𝑰𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 π’Žπ’π’•π’†π’ π’“π’π’π’Ž, within another town; three people slept. One bed held the youngest male, while the other held a couple. The female sleeping with her head on her boyfriend's chest and their legs tangled together. Dean was shirtless as Medusa laid comfortably within it instead; Sam slept in a tee shirt and shorts. Dean's phone begins to ring but he doesn't wake up. Maeve shifts with a frown on her face as Sam starts to wake up with a frown on his as well. "Dean." Dean still doesn't wake up, so Sam sighs as he moves to answer the phone. "Hello?" There was a pause within the room, as Sam listens to the voice on the other end. He sits up in bed, now wide awake, "Dad? Are you hurt?" Maeve grunts lowly as she slowly opens her eyes; frowning as she sits up. "We've been looking for you everywhere. We didn't know where you were, if you were okay." Sam speaks into the phone as Maeve rubs her eyes to wake herself up. She quickly starts to shake Dean awake, "We're fine. Dad, where are you?" At Sam's words, Dean sits up in bed. "What? Why not?" Sam asks with a frown on his face, Dean cocks his head as he too rubs his eyes trying to get the sleep out of them.

"Is that Dad?" Dean asks, Sam and Maeve nodding together. "You're after it, aren't you? The thing that killed Mom." Sam questioned his father as Maeve watches their reactions. Her poor boys, they always got so tense when talking about their parents. "A demon? You know for sure?" Sam suddenly questions causing Maeve to tense up as Dean shifts closer to his brother. "A demon? What's he saying?" Dean quickly questions as well, "You know where it is? Let us help. Why not?" Sam suddenly snaps at his father, Dean sighs as he puts his hand out with an eye roll. "Give me the phone." He demands towards Sam who shakes his head. "Names? What names, Dadβ€”talk to me, tell me what's going on. No. Alright? No way." Sam hissed into the phone with an annoyed look, Dean holds his hand out with a glare. "Give me the phone." He demanded towards his brother, Maeve sighs with a frown as she moves to slip out of bed. Dean grabs the phone from Sam, "Dad, it's me. Where are you?... Yes, sir... Uh, yeah, I got a pen. What are their names?"

Maeve and Sam make eye contact as she heads into the bathroom, looks like they were following orders again.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒂 𝒔𝒂𝒕 π’Šπ’ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’ƒπ’‚π’„π’Œ, as usual while Sam sighs in annoyance from the drivers seat. Dean was looking through the identities of the names that his father had given. "Alright, so, the names Dad gave us, they're all couples?" Sam asks his brother as Dean shines the light over his list. Maeve yawns once more, they had been driving since John called and it's been two days. "Three different couples. All went missing." Dean replies to his brother with a nod, "And they're all from different towns? Different states?" Maeve asks, moving forward to look over his shoulder. "That's right. You got Washington, New York, Colorado. Each couple took a road trip cross-country. None of them arrived at their destination, and none of them were ever heard from again." Dean explains, glancing towards his brother and girlfriend before looking back down at the names. "Well, it's a big country, Dean. They could've disappeared anywhere." Sam responds with a raised eyebrow, "Yeah, could've. But each one's route took 'em to the Same part of Indiana. Always on the second week of April. One year after another after another."

"This is the second week of April." Maeve responds, "Yep." Dean gives her a smile and nod. "So, Dad is sending us to Indiana to go hunting for something before another couple vanishes?" Sam asks with a scoff, "Yahtzee. Can you imagine putting together a pattern like this? All the different obits Dad had to go through? The man's a master." Sam looks annoyed, pulls over to the side of the road and turns off the car. "What are you doing?" Dean asks with a confused look, Maeve watches them with a sad look on her face. "We're not going to Indiana." Sam demands, "We're not?" Dean questions back with a raised eyebrow and a scoff. "No. We're going to California. Dad called from a payphone. Sacramento area code." Sam explains, Dean sighs at his brother. "Sam."

"Dean, if this demon killed Mom and Jess, and Dad's closing in, we've gotta be there. We've gotta help." Sam gives his brother a pointed look, Dean scoffs with a shake of his head. "Dad doesn't want our help." He snips, Maeve groans lightly from the backseat as she falls back against the seat. "I don't care." Sam snarls towards Dean with a glare, "He's given us an order." Dean grunts out, Sam shakes his head and speaks firmly. "I don't care. We don't always have to do what he says." Sam replies, Maeve sighs from the backseat as she grows annoyed with their fighting. "Sam, Dad is asking us to work jobs, to save lives, it's important." Medusa nods slightly at Dean's words, he had a point. It was important to save lives, although he didn't have to be so good little soldier about it. "Alright, I understand, believe me, I understand. But I'm talking one week here, man, to get answers. To get revenge."

