Blood has always been a powerful thing. Blood bonds. Blood keeps us alive. Blood courses through everything we do. Elena had been taken for her blood. The Colony's blood has been keeping them alive for centuries. Too much blood has been shed.
Especially tonight.
**
Once the action is over, Russell laughs. It's the end of a long curse for him, so Dean cuts the guy some slack. Sierra seems to have a different expression on her face. In the face of brutal death, what proceeds couldn't be called pleasantries, but politeness. People are introduced, dead bodies are explained.
At the top of the stairs, Dean presses harder. What did Matt do. It's made clear to him Matt didn't do anything. The spell Elena was under called him in, sort of like a spirit guide, but Elena guesses he was meant to be a distraction. He didn't do this, she swears. Can they all just get downstairs?
As Sierra leads them back down the third floor hallway, on the first, Stefan and Elijah take care of the final fleeing witches, while Jeremy and Buffy do a sweep of the first floor. He wants to be there when his sister comes down, to see she's in one piece, and Sam says that Dean messaged him. Like they all felt when it was done. Everyone's dead.
Jeremy and Buffy come upon a gruesome scene in the makeshift chapel.
Outside, Allison sits, bow poised, but not up, just in case. Sam has given her the signal. It's okay. But, she knows she should be out here in case there are runners.
There are always runners.
Years before, Jo Harvelle is released, her unwanted debt to Osiris with it. The lighter drops as gas pours into the small motel room. When she reappears, it's not at Peace, it's not in Heaven, but under the cover of a gray sky. Without the cloaking spell, the infernal night that covered is now an overcast gray.
Allison, at the ready, here's the change in weight when Jo materializes and her foot touches a pile of pebbles. She spins her crossbow around.
[Jo Harvelle does not know where she is, and that's not ... wholly unusual. She's not quite at peace but also not quite alive so she lives in an in-between that comes and goes depending on the whims of the powerful beacons of the world. She likes to drift sometimes, to follow the people she loves and pop in on what they're up to, but it's not a linear thing.
What she does know is that she knew she was with Dean in a motel somewhere in Michigan, and now she's somewhere else, near a house far too extravagant to be to the taste of anyone she knows. She feels her foot scuff against the pebbles and then there's a voice telling her to put her hands up so naturally, being the one unarmed, she does as she's told.]
Alright, alright. I'm unarmed.
[She turns slowly to face a dark-haired woman with a crossbow. Naturally, she feels her breathing start to pick up as adrenaline kicks in, and then she realizes she's breathing. Her hand comes down in front of her mouth, feeling the warm puffs of air brush against her skin. Then she moves that hand to her throat, try to find her pulse and feeling her stomach drop when she can.
The woman probably isn't expecting any of these reactions, and she probably is even more confused when Jo lets out a breathless:]
( It doesn't take Allison long to recognize someone reappearing and checking their vital signs. Unfortunately for Jo, there are more than a dozen dead witches inside. She could be someone who made a pact or someone whose life was linked to hers, or some other factor. She isn't dressed like the Colony witches, which Allison does acknowledge in her mind. She just doesn't know what to do from here. )
Keep your hands where I can see them. And, no wrist flicking, I'm the best shot here.
( And she is very unlucky for Allison to be the one.
Still, she doesn't assess threat right away. She also knows threats don't always make themselves known. Sometimes they disguise themselves. She needs backup. She calls back behind her into the house, but doesn't turn, keeping that crossbow trained on this - alive woman. )
Sam! ( And then, because she thinks she's a good judge of honesty. ) Are you Colony?
[Wrist flicking? Jo blinks at her in confusion but "Colony" is a name she knows. Coven, wasn't it? That makes the request make a little more sense as she shakes her head.]
No, I'm a hunter.
[Or at least she was. Does muscle memory still work after you've been dead so long? Her whole body feels out of sorts. and eventually her eyes land on the very familiar shape of a very familiar Chevy Impala.
Then she registers that she heard the name Sam.
