There was nothing to be gained from the Miller family. None of them had anything outside of normal grieving to say. Dean swept the house. There were no signs of spirits or demons; nothing that could explain why Sam had that dream. And while they had been discussing that same fact, Sam had nearly passed out from the pain of having a vision while awake. A vision that showed Roger as the next to die.
They'd arrived as fast as they could. And even though they caught Roger outside, they weren't able to stop him from going in. They weren't able to stop him from dying.
It was something that Sam couldn't deal with. He was angry over being given premonitions that he couldn't do anything to change. The brothers once again dressed as priests and went to the Miller residence to speak to Max again. Because of Gwen's excuse the first time around, she wasn't able to go with them. A new member of the church showing up with priests visiting a family … it just didn't make sense. So she stayed at their hunting cabin-esque motel room, worrying at a hangnail.
"He wasn't right." She muttered to herself as she looked through the guys' bathroom in search of nail clippers. "Putting on a habit wouldn't have made a difference. Nuns don't visit families."
In lieu of finding what she was looking for, Gwen took to biting at the hangnail until it bled.
They returned with no news but a suspicion about the family's history that was proved wrong once the trio made their way to the Millers' old neighborhood, the very street where Max was raised and beaten. Gwen's heart broke for the young boy whose trust and safety were broken repeatedly by his father and uncle.
Though all thoughts of Max were erased when Sam had another vision, this one revealing Max to be the killer. And telekinetic. The shocks just kept on coming.
When they arrived at the Miller's house again, they burst in on an emotional Max and a clearly frightened Alice. They had to tread lightly and keep Max calm. But they never got the chance to talk him down in a safe environment. Max spotted the gun tucked into Dean's waistband and trapped them all inside, using his power to take Dean's gun. He also knocked Alice backward with his telekinesis in his anger. She lay unconscious on the floor, blood trickling from her head where she'd hit it on the kitchen table.
Sam just seemed to know what to do. He got Max to agree to talk to him alone, with the restriction that no one was allowed to leave the house. So Dean carried Alice upstairs, Gwen trailing after them. Neither Gwen nor Dean were happy about leaving Sam alone with Max; but they both knew that keeping Max calm was the priority now. Sam had some kind of rapport with the young man. If anyone had a shot at talking Max out of killing Alice, it was Sam.
Dean took to cleaning Alice's head wound. Gwen paced the master bedroom, wondering what Sam was saying and if it would be enough.
"Can you sit down for a second? You're making me dizzy." The words snapped more harshly than he'd intended.
Gwen felt the surge of temper but bit it back. It wouldn't make the situation any better to start another pointless fight. Still, she turned to him with a scowl that softened when she read the regret in his eyes. They were both worried about Sam; it was clear his tone came from anxiety and not from annoyance with her. She drew a breath. "Yeah. Sorry."
Alice had tears welling in her eyes; hands shaking in her lap. She looked from one to the other, but said nothing. Gwen couldn't even begin to imagine what was going through her mind. The silence stretched between the three of them, all thinking about the boys downstairs.
The door slowly creaked open on its own and Max stepped from the hall into the bedroom. Once inside, the door slammed behind him. Dean rose from his crouched position. All Gwen could think about was Sam. Where was Sam?
Dean strode toward Max and then flew backwards, slamming into the wall so hard that he left a hole in the drywall.
"Dean!" Gwen cried, flying to his side as he groaned and struggled to sit up.
Max withdrew Dean's gun from his pocket. Alice said his name and he slowly raised the gun. Dean rose and flexed his jaw, walking toward Max with purpose. He stopped when Max released the gun, leaving it floating in midair. Gwen slowly stood, watching the unfolding scene with a mind reeling through hundreds of possibilities. She had to think of something. Something to diffuse this situation that was rapidly escalating.
The gun floated forward, cocking and then turning to aim at Alice. She said his name again, rising from the bed with pain and fear in her eyes. Dean stepped in front of her, the gun swiveling to follow his every move.
"Stay back," said Max, his face stained with tears. "It's not about you."
"You want to kill her, you gotta go through me first."
"Ok." Max's voice was resolved.
"No!" Gwen shrieked, rushing forward.
The door burst open, Sam barreling in. "No, don't! Don't! Please. Please, Max."
Max seemed to cower, his lip trembling. He half turned to Sam, keeping an eye on him and the gun aimed at Dean.
"Max, we can help you, alright?" Sam spoke softly. "But this, what you're doing … it's not the solution. It's not going to fix anything."
Max's face was crumbling. Who could even begin to imagine the pain that he was feeling? His breaths came shakily, almost sobs. His features were marred with pain when he quietly responded, "You're right."
Sam smiled, the relief clear in his eyes. In a split second, the gun whirled and fired. Max had been leaning forward, the bullet burying itself in his head.
"No!" Sam yelled, eyes wide with horror.
But he was gone.