"Alright, look, I know how you feel." Dean replies with a small sad sigh, "Do you?" Dean seems shocked at Sam's tone. Maeve shoots him a glare, "How old were you when Mom died? Four? Jess died six months ago. How the hell would you know how I feel?" Maeve reaches forward smacking Sam on the back of his head. He turns to face her with a glare, "How dare you ask him that!" She snarls angrily, her tone making him flinch back as she moves to get out of the impala. "Maeve.." Sam hesitates, flinching when the door slams in his face. Dean couldn't help, but flinch as well, not that he blamed her for being upset. He teared up a little at Sam's hurtful words, but he quickly blinked them away. He didn't want to show weakness in front of anyone, especially not them. "Give her a minute... Dad said it wasn't safe. For any of us. I mean, he obviously knows something that we don't, so if he says to stay away, we stay away."

"I don't understand the blind faith you have in the man. I mean, it's like you don't even question him." Sam insists, "Yeah, it's called being a good son!" Sam, angry, gets out of the car. Dean also gets out and watches Sam unloading things from the trunk. Maeve stands off to the side with her arms crossed, "You're a selfish bastard, you know that? You just do whatever you want. Don't care what anybody thinks." Dean snarls at his brother as they glare at one another. "That's what you really think?" Sam asks with a scoff, "Yes, it is." Dean nodded in response. "Well, then this selfish bastard is going to California." He walks over to the trunk, opening it and puts on his backpack before he starts walking away. "Come on, you're not serious." Dean cried out in shock and annoyance, "I am serious." Sam replies back, "It's the middle of the night! Hey, I'm taking off, I will leave your ass, you hear me?" Sam stops walking and turns around.

"That's what I want you to do." They stare at each other for a few seconds, waiting. "Goodbye, Sam." He closes the trunk, gets in the car, waiting for Maeve. Maeve gives him a look as he scoffs towards her, "Go. He needs you, I'll be fine." He utters out lowly, she nods before getting in and they drive away. Sam watches them leave, then starts walking the opposite away.

A few hours later, Dawn is rising in Burkitsville, Indiana. Dean pulls over to the side of the road and pulls out his cell phone. He selects the name, 'Sam Mobile' and thinks about calling Sam. His eyes turning towards Maeve who was passed out in the passenger seat. He changes his mind and closes his cell phone, giving Maeve a small smile, he gently shakes her awake. "Sweetheart, come on. We're here." He mutters out, Medusa groans lightly as she wakes up. Dean lets out a small laugh, then shuts off the car and gets out; Maeve following shortly after him. The couple walk up to Scotty's CafΓ©, Dean takes hold of Maeve's hand as they walk up to a man sitting outside of the cafe. Dean smirks, gesturing to the sign. "Let me guess." He speaks up, pointing to the man who raises a brow. "Scotty." The man looks at the sign with a small smirk and nod. "Yep."

"Hi, my name's John Bonham, this is my fiancΓ© Alex Harper." Dean introduces them with a smile down at the man. "Isn't that the drummer for Led Zeppelin?" Scotty asks, cocking his head to the side. Dean looks taken aback, as Maeve snorts lowly. "Wow. Good. Classic rock fan." Dean lets out awkwardly as he clears his throat, the man continues to eye them suspiciously. "What can I do for you, John?" Dean takes two pieces of paper out of his pocket. They are Missing Person flyers for Holly and Vince Parker. "We were wondering if, uh, you'd seen these people by chance." Maeve asks the man, Scotty looks at the flyers. "Nope. Who are they?" The couple immediately notice he is lying. "Friends of ours. They went missing about a year ago. They passed through somewhere around here, and we've already asked around Scottsburg and Salem..." Scotty interrupted Dean, "Sorry." He hands the flyers back to Dean. "We don't get many strangers around here." Maeve shoot Dean a look, clearly telling him she knew the man was lying.

Dean nods in response, "Scotty, you've got a smile that lights up a room, anybody ever tell you that?" Scotty stares at him strangely, Dean chuckles awkwardly as Maeve pats him on his shoulder. "Never mind. See you around." They walk away from the man, "Something is definitely going on here."

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

π‘Ίπ’‚π’Ž π’”π’Šπ’ˆπ’‰π’” 𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆 π’˜π’‚π’•π’„π’‰π’†π’” the blonde woman leave in a van. Great, he was still walking. A few minutes more of walking, Sam hears the roar of an engine. He turns back to see a motorcycle heading towards him, he doesn't put his hand out; figuring the guy would pass by him. He was wrong, Sam watches with a confused look as the motorcycle comes to a stop, a man pulling his helmet off and turning to face him with a small smirk. "You need a ride?" Sam goes to deny the man's help, but pauses when he takes notice of the rune on the man's neck. "Uh, yeah. Sure, thanks." The man smiles and holds out his hand, "Alec. Nice to meet you." Sam shakes his hand before he moves to strap his things down. "Sam. Nice to meet you too and thanks for the ride."

