We make a stop at a food truck for some lunch. Well...Dean waits by the car while me and Sam grab the food. While Sam is ordering the food, I notice a newspaper stand and go grab a newspaper. I read the front cover, Jane Peterson suicide. 4 suicides within about 2 weeks...interesting. Once Sam has our food we go back and see Dean. He's hanging up the phone right as we walk up to him.
"Hey. I was just, uh...I was leaving Lisa a message."
"Still hasn't called you back, huh?" I ask. This is my fault and I don't care at all. I should've killed her.
"No."
"Sucks." I say as Sam hands him a foil wrapped hot dog.
"Yeah."
"You okay?" Sam asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine. How are you two?"
"Us? Great! Here, look. Check this out. Think it might be something." I hand Dean the newspaper. "Four people out of nowhere, all in the last couple of weeks. What do you say?"
"Yeah, sounds like a plan."
"Let's go." Sam says. We find out where Jane's sister, Olivia, lives. Dressed in our FBI attire we drive to her house and knock on the door.
"Can I help you?" She asks.
"Olivia Peterson? We're FBI, we just need to ask you a few questions if you don't mind." I say, we show her our badges.
"Yeah, sure. Come on in. I don't understand. Why would federal investigators be interested in a suicide?" Olivia asks.
"Well, um...it's a new, more caring administration." Sam says.
"I'm just going to take a look around if you don't mind." Dean says. Olivia nods her head.
"I already told the cops. Jane was having a really bad day, so I did what any sister would do," she pauses, plays with her hair a bit, and Dean comes back to join us, "I tried to cheer her up, you know? Told her to hang in there."
"Do you know what a 'tell' is?" I ask her.
"Excuse me?" She asks confused.
"It's a poker term...for when you're bluffing. Like what you just did with your hair."
"What are you trying to say?"
"You're lying." Sam says. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Dean being surprised by the statement.
"What?" Olivia asks.
"Tell us what you did to your sister."
"Okay, you're right. I was lying. I wanted to tell her 'I love you. I'm here for you'. But what came out was... 'You're a burden. Just kill yourself'. Who says that? I-I-I just couldn't stop!" She starts crying.
"Okay, we're very sorry for your loss and thank you for your time." Dean says and ushers us out of the house.
"See anything in the house?" I ask Dean.
"No hex bags, no sulfur, no EMF. You?"
"A tuba and an issue of Crochet Today. So, what, already kinda suicidal?" Sam says.
"Right, and then big sis's Taxicab confession sends her over the edge. Question is, what made big sis open her big fat mouth in the first place."
"Yeah that is the question." We get into the car and go to a motel to check in. Once we get there we set up the police radio and just listen for a bit while doing research. There's one call that Sam picks up right away and heads out. I decide to have a shower and Dean does whatever he usually does.
I walk out of the bathroom right as Dean hangs up his phone and Sam walks into the room.
"There was another one." Sam says.
"Yeah? What?"
"Dentist drilled a guy to death."
"You mean the...non-sexy kind of drilling, right?" I ask.
"50 bucks says he's mixed up in all the crazy."
"You think?" Dean asks.
"Yeah, let's go talk to him." Sam says.
"Okay, uh...why don't you go ahead? I'll catch up. I'm gonna do a little research." Dean says.
"Okay, Ash?" Sam asks.
"Nah, I'll stay here too."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, we got to know what we're up against, right?"
"Yeah. Yeah, good idea." Sam walks outside to go interview the dentist.
About an hour later, a bit of research done, a few rounds of fun that me and Dean have done, Dean's phone rings. He puts the phone on speaker.
"Anything from Marathon Man?" Dean asks.
"Not exactly. He hung himself in his cell before I could get to him." Sam says.
"Yikes."
"But he was definitely involved. Just got the scoop from the assistant."
"Yeah?" I ask.
"Yeah. Let's say the stuff that his patient was confessing to...I'd have murdered him too."
"So, root canal and Russian roulette, both of them, it's like they were cursed right? I mean, people are just compelled to puke the truth all over them?
"Oh, getting hit with the ugly truth, you go postal? I'd call that a curse. Do me a favor. I'm going to the morgue to check out the body. Why don't you take the dentist's office, see what you see?"
