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( LAZARUS RISING )

ELENA'S HOUSE
[ ☾]

We see Elena sleeping in a bed, Sam nowhere insight. She moves in her sleep, groaning with sweat upon her brow.

DREAM SEQUENCE

Elena walks through the woods, the wind whipping her hair around. She clutches onto a jacket she wears. "Hello?" She calls out. She seems to be alone.

The wind picks up as it begins to thunder and rain. Elena continues to walk through the forest and stops when she sees a tall figure. "Sam?" She calls out, voice echoing. She steps closer to the figure, his silhouette darkened. "Is that you?"

Suddenly, the persons eyes glow a fiery red. Elena screams and runs in the rain, hair and clothes completely wet. She runs up a grassy hill, mud letting her slip and slide. Once she reaches the top of the hill, she sees a familiar cross and walks down to it.

There's an evenly cut rectangular hole where a certain grave was supposed to be. Elena walks up to the hole and slides down in, ready to inspect. And old wooden coffin is placed down in the dirt with the initials "D.W." inscribed on it.

Elena reaches to open the coffin and it creaks as she tries to get it open. Soon, the hinges open and she is kind of afraid to look at the desiccating body. Once she opens it, she gasps. There was nothing inside.

"What the-" Elena starts.

Suddenly, lots of hands shoot out from the dirt. Elena screams and scrambles out of the grave and back into the grass. As the hands reach towards the sky, Elena feels a rough pair of hands behind her and she hits them with her own.

"Get off of me!" She yells and turns around. Behind her, we see Dean wearing the same clothes he died in.

"Elena..." He says hoarsely.

Elena wakes up in her bed and wipes the sweat off her forehead. She turns the lamp on. "Dean?"

We see quick flashes of Dean being tormented, his eyes flicking back and forth, his face covered in blood. Cut to Dean in a dark place; he breathes heavily, flicks his lighter on. He is inside a wooden coffin.

"Help! Help! Help!" Dean says hoarsely and pounds on the wood above his head; dirt rains down on his face. He continues to pound.

FIELD
[ ☼ ]

In the middle of a grassy field, a simple wooden cross is planted. As we pan back, a hand bursts out of the dirt, followed by another. It is Dean, and he crawls his way out of the ground, groaning and gasping.

He lays on his back, panting. He stands, looks around in the glaring sunlight. Around his crude headstone is a perfect circle of dead trees, laying on the ground as if an unearthly powerful blast had felled them.

Through hazy heat, Dean walks down an empty road and approaches an abandoned gas station. He pounds on the door. "Hello?"

Dean rolls up his outer shirt over his right hand, breaks the glass on the door. Inside, he grabs a water bottle from a fridge and gulps at it, gasping. He finds a newspaper and sees the date, which reads: Thursday, September 18th "September."

Dean washes his face in a dingy sink, then looks up and stares at his reflection. He wears a tight black t-shirt. Frowning, he stands, pulls the shirt up to expose his chest.

Dean stares at his unblemished, unscarred chest in the dingy gas station mirror. He turns his left shoulder to the mirror and pulls up the sleeve to reveal a large, raw handprint.

He pulls snacks and energy bars from the shelves, along with several bottles of water, and stashes them in a plastic bag. Stopping in front of a magazine stand, he grins slowly. On the stand is an Adult Magazine - "Busty Asian Beauties".

He picks it up, smirks, flips through it, and stuffs it in the bag too. He goes to the counter, sets down the bag, and hits a single button on the register, snapping his fingers in satisfaction when it pops open.

As he's looting the cash, the TV to his left flicks on, showing only static. He shuts it off; only to have a radio to his right turn on to white noise. Not wasting a moment, he goes to another shelf and grabs a carton of salt, opens it, and begins to pour it along the windowsill.

A high-pitched single tone begins, and Dean clutches his left ear in pain as he continues to pour salt with his right hand. As it continues, he drops the salt and crouches to the floor, groaning in agony. The window above his head shatters as the sound continues, and he drops to the floor.