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 π’Šπ’π’•π’ 𝒂 Jorgeson General Store to ask around some more. "You sure they didn't stop for gas or something?" A man shows the pictures to the woman he was standing next too, the woman shakes her head. "Nope, don't remember 'em. You said they were friends of yours?" She asked, not seeming to care much at all that they were missing. "That's right." A young woman comes downstairs carrying some boxes. "Did the guy have a tattoo?" She asks them, the old man and woman watching her with frowns which immediately cause Maeve to raise a brow. This girl, clearly didn't know what was really going on here; although they didn't either. "Yes, he did." She puts the boxes on the counter and looks at the picture of Vince. She then turns to the older couple, "You remember? They were just married." The older woman nodded suddenly remembering. "You're right. They did stop for gas. Weren't here more than ten minutes."

"You remember anything else?" Maeve asks, raising a brow at the trio. "I told 'em how to get back to the Interstate. They left town." The older woman replies with a fake smile. "Could you point us in that same direction?" Dean asks them, "Sure." The couple make their way back to Dean's car. He starts it up and drives towards the orchard, "They're all hiding something." Maeve speaks up, as they pass by the orchard when they hear a noise coming from the backseat. "What the hell?" He pulls over and reaches into his bag. He pulls out the EMF meter, which is beeping frantically. Maeve and Dean make eye contact with one another as he slowly shifts it in the direction of the area. Maeve grunts out loud, "I hate Orchards. They're so creepy." The couple get out of the impala and start walking around, a few moments later, they see a scarecrow on its post. They walk over to it and look at it for a second.

"Dude, you fugly." Maeve snorts at his words but the scarecrow doesn't move. Dean notices a sickle in the scarecrow's hand and a design on its arm. Dean takes a ladder from a nearby tree and climbs to the top so that he is eye level with the scarecrow. Maeve makes sure to keep an eye out just in case something came up on them as he moves its clothing and recognizes the design from Vince's tattoo. "Is that what I think it is?" Maeve asks, taking notice of the tattoo as well, Dean pulls out Vince's flyer and compares the designs, which are exactly the same. He looks at the scarecrow again, "Nice tat." Dean mutters lowly before he slowly makes his way down from the ladder. Medusa and Dean make their way out of the orchard and back towards the town. Dean pulls up to the gas station and gets out, the girl from earlier is standing by the gas pumps.

"You're back." She smiles up at Dean who gives her a small shrug, Maeve watches from the impala with the window rolled down so she could listen. "Never left." Dean utters out, "Still looking for your friends?" Dean nods before taking notice of her nameplate necklace. "You mind fillin' her up there, Emily?" She grabs a pump and starts filling up Dean's tank. "So, you grew up here?" Maeve asked from the passenger seat as she watches the woman. Emily smiled at Medusa, "I came here when I was thirteen. I lost my parents. Car accident. My aunt and uncle took me in." Medusa nods in reply, so that's who the older couple was. "They're nice people." Dean mutters as Maeve scoffs back a laugh. "Everybody's nice here." Emily replies, "So, what, it's the, uh, perfect little town?" Dean ask, his hand coming to rub Medusa's shoulder, trying to keep her from saying anything else. "Well, you know, it's the boonies. But I love it. I mean, the towns around us, people are losing their homes, their farms. But here, it's almost like we're blessed." Dean nods.

"Hey, you been out to the orchard? You seen that scarecrow?" Dean questions her after a moment of silence, "Yeah, it creeps me out." Dean laughs. "Whose is it?" Medusa asks, looking towards the woman with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know. It's just always been there." Dean frown, nodding towards a red van parked by the garage. "That your aunt and uncle's?" Emily smiles with a nod, "Customer. Had some car troubles." She explained to the couple, "It's not a couple, is it? A guy and a girl?" Maeve asks, Emily nods and the couple make eye contact with one another as they share the same thought. "Mmhmm." Maeve and Dean look concerned.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

𝑨𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒔 π’”π’•π’‚π’•π’Šπ’π’, Sam is talking to the clerk, with his new friend Alec standing behind him. Alec had said he would stay until Sam could get a ride, which had confused the young man, but he appreciated it nonetheless. "Sorry, the Sacramento bus doesn't run again till tomorrow." She checks the schedule. "Uh, 5:05 PM." Sam sighs, "Tomorrow? There's got to be another way." Alec clears his throat with an eyebrow raise, Sam sighs and turns to the man. "I don't want to ask that of you, besides you aren't heading in that direction." The woman at the counter watches them with a raised eyebrow. Sam, annoyed, leaves the ticket window. He takes out his PalmPilot and selects Dean's phone number. Alec grunts as he watches Sam with a frown, he was just trying to help the man. He had been in search for someone when he pulled over to help Sam out, something about the man calling to him. "Hey." Alec and Sam look at her, confused; Sam turns off his PalmPilot without calling Dean.

"Hey. You again." She smirked towards Sam, her eyes moving over Alec who glared at her in response. He couldn't believe his eyes, she sure was confident about being in the open with what she was; Sam didn't seem to take notice of his look. "What happened to your ride?" Sam asks, "You were right. That guy was shady. He was all hands." Sam raises his eyebrows. "I cut him loose." Alec scoffs at her words, knowing she had more than likely killed the man. Sam looks around, disappointed. "What's the matter? And who is your friend?" Meg licks her lips at the sight of Alec in his biker gear who grimaces in response. "Not my type, sweetheart." Alec grunts out towards her, she just smiles back. "I'm everyone's type." Sam looks between them with a small laugh, Alec reminded him of Dean a bit. "Just trying to get to California, Alec gave me a ride, but he's going in another direction." She gasps with fake surprise. "No way."