And the shock flickers briefly into anger because:]
Oh, I'm gonna kill him.
[That is probably not the thing to say, but Sam will be arriving on the next tag to smooth things over ... probably.]
( That has her lowering her crossbow. Hunter fits much more into her look, demeanor and general surprise at breathing. )
Were you being held captive inside?
( She sets the crossbow down on the ledge and makes her way down the steps to help if she's needed. She watches Jo clock the Impala, look past the both of them and then Allison looks behind her. )
Dean?
( If there's a brother in the Impala people usually want to kill, it's Dean. )
Sam, you should get out here! Do you know Sam and Dean? Do you need to me to get Dean or -
[Sam rounds the corner the second time Allison calls his name, and he stops dead in his tracks the minute he sees the other woman. His face drops into puppy eyes almost immediately, unsure how to process what he's seeing.
"Jo?"
Jo's eyes flare as she turns on him.]
What did you do?
["I didn't ... I mean, I don't know -"
Jo glaring daggers.]
You were just supposed to kill Osiris so I didn't have to kill Dean. You weren't supposed to bring me back from the dead.
[A pause as Sam is starting to do the math, finding the point in the timeline she's referring to, almost ten years ago now. Jo tries to read what's happening on his face.]
Or was it the other idiot? I swear to God, if Dean did something stupid -
["He didn't. Or, at least, I'm pretty sure he didn't." Sam glances back to the car and holds up a finger. "Hold on, let me get the whiskey."
Jo nods, some of the anger recessing.]
Yes. Good. Test me so I can go find Dean and figure out what he did.
( Allison lets her and Sam volley. Jo. There's another Jo. She suspects Sam did something - to Osiris? The Egyptian god? Kill Dean? Is Osiris involved in the Colony? )
What did I miss being outside?
( Does the Colony go straight to the top of the Egyptian pyramid? Literally? Or, inside, if it's literally - literally. )
Look, I don't think Dean did anything. I'm Allison - Dean's also inside, but - he wasn't here for you. Is Osiris at the head of the Colony?
[Because she does feel bad for exploding all over this other hunter, but she can't help but feel tense as Sam rifles through the car. She doesn't want to be something and there's so many somethings she could be.]
No. Osiris is the Egyptian god of the dead. He's drawn to guilt and puts his victims on trial before using the ghosts of their guilt to do it. He was targeting Dean, I was one of his star witnesses.
[The sarcasm is clear as she waits for Sam to return. She doesn't know what's going on with the Colony. Maybe they can fill her in.
Sam will clear up this much though: "Yeah, and I did kill Osiris, but that was almost ten years ago." He tosses her the flask and she catches it, slowly processing that information. Ten years. Felt like yesterday but when you're a ghost you don't really have very many lucid moments.
Her fingers slip against the silver of the flask - no smoke. That's a small bit of relief. Then, she opens the top and takes a swig, swallowing down the holy water-verain-whiskey mixture that tastes awful. No smoke. Not a demon or a vampire.
Sam immediately crosses the small distance to her and pulls her into his arms and Jo lets herself sink into it for a moment. Sam is real and warm and she can touch him without falling through him and - ]
What the hell is going on, Sam?
["I don't know. But I can't say I'm sad to see you either."]
( Things shake out pretty clearly from there, considering she knows the Harvelle's story. Now that she's been reminded, Jo looks just like her picture, and she's been dead, like Sam said, for nearly ten years, if not more.
She makes the connection to what was happening ten years ago with Osiris and tables the fact that her boyfriend killed Osiris.
She stiffens as Jo takes all the signs and passes with flying colors. She's human again. And alive. )
Well, we could go in to see Dean, but something tells me he doesn't have any more of a clue than we do. It's nice to meet you, Jo. Sorry for holding you at crossbow point. We were in the middle of something. We kind of still are?
( Is everything clear now, her eyes ask Sam. She doesn't want to give too much information or freak Jo out. Any more... than she already might be. )
[And there's the frustration-anger-mix as she remembers that she still has another Winchester to interrogate.