He leaps to his feet to try to escape, and more glass on the ceiling and walls shatters. He looks around cautiously.

PHONE BOOTH
[ ☼ ]

Dean dials a number, and hears only an alert tone. "We're sorry. You have reached a number that has been disconnected."

Dean hangs up the pay phone and inserts another coin, dials another number. It rings once, then is picked up. "Yeah?"

"Bobby?" Dean asks.

"Yeah?"

"It's me." Dean says.

"Who's 'me'?" Bobby asks.

"Dean." Dean says as a dial tone sounds. Dean hangs up the receiver and dials again.

"Who is this?"

"Bobby, listen to me." Says Dean.

"This ain't funny. Call again, I'll kill ya." The dial tone again. Dean hangs up the phone, turns. He sees an old, beat-up white car parked outside. His eyes light up; he hotwires the car and pulls away from the gas station.

MYSTIC FALLS, VIRGINIA

ELENA'S HOUSE
[ ☼ ]

Elena sits in the kitchen of her house, eating ice cream. She looks likes she's been through hell. Her friend Caroline sits in the living room watching the Bachelor. Her Aunt Jenna (for the sake of Supernatural, pretend that Aunt Jenna is a completely different person) is making food in the kitchen. The doorbell rings.

"I'll get it." Jenna says and goes to the door. She opens it widely and finds Dean standing on the porch. "Um, do I know you?" She asks as Elena goes to see who's at the door.

"No." Dean says as he and Elena make eye contact. "But she does."

"Dean?" Elena asks.

Dean smiles. "In the flesh." He says.

Elena grabs a knife and vase as she strides over to him. First she takes the flowers out the vase and splashes the water on him. It's holy water. She then nicks him with the knife and there's no reaction. It's really him. She starts to cry and embraces him in a hug.

"What the hell is going on-" Caroline says as she sees them. "Oh. You must be Dean."

Elena finally lets go and leads him into the house. "It's okay Aunt Jenna, he's the Hunter I was telling you about."

"Wait." Dean says. "Are you the Aunt that saved her from those Demons?" He asks.

Jenna nods. "That's the one." She says. "I'm also a hunter."

"She's the one who taught me everything I know about demons." Elena says. They all move to the kitchen and Dean takes a seat at the counter.

Dean watches Caroline who is eavesdropping on their conversation. "Should she be listening to this?" He asks.

"She's fine." Elena says.

"Yeah, I've seen many things pass through this town and demons are about as normal as it gets." Caroline says.

Dean looks around. "So, where's my brother?" There's silence.

"Don't know, but if you find him, kick his ass for me." Elena says and goes upstairs to her room.

Dean watches her leave and Jenna slides a beer in front of him. "Sam has dropped by a few times to check up on her, but he's never around long enough to stay. Elena's pretty bummed." Jenna says.

"Well what has he been doing this whole time?"

"Looking for you of course." Caroline says.

Dean moves to go upstairs. "Do you mind if I-" he starts.

"Go ahead." Jenna says. "Her room is to the right."

Dean goes up the stairs to Elena's door and knocks. "Lena, it's Dean." He says.

"You can come in."

Dean opens the door and finds Elena on top of her bed snuggling a stuffed teddy bear. She stares out the window. "What's going on?" Dean asks.

"Sam has been blocking me out." Elena says. "Ever since you died he made it his life mission to find a way to bring you back."

Dean sighs. "I told him to forget about it." He says. Dean spots pictures all around her vanity mirror. "Who are all of these people?"

"Friends. Family." Elena says.

"And you just left them behind?" Dean asks.

Elena moves to where he's standing. "Back when the Yellow Eyed Demon was still around, he's the one that led me to you and Sam."

"Right." Dean remembers.

"God, that felt like so long ago." Elena says, smirking.

"I know." Dean says. "Is something up with you? You seem more depressed than usual." He says and Elena gives him a death glare. "I'm just kidding."

Elena goes to her door and closes it. "I haven't told anyone about this, not even Sam."

"I'm touched." Dean says.

