( THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME )

SUBURBAN HOUSE
[ ☾]

Screams emanate from inside. "Aah!" A Man yells. He runs down the stairs while someone follows him. He runs outside to the back of the house. "Please...I-I don't know anything else."

"I know. I'm gonna torture you anyway." The person is revealed to be Charlie Bradbury. "Cause who doesn't love a little torture?"

SUPERNATURAL

Sam sits at the table in the library talking on the phone. "All right, well, just—just keep me posted, okay? Yeah, you got it. Wait, Cas. You there? Hey, thanks. Yeah." Sam hangs up the phone as Dean throws down an omelet in front of Sam and Elena. "You made egg-white omelettes?"

"Yeah. Breakfast of Champions—you know, if you're a dork like you." Dean says.

"And you slept past 7:00." Elena points out.

"Yeah, well, until we get answers on this Mark of Cain, I am on a 12-step program not to backslide." Dean says.

"12 steps?" Sam asks.

"Yeah. Hey, if Cain found a way to live with it after going dark side, then I just got to find a way to keep it in check, so haven't had a drink in a week, eight hours of rack time every night, and...now this masterpiece."

"That's three steps." Sam says.

"Shut up and eat." Dean says.

"Wow. That's—that's awesome." Sam says, referring to the omelette.

"It's crap. Ugh. God." Dean says as he eats. "Soon as we get rid of this demonic tramp stamp, I am back on the booze, burgers, and . . . more booze. Tell me you got something."

Dean gives Sam a green smoothie, takes one sip of his, and then pushes it away. Sam is watching something on the laptop. "What the hell?" Asks Sam.

"Cain or Crowley?" Dean asks.

"Charlie." Sam says.

Elena furrows her eyebrows. "Charlie? Who is that?" She asks.

"Oh, I forgot. Memory wipe." Dean says as Elena gives him a look. "She's an old friend." He says. "Is she back from Oz? She didn't call?"

"Yeah, uh...She's been busy." Sam says.

"What the hell am I looking at?" Dean asks. Sam shows them a video of Charlie beating a man on his lawn.

"So, you know, I was looking into the news, checking for anything weird, right?" Sam asks. "I found this story about a torture vic. Apparently, some kid videotaped this at his next-door neighbor's house."

"What are you saying, Charlie tortured someone?" Dean asks.

"Uh..." Elena starts.

"Our Charlie?" Dean asks. "Yea high, wouldn't hurt a Hobbit, practically sparkles?" He pulls out his phone and dials a number. "Come on, Charlie, pick up."

"The guy she went all Jack Bauer on—uh, Peter Harper." Sam says.

Dean hangs up. "She's not answering." He says.

"District attorney in Topeka. According to this article, he wasn't the only person in town that was hit." Sam says. "Uh, a court stenographer was assaulted the night before."

"Well, you know, Charlie wouldn't go off on someone without a reason." Dean says.

"Yeah, I wouldn't think so either, but look at the video."

"Oh, I'm looking at it. But you know what we do, taken out of context, it doesn't look that much different. She could be hunting." Dean says as Sam sighs. "Why don't we go talk to this asshat and see what's going on?"

Dean has a moment of tension and shaky hands with a knife that Elena interrupts. She pokes her head into Dean's bedroom. "Hey, ready?" She asks.

"Yeah. Yeah, let's do this." Dean says.

"Let's go." Elena says. They walk down the bunker halls in silence, Sam walking ahead of them. "So...you got any plans later tonight?"

"Other than drowning myself in lore, no." Dean says. "Why do you ask?"

"I was thinking, after we figure out this thing with Charlie...that we should go out somewhere."

Dean stops walking. "Are you asking me out in a date?" He asks.

"Yes." Elena smiles. They stare into each other eyes and Dean smirks.

Dean clears his throat. "Y-yeah." He says. "I'd love to." Ahead of them, Sam smiles at the exchange.

LIVING ROOM
[ ☼ ]

Sam, Elena, and Dean are questioning the district attorney Charlie assaulted. "Now, did you notice anything odd before the attack—any, uh, strange smells, weird noises?" Sam asks.

"No, no, nothing. I was just at home here, getting ready for bed, and that crazy bitch jumped me." Peter Harper says. "All she wanted was to know was about some case that I worked on years ago—drunk driver T-boned another car, killing the driver, and the passenger was declared brain-dead on the scene."

"The Middletons. They had a daughter, 12 years old." Dean says. "They were on their way to pick her up."

"Yeah, that's right. How did you know that?"

"Well, we do our homework at the FBI." Dean says.

"Okay, well, then you know the case never went to trial. Before I could even see the evidence, it was off the books. All the files were sealed." Peter says.

"Now, how is that even possible?" Elena asks.