"Yeah." Sam utters out, slightly surprised at her reaction. "Me too." She stands up and walks toward Sam. "You know, the next bus isn't until tomorrow." She hints leaning in a little closer to him, Alec frowning in response. "Yeah. Yeah, that's the problem." Sam replies as he moves back, bumping into Alec who steadies him. "Why? What's in Cali that's so important?" She questions, raising a brow. "Just something I've been looking for. For a long time." Alec also raises a brow with a small smile, he didn't tell her that he was looking for his father. Guess, Sam trusted him more and for some reason that made his heart race. "Well, then I'm sure it can wait one more day, right?" Sam laughs, Meg extends her hand and Sam shakes it. "I'm Meg." She goes to shake Alec's hand, he doesn't return it. "Sam. This is Alec, he said he would wait until I got another ride." Alec nods along with Sam's words as Meg raises a brow. "Ah. Not my type." She coos out, Sam looks between them in confusion as Alec clears his throat and looks away with a small blush.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

𝑴𝒂𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒏 π’˜π’‚π’π’Œ into the diner once more, "Oh, hey, Scotty. Can I get a coffee, black?" Scotty walks away to get it. "Oh, and some of that pie, too, while you're at it." He sits at a table after pulling out Maeve's chair for her, next to the couple. "How ya doin'?" The couple waves and smiles. "Just passing through?" Maeve asks them, her smile immediately making them relax. "Road trip." The other woman nods, finding herself happy to talk with the dark haired female. "Hm. Yeah, us too." They nod in response to her words, Dean watches Medusa with a gentle smile. "How long have you two been together?" The girl asks Maeve as Scotty walks over to refill their cider. "I'm sure these people want to eat in peace." Scotty snips in anger, the couple frowning at his rudeness but Maeve ignores him. "Five years. We're recently engaged and Dean here is taking me on our first road trip." Maeve speaks excitedly as Dean turns to Scotty with a cocky smirk. "Just a little friendly conversation."

Scotty walks away with a glare, "Oh, and that coffee, too, man. Thanks." He looks agitated, Maeve keeps talking to the couple while Dean keeps an eye out. "So, what brings you to town?" Maeve asks them, the woman smiles in response. "We just stopped for gas. And, uh, the guy at the gas station saved our lives." Maeve frowns in confusion, "Is that right?" Dean asks, wrapping his arm around Maeve's shoulder. "Yeah, one of our brake lines was leaking. We had no idea. He was fixing it for us." Maeve's eyes widened in fake shock, "Oh, no! They are such nice people." The man laughs lightly at her, Dean really appreciated her taking over. He was glad they seemed to like Maeve, "Yeah." If she could convince them not to leave any later. "So, how long till you're up and runnin'?" Dean asks with a cock of his head. "Sundown."

"Really." He thinks about it for a minute. "To fix a brake line?" The man nods, Maeve suddenly claps her hands together excitedly. "Oh! How about my man here, helps you guys! I mean, you know, he knows a thing or two about cars. That's how we met actually, he fixed my brake line within a jiffy. He could probably have you up and running in about an hour. We wouldn't charge you anything." Maeve gives them a big smile and the girl seems to be swayed as she turns to the man. He frowns awkwardly, "You know, thanks a lot, but I think we'd rather have a mechanic do it." Maeve gives a fake smile, "Oh, no worries! I mean who are you to trust us. Complete strangers, I'm sorry I shouldn't have bothered you." The girl went to shake her head and apologize to Maeve, but they were interrupted by the bell above the cafΓ© door jingling and someone walking in. Scotty comes out from a back room, "Thanks for coming, Sheriff."

Dean look nervous and frustrated, Maeve growing annoyed as the couple frown in confusion. Scotty whispers something in the Sheriff's ear, and they both look at Dean, who looks away. The Sheriff walks over to him, "I'd like a word, please." The woman frowns up at the sheriff, "Leave them alone! We were just talking." She insisted as Maeve smiled smugly up at the man, who glares in response. "Come on. I'm having a bad day already." Dean starts off, trying to be nice about it. "You know what would make it worse?" Dean nods slowly and moves to stand, Maeve scoffs as the woman reaches to grab her hand. "I'm sorry." She breaths out to Maeve who gives her a small smile, "Don't worry about it, nice talking with y'all." The sheriff leads the couple out, Maeve turning to face him as Dean gets into the car. "Just so you know, we know what's going on here. You might want to pack up, because we will be coming for you." She then moves to climb in the passenger seat, shooting the man a wink who flares in anger.

