( SINISTER )

      Sam, Elena and Dean exit the room, talking in hushed voices. "Well, what do you think? Dolls, hoodoo, mysterious shut-in grandma?" Dean asks.

      "Well, dolls are used in all kinds of voodoo and hoodoo, like curses, and binding spells." Sam says.

      "Yeah, maybe we've found our witch Doctor. All right, I'll see what I can go dig up on Granny, you go get online, check old obits, freak accidents, that sort of thing, see if she's whacked anybody before." Dean says.

      "Right." Sam says.

      "I guess I'll help." Elena says to Sam.

      "Don't go having any make out sessions or surfing porn, that's not the kind of whacking I mean." Dean says and Sam rolls his eyes and turns back to the room as Dean leaves.

LOBBY
[ ☼ ]

      Susan signs a wordy legal document with the word "AGREEMENT" at the top. A weak-chinned Lawyer stands nearby. "I've been meaning to ask. What sort of renovations are you planning?" Susan asks him.

      "They never told you?" He asks.

      "Told me what?" Susan asks.

      "Uh, Ms. Thompson we plan on demolishing the hotel."

      "Oh. I see. Excuse me." Susan says and walks away.

      In the playroom, Tyler hums to herself as she plays a tea party with several dolls. In an upper room of the dollhouse, a dark-suited figure sits at the edge of a bed.

     Upstairs, in the parallel room of the real hotel, the Lawyer sits at the edge of his bed. The door behind doll-Lawyer creaks open and the door behind real-laywer creaks open.

     Tyler hums and pours tea. She hears a creak and goes over to the dollhouse. Doll-Lawyer is hanging by the neck from the ceiling fan. Upstairs, Real-Lawyer is hanging from the neck from the ceiling fan, twitching.

      Sam and Elena stare through a lace-curtained window as droopy music plays. Sam watches the coroner cart away the Lawyer's body. Dean is outside, and meets Susan as she comes back towards the inn.

      "What happened?" Dean asks Susan.

      "Oh, the maid went in to turn down the sheets and he was just...hanging there." Susan says.

      "That's awful." Dean says. "He was a guest?"

      Susan continues to stare at the ambulance. "He worked for the company that bought the place." She says.

      "Hmm." Dean thinks.

      "I don't understand."

      "What?" He asks.

      "Had a lot of bad luck around here. Look, if you'd like to check out I'll give you a full refund." Susan says.

      "No thanks. I don't scare that easy."

      Elena comes outside and almost bumps into Dean. "Hey, have you seen Sam?" She asks.

      "No, what's going on?"

      "We were researching and I had to use the ladies room and by the time I got out, he was gone." Elena says.

      "Come on." Dean says as they head inside.

      Sam is sitting alone in the dark, framed by the half-open door with the key askew in the lock. Dean enters and shuts the door behind him, all business-mode.

      "We're the hell have you been? You bailed on me." Elena says and throw her hands into the air.

      "Places." Sam says lamely.

      "Well in case you haven't heard, there's been another one. Some guy just hung himself in his room." Elena says.

      "Yeah. I saw." Sam says darkly.

      "We've gotta figure this out, and fast. What'd you find out about Granny?" Dean asks.

      "You're bossy." Sam says.

      Dean looks around in surprise. "What?" He asks.

      "You're bossy. And short." Sam says and laughs sloppily.

      Elena walks up to him and lightly taps Sam's face. "Are you drunk?" She asks.

      "Yeah. So?" Sam says and smacks her hand away. "Stupid."

      Elena turns to Dean. "Did he just call me stupid?" She asks and Dean nods.

      Dean looks around and sees several empty bottles. "Dude, what are you thinking? We're working a case."

      Sam is tearful, staring at nothing. "That guy who hung himself. I couldn't save him." He says.

      "What are you talking about? You didn't know, you couldn't have done anything." Elena says.

     Sam shifts his gaze to Elena. "That's an excuse, Elena. I should have found a way to save him. I should have saved Ava too."

      Dean approaches Sam. "Yeah, well, you can't save everyone, even you said that." He says.

      Sam slams the table. "No, Dean, you don't understand, all right? The more people I save, the more I can change!" He says.

      "Change what?" Dean asks.

      Sam leans forward, hands to chest. "My destiny, Dean!"

      "All right. Time for bed. Come on, Sasquatch." Dean leans over and hauls Sam up by the shoulders. "Come on."

      "I need you guys to watch out for me." Sam says.

      "Yeah. I always do." Dean says.

      "No! No, no, no. You have to watch out for me, all right? And if I ever turn into something that I'm not," Sam starts. "You have to kill me."

      "Sam." Elena says sadly.

      Sam shoves Dean to face him. "Dean! Dad told you to do it, you have to." Sam says.

      "Yeah, well, Dad's an ass." Dean says and Sam frowns in confusion. "He never should have said anything, I mean, you don't do that, you don't, you don't lay that kind of crap on your kids."

      "No. He was right to say it! Who knows what I might become? Even now, everyone around me dies!" Sam yells.

      Elena shoves Sam, hard. "Yeah, well, we're not dying, okay? And neither are you."

      "Come on. Sam." Dean says and pushes Sam onto the bed, but Sam stays seated, reaching up and clutching Dean's jacket.

      Dean's right hand curls in the fabric at Sam's shoulder. "No, please! Dean, you're the only one who can do it. Promise." Sam says.

      "Don't ask that of me." Dean says.

      "Dean, please. You have to promise me."

      Dean pauses momentarily. "I promise."

      "Thanks." Sam reaches up and grabs Dean's face with both hands. "Thank you."

      "All right. Come on." Dean bats Sam's hands away and shoves him back on the bed. Sam falls back, then turns over on his belly to plant his face in the pillow, hugging it with both arms. Dean rubs a hand over his face.