"Yeah no problem." Dean says. Dean hangs up the phone and closes his laptop. I notice the screen before it's closed.
"Why were you looking up doppelgangers?" I ask Dean.
"Just trying to uh...educate myself."
"Uh huh. Alright then. Let's go." We leave and drive to the dentist office. There's police tape up all around. There's a bloodied chair. In the dentist's office where his desk is, there's a saxophone. Dean picks up a pack of reeds from the desk and a receipt.
"I saw this same sort of thing at Jane's on her calendar." Dean says.
"Saw what?" I ask.
"She had the name of Harry's House of Horns written on her calendar and a dental appointment."
"Well, let's go visit Harry's." I say. We leave the dentist's office and find Harry's House of Horns.
We see a man standing behind at the front counter with a name tag that reads 'Harry'.
"Harry? Are you the owner?" Dean asks.
"Who's asking?"
"FBI, we just need to ask you a few questions." I say as we show him our badges. Dean pulls out pictures of Jane and the dentist, Dr. Conley.
"Jane and Dr. Conley. I heard. Awful. What do I have to do with it?" Harry asks.
"Honestly? You're the only thing they have in common. Did they say anything before they, uh...?"
"Sorry. Not really."
"Right. I was just fishing. Thanks."
"Hey, by the way, how 'bout my horn?"
"Sorry?" I ask.
"Stolen horn?"
"Right. Yeah. We're working on it." Dean turns to start leaving when Harry keeps talking.
"Well, I hope so. Things one in a billion."
"What makes it one in a billion again?" I ask as we walk back to the counter.
"It's a museum piece. And near as anyone can tell, about a thousand years old." Harry shows us a picture of it.
"Where's it from?"
"No one knows."
"When did it get swiped?" Dean asks.
"About...two weeks ago, same day Jane died." Me and Dean look at each other. Is this a magical horn?
"Alright, well. Thanks for your time." I say then me and Dean head back to the motel. I start research on the laptop while Dean is going through books.
I come across a page about Gabriel's horn of truth.
"Hey, Dean. Come look at this." I say. We're sitting at opposite ends of the table. He gets up and comes around to look at the computer screen. "Something you should call Cas about?" Dean goes to fill a glass of whiskey and then downs it.
"Castiel? Hello? Possible loose nuke down here, angelic weapon. Kinda your department. You hear that Cas?" Dean says.
"Hell, Dean, Ashlee." Cas appears.
"Are you kidding me? I have been on red alert about help and you come for some stupid horn?"
"You asked me to be here, and I came."
"I've been asking for days, you dick!"
"Whoa, whoa, Dean, just calm down."
"I didn't come for Sam, because I have nothing to offer about Sam."
"Well that's great, because for all we know, they're just gift wrap for Lucifer." Dean looks over at me. Why do I get the feeling like he's hiding something? Unless he noticed Sam not caring about the whole vamp thing too. And why did he just say they?
"No...Neither of them are Lucifer." Cas grabs the bottle of whiskey and refills Dean's glass. "If Lucifer escaped the cage, we'd feel it."
"What is wrong with them?" Dean asks. Why do I get the feeling that I'm part of the 'them'?
"I don't know. Dean. I'm sorry."
"What happened to you, Cas? You used to be human, or at least like one."
"I'm at war. Certain...regrettable things are now required of me."
"Well, Cas if you're stressed, I can always help you destress." I say. Both guys look at me like I'm crazy. Dean looks slightly hurt if anything. "What? I'm serious, but it doesn't have to be serious. Anyways. What about Gabriel's Horn of Truth, is that a real thing?"
"You've seen it?" Cas asks looking slightly ruffled now, probably from my comment.
"We think it's in town. Something is forcing people..." Cas is suddenly gone. "Oh, well, you're welcome." Dean takes a swig of his drink and Cas is suddenly back.
"It isn't the horn of the truth."
"What are you talking about? You were gone for like two seconds. Where did you look?" I ask.
"Everywhere."
"Right, well, nice seeing you, anyway." Dean says. Did my comment make Dean want Cas to leave?
