Gordon's still riding high after the kill, reclined in a rickety seat at the bar with a glass of cheap whisky in one hand. He's laughing with Dean, all compliments and bright smiles. Elizabeth is happy enough to go along with it until about ten minutes in.
"Decapitations aren't my idea of a good time," Sam grouses. He's barely touched his beer, mostly just picking at the label.
"It's not like the vamp was human." Elizabeth stiffens at that, her own fangs throbbing beneath her gums. She's not technically human, not really. Would Gordon kill her if he knew? Would he think she's damned like some other hunters do?
"He used to be," Dean says. He's lost his smile, looking over at Elizabeth like he can read her thoughts. He reaches out his free hand to squeeze her thigh. "The only reason we killed him was because he was attacking you. Hell, seems like the vampires have been sticking to cattle."
"They start out that way, but that's never how it ends." Gordon's lost his smile as well, brows furrowed in confusion. "Y'all haven't faced a lot of these things, but I have. They always go bad."
"I think I'm gonna step outside," Elizabeth says, patting Dean's hand. "I need a little fresh air. Sammy, you wanna go with me?" Sam nods and stands, him and Dean sharing a look. The gallant knight protecting the princess fair. It's stupidly cute.
It's stopped raining and the air is wonderfully cool against her overheated skin when they leave the bar. Elizabeth tilts her head back and breathes in deep, letting the breath out slowly. It feels good out here in spite of her lack of flannel, the ache in her gums starting to fade.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Liza."
"Don't apologize, Sammy." She gives him a faint smile, bumping her shoulder against him. "How many monsters have we killed that used to be human? Gordon's just doing his job the same way we do." Sam winces, shaking his head.
"Jesus…." He runs his fingers through his hair, mussing the front. Elizabeth's smile grows a little wider as she gestures for him to bend down so she can fix it. "How're you feelin', Liza? With…. With everything that's been happening lately?"
"I'm fine."
"You don't have to lie to me." She looks up at him, smile fading. "We're twins, remember? Gotta be on the same page or else the big kids will get us." She snorts at that, hugging him close. That's how they'd survived elementary school, sticking together and tag-teaming the older bullies. They'd been small for their ages, Elizabeth still is, but they'd managed.
"Sometimes I have this nightmare that it's Dean that died in the hospital." She doesn't tell Sam about that other nightmare with the hissing man and his world of ashes. "I hold his body in my arms and watch the light leave his eyes and I'm terrified that it's going to happen in real life. I can't lose you boys."
"You won't lose us." Sam presses a kiss to the top of her head, keeping her close. "Even if we do die, we'll haunt your ass."
"Ditto. We gotta have a signal for that, though. So we know it's us."
"If I die first, I'll put all your favorite shoes on a really high shelf." She laughs, pressing her cheek against his chest. His heart is a steady beat under her ear and it lulls her into a feeling of safety.
"If I bite it first, I'll put Mean Girls on full volume every morning to wake you up."
"And if Dean goes first, I'll wake up with a shaved head and you'll wake up to find all your underwear missing." They share a laugh, leaning on each other as they turn to face the bar. She can make Dean out through the windows, his face hardening at whatever Gordon's saying.
"Sam, why don't you head back to the motel and give Ellen a call? Maybe she can tell us about our new friend."
"You sure you wanna stay here?"
"Nah, not really. Maybe I'll let our boy talk shop and we can go back to the room to watch dumb shit on TV?" Sam nods and they head back inside, not mentioning the memory that's knocking on both of their brains. The last time they'd been alone in a bar parking lot, they'd been kidnapped by cannibals. "Hey, sweetheart, can we have the motel key?"
"I'm ready to hit the sack." Dean digs the key out of his pocket, handing it off along with the car keys.
"Get some rest, brats," he says softly. "God knows you've earned it." Sam raises an eyebrow and nods at the bartender.
"Make good choices tonight." Dean hums, waggling his brows in that goofy way that always makes Elizabeth giggle. She leans down to give Dean a kiss, letting it linger in that way she knows he likes. He'll never admit it, but he loves affection, he's too damn touch-starved.
"Tell our darling Eli that I'll be up for anything tomorrow," she whispers, lips brushing against his ear.
"Anything, huh," Dean murmurs. His gaze is smoldering, almost making her regret going back to the room. Every time he looks at her like that, she ends up tied down to a bed and given the best orgasms of her life. Fuck. She bites his lobe, releasing it only when he whimpers.
"Anything."
"You two owe me so much therapy," Sam complains.
"Buzzkill." Sam rolls his eyes and grabs the back of her jeans, tugging her away from Dean. "Don't have too much fun without me."