      He walks to the door, but is stopped by Elena. "Where do you think you're going?" She asks.

      "Gonna get a drink."

      "You really think that's a good idea considering what just happened to your bother?" Elena asks. "I don't think I can handle two drunk Winchesters."

      Dean opens the door anyway. "Don't worry, I'll be back." He says.

      "But that's all I do with you guys. Worry. I care about you too much to not worry. Especially if you keep drinking your problems away, Dean." Elena says and sits on the bed next to Sam.

      "Bye." Dean says and closes the door.

      Dean goes down to the antique, empty bar. Sherwin is behind the bar, and Dean sits down. "Find any good antiques?" Sherwin asks.

      "Um, no! No, I got distracted." Dean says sarcastically.

      "Have a drink." Sherwin offers.

      "Yeah, thanks." Dean says as Sherwin pours a drink. "So, poor guy, huh? Killing himself?"

      "That kind of thing seems to be going around lately." Sherwin says.

      "Yeah, yeah, I heard about the other ones. It's almost like this hotel is cursed or something." Dean says.

      "Every hotel has its spilled blood." Sherwin says. "If people only knew what's gone on in some of those rooms they've checked into."

      Dean sighs holds his drink. "You know a lot about the place, don't you?" He asks.

      "Down to the last nail."

      "I'd love to hear some stories." Dean says.

      "Boy, you should never say that to an old man."

      Sherwin leads Dean up the wide staircase, showing him old framed photographs on the walls. "This is little miss Susan, and her mother Rose. Happier days." He says.

      "They're not happy now?" Dean asks.

      "Well, would you be, leaving the only home you ever knew?" Sherwin says.

      "I don't know, I never really knew one."

      Sherwin continues. "Well, this is Rose's home, been in the family over a century. Used to be the family estate. And now she gets to live in some senior living graveyard, and they tear this place down." He says.

      "Yeah, that's too bad." Dean says as they start down the stairs. "I hear Rose isn't feeling well, either."

      "No, she isn't."

      "What's wrong with her?" Dean asks.

      "It's not my business to say." Sherwin says.

      "Oh." Dean looks at another photo. "Who's this?" He asks.

      Sherwin picks up a yellowing photograph of a girl sitting on a chair with young black woman; the woman has a quincunx necklace. "That's Rose, when she was a little girl." She twin answers.

      "Who's that with her?" Dean asks.

      "That's her nanny, Marie. She looked after Rose more than her own mother." Dean frowns in concern as Sherwin replaces the photo.

BEDROOM
[ ☼ ]

      Sam is kneeling miserably in front of the toilet, his hair hanging in his face. Dean enters and grins at the sight. "How you feeling, Sammy?" Sam groans again. "I guess mixing whisky and Jager wasn't such a gangbuster idea, was it? I'll bet you don't remember a thing from last night, do you?"

      Sam groans. "I can still taste the tequila." He says and Dean smiles in relief.

      "You know, there's a really good hangover remedy, it's a, it's a greasy pork sandwich served up in a dirty ashtray." Dean says.

      Sam begins heaving. "Oh, I hate you."

      "I know you do." Dean says. "Hey, turns out when Grandma Rose was a tyke she had a Creole nanny who wore a hoodoo necklace."

      "So you think she taught Rose hoodoo?" Sam asks.

      "Yes I do."

      "All right." Sam says and stands painfully. "I think it's time we talked to Rose, then."

      Dean grimaces when he smells Sam's breath. "Oh. You can brush your teeth first, then we'll get Elena."

HALLWAY
[ ☼ ]

      Sam and Dean approach the door marked "PRIVATE" and knock. "Hello? Susan?" Sam asks as Dean looks around furtively. "Clear?"

      "Mm-hmm." Dean says as Sam kneels before the door and picks the lock. Sam, Elena and Dean enter the creepy doll room and go to the door in the back; it's open, and they go through to find a dimly lit staircase.

      They creep upstairs and to the end of another hallway, into a small room whose door is ajar. Rose is seated in a wheelchair facing the rainy window, her back to them. They approach cautiously.

      "Mrs. Thompson? Mrs. Thompson?" Elena asks and Rose is trembling, staring at nothing. "Rose? Hi, Mrs. Thompson, we're not here to hurt you, it's okay — " She does not respond, just trembles harder. "Rose?"

      "Dean." Sam says and draws Sam and Elena to the side. "This woman's had a stroke."

      "Yeah, but hoodoo's hands-on, I mean, you've got to mix herbs, and chant, and build an altar." Dean says.

      "Yeah. So it can't be Rose. Hey, maybe it's not even hoodoo." Elena says.

      "Or she could be faking." Dean says.

      "Yeah, what are you gonna do, poke her with a stick?" Sam asks and Dean frowns, nodding. "Dude! You're not gonna poke her with a stick!"

      Susan enters. "What the hell?! What are you doing in here?" She asks.

      "Oh, we just wanted to talk to Rose..." Sam starts.

      "Well, the door was open..." Dean says at the same time.

      "Look at her, she is scared out of her wits. I want you out of my hotel in two minutes or I'm calling the cops." Susan says. They leave without hestiation. The Impala rumbles out of the hotel parking lot.

      On the balcony, Tyler and Maggie are playing jacks. "Your turn. Eightsies." Maggie says.

      "Have you started packing yet?" Susan asks Tyler.

      "No."

      "Why not?" Susan asks.

      "I don't wanna move." Tyler says sadly.

      "Yes, I know, but we have to."

      "But Maggie says we're not allowed to move." Tyler says.

      "Yeah."

      "Tyler, enough. Maggie is imaginary. You're too old to have an imaginary friend and I am done pretending."

      Maggie turns to Tyler and wears a sinister expression. "I don't like her."