everyonelives | there are prizes all around you if you're wise enough to see

( Dean collects a bag of road trip essentials and hangs back at the front counter with his brother, just 'Dude,' eyes.

He and his brother have a few minutes to download away from everyone and he needs to talk about it. It's Mary all over again. )

[Sam shares that expression and follows his brother off to the coffee counter, reaching for a cup to start to fix one for himself and one for Elena.]

Rowena doesn't think Ezra is off the mark. This could be a long term thing or this could just be a way to generate extra bodies for Hernandez to jump into once she's ganked.

If they're only back to be Hernandez' meatsuits, then what do you think happens when she's ganked?

( Is that her failsafe? )

They all go up in smoke? Or drop dead right there?

( Elena doesn't deserve to lose her parents again. )

I think when she's ganked, she jumps into one of them. Not sure what happens to the other two.

[He puts the to-go lid on each of the cups.]

She says it's probably in the runes on them - possibly the ones on Elena and the Sullivans too. She asked me to send her some pictures when we get back to the bunker.

( Dean closes his eyes, taking one of the cups preliminarily. Just to have something to do with his hands. He knew it, but he didn't like the sound of it. )

And Ezra's diagnostics? This a second opinion thing? Not that I think we shouldn't get one.

I think we need as much information as we can get.

[Ezra seems to be familiar but given the age of the witch they're dealing with, there might be differences in how the spell work was done in the sixteen hundreds versus now.]

Rowena had a rune expert she brought in for Damian. I can try and see if he'll help us?

Yeah, all hands.

( he locks eyes with Grayson who's looking at them. he can only imagine the thoughts going through his head.

a small insecurity crops up. because even in all the death and dire warnings, Winchesters can always talk personal. )

When they were alive, I was some punk kid and you were the quiet angel. My relationship's not DOA, right?

[Sam snorts as he picks up the coffees to take to the register.]

She's dated two fairly infamous vampires. Compared to them, you're practically the golden boy. I think you'll be the least of their concerns.

[It's always nice when the bar you have to measure up to is being set by Stefan Salvatore.]

( and also Damon Salvatore, but nobody mentions Damon, right? )

Easy for you to say, you're not attached to their now-grown daughter.

In the long run, her opinion is the one that matters. And I'm pretty sure she wants you to stick around.

[Elena will reaffirm this later, but hopefully Dean will trust Sam for now.]

( and either way, the four become a group again as Elena's parents bring their choices to the counter and set them down with Dean's.

"Thank you," Grayson says, gratefully. Even though he should eat, he's not hungry. Everything unsaid just sits between them all, doesn't it. )

[Yes, yes it does.]

So I'm going to reach out to a rune expert we know to see if they can help figure out what exactly it is that's going on. Hopefully we'll be able to come up with some answers.

And that will get to the bottom of why me, my wife and their dead son are suddenly alive again.

( And what comes next. )

That's the plan.

[He pauses as he tries to work through how to be reassuring when he doesn't have any answers.]

Look, the concoction they had you drink? Holy water and vervain in a silver flask. So as far as we can tell, you're human. Everything else, we can figure out.

( While Sam and Grayson, and Miranda step away, Dean pays for their spoils. )

As far as you can tell better take us as far as we need it to.

( Namely, with answers, and time with his daughter. And maybe - it's too soon to say - but, whatever comes next. Even though it feels more like vampire business.

He already has a network of contacts he wants to get in touch with. Sheila. Abby, if he can track her down. Wes Maxwell, who is probably running the place by now.

"Let's load out," Dean says, bags in hand. )

[Vampire business, witch business, it's all supernatural business in the end. But Sam nods to his brother and off they go to meet Elena back at the car.]

I can't make any promises, but we'll do our best.

[After all this time, Sam isn't one to give hope where there isn't any. He will try but he won't make any promises he can't keep, given there is a twist coming.]

( Grayson tears open his trail mix, takes a handful and offers it to his wife. If he thinks about it, he's actually starving. )

there are prizes all around you if you're wise enough to see

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