( SUCKER PUNCH )

BAR
[ ☾]

      "So I left home. And then bummed around looking for information: how you track 'em, how you kill 'em. And I found that fang - it was my first kill." Gordon says.

      Dean gets serious. "Sorry about your sister." He says.

      "Yeah. She was beautiful. I can still see her, you know? The way she was. But hey, that was a long time ago. I mean, your dad. It's gotta be rough." Gordon says.

      "Yeah. Yeah, you know. He was just one of those guys. Took some terrible beatings, just kept coming. So you're always thinking to yourself, he's indestructible. He'll always be around, nothing can kill my dad. Then just like that," Dean snaps. "he's gone. I can't talk about this to Sammy. You know, I gotta keep my game face on. But uh, the truth is I'm not handling it very well. I feel like I have this–"

      "Hole inside you? And it just gets bigger and bigger and darker and darker?" Gordon asks and Dean nods. "Good. You can use it. Keeps you hungry. Trust me. There's plenty out there needs killing, and this'll help you do it. Dean, it's not a crime to need your job."

MOTEL ROOM
[ ☾]

      The roadhouse is crowded, Ellen is working behind the bar. She hears the phone ring and picks up. "Harvelle's Roadhouse."

      "Hey, Ellen, uh, Sam Winchester." Sam says.

      "Sam, it's good to hear from you. You boys are okay, aren't you?" Ellen asks.

      "Yeah. Yeah, everything's fine. Got a question." Sam asks.

      "Yeah, shoot."

      Sam scratches his head. "You ever run across a guy named Gordon Walker?" He asks.

      "Yeah, I know Gordon." Ellen says.

      "And?"

      "Well, he's a real good hunter. Why are you asking, sweetie?" Ellen asks.

      "Well, we ran into him on a job and we're kinda working with him, I guess." Sam says.

      "Don't do that, Sam."

      Sam seems alarmed. "I - I thought you said he was a good hunter." He says.

      "Yeah, and Hannibal Lecter's a good psychiatrist. Look, he is dangerous to everyone and everything around him. If he's working on a job you boys just let him handle it and you move on." Ellen says.

      "Ellen–" Sam starts.

      "No, Sam? You just listen to what I'm telling you, okay?" She asks.

      "Right, okay."

BAR
[ ☾]

      "Know why I love this life?" Gordon asks.

      "Hmm?" Dean asks.

      "It's all black and white. There's no maybe. You find the bad thing, kill it. See, most people spend their lives in shades of gray. Is this right? Is that wrong? Not us." Gordon says.

      Dean scoffs. "Not sure Sammy would agree with you, but uh..." He says.

      "Doesn't seem like your brother's much like us." Gordon says. Dean stares at him, startled. "I'm not saying he's wrong. Just different. But you and me? We were born to do this. It's in our blood."

      Sam buys a soda from a vending machine and starts walking back to the room. He pauses as if hearing something, cautiously opens the door, looking around.

      He gets inside and leans against the door, relieved. Suddenly a dark figure jumps him from behind. He knocks his first attacker down, then the second; the first attacker rises up behind him and slams a heavy telephone into the back of his head, knocking him out.

      Later, Sam is bound to a chair and gagged, a sack over his head; it's pulled off by the bartender from earlier. He shows fangs and advances on Sam, who struggles. Elena is knocked out and in an identical chair.

      As the vampire advances on Sam, a woman appears in the doorway. "Wait! Step back, Eli." She says.

       Eli pulls back, his fangs retracting. The woman walks over and pulls off Sam's gag. "Can you ungag her please?" Sam asks and points to Elena.

      The Woman walks over to Elena and obeys. "My name's Lenore, I'm not going to hurt you. We just need to talk." She says.

      "Talk? Yeah, okay, but I might have a tough time paying attention to much besides Eli's teeth." Sam says.

      Elena starts to come to and realizes that she's bound to a chair. She moves around and looks up to see Sam staring at her. "What–" she starts.

      "He won't hurt you either, you have my word." Lenore says to them both.

      "Your word? Oh yeah, great, thanks. Listen lady, no offense but you're not the first vampire I've met." Sam says.

      "We're not like the others. We don't kill humans, and we don't drink their blood. We haven't for a long time." Lenore says.

      Elena fakes a laugh. "What is this, some kind of joke?" She asks.

      "Notice you're still alive." Lenore says.

      "You know, I could easily break out of these and kill you." Elena sneers.

      Sam looks at Elena. "Okay, uh, correct me if I'm wrong here, but shouldn't you be starving to death?" He asks Lenore.

      "We've found other ways. Cattle blood." She says.

      "You're telling me you're responsible for all the–" Elena starts.

      "It's not ideal, in fact it's disgusting. But it allows us to get by." Lenore says.

      "Okay, uh, why?" Sam asks.

       "Survival. No deaths, no missing locals, no reason for people like you to come looking for people like us. We blend in. Our kind is practically extinct. Turns out we weren't quite as high up the food chain as we imagined." Lenore says.

      "Why are we explaining ourselves to this killer?" Eli asks.

      Lenore turns to the other bloodsucker. "Eli!" She yells.

      "We choke on cow's blood so that none of them suffer. Tonight they murdered Conrad and they celebrated." Eli says.

      "Eli, that's enough." Lenore says.

      "Yeah, Eli, that's enough." Elena mimicked.

