In the recount of last season's ender, the Impala is struck by a semi, t-boning it, leaving the Winchesters unconscious, perhaps dead. (NOW) - "Bad Moon Rising" still issues from the Impala's speakers as the semi's driver, possessed by a demon, exits the truck. A quarter moon hangs in the dark sky. The driver yanks the door off the Impala and gazes darkly at Sam, who, conscious, points the Colt at him, weakly threatening, "Get back, or I'll kill you, I swear to God." "No you won't," the truck... read more In the recount of last season's ender, the Impala is struck by a semi, t-boning it, leaving the Winchesters unconscious, perhaps dead. (NOW) - "Bad Moon Rising" still issues from the Impala's speakers as the semi's driver, possessed by a demon, exits the truck. A quarter moon hangs in the dark sky. The driver yanks the door off the Impala and gazes darkly at Sam, who, conscious, points the Colt at him, weakly threatening, "Get back, or I'll kill you, I swear to God." "No you won't," the trucker says, "you're saving that bullet for someone else." Sam, his face covered with blood, says, "Wanna bet?" The trucker smiles; the demon exits his body in a plume of loud smoke, obliterating the moon. The man rises to his knees, "Oh my God! Did I do this?" he croaks. "Dad? Dean?" calls Sam, getting no answer from either. "DEAN!" The sun is temporarily covered by a helicopter as paramedics swarm the scene, shouting information to each other. Sam asks the medical personnel to tell him if his father and brother are OK, lifting his head from the stretcher. Stay down, orders a female paramedic. "ARE THEY EVEN ALIVE!" begs Sam over the helicopter's roar. (HOSPITAL CORRIDOR) - Dean sits up in bed. Wearing a tight white t-shirt and form-fitting hospital scrub pants, he steps down and calls for Sam and Dad. Eerily, the hospital appears deserted, until he goes downstairs and tries to talk to the nurse sitting at a desk, who ignores him when he inquires about his kin. Even snapping his fingers in front of her face doesn't catch her attention. Scared, running faster, he finds himself in bed in a hospital room--attached to all sorts of tubes and breathing apparatus! read less

Title - the word SUPERNATURAL in fire, the first A turning into a pentagram.

Sam enters his brother's room, staring at the still form with dread. "Sammy, ya look good," says Dean's spirit. But Sam can't hear him, either. "How's Dad?--he OK?" asks Dean--"you're the psychic--give me some ghost whisperin' or somethin'." A doctor stands in the doorway and tells Sam his father's awake. Sam asks about Dean. Serious injuries--blood loss to liver and kidney, says the doctor, but the head trauma is most worrisome--early signs of cerebral edema--most people with this injury wouldn... read more Sam enters his brother's room, staring at the still form with dread. "Sammy, ya look good," says Dean's spirit. But Sam can't hear him, either. "How's Dad?--he OK?" asks Dean--"you're the psychic--give me some ghost whisperin' or somethin'." A doctor stands in the doorway and tells Sam his father's awake. Sam asks about Dean. Serious injuries--blood loss to liver and kidney, says the doctor, but the head trauma is most worrisome--early signs of cerebral edema--most people with this injury wouldn't have survived this long--he's fighting very hard. Indeed, spirit Dean insists he IS waking up. Find some hoodoo priest to lay some mojo on me, urges Dean, even as the doctor insists Sam have realistic expectations. (JOHN'S ROOM) - John hands over his insurance card to Sam, covering "Elroy McGuillicuddy" and his two loving sons. Sam tells John that if the doctors don't save Dean, THEY will--get some hoodoo priest to lay some mojo on him. (Love how both brothers come up with the exact same phrase.) John promises they'll look, but not that they'll find anything. I found the faith healer, Sam reminds him. One in a million, says John. So, we're going to sit here with our thumbs up our ass? demands Sam, annoyed. John promises to look--now where's the Colt? "Your son is dying, and you're worried about the Colt?" asks Sam, pissed off. The demon might be hunting US, John reminds him, that gun might be our only hope. It's in the trunk, Sam assures him, and Bobby is taking care of the Impala. John orders him to get the Colt and bring it to him--and watch out for hospital security. Sam's got that covered. John also has a list of things he needs from Bobby--protection against demons. Sam asks