"Well, you're not gonna be when I show you this." Elena says and steps in front of him. "Close your eyes."

"Um, no." Dean says.

Elena gives him a serious look. "Close your eyes, Dean." She says sternly. He sighs, but closes his eyes anyway. Time ticks by and Dean looks bored.

"What exactly is supposed to be happening?" Dean asks.

"You can open your eyes now." Elena says.

"Okay..."

When Dean opens his eyes, Elena's hand is reaching out towards him. At first he didn't notice anything, but then Dean realized how high up he was. He was floating.

"What the-"

"I know it's crazy, but I can do this now."

"Yay, good for you." Dean says sarcastically. "Can you put me down now?!" He asks and Elena nods. Dean suddenly lowers to the ground and he brushes himself off. "Thank you."

"Creepy right?" Elena asks.

"Absolutely." Dean says. "When did this start happening?"

"About a few weeks ago. I'm surprised I've gotten this good by now." Elena says.

Dean thinks. "Any reason why this flared up again?" He asks.

"No. All I know is that I'm having these weird dreams. Then I wake up everyday at 9:18. I set my alarm for 10." Elena says.

"Did you just say 9:18?" Dean asks.

"Yeah, why?"

Dean puts his hands on his hips. "Might be a coincidence, but September 18 is the day I rose from the grave." He says.

"Oh my god." Elena says.

"What?"

Elena looks at him with an expression mixed with worry and understanding. "My dreams and abilities started to develop that day." She says. "That day, I had a dream about you rising from your grave."

"This was no coincidence." Dean says.

Dean is heading out the door. "I'll text you when I get to Sam." Dean says.

"Alright." Elena says. "And tell him he has some serious explaining to do."

"Okay." Dean says.

"Oh and one more thing." Elena says and runs to give him a huge hug. "I'm glad you're back." She nuzzles her face in his chest.

"Me too."

Dean goes into the car and waves at Elena as he drives off. While he's driving, a slow but steady grin appears on his face.

BOBBY'S HOUSE
[ ☼ ]

To a pounding on the door, Bobby's hand appears to open it. On the doorstep is Dean, looking winded and apprehensive. He smiles cautiously. Bobby looks at him suspiciously.

"Surprise." He says.

"I, I don't..." Bobby starts.

"Yeah, me neither." Dean enters.But here I am." Behind his back, Bobby takes a silver knife.

As Dean approaches, Bobby lunges forward and slashes at him. Dean grabs his arm and twists it around; Bobby breaks the grip and backhands him in the face. "Bobby! It's me!" Dean yells.

"My ass!"

Dean shoves a chair between himself and Bobby, holding his hands out. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! Your name is Robert Steven Singer. You became a hunter after your wife got possessed, and... you're about the closest thing I have to a father. Bobby. It's me."

Bobby lowers the knife, steps forward slowly. He places a hand gently on Dean's shoulder. Suddenly he slashes again, but Dean quickly subdues and disarms him. "I am not a shapeshifter!" He yells.

"Then you're a Revenant!"

Dean shoves Bobby away, having taken the knife. He holds it out in front of him. "Alright. If I was either, could I do this – with a silver knife?" Dean rolls up his left sleeve, and, grimacing, slices his arm above the elbow with the knife. A line of blood appears.

"Dean?" Bobby asks.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." Dean says. Bobby breaks, grabbing Dean in for a tight hug. Dean returns the hug with enthusiasm, relief on his face. They pull apart.

"It's... It's good to see you, boy." Says Bobby.

"Yeah, you too."

"But... how did you bust out?" Bobby asks.

"I don't know. I just, uh, I just woke up in a pine box..." Suddenly, Bobby splashes water in Dean's face. Dean pauses, spits. "I'm not a demon either, you know."

"Sorry. Can't be too careful." Bobby says. They go further into the house, Dean wiping his face with a towel. "But... that don't make a lick of sense."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're preachin' to the choir." Dean says.

"Dean. Your chest was ribbons, your insides were slop. And you've been buried four months. Even if you could slip out of hell and back into your meat suit-"

"I know, I should look like a Thriller video reject." Dean says.

