Dean was irritable but he had a nagging feeling that he was being too harsh to the younger hunters. He had every right to be mad with her and Sam. They hatched up this plan and kept it from him. He knew they didn't know any of this additional information and he knew if it was for Sam or Mae, he might have done the same thing. But, he thought, he didn't need to layer anything on top of his issues with the female hunter.
They were getting ready to investigate, find a way to put a stop to the spell. Dean needed to talk with her first. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her aside. "You know, this isn't your responsibility Mae. I'm not on death's door anymore. You can take off it you want."
That one fair eyebrow quirked, telling him he was out of his mind even before she spoke. "Is that your subtle way of saying get the hell out of here?"
"No, it's my way of saying that if you don't want to stay, don't feel like you're obligated."
Mae wasn't mad about that. She wanted to be, but he had a point and a valid one. "Except I am. I'm obligated because there's a case here. This is what we do, and I'm obligated because… because I got you involved in this. Someone died because of me. So, unless you're saying you can't do this with me, I'm gonna stay."
Once again, Mae reminded him that he couldn't anticipate which way she was going to go when it came to him. Warm or cold, close or distant. She was a constant question mark for him. Admittedly, he liked her desire to stay because hopefully it meant she'd had enough space. "Okay. But, you know, it's not your fault someone died. Like Sam said, he probably would have even if it wasn't me that was healed."
That could have been the end of things but she turned her hand so she could grab his wrist instead. "All the same Dean, I'm sorry."
Those big blue gray eyes were sympathetic, open and as far as he could judge, honest. She was sorry and she was here to stay and put a stop to whatever evil thing they'd stumbled upon. His now perfectly healthy heart picked up its pace, even though he wanted to stay even tempered around her. His heart made him soften, almost immediately. "I don't blame you."
The woman gave him a half smile and shrugged self-consciously, letting go of his arm. "The hell you don't. You must be distracted by the breasts. Or something. Maybe it's my charming personality or superb people skills."
He chuckled, letting some of the tension out of their conversation. Whatever argument lingered on the margins of their conversation dissolved. Damn it all if he didn't want to believe her best view of him. He believed that she and Sam didn't know what they were getting involved in and that they only wanted to keep him alive. He also didn't want to blame her for bringing him to the healer. He wanted to believe that this was all okay, but he couldn't get around the truth of this case. "Maybe."
The lack of argument on his part left her feeling insecure so she tucked her hands in her jeans pockets. "Well either way, I'm sorry I got you stuck in the middle of this. For the record though, if I had it to do over, I would probably do the same thing. I mighta blindfolded you first." She said, smirking just a little.
"Not funny." He said with a frown.
"C'mon, if it happened to anyone but you, you wouldn't be this upset."
Dean shook his head. He pulled away from her to cross his arms over his chest. "Maybe. Depends on who."
"Well, you're my who. Sam's too. So, you can't rag too hard on him for this, for doing the only thing you boys were told to do consistently growing up. If you wanna be mad at someone, be mad at me because he was desperate and even though I had some doubts, I didn't stop him. Because I wanted it to work."
As unhappy as he was with them, he fell a little bit more in love with her then. "Mae—"
"I get it and, trust me, your brother does too. I don't think either of us like knowing that you're alive because someone else is dead. That doesn't change the fact we'd keep you alive, all things considered."
Dean gave her a kind look. "You're driving me insane, you know that? I, just for once. want to be able to figure something about you out and for it stay true for five minutes."
"Hey, I may be unstable, and I may be crazy as hell but I'm not heartless and I'm not lying to you here. Even if that means that sometimes I have to tell you things you don't like, like you're a decent person and I didn't want you to die."
"That makes me sound...unstable too."
"You're totally unstable, dude. But I like you and I'm glad you're not dead. I lo..."
She came close, he thought, to telling him she loved him before she cleared her throat and let her eyes fall away from his. But he knew she did. If he had doubted it before, he saw it in her eyes and she almost said it.
"We should get back to work." Mae finally said.
The trio found themselves back at the revival meeting, walking across the parking area with a mission. "If Roy is using a spell, there might be a spell book." Sam said.
"See if you can find it." Dean looked down at his watch, "Hurry up, too, the service starts in fifteen minutes. I'll try to stall Roy."
Mae nodded her agreement as Sam confirmed. "Alright."
They walked up to the man who had been denouncing the Reverend earlier as he passed out flyers. "Roy LeGrange is a fraud. He's no healer." He proclaimed.
"Amen, brother" Dean said before his brother added. "You keep up the good word."
For whatever reason, Mae didn't buy it or agree so she kept her mouth shut as the man thanked them for their support.
