( BAG OF BONES )

STAIRWELL
[ ☾]

      "Can't see jack." Dean says. Suddenly, there is a blinding light and Castiel vanishes. Turns out it was Samuel, banishing him with a blood sigil. "Cas?!"

       Sam sees Samuel. "Dean." He says.

       "You sold us out?" Dean asks. Two demons appear behind Sam and Dean, holding onto them. "Damn you, Samuel."

       "Yes. And I have to say, best purchase I've made since Dick Cheney." Crowley says.

       "Hiya, Crowley. How's tricks?" Elena asks.

      "Above your pay grade. Been working. Big things. Alas, you'll be too dead to participate." Says Crowley.

      "Really?" Dean asks.

      "Shame I have to do away with you three. Rather enjoyed your indentured servitude."

       Sam, Elena and Dean are thrown into separate cells. We see Meg finishing off the last hellhound, then getting ambushed by the demon possessing Christian Campbell. Back to Dean in his cell. "Sam?! Elena!" Dean yells.

      "Yeah." Sam says.

       "It reeks in here." Elena says.

       "I'm standing in pee." Says Dean.

       "Consider yourself lucky." Sam says as he looks down at his shoe.

      "Yikes. That sucks." A little window in the door is opened from the outside by Samuel. "You want forgiveness, find a priest."

       "I just want you to understand." Samuel says.

       "Oh, I understand... that you're a liar. You talk about putting blood first, which is funny 'cause you sound just like my dad." Dean says. "The difference is, he actually did."

       "I am putting blood first."

      "Oh, gimme a break!" Dean yells.

       "Mary's my blood! My daughter! Don't come at me like I sold you out, Dean." Samuel says. "You sold out your own mother. It was her or Sam, and you chose Sam, plain and simple."

      "Oh, that is such crap! You wanna know what really happened? You chose a demon over your own grandsons!"

       "See it how you want. I don't even know what Sam is. And you want me to protect him? And you?" Samuel asks. "You're a stranger. No, really, tell me: what exactly are you supposed to be to me?"

      "I'll tell you who I am. I'm the guy you never wanna see again. 'Cause I'll make it out of here, trust me." Dean says. "And the next time you see me, I'll be there to kill you."

       "Don't think there's gonna be a next time."

       "Whatever gets you through the night." Dean says. The two demons working for Crowley drag Dean out of his cell and down the corridor while Samuel just stands by. Sam hears this.

       In another room Meg is strapped to a metal table for torture. "So, Crowley wants to know... well, everything. Told me to carve out of you." Christian the Demon says.

       "Whatever makes you feel like a man." Meg says.

      "Ha ha. You talk a mean game. But you're scared."

       Sam is pacing in his cell, then squats down and bites into his arm at the wrist, drawing blood. Dean is pushed into a room with blood and guts all over it. Then the demons bring in two ghouls. "Enjoy."

      "Alright, alright. Shawshank's a great flick, but let's skip the shower scene, huh?" Dean asks.

       The Ghoul turns to his companion. "Look, breakfast." He says. Demons enter Sam's cell. Sam crouches by the wall furthest from the door.

       "What did you do with my brother?" Sam asks.

       "Oh, you'll find out. You're about to join him." One Demon says. They get caught in a devil's trap Sam has painted on the ceiling using his own blood.

       Elsewhere, Dean is fighting the ghouls. "Frickin' hate ghouls!" He yells. At the same time, Sam releases Elena and the begin running down a hallway, looking for Dean.

      "Dean?!" Elena yells.

      "Let me go, son of a bitch!" Dean yells.

      "Dean!" Sam arrives just in time to save Dean from getting eaten. He stakes one of the ghouls with a metal bar ripped off the wall

       "You know, you're sticking that thing in all the wrong places." Meg says.

       "Really? You sure were squealing." Says Christian.

      "Knock yourself out. It's a host body. Some girl from Cheboygan, moved to LA to be an actress. It's probably not even the worst thing that ever happened to her." Meg screams as the demon continues torturing her with Ruby's knife, then suddenly starts laughing.

       "What are you laughing at?" The Demon asks. Dean appears behind him, grabs the knife out of his hand and stabs him in the back.

       "Dean Winchester's behind you, meatsack." Meg says.

       "We should go." Sam says as Dean unties Meg.

HALLWAY
[ ☼ ]

      Crowley goes to pay djinn Brigitta a visit in her cell. "Hello, sweetheart. Feeling chatty this morning, are we? Do hope so. Wouldn't want to harm a hair on that pretty little head. So, you ready to tell me all about your daddy?" Crowley says as the Fire alarm rings. "Hold that thought."

