Chapter 17 — Goodbye Stranger

"What the hell is this," Dean asks, looking at one of the many boxes. He and Addison had decided to start sorting through some of the artifacts that the Men of Letters had left in the Bunker. He frowns, looking at the end of a spear in a glass box. "Spear of Destiny? What is this? God's toothpick?" He glances over at where Sam was sitting at the war room table. "You know, would it have killed these asshats to label the boxes in something other than hieroglyphics? It's ridiculous." He picks up a box and opens it. He glances at his brother once more. "Hey. You listening to me?"

"Yeah," Sam replies, not looking up from his laptop. "It's, uh…fascinating stuff. You guys should probably, uh, write it all down in your journal for the archives, you know?"

"Look what I found," Addison says, walking through some of the boxes. She was carrying a thick book with a green leather cover.

Dean raises an eyebrow at the tiara she was wearing. "What is that?"

Addison shrugs. "Box said it was a cursed tiara."

"And you put it on," Dean shouts.

Addison shifts. "It…it's a tiara. They're pretty and-and-and sparkly and fun. And I can be a princess while I wear it."

"Addison, take it off!"

She lets out an annoyed breath and reluctantly takes off the tiara. Dean grabs it out of her hand. "Be careful with that," Addison exclaims. "That-that tiara is worth a shit ton of money."

Dean carefully examines the tiara. "How much we talking?"

"Like a few million at least."

"And you still put it on, Ads?"

"It's so pretty and sparkly," Addison defends, reaching for the tiara.

Dean shakes his head. "I'm putting this back in the box and putting it where you can't reach."

"It's too pretty to be hidden away in a dusty old box. Give it to me. I won't even wear it."

"Bullshit."

Addison presses against Dean, reaching for the tiara. The book she was holding falls to the ground. She runs a hand down his chest. "I will let you do that thing you want to do," she says, pressing her lips to his jaw.

Dean shifts. His gaze goes between Addison and the tiara. Sam starts coughing and they turn to look at him. They were both worried about the younger Winchester and the effect the first trial had on him. "Hey, Doc Holliday, you all right over there?"

"Uh yeah," Sam replies, coughing into a napkin. He throws the napkin into a trashcan. "Um, I'm fine. Just, uh, wrong pipe."

Dean looks down at Addison and she smiles at him. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but no. Go read your book."

Addison huffs and picks up the book off the floor. "Dick," she mutters, brushing past Dean.

Dean rolls his eyes. "Cursed tiara, Addison." He shakes his head and puts the tiara back in the heavy black box. He turns his attention back to looking through some of the stuff. He picks up a file folder and opens it to find a magazine. He smirks. "Well, hello." He flips through the magazine. "These Men of Letter weren't so boring after all. Konnichiwa." He walks over to them and holds up the magazine. "Hey, check this out." Addison rolls her eyes at the title: Voluptuous Asian Lovelies.

"Dude, what is wrong with you," Sam questions. He glances at the thick book Addison was looking through.

"What's wrong with me? You kidding me? This is a first edition, dude. You know what this would go for on eBay?"

"No. Why? Do you?"

"No. Maybe." Addison shoots him a disbelieving look. "Shut up. You find anything?"

"I did, yeah, uh, dead bodies showing up all over the Midwest last week. Benton, Indiana. Downers Grove, Illinois. Novi, Michigan. And then against last night in Lincoln Springs, Missouri."

"How is this an us thing," Addison questions.

"Because each of the victims had severe burns around their eyes, hands and feet, puncture wounds through the backs of their hands, eyes and internal organs liquefied."

Dean nods, looking through the porno. "That sounds like us."

"Yeah. Also, no link between any of the victims. Uh, one was a real estate agent. Another was a local historian. Woman killed last night was a teacher."

"Chupacabra." Sam chuckles. "What do we got? Power tools gone rogue? Wait…are we talking a Maximum Overdrive situation here?"

"I don't know. Worth a short, though. I'll grab my gear. We should probably leave in five."

"Make it ten," Addison amusedly says, standing up. "It's the closet Dean will be getting laid anytime soon."

Dean sits up. "I'm sorry?"

"No tiara, no sex," Addison proclaims.

"Cursed tiara," Dean argues.

"No tiara. No sex," Addison repeats, walking out of the war room with Sam. Dean rolls his eyes. He waits until Sam and Addison are far enough away before sitting the magazine down. He looks in the trashcan and finds a bloody napkin.

"We just have a few routine follow-up questions about your wife, sir," Sam says to Mr. Morton, the husband of the latest victim. They had made the drive up to Missouri and stopped along the way to change into their fed suits. "Did she have any enemies?"

