"We've got to get her back," Sam said.
"You think I don't know that? Without that ring, she's a walking 'Get Out of Hell Free' card," Dean growled, frustrated, throwing his jacket onto the bed. How could he not realize who she was? And why didn't he recognize the talisman that he gave her? Their search turned up nothing, even though Rose left on foot and in her usual sleeping attire of only a t-shirt and panties. She had just vanished.
"You can't beat yourself up, Dean," Sam said to him, trying to calm him down. "You can't possibly remember every hunt Dad took us on when we were kids."
"No, not every one, but this one was special. That was my first…" Dean stopped.
"That wasn't your first hunt, Dean. Dad took us on plenty of hunts before that, even with me," Sam said, then realized what Dean was talking about. "Ohhh," he said. "You mean Rose was your…" he stopped mid-sentence seeing Dean glaring at him.
"I promised her nothing would ever happen to her," Dean said. "And now, because of me, she's missing her ring – the only thing keeping her free from those things – and according to your vision, because of me, she's supposed to die…" Dean looked around the room, then went and pulled a wallet and the photos of Rose they'd taken out of his bag. "No way, Sammy, not like this. She's not going to die like this."
Walking into the local police station, Dean flashed his usual smile at the female desk sergeant. He held up a fake FBI badge, saying, "Excuse me? I'd like to speak to the detective on duty." She looked over at Sam and he held up his own fake badge. She scrutinized both badges and picked up the phone, speaking into it briefly. She smiled back at Dean and said, "It'll be just a minute."
A few minutes later, a man in an ordinary blue suit walked out. "I'm Detective Lawrence. What brings the FBI our way?" he asked.
Dean handed him the pictures of Rose, "I'm Agent Mallory, this is Agent Quinn. We've got a fugitive on the loose," he said. Sam shot Dean a look that said 'don't go to far with this,' but Dean continued. "She's a critical figure in an ongoing investigation. We need to get an APB out on her right away. We have reason to believe she's in this area somewhere."
Lawrence looked at the photo and then back at Dean. "I've never seen her on the rap sheets before. Who is she?"
"No, you wouldn't have. She's off the grid." Dean said to him. "Look, it's a matter of national security that we bring her in alive," he added.
"National security, huh?" Lawrence asked. "Okay, let's start with a full description then."
Sitting down with Detective Lawrence at his desk, Dean gave the detective Rose's full name and described her and the tattoos in complete detail, down to the scars underneath them. "Yeah, that's pretty descriptive," the detective said. "A crest, you said? With a broken lance?"
Sam and Dean looked at each other. "Yeah, that's the one," Dean answered. "Have you ever seen anything like that before?"
"Doesn't ring a bell," Lawrence said. "Other than the tattoos does she have any other distinguishing marks?"
"Not really," Sam replied, "Except… she does have a little cherry-shaped mole on her…" he looked over at Dean, realizing he shouldn't know this, but he continued, "It's on her left, uh…" Lawrence looked up at him as he flustered his way through the statement.
"Yeah, I think I get what you're saying," he said, then looked Dean and Sam full in the face. "Just how well do you two know this woman? And what is she wanted for again?" Sam looked at the floor, but Dean looked back at him with a grin, saying, "Sorry, we can't tell you that. National security. But, hey, we all have our jobs to do, you know what I mean?"
"Yeah, well, I'll get this description out to our men," Lawrence said to them.
"Just remember," Dean said, "We need her brought in alive. It's a matter of …"
"National security. Yeah, I understand. We'll do what we can."
"No, I mean it. Alive." Dean stated again with authority.
"Right. We'll contact you as soon as we know anything."
"Dean you really took a risk going in there," Sam said smacking his brother as they walked out of the police station. "Do you realize what you just did?"
"Yeah," Dean said. "She wasn't in the system, Sammy. Now she is. And…" he added, turning to look back at the station and then looking at his watch, "I alerted her family."
"What?" Sam asked, "How?"
"You saw the look on Lawrence's face when I described the crest on her arm, right? He knows her, just like Rick and those men knew her. And I'll bet you he knows how to contact them. That's what I'm hoping for anyway." They got in the car and waited.
