Standing Outside the Fire

34

[Party On, Garth]

Francesca sat in the back, fighting sleep.

Dean was on the phone in the passenger seat as Sam drove. "All right, well, call us if he wakes up or, you know, anything." ... "Yeah, fine." ... "Thanks for your help, Meg." He hung up and said, "What a bitch."

"So, Cas is the same, then?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, down to the drool."

"Huh."

"How's the noggin?"

"It's all right. 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. You heard what Cas said. You all heard." His phone rang.

"Let's - let's not. You know what?"

Dean answered the phone.

INT. IMPALA / INT. GARTH'S CAR

"Hello," Dean greeted.

"Hey, Dean," Garth answered. "It's Garth."

"Wait. W-who is this?"

"Garth. Garth Fitzgerald the Fourth. We, along with your fiancée, worked together on that demon thing? You two owe me one?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, how you doing, Garth?"

"I'm ready to cash in that chip, Bra. There's something brewing in Junction City, Kansas."

INT. MORGUE - DAY

A coroner led Dean, Sam and Francesca in their FBI suits and skirt and blouse into the room.

"Well, this is it," the coroner said. "Gentlemen, lady... this is Corporal Brown."

Garth, wearing an Army uniform, was standing next to the body and said, "Corporal James Brown. I'm shipping off to the AF mañana. I'm here to pay respects to my cousin as I will not be able to attend the funeral."

"That must be terrible for your family. Losing two brothers so fast."

Dean and Francesca looked at Sam and Sam looked at Garth, to whom it was obviously news.

"Yeah. Yeah. My aunt - she's... she's real broken up about it."

"Hey, doc, can we see both files, please?" Sam asked.

"Mm-hmm," the coroner hummed as his phone rang. "Ah." He handed Sam a file. "My wife. I'll, uh, be in my office."

"Great," Dean and Francesca said.

Sam frowned. "You didn't say they were brothers."

Garth looked at him. "Dude, I just found out about the other corpse, and... started moving quick. I'm sucking up info as I go."

"What, are you allergic to a suit?" Dean questioned.

"No. I just... look good in a uniform."

Sam read the file. "Yep. Same cause of death."

Francesca made her way to a computer.

"Right, uh, gutted at night in the woods, where legend says that the ghost of Jenny Greentree roams."

Dean and Francesca took out their EMF meters, the latter still typing with one hand as she held the EMF meter in the other.

Garth glanced at them. "Oh, uh, I already scanned for EM..." the EMF meters made noise, "F. Oh. Um... I guess mine must be broken again."