Catching Up
Chapter 23 – Provenance

"Provenance," Sam read out but slowly lost volume as he went on. "A young husband and wife are killed in their home shortly after buying an antique painting of a family portrait frim around 1910…oh."

"I'm really hating the tail end of this season," Dean groaned. "Dredging up all kinds of crap."

"Another bad case?" Mary inferred.

"No this one's a slow burner," Sam's face became pinched. "The real crap won't happen for a while, this is just the groundwork."

"Fantastic," Mary mirrored Sam.

"Let's get this over with," Sam hit play and the show opened on an old family portrait that a couple bought from a charity auction. They decide to go to bed when the portrait visibly comes alive with the older man's face moving as if to follow the woman going upstairs. The husband doesn't notice as he locks all the doors but the next shot of the painting shows a razor blade that had been on the table was now missing. Something entered the bedroom and when the husband goes upstairs, he finds that his wife's throat was slashed before the scene cuts.

"Malignant spirit trapped in a painting," Mary sipped her tea. "I will say this, you boys certainly get the stranger side of cases."

"Our friends include a rebel angel, a werewolf, god, and I guess God's sister since she resurrected you," Sam reminded her. "We manage to get the strangest side of everything."

In the show, TV!Sam reads the paper with a headline indicating that both the husband and the wife had been murdered that night while TV!Dean is seen picking up a girl at a bar. Reality TV talent scouts? Junior league at its finest, try doctors next time. "I'll bear that in mind," Sam said dubiously. Pun intended? "Apparently."

Onscreen, TV!Sam reviews John's journal and makes the connection between the murders and ones that had happened years ago. They decide to investigate in the morning, leaving TV!Dean with plenty of time to pursue other ventures. The following morning, TV!Sam scopes the house and doesn't find anything including any of the couple's things because they had put up for auction at an estate sale. The curator doesn't take too kindly to the brothers being there but they still have a chance to look around and spot the painting. That's when they met Sarah Blake and the brothers in real life squirm in their seats uncomfortably. "Goddammit," Mary shook her head, watching TV!Sam and Sarah's interaction.

"What?" Cas turned to her.

She looked at her sons, "I don't need to ask."

Unfortunately, the curator, Sarah's father, kicks them out of the estate sale before they can get any information. The brothers go to their motel and their room is entirely 70's retro themed. "What the hell?" Mary was startled into laughing.

"I have no knowledge of interior design but I find that to be quite unsightly," Cas squinted.

"Who the hell designed that thing?" Dean snorted. "John Travolta?"

Oh hey, I'd forgotten about that. "That was you?!" Sam's eyes bugged out. "Were you following us this whole time?" Heck no. I hopped back in time and fixed it up for you. You can't see it? "Oh I saw it, I just can't un-see it." Uncultured swine. Back in the show, TV!Sam goes out to dinner with Sarah to hopefully get some information on the estate and the pair quickly bond. Reasonably attractive? I concur. "Gee thanks. I thought I was a swine." Pigs can be cute, like Porky. "Spectacular," Sam deadpanned.

Back in the motel, Sarah gave TV!Sam the documents he was looking for and the make the connection between the painting and the past victims. The brothers immediately go after the painting and break in to the warehouse where it was kept. "This music is awesome," Dean bobbed his head to the electric guitar.

"I'll give the show credit, they have excellent musical taste," Mary agreed.

The TV!Winchesters attempt to burn the painting but it just comes back as if nothing had ever happened to it. The next day, TV!Dean claims to have lost his wallet at the warehouse only to find out that it was ruse to get TV!Sam to see Sarah. "Well played," Mary congratulated him. "Your acting is improving."

"Thanks mom," Dean said smugly.

At the same time, TV!Sam discovers that the painting is intact but thankfully Sarah is unwilling to the sell the painting so soon after the couple's death. TV!Sam encourages to not sell it and the TV!Winchesters do some digging and find out that the father in the portrait murdered his entire family when he thought that his wife was about to leave them. At the same time, Sarah's father sells the painting while TV!Sam picks up on the painting moving. The brothers talk about Sarah and TV!Dean tries to convince TV!Sam to start going out but he doesn't want to. "I get it now little brother," Dean said heavily.

"Doesn't stop you," Sam returned.

"What can I say? I practice what I preach," Dean winked.

"Whatever," Sam rolled his eyes. His television self still had to call Sarah about the painting and that's how they learnt it had been sold and who it went to. They rush over, Sarah joins them, but they are too late to save the owner, Evelynn whose throat was deeply slashed. The next day, Sarah covers for them with the cops and demands to know what is going on. TV!Sam comes clean her and she insists on coming with them. They check out the painting and discover the razor blade moved as well as another picture depicts a mausoleum. The group manage to find it and notice that the father isn't buried with the rest of his family. "I always found mausoleums to be convenient like that," Mary shrugged. "Like one stop shopping for all your deceased remains needs. All of the bones, none of the digging."

Sam I'm begging ya, just two minutes in your mom's – "NO!"

Meanwhile, as TV!Dean hunts for more information on the father, TV!Sam and Sarah share a sweet moment outside. Awwwww #PuppySam "Shut up," Sam whispered brokenly. Tears welled in his eyes as he listened to Sarah talk about life and death and moving on. It was almost as if Sarah was sitting in front of him again, reminding him of her words. The speech also had an effect on Dean who recalled Lisa so vividly in that moment that it caused an ache in his chest like none other but he welcomed it, didn't try to block out the pain, just this once. But of course TV!Dean broke up the moment and informed the pair that the father was buried separately from the family and wasn't cremated like the rest of them. They go that night to burn the bones. "God I hated digging graves," Mary grimaced. "I'm not sure which is worse, that or the cops."

"Graves can't screw up a case," Dean pointed out.

"And that decides it, by a narrow margin."

Uncomfortably comfortable with this, the voice quoted Sarah. Now that's a motto "There are a lot of things I'm uncomfortably comfortable with including you." As long as you're comfortable.

After burning the body, TV!Sam, TV!Dean, and Sarah go back to destroy the painting as well. TV!Sam and Sarah go in alone to take care and they notice that the little girl was gone and so was the razor. They end up trapped in the house with the spirit with TV!Dean on the outside, trying to get in. They have to use their cellphones to communicate and Sarah tells them that antique dolls used to incorporate hair from the deceased children. There was one at the mausoleum and TV!Dean races off to destroy it leaving TV!Sam and Sarah to fend off the ghost. It was a tense few moments until TV!Dean tried to use his gun to bash the mausoleum's glasscase rather than shooting it causing everyone to laugh. "That is invaluable," Cas chuckled.

"The word is priceless Cas," Dean corrected him.

"There is a difference?"

The family settled and watched as the spirit is returned to the painting and Sarah has it permanently destroyed. She and TV!Sam say their goodbyes and it looks like they've parted ways only for TV!Sam to return and kiss her much to TV!Dean pride and the room's amusement. SQQUEEEEEEEESEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE They're kissing! Sammy kissed her! "Really? You're okay with this?" This is nothing, my history might give you grey hairs. "Good to know." Sam reached for the DVD, "Ready for the next one?" he asked the room at large. "Dead Man's Blood is next and that's puts us into the home stretch."

"Dude I have to tap," Dean yawned. "We can watch it in the morning when I'm less beat."

"Well look who's getting tired in their old age," Mary said smugly.

"With all those beers he's been consuming, I am not surprised," Cas stated.

"I guess we can start fresh tomorrow," Sam perused the DVDs. "From the look of things, season one rolls into season two story wise so we might as well finish the rest tomorrow."

"Alright then," Mary switched off the TV. "Let's get some sleep."