Lawrence came rushing out of the station and hopped in his car, speeding away. Dean followed at a safe distance. He pulled over to the curb as he saw the detective getting out of the car at a nearby restaurant, handing his keys to the valet. Dean looked over at Sam, "You hungry?" he asked.
"Dean, no!" Sam protested. "We can't just go in there!"
"Yeah, you're right, we can't. But the new waitstaff can." Dean grinned over at his brother and pulled around back.
Quickly removing their suit jackets for plainclothes, the brothers went up to the backdoor and walked into the kitchen. Dean stopped one of the waiters, saying, "Hey, we just started working here. Where do we go?" The waiter pointed toward the backroom.
"You can get your aprons and jackets back there," he said.
"Hey, thanks man," Dean said to him and followed where the waiter had pointed.
Carrying a busboy tray and trying not to be seen by Detective Lawrence sitting at the corner table talking to an old woman, Sam looked nervously around the room. He edged closer to their table, his back to them, slowly clearing away the nearest table he could find.
"Yeah, it was them, I'm sure of it," Lawrence was saying to the old woman.
"The Winchester boys? Are you 100 percent certain?" she asked him. The hairs on Sam's neck stood up on hearing their name. Their ruse hadn't fooled Lawrence at all. This not only meant they were in trouble, it also meant the police wouldn't be looking for Rose. They needed to get out of there, fast. Before turning to go, the last thing he heard the old woman say was, "That Winchester boy is bad news! He's her only weakness!"
As Detective Lawrence stood to leave, Sam hurried back to the kitchen only to have a butcher knife thrown just next to his head as he opened the door.
"Hey, Sammy! Glad you could join me!" Dean said as Sam ducked behind one of the kitchen workstations next to his brother. Sam pulled his gun out of his jacket, as Dean stood to fire back at the person throwing the knives.
"Dean, what the hell! What's going on?" Sam said and following Dean's lead, he jumped up and fired as they made their way toward the door.
"No time to talk, Sammy!" Dean answered as another knife flew past his head. "You missed!" he shouted to the knife thrower and ducked back down behind another workstation.
"Yeah, well, if I'd wanted you dead, you would be by now!" Rose's voice called out.
"Right back at ya, sweetheart!" Dean shouted back and jumped up, firing his gun again as he and Sam ran out the door.
Dean slowly pulled the car past the front of the restaurant, looking in the window at the old woman's table. It was no use hiding now. He saw Rose walk up and hug the woman. Rose was facing the window and she saw them drive by, her eyes a sinister deep, dark blue as she watched them go by. Dean sped off and turned to ask Sam, "Did you get it? Is it close enough?" He turned the car around the corner and pulled into a nearby alley.
"Hey, I got as close as I could. But, yeah, considering that place is all but empty, I think it's close enough," Sam answered him. He pulled out what looked like a transistor radio and adjusted the volume control. They heard Rose's voice come over the speaker.
"I know, Grams, I know!" Rose was saying. "I'll never leave the family again, I swear!"
"Yes, well, we'll see to that," the old woman -- Grams -- replied to her. "When you came to the funeral, I thought... well, nevermind dear, all is forgiven now." Grams pulled Rose in for a kiss on her forehead. "And, dear, what was that commotion in the kitchen?" Grams asked.
Sam and Dean looked at each other over the radio. The old woman was about to find out they'd been there. They listened as Rose's voice answered her grandmother. "Oh that. That was nothing. I just didn't like what Cook had served up for dinner."
Confused, Dean snapped off the tiny radio. "Why didn't she tell her?" he asked.
"I don't know," Sam said, "But before I walked away, the old woman said something else. She said that 'the Winchester boy' was bad news. And that he was Rose's only weakness. I can only assume she meant you, Dean."
Dean turned the volume back up, but all they heard was the clinking of silverware on dishes as Rose and her grandmother ate together in silence.
Back in the kitchen, 'Cook' was dead, shot by Dean, and the waiter who had pointed out to the brothers where to go was dead also, a large cleaver sticking out of his back. Black was oozing from the bodies of both men.