"Send me pictures if you draw a dick on Sam's forehead," Dean calls.
The next ten minutes happen in a vague blur—the phone call with Ellen, the struggle of finding anything decently awful on TNT, the being knocked out with a goddamn lamp. When Elizabeth wakes up tied to a chair, a lump the size of Texas on the back of her head and a vampire snarling in her face, she isn't exactly happy. She squints up at him, looking into a pair of blue eyes that aren't supposed to be here.
"Aw man," she whines, tilting her head back. And, yep, that's Eli up there. The same Eli that's supposed to be balls deep in her boyfriend right now. Ain't this some shit? She looks to her right, finding Sam tied up beside her. He's scowling at her, the Bitch Face in full effect.
"You have awful taste in men."
"I know." She looks to Eli again, his fangs back beneath his gums. "Is it bad that this is doing things to me?"
"Is it bad I still wanna do things to her," Eli checks. He glances over at a dark-haired woman standing a few feet away. She looks about as impressed as Sam does. "Yeah, it's bad. Can't do anything fun with hunters."
"I mean, I'm a Chosen if that makes you feel any better. I've got fangs just like you do." She lets them peak out, the sensation still foreign. It's weird as fuck to feel teeth wiggling when adult teeth aren't supposed to do that. "We can totally do weird shit to each other. You don't even have to untie me."
"Lenore—"
"No," Lenore says firmly. "No fucking the hunters."
"If you're very good later, I'll tie you up and do things that'll make your toes curl." Elizabeth's whimper makes Eli grin, a wicked thing that has her wriggling in her chair. If she wasn't technically a hostage, she'd kiss him. God knows she's done worse things with worse people. Besides, she's a sucker for blue eyes.
"Or maybe I'll do it to you," she murmurs, making Eli bend closer. "Maybe I'll tie those pretty wrists above your head and cut your head off if you hurt my brother." She's moving before Eli can react, sinking her fangs into his neck. He jerks back with a howl, blood spurting from the wound and then turning sluggish as the bite heals.
"That's enough," Lenore snaps. "We're not gonna hurt y'all."
"Could'a fooled me," Sam snarks. "Liza, you think they're harmless?"
"I think they interrupted the best part of Scream," Elizabeth grumbles. She glowers over at Lenore, tapping one manicured nail against the arm of the rickety chair. "Billy hadn't even licked the corn syrup off his fingers, dude." Lenore grimaces, almost apologetic.
"Sorry about that," she says. "We just wanna talk."
"Gonna be hard to focus on talking when Eli keeps eyeing my sister like she's prime rib," Sam says. His muscles are flexing as he struggles against the ropes, the wood creaking dangerously.
"He's not gonna hurt you guys either. You have my word."
"No offense, but your word means fuck all to us. We've met other vampires and they weren't exactly great examples of chivalry. They made Liza wreck, they stalked her, fed her blood." Elizabeth shudders at the reminder, thinks of that damn post-it waiting for her.
"We're not like the others, okay? We don't feed on humans and we certainly don't turn them." Eli huffs a laugh, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, we don't turn them into vampires. Eli's made it his life's purpose to make straight men realize they aren't straight."
"No wonder you and Dean liked him." Sam's gaze is full of exasperated aggravation and Elizabeth has to bite back a grin. She loves causing that expression. "Why stick to cattle?"
"Because it's easier to survive that way. Cows taste like shit, but people don't tend to investigate when they die. We can stay in places longer when we stick to cattle." Elizabeth cuts her gaze to Eli, frowning. "Vampires are nearly extinct."
"Because of people like your friend who think we're all monsters," Eli cuts in.
"To be fair, the only vampires we've killed were trying to kill other people," Elizabeth says. "That last one was probably attacking out of self-defense and we apologize for that. I've got enough money saved up to pay for a modest funeral or we could help you burn him. Whatever it is y'all prefer."
"Why help us?"
"Because we're assholes at the best of times," Sam murmurs. "And we're sorry."
"Too little too late. We're leaving tonight, so Conrad gets planted behind the barn."
"Then why bring us here?"
"Because I know your kind," Lenore says, voice sharp. It's like getting a lecture from a stern teacher and Elizabeth slouches as much as she can in the chair to appear smaller. "Once you have our scent, you'll keep tracking us until we're dead. We have as much a right to live as you do."
"My biological father used my scent to hunt me down," Elizabeth says softly. Her nails tap against the chair arms, a fast, nervous tempo. "He would have killed my boys and their dad to keep me with him even though he had nothing to do with me before then." She looks up at the vampires, something spiteful and cruel darkening her eyes. "Humans aren't the only monsters."
"Who was your father?"