She loves these boys. Loves them like brothers, even if at times things had been more complicated. But she is not about to let them purloin what little is left of their souls on her account, especially so far down the line.]
Yes. Let's go find Dean and make sure he also hasn't done anything stupid lately.
[Sam sighs, exasperated, but nods. "Yeah, it's done. Might be a bit messy though."
Jo shakes her head.]
I can handle a little mess.
[And with that she turns and stalks off towards the mansion, taking in the blood splattered across the marble floor and the unfamiliar faces, scanning through until they land on one she knows all too well.]
Dean, what the hell did you do?
[You missed her, didn't you? You know you missed her.]
( Allison decides, well, Jo decides for all of them, that it's in everyone's best interests to find Dean.
Dean, on the phone -
"If her name shortens to Fred, have her call Cordy, pretty sure she's on team --" Jody can hear that through the phone, as can everyone else on the first floor, practically, maybe even Elena down the hall. "Jody, Cordelia's going to want to speak to her," he says, unhelpfully, because, well, he has to hang up now.
"Jo?" he asks, because, what else can he ask. "What's going on here?"
Matt, because, we are back to Matt, this eventually will be the Matt and Jo show, is seated on one of the steps, letting all everyone get through what they have to. Elena's getting stitches, they're going to call Ty together, Jeremy's joined him, making some small talk - but that small talk quiets. Jo's loud. )
[She stares Dean down, and yes she is loud. Ellen Harvelle didn't raise a girl who knew how to be quiet to benefit other people. Also she's been a ghost for so long it's nice to say something and actually be heard.]
All I know is that I woke up in that field with a heart beat and the need to breathe and no one seems to know why.
[Sam comes up behind her, giving his brother an exasperated look over her head, but will also take the flask and pass it to Matt.
"Take a sip. Just to cover our bases." Because that is originally went out to the car for, and to check in with Allison. Jo catches that, before glancing to Matt, studying him curiously.]
( Matt pulls himself up, accepting the - rank whiskey - making a face and answering her a bit faintly. He wipes the back of his mouth. )
If you mean you're not the only one back from the dead today, no, you're not. But, I was kind of a spirit guide beforehand, so I thought that was it. Maybe it's not?
( He obviously doesn't know.
Dean, still incredulous, phone still in his hand sees, "It's Cas," he says, suddenly very skeptical of all of this. He answers, like he knows what's going to be said. Upsetting the natural balance, or something. "Yeah?" No time for pleasantries. )
[At least not last what she remembers. Dean seems busy on the phone so Jo lets him go, making her way over to where Sam and Matt are standing. Her eyes go back over the bloodstains again, and she raises an eyebrow.]
When you said it was messy, you weren't kidding.
[Sam makes a face. "Witches."
Jo nods.]
Hopefully that's all their insides and none of yours.
[It seems safer to talk shop rather than delve into her feelings. She then glances over to the other guy Sam tested and raises an eyebrow.]
[She cuts off when Castiel lands in the middle of the mansion, now that the angel wards are down, and when Jo sees who's with him, there's a whole other wave of emotions that rolls through her, sorry Matt, she'll be back.]
( "Who's the blonde piece," goes unsaid before she and her daughter reunite. She wraps her arms around her like she'll never let her go again, even if she's a grown woman. And last she knew, she was doing her own jobs.
Dean hangs up, exchanges a look with Sam, and then comes back inside to witness the mother and child reunion.
"What the hell's going on," he says to his brother. )
[All of this feels insane, and Sam isn't really sure what to make of it. But he can't say he's upset to see the Harvelles. Nor can he say that things aren't going to get more complicated.]
Yeah, one of Cordy's old friends. Remember, she tried to get the gang back together, but they just brought back Billy Idol and Barry Manilow. Well, Fred woke up in some laundromat. It has to be related.