The Sheriff's car is following Dean's car to make sure Dean leaves. When he is gone, the Sheriff turns around and drives back to Burkitsville.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

π‘©π’‚π’„π’Œ 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒔 π’”π’•π’‚π’•π’Šπ’π’, Alec, Sam and Meg are sitting at a table with beers and different foods around them. "So, what, are you on some kind of vacation or something?" Meg laughs, her eyes moving between Alec and Sam who sat next to one another. "Yeah, right. It's all sipping Cristal poolside for me." They laugh, Alec's laugh was tense as he shifted uncomfortably around Meg. He just wanted her to leave, he had planned on leaving a while back, but he didn't want to leave her with Sam. She seemed to have an interest in Sam and he didn't like it at all. "No. I had to get away from my family." Meg lies, "Why?" Sam cocks his head to the side. "I love my parents. And they wanted what's best for me. They just didn't care if I wanted it. I was supposed to be smart. But not smart enough to scare away a husband." Sam smiles awkwardly at her insinuation. "It's just...because my family said so, I was supposed to sit there and do what I was told. So I just went on my own way instead." Sam stares at her, "I'm sorry. The things you say to people you hardly know."

"No, no, it's okay. I know how you feel. Remember that brother I mentioned before, that I was road-tripping with?" Meg nods, "It's, uh, it's kind of the same deal, well he has a girlfriend now which isn't always that great when they got at it like rabbits." The trio grimaced at his words, "Don't get me wrong, I love them both but I wish they wouldn't be so...close when I'm around." Meg laughs gently with a nod, "And that's why you're not riding with him anymore?" Sam shakes his head. Meg raises her beer bottle. "Here's to us. The food might be bad, and the beds might be hard. But at least we're living our own lives. And nobody else's." Sam taps his bottle against Alec's and gives him a wink. Alec blushes lightly before raising his and they both drink.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

𝑰𝒕'𝒔 π’π’Šπ’ˆπ’‰π’•, 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 Interstate. Dean is driving back to Burkitsville, trying to get to the orchard before the couple gets killed. Pulling up to their car, Maeve and Dean get out. "Go. Find them. I'll fix the car." Dean pauses with a confused look but doesn't question her as he opens the trunk and pulls out a weapon. "Be careful." He breaths out as he gives her a quick kiss and takes off. Medusa sighs, turning to the car, she pulls out her pen and lifts up her shirt. Using her pen, she winces as she burn off the tiniest rune she had on her body; which was located on her hip. She lowers her shirt and slips her pen back in her pocket, before shaking her hands out. She blows out a breath, placing her hands on the hood and closing her eyes. Her hands start to glow and the car starts up again, she lets out a laugh. "Bite me, psychos." She cockily says as she turns towards the orchard, her ears perking up at the sound of gun shots and shouts.

"Go! Go!" Maeve runs up to the couple and Dean as they reach the edge of the orchard. Dean cocks his gun and looks around, but the scarecrow has disappeared. The man bends over panting, "What the hell was that?" The man pants out, "Don't ask." Maeve speaks up, turning to the couple. "Your car is fixed, get the hell out of here." They nod together before taking off, as Maeve and Dean make their way back to the impala. Dean throws the gun in the trunk and lets out a sigh, "You burned another one off, didn't you?" Dean asked Maeve as he closes the trunk, she slowly nods. "Don't worry, I won't need to sleep until we figure this out." Dean sighs and shakes his head at her words, "Look, that's not what I'm worried about. I don't want you burning anymore off. Promise me." Dean says, grabbing her hands to hold them. She looks at him with a small smile, "What if I need..." He interrupted her, "I don't care. Whatever you keep doing, it hurts you. I don't like it, you didn't feel the need to burn any off before we met so don't do it because of me. Promise me, please sweetheart." She sighs and nods, "I promise, but only if you understand that I will if I absolutely need too. I won't stand by if you're in danger." He nods back, "Agreed. Only with my permission though." She laughs with an eye roll.

He gives her a kiss, before they climb back into the impala. Dean immediately pulls out his phone, "I'm calling Sam." Medusa nods in agreement; they definitely needed his brain for this one. Sam answered within the second ring of the phone. Maeve watches them speak for a moment before Dean puts the phone on speaker to let her listen in. "The scarecrow climbed off its cross?" Sam asks, his voice filtering through out the impala. "Yeah, I'm tellin' ya. Burkitsville, Indiana. Fun Town." Dean speaks sarcastically, "It didn't kill the couple, did it?" Sam asks again, "No. I can't cope without you, you know." Maeve smirks at Dean's words as Sam laughs. "So, something must be animating it. A spirit." Sam asks again, Maeve speaks up in response; Sam smiling at her voice. "No, it's more than a spirit. It's a god. A Pagan god, anyway." She tells him, "What makes you say that?" Sam asked her gently.

