other witch."
" Or it wouldn't be the first free pass we've given, Dean."
" Look, I like James as much as the next guy, but people are getting ganked here. Besides, Benny, Kate- they were forced to be what they are. James chose this."
I was with Dean and Portia, going to some witch club or whatever,
Dean said" Am I getting the stink eye in here or what?"
Portia said" They can tell you're an outsider."
" Are they all witches?"
" And stuff. But if there's information out here about James, they'll know."
" How did James find you, anyway?"
" Not the way it works. The familiar finds the master, and they become inseparable."
" Guess a lot of people feel that way about their pets." She stopped, and looked at him," What?"
" I'm not James' pet."
" Well, not all the time." She grabbed his shirt, I flashed my eyes, warning her.
" Not ever. The master and the familiar- there's an unbreakable bond, like a melding of souls. We would die for each other."
A guy said" Portia." He snapped his fingers," Over here." We walked over to the guy,
" Dean, Keir, meet Phillippe LeChat. They're wiccans from Detroit."
" Really? Well... sit, sit."
" Spencer here?"
" Somewhere." We sat down, and Dean sneezed, what? He only sneezes around cats.
Dean said" That's weird. That only happens around cats."
" Tell me about James. Lot of buzz out there."
Portia said" All gossip. The community has a little attitude going."
" He brings it on himself. The whole cop thing- witch cop- is he nuts?"
Dean said" I said the exact same thing."
" Then there's you, babe. It isn't done, Portia, and you know it."
" I'm sorry. Uh, remind me, what-what isn't done?"
A guy said" Portia."
" Uh, I'm a-I'm a wiccan. I'm from Detroit."
Portia said" Spencer's the man to ask."
" Oh, okay. Uh... you ever head of a-a spell where a witch can control the actions of another witch?" He sneezed again,
Spencer said" No, I never heard of a thing like that. I don't think it's possible. How's James?"
Portia said" Better. I'll tell him you asked."
" Philippe, it's time we were going."
Philippe said" Of course. Goodnight. So nice to meet you." Then he turned into a cat,
Dean said" I knew it." His phone rang," Excuse me."
——
We broke into James' house, and went to his room, he was chained down, Dean flipped on the lighter with the witch-killing spell. Portia came out of a side room,
She said" No, Dean! You have to listen to me, please. It's not James."
Portia said" Tonight, James and I were close, without psychological walls- intimate."
Dean said" I don't-"
Sam and I said" They had sex."
" Wow. I, uh- I didn't expect that."
She said" We have an unusual relationship. Familiars aren't supposed to be sexually involved with their witches."
" Understandable, you know, considering that you're a... well, and that he's... that's- little help here?" He looked at Sam and me, we slightly shook our heads." No?"
" James and I- we hadn't made love in weeks. His agony ate him up, and he shut me out. But tonight, I saw his thoughts- memories of the murders."
" I'm sorry, is this you trying to talk us out of ganking James or-"
" Dean, that's all I saw- just the kills. No preparation, no thought process, no anticipation, no motive. Just the kills without context."
Sam said" No other awareness of the crimes?"
" No. doesn't that at least suggest he's under another's control?"
Dean said" Spencer said that wasn't possible."
" He said he'd never heard of it. James is chained. He's confined. At least take a shot."
——
We were meeting with some warlock snitch, we got out of the car,
Dean said" So this, uh, warlock we're meeting- he's-he's a snitch?"
Portia said" Cops have snitches all over town. James uses Drexyl when he suspects someone in the community."
" I got to ask. I-I can't help but wonder-"
" Which came first, dog or girl?"
" Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I'm just curious as to which one you consider yourself, mostly."
" This have anything to do with what I told you about James and me last night? How you're imagining it?" I stifled my laughter,
" What? No, that's..." He chuckled, then looked at her," Yes." I went invisible as I heard a car approaching us. The guy got out,
" Drexyl, this is Dean."
The guy said" Wiccan. Detroit. I heard. So, here's the deal- absolutely no word on the street about any witch hexing another one."
Dean said" You sure there's not any kind of spell?"
" Look, Detroit, I pride myself on reliable sourcing. There is, however, a lot of chatter about our James."
Portia said" What kind of chatter?"
" That he's gone ripper."
Dean said" As in Jack the-"
" Someone's circulating the rumor that he's set at full kill."
Portia said" Someone? One of us?"
" If the cops get wind of it, arrest James, find out what he really is, that exposes the rest of us. You know that can't happen."
Dean said" Meaning?"
" They're gonna give James two choices- leave or the full hara-kiri."
" Suicide?"
" Witches appreciate a grand gesture."
Portia said" I won't let him do that."
" Well, the community might do it for him."
——
Sam, Dean and I got to the witch bar,
Dean said" So James didn't kill those-" We were thrown back into the wall,
Spencer said" Seriously, you want to take me on?" He lifted James up into the air, we got up quickly, Dean pulling out the bottle.
Sam said" Hurry." Then energy shot at us, I couldn't,
" It's not only James' head I can get inside." Then I saw everything big and bad that's happened to me in my entire life. It stopped after a few seconds,
" Ego Voco Impetu Delere... Vos Caelum Et Infernum." Dean threw the bottle and Spencer exploded,
Dean said" Well, kids, don't try this at home.
They said their goodbye, and now we're on the road,
Dean said" Well, it's possible I was wrong."
Sam said" What, about James? Dude, we were both ready to gank the guy."
" No, that's not what I meant. Back there, when Spencer had us. He screwed with my head. I saw mom... when she died, and some other crap."
" Yeah. Me, too."
" You know, when I look back at what our family's been through, what everybody's been through, seeing all that pain... I realize that the only way we've made it through it all is by hanging together. I trust you, Sammy. With this deal, locking those sons of bitches up in the furnace once and for all, it's too important not to. So if you say you're good... then that's it. I'm with you 100%."
" I'm good." He started coughing, I closed my eyes, leaning back, my body tensed up. My eyes glowed, I bared my fangs silently then passed out.