Catching Up
Chapter 21 – Something Wicked This Way Comes
"Well that's a title," Sam remarked. "Which case are they talking about?"
Cas read out the description, "Sam and Dean investigate a small town in Wisconsin where children are falling into comas for no apparent reason."
"Ah crap," Dean got up heavily. "I'm going to need a beer for this one."
"Make it two," Sam said.
"You've been on that same bottle for the last two hours," Dean pointed out.
You're welcome by the way. "I meant for you," Sam countered.
Dean blew out a breath, "Sammy never let it be said that you aren't the brains of this family." He went to the get the drinks and Mary watched him go.
"That bad huh?"
"This is going to be fun for all of us Winchesters," Sam snarked. "We're taking another extended trip down memory lane to our childhoods."
Mary promptly called, "Dean? Make it four!"
"Way ahead of you mom," Dean came back with an entire six-pack. "To family!" he raised a bottle.
"To family," Mary and Sam chorused back and indicated for Cas to start. The show began on a little girl saying her prayers before being tucked by her father while her mother is at the hospital with her sister. The father leaves and it's obvious the little girl is scared of something that is coming in through the window. It attacks her before the show cuts to TV!Sam and TV!Dean coming into town. Apparently, John had sent them coordinates to the place but there was nothing immediately obviously wrong. Once there, TV!Sam noticed the distinct lack of kids and TV!Dean asks a mom who tells him that children are getting sick.
"Hannah?" Cas peered at the women.
"Guess we found her vessel," Dean said dubiously.
The TV!Winchesters go undercover at the hospital to learn more about the kids and TV!Sam isn't thrilled about his ID.
"Bikini inspector?" Mary chuckled.
"I still have it…for some reason," Sam shrugged. The trenchcoat thing? "No definitely not."
At the hospital, the TV!Winchesters speak to the lead doctor Hidecker and learn that the cases initially presented as pneumonia but then became much more severe plus the antibiotics weren't helping. Their immune systems just weren't working and their bodies were breaking down. Furthermore a nurse told them that the illness was spreading through families, only the children. TV!Sam and TV!Dean interview the father from earlier and he said he suspected that they got pneumonia from an open window. "That poor man," Mary shook her head. "I don't know what I'd do if something like that was happening to you boys. And don't park the car in front of the house." She tacked on when the show switched to the boys searching the home of the recent victim.
"Yeah from this angle, it looks pretty bad doesn't it?" Sam grimaced.
Onscreen, TV!Sam confirms that there was indeed a monster that was on the window sill and the sight of its handprint triggers a memory TV!Dean on when he was a child. "Here we go," Dean took a long swig of beer.
"That was quick," Mary took one too. They watched John prepare to go out for a hunt and leave young Dean in charge. They go over all the safety measures and precautions and towards the end Mary spluttered out some beer, "Did my child just say 'shoot first, ask questions later'? Cas pause the show." Mary turned to Dean. "When was this?"
"Sam was six and I was about eleven, twelve," Dean answered honestly. "You remember Sam at the beginning? Dad gave him a gun when he thought there were monsters under the bed."
"I guess I didn't think…" Mary tried wrap her head about those words falling so easily from a child, her child's mouth. "And he just left you alone?"
"It's not like we could've gone with him," Sam shrugged.
As much as she wanted to blame John at that second, another fresh wave of guilt and self-disgust rolled through Mary. It all came back to being her fault, if only there was a way to make it up to her boys. "Keep going Cas."
Cas restarted the show and TV!Dean tells his brother about the case but some of the details didn't add up and TV!Dean was being somewhat evasive. They pull into a motel and meet the motel's owner and her son who sasses TV!Dean. I like him. "You would." Unfortunately seeing the boy and his brother causes TV!Dean to have another flashback to when he had to look after young Sam and they argued about dinner. "Jesus I was a brat," Sam half-laughed.
"As long as you know," Dean snorted. "You weren't so bad most of the time. You got real annoying around puberty though."
"At least I shared the prize," Sam muttered.
In the show, in their room, the TV!Winchesters discuss stregas and how to kill them with TV!Dean revealing more information much to TV!Sam's suspicion. Nevertheless they pinpoint the hospital as the epicentre for the attacks and TV!Dean remembers seeing an old woman with an inverted cross of her wall. Thinking she may be the Strega, they go after her but she was just a regular person. "Slick," Mary cracked.
"Okay so not one of my finer moments," Dean admitted.
Meanwhile, the Strega was seen going after the motel owner's kids and the next day, the boy, Michael, tells the brothers that his little brother was now sick. TV!Dean consoles the family and accompanies the mother to the hospital as TV!Sam goes to research. There he discovers a picture of Dr. Hidecker from 1800's and they realise he is the Strega. Surprisingly, TV!Dean manages to keep his composure when he speaks to Hidecker afterwards but admits later he would have loved to unload a clip into the doctor if for nothing else than principle alone. TV!Sam congratulates on him being wise in his old age until TV!Dean proposes to use Michael as bait to catch the Strega. "And it was at that moment I knew never to speak too soon with Dean Winchester," Sam toasted.
"It was the only option in front of us and…and…you suck," Dean tacked on petulantly.
"Now, now boys, I don't want to start giving timeouts," Mary wise-cracked.
"It would not work," Cas informed her.
"Fair enough," Mary conceded. The room returned their attention to show in time to see TV!Dean finally give in and reveal what really happened with the Strega the last time the family faced. The real life Winchesters simultaneously took a long draught of beer as the flashback started and showed young Dean leaving the motel room while Sam was asleep. He played an arcade for what appeared to be a while and when he returned he found the creature attacking Sam but wasn't able to shoot it. Thankfully John arrived in time to scare it off but he was upset at Dean for what happened. "Don't talk to him like that." Mary growled, startling her boys but she was too immersed. "He's too young, it isn't his fault."
The flashback faded but TV!Dean kept talking. Explaining how John got them out of town and the Strega disappearing until surfacing then. He also spoke about how John's attitude changed towards him and that giving them the coordinates was his way of letting TV!Dean finish his fight. Mary for one, though she was certainly not the only one, could think of many things wrong with that but one look at Dean's face told the room not to comment on it. TV!Sam was still unsure but it's the only way to catch the monster so they talk to Michael about it. At first he is resistant but eventually agrees if it might save his brother. "What a brave young man," Cas praised.
"The stuff of true grit," Mary added. "That's what my father would say. I just wish that little boy didn't have to be a part of this."
"Trust me, we didn't like it either," Sam assured her.
In the show, Michael and the TV!Winchesters set the trap and wait for the Strega to come. The monster does eventually show up and the brothers get ready to attack but they have to wait for it to get close enough to feed. Once it does, the TV!Winchesters ambush it but it survives and attacks. It goes after TV!Sam first and is about feed on him when TV!Dean shoots it, killing the creature. The next day, they find out all the kids are getting better and Hidecker is 'sick' although TV!Sam wishes he could have that innocence that they took from Michael. Way to bring down the mood Sammy. "We all wish for that innocence," Sam replied. "But none of us would actually take it."
"Amen little brother," Dean finished his beer as the credits rolled. "Now please tell there is some food somewhere because I need a break."
"Me too," Mary got out instantly. "I'll be in the garage, I need some air."
"Mind some company?" Dean asked.
"Not at all," Mary gestured for him to come along.
"I guess we're on kitchen duty Cas," Sam said. "Let's go find something to eat."
"Right behind you Sam." They all left the study together, eager to put that still-on television behind them for the moment.