John if he knew what the demon meant about having plans for him and others like him. No, lies John. Standing against his father's wall with his arms crossed, Dean says, "You sure know something." (SINGER'S SALVAGE YARD) - Bobby and Sam survey the destroyed Impala (wibble!). Bobby suggests they empty the trunk and sell the rest for scrap. Sam pulls his wrecked computer out of the car. "Dean would kill me if we did that," says Sam, "when he gets better, he's going to want to fix this." Bobby insists there's barely any parts worth salvaging. Even if there's only ONE working part, that's enough, says Sam, we're not just gonna give up. . . We know he's talking about both Dean and the car, and so does Bobby, who agrees. Sam hands over John's "demon protection" list, and Bobby gets a weird expression on his face. "What?" asks Sam. "Bobby, what's goin' on?" (HOSPITAL) - John sits at Dean's bedside. "Come on, Dad," pleads Dean's spirit, "you gotta help me, I gotta get better, I gotta get back in there--you haven't called a soul for help, you haven't even tried!--aren't you going to do anything?--aren't you going to say anything?--I've done everything you ever asked me--I've given everything I've ever had--and you're just gonna sit there and watch me die?--what the hell kinda father are you?" Dean hears what sounds like thunder, and asks, "What is that?" Something dashes past him, and he realizes his father didn't see it. He passes people in the hall who don't acknowledge him, and we see what looks like an ugly ghost passing behind him. Then it goes into a room. Someone is on the floor, gasping for air. "I need help!" cries Dean, but when no one responds, he kneels beside the woman himself. "I can't breathe!" she gasps. Dean stares at her, not knowing what to do. read less

Sam enters John's room, Dean telling him there's something in the hospital they have to hunt--Sam must bring him back ASAP! Sam's furious with his father; that list he gave him for Bobby was to SUMMON a demon! He's bringing the YED here for some stupid macho showdown! John cares more about killing this demon than saving his own son! "I am doing this FOR Dean!" insists John. "How?" demands Sam--"How is revenge going to help him?--you're not thinking about anybody but yourself; it's the same selfi... read more Sam enters John's room, Dean telling him there's something in the hospital they have to hunt--Sam must bring him back ASAP! Sam's furious with his father; that list he gave him for Bobby was to SUMMON a demon! He's bringing the YED here for some stupid macho showdown! John cares more about killing this demon than saving his own son! "I am doing this FOR Dean!" insists John. "How?" demands Sam--"How is revenge going to help him?--you're not thinking about anybody but yourself; it's the same selfish obsession!" "I though this was your obsession, too!" yells John--"this demon killed your mother, killed your girlfriend--you BEGGED me to be part of this hunt!--if you had killed this damned thing when you had the chance, none of this would have happened!" "It was possessing you, Dad, I would have killed you, too!" Sam reminds him. "And your brother would be awake right now!" shouts John. "Go to hell," says Sam. "I should never have taken you along in the first place," says John, "I knew it was a mistake!" "SHUT UP!" bellows Dean, and he actually, in his words, "full on Swayze'd that mother" as he knocks a glass water pitcher off the table, where it shatters on the floor. This shuts up Sam and John, who look at each other uneasily. Dean sinks to his knees, beginning to "spark" into and out of sight like ghosts do. "What is it?" Dean asks, clutching his stomach. There is commotion in the hallway. John indicates for Sam to check it out. Sam stands in the doorway of Dean's room, watching them trying to revive him with paddles. "Oh, no," moans Sam, tears in his eyes. Standing behind Sam, Dean sees that creature hovering above his body, descending upon him. "You get the hell away from me!" says Dean--"stay back!" He runs toward himself as the staff continues to apply the paddles at higher jewels to his chest, then starts CPR. Dean grabs hold of the creature and is thrown backwards. The creature looks at him for a moment, and exits through the door, Dean in pursuit. "We have a pulse," says a nurse, "we're back into sinus rhythm." Dean loses the ghostly creature, but Sam is very relieved his brother is alive. Dean returns to his side. "Don't worry, Sammy," he