Mr. Morton sighs. "Ann? Honestly, I can't think of a soul who'd want to hurt her, even after everything that happened."

Dean frowns. "Everything that happened?"

"About a week ago, something changed in Ann. She was out of sorts, not herself at all."

"What do you mean by our of sorts," Addison questions.

"It'd be better if I show you," Mr. Morton replies. He leads them down into the basement. "She stopped sleeping." He turns on a light and reveals a large model of the town. Small bags were hanging above it. "She stopped eating. She went out in the middle of the night, going God knows where. I tried to talk to her, but, she would just mutter to herself."

"About what," Sam asks.

"Something about an orchard? Finally, I just followed her one night and she went to the playground. Over here." Mr. Morton points it out in the model. "The elementary school. And she started digging. She would leave with the little bags full of dirt. Hung them here. All these bags represent holes that she dug in the ground."

"Were these holes, uh, I don't know, six feet deep," Dean questions.

"No. She dug for hours. She never broke a sweat. Straight down, ten maybe fifteen feet."

Addison lean in close to examine the model. "Did you notice anything else weird?"

"I didn't say anything to the cops 'cause I didn't want them to think I was crazy. After Ann came home, I came down here to confront her and she was on the phone."

Dean looks at him. "Any idea who she was talking to?"

"No. But I know what I saw. And it wasn't my Annie. After I called her out, her eyes…they turned black. Now, I-I know I must have imagined it. I know I did. But I-I left. I went to the bar, probably had too much to drink and by the time I came back…my Annie was, uh…I should have stayed. I should have protected her. I'm moving into my sister's place today. I can't be here anymore."

"Sure," Sam replies. "Well, um, thank you very much for your time. We're very sorry for your loss."

The hunters walk out of the house. "So, somebody's killing demons. Well, that is awesome," Dean says. "I feel like we should send a card or flowers. What kind of flower says 'thanks for killing demons?'"

"Yeah, but who's killing demons," Sam counters. "And why? And, by the way, since when does a demon possess someone, then go all Beautiful Mind and-and start digging in the dirt? Does any of this seem right to you?"

Addison shakes her head. "No, it doesn't. But I'm more curious as to what the demons are looking for because someone or something clearly doesn't want them to find it."

Dean shrugs. "I like the part about killing demons. That sounds right."

The Impala pulls to a stop in front of a house in a neighborhood. The houses were all nice and modest. "Sure. Of course," Sam says into his phone. "Well, thank you very much for all your help. I really appreciate the time. All right. Bye." Sam hangs up and turns to Addison and Dean. "So, the real estate guy's wife said he was acting weird. Uh, the historian's hubby said the same…just got all obsessive and then weird. No one saw any black eyes, but still, where there's smoke, you know…" The trio climbs out of the Impala and looks up at the house. "I wonder what they're all looking for."

"Hopefully, Wendy Rice will know something," Addison replies. "She was the last person to speak to Ann."

Addison knocks on the door. A woman with rollers in her hair opens and shifts. "Special Agent Lynne," Sam introduces. "These are my partners, Special Agents Tandy and Wood. We'd like to ask you a few questions about Ann Morton."

"Oh," Wendy nervously replies, pressing a hand to her curlers. "Uh, uh, uh, of course. Please come in." The trio follows Wendy into her house. "I had never met her before she called the other night."

"Now, why was she calling you?"

"She was looking to find an original map of the city."

"Did she say what for?"

"Well, she-she didn't, but she did mention an-an orchard that had gone missing."

Dean raises an eyebrow as they sit down on a couch. "Missing?"

"This-this town was wiped from the earth by one of the river's one-hundred-year floors. It was…it was rebuilt. But all the original records were-were lost." Wendy grabs a pink binder from a bookshelf and sets it on the coffee table I'm-I'm a PhD candidate. And this-this is my research. I, uh, my dissertation is-is on the history of this town and, uh, its connection to the Underground Railroad and-and-and whatnot." Wendy flips through the binder and pulls out a map. She spreads it on the table. "I've been working to recreate a map for years as part of my research and this-this is the old Jakubiak orchard here. I found out yesterday it's where Downey meets Bond Street."

"Now, did Ann say why she was looking for the site of an old orchard," Sam questions.

"No. We-we set a time to meet and she never showed. Then I read about her in the paper. It's just tragic. Ann's assistant called this morning, though, asking if I still had the map."

"Assistant?"