"Dean."
"What?"
"About your brother. I...I don't know what's wrong with him, but I do want to help. I'll make inquiries. And as for Ashlee, she's your girlfriend and I would never do anything that would intentionally jeopardize your relationship with her." Cas says then disappears.
"Yeah. Thanks. Ash...what the hell was that?" Dean asks me.
"What was what?" I ask.
"You know what. Asking Cas to 'destress'."
"He's an angel. I think sleeping with him would be pretty...heavenly."
"What has gotten into you? What about us?"
"What about us? Are we actually technically back together? What about Lisa?" Dean just takes another sip of his drink and gets back to research. While I silently pray to Cas in my head about the offer still being open. After a while Dean decides to head out to the bar and I tag along with him, despite his wanting me to stay here. We order about 3 rounds first.
"Dean, you need to cheer up a bit."
"Why? The girl I'm in love with doesn't seem like herself at all and wants to sleep with one of my best friends. Wait, you and Sam spent a whole year together before I knew you were back. Did you and him ever sleep together?"
"Spontaneously." I say. Well now Dean is really going to hate his brother.
"Another one?" The bartender asks.
"Uh, no thanks. I'm working." Dean's phone starts ringing.
"Hey, what's up?" Dean asks in a monotone voice. Yup, he's mad. "What do you mean, they just vanished? ...Suicide?...So then that would make her our patient zero, right? ...Yeah, give us 10." Dean hangs up then turns to the bartender, "You know what? I will have that other one." The bodies vanished??
"Thought you were working." She says
"I am working up to it."
"You okay?"
"No, not really."
"This one's on me. Anything else I can get you." She says as she slides Dean another glass.
"I'd just like the freakin' truth." Dean downs the shot. "But I'll settle for another one."
"Sometimes I think I can't get pregnant because god knows my marriage is a sham. Why'd I say that? I mean, I've been snorting oxy all day. Why'd I say that?"
"I'm pretty sure I know."
"You can't get pregnant because you've been snorting oxy." I tell her.
"We've got to go. Thank you." Dean says and grabs my arm to lead me out.
"I'm sitting like this so you'll look at my breasts. I just bought them. I need a lot of attention." A busty girl says as we walk past her on our way out.
"Good luck with that. They look great by the way." I tell her. Dean calls Bobby as we walk to the impala.
"Hey, anything you're itching to tell me?" Dean asks, he puts the phone on speaker.
"Not really. Sorry to disappoint." Bobby says.
"That's alright. I'm just testing a theory."
"Well, I'm here hitting the books while drinking a nice glass of milk, while watching 'Tori & Dean'."
"Wait, who and Dean?" I ask.
"Tori spelling. I'm a huge fan. Girl's a real talent."
"Oh, I guess it does work over the phone."
"You know what else? I get a pedicure once in a while, this nice Vietnamese joint."
"Okay, please stop." Dean says.
"This one gal, Nhung Phuong, her name means 'velvet Phoenix'. Tiny thing, but the grip on her. She starts on my toes, and I feel like I am gonna-"
"Whoa, whoa! Come on, now I'm scarred for life. Thank you." I say.
"I never told anyone that. Why am I telling you? Maybe because you're my favorites. Although Sam and Ash have been better hunters. Lately, anyway. Why the hell am I telling you this?!"
"Because I'm cursed." Dean says.
"Cursed?" Bobby asks.
"Yes." I say.
"How is it that half the time you clean a mess, you end up dirty?"
"Actually, this might be the best thing that's happened to me in a while."
"What do you mean? Dean...Dean what damn fool move are you about to-"
"I gotta go." Dean interrupts.
"Okay, but did you know my first girlfriend turned out to be a-"
"No, no." Dean hangs up. "Well that was interesting." Dean dials another number into his phone. "Sam, it's me. Listen, I'm on my way to you, but if you get this before then, give me a call back. There's a few things I want to ask you."
"Dean. Do you really want to do that? You might regret some of the answers you hear." He just shakes his head and starts driving. We pull up to an apartment building right as Dean's phone rings.