( He holds up his phone, shaking it. He's sent up a bat signal. He assumes they'll have some responses in a few hours. Their network's pretty far-reaching now. )
You mean, you don't vote we sleep in the old witch murder house?
[The bodies aren't even burned yet, and he wouldn't put it past anything in that house to be vengeful. He glances over their people and starts to do the math. Him and Allison, Jeremy and Matt, Jo and Ellen, Elena and Dean, Buffy and Stefan - ]
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everyonelives2025-10-11 07:15 am
BALTIMORE | EVERGREEN MANSION | MATT, JO, AND THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH
Especially tonight.
**
Once the action is over, Russell laughs. It's the end of a long curse for him, so Dean cuts the guy some slack. Sierra seems to have a different expression on her face. In the face of brutal death, what proceeds couldn't be called pleasantries, but politeness. People are introduced, dead bodies are explained.
At the top of the stairs, Dean presses harder. What did Matt do. It's made clear to him Matt didn't do anything. The spell Elena was under called him in, sort of like a spirit guide, but Elena guesses he was meant to be a distraction. He didn't do this, she swears. Can they all just get downstairs?
As Sierra leads them back down the third floor hallway, on the first, Stefan and Elijah take care of the final fleeing witches, while Jeremy and Buffy do a sweep of the first floor. He wants to be there when his sister comes down, to see she's in one piece, and Sam says that Dean messaged him. Like they all felt when it was done. Everyone's dead.
Jeremy and Buffy come upon a gruesome scene in the makeshift chapel.
Outside, Allison sits, bow poised, but not up, just in case. Sam has given her the signal. It's okay. But, she knows she should be out here in case there are runners.
There are always runners.
Years before, Jo Harvelle is released, her unwanted debt to Osiris with it. The lighter drops as gas pours into the small motel room. When she reappears, it's not at Peace, it's not in Heaven, but under the cover of a gray sky. Without the cloaking spell, the infernal night that covered is now an overcast gray.
Allison, at the ready, here's the change in weight when Jo materializes and her foot touches a pile of pebbles. She spins her crossbow around.
"Hands up," she says. )
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What she does know is that she knew she was with Dean in a motel somewhere in Michigan, and now she's somewhere else, near a house far too extravagant to be to the taste of anyone she knows. She feels her foot scuff against the pebbles and then there's a voice telling her to put her hands up so naturally, being the one unarmed, she does as she's told.]
Alright, alright. I'm unarmed.
[She turns slowly to face a dark-haired woman with a crossbow. Naturally, she feels her breathing start to pick up as adrenaline kicks in, and then she realizes she's breathing. Her hand comes down in front of her mouth, feeling the warm puffs of air brush against her skin. Then she moves that hand to her throat, try to find her pulse and feeling her stomach drop when she can.
The woman probably isn't expecting any of these reactions, and she probably is even more confused when Jo lets out a breathless:]
What the fuck?
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Keep your hands where I can see them. And, no wrist flicking, I'm the best shot here.
( And she is very unlucky for Allison to be the one.
Still, she doesn't assess threat right away. She also knows threats don't always make themselves known. Sometimes they disguise themselves. She needs backup. She calls back behind her into the house, but doesn't turn, keeping that crossbow trained on this - alive woman. )
Sam! ( And then, because she thinks she's a good judge of honesty. ) Are you Colony?
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No, I'm a hunter.
[Or at least she was. Does muscle memory still work after you've been dead so long? Her whole body feels out of sorts. and eventually her eyes land on the very familiar shape of a very familiar Chevy Impala.
Then she registers that she heard the name Sam.
And the shock flickers briefly into anger because:]
Oh, I'm gonna kill him.
[That is probably not the thing to say, but Sam will be arriving on the next tag to smooth things over ... probably.]
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Were you being held captive inside?
( She sets the crossbow down on the ledge and makes her way down the steps to help if she's needed. She watches Jo clock the Impala, look past the both of them and then Allison looks behind her. )
Dean?