"The annual cycle of its killings? And the fact that the victims are always a man and a woman. Like some kind of fertility right. And you should see the locals. The way they treated this couple. Fattenin' 'em up like a Christmas turkey." Dean explains to his brother who makes a sound of acknowledgment. "The last meal. Given to sacrificial victims." He replies in retaliation, "Yeah, We're thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some Pagan god." Medusa answers back, "So, a god possesses the scarecrow..." Sam pauses with a frown on his face as his eyes trail over to Alex who is passed out on his bag. He still couldn't understand why the man was still around. "And the scarecrow takes its sacrifice. And for another year, the crops won't wilt, and disease won't spread." Sam blinks himself back into the conversation, "Do you know which god you're dealing with?" He asks his brother. "No, not yet."

"Well, you two figure out what it is, you can figure out a way to kill it." Sam tells his brother, Dean pauses with a small frown. "I know. We're actually on our way to a local community college. We've got an appointment with a professor. You know, since I don't have my trusty sidekick geek boy to do all the research." Sam laughs. "You know, if you're hinting you need my help, just ask." Dean clears his throat and shakes his head, only Maeve being able to see him. "I'm not hinting anything. Actually, uhβ€”I want you to know...I mean, don't think..." He pauses, shifting uncomfortably. "Yeah. I'm sorry, too." Sam breaths out gently, "Sam. You were right. You gotta do your own thing. You gotta live your own life." Dean finally admits with a sad look on his face. "Are you serious?" Sam asks, his face pulling into a frown. He wasn't really sure that was what he wanted to hear, "You've always known what you want. And you go after it. You stand up to Dad. And you always have. Hell, I wish Iβ€”anyway...I admire that about you. I'm proud of you, Sammy."

"I don't even know what to say." Sam utters out slowly, "Say you'll take care of yourself." Dean insists, Maeve smiles softly at him. "I will." Sam breaths out, "Call me when you find Dad." Dean replies, "OK. Bye, Dean. Bye, Maeve." Maeve smiles, "Bye, Sammy." He lets out a small laugh as they hang up, Alec wakes up and moves next to Sam. "Who was that?" He asked gently, their shoulders touching as Sam stares down at his phone. "My brother." He breaths out, "What'd he say?" Alec questions gently, "Goodbye." They exchange a look, Alec understands that more than he'd like to admit.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

π‘»π’˜π’ 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓, the couple pull up to the Community College. They make their way inside to talk to the professor they had made an appointment with, "It's not every day I get a research question on Pagan ideology." The professor laughs gently, his eyes slightly scanning over Maeve. She didn't exactly look like the type to want to learn about Pagan culture. "Yeah, well, call it a hobby." Dean grunts out, his arm wrapping around her waist possessively. "But you said you were interested in local lore?" The man asks, raising a brow at the couple. "Mmhmm." Dean responds with a nod, "I'm afraid Indiana isn't really known for its Pagan worship." The man lets out a small laugh, "Well, what if it was imported? You know, like the Pilgrims brought their religion over. Wasn't a lot of this area settled by immigrants?" Maeve asks the man, giving him a raised eyebrow. "Well, yeah."

"Like that town near here, Burkitsville. Where are their ancestors from?" Maeve asks again, "Uh, northern Europe, I believe, Scandinavia." The man frowns in slight confusion. "What could you tell us about those Pagan gods?" Dean asks, the trio make their way downstairs towards the professor's office. "Well, there are hundreds of Norse gods and goddesses." He replies, "We're actually looking for one. Might live in an orchard." A few moments later, the professor puts a large book down on a table and opens it. "Woods god, hm? Well, let's see." He leafs through some pages. On one page, Dean notices a picture of a scarecrow on a post surrounded by farmers in a field. Maeve frowns at the sight of it, she wonders what she looks like on paper. Technically being a god and all, "Wait, wait, wait. What's that one?" Dean points to it, "Oh, that's not a woods god, per se." He starts reading, "The V-Vanir?"

The professor nods, "The Vanir were Norse gods of protection and prosperity, keeping the local settlements safe from harm. Some villages built effigies of the Vanir in their fields. Other villages practiced human sacrifice. One male, and one female." He points to the picture, "Kind of looks like a scarecrow, huh?" Maeve asks, giving Dean a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "I suppose." The professor breaths out, looking between the couple with a small frown. Dean continues reading, "This particular Vanir that's energy sprung from the sacred tree?" He questions, his brows furrowing. "Well, Pagans believed all sorts of things were infused with magic." Maeve speaks up, both males turning to her, she shrugs back in response. She's been alive for a long time, it shouldn't come as a shock that she knew a few things.

She didn't know a lot about other supernatural beings, she tended to stay away from anything related because it brought up bad memories, but she did know a few things about myths, legends, and history. "So what would happen if the sacred tree was torched? You think it'd kill the god?" He asks Maeve who went to answer but was interrupted by the professor laughing. "Son, these are just legends we're discussing." He snips slightly towards Dean with a glare. "Oh, of course. Yeah, you're right. Listen, thank you very much." He shakes the professor's hand. "Glad I could help." Dean walks to the classroom door, Maeve following close behind. When he opens it, the Sheriff hits him on the head with the end of his rifle. "Dean!" Maeve shouts before something hits the back of her head and she goes down. Dean falls to the ground, and the Sheriff and the professor exchange a knowing look.