"Hey...Yeah, it's been crazy...Lisa, I'm sorry. But this is actually the worse time in the universe to talk. Can we do this later?...I'm sure it wasn't like that...I can't really explain...Probably not...You knew what you signed up for...It's not your fault...Okay, Lisa, I'm not going to lie. Okay, me and Sam and Ash, we've all got issues. No doubt but you and Ben can't be a part of this. I can't do this to you or with you anymore. If you want an explanation I'll call you later, but I can't do this right now." Dean says and then hangs up.
"I'm proud of you Dean." I say. "Now, let's go."
We walk into the building and up the stairs as Sam is walking down.
"Hey, where you been? I found something." Sam says.
"It can wait. We got to talk." Dean says.
"Yeah. What's up?" The three of us walk back downstairs.
"There's a few things I want to ask you and, uh, you're going to tell me the truth." We stop walking.
"Uh, yeah, Dean. Of course. What are you talking about? Whoa, are you saying you're..."
"I asked for the truth. And you know what? I'm getting it. So, like I said, I have a few questions for you. When that vamp attacked Ash, why did you just stand there?"
"You noticed that too?" I ask Dean. "I thought I was just crazy."
"I didn't. I froze."
"You froze? You have been Terminator since you got back." Dean says.
"I don't know. Shock? And then it was too late. I feel terrible about it. Dean...I can't lie here. Do you really think I would let something like that happen on purpose? You're my brother. How could you even..."
"Okay, okay. So did anything happen between you and Ash during that whole year?"
"We worked every case together." Sam says.
"Did you sleep with her?" Sam looks at me. I just cock my head to the side and shrug my shoulders.
"Yeah, we did a few times. But everything is different now. It wasn't anything serious. But it's ok, we're back to normal. I got your back, alright? I always have."
"Right. Thanks, Sammy." Dean says. We keep walking towards the car and drive back to the motel.
"So this was the chick's pet?" I say holding the skull of a cat. The first victim's name was Corey.
"Well, she was obsessed." Sam says.
"I think you mean crazy." Dean says.
"Alright, so car skull, uh, grains-of-paradise seed, devil's shoestring. Mix them well, you got yourself a summoning spell." Sam says as he takes the skull from me.
"Demon?" I ask.
"God, Corey was so desperate for the truth about her boyfriend's cheating heart, she went digging around. Nothing panned out so she went looking for a different kind of help." Sam is on his laptop and shoes me and Dean a page about Veritas, the goddess of truth.
"Opened a door she couldn't close." Dean says.
"Yeah. Now anyone in town who asks aloud for the truth invokes Veritas. And she doesn't just give it to you. She slams you with it until you kill yourself and she gets her tribute." Sam says.
"So, all that 'tribute' vanishing from the morgue. What do you think, uh, Soylent Green Situation?"
"Gods got to eat too. Which means we got to take her out or you're on the menu." I say.
"Alright. Well, what do we know besides crazy cat lady?"
"Well, dogs are her Achilles heel." Sam says.
"Naturally." I say.
"And she was a pretty hands-on goddess back in the day. Her thing was coming down from the mountain to speak truth to the masse. She wanted more than tribute. She wanted to be worshipped.
"An attention whore." Dean says.
"If you want to put it that way." I say.
"And what is the 21st century version of speaking truth to the masses?" Sam asks.
"I don't know but I think I know who it is."
"Alright well you guys check it out and I'm going to chill here for a bit, do some more... research..." I say. Dean looks at me.
"Ash...Tell me the truth."
"Why wouldn't I?" I ask. "In this town I can't lie."
"Right, alright then. Sam lets go." They boys walk out of the hotel room. This is the first time in a long time I've actually been left alone so why not make use of the time. I decide to hop in the shower for a bit. As I exit the bathroom, I'm startled by the appearance of someone...Cas.
"Hey." I say.
"Hello, Ashlee."
"How many times do I have to ask you to call me Ash?"
"What were you insinuating with your comments about destressing?"
"I was merely suggesting that we have a little fun, but if you're too uptight about it..."
"What do you mean by fun?"
"C'mon Cas. Are you that clueless with human tendencies? It's sex Cas."
"What about Dean?"