They split up, Dean heading towards the tent while Sam and Mae made their way towards Roy's house. His wife Sue Ann and another man were helping the reverend down the stairs of the porch, presumably heading towards the tent for the service. They skulked around the porch, looking for a way in. The hunters waited until the coast seemed clear before sneaking in through an unlocked window.
"They're awfully trusting." Mae muttered.
She had been to the house once already but only knew where the sitting room was, so that didn't aid them much in finding their way around. Eventually, they found their way into an office or library that from the looks of it was rarely used. They both started going through the books, mostly Christian related reading along with some classical literature. Nothing particularly damning, Mae thought. Most of the books and the shelves held a thick layer of dust.
Sam found a space that had been wiped clear of dust in front of a book, an Encyclopedia of Christian History. As he flipped through the book, Mae stepped beside him. Since it wasn't feasible to read over his shoulder, she stood off to his side to read it. However, his attention was caught by something else. Behind the encyclopedia was a smaller book still on the shelf, carefully hidden. He handed her the encyclopedia before retrieving the smaller book.
This one provided more evidence, more cause to point the finger at the reverend. Mae frowned as Sam came across a page with a picture of a reaper on it. Flipping back, there was a picture of the Coptic cross on one page. There were newspaper clipping between the pages, one on an openly gay teacher, an abortion rights advocate, and the man who had been objecting in the parking lot. Mae and Sam exchanged a worried look.
"Well this could mean anything," she said to him, wishing it was true or that she believed it..
"Like not only is the good reverend killing people to heal others, he's got an obvious plan to it?"
"Now…" She didn't have anything else, just that feeling that Roy really believed what he was doing was the work of God. Since she didn't say anything more Sam picked up his phone.
Dean answered. "What do you got?"
"Roy's choosing victims he sees as immoral. And I think I know who's next on his list. Remember that protester?"
"The guy in the parking lot?"
"Yeah. Yeah, we'll find him. But you can't let Roy heal anyone, alright?" Sam closed the book and shoved it into his coat pocket.
They exited the house and went searching for the protester, David Wright, wandering through the lot of cars, vans and buses. While they were doing that, Dean tried to figure out a way to stop the services. It was easier before he stepped inside, discovering that it was Layla who was going to be healed next.
Mae had been right, there were some people that didn't make this sort of trade seem quite as bad. Layla was a perfectly nice girl, a girl who didn't have a chance at a normal life without this. But Dean couldn't trade the life of that man in the parking lot for hers, not knowingly.
After her name was announced and the crowd began cheering, Layla walked up to the stage. It was the only chance he'd have so Dean stopped her.
"Layla, listen to me, you can't go up there."
"Why not? We've waited for months."
"You can't let Roy heal you."
"I don't understand. I mean, Roy healed you, didn't he? Why wouldn't I at least let him try?"
"Because if you do, something bad is gonna happen. I can't explain, I just need you to believe me."
Sue Ann spoke up and gestured the young woman forward. "Layla."
"Please." Dean begged her. She turned to look at her mother who so desperately wanted her daughter to go forward with the healing.
"I'm sorry." She walked away from Dean now.
He called after her, but she didn't stop. Sue Ann brought her on stage. It made his stomach turn with nerves. He had to stop this.
"Pray with me, friends," the reverend began before turning to the young woman, "I hope you're ready."
She replied, "I am."
Roy moved to place his hand on her head. Dean had to figure out a way to stop it and since he didn't have the time, he went on instinct. "Fire! Hey, tent's on fire!" The crowd looks around frantically as Dean called out, then they started to rush out of the tent as he continued to yell. "Fire! Everybody get out of here!
Roy tried to calm the people, restore some order. "Friends, if you'd all just leave the tent in an orderly fashion, then we can figure out what's going on out there."
Outside, Mae and Sam had run into some problems of their own in locating David. The cry of help drew their attention, but they weren't sure where it came from exactly. The pair took off in the direction of the cry as fast as they could.
"Help! Help me, please!" After another frantic call, they found him and ran to his side but there was no sign of danger.
By his side now, Sam asked, "Where is it?"
David pointed. "It's right there! " he said like it should be obvious, like they couldn't not see it. But of course, the reaper wasn't after Mae or Sam so they never would see it. Curiously, Mae didn't feel the same sensation she had in the tent when Dean was healed. She though, perhaps she had been reacting to whatever supernatural power had been in the tent. But it wasn't here where the reaper was, which only raised more questions.
Sam and Mae glanced at each other before they tugged at him, flanking him on each side.
"Alright, come on!" Sam ordered as they started to run. It was a foolish plan, but they didn't have another option. Run or let the reaper take another person who had been judged by the wrong people.
