Lost And Found ✔︎

45- Phoniest Winchesters

"Alright, here we go. John Winchester's famous cure-all kitchen sink stew. There you go. Enough cayenne pepper in there to burn your lips off, just like Dad used to make." Dean starts off. He sets the tray down in front of Sam and Sam pushed it away. "Yeah, we do the whole airplane thing with the spoon? When was the last time you ate?"

"I- I don't..." Sam starts.

"Days, Sam. It's been three days." I remind as Dean pulls out a thermometer.

"When'd you get that?"

"When you started throwing off heat waves. Here." Dean admits. Sam throws the blanket aside and stands up, stumbling.

"Enough, Dean. Please."

"The bloody handkerchiefs, the fever, the shaky legs... this is not good." I sigh.

"Well, I'm not good. And I'm not going to be good until we can start moving again. Until I can start the third trial."

"Trial? I wouldn't let you start a moped. We're on the rails with this thing, okay, and the only way out of it is through it, believe me, I know. And you know how bad I wanna slam the door on all those sons of bitches. But you gotta let me take care of you, man. You gotta let me help you get your strength back." Dean pleas.

"This isn't a cold. Or a fever, or whatever it is you're supposed to feed. This is part of it all. Those first two trials... they're not just things I did. They're doing something to me. They're changing me, Dean." Sam admits as Dean's phone buzzes and he pulls it out. The screen reads "New Email from Kevin Tran."

"It's Kevin." Dean admits.

"Finally."

He opens Kev's message on the laptop-it says "WATCH THIS VIDEO NOW". He clicks the link and Kev's video message plays.

"Sam, Dean, Wanda. I've set up this message with some software on a remote server so it'd send itself to you if I didn't reset it with a command once a week. Which means I didn't reset it this week. And there's only one reason I wouldn't. Which means if you're watching this, then I... then I- I'm dead. I'm dead, you bastards! So screw you, screw God and everybody in between! Crowley must've gotten to me. And the one thing I know is that I won't break this time. Not sure how I know, but- but I do. I've been uploading all my notes, the translations, I'm sending you the links so you can get all of it. You guys are gonna have to try to figure out the rest. I'm sorry. [tearing up] I know it was my job, but I- but I couldn't... I'm sorry."

***

"Okay. Uh, I'm gonna go check out the Two Rivers Tribal Museum and Trading Post." I walk in to hear Dean sigh. "Where have you been?"

"Finding information on the three trials."

"Yeah. Yeah! [sits up] I'm gonna- I'm gonna, uh. I'm gonna follow the hotel manager, D-Dr. Scowley-scowl. He's like a villain from Scooby-Doo." Sam cuts in.

"No, hey, uh, little big man? You should get some rest." Dean offers.

"Yeah, I can do that too." Sam admits as he promptly falls back onto the bed.

I step out into the hallway, following Dean.

"What did you find out?"

"If Sam were to complete the trials, the final one when it's over, he dies." I whisper.

***

"I should be taking you to the ER." Dean mutters.

"They can't do anything for me. You know, I've been remembering things, little things, so clearly-" Sam admits.

"What, donkey rides?" Dean asks in annoyance.

"You used to read to me, um, when I was little, I- I mean, really little, from that- from that old, uh... Classics Illustrated comic book. You remember that?"

"No."

"Knights of the Round Table. Had all of King Arthur's knights, and they were all on the quest for the Holy Grail. And I remember looking at this picture of Sir Galahad, and, and, and he was kneeling, and- and light streaming over his face, and- I remember... thinking, uh, I could never go on a quest like that. Because I'm not clean. I mean, I w- I was just a little kid. You think... maybe I knew? I mean, deep down, that- I had... demon blood in me, and about the evil of it, and that I'm- wasn't pure?" He questions.

"Sam, it's not your fault."

"It doesn't matter anymore. Because these trials... they're purifying me." He admits as they reach the end of the hallway. "They were here, the- the- the books, the boxes! They- they're gone."

***

"Who sent you?"

"We came on our own. We're the Winchesters." Sam half-shouts.

"I'm Dean, this is Sam." Dean greets.

"You work for Michael? Or Lucifer?" Metatron asks.

"What, you really haven't heard of us? What kind of angel are you, we're- we're the freaking Winchesters." Sam admits.

"Michael and Lucifer? T-those- those dudes are in the deep fryer." Dean reminds.

"Yeah. We put them there ourselves."

"What about Gabriel? And Raphael?" He asks.

"Dead." I cut in. "You really don't know this?"

"I've been very careful."

"Hey, can you- [the ringing has gotten even louder] can you turn that down?" Can shouts.

"Turn what dow- oh. You're resonating." He mumbled as he lowers the rifle

"Resonating? What- what do you mean, resonating?"

"You've undertaken the trials. You're trying to pull one of the great levers, aren't you? You're pretty far along, too. You get that far along, you start resonating with the Word. Or with its source on the material plane. With me."

***

"I saved the boy, didn't I?" Metraton asks.

"But are you in? With us, I mean." Dean corrects.

"You really intend on closing the doors of Hell?"

"Seems like the thing to do, don't it?"

"It's your choice. And that's what this has all been about, the choices your kind make. But you're gonna have to weigh that choice. Ask yourself: what is it going to take to do this, and what will the world be like after it's done?"

"Dean? Dean!"

He returns as Kev starts coming around.

"Kevin? Hey. I thought we lost you, kiddo." Dean mutters.

"I'm good. [he pulls out the demon tablet] Second half of the tablet. And I got it. Third trial. I didn't tell Crowley." Kevin chuckles.

"So what is it?"

"To cure a demon." Metatron intrudes.

"Yeah. Who are you?" Kevin asks.