"What about Dean? We've been having fun but with Lisa still sorta in the picture it's not official." I take a step towards him. "You're probably eventually going to sleep with someone anyways so why not do it with me and that way next time you'll have at least a little bit of practice. We don't have to tell Dean. This can be our little secret."
"Okay."
"Okay? Okay as in you want to do it?"
"Yes."
"Yay! Take off your jacket, and your shirt, and shoes.....actually just take off everything."
******
After some difficulty of showing Cas what to do and then just deciding to get him to lay on his back and let me do the work...I can actually say that it wasn't half bad for it being his first time.
I get off him and start getting dressed.
"What did you think?" I ask him as I pull my shirt over my head.
"Now I understand why humans do it so often." Cas says making me laugh. I hear the impala pull up outside making me look towards the window. I guess Cas heard it too because he's gone when I look back to the bed. Sam and Dean walk through the door as soon as I pull my pants up.
"What's going on?" Dean asks.
"Nothing. Just had a shower." I say.
"Your hair isn't wet."
"I blow dried it. What's that?" I ask, trying to change the subject and noticing Sam carrying a computer tower.
"I think that Talk Show or whatever chick Ashley Frank is doing this." Dean says.
"Who?" I ask as Sam starts hooking up his laptop to the tower. Once everything is set up he's able to access the videos that were saved. Sam starts one of the videos .
"I'm Ashley," There's a cough, "I'm Ashley Frank, bringing you 'Frank Talk'. Let's do that again." The main person says in the video. Her hair has a giant bump thing.
"Okay, still rolling." Someone says from off-screen. Ashley starts again.
"I'm Ashley Frank, bringing you 'Frank Talk'. Again. I'm Ashley Frank. Are organic fruits and veggies really worth the cost?"
"She's creepy man. I mean, the hair alone. I don't know. Maybe there's nothing here."
"Maybe." Sam says. After a while Dean ends up falling asleep and me and Sam keep watching the videos all night. Once Dean wakes up he changes clothes and keeps watching videos with us.
"Are we...we're spinning? Do the new rent-to-town prices..." Next video, "A recent trend in furniture store..." The videos keep going, god are they boring. "We'll ask the councilman ourselves." Now she's standing in front of a house. In the back ground there's a giant dog barking at her. "Are we still rolling?" She's sounds and looks nervous and there's something wrong with her eyes.
"Hold on. Check this out." I say. Dean walks over from sitting on the bed.
"Zoom in on that." Dean says to Sam. Her eyes have a very non-human glow.
"Looks like you were right." Sam says to Dean. We pack up some knives and head out. Sam taking a bit longer than necessary.
"So what were you actually doing when me and Sam left?" Dean asks me.
"I told you I had a shower. I had a little visit from a friend but other than that, that's it." I say.
"Which friend?"
"Cas." I say right as Sam comes back into the car. Saved by the Sam. Dean starts driving to a TV studio, I guess this is where Ashley Frank normally films. We see her walking out to a red convertible and she drives away. We follow her. She drives up to an enormous, almost-mansion house. Dean parks us nearby.
"Looks pretty normal, right?" Sam asks.
"I'm sure it's chock full of creep." I say. The light inside the house turn on.
"Ready?" Dean asks.
"Yeah." Sam says, holding up a jar of red liquid.
"And that's...?" I ask.
"Dog's blood."
"Do I even want to know where you got that?" Dean asks.
"Probably not."
"Ugh." Dean says. We see through a window in the house that Ashley is walking up a staircase. Sam screws open the jar and the three of us dip our knives into it.
"Alright, let's do this." I say. We walk up to the house and sneak in through a door that leads to a dining and living room.
"So where's all the creep?" Sam asks. There's a cat that walks by which we decide to follow down a set of stairs. Along the stairs, hanging on the wall is a picture of a mosaic of Veritas. There's a little bit of the creep. We follow the cat all the way down the stairs to the basement and into another room. The cat is sitting on a gurney, lapping at a bloody and mutilated corpse. A gutted and bleeding torso is hanging in the middle of the room and the body of the dentist is lying on another gurney.