Sam's phone rang and he and David stopped their run, Mae only slowed, not particularly trusting what was happening. "I did it. I stopped Roy." Dean said to his brother.
That was easy, Sam thought. "David, I think it's okay."
David nodded but he turned and looked around fearfully, his face went blank. "No!"
The two hunters were left speechless. It should have worked but since it didn't, they didn't know exactly what to do. They couldn't fight something they couldn't see, and they could fight something they couldn't fight anyway. They watched as David was brought to the ground but the unseen force. "Dean, it didn't work! The reaper's still comin'!"
Mae moved to help David, but Sam held her back with a strong hand on her shoulder as he talk to his brother. He didn't want Mae to get caught in the cross fire or be accidentally killed because the reaper decided she was just as good a target.
"I'm tellin' you! I'm tellin' you, it must not have worked. Roy must not be controlling this thing!"
"Then who is?" Mae asked harshly at the same time his brother was asking a similar question.
"Sue Ann?" Sam repeated as he pulled the phone away from his ear after Dean hung up briskly.
Turning to the taller hunter now, Mae parroted the name with just as much question. "Sue Ann? What about Sue Ann? Dean thinks she's controlling the reaper?"
"I guess. He didn't exactly explain."
Mae squinted and frowned before with a sigh she looked back at the prone David. She ran her hands through her hair, aggravated. "Well what the hell do we do?"
But then something happened. He stopped gasping for breath, color came back into David's face. For whatever reason, the reaper didn't take him. Sam only hesitated a second longer before grabbing him and helping him to his feet. "I got ya. I got ya."
"Thank God." He gasped.
"Yeah or something like that." Mae muttered to Sam.
It had been easy to blame the reverend, but he should have been willing to look further. Sue Ann had just as much reason to pull something like this to save her husband. It made him feel stupid but more than that it made him angry.
He looked her dead on in the eye, fingering the Coptic cross before tucking it in her shirt and calling for help. Much too quickly the sheriff's deputies showed up and pulled Dean away. He didn't fight back but he kept his eyes fiercely locked on Sue Ann. He knew what she was doing, and he wanted her to know that too.
The deputies escorted him out of the tent, Sue Ann not far behind. The woman stood in front of Dean. "I just don't understand. After everything we've done for you, after Roy healed you. We're very, very disappointed, Dean. You can let him go, I'm not gonna press charges. The Lord will deal with him as he sees fit."
She walked away with that ominous phrase.
The deputies did let him go; of course, they offered a warning to him before they did. "We catch you around here again, son, we'll put the fear of God in you, understand?
Dean nodded, slightly amused. "Yes, sir. Fear of God. Got it." They shoved him away and as he righted himself, he noticed Layla standing there.
"Why would you do that, Dean? When it could've been my only chance. "
"He's not a healer."
"He healed you."
He hated being in this situation and he wished he could change it somehow, but they still had a job to do. "I know it doesn't seem fair. And I wish I could explain, but Roy is not the answer. I'm sorry."
"Goodbye, Dean. I wish you luck. I really do."
"Same to you." He replied as he watched her leave before saying to himself,
"You deserve it a lot more than me."
He lingered a moment, watching the young woman before he decided to leave, find Mae and Sam. He walked by Roy, Sue Ann and Layla's mother as he left.
Roy was speaking to the woman. "Private session tonight. No interruptions. I give you my word. I'll heal your daughter."
"Thank you, Reverend. God bless you."
Back in the motel room, they tried to absorb more what had happened to them during their last trip to Roy's. Sam sat on the edge of one of the beds. "So, Roy really believes?" Sam asked.
Dean eased the drapes to the side, looking out as Mae leaned against the wall next to the window. "I don't think he has any idea what his wife's doing."
"See, I told you. I know people." Mae said smugly.
"You want me to get you a cookie?"
"Well," Sam said a little louder than the other two hunters, "I found this hidden in their library. It's ancient. Written by a priest who went dark side. There's a binding spell in here for trapping a reaper.
Sitting on the other bed now, he took the book as his brother offered it, leafing through the pages. "Must be a hell of a spell."
"Yeah. You've got to build a black altar, with seriously dark stuff. Bones, human blood. To cross the line like that, that preacher's wife. Black magic, murder. Evil." Sam shook his head, not understating how someone could go that far.
"Desperate." Dean said flicking his eyes to his brother, "Her husband was dying, she'd have done anything to save him." Then his gaze landed back on Mae who looked away from him quickly. He wondered if she might do something similar if it came down to it for him. "She was using the binding spell to keep the reaper away from Roy."