There's a knock on the door. "Oh. That's probably him. Maybe he can help," Wendy says, standing up. The trio follows suit. She walks over to the door and opens it. Three men are standing on the doorstep. "Oh. Are-are you—" She screams at seeing their black eyes.

The demons barge into the house. Wendy is sent flying over her couch and onto the coffee table. A demon grabs Addison and slams her against the wall. She claws at the hand. A different demon smokes out of the body and flies into Wendy. Dean runs after her. The demon releases its hold on Addison and she falls to the ground, gasping for air. The demon grabs the map and runs out of the house. Addison sits there for a moment, then stands up to go help Sam was fighting a demon.

Suddenly, Castiel appears. He had a hand on Wendy's arm and places his free head on the back of the demon fighting Sam. Castiel tosses the dead demon to the side before dragging Wendy into the dining room. Sam and Addison exchange a confused look. "What the fuck just happened," she mutters, helping Sam up.

"Put this on your shoulder," Dean says, walking into the living room with an ice pack. He tosses it to Sam before going to check on Addison. He gently examines her neck. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Addison softly says. Sam tossed the ice pack onto the couch.

"The other demon escaped," Castiel says appearing in the room. "I bound the one I caught in a devil's trap. I'm gonna interrogate it now."

"Wait a second, Cas," Sam says. "How about you answer some questions first? Like, where the hell have you been?"

Dean stares at the angel. "You heard me, didn't you?"

Addison looks at him. "You prayed to Cas?"

"Yes, I heard you. But that's not why I'm here," Castiel replies, sitting down on the couch. "I've been hunting demons."

Sam shifts. "So, this is you. Why?"

"I've been searching for the other half of the demon tablet."

"Without us," Dean questions.

"I've been trying to help, Dean. And in my search, I uncovered that Crowley has sent out demons to find Lucifer's crypts."

"Lucifer had crypts?"

"Dozens of them apparently."

"What are they looking for," Addison asks.

"They're looking for a parchment that would allow them to decipher Crowley's half of the demon tablet without a prophet."

Dean scoffs. "A demonic decoder ring? In Crowley's hands? Awesome."

"The crypts were, uh, lost over time. Only those closest to Lucifer knew their whereabouts."

"Then how did Crowley find them," Sam questions.

"His demons have been possessing locals who may have some special knowledge."

"That would explain the crazy room at Ann's house. But how did she know where to start looking in the first place."

"I don't know. I'm hoping the strange-haired demon in the kitchen is more knowledgeable than the others I interrogated," Castiel says, then stands up and walks into the kitchen.

"Well, he puts the ass in Cas, huh," Dean mutters.

"Something's off," Addison says and Sam nods in agreement.

"Off? Babe, he hasn't been right since he got back from Purgatory. We still don't know how he got out of there."

"I don't know, Dean," Sam begins. "If he's so sketchy, then why were you praying to him?"

"You know I can hear you," Castiel calls from the kitchen. "I am a celestial being."

The hunters exchange an embarrassed look before walk into the kitchen. Wendy was tied to a chair while Castiel stood in front of her. "Sam, Dean, and Addison Winchester," Wendy mocks. She smirks at the boys. "Oh, the thoughts she had about you two. Mostly you, Sam. What can I say? She has a thing for Sutton chops."

Dean steps forward. "All right, you douchebag, listen—"

Dean's cut off when Castiel slams the angel blade in one of Wendy's hands. She screams. "Who told you about the crypts," Castiel demands.

"I thought angels were supposed to be the good cops," Wendy mocks. Castiel stabs the angel blade in Wendy's other hand. "Wait! Stop! Stop! We have a hostage! It's one of Crowley's pets. She's at the Murray Hotel, down by the interstate. She knows the towns where all the crypts are buried. She saw them back in the day."

"And she told you about the parchment," Sam asks.

"What parchment?"

"Hey," Dean snaps. "Hey! Think he's the only bad cop in this room? Stop lying! We know what you're really looking for."

"No. I am telling you, we're looking—" Castiel stabs the angel blade into Wendy's chest; killing her and the demon.

"Cas," Sam shouts. "What the fuck was that?"

"It told us what we needed," Castiel answers.

"No, she didn't! You can't just—"

"I started this hunt without you because I didn't want anything to slow me down. We have to get to the motel now."

"Hold on a second—" Sam's cut off when Castiel vanishes.

The hunters run out of the house and to the Impala. They speed across town to the hotel. They notice flashes of light in one of the hotel's windows. They race up the stairs and manage to locate the room. They enter the room to see dead demons on the floor.

"Thanks for waiting," Sam breathes.

"The hostage is in there," Castiel answers.

