( AN EPIC GAME OF POKER )

MOTEL ROOM
[ ☾]

      Sam opens the door and comes in, carrying a takeout tray with burgers and two sodas. He puts it on the table. "Hey, Dean? You find anything?" He asks.

      "Uh, you might say." Dean says.

      Sam startles and draws his gun, aiming for the Old Man in the bathrobe. "Who the hell are you!" He asks.

     "Dude, relax. It's me."

      Sam lowers the gun: the Old Man is very familiar. "Dean?" He asks.

      "Hi." Dean says as Elena walks in and shakes her head at Dean.

      "What the hell happened?"

      "He, you know...found the game." Elena says as Dean heads for the food and picks up a burger.

     "You f-I thought you said you were g-good at poker."

     "I am. Shut up. So, you were just gonna shoot some old guy? Is that it?" Dean asks.

      "I didn't know what you were. I mean, have you seen you? You look like-" Sam starts.

      Dean talks with his mouth full. "The old chick in Titanic. I know. Shut up." He says.

      "I was gonna say Emperor Palpatine." Sam says. The door thuds open. Bobby rolls in. The door closes.

      "I see you met John McCain there." Says Bobby.

      "Yeah. Either of you want to tell me what happened?"

      "Bobby's an idiot. That's what happened." Dean says.

      "Hey, nobody asked you to play." Bobby says.

      "Right. I should have just let you die."

      "And for damn sure, nobody asked you to lose!" Bobby yells.

      Sam grins. "It's like Grumpy Old Men." He says and Elena snickers. Dean and Bobby turn to Sam and speak in unison.

      "Shut up, Sam."

      "What the hell were you thinking? He's a witch. He's been playing poker since guys wore tights." Dean says.

      "You just don't get it." Bobby says.

      "Yeah, I get it, Bobby. You saw a chance to turn the hands of the clock back and get out of that damn chair. Pretty tempting. I can imagine." Dean says.

      "No, you can't."

      "You got me. I never been paralyzed. But I tell you something-I've been to hell, and there's an archangel there wanting me to drop the soap." Dean says. "Look at me! My junk's rustier than yours! You hear me bellyaching? Huh?"

      "Uh, actually, yeah." Elena says.

      "Oh!" Dean sits down, still holding his burger. "I'm having a heart attack." Sam looks, worried.

     "No, you're not." Bobby says.

      "What is it?" Dean asks.

      "Acid reflux. Guys your age can't digest certain foods. You're gonna need to put down that cheeseburger." Bobby says. Dean sighs and puts down the burger. "So, you want to keep emoting, or you want to talk about solving this little issue of yours? It's got to be about the chips."

      "I slid 'em across, Patrick did his little witchy number, and you prettied up in a hurry." Dean says.

       "I mean, what are you all thinking? Some kind of magic chips or something?" Sam asks.

       "Definitely."

      Sam sits down. "You remember what he chanted?" He asks Bobby.

      "Yep-every word."

      "All right, then let's find out where he stashes his chips." Sam says.

       "And steal me fifty. Benjamin Button me back into burger shape. What do you think?" Dean asks.

       "I think you ought to put some clothes on." Bobby says.

       Dean, fully dressed, goes to answer a knock on the door. It's a young, pretty Maid with a cart and an armful of towels. "Ready for housekeeping, sir?" She asks and Dean grins.

      "Born ready."

       The Maid laughs. "You're just like my grandfather." She says as Dean's grin fades. "He hits on anything that moves, too." She heads past him into the room. "You're adorable."

      "And dangerous."

       "Aw." She laughs, heading for the bathroom. Sam smirks and so does Bobby and Elena.

       "Can we just go?" Dean asks.

STREET
[ ☾]

       Bobby, Sam, Elena and Dean sit in Bobby's van, watching people go by. Patrick comes out of a building. He checks his watch and crosses the street without looking, noticing too late that a car is coming: it slams right into him. The Driver gets out and checks his injuries: it doesn't look like he can have survived. The Driver runs over to a construction crew nearby.

       "Guys, get some help! He came out of nowhere! Right out in front of me!" He yells.

       Bobby, Sam, and Dean all stare. Another car drives by: Patrick's in the driver's seat. The Driver and the construction workers look between him and where Patrick got hit by the driver's car. Dean laughs. "I got to say, I kind of like the guy." He says.

SKYSCRAPER
[ ☾]

       Bobby, Sam, Elena and Dean have followed Patrick here, and now watch him leave the building, getting in his car, and driving off. Dean looks at Sam, who looks at Bobby, who looks at Sam, who looks at Dean, who looks at Patrick.