      Crowley arrives at the room where Meg was being tortured and finds Dean sounding the alarm. "You should be ghoul scat by now." He says. Sam knocks him down from behind. "Really necessary? I just had this dry-cleaned." He finds himself inside another devil's trap. "So, to what do I owe the reach-around?"

      Meg enters. "Crowley." She says.

      "Whore." Crowley says.

      "Okay, you know what." Meg uses her demonic powers to injure Crowley internally, making him cough up blood. "The best torturers never get their hands dirty. Sam wants a word with you."

      "What can I do for you, Sam?"

      "You know damn well. I want my soul back." Sam says.

       "And here I thought you just grew some balls, Sam." Says Meg.

       "Well?" Sam asks.

       "No." Crowley says.

       "Meg?" Dean asks. Meg tortures Crowley some more.

       "I can't." Crowley says.

      "Can't or won't?" Sam asks.

       "I said 'can't'. I meant 'can't', you mop-headed lumberjack. I was lucky to get this much of you out. Going back in there for the sloppy bits? No way." Crowley says. "I'm good, but those two in there? Forget it."

       "How do I know you're not lying?" Sam asks.

       "You don't. But it doesn't change anything. I'm telling you. Sam, why do you want the thing back?" Asks Crowley. "Satan's got one juicy source of entertainment in there. I'd swallow a rag off a bathhouse floor before I took that soul. Unless you want to be a drooling mess."

       "Sam, I hate to say it, but he's right." Meg says.

       "Yeah, right. I get it. Thanks. He's all yours." Sam says.

      "Whoa, what are you, crazy? He's our only hope." Elena says.

       "Elena, you heard him. He can't get it. He's useless."

       Dean hands Meg the knife. She goes to enter the devil's trap. "You'll let me back out, right?" Meg asks. They nod. "This is for Lucifer, you pompous little—" Crowley takes her down in an instant and uses the knife to break the devil's trap. Pins Sam, Elena and Dean to opposite walls.

       "That's better. You don't know torture, you little insect." Crowley says.

       Castiel reappears suddenly. "Leave them alone." He says.

       "Castiel, haven't seen you all season. You the cavalry now?"

       "Put the knife down." Says Cas.

       "You that bossy in Heaven? Hear you're losing out to Raphael. The whole affair makes Vietnam look like a roller derby." Crowley says. "Hey, what's in the gift bag?"

       Castiel takes a skull out of the bag he's holding. "You are." He says.

       "Not possible."

       "You didn't hide your bones as well as you should have." Castiel said.

       Crowley claps mockingly. "Cookie for you." He says.

      "Can you restore Sam's soul or not?" Asks Castiel.

       "If I could help out in any other—" Crowley starts.

       "Answer him!" Dean yells.

       "I can't." Castiel incinerates Crowley's bones. Bye bye, King of Hell. Meg vanishes into thin air.

       "Well, she's smart, I'll give her that. I was gonna kill her, too." Dean says, then turns to Cas. "Course, I'd have given you an hour with her first."

       "Why would I want that?" Castiel asks.

      Sam, Dean, Elena and Castiel are standing by the Impala, about to take off. "Thanks, Cas. Hadn't it been for you—" Dean starts.

       "Crowley was right. It's not going well for me upstairs." Crowley says.

       "If there's anything we can do—" Elena starts.

       "There isn't. I wish circumstances were different. Much of the time I'd rather be here."

       "Look, Cas, we know you got a steaming pile on your plate. There's no need for apologies." Dean says. "We're your friends.

       "Listen, Sam, we'll find another way." Castiel says.

       "You really wanna help? Prison full of monsters. Can't just leave 'em, can't let 'em go." Sam says.

       "I understand." Castiel disappears with a flutter of wings.

       "He's right, you know?" Asks Dean.

       "About?"

       "About your soul. We'll figure something else out." Elena says.

      "No, we won't."

       "Why, because Crowley said—" Dean starts.

      "You heard what Crowley said. And I heard what Cas said." Sam says. "Putting this thing back in would smash me to bits."

      "We don't know that for sure."

      "You know what? When angels and demons agree on something, call me nuts, I pay attention." Sam says.

      "You say this now? After we practically died trying to—" Dean starts.

      "Exactly! We almost got ourselves killed. I mean, how many times do we risk our asses for this? Enough's enough."

      "Sam—" Elena starts.

       "I don't think I want it back." Sam says.

       "You don't even know what you're saying."

       "No, I'm saying something you don't like. You obviously care, a lot. But I think maybe I'm better off without it." Says Sam.

       "You're wrong. You don't know how wrong you are." Dean says.

      "I'm not sure about that." Sam turns and starts to walk away.

      "Sam, don't walk away. Sam! Sam!"