"Luther." Eli scoffs, shaking his head. "What?"
"We've run into him a few times. He and his nest were always causing problems." Lenore sighs, scrubbing her hands over her face. "He wasn't exactly the best representation for the rest of us. Last time I saw him, I broke his nose."
"Last time I saw him, I shot him in the head."
"Good girl," Eli says, smirking. Elizabeth shivers at the pet name, biting her lip. He moves closer to her chair, bending down and cupping her chin. He's gentle as he tips her head up, using his free hand to brush some hair off her face. "Will you be a good girl if I untie you?"
"Dunno, I'm feeling kind of bratty. I've been known to bite."
"I could always put you over my knee."
"Ugh, gross," Lenore and Sam groan in unison.
"Jesus, I can't have any fun." He releases Elizabeth, digging out a pocketknife and cutting the ropes binding her to the chair. "C'mon, Liza, let's get you back to the motel."
"You're letting us go," she checks, surprised.
"We aren't Luther." He rests a hand on her lower back, guiding her close. "Some of us have a little class." She huffs a soft laugh, watching as Lenore releases Sam. "We'll take y'all back, safe and sound, and you'll convince your buddies not to hunt us down. Deal?"
"I can talk Dean into anything, but I have no clue about Gordon. We didn't even know he existed until tonight."
"We'll deal with Gordon if we have to," Lenore says. There's a grim determination in the set of her jaw, like she won't be happy to kill him but she won't exactly mourn him. "He's been hunting us for a while." Elizabeth grimaces at that, not exactly proud that an asshole is hunting a group of people that aren't even killing people.
"Here, you guys might need this." She pulls her wallet out and hands Eli one of her credit cards. "I haven't used it yet, so feel free to buy a TV or whatever when you find a new place. Maybe give poor Conrad a headstone if you're able to. We really are sorry about that."
"You really trust us not to wreck your credit score?"
"Oh, you won't be trashing my credit score. That card's under one of my aliases." Eli glances down at the card and then snorts, showing it to Lenore.
"Sidney Campbell?"
"'Cause Neve Campbell played Sidney in Scream," Eli explains. "You've seen that movie, right? We should rent it when we settle down again. You'll love it."
"Uh-huh. Why don't you take these two pups back where they belong? Don't want the other one getting pissy." Eli's still amused as he pulls a bag over Elizabeth's head, guiding her out of the farmhouse and into a truck.
It's a ten minute drive back to the motel, Elizabeth and Eli flirting the entire way with Sam and the other vamp's disgusted groaning creating a background noise. When they finally make it back, Eli helps her out of the van and pulls the hood off, helping her fix her hair.
"Also, uh, I'd like you to have this." Eli holds out a napkin with his bar's logo in the corner, his number scrawled over the front. "Give me a call if you and your boy wanna have some fun."
"Oh, we'll be taking you up on that," Elizabeth says. "Dean had his heart set on tonight."
"So did I. And I'm sorry I knocked you out with a lamp."
"I really wish I could say that was the first time I've been knocked out that way."
"It was one time and you wouldn't give me the remote," Sam snaps from the doorway. "Come on before Dean gets worried." Elizabeth presses a quick kiss to Eli's cheek, then she and Sam are heading into the motel while the vampires make their getaway.
"You two go out jogging," Dean asks. He and Gordon are sitting at a table with a map spread out in front of them. Thankfully, the curtains are closed and they hadn't seen the reverse kidnapping going down in the parking lot.
"Needed to clear our heads. Can we talk to you outside?" Dean shrugs and pats the map once to let Gordon know he'd be back. Sam and Elizabeth lead Dean away from the window, well out of eavesdropping range, before they start to talk. "We can't finish this hunt."
"They attacked Gordon—"
"Because he's been tracking them. He was the first human they've tried to kill in a while."
"How do you know that?"
"Because we were in the nest." Dean grabs Sam's arm to make him stop, eyes wide with a panicked sort of anticipation. "They snatched me and Liza from here and brought us to their nest."
"How the hell did you two escape?"
"They let us go," Elizabeth says. "In fact, they gave us a ride back here and I got Eli's number out of the deal." She waves the napkin with smug satisfaction. "He's a vegetarian and he's also very eager to hear from us."
"Eli's a vampire? Bobby'll never let us live that down if he finds out. What if he flips out and bites one of us during the act? I don't think I'd make a good vampire, Liza. I don't have your self-control."
"I have zero self-control, hon. It's part of the ADHD or the autism or whatever the fuck is going on in my noggin. My point is that Eli wouldn't lose control and the only turning he does is turning us on. He and the rest of them are eating the cattle."
"No humans involved?"
