Enter the Dragon Part 1

It had been several weeks since they had left Cas in the hospital, with Meg looking after him. Dean was checking in on them as they drove along the highway.
"All right, well, call us if he wakes up or, you know, anything. Yeah, fine. Thanks for your help, Meg." Dean said before hanging up. "What a bitch." Lacey tutted from the back seat but didn't say anything.

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

"Yeah, down to the drool."

"Huh."

"By the way, how is your custard?"

"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." Dean said before his phone began to ring. He pressed the speaker button and carried on driving. "Hello."

"Hey, Dean. It's Garth." Lacey raised an eyebrow and looked up from her book.

"Wait. W-who is this?" Dean frowned in confusion.

"Garth. Garth Fitzgerald the Fourth. We worked together on that demon thing? You owe me one?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, how you doing, Garth?" Dean nodded as the name came back to him.

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

They drove to Junction City and headed straight to the morgue to meet Garth. The Coroner showed them to the body they were here to view.

"Well, this is it. Gentlemen... this is Corporal Brown." He said as they walked in. Garth was already there, dressed in an Army uniform. The three of them gave him questioning looks.

"Corporal James Brown." He introduced himself. "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." The Coroner nodded sympathetically. This time the four of them exchanged looks.

"Yeah. Yeah. My aunt – she's, uh... she's real broken up about it." Garth improvised.

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

"Mm-hmm." The Coroner nodded and handed him the files as his phone began to ring.

"Ah. My wife. I'll, uh, be in my office."

"Great." Dean smiled at him as he left.

"You didn't say they were brothers." Sam said as he flipped through the files.

"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 frowned at him.

"No. I just... look good in a uniform." Lacey tried not to laugh and just offered Garth an encouraging smile.

"Yep. Same cause of death." Sam confirmed. He sat down at the Coroners computer and began to do an online search.

"Right, uh, gutted at night in the woods, where legend says that the ghost of Jenny Greentree roams." Garth informed them. Dean pulled his EMF meter out but Garth shook his head.

"Oh, uh, I already scanned for EMF." The machine beeped to life. "Oh. Um... I guess mine must be broken again." Garth shrugged.

"All right. I'm reading your mail. Uh, ghost of Jenny... whatever?"

"Greentree. That's just it. I torched her bones."

"Yeah, well, maybe she's got something still laying around." Dean suggested.

"Highly doubtful. Chick was homeless." Dean lifted up the sheet covering the body, both Dean and Lacey pulled a face at what they found underneath. "Plus, is it me, or is this less evil spirit, more monster chow?" Garth noted as Dean out the sheet back down.

"A werewolf?"

"Except, uh, the witness said that whatever was chasing victim numero uno was invisible."

"Uh… So, invisible ghost werewolf?" Dean shook his head smiling.

"Why'd you think I called for backup?"

"Hey. Either of you ever heard of Thighslapper Ale?" Sam asked, reading from the screen.

"Is that a stripper or a beverage?" Lacey raised her eyebrows.

"Beverage for douchebags." Dean filled in.

"Uh, number one microbrew in the Pacific Northwest."

"But we're in Kansas." Garth looked confused.

"Yeah, I rest my case. What's your point?"

"The owner is the dad to the dead brothers." Sam explained.

"Right. I'll can the uniform, go Fed. See you at the brewery in 40." Garth headed out before they could say anything else.

"He grows on you." Dean reassured Sam.
"I like him." Lacey nodded. "He's sweet."
"I'll take your word for it." Sam chuckled.

They drove over to the brewery and met up with Garth. When they entered and showed their badges, the receptionist arranged for someone to collect them.
"Agents. I'm Marie. I'm a manager." She shook hands with them.

"Thanks for coming in on a Sunday."

"We want to help. Anything we can do." Marie told them as she led them inside.

"Oh. So all this is your dad's, huh?" Dean asked.

"And his friend – Randy Baxter. They own the place together now."

"Uh..."now"?" Sam clarified.

"Well, since Dale died." They approached an office with three people inside.

"Hold on, hold on, hold on. You think I just come in late whenever I want?" One of the older guys was lecturing a young employee.

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

"The, uh, "charming" Randy Baxter." Marie commented as they waited for the meeting to be over.

"Mm." Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Tell you what – congratulations. You're headed for the graveyard shift. Be one second late, and you're fired."

