Epilogue

They all looked at one another as the Winchesters left the cabin. It was not the encounter, at all, that they would have expected to have with savage killers. Actually, they were quite the opposite. Sam and Dean had not acted as they were expected. And, of course, everyone had been surprised, except Tony.

"That was Dean talking about, an expired meat suit?" Ellie asked.

Tony shook his head remembering his experience. "It's a dead person…. In my case, a dead person, missing the back of his head, possessed by a demon. I found out later that he had committed suicide 2 or 3 hours before we found him."

"So, he was just up…walking around like…?" A shudder went through Abby as she asked her question.

Tim spoke up. "But, how could…?"

"Trust me." Tony said, shaking his head. "I was shocked, too. I've seen a lot of things. But, that…I had nightmares for months afterwards."

"So," Vance asked. "…what is it that the Winchesters did for you? What do you feel like you owe them for?"

Tony looked at the director for a long moment. "They saved my life, twice that day. They rescued me from the demon. Then they picked me up and carried me out of that alley."

Everybody kind of gasped.

"They exercised the demon. She…she had me up against the wall; my feet weren't even touching the ground. She had her hand around my throat. And she was squeezing. She told the Winchesters if they didn't give her what she wanted, they would kill me."

"I thought you said that it was a male…body." Jimmy asked. "How did you know the…thing was female?"

Tony looked over at Jimmy, then at the rest of them. They had all been wondering the same thing. "This item that Sam and Dean had, she had been looking for it for a while. She had been chasing them, trying to get it. They called her by name when she told them what she wanted. Lilith…that was her name."

"So…how did you…how did you get away?" Tim asked.

Tony shook his head. "I didn't. I blacked out. The Winchesters then exercised her."

"What was this item? What did they want?" Ellie asked.

"It was a gun, a colt, supposedly made by the Samuel Colt." Tony replied. "It's supposed to kill demons."

"What convinced you that they were telling you the truth?" Ducky asked.

"When they rescued me, they took me to a nearby motel. And when I came to, they were arguing about what they were going to do with me. And what might happen to them for kidnapping a detective." Tony paused. "They explained to me what had happened. I just…I didn't believe it, any of it. I threatened to arrest them for kidnapping, and whatever else I could think of. But then, Dean told me to go and look at myself in the mirror." The agent said, rubbing his neck. "I had no idea what he was talking about, but I did it anyway…."

"Let, me guess." Gibbs said. "You saw a handprint."

The SFA nodded. "I could make out a thumb and all 4 fingers." He paused. "I…that convinced me."

Nobody knew what to say. And they knew that Tony wasn't finished.

"What they do…it, it's not easy. They don't ask for any money. They usually get beat up pretty bad. But they save people. They…the people that these things possess, by the time the monster is done with them, they can't be saved. They save who they can. But by the time these…things are done with their victims, their humanity is gone. And what's left…it's…. Tony shook his head.

They all kind of just looked at Tony for a moment. They had been, up close and personal, with the Winchesters and had lived to tell the tale. They had a new perspective on what the brothers did.

"They are not what I expected." Ellie spoke up. She had read their files. As had most NCIS agents.

"They didn't kill that bear." Jimmy said. "Most people would have."

Tony nodded. "They didn't want to leave those two cubs without a mama. They were too young to survive without her."

The silence bordered on uncomfortable. But that was only because they each were trying to comprehend the experience they just had with the Winchesters, those 'supposed' savage killers.

THE END

END NOTES: Thank you all, so much, for taking this journey with me. I hope you enjoyed the ride. And, as always, if you see any errors... I still don't have a beta. Thanks again, JL