𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢 | 𝐬𝐩𝐧

𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

"HI, I'm here to observe the priests during their job. I'm so sorry about your losses...?"

"Max."

Carter shook hands with the curly-headed kid. "My mom's resting. She's kinda wrecked." Max told the boys. "Of course." Dean nodded. "All these people kept coming with like, casseroles? I finally had to tell them all to go away. You know cause nothing says I'm sorry like a tuna casserole." Max scoffed. He led them into the lounge and sat down. "How you holdin' up?" Sam asked softly. "Okay," Max replied. "Your dad and your uncle were close?" Sam continued. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, they were brothers. They used to hang out all the time when I was little." Max answered.

"Used to?" Carter frowned. "We used to be neighbors when I was a kid, and we lived across town in this house. Uncle Roger lived next door, so he was over all the time." Max said. "Your childhood sounds very happy." Carter hummed. "Yeah. We were totally normal." Max agreed.

-

"Yeah, I don't trust him," Carter concluded as soon as they got into the Impala. "Max isn't telling us everything. I say we go find the old neighborhood, find out what life was really like for the Millers." Dean looked at Sam and Carter, who nodded. Carter messed up Dean's hair and wiped the oil onto Sam's priest robe. "Ew!" He laughed, throwing the robe off of him. He wore a white shirt and brown jacket, along with jeans, under it. Sam tossed the robe at Carter, who was blocking her face.

She threw the robe at Dean and Dean smiled cockily before he turned up the radio. He annoyed Sam and Carter with his loud singing until they pulled into the neighborhood. Or he thought. When he turned down the radio, Sam and Carter were yelling about what the best cartoon was. "Listen, I just think that Tom and Jerry deserve so more respect!" Carter yelled. "It was the same plot over and over again!" Sam countered. "That's so not true, you bitch! Tom and Jerry became friends and then there was the dog--- Dean, didn't you enjoy Tom and Jerry?!" Carter turned towards Dean, who knew better than to piss a woman off any more than she is already.

"O-Oh yeah, Tom and Jerry...The best." Dean replied. "That's not fair, you two had sex!" Sam pointed out. "He said Tom and Jerry is better! Kiss my ass, Winchester!" Carter flicked his head and got out of the car. "Come on, let's go." She tapped Dean's window. He took off his priest robe and joined her. "Come on honey, we're newly married." He smirked, grabbing her hand. "S-Sam---Help?!" She called as he dragged her to a yard. Sam ran over to them.

A man was raking leaves outside of his home when Dean began a conversation. They talked about the Impala and surrounding areas, then finally shifted to the necessary topic. "Have you lived in the neighborhood very long?" Sam asked the man. "Yeah, almost 20 years now. It's nice and quiet. Why, you looking to buy?" He replied. "My wife and I are. We're newlyweds." Dean smirked. "Max Miller said this was a good neighborhood," Carter explained.

"Is that poor kid okay?" The man frowned. "What do you mean?" Sam questioned. "Well in my life I've never seen a child treated like that. I mean I'd hear Mr. Miller yelling and throwing things clear across the street, he was a mean drunk. He used to beat the tar outta Max. Bruises. Broke his arm two times that I know of. It happened practically every day. In fact, that thug brother of his was just as likely to take a swing at the boy but the worst part was the stepmother. She'd just stand there, checked out, not lifting a finger to protect him. I must have called the police seven or eight times. Never did any good." He sighed. Carter grabbed her head as it began to ache.

"I'm gonna go get the pain meds from the car, babe." Carter lied, stumbling back into the Impala. It felt as if she had taken a cannonball to every corner of her skull. She groaned and suddenly she was in the Miller's kitchen, watching Max stab his mother in the eye with a knife. Only, Max wasn't touching the knife. It was moving by itself.

Dean and Sam were in the Impala with her when the vision stopped. Dean was already speeding to the Millers' house. "Here," He handed her a water bottle without taking his eyes off the road. Carter gratefully accepted and uncapped the bottle. "These visions are a pain in the ass." She breathed out, closing her eyes. "Max is doing it. I didn't even realize it but this whole time, he was there. He was outside the garage when his Dad died, he was in the apartment when his Uncle died. These visions, this whole time -- We weren't connecting to the Millers, we were connecting to Max! The thing is I don't get why. I guess -- because we're so alike?" Sam frowned.

"When was the last time you decapitated someone with a window using your mind, genius? Never, ever, compare yourself to a fucking murderer, Sam." Carter snapped. They jumped out of the Impala and sprinted into the home. A knife clattered to the floor and they went into the kitchen, where Max and his mother stood. The mother was against the wall, a knife lying on the floor in front of her. Relief ran into her eyes as she saw Dean and Sam.

"Max, can we, uh, can we talk to you outside for just one second?" Sam asked.

It took some persuading, but Max agreed. The trio turned for the door when Max suddenly slammed it shut. Dean drew his pistol, but it was flung from his hand. "Max---" His mother began. The boy threw her into a wall, knocking her unconscious. "Who are you?!" Max demanded.

"We just wanna help-" Sam began. "That's why you brought this?!" Max shouted. "That was a mistake, all right? So was lying about who we were. But no more lying Max ok? Just please, just hear me out. I saw you do it. I saw you kill your Dad and your Uncle before it happened. So did Carter. You were going to launch the knife at your mom's eye, right? Max, I was drawn here, all right? I think I'm here to help you." Sam told him. "No one can help me!" Max cried. "Let us try, Max. Just you, me, and Sam. Dean and Alice can sit upstairs. You can keep the gun. You're in charge here, all right, we all know that. No one's going to do anything that you don't want to do but I'm talking five minutes here." Carter coaxed.

Just a walking bomb with a gun and two defenseless people...What could go wrong?