"Yes, sir." The employee left.

"He's actually a really nice guy. It's just not easy being the axman."

"So true." Dean smiled. Lacey raised an eyebrow and smirked at him.

"My comrades got you covered, so if you'll excuse me." Garth said as he walked towards the office.

"Uh, yeah, I'll go with you." Sam hurried off to keep him in check.

"Mr. McAnn? Uh, we'll be brief. I promise." Sam and Garth shook hands with the two men.

"Mr. McAnn, is there any reason to believe your sons may have had enemies?" Garth started.

"We were told they were animal attacks." Mr McAnn frowned.

"We just need to explore every possibility." Sam reassured him.

"They got lots of friends. No."

"Well, do they work here with you? Like Marie does. Uh, could someone have been jealous?"

"N-no. Marie's the only one. Oh – no. Th– there's no... Uh..." Mr McAnn stumbled over his words.

"Jim. It's okay. It's okay. Let him get some rest. I'll answer your questions." Randy Baxter said, taking charge of the situation.

"Of course." Sam nodded as Mr McAnn got up and left.

Dean and Lacey went with Marie on a tour of the brewery.

"He blamed himself when Dale died, and now this." Marie said, speaking about her father.

"Why did he blame himself?"

"Well, Dale was sensitive. But what do you do – watch them 24/7? You can't blame Dale's friends."

"But your dad still feels bad."

"And it doesn't help Dale's wife is suing us."

"Really? Why?" Dean frowned.

"She's angry and grieving, and this is America?" Marie sighed and shook her head. Lacey and Dean exchanged a look.

"I knew Ray and Trevor. Hell, I'm godfather to all four of Jim's kids. Ray and Trevor loved their fun, but they'd never do anything crazy." Randy explained to Sam and Garth

"No rugrats of your own?" Garth asked.

"Just Jim's. They'd borrow my car, raid my fridge."

"Now, the two of you started this company with a third partner. Right?" Sam clarified.

"Yeah. Dale. He passed away a few months ago."

"Passed away in the woods or...?"

"He took his own life."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Well, he had problems for a long time. Look, this is just a nightmare. First Dale, now this. This was gonna be our big year. We're selling Thighslapper to one of the largest distributors in the US. It's been in the works for months. News is gonna hit public pretty soon."

"Well, that's the brass ring, huh?"

"Given other circumstances, yeah, we'd be celebrating right about now."

They headed back to the motel and congregated in Garth's room, trying to figure out what they were hunting. Garth was sat at the table, trying to fix his busted EMF meter, Dean and Lacey were splayed out on the sofa going through the journals.

"There's a million things with claws go bump in the night." Dean groaned. Sam glanced up from where he was doing research on his laptop. "Once you throw in "invisible," the number goes down." Dean put the journal down and picked up one of the hotel information cards. "'Afternoon Delights'? Really, Garth? Don't you think this place is a little, uh..."

"Uh, you want a nice hot tub after a day at the office. It's the little things." Lacey leant over and whispered something in Dean's ear, Dean began to smirk. Sam rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Garth. "I feel sad for those brewery dudes. Spend your life beautifying the world through beer. First a partner offs himself." Dean pulled his flask out of his jacket and took a sip. "Now two kids get ganked by unknown freakadeek."

"According to this, Dale wasn't just a partner. He was also the brewmaster." Sam read from his laptop.

"'Brewmaster'?" Dean said, sounding disgusted.

"He was widely considered a genius."

"All right, that's it." Dean got to his feet. He put the flask down next to Garth and grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge. "No microbrew is worth… what was it – eight Food Magazine awards?" The EMF meter began to spike. "Beer's not food. It's...whatever water is." He handed one to Sam, examining the label. "Hmm. Thighslapper." He took a sip and a surprised expression crossed his features. "Wow, that's actually awesome. Damn it, I'm not even mad anymore." Lacey smiled at him until out of the corner of her eye she spotted Garth downing his beer in one go, and her smile faded.

"Wow. Party on, Garth." Dean commented.

"I don't even usually drink beer. It messes with my depth perception." Lacey raised an eyebrow, looking worried as Garth hiccuped. "Especially when I skinny-dip. Hey, you guys want to hear a joke?"