( If there's a brother in the Impala people usually want to kill, it's Dean. )
Sam, you should get out here! Do you know Sam and Dean? Do you need to me to get Dean or -
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"Jo?"
Jo's eyes flare as she turns on him.]
What did you do?
["I didn't ... I mean, I don't know -"
Jo glaring daggers.]
You were just supposed to kill Osiris so I didn't have to kill Dean. You weren't supposed to bring me back from the dead.
[A pause as Sam is starting to do the math, finding the point in the timeline she's referring to, almost ten years ago now. Jo tries to read what's happening on his face.]
Or was it the other idiot? I swear to God, if Dean did something stupid -
["He didn't. Or, at least, I'm pretty sure he didn't." Sam glances back to the car and holds up a finger. "Hold on, let me get the whiskey."
Jo nods, some of the anger recessing.]
Yes. Good. Test me so I can go find Dean and figure out what he did.
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What did I miss being outside?
( Does the Colony go straight to the top of the Egyptian pyramid? Literally? Or, inside, if it's literally - literally. )
Look, I don't think Dean did anything. I'm Allison - Dean's also inside, but - he wasn't here for you. Is Osiris at the head of the Colony?
( Osiris is not Mayflower! )
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[Because she does feel bad for exploding all over this other hunter, but she can't help but feel tense as Sam rifles through the car. She doesn't want to be something and there's so many somethings she could be.]
No. Osiris is the Egyptian god of the dead. He's drawn to guilt and puts his victims on trial before using the ghosts of their guilt to do it. He was targeting Dean, I was one of his star witnesses.
[The sarcasm is clear as she waits for Sam to return. She doesn't know what's going on with the Colony. Maybe they can fill her in.
Sam will clear up this much though: "Yeah, and I did kill Osiris, but that was almost ten years ago." He tosses her the flask and she catches it, slowly processing that information. Ten years. Felt like yesterday but when you're a ghost you don't really have very many lucid moments.
Her fingers slip against the silver of the flask - no smoke. That's a small bit of relief. Then, she opens the top and takes a swig, swallowing down the holy water-verain-whiskey mixture that tastes awful. No smoke. Not a demon or a vampire.
Sam immediately crosses the small distance to her and pulls her into his arms and Jo lets herself sink into it for a moment. Sam is real and warm and she can touch him without falling through him and - ]
What the hell is going on, Sam?
["I don't know. But I can't say I'm sad to see you either."]
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She makes the connection to what was happening ten years ago with Osiris and tables the fact that her boyfriend killed Osiris.
She stiffens as Jo takes all the signs and passes with flying colors. She's human again. And alive. )
Well, we could go in to see Dean, but something tells me he doesn't have any more of a clue than we do. It's nice to meet you, Jo. Sorry for holding you at crossbow point. We were in the middle of something. We kind of still are?
( Is everything clear now, her eyes ask Sam. She doesn't want to give too much information or freak Jo out. Any more... than she already might be. )
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She loves these boys. Loves them like brothers, even if at times things had been more complicated. But she is not about to let them purloin what little is left of their souls on her account, especially so far down the line.]
Yes. Let's go find Dean and make sure he also hasn't done anything stupid lately.
[Sam sighs, exasperated, but nods. "Yeah, it's done. Might be a bit messy though."
Jo shakes her head.]
I can handle a little mess.
[And with that she turns and stalks off towards the mansion, taking in the blood splattered across the marble floor and the unfamiliar faces, scanning through until they land on one she knows all too well.]
Dean, what the hell did you do?
[You missed her, didn't you? You know you missed her.]
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( Allison decides, well, Jo decides for all of them, that it's in everyone's best interests to find Dean.
Dean, on the phone -
"If her name shortens to Fred, have her call Cordy, pretty sure she's on team --" Jody can hear that through the phone, as can everyone else on the first floor, practically, maybe even Elena down the hall. "Jody, Cordelia's going to want to speak to her," he says, unhelpfully, because, well, he has to hang up now.
