"This should be the building there." Castiel pointed out a standard apartment building on the main street.
Sam pulled in to a spot at the curb, leaving a spot open behind him. Jodie pulled into the spot just a short while later. He walked to the driver's window. "Me and Cas will go up, check and see if he's even here." He nodded to Cas who was already checking names on the mailboxes.
"We will hold the fort down here," Jodie replied.
There was something in her voice that had Sam pausing. He took in the looks on both her and Eileen's faces. And he was pretty sure Millie was hiding in the back seat. When he came back and met Jodie's gaze, she just reached up and patted the hand he had on the window edge.
"We're good. Go find the bastard so we can kick his ass, k?"
He gave her a grin and then went to join Cas at the door of the building.
"Looks like he's still here," Cas said pointing to a mailbox with "Shurley" on it.
"Either that or they haven't updated the boxes," Sam countered. "Let's knock."
He opened the door, waving Cas in first. They took the stairs up to the third floor and then down the hall before stopping at 306.
"Pretty innocuous," Sam quipped as he reached up and thumped on the door. "Would never expect a former god behind this door, much less in this building."
Cas looked down the hall before turning back. "Much less in Hastings, Minnesota."
"Yeah..." He thumped again, his own thoughts drifting down the street to a very familiar diner on the corner. After a beat of continued silence he added, "Suppose the diner is a good place to wait. Don't think anyone is home."
They made their way back down to the street, both of them walking to Jodie's truck.
"Nobody home," Sam said, leaning down to look through the front passenger window. "Or rather, didn't seem like anyone was there."
"Forgot your lockpick kit?" Eileen quipped.
He laughed. "Figure we'll try the soft approach first. But it's on the list. Thought dinner would be a good wait-and-watch point." He nodded in the direction of the diner.
"I could eat," she responded, turning to Jodie.
"Same."
Jodie climbed out on her side while Cas and Sam opened the doors for Millie and Eileen to get out. After locking up, the group made their way to the diner on the street corner. As they reached the front door of the diner, Sam hesitated for a moment. Eileen and Jodie moved past him, followed by Cas, as he held the door open.
"Casual dinner too weird?"
"Huh?" Sam was pulled from his thoughts to find Millie had paused at the door too.
"Last time you were here... Stark difference," she offered with a shrug.
He laughed as he waved her in before he followed. "Exactly how do you know about everything that happened down here?"
"Oh, you know. The ole Gospel of Chuck."
He couldn't see her face as they walked to the table, but could hear the giggle in her voice. "Not the books..." he groaned. As she slid in to one side of the table before Jodie and Eileen, he sat on the other side next to Cas with a questioning look. "Those books only go so far...don't they?"
"Oh, between him and Metatron, Chuck made sure all his rewrites and updates made it to heaven," Cas offered from behind a menu.
"He must have set up something to get the rest up there after Metatron was locked up though." Sam opened his own menu.
"I always figured it was Gabriel..." Both Sam and Cas looked over at Millie curiously. When she realized it, she just shrugged. "I never saw him. But I know he put in the tv."
Sam and Cas shared a look as the waitress walked up.
"Hi there folks! How are we today!"
With a shake of his head, Sam turned to the woman and smiled. "Hi."
They placed orders, chatting about random mundaneness while they waited for food. Sam couldn't help but laugh a little when everyone's meals arrived. Salads and sandwiches abounded, except Millie. She sat, appraising the bacon cheddar burger and fries sitting in front of her. A deep breath and then she charged in. He found himself shaking his head again, fond memories of Dean and his love of burgers circling as he bit into his sandwich.
The group sat in companionable silence. Waitress came and went, checking in and refilling drinks. It was nice. Indeed, very much a stark difference to the last visit Sam had there. He found himself surprisingly ok with that.
He was once again pulled from thoughts as Millie climbed out of the booth. He watched her walk to the hostess, obviously asking where the restroom was based off the other woman's point.
"So... Millie...Winchester...," Jodie quietly started as she watched Sam watch Millie walk to the back.
"Yeah...," he said as he turned to meet her gaze.
She looked sad. "Is it just, I don't know, in the genes? Most people - high cholesterol, maybe pattern baldness. But Winchesters? Not you. You get the darkest depths."
"I wouldn't put it that way," Sam shrugged.
"Yeah," she replied with her own head shake. "That's the kicker. We got descriptions - her descriptions - of 'the Empty' and 'Purgatory'. I added double trama as I took it in."
Sam couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry Jodie. I don't know what to say. You know us too well."
"Yeah, yeah," she said. She couldn't help but smile. It was good to see him happy. She turned to Eileen to see the other woman was clearly thinking the same. Jodie turned back, eager to carry the good time on, but found Sam looking up with a frown at Millie who had returned.
"Millie...?" Sam asked. She was just standing there, not moving to get back to her seat. Before he was able to add to the initial question, she was moving to the door and out it. He quickly got up to follow her.
Out on the sidewalk he finally caught what Millie must have seen out the window.
"Chuck!"