APARTMENT BUILDING
[ ☾]

      Dean holds the door open while Sam rolls Bobby inside. Sam and Dean let Bobby roll himself. Bobby stops and sighs. "Well, I'm out." Bobby says. A sign on the elevator reads "ELEVATOR OUT OF ORDER SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE". Sam looks at it, then at Bobby, and sighs.

       Sam and Elena jog up a flight of stairs with no difficulty. Dean walks up one step at a time. Sam stops on the landing. "Dean." Sam points to a sign with a large 2. Dean sighs. Sam continues up the stairs. Dean glares at the sign, then, determined, follows.

       Sam leaves the stairwell. A long pause. Dean follows, breathing hard. Sam sorts through lockpicks in front of room 3701. The lock clicks open. Sam, Elena and Dean enter. They search the place. Dean opens an armoire, knocks on the back, moves things, and opens the false back. There's a safe.

      "Sam?" Dean calls as Sam comes over. "Dime-store model. Piece of cake." Dean turns the dial, squinting and leaning in and out: the numbers are too blurred for him to read.

       "It's like Mission: Pathetic. Watch out." Sam pushes Dean out of the way and turns the dial: it opens quickly. There are quite a few poker chips in the safe.

      "I could have done that." Dean says. Sam frowns at him and starts to grab handfuls of chips.

      "What are you doing?"

       Sam and Dean turn around. Lia is standing there, wearing a large silver locket. "Aren't you the chick from the bar?" Dean asks.

      "I'm a lot more than that." She throws up a hand, clenches a fist, and twists. Dean doubles over. Patrick hurries up and puts a hand on her arm.

       "It's all right, sweetheart. It's all right. They're harmless." He says and Lia lets Dean go. He steps forward. "You boys want chips? Take 'em. They're just chips, Einsteins. It's showmanship. This may come as a shock, but the magic does not lie in a pile of crappy plywood or in any phony abracadabra. It's in the nine-hundred-year-old witch. You boys want years? Score 'em the old-fashioned way. Texas hold 'em." Patrick chews on his toothpick.

      "Fine. Let's do it." Dean says.

       Patrick pulls a card out of a pocket. It's the eight of hearts. "What card am I holding up?" He asks as Dean squints at it and doesn't answer. "That's what I thought. If your eyesight's that bad, what about your memory? I'm not a murderer. You, on the other hand..."

      Dean looks back at Sam. "No, Sam." He says.

      "Dean."

       "What, Sam not much of a player? Okay, well, happy trails, Dean. Enjoy the twilight of your life. Should have taken better care of that ticker, though." Patrick opens the door. "You're free to go." Dean takes the hint to leave. Sam follows. "Oh, but, Sam..." Sam and Dean stop at the door. "Your brother's situation-that's punishment enough, but I can't let you leave without a small parting gift." He claps three times.

      "What are you doing?" Sam asks.

      "You'll find out soon enough." Patrick says and turns to Elena. "My liege." He says and bows.

      Dean watches. "Let's get out of here, guys." They leave. Patrick closes the door behind them.

      Sam, Elena and Dean head for the outside door. Sam scratches at the inside of his thighs. Sam opens the door for himself and Dean and scratches some more. "Dude..." Dean says as Sam turns to him. "I believe that he-witch gave you the clap."Sam goes stiff for a moment, then marches off. Dean laughs.

CICERO MOTEL
[ ☼ ]

      Dean, Sam, Elena and Bobby head towards the motel. To get there, they have to go up an incline. Sam and Dean have no trouble. Bobby tries to roll himself up and can't. "Little help here?" He asks. Dean and Sam stop. Sam goes down and pushes Bobby up the incline. Dean walks alongside.

      "You know, I still think I should play." Sam says. At the top of the incline, Bobby takes over rolling himself.

      Dean stops walking, so Sam and Bobby stop too. "No, no, no. You're not good enough. I'm better. Bobby's way better. We both lost." He says.

      "Exactly." Bobby says.

      "So, what? So I don't get a say in this anymore?" Sam asks.

      "Sammy, when you get to be our age-" Dean starts.

      "You're thirty, Dean!" Sam yells. "Look, I've watched you hustle plenty of poker-"

      "Knowing the game is not enough, Sam. It's not about playing the cards." Says Bobby.

     "It's about playing the other guy. I know that." Sam says.

      "Well, hooray for you. All I'm saying is, I played this guy. I know his style. I can take him."