"Jo?" he asks, because, what else can he ask. "What's going on here?"
Matt, because, we are back to Matt, this eventually will be the Matt and Jo show, is seated on one of the steps, letting all everyone get through what they have to. Elena's getting stitches, they're going to call Ty together, Jeremy's joined him, making some small talk - but that small talk quiets. Jo's loud. )
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[She stares Dean down, and yes she is loud. Ellen Harvelle didn't raise a girl who knew how to be quiet to benefit other people. Also she's been a ghost for so long it's nice to say something and actually be heard.]
All I know is that I woke up in that field with a heart beat and the need to breathe and no one seems to know why.
[Sam comes up behind her, giving his brother an exasperated look over her head, but will also take the flask and pass it to Matt.
"Take a sip. Just to cover our bases." Because that is originally went out to the car for, and to check in with Allison. Jo catches that, before glancing to Matt, studying him curiously.]
I'm not the only one?
no subject
If you mean you're not the only one back from the dead today, no, you're not. But, I was kind of a spirit guide beforehand, so I thought that was it. Maybe it's not?
( He obviously doesn't know.
Dean, still incredulous, phone still in his hand sees, "It's Cas," he says, suddenly very skeptical of all of this. He answers, like he knows what's going to be said. Upsetting the natural balance, or something. "Yeah?" No time for pleasantries. )
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[At least not last what she remembers. Dean seems busy on the phone so Jo lets him go, making her way over to where Sam and Matt are standing. Her eyes go back over the bloodstains again, and she raises an eyebrow.]
When you said it was messy, you weren't kidding.
[Sam makes a face. "Witches."
Jo nods.]
Hopefully that's all their insides and none of yours.
[It seems safer to talk shop rather than delve into her feelings. She then glances over to the other guy Sam tested and raises an eyebrow.]
Jo. You?
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( He's still running on the adrenaline, but look at the blood. He survived. )
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Lucky you.
[Sam gives her shoulder a squeeze as Dean summons him out of the mansion. Jo watches him go before turning back to Matt.]
It's been about that for me too.
[A little longer, probably. Time is a weird thing and she doesn't want to linger on that too long.]
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( If she was at Peace? The longer he's here, the more he doesn't remember people or specifics. But, feelings. Bright contentment. )
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[Them being the Winchesters.]
But for the rest of it time got a bit -
[She cuts off when Castiel lands in the middle of the mansion, now that the angel wards are down, and when Jo sees who's with him, there's a whole other wave of emotions that rolls through her, sorry Matt, she'll be back.]
Mom.
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( "Who's the blonde piece," goes unsaid before she and her daughter reunite. She wraps her arms around her like she'll never let her go again, even if she's a grown woman. And last she knew, she was doing her own jobs.
Dean hangs up, exchanges a look with Sam, and then comes back inside to witness the mother and child reunion.
"What the hell's going on," he says to his brother. )
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I have no idea.
[All of this feels insane, and Sam isn't really sure what to make of it. But he can't say he's upset to see the Harvelles. Nor can he say that things aren't going to get more complicated.]
You said Jody had one too?
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( That's three. )
You know what that means.
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That makes four.]
Here, New Orleans, Sioux Falls - there's probably more.
[Sam rubs his eyes.]
We should probably figure out where we're going to pretend to sleep while we figure all this out.
[It's almost morning but they could probably all at least use a few hours.]
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( He holds up his phone, shaking it. He's sent up a bat signal. He assumes they'll have some responses in a few hours. Their network's pretty far-reaching now. )
You mean, you don't vote we sleep in the old witch murder house?
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[The bodies aren't even burned yet, and he wouldn't put it past anything in that house to be vengeful. He glances over their people and starts to do the math. Him and Allison, Jeremy and Matt, Jo and Ellen, Elena and Dean, Buffy and Stefan - ]
Five rooms, give or take?
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( Something tells him this isn't over. )
Cas mentioned the young werewolf but nothing else. Safe to say they don't have anything to do with us?
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