"Listen to this. This is something interesting." Sam tried to return their attention to the case. Garth began to giggle. "Garth, are you drunk?"

"Dude, I just... drank a whole beer. Of course I'm drunk." Garth continued to laugh.
"And you wonder why I don't drink." Lacey shook her head.

"Something interesting?" Dean prompted.

"Right. Uh..."

"Hey, can I have some more Thighslapper?" Garth asked.

"No." Sam told him quickly.
"No. Coffee for you, Tara Reid."

"Coffee with kalhúa in it?" Garth suggested.

"So, it says that Dale actually left the company two weeks before he died. Or... maybe he got pushed out 'cause he didn't want to sell. I mean, Baxter said the deal's been in the works for months." Sam told them.

"That would explain the widow. She's suing. Maybe Dale had a bone to pick, and he's still picking it." Dean suggested.

"Right. So, maybe he's a spirito malo." Garth wobbled in his seat. Suddenly the police radio on the table sprang to life.

"Unit to McAnn residence. 698 Washburn."

"'McAnn residence'", as in Jim McAnn?"

"As in, let's hope for their sake our spirito ain't made it out of the woods. All right. Let's go check it." Garth got to his feet unsteadily.

"Uh, you guys go. I'm gonna visit the widow." Sam smirked at the look Dean gave him.

They arrived at the house, after sobering Garth up a bit, and one of the attending officers let them in.

"Well?" Dean asked as Garth finished his sweep of the house for EMF.

"Place is clean. My EMF is a nada. So is this one." He said as he produced a second one from his pocket.

"Is that mine?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. I borrowed it in case mine's broke."

"Oh."

"So, uh... we still on invisible werewolf?" Garth asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. I can't get Tess to talk, but I get the feeling she saw something." Dean said, referring to the young girl who had witnessed the murder.

"I'm gonna take a run at her." Garth said as he strode towards the living room, where Tess was sitting on the sofa with Mr McAnn and Marie.

"A what?" Dean asked as they followed him.

"Trust me. My special lady has twins."
"That sentence did not fill me with confidence." Lacey said.
"Special lady?" Dean wrinkled his nose.
"What, you mean I'm not your special lady?" Lacey teased as they followed Garth.
"Mr. McAnn? Do you mind if we speak to Tess alone for just a sec? It would really help."

"Honey, we'll... we'll be right out there, okay?" Mr McAnn told her as he and Marie left the room.

"Thanks." Garth nodded at them.

"Hi, Tess. Garth sat down on the coffee table in front of her. "You want to tell me what you saw tonight?" Tess shook her head, not saying anything. "Or maybe you'll talk to..." Garth pulled his hand from his pocket with a sock puppet on it, putting on a starnge voice. "…Mr. Fizzles! I'm your friend! Yay!" Lacey balked at the puppet and gave Dean a look.

"Garth. Why don't we put the sock away?" Dean suggested.

"Mr. Fizzles wants to help Tess. He wants to listen." Garth continued in the weird voice.

"Mr. Fizzles is gonna go where the sun don't shine." Dean warned.

"It was a monster." Tess blurted out.

"I believe you, Tess. Did it have claws?" Tess nodded.
"How come you were the only one that could see it, Tess?" Dean asked. She shrugged.

"What else, Tess?" Garth continued with the puppet. She shrugged again.

"You sure? 'Cause Mr. Fizzles can sense when you're being a... liar."

"All right. That's – that's enough... Mr. Fizzles." Dean glared at Garth.

"I drank a grown-up drink." Tess blurted out.

"Uh, grown-up like, uh, coffee?" Dean asked. Tess shook her head "Well, you mean alcohol?"

"It was an accident. Don't let them arrest me, Mr. Fizzles." She looked between the three of them worriedly. Garth looked pointedly at Dean and nodded, making the puppet nod with him. Dean rolled his eyes.

They left the McAnn house and decided to check out the brewery again.
"So, kid in the woods sees something that nobody else does. Then Tess sees a monster, and Jim doesn't. What's the thread?"

"Hmm. Well, certain mutants see infrared." Garth mused.
"Not this one." Lacey told him.
"You're a mutant?" Garth turned around in his seat.
"Yeah, full on X-man … or X-Woman." Lacey corrected herself.
"That is awesome." Garth looked back at her excitedly.
"Anyway…" Dean brought them back to the case. "'Grown-up drinks.' Tess chugged her mom's, and vic number one was plastered."