"Cheating death. Literally."
"Yeah, but Roy's alive, so why's she still using the spell?"
"Right. To force the reaper to kill people she thinks are immoral."
It was a little much for Dean. "May God save us from half the people who think they're doing God's work."
"We've gotta break that binding spell, guys." Sam said looking back and forth from Mae to Dean.
His thumb ran down the picture in the book. "You know, Sue Ann had a Coptic cross like this. And when she dropped it, the reaper backed off."
"Maybe she just called if off when you caused that scene." Mae chimed in.
But Dean shook his head. "No, she was still praying or whatever when I came up to her. That cross has something to do with it."
"So, you think we've gotta find the cross or destroy the altar?" Sam asked.
"Maybe both? Whatever we do, we better do it soon. Roy's healing Layla tonight. "
Mae wanted to be anywhere else. Dean might have understood desperation but that didn't mean he was close to forgiving her or Sam for putting him in this position. Now he knew what his life had cost someone else. That might not have been the part that bothered him the most though. She knew he was bothered by keeping Layla from getting healed twice already. And they were going in for the third time. Roy really was her one last chance.
"That's Layla's car. She's already here."
"Yeah." She heard the reluctance in Dean's tone. He was thinking about letting the woman be healed before putting a stop to this.
Sam had heard it too. "Dean."
"You know, if Roy would have picked Layla instead of me, she'd be healed right now."
"Dean, don't."
Sam's chastising didn't stop him. "And if she's not healed tonight, she's gonna die in a couple months."
"What's happening to her is horrible. But what are you gonna do? Let somebody else die to save her? You said it yourself, Dean. You can't play God."
They could hear the reverend from outside the tent. "Gather round. Please, everyone, gather round. Come in closer. Come on up."
They peaked inside to see Layla getting up on stage.
"Where's Sue Ann?"
They didn't see the woman anywhere. "House." Sam said with a backwards glance.
Mae couldn't tell if that was good or bad. It would be easier she decided fewer people and less of a scene.
Again, Dean was thinking along the same lines when he touched her shoulder, locked eyes with her and gave her an order, hoping that she would follow it for once. "Go find Sue Ann. I'll catch up."
"What are you—?" Sam started before Dean was walking around the front of the house, drawing attention to himself.
"Hey. He called out to the two officers who were once again in the perfect place at the perfect time. "You gonna put that fear of God in me?"
Dean took off and they gave chase. Leaving Mae and Sam with the job of finding Sue Ann Dean led the officer through the parking lot, ducking and hiding behind whatever he could. They swept the ground with flashlights, knowing Dean couldn't have gotten far.
"You see him?" One of the deputies asked the other.
"No."
It was almost too close when Dean had risen from his crouch only to draw the attention of the dog inside who started barking frantically. Of course, that brought the attention of the deputies.
"Psycho mutt."
Fortunately, upon seeing only the barking dog, they went searching in another direction, leaving Dean safe from pursuit upon the roof of the trailer.
Mae and Sam hid from view until Dean led the deputies safely away. They ran up the steps of the porch, looking in the windows, finding only darkness. The pair walked almost all the way around the wrap around porch before finding a cellar, the crack between the doors glowing with light.
They went around to ground level and Sam opened the doors quietly letting Mae in before descending into the cellar himself. They had hit the jackpot, as far as black altars went. The last time they found one, it had been more of a prop for some unfortunate teenage sex but this one was the real deal. It was covered with crosses, blood, bones, candles, and wax. In the middle of the altar was a picture of Dean. It was blurry and not a particularly good one, but it was Dean, nonetheless, taken from the church's security camera. Sue Ann had crossed over his face with a blood red 'X'.
Sam pick the picture up, a new sense of rage sweeping through his veins. It was mellowed when Sue Anne spoke up. "I gave your brother life, and I can take it away."
She took them by surprise and since they didn't have much time to do the dirty work, Sam overturned the altar while Mae took off after Sue Ann followed soon by Sam. She must have anticipated it because she rushed out the cellar, locking the doors behind her.
Mae could have sworn Sam growled as he made his way to her side before using all his strength to try to force the door open. Sue Ann called out again.
"Can't you see? The Lord chose me to reward the just and punish the wicked. And your brother is wicked. And he deserves to die just as Layla deserves to live. It's God's will."
As she spoke, Sam gave up on trying force the door open and looked around the room for another way out. He noticed a small window boarded up and grabbed Mae by the wrist. "C'mon." He whispered.
"Goodbye, Sam." Sue Ann said.
He used the end of a chunk of lumber to bust through. "We've gotta get to Dean." He said before he helped Mae through the opening.