says, "I'm not goin' anywhere. I'll get that thing before it gets me. It's some kind of spirit, but I could grab it, and if I can grab it, I can kill it." Sam just stares at his brother in the bed; however, he turns his head toward the spirit of his brother, too, as if he somehow heard him. Walking down the corridor, Dean hears a woman calling, "Can't you see me? Why won't you look at me?" "Now what?" asks Dean. He meets Tessa, a pretty brunette who, like him, is caught between the worlds of the living and the dead. They look in on her body, in bed, hooked up to monitors and a breathing tube, as Dean is. She came in for an appendectomy. "There were complications," says Dean. Tessa is sure she's dreaming, but Dean says she's having an out of body experience. They're spirits of people close to death, but their bodies can get better and they can slip right back into them. (JOHN'S ROOM) - Sam tells his father that it felt to him like Dean was there, justnout of eye shot. He needs to pick something up. John promises not to go after this demon until they know Dean's OK. Dean and Tessa walk the corridors together, and he praises her for how well she's taking this. She doesn't want to die, but whatever is going to happen, will happen--it's fate, out of her control. That's crap, says Dean, we always have a choice--you either roll over and die or keep fightin'. A code Blue sending Dean running into a child's room, where that spirit is hovering over a child. This time, though, his order to "Get away from her!" fails, and the child dies despite the medical team's efforts. "At least she's not suffering anymore," says one of the nurses. Dean is both confused and unhappy. read less

Sam enters Dean's room. "I think maybe you're around," he says, "and if you are, I think we can talk. Don't make fun of me for this, but um, I think we could talk." "You gotta be kiddin' me," says Dean, when Sam sits on the floor and pulls out an Ouija board. (I guess since they couldn't really use that copyright, they call it a "talking board" here.) "Dean, are you here?" asks Sam, sitting on one side of the board. "I feel like I'm at a slumber party," bitches Dean, but sits on the other side.... read more Sam enters Dean's room. "I think maybe you're around," he says, "and if you are, I think we can talk. Don't make fun of me for this, but um, I think we could talk." "You gotta be kiddin' me," says Dean, when Sam sits on the floor and pulls out an Ouija board. (I guess since they couldn't really use that copyright, they call it a "talking board" here.) "Dean, are you here?" asks Sam, sitting on one side of the board. "I feel like I'm at a slumber party," bitches Dean, but sits on the other side. Dean is sure this won't work, but when he puts his fingers on the pointer, he helps Sam move it to YES! "I'll be damned!" says Dean. Sam throws his head back with a laugh of joy and relief--"It's good to hear from you, man, it's hasn't been the same without ya." "Damn straight," agrees Dean. Now seemingly alone, Sam gets the word HUNT. Dean tells him a REAPER is taking people. Sam asks if it's after him. YES, spells Dean. If it's here naturally, there's no way to stop it, realizes Sam. Yeah, says Dean, you can't kill death--I'm screwed, Sam. There's got to be a way, insists Sam, standing and pacing the room. Dad'll know what to do. Arriving in John's room, however, he finds the bed empty. (BOILER ROOM) - John enters, carrying a sack over his shoulder. He begins to draw on the floor with chalk. (DEAN'S ROOM) - Sam returns to report John wasn't there, but he found his journal, so perhaps this will help them. "Thanks for not givin' up on me, Sammy," says Dean softly. Sam opens the journal to a section on reapers. Dean reads over his shoulder. "Son of a bitch!" he says, and hustles down the corridor, where Tess is waiting for him, sitting alone on a bed in her room. You read the most interesting things, says Dean--did you know that reapers can alter human perception?