Dean and Maeve are lying together unconscious when the cellar door opens and Emily is there, being held by her aunt and uncle. She is crying. "Aunt Stacy. Uncle Harley, please." They bring her down the stairs, next to Dean and Maeve and go back upstairs. "Why are you doing this?" Stacy turns to her niece. "For the common good." She shuts the cellar door, Maeve, Dean and Emily are left in the dark.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

π‘©π’‚π’„π’Œ 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 bus station, Meg is gathering her things. Sam is trying to call Dean on his cell phone. "Hey. Our bus came in." Sam hangs up the phone, shaking his head. "You better catch it. I gotta go." He puts on his backpack, Alec watches him with a raised eyebrow as he gathers his things as well. "Go where?" Meg asks him with a frown, "Burkitsville." Sam replies, moving towards the door. "Sam, wait." Meg scoffs as she grabs his arm to pull him to a stop. "I've been trying to call my brother for the last three hours. I'm just getting his voicemail." Sam explains to her, "Well, maybe his phone's turned off." Alec points out, he didn't want to side with Meg, but it was still a possibility. "No, that's not like him. Alec, I think he might be in trouble." Sam breaths out, turning to face his new friend. "What kind of trouble?" Meg asks, trying to get his attention back on her. "I can't really explain right now. I'm sorry, look, I don't want you to miss your bus."

"But I don't understand. You're running back to your brother? The guy you ran away from? Why, because he won't pick up his phone? Samβ€”come with me to California." She laughs in disbelief, "I can't. I'm sorry." Sam breaths out, not noticing the smug look Alec shoots her over his shoulder. "Why not?" She snips, "He's my family." Sam turns to face Alec, "Hey, can I ask for a favor?" Sam asks, Alec smiles in response before the pair leave. Meg watches him go, close to tears.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

π‘©π’‚π’„π’Œ π’Šπ’ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓, Dean is trying to open the cellar door, but he fails. Maeve is sitting on top of a crate, watching him as Emily paces and cries. "I don't understand. They're gonna kill us?" Emily asks Maeve who had explained the situation when they woke up. "Sacrifice us. Which is, I don't know, classier, I guess?" Dean walks over to her. "You really didn't know anything about this, did you?" He asks, moving to sit next to his girlfriend. "About what? The scarecrow god? I can't believe this." She starts to tear up again, "Well, you better start believing, cause we're gonna need your help." Maeve tells her, she nods; wiping her nose. "Okay." She breaths out with a nod, "Now, we can destroy the scarecrow, but we gotta find the tree." She frowns in confusion, "What tree?" She asks them, looking between the couple with a frown. "Maybe you can help us with that. It would be really old. The locals would treat it with a lot of respect, you know, like it was sacred."

"There was this one apple tree. The immigrants brought it over with them. They call it the First Tree." Emily explains after realizing what they were asking about. "Is it in the orchard?" Maeve asks, "Yeah, but I don't know where." The cellar door opens and the four elders are standing there. "It's time." Medusa, Dean and Emily look at each other, nervous.

In the orchard, the elders are tying Dean, Maeve and Emily to two adjacent trees. "How many people have you killed, Sheriff? How much blood is on your hands?" Maeve hissed up at the man with a glare, "We don't kill them." He responds with a smug smirk on his face. "No, but you sure cover up after. I mean, how many cars have you hidden, clothes have you buried?" The Sheriff walks away, "Uncle Harley, please." Emily begs as she struggles. "I am so sorry, Em. I wish it wasn't you but we don't know if the god will just be happy with them after what they did." Her uncle shoots the couple a nasty glare. "Try to understand. It's our responsibility. And there's just no other choice. There's nobody else but you." Her aunt utters out with a smile, "I'm your family." Emily cries, "Sweetheart, that's what sacrifice means. Giving up something you love for the greater good. The town needs to be safe. The good of the many outweighs the good of the one." The four elders walk away.

"I hope your apple pie is freakin' worth it!" Dean shouts at them, "So, what's the plan?" Maeve asks from her own tree that she was tied too. "I'm workin' on it and no you can't use your powers." Maeve grumbles lowly under her breath as Dean shoots her a look.

Hours later, Dean continues to struggle with the ropes; Maeve had ended up passing out from the removal of her rune. Dean watching over her, he would shout to wake her if he needed too, but he was honestly glad she was sleeping. At least that way, when she wakes up; she would be in fighting shape. "You don't have a plan, do you?" Dean grunts in annoyance at Emily's words. "I'm workin' on it. Can you see?" Dean asks, he couldn't turn far enough to see the scarecrow. "What?" Emily asks with a frown, "Is he moving yet?" Dean questions in response, "I can't see." A shadow is seen moving near the trees. "Oh my God." As it moves closer, Dean tries to untie his ropes. His eyes widening when he notices Maeve was gone. "Maeve!" Dean shouts in horror at the same time as Emily shouts. "Oh my God!" Sam comes out from behind the trees as Maeve pops up around Emily, who jumps at the sight of her. "I got you." Medusa grins at Emily as she starts to untie her while Sam moves over to his brother. "Dean?" Sam asks in relief, he had seen Maeve and untied her, but didn't notice Dean right away since it was dark.

