June 21, 2003
Cole Trenton, age 13, wakes up to hears sounds of someone struggling downstairs. He goes down to investigate and finds his father dead, his throat cut. Dean Winchesters enters the room holding a bloody knife as Cole goes to his father's side.
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Cole tells Sam that Dean killed his father and now he's going to get revenge by killing Dean. Sam warns him that Dean isn't Dean right now, but Cole doesn't believe him. He points out that Dean refused to help Sam, and Sam has no reason to protect his brother, but Sam still refuses to say anything about Dean's location. He does warn Cole that there are real monsters out there and tells him to look through his bag. The ex-soldier finds Sam's holy water and monster-killing gear, but figures that he's a psycho and says that if Sam won't talk on his own, they'll have to do it the other way.
In Killdeer, North Dakota, Dean tries to hit on a stripper. She calls over the bouncer and Dean beats him.
Cole beats Sam, trying to force him to say where Dean is.
Dean finishes with the bouncer, tosses down his drink, and leaves the club.
When Sam refuses to talk, Cole takes out a hammer and prepares to beak his kneecap. However, Cole's wife calls and he goes outside to take the car. Sam spots his car keys lying on the floor with the pocketknife keychain. A few minutes later, Cole comes in and isn't surprised to see that Sam is gone.
Crowley is waiting for Dean outside and says that they need to talk about Dean's anger management issues.
When Castiel is unable to heal his injury from the fight with Daniel, Hannah heals him and he says that she can go. Hannah insists on staying with him, and Castiel admits that she sounds very human. Sam calls and tells Castiel that the angel has to go to Beulah, ND, the last place that he had a fix on Crowley and Dean. He tells Castiel that the Mark of Cain has transformed Dean into a demon, and Castiel says that he'll meet him there. Sam then goes hotwires a truck and heads for Beulah himself.
As they drive through the night, Hannah suggests that the Winchesters are a bad influence on her former lead. He tells her that they're the best men that he's ever known, as well as his friends. As Castiel continues driving out, he passes out from his lack of grace and swerves into a truck. Waking up, Castiel yanks the wheel over and they avoid the truck but go off the road.
At another bar, Crowley tells Dean that he needs to kill because of the Mark, and that he has no choice but to feed his addiction to death. The King of Hell offers to facilitate and provide someone that he can kill who has it coming. He then shows Dean a photo of Mindy Morris, and explains that she cheated on her husband Lester. Lester has sold his soul to Crowley to have her killed, and Crowley wants Dean to do it and feed the Mark. Dean agrees but Crowley tells him that there's one more thing he has to do.
A local mechanic, Kim, comes over and takes Castiel's car to his garage. She goes into the local town to get replacement tires, telling Castiel and Hannah to make themselves comfortable in her house. Castiel dozes off on the couch and Hannah covers him over with a blanket.
Dean goes to Mindy's house and watches her through the window. However, first he has to meet with Lester, who is parked down the road. Lester tells Dean what Crowley has already said, that he wants to be there when Mindy dies so that everything gets done right. Disgusted, Dean tells Lester that he's a loser and figures that he was cheating on Mindy and she just had her own affair for revenge. Surprised, Lester wonders how Dean knew, and insists that it's different for men. Unimpressed, Dean punches him and Lester reminds Dean that he works for him. He tells him to kill his ex-wife but Dean kills him instead with the First Blade.
Sam talks to the bouncer at the strip club and confirms that Dean was the man who beat him up. He drives off, unaware that Cole is following him.
Castiel wakes up and finds Kim's daughter Frankie watching him and eating cereal. She talks about her snot dreams while Hannah and Kim watch them. Kim has finished replacing the tires and tells Hannah that she has a great guy. When the angel corrects her misunderstanding, saying that she isn't involved with Castiel, Kim says that's too bad.