      "No, Bobby. You don't have enough years in the bank." Dean says.

      "I got enough."

      "No, you'll die if you lose, Bobby." Elena says.

      "So what if I do, huh? What exactly am I living for, huh? The damn apocalypse?" Bobby asks. "Watching men die bloody while I sit in this chair, can't take a step to help 'em?"

     "Bobby-" Dean starts.

      "No, no. It's the facts. I'm old...and broke down...and I can't..." Bobby takes a moment to breathe. "I ain't a hunter no more. I'm useless. And if I wasn't such a coward, I'd have stuck a gun in my mouth day I got home from the hospital." Silence.

      "Bobby, you are not playing again. I'm not letting you do that. There's another way out of this. There's got to be. And I'm gonna find it." Sam goes past Dean and Bobby.

      Dean opens the door so Bobby can roll in. Bobby looks up and stops abruptly. Lia is sitting on the bed. She holds up a piece of paper. "Take it. It'll help you." She says.

      Bobby rolls closer and takes it. "What is this?" He asks.

      "The most powerful reversal spell you've ever laid your eyes on." Lia says.

      "And it reverses what?"

      "Patrick's work-all of it." Says Lia.

      "You-you saying I could be normal again?" Dean asks.

      "You and everyone else he's ever played." Lia corrects herself. "Who's still alive."

      "Why the hell should we trust you?" Elena asks.

      "Trust me, don't trust me. I don't care. The spell is real." Lia gets up and heads for the door.

      "If it zaps everyone, don't that include your man?" Bobby asks.

     "And me, too. I look good for my age."

      "Lady, this don't add up for squat. Why would you want that?" Asks Bobby.

      "I have my reasons." Lia looks at her silver locket. "Do it quick. We leave town tomorrow." She leaves. Dean and Bobby watch her go, then look at each other.

BAR
[ ☾]

       Patrick chews on a toothpick. There's a glass of whiskey in front of him. On the table are five cards in a row, the eight of spades, five and four of clubs, king of diamonds, and jack of hearts, and a pile of poker chips, about three dozen. His opponent, an old man named Hesh, clinks his poker chips against each other, looking at his two face-down cards.

      Patrick looks at his own cards: the kings of hearts and spades, for three of a kind. Hesh has the nines of clubs and diamonds for one pair. He throws a few chips on the pile. "Bet." He says. Patrick takes out his toothpick.

      "I sense you've got me by the jewels on this one, Hesh. I fold." Patrick says. Hesh collects his chips. "What are you up-like thirteen years there, Hesh? What do you say we call it a day?"

      Hesh Chuckles. "Thanks, Patrick." He says. Patrick looks up. Hesh, when he realizes Patrick is talking to someone behind him, turns: it's Sam.

      "Hesh here is gonna live to see his granddaughter's bat mitzvah. Isn't that right, Hesh?"

      Hesh turns back. "Thanks again, Patrick." He says.

      "Shalom, my friend. Shalom." Says Patrick. Hesh gets up and leaves. He shuffles the cards.

      "That was nice of you." Sam says.

      "I'm a nice guy. What can I do you for?" Patrick keeps shuffling.

      Sam sits down. "Deal." He says. Patrick smirks.

GRAVEYARD
[ ☾]

       Bobby sits at the foot of a grave while Dean and Elena dig. "Jawbone of a murderer. Great." He sticks the shovel in the dirt, breathing hard.

      "You know, this really sucks. How do we even know her spell's gonna work?" Elena asks.

      "We don't. But we ain't got a Plan B. Now, less flappin' and more diggin'." Bobby says.

      Dean goes to move another scoop of dirt. Something cracks. "Oh, God!" Dean moans. Bobby rolls his eyes. "My elbows! I'm all creaky."

      "Hurry up, you crybaby." Bobby says.

      "Pound it up your ass, Ironsides." Says Dean.

      "One little grave."

      "Then you do it." Dean says.

       "Fine. I'll hop right in." Bobby says.

       "Well, least your legs are numb." Dean says.

       "Shut up and dig, Grandma."

      Dean goes back to digging. "Oh! Now it's my back!" He yells.

      "Can you straighten up?" Bobby asks.

      "Yeah, but a little sympathy wouldn't hurt." Dean says.

      "Butt cheek tingling?"

      "Well, that's kind of personal." Dean says.

      "So yeah?" Bobby asks and Dean looks up. "It's sciatica. You'll live. Keep digging."

      "You know, Bobby, killing you is officially on my bucket list."