--they can make themselves appear however they want, like, say, a pretty girl--you're much prettier than the last reaper I met. I was wondering when you'd figure it out, says Tessa. I shoulda known, says Dean, that whole accepting fate rap of yours was far too laid back for a dead girl, but the mother and the body, I'm still trying to figure that one out. "It's my sandbox," she says, "I can make you see whatever I want." So it's a turn-on for you to toy with me, accuses Dean. You gave me no choice, says Tessa--you saw my true form and flipped out--this was the only way I could get you to talk to me. We're talkin', says Dean--what the hell do you want to talk about? How death is nothing to fear, she says, caressing his face--it's your time to go; you're living on borrowed time already. (BOILER ROOM) - Cutting his palm, adding his blood to the mix, John speaks a few words in Latin over his homemade altar, then tosses a lit match into the pot. It flames up, then down. He rises and looks around. A man grabs his shoulder, and a man who appears to be a janitor demands to know what he's doing here and threatens to call Security. John pulls out the Colt and aims it at him. "How stupid do you think I am?" he asks. The not-Janitor's eyes go yellow. "Do you really want an honest answer to that?" he asks as two possessed doctors flank John on each side. "You conjuring me, John, I'm surprised--I took you for a lot of things, but suicidally reckless wasn't one of them." "I can always shoot you," says John. "You can always miss," smiles the YED, doing a cute dance step, laughing, "and you only got one try--did you really think you could trap me?" "I don't want to trap you," says John, dropping the Colt at his side, "I want to make a deal." The demon gazes at him archly, interested. read less

Sam stands over Dean's bed. "Dean, are you here? Couldn't find anything in the book, I don't know how to help you, but I'll keep trying, all right, as long as you keep fightin'. You can't leave me alone here with Dad, we'll kill each other, you know that. Dean, you gotta hold on, you can't go, man, not now, we were just startin' to be brothers again. Do you hear me?" (Wibble!) (TESSA'S ROOM) - Dean begs Tessa to make an exception in his case, cut him a break. Stage three--bargaining, she says. ... read more Sam stands over Dean's bed. "Dean, are you here? Couldn't find anything in the book, I don't know how to help you, but I'll keep trying, all right, as long as you keep fightin'. You can't leave me alone here with Dad, we'll kill each other, you know that. Dean, you gotta hold on, you can't go, man, not now, we were just startin' to be brothers again. Do you hear me?" (Wibble!) (TESSA'S ROOM) - Dean begs Tessa to make an exception in his case, cut him a break. Stage three--bargaining, she says. I'm serious, he says, my family needs me--we're in the middle of this war. The fight's over, says Tessa, for you--you're not the first soldier I've plucked from the field--they can't leave--victory hangs in the balance--but they're wrong, the battle goes on without them. My brother could die without me, protests Dean. Maybe he will, maybe he won't, says Tessa softly, nothing you can do about it--it's an honorable, warrior's death. I'll pass on the 72 virgins, says Dean, I'm not into prude chicks. Funny, you're very cute, she says. There's no such thing as an honorable death, says Dean, my corpse will rot in the ground and my family is gonna die!--no, I'm not goin' with you, I don't care what you do. There's always a choice, she agrees, I can't make you come with me--but, you're not getting back in your body, and that's just facts--so yes, you can stay, you'll stay here for years, disembodied, scared, and over the decades, it will probably drive you mad, maybe you'll even get violent--how do you think angry spirits are born?--they can't let go and they can't move on--and you're about to become one--the same thing you hunt. (BOILER ROOM) - The YED tells John that it's unseemly, making deals with devils. No trick, says John--I will give you the Colt and the bullet--but you've got to help Dean--you gotta bring him back. Why John, you're a sentimentalist, mocks the YED--if only your boys knew how much their Daddy loved them. It's a good trade, insists John, you care a lot more about this gun than you do Dean. Don't be so sure, says the YED, he killed some people very special to me--but still, you're right, he isn't much of a threat--and neither is your other son, of course--you know the truth, of course, about Sammy and the other children? Yeah, says John, I've known for a while. But Sam doesn't, does he?" asks the YED, you've been playing dumb? Can you bring Dean back? demands John, yes or no? No, but I know someone who can, answers the demon, it's not a problem. Good, says John, and before I give you the gun, I'm gonna wanna make sure that Dean's OK--with my own eyes. Oh, John, I'm offended, says the demon--don't