Dean looks between them overjoyed, "Oh! Oh, I take everything back I said. I'm so happy to see you. Come on." Sam begins untying Dean from the tree. "How'd you get here?" Maeve asks Sam as she and Emily moved over to them, Sam still trying to untie Dean. "I, uh... Got dropped off in town and then stole a car." He explains with a small smile, "Haha! That's my boy! And keep an eye on that scarecrow. He could come alive any minute." Dean tells his brother.

"What scarecrow?" Dean gets up and sees the scarecrow's post is empty. He and Sam exchange a nervous look before the four of them take off running. "Alright, now, this sacred tree you're talking about..." Sam breaths out as they come to a stop, "It's the source of its power." Dean and Maeve speak together. "So let's find it and burn it." Sam insists, Dean shakes his head. "Nah, in the morning. Let's just shag ass before Leather Face catches up." The four of them reach a clearing. Waiting for them are the elders and a few other townspeople. "This way." They turn around but they are blocked in all directions. "Please. Let us go." Emily cries out immediately, but Harley shakes his head. "It'll be over quickly, I promise." He tells his niece, trying and failing to sound like he cared. "Please." Emily breaths out again, "Emily, you have to let him take you. You have to..." All of a sudden, the scarecrow sticks his sickle through Harley's stomach. Medusa jumps slightly in shock at the sight as Emily and Stacy scream, then within seconds after Stacy is captured by the scarecrow, too.

Emily runs into Dean's arms while her aunt and uncle are dragged away by the scarecrow. Medusa raises a brow at the sight, which immediately causes Sam to laugh and Dean to gently push the girl away from him. The rest of the townspeople run away in fright. "Come on, let's go." Medusa, Sam, Dean, and Emily start running. They hear a noise and turn around, but the scarecrow and its victims have disappeared. The four of them stay there and look around, its takes them a few hours but Maeve, Sam, Dean, and Emily finally find it. They walk toward the sacred tree with gasoline and a lighter, which is marked with Vince's tattoo design. Sam goes to the tree and pours the gasoline on it. Dean picks up a long branch and lights it. "Let me." Emily takes the branch from Dean. "You know, the whole town's gonna die." Maeve speaks up, "Good." She throws the burning branch onto the tree, and the three of them watch it go up in flames.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

π‘»π’‰π’†π’š 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒕 the bus stop out of town, Emily is getting on a bus to Boston. She smiles at Dean and Maeve, who wave to her. She waves back to them with a wide smile and takes a seat. Dean, Maeve and Sam watch the bus leave. "Think she's gonna be alright?" Sam asks, looking towards Maeve who smiles in response. "I hope so." She breaths out, "And the rest of the townspeople, they'll just get away with it?" Sam asks, cocking his head to the side with a frown of annoyance at the thought of them getting away with it. "Well, what'll happen to the town will have to be punishment enough." They start walking to Dean's car. "So, can I drop you off somewhere?" Dean hesitates to ask his brother, slowly looking towards him. "No, I think you're stuck with me." They stop at the car, "What made you change your mind?"

"I didn't. I still wanna find Dad. And you're still a pain in the ass." Dean nods with a smile, "But, Jess and Momβ€”they're both gone. Dad is God knows where. You, me and Maeve. We're all that's left. So, if we're gonna see this through, we're gonna do it together." Dean pauses for a moment, "Hold me, Sam. That was beautiful." He puts his hand on Sam's shoulder, who hits it away. They laugh and Maeve smiles at the brothers, happy that they made up. "You should be kissing my ass, you two were dead meat, dude." Sam spoke with a laugh, Maeve let out a small noise of disagreement. "Yeah, right. I had a plan, I'd have gotten out." Dean explains with a laugh, "Right." They smile and get in the car. Sam's eyes make eye contact with Maeve who gives him a small smile before she lays down for sleep off the latest adventure. Turning to face the window, his mind couldn't help but go back to Alec; he kinda missed the man.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

𝑨𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐 π’”π’Šπ’ˆπ’‰π’” 𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆 makes his way inside his newest motel room, throwing himself back onto his bed. "Come on, Medusa. Where are you?" He breaths out into the open before sitting up again and making his way to the bathroom. Tonight, he would sleep it off and tomorrow start searching again.

After all, she was his only family he had left.

π•†π•œ, π•˜π•¦π•ͺ𝕀 π•’π•Ÿπ• π•₯𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕑π•₯𝕖𝕣!!!

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𝕀 π•”π•’π•Ÿ'π•₯ π•’π•‘π•‘π•£π•–π•”π•šπ•’π•₯𝕖 π•ͺ𝕒'𝕝𝕝 π•–π•Ÿπ• π•¦π•˜π•™!

𝟟,πŸ‘πŸ˜πŸ› π•Žπ• π•£π••π•€