"None."
"And what if they're lying?"
"What human deaths have been reported around here? There are no missing persons in the surrounding towns, no attacks, just dead cows. If all they do is save Bessie from the slaughterhouse, then good for them." Dean lets out a sharp sigh, his frustration clear. "Sweetheart, they weren't lying."
"She wasn't just blinded by her libido," Sam adds. "They were telling the truth. They eat animals just like we do. Well, they do it with a krazy straw instead of silverware, but you get my point. They're good people."
"But Gordon said—"
"Oh, Ellen had plenty to say about Gordon when I called her." Dean doesn't look happy to be interrupted or that his new bestie's honor has been called into question. "You wanna hunt a monster, then you can start with him. Every hunter that works with him ends up dead or mutilated."
"Why should we trust Ellen?"
"Your dad did," Elizabeth points out. She's lost her sense of humor by now, she just wants this done with. "John wasn't a good man by any stretch of the imagination, but he was a good judge of character. He trusted Ellen enough to tell her about Azazel. If she says Gordon's bad news, then I believe it."
"What am I supposed to tell him? Sorry, Gordon, but a lady I've met twice says I can't go on a hunt with you? I don't think he'll drop this."
"We just have to keep him occupied for tonight. They're skipping town."
"How do you plan on doing that?"
"Duct tape?" Dean raises his brows, hands going to his hips. "Or I could pop some popcorn and put on a good movie. I stole Holes from its hiding spot before Bobby noticed."
"It's worth a shot." They head into the motel room ready to suggest a movie night, but the words die on Elizabeth's tongue. The room is empty and dark, no Gordons in sight. "Well, shit."
"He took the keys." That's when Dean looks the most murderous, when he finds his keys missing and not when he realizes Gordon wants to kill innocent people. Dude seriously needs therapy.
"I'm gonna kill him."
"He isn't picking up," Elizabeth complains as they hit the bridge. "Does he have Verizon or something? Jesus." She snaps her phone shut and tosses it on the seat. "Gordon can't be that far ahead of us, right?"
"Only a few minutes," Sam says, though Elizabeth isn't sure if he means Gordon's a few minutes ahead of them or that they're a few minutes away from the farm. The boys have been silent the entire ride while she's been rambling nervously. She needs to take her meds, but they're in the motel and she never remembers the damn things until she's gone.
"We should get there in time. He can't be that good at taking down vampires if that one was able to sneak up on him. Eli and Lenore will be safe and I'll get called a good girl again when it's done."
"I'll feed your praise kink in a little bit, sweetheart," Dean promises.
The truck is gone by the time they get to the farm, but Gordon's car is parked down the road and there's a light on in the dining room. Elizabeth and the boys waste little time getting out and running inside, coming to a halt in the doorway of the dining room. Lenore is slouched in the same chair Elizabeth had been, slow healing cuts scattered over her chest. Gordon hovers over her with a knife dripping blood, half-congealed and rancid. He smiles over at them like they're old buddies.
"What'cha doing," Dean asks.
"Interrogating Lenore."
"Last I checked, interrogations usually involve questions," Elizabeth says coldly. "That thing you're doing is called torture. Step away from her and we'll go buy you a dictionary." Gordon's smile dims, leaving behind something hollow.
"These monsters only respond to pain. She's going to tell us where her buddies have gone to and then we can be done with her." He drags the knife over Lenore's forearm, thin veins of poison spreading over the pale skin. Lenore doesn't even have the strength to flinch, letting out a breathless wheeze. "I was just about to start on her fingers."
"Alright, take a pill," Dean says, slow and steady. It's the same tone he used when Sam and Elizabeth used to fight all the time or when John got too drunk and Bobby got too pissed.
"I'm fine, Dean. Looks like it's your brother that needs to chill out." Sam hasn't said a word yet, but the expression on his face is nothing short of murderous. He'd kill Gordon in a heartbeat. "What's wrong, Sam? Are you too good for this life?"
"No," Sam says. "But I don't torture innocent people."
"Innocent?" Gordon laughs, a dark rumble of sound like a thunderclap. "No, she's not innocent. Vampires kill more people than they need to, they infect people. Not a one of 'em is innocent." Sam doesn't back down, the muscle in his jaw twitching with how hard he's grinding his teeth. "Fine, you're right. She's not gonna talk no matter how many fingers I take."
"So you'll let her go?"
"Something like that." He pulls a machete from the duffle on the table, tossing the leather cover beside the bag. The blade glints cruelly in the moonlight streaming in from outside, Gordon's reflection caught there. "I just sharpened it, so it'll be fast. Humane."