you trust me? John shakes his head. Fine, says the YED. So we have a deal, says John. No, says the YED, not yet--you still need to sweeten the pot--with something else I want as much as that gun--maybe more. (TESSA'S ROOM) - She sits behind Dean on the bed. It's time to put the pain behind you, she says, running her fingers through his hair. And go where? he asks. Sorry, I can't give away the big punchline, she says--moment of truth--no changing your mind later--so what's it going to be? He turns to her, and we can see in his eyes that he's going to say yes and go with her. The lights go wonky, turning on and off. What are you doing that for? he asks. I'm not doing it, she says. A plume of smoke issues from the vent. You can't do this! she screams--GO AWAY! The smoke streams into her mouth. What's happening? cries Dean. Tessa, eyes yellow, turns to him and says, "Today is your lucky day, kid," and presses her hand to his forehead. (DEAN'S ROOM) - Dean begins to choke around the breathing apparatus in his mouth. Sam, standing bedside, calls "DEAN!" then yells, "HELP! I NEED HELP!" read less

The doctor stands beside Dean's bed, where he's sitting up, all tubes and machines gone. He can't explain how, but the edema is gone, along with all internal contusions. His vitals are good. You must have some kinda angel watching over you, concludes the doctor, and leaves. "You said a reaper was after me?--how did I ditch it?" asks Dean. Sam doesn't know. Dean remembers nothing, but has this pit in his stomach--something's wrong. John enters, smiling, grateful his son is alive. Coldly, Sam asks... read more The doctor stands beside Dean's bed, where he's sitting up, all tubes and machines gone. He can't explain how, but the edema is gone, along with all internal contusions. His vitals are good. You must have some kinda angel watching over you, concludes the doctor, and leaves. "You said a reaper was after me?--how did I ditch it?" asks Dean. Sam doesn't know. Dean remembers nothing, but has this pit in his stomach--something's wrong. John enters, smiling, grateful his son is alive. Coldly, Sam asks his father where he was last night. I had some things to take care of, says John. That's specific, says Sam--did you go after the demon? No, answers John, but Sam doesn't believe him. John asks that they not fight--"Half the time we're fightin' and I don't know what we're fightin' about--we're just buttin' heads--Sammy, I've made some mistakes, but I've always done the best I could. I just don't want to fight anymore, OK?" Sam, looking into his father's eyes, asks if he's all right. Yeah, says John, just a little tired. He asks Sam to get him a cup of caffeine. Still uncertain, Sam says sure and leaves to get him coffee. John stares after himsadly, knowing it's the last time he'll ever see him. You know, says John tearfully, when you were a kid, I'd come home from a hunt, and after what I'd seen, I'd be, I'd be wrecked. And you, you'd come up to me and you, you'd put your hand on my shoulder and you'd look me in the eye and you'd--you'd say 'It's okay, Dad'. Dean, I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to say that to me, I should have been saying that to you. You know, I put. . .I put too much on your shoulders, I made you grow up too fast. You took care of Sammy, you took care of me. You did that, and you didn't complain, not once. I just want you to know that I am so proud of you. This really you talkin'? asks Dean. Yeah, it's really me, says John, tears running down his face. Why are you sayin' this stuff? asks Dean. I want you to watch out for Sammy, says John. You know I will, says Dean--you're scarin' me. Don't be scared, Dean, says John, and leans over, whispering into his ear something that will resonate in SUPERNATURAL history forever. When he is done, Dean stares at him in horror. John nods his head once, leaves Dean's room and returns to his own. He places the Colt on the food-serving table. "OK," he says. Sam, returning with his coffee, looks in and sees his father lying on the floor. "Dad?" He drops the coffee, which lands perfectly on its bottom. The top pops off and coffee spills everywhere. In slow motion, Sam kneels over his father, screaming for help. The brothers stand outside the room, watching as the staff tries to revive their father, but it doesn't work, and John Winchester is pronounced dead at 10:41 AM. (Which means something special in the Bible, I looked it up.) read less

Credits