"I don't know. But I looked into it this morning. There's no record of that case anywhere, and the arresting officer has since passed away. There's nothing, except for this—" Peter slides a file across the table. "...the social service file on the Middletons' kid. It's not very helpful, to be honest with you. The kid has disappeared, until now."

"Now, is there anything else you can remember about the case—any names you can think of?" Sam asks.

"No. Like I told the police, it was so long ago. Look, I'm sorry."

"All right. Here's the thing. We talked to the other victim on the way here—the stenographer." Sam says. "Now, she said the attacker didn't let her go until she gave up a name—your name."

"Okay. But w-what does that have to do with m-me being attacked in my own home, here?" He asks.

"What name did you give up?" Dean asks.

"Look, I told you everything I told the police. This woman comes in here, beats the tar out of me, but—but there's no name to give up, so I-I don't know what else to—" Dean shoves Harper's chair back and gets in his face. "Hey, w-what are you doing?!"

"Talk, you son of a bitch!" Dean yells and Elena puts her hand in his shoulder.

"Hey, look, I'm the victim, here!" Peter yells and Dean moves to drop his chair backwards. "Aah!"

"Talk!"

"Okay. Okay. All right. All right." He says and Dean rights his chair. "Aah." Peter rubs his shoulder. "After the files were sealed...I pushed. And, uh...They offered me money—a lot of money."

"Give me a name." Dean says.

"The money kept on coming in from overseas accounts."

"Give me a name!" He repeats.

"I will be disbarred!"

Dean speaks quiet and ominously. "That'll be the least of your worries, I promise you that." He says.

"Councilwoman Barbara Cordry."

IMPALA
[ ☼ ]

Sam reads Charlie's social work file by flashlight. "Celeste Middleton. Celeste—that's Charlie's real name. Guess she's looking for the person who, uh, destroyed her family." He says.

"Can you blame her?" Dean asks. "You know, we just got to find her before she does something nobody can walk away from."

LARGE HOUSE
[ ☼ ]

Camera flicks to inside the house where a woman looks through mail. There are suitcases packed on the floor in the entryway. There's a knock at the door; Sam, Elena, and Dean are on the other side. "Barbara Cordry?" Elena asks.

"Can I help you?" Barbara asks.

"Yes. I'm Special Agent Gabriel." Sam says. "These are my partners, Special Agent Collins and Smith. May we come in?l

"What's this about?" She asks.

"We have some questions about a drunk-driving case from a while back involving the Middleton family." Sam says.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Barbara says.

"Ma'am, if we could just—" Dean starts.

"Sorry. I'm still on vacation. Feel free to schedule an appointment with my assistant. She'll pencil you both in." She shuts the door in their faces.

"Guilty much?" Elena asks.

"Yeah."

Later, Elena and the guys are staking out Barbara Cordry's house in the Impala. Dean bites into a sandwich. "What the hell is kale?" He asks.

Sam reads from the Charlie's file. "'Anti-authority disorder, clinical depression, violent outbursts'. Charlie was, uh..." He starts.

"Dude. If a shrink interviewed us at that age, you think the report would be all kittens and rainbows?" Dean asks. "Come on. She's a good kid. There's got to be an explanation for this, man. There's just got to be."

There's a crash and a scream from inside the house. They all leap from the car and bust in the house with guns drawn. They find Charlie and Barbara Cordry in the living room.

BARBARA CORDY'S HOUSE
[ ☼ ]

"Should have known Rocket and Groot would track me down." Charlie says and looks behind them. "And is that Gamora?"

"Let her go." Sam says.

"Who? Oh, her?"

"Don't do this." Sam pleads.

"I just want answers."

"Yeah? Since when do you start pounding on people for those?" Dean asks. "What the hell happened to you in Oz?"

"Everything I wanted. An adventure. Even got my own little sword." Charlie says.

"Charlie—" Sam starts.

"Oh, Sam, you're adorable. You're not gonna hurt me. In fact, that's your problem, all good-guy code, no bite. What a waste. And you..." Charlie turns to Dean. "Always letting this albatross hold you back."

"Okay, all right, you know what? I don't know what's going on here, okay? But this—this is not you." Dean says.

"Oh, it's me, all right." Charlie says darkly.

"Charlie, put the knife down. Let her go. We don't want to hurt you, kiddo, but we're not gonna let you do this." Dean and Charlie begin fighting in the entryway after chasing her through the house. "Stop! Crap!" Charlie has wrapped her legs around his neck. "Sam!"

"You all right?" Elena asks Barbara as she helps her stand.

"Yeah." Barbara says.

"What did she say to you?" Asks Sam.

"She—she just—she wanted the bank statements."

Dean runs outside while Charlie drives away in a large SUV. "Charlie! Hey!" He goes over to the Impala to chase after her and sees that one of the tires is slashed. "Oh, you son of a bitch."

Charlie pulls up in her yellow VW. "What's up, bitches? Right. Um we should probably catch up." She says.