"I'm not letting you kill her." Sam starts forward only to come to an abrupt halt when Gordon raises the machete, resting the point against Sam's breastbone. Elizabeth jerks instinctively toward them, but Gordon's dark eyes flick to her and freeze her in place.
"If y'all don't want to see this, then leave."
"Gordon, let's talk about this," Dean tries. The mediator tone is still in full effect, but there's a wariness in his eyes and the way he holds himself. He's moving slowly around the other side of the table, one cautious step after another.
"Nothing to talk about. It's like I said earlier, no shades of gray."
"The vampire that killed your sister deserved the die, but—"
"Killed her? No, that bastard didn't kill her, he turned her. I hunted her down to put her out of her misery. I saved her, you see, and I'm gonna save even more people by killing every filthy fang I come across. You get it, right? It's just like you boys with that demon that killed your mom."
"But these vampires aren't killing people," Elizabeth interjects. She's right next to Sam now, almost snarling up at Gordon. "They feed off of cows."
"So they're taking a break. Who cares? Drinking from cows doesn't change their nature. I can prove it." Gordon grabs Sam's wrist and jerks him forward, slicing his arm to hold it over Lenore's head. Dean's got his gun in hand and trained on Gordon, but Gordon's got that fucking machete against Sam's throat. If he goes down, there's a big chance that he'll take Sam with him.
"Let him go," Dean demands, a harsh growl.
"Relax, I'm just proving a point," Gordon says. He's calm as he tilts Sam's arm to allow the blood to drip down, Lenore's fangs growing from her gums. The rich iron scent makes Elizabeth gag, her hand going over her nose and mouth to keep it out. "See? Still a bloodthirsty little bitch. They're all the same." Lenore's fangs retract and she turns her face away, pale and sweating.
"No, we're not," she manages. "No…. No…." She keeps mumbling it, not capable of much else with the poison working through her. Gordon lets Sam push him away, frowning down at her with something like confusion.
"We're done here," Dean says, stern. "Sam, get her out." Sam cradles Lenore against his chest like he does Lilly, carrying her out of the house and into the fresh air. Elizabeth wants to go with them, but she doesn't trust Gordon to be alone with Dean.
"You're not serious," Gordon asks incredulously.
"As a heart attack. You want those vampires, then you gotta go through me." Gordon's eyes flick to Elizabeth, disdain practically drilling a hole in her head. She doesn't move from the doorway, arms crossed. "Don't think she's gonna side with you. If anything, she'll scratch your eyes out."
"Fine." The boys put their weapons aside and then they're on each other, Gordon's punches hitting hard and fast. Dean's a good fighter, but Gordon's got height and a belly full of rage. One good kick to Dean's middle has him flying out of the dining room, Elizabeth barely able to move out of the way. "You aren't like your brother or your girl. You're a killer like I am."
Elizabeth meets Dean's gaze over Gordon's shoulder, tensing. With one dip of his chin, she's throwing her weight against Gordon and sending him against the wall. He grunts at the impact, almost shocked when she takes his legs out, crawling to straddle his chest. Her knees keep his arms pinned down, and she snarls an inch from his face.
"He's nothing like you," she tells him. Cold malice burns in her voice and he flinches from it, from the way her nails dig into his shoulders. "You ever harm one hair on my boys' heads and I'll tear you apart slowly. Hell, maybe I'll find a vampire to turn your ass so you can heal up and I can do it all over again. One thing's for certain, you'll be screaming before you burn in hell." Gordon doesn't say anything, glowering up at her like she's not worth the time it takes to insult her. That's fine, let him pout. "Dean, you wanna do the honors?"
"I'd love to," he says. Elizabeth delivers a good punch that has Gordon half-conscious before she gets up. Dean gives her a high five, then he's got Gordon's neck caught in his arm as he drags him into the dining room, knocking his head off the doorframe on the way. "Oh, did I hit your head? So sorry about that."
"He'll do it harder next time. Maybe knock some sense into your head." Dean tosses him into the chair Lenore had been in, using his own rope to bind him to it. He leans down to whisper against Gordon's ear, pure deviousness burning in his eyes.
"I might not be better than you, but at least I got people that care about me. All you have is a machete." Dean slaps the back of his head before walking out, his arm going around Elizabeth's waist. She leans into his touch as they come outside, the Impala's headlights illuminating the front yard. "What do you say we wait on Eli to get back and then we spend the night with him?"
"I say that sounds like heaven."
"For fuck's sake," Lenore and Sam groan loudly.
There's a sonic revelation bringing me to my knees/and there's a man down below that needs my sympathy/I got a ringing in my ears/getting ready to burst/Screaming Hallelujah motherfucker take me to church