"Right. So... Whoa. Monster you got to be drunk to see. Cool! Also... hard to fight." Garth mused. Dean took a sip from his flask.

"Ahh. Just getting in the zone. You are strictly on wine coolers." Dean told Garth.

"Hey, I love those. Anything sweet. Whoo!" Garth giggled. Dean took another sip from the flask before passing it to Lacey. She wrinkled her nose.
"Do I have to?"
"Only if you want to see what we're fighting, sweetheart." Lacey sighed and took the flask from him. She took a gulp of it before coughing and pulling a face. Dean chuckled and took the flask from her.

"So, uh, what's with the Grody flask anyway? Lucky charm?" Garth asked.

"It's Bobby's."

"Hmm. Really? 'Cause, um... You think there's a possibility that Bobby's riding your wave?"
"What?" Lacey asked, her voice scratchy from the coughing.

"No, we gave him a hunter's wake."

"Yeah, I-I burned my cousin Brandon, and he stayed stuck. And – and – and they got ghosts in India, and they cremate everybody over there. It's just instinct, but maybe there is EMF around here. It just ain't the job."

"All right, we're not gonna talk about this, okay? Not in the middle of work." Dean told him gruffly.

"Sorry." Dean's phone began to ring. "Just hope that fire did the trick."

"Hey, Sam. Yeah. Got it. We're on our way."

When they arrived at the brewery Garth stayed in the car as a look out while Sam picked the lock and let them in. They walked through the building until they reached the office.

"Here it is." Sam picked up a wooden box from the shelf with Japanese writing on it. "This looks exactly like the one at Dale's house." He opened the box and found another one inside, containing the bottle of Sake. The seal across the top was broken.

"Oh. Wait a second. Someone's been sampling the goods."

"Oh, you don't say?" Dean spotted something and pointed up at the wall. "Hey, check it out. God, I love paranoid people." There was a security camera pointing at the office. "See if you can get on." Dean suggested, pointing at the computer on the desk.
"Okay. Uh...Huh!" He brought up the feed and Dean waved at the camera. "All right, so, first death was, what, uh, four months ago? Yeah?"
"Mm-hmm, and, uh, Trevor McAnn. Patient zero."

"So, what did he let out of that bottle?" Sam rewound the footage to the correct day and found the clip of Trevor in the office.

"Nothing there."

"That we can see." Dean grabbed some bottles from the shelves behind the desk and put them down in front of them.

"What, are you kidding me?" Dean shrugged. "Tick-tock." Sam poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"Ugh." Dean sniffed the contents of one of the bottles and put it back. Lacey picked up a bottle of raspberry vodka and poured herself a glass.

"I mean, can you even get drunk anymore? It's kind of like, uh, drinking a vitamin for you, right?" Sam joked as he downed his glass.

"Shut up." He sniffed another bottle. " Holy..." He took a sip and began to cough. He poured himself a glass and clinked glasses with Sam and Lacey. The three of them downed the contents of their glasses.
"All right. Party time." Lacey began to giggle as Dean poured them more drinks.

"Okay."

"Rewind and go." Dean pointed at the screen. Sam pressed play on the footage and this time they could see a woman with long black hair in a white dress appear in the room when Trevor opened the bottle.

"So, he – he let that thing out of the box, and it must have just followed him to the place with all the thingies." Sam rambled.

"Yes. Yes. That's smart. I'm actually kind of drunk." He looked at his empty glass. "What is this? Me likey. I miss these talks." He poured himself another glass and took a sip but spat it back out as a figure appeared in the door.

"What the hell?!" Randy Baxter stood in the doorway glaring at them.

"Oh, man."

"Uh..."

"Turn it off. Turn it off." Dean muttered.

"FBI, huh? You know what? You can save it for the cops." Randy said as he pulled out his phone.
"No, no, no, it's ok. I'm a super hero!" Lacey told him getting to her feet unsteadily.

"Whoa, whoa, Mr. Baxter, listen. If – if you just let us explain, you might not –". But Sam didn't finished as Randy let out a pained cry and fell to the floor.
"Not me!" Lacey yelled, leaning against the desk for support. Garth was stood in the doorway, the taser that had floored Randy still in his hand.