Dean walks over to the door and opens it. Meg, who they hadn't seen in well over a year, was tied up and sitting on the floor. "Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?"

Dean rolls his eyes and kneels. He cuts off the ropes and helps the demon walk out to the bathroom to one of the beds. Meg sits down and looks between them. "So, I got to ask. Um, what's up with the hair," he questions, referring to Meg's now blonde hair. Sam and Castiel send him annoyed looks. "What?"

"Aww. Thanks for noticing, Dean. But this wasn't my idea," Meg replies. "It was Crowley's. And it's just another reason I want to stab him in the face."

Addison frowns. "You're the one telling Crowley the location of Lucifer's crypts."

"What can I say," Meg says. "I need a break from the constant torture. And I did visit them all during my time with Yellow Eyes. But don't worry. I haven't exactly been giving them the Glengarry leads."

"You mean you've been lying to them," Castiel reasons.

"I just get them in the ballpark. Enough time's passed and enough's changed that they bought it."

"Why lie," Dean asks.

"Buy myself some time dummy. Try to find a way to get free."

"Wait, so, a bunch of innocent people died so you could…buy yourself some time," Sam disbelievingly questions.

Meg rolls her eyes. "Hi. I'm Meg. I'm a demon."

"So, what have they found," Castiel asks.

"Bupkis. Every crypt's been on Al Capone's vault after another. And on top of that, someone kept picking up the trail and icing demons. I'm guessing that was you, Castiel. But Crowley just keeps sending more. He's hell-bent on finding that angel tablet."

The trio exchanges a look. "Wait a second," Sam says. "Did you just say angel tablet?"

"You know, I get why Crowley calls you 'moose' now. Yes, angel tablet. Crowley found out Lucifer had it, figures it's stashed in a crypt."

"Well, this is news to me, as well," Castiel says. "Demons I interrogated, they must have been lying about their true intentions."

Dean stares at him. "Really? Cause I saw Zero Dark Thirty that demon. You were more than persuasive."

"You're both missing the point," Meg says. "I lied to them, which means they're digging in the wrong place. But not for long. They'll be back here soon. So, who's up for fleeing?"

Addison sighs. "As much as I hate to admit it, Meg's right. We need to find those crypts before they do."

"We need your help," Castiel tells Meg.

"Any of you dummies got a map?"

Addison runs a hand over her face. She was standing in the basement of the Morton house with the boys, Castiel and Meg. The hunters had changed out of their fed suits. "There," Meg says, pointing to a specific spot in the model. "That's where the crypt was."

"What's there now," Sam questions.

"Do I look like Google to you," Meg replies. "None of the buildings were here way back in the day. Figure it out, genius. Is there any booze in this dump?"

Meg walks up the stairs. Castiel stands there for a moment, then follows after the demon. Addison sighs and digs through her bag to pull out her iPad. "He lied to us," Dean quietly says, watching as Addison brings up a search window.

"Yeah, maybe," Sam replies. "I can kind of understand why. I mean, an angel tablet? If the demon tablet can shut the Gates of hell, what can the angel tablet do?"

"I think I found something," Addison says, bringing up the map. She zooms in on the map. "So, this shows that the crypt is below an abandoned building."

"Good times," Dean says. "You really think we can trust, uh, Meg-stiel?"

Addison snorts. "No. But I don't know if we have any other options."

Addison bites her lip. She had been left to wait outside of the abandoned warehouse with Sam and Meg. Of course, Sam hadn't been happy about leading to an argument with Dean, and Dean telling him that he knew that Sam wasn't doing okay after the first trial. "Wait, so I took how many bullets for you guys and you didn't even look for me," Meg asks, looking between the hunters as they spray paint anti-demon symbols on the doors. "Like once?" She scoffs. "My hero. What's the with all the trial and being damaged crap?"

"Look, no disrespect, but you haven't exactly been the most, uh, trustworthy person in our lives, Meg," Sam replies.

"But I have," Addison softly says. "You could have told me, Sam. In fact, you should have come to me." Sam shoots her a disbelieving look. "I'm just saying."

"Whatever it is, you okay dying over it," Meg questions. Both Sam and Addison ignore her. "You don't want to say, fine. But remember, I spent time in that walking corpse of yours. I know your sad, little thoughts and feelings."

"That's creepy," Sam says.

"Here's what I remember. Deep down, in parts you never let see the light of day, you want to live a long, normal life away from creepy old things like me."

"I do." Sam scoffs. "You know, I spent last year with…someone, and, um…now I know that's actually possible."