      "What's done is done. We're leaving this town tonight." Lenore says.

      "Then why did you bring us here? Why are you even talking to us?" Sam asks.

      "Believe me, I'd rather not. But I know your kind. Once you have the scent you'll keep tracking us, it doesn't matter where we go. Hunters will find us." Lenore says.

      Elena thinks. "So you're asking us not to follow you." She says.

      "We have a right to live, we're not hurting anyone." Lenore says.

      "Right, so you keep saying, but give me one good reason why I should believe you." Sam says.

      "Fine. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to let you go." Lenore says and Sam looks at her, startled. "Take them back. Not a mark on 'em." Two vampires lead Sam and Elena back to the truck, their heads covered in the sack again. They drive off.

MOTEL ROOM
[ ☾]

      Dean and Gordon sit at the table, discussing strategy over a map. "This is the best pattern I can establish. It's sketchy at best." Gordon says.

      "Looks like it's all coming from this side of town. Which means the nest would be around here someplace, right?" Dean asks.

      "Yep, that's what I'm thinking. Problem is, there's thirty five, forty farms out there. I've searched about half of them already, but nothing yet. They're covering their tracks real good." Gordon says.

      "Then I guess we'll just have to search the other half." Dean looks at his watch. "What time is it? Where is Sam?"

      "Car's parked outside. Probably went for a walk with his lady friend. Seems like the take a walk type." Gordon says.

      "Yeah, he is, but..." The door opens; Sam enters.

      He gives Dean a look. "Where you been?" Dean asks.

      "Can I talk to you alone?" Sam asks.

      "You mind chillin' out for a couple minutes?" Dean asks Gordon. Sam and Dean exit the motel room and walk into the parking lot during the following.

      When Dean walks outside, Elena storms up to him and quickly slaps him across the cheek. "Ow! What was that for?" Dean asks.

      "We were out for at least two hours and you didn't even think to look for us?" She asks angrily.

       "Well, you got me out here. What do you want?" Dean asks.

      "Dean, maybe we've got to rethink this hunt." Sam says.

      "What are you talking about? Where were you?" Dean asks.

      Elena rolls her eyes. "In the nest." She says.

      "You found it?" Dean asks.

      "They found us, man." Sam says.

      "Practically pulled me out of the shower." Elena mumbles.

      "How'd you get out? How many did you kill?" Dean asks.

      "None."

      "Well Sam, they didn't just let you go." Dean says.

      "That's exactly what they did." Elena says.

      "All right, well, where is it?" Dean asks.

      "We were blindfolded, I don't know." Sam says.

      "Well, you've got to know something." Dean says.

      "We went over that bridge outside of town, but Dean, listen. Maybe we shouldn't go after them." Sam says.

      "Why not?"

      "I don't think they're like other vampires. I don't think they're killing people." Sam says.

      Dean puts his hands on his hips. "You're joking. Then how do they stay alive? Or undead, or whatever the hell they are." He asks.

      "The cattle mutilations. They said they live off of animal blood." Says Elena.

      "And you believed them?" Dean asks.

      Elena fakes a laugh. "Look at us, Dean. They let us go without a scratch." She says.

      "Wait, so you're saying..." Dean pauses. "No, man, no way. I don't know why they let you go. I don't really care. We find 'em, we waste 'em."

      "Why?" Sam asks.

      "What part of 'vampires' don't you guys understand? If it's supernatural, we kill it, end of story. That's our job." Dean says.

      "No, Dean, that is not our job. Our job is hunting evil. And if these things aren't killing people, they're not evil!" Sam yells.

      "Of course they're killing people, that's what they do. They're all the Same, Sam. They're not human, okay?" Dean questions. "We have to exterminate every last one of them."

      "No, Dean, I don't think so, all right? Not this time." Sam stutters.

      "Gordon's been on those vamps for a year, man, he knows." Dean says.

      Elena crosses her arms. "Gordon?" She asks.

      "Yes."

      "You're taking his word for it?" She asks.

      "That's right." Dean says.

      "Unbelievable." Elena mutters.

      "Ellen says he's bad news." Sam says.

      "You called Ellen?" Dean asks and Sam nods. "And I'm supposed to listen to her? We barely know her, Sam, no thanks, I'll go with Gordon."

      "Right, 'cause Gordon's such an old friend. You don't think I can see what this is?" Sam asks.

      Dean sighs. "What are you talking about?" He says.

      "He's a substitute for Dad, isn't he? A poor one." Sam says.

      "Shut up, Sam." Dean says

      "He's not even close, Dean. Not on his best day." Sam says.

      "You know what? I'm not even going to talk about this." Dean says and starts to walk away.

      Elena places a hand on Sam's arm. "Just let him go. You know you can't fight him on this." She says.

      "No, he's going to hear what I say." Sam says and follows Dean. "You know, you slap on this big fake smile but I can see right through it. Because I know how you feel, Dean. Dad's dead. And he left a hole, and it hurts so bad you can't take it, but you can't just fill up that hole with whoever you want to. It's an insult to his memory."

      "Okay." Dean says and starts to turn away, then punches Sam, hard. Elena runs to Sam's rescue and checks his face.

      "Dean!" She yells.

      Sam pauses, turning back slowly, but not rising to the bait. "You hit me all you want. It won't change anything." He says.

      "I'm going to that nest. You don't want to tell me where it is, fine. I'll find it myself." Dean says.

      "Dean?"