"You came for dinner." We hear someone say behind us. And there she is, Ashley Frank, now dressed in what looks like goddess clothing. She waves her hand upwards, sending us flying backwards into the hanging torso and to the ground and then it goes black.
After I don't know how long, I wake up to see that Sam and Dean have already regained consciousness too and we're all tied to different posts. I see the Veritas leaning over the dentist's body.
"The tongue...is always the tastiest part. It where the lies roll off." I look over at Sam and Dean. Dean has his eyes closed with a disgusted look on his face. Sam just looks really concentrated. Probably has a hidden knife. "Mmm, mmm, I cannot wait to eat yours. I mean, I've seen liars before, but you three? Gold standard." She puts the tongue of the dentist down and walks away.
"Point of professional pride." Dean says.
"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you, Dean. You know what happens when you base your life on lies, right? The truth comes along and... So while, you've still got your tongue, god knows you've got an earful." She says as she standing in front of Dean. "I think it's your turn to spill some. How about we play a little truth or truth? We should ask Dean first, hmm? Something... Personal about?" She looks from me to Sam. "Hey, Dean, I'm curious. What do you really feel about your brother and girlfriend?"
"Better now. As of yesterday I wanted to kill him in his sleep. I don't know about Ash right now though. I thought they were monsters, but now I think..."
"Now you think what?"
"They're just acting like me."
"What do you mean?" The Veritas asks.
"It's the gig. You're covered in blood until you're covered in your own blood. Half the time, you're about to die. Like right now. I told myself I wanted out...that I wanted a family." Dean looks over at me then back to the Veritas.
"But you were lying."
"No. but what I'm good at...is slicing throats. I ain't a father. I'm a killer. And there's no changing that. I know that now." She pats Dean on the shoulder and then comes over to me. "So, Sam and Ash walking back into your life must have been a relief. Hmm? The three musketeers. And how do you feel about the band getting back together? Hmm, Ash?" She asks me.
"Look...what we do...is hard." I say. "But...we watch out for each other."
"And that's what's important. And that's it. That's the truth." Sam cuts in.
"No. No, it's not." The Veritas says.
"You said yourself, we can't lie." I say.
"How are you doing that? That's not possible. You're lying to me."
"No, we're not!" Sam says.
"What are you two? What are they?" She asks Dean.
"We don't know what you're talking about." I say.
"Really? I doubt anything that comes out of your mouths right now. You two are not human."
"What?" Dean asks.
"You didn't know that? Now, that I believe."
Sam gets up, I guess he cut through the rope binding his hands, he slides the knife to Dean and runs to a drawer and grabs one of the blood soaked knives that we brought and rushes at her. Sam gets knocked back by a few punches and falls to the floor, dropping the knife. During this time, Dean is able to cut his ropes, tosses me the knife to cut myself out of the binds and grab a hook that he finds on the ground and puts it through the Veritas. It doesn't take long for me to get undone. Sam grabs the knife and tosses it to me once I'm standing since I'm closer to the monster than he is and I plunge it into her heart. She falls to the ground, dead. Dean grabs the other two knives and starts threatening me and Sam.
"Dean, it's us." I say.
"You're not my brother and you're not my girlfriend."
"Just listen." Sam says.
"What are you?!"
"We're us, Dean. Look, please just let us explain." I say.
"Why the hell should I believe anything either of you say?"
"Okay, okay. You want the truth? Here it is. God's honest. She was right. There's something wrong with us, really wrong. We've known it for a while. We lied to you. Yeah. And...I let Ash get turned by that vamp. Because I knew there was a cure Dean and we needed in that nest. And I knew she could handle it because she knew about it too." Sam says.
"Handle it?! She could've died. She could've killed Ben and Lisa!"
"And that should stop us cold. But we...we just don't feel it." I say.
"You what?" Dean asks.
"Ever since we came back, we've been better hunters than we've ever been! Nothing scares us anymore! Because we can't feel it. We don't know what wrong with us. I think...we need help." Sam says.
Dean pauses, probably not knowing what to say. Turns away from us, turns back. He looks hesitant about something. He punches Sam, making him fall back. Turns to me and slaps me, making me go unconscious...again.