Meg's gaze widens. "Wait, that's how you spent your last year? With a chick? Lame."

"You know, how about we just wait quietly?"

"What was her name?" The hunters are silent. "You don't even trust me with a name? Cut me, do I not bleed, Sam? So, some chick actually got you off hunting, huh? That's one rare creature. Tell me, how'd you meet this unicorn?"

Sam sighs before launching into the story of how he spent the year. Addison shifts as she tunes the story out. She had zero desire to listen to it.

"Wait, hold on," Meg says. "There's one part I don't understand. You hit a dog and stopped why?"

Addison turns to Meg. "That's…that's your takeaway?"

"Oh, I heard the rest. Sam fell in love with a unicorn. It was beautiful, then sad, then sadder. I laughed, I cried, I puked in my mouth a little. And honestly, I kind of get it."

"Really," Sam replies.

Meg tenses. "We've got company."

They turn to see two demons walking towards them, carrying a club. Sam clutches the demon-killing knife while Addison tightens her grip on the angel blade. The demons attack them. Addison punches one before stabbing it in the chest with the angel blade. She turns to see Sam stumble then he kills the demon. Thunder rumbles and they turn. "Crap," Addison whispers at seeing Crowley.

"I believe they're playing my song," Crowley says, walking up to them. "Love what you've done with the place. You really think all that was gonna keep me out forever?"

"At least long enough for Dean and Cas to get the tablet and get out," Sam replies.

"Castiel. So, that's who's been poking my boys and not in a sexy way. Got a bone to pick with you, moose. After what you did to my poor dog."

"You gonna talk us to death or get down to it already," Meg snarks.

"There's my whore. I'm not here for my dearly departed, though. I'm here for the stone with the funny scribbles on it."

"Sorry, not gonna happen," Addison coldly says.

"Love it when you get all tough, Ads. Touches me right where my bathing suit goes," Crowley replies, pulling out his own angel blade.

"Go," Meg tells them. "Save your brother…and my unicorn."

Sam grabs Addison's arm and they take off into the building. They run down to the crypt. "Dean," Addison shouts. She runs into the crypt to find Dean alone.

"Where's Cas," Sam questions, running in behind Addison.

Dean looks between them. "He's gone. Meg?"

"We've got to go. Now."

The hunters run out of the building and jump into the Impala. Sam and Addison look back only to see Crowley stab Meg. The orange light flashes in her eyes before she falls to the ground, dead.

Addison leans on the front seat of the Impala. Dean had been telling them what had occurred in the crypt with Castiel. "So, what happened," Sam asks. "I mean, Cas touched the tablet and it reset him to his factory settings or something."

"I don't know. And I don't care. All I know is that he is off the reservation with a-a heavenly WMD. Listen, I can't take anymore lies," Dean says. He glances at Addison in the rearview mirror. "From anyone."

"Yeah. Um, I know. I'm sorry. I should have told you. I-I…just wanted to believe I was okay. I don't know."

"Well, you heard what Cas said. That-that first trial hurt you in ways that even he can't heat. Sammy, I need you to be honest with me from here on out, man."

"You're right. And I will be."

"Listen, I may not be able to carry the burden that comes along with these trials…but I can carry you."

Sam lightly smiles. "You…realized you kind of just quoted Lord of the Rings, right?"

"Come on, man. But it's the Rudy Hobbit, all right? Rudy Hobbit always gets a pass." Sam chuckles. Dean leans forward to turn up the radio.

Addison bites her lip. "There's a tablet on the last descendant," she softly says. Dean slams on the brakes and the Impala screeches to a half on the dark backroad. He turns to look at her. She shifts. "Um, Sarah is looking for it. Or at least she was looking for the angel who wrote it. That's what she told me anyway."

"And you knew about this," Dean angrily asks. Addison nods. "Why the fuck are you just telling us now?"

"Because I knew you'd get mad."

"No fucking shit!"

"Does Sarah have any leads," Sam questions.

"Peru. Five hundred years ago," Addison answers. "She only went looking for the angel because she didn't think Kevin would translate. From my understanding, the tablet just has the spell—"

"Absoufuckinglutely not," Dean snaps.

Sam sighs. "I think it could come in handy, Dean."

Dean glares at his younger. "Fucking kidding me?!"

"You just said Cas wouldn't be able to help me," Sam argues. "Sarah is God's daughter. She probably has stronger powers than Cas. If Ads does the spell, if she gets powers just like Sarah's…then maybe if things go sideways…"

Dean looks between the two of them. He shakes his head and turns his attention back to the road. He turns up the radio and puts the Impala into drive.