Crowley is at a bar coordinating his operations with two of his assistant demons when Sam calls. Dean comes in and tells Crowley that he killed Lester, and Crowley is furious that Dean cost him a soul. When he tries to stop Dean, Dean shoves him away. Crowley asks why Mindy is still alive if Dean is a demon, and tells him to decide whether he's human or demon. When Crowley tries to stop him, Dean reaches for the First Blade and tells him to make his move. Crowley backs down and Dean tells him to stay out of his way and that he'll call him when he needs someone to kill.
As they get into the car, Hannah offers to drive and Castiel hands over the keys.
As Sam checks into a motel for the night, Crowley appears and says that he wants to hand Dean over. However, he wants payment first.
Castiel wakes up and discovers that Hannah has parked the car next to the playground containing the doorway to Heaven. The angel standing watch tells him that Hannah has gone up to Heaven but won't say why.
In Heaven, Hannah visits Metatron in his cell and asks if there's any of Castiel's grace left. She asks for it and Metatron says that he'll tell her where she can find it in return for his freedom. Hannah hesitates and Metatron claims that he's given up on Earth and will go far away to another galaxy. Metatron figures that she wants someone in charge of her so she's seeking to restore Castiel to power, and Hannah, furious, grabs his head and slams it into the bar. Undeterred, Metatron asks if they have a deal.
Before Hannah can respond, Castiel arrives and tells her that Metatron is lying. He says that he knows from personal experience that deals made from desperation always end in blood and tears, and says that he doesn't want anyone to sacrifice anything to keep him alive. Hannah apologizes and leaves, and Metatron tells Castiel that he was telling the truth and some of Castiel's grace still exists. Castiel says that he's made peace with his fate and tells Metatron to keep it, but Metatron doesn't believe him. He warns his captor that he'll escape eventually and when he does, he will Castiel and everyone else.
At the bar, Dean is trying to play the piano without success, and considers what Crowley said earlier. Sam arrives and Dean reminds his brother that he told him to let him go. When Sam admits that Crowley sold Dean out, Dean figures that it was coming and picks up the First Blade. His brother points out that they know how to cure demons, but Dean tells him that he doesn't want to be cured, and that he's fighting the urge to kill Sam right there and then. He tells Sam to go while he can, and says that he killed a man and might deserve to die.
Sam refuses to kill Dean no matter what, and Dean starts laughing as his brother takes out a pair of demon-restraining handcuffs. However, Cole throws a smoke grenade in through the window. Sam staggers out, coughing, and Cole knocks him unconscious. Dean walks out, unaffected, and wonders who Cole is. Cole explains how he found Dean and draws his gun, saying that Dean killed his father. Dean doesn't remember it and Cole says that he's been training for years to take on Dean. Dean invites him to shoot, but Cole draws his knife and says that he wants some real payback.
Cole attacks Dean, who easily disarms him Cole draws a hidden knife and slashes Dean's cheek, but Dean grabs him by the throat and Cole watches as the wound heals instantly. When the ex-soldier wonders what Dean is, Dean reveals his black demon eyes and says that he's a demon. He draws the First Blade and prepares to kill Cole, but then says that he's changed his mind. Cole passes out from his injuries and Sam throws holy water on Dean, stunning him long enough to handcuff him.
Later, Sam stops to meet with Crowley and gives him the First Blade. Crowley assures Sam that he'll put the First Blade somewhere that Dean can't find it, for his own protection.
Cole staggers into a library and starts researching demons.
Back at the bar, Crowley looks despondently at a photo of him and Dean together. He then leaves with his demon assistants.
Sam drives off with Dean in the back of the Impala, and Dean says that it's just a car. Despite that, Sam figures that Dean still has some human feelings because he spared Cole. Dean coldly explains that he left Cole alive because he knew it would torment him far more to know the man that killed his father was alive and there was nothing Cole could do about it. He assures Sam that what he did to Cole was no mercy... and what he'll do to Sam won't be mercy, either.
Written by Gadfly on May 22, 2016