"What do you remember?"

"Not much. I remember I was a Hellhound's chew toy, and then... lights out. Then I come to six feet under, that was it." Dean says and Bobby sits. "Sam's number's not working. He's, uh... he's not..."

"Oh, he's alive. As far as I know." Bobby says.

"Good... Wait, what do you mean, as far as you know?"

"I haven't talked to him for months." Says Bobby. "No one has."

"You're kidding, you just let him go off by himself?"

"He was dead set on it." Bobby says.

"Bobby, you should've been looking after him."

"I tried. These last months haven't been exactly easy, you know. For him or me. We had to bury you." Bobby says.

"Why did you bury me, anyway?" Dean asks.

"I wanted you salted and burned. Usual drill. But... Sam wouldn't have it."

"Well, I'm glad he won that one." Dean says.

"He said you'd need a body when he got you back home somehow. That's about all he said." Bobby says.

"What do you mean?"

"He was quiet. Real quiet. And then he just took off without the girl. Wouldn't return my calls. I tried to find him, but he didn't want to be found." Says Bobby.

"Oh, damnit, Sammy." Dean says.

"What?"

"Oh, he got me home okay. But whatever he did, it is bad mojo." Dean says.

"What makes you so sure?"

"You should have seen the grave site. It was like a nuke went off. And then there was this... this force, this presence, I don't know, but it, it blew past me at a fill-up joint. And then this." Dean strips his jacket, pulls up his sleeve to reveal the brand.

Bobby stands. "What in the hell?" He says.

"It was like a demon just yanked me out. Or rode me out." Dean says.

"But why?"

"To hold up their end of the bargain." Dean says.

"You think Sam made a deal." Bobby says.

"It's what I would have done."

Later, Dean is talking into a phone. "Yeah, hi, I have a cell phone account with you guys, and uh, I lost my phone. I was wondering if you could turn the GPS on for me. Yeah. Name's Wedge Antilles. Social is 2-4-7-4. Thank you." Dean hangs up the phone and crosses to a laptop on the table.

"How'd you know he'd use that name?" Bobby asks.

"You kiddin' me? What don't I know about that kid?" The laptop is open to a web browser; Dean types in the address for Arc Mobile. Dean picks up one of the many empty liquor bottles scattered around. "Hey, Bobby? What's the deal with the liquor store? What, are your parents out of town or something?"

"Like I said. Last few months ain't been all that easy." Bobby says.

Dean holds his gaze for a moment. "Right."

The laptop beeps; the display shows a city map with a blue arrow pointing to a star. The locator reads: Phone Location: 263 Adams Road Pontiac, Illinois.

"Sam's in Pontiac, Illinois." Dean says.

"Right near where you were planted."

"Right where I popped up. Hell of a coincidence, don't you think?" Dean asks.

ASTORIA MOTEL
[ ☾]

Dean and Bobby walk down a dingy hallway and knock on a door with the number 207 inside a red heart. The door is opened by Sam steps who into the light. He is grim and focused, and wears a grey t-shirt and jeans. "Hey, is..." Sam stops dead when he sees Dean. He swallows, shocked, his eyes flicking between Dean and Bobby.

"Heya, Sammy." Dean says as Sam is silent. Dean steps into the room. As Dean gets close, Sam pulls a knife and lunges at Dean. Dean blocks Sam's attack and Bobby pulls Sam off, gripping him around the shoulders.

Sam struggles. "Who are you?!" He asks.

"Like you didn't do this?!" Dean yells.

"Do what?!" Sam asks.

"It's him. It's him. I've been through this already, it's really him." Bobby says.

Sam stares at Dean as the struggle slowly goes out of his body. "What..." He says.

Dean advances cautiously, staring at Sam. "I know. I look fantastic, huh?" He says.

Bobby lets go of Sam, who looks on the verge of tears as he steps forward and pulls Dean into a desperate hug. They embrace for several seconds, heavy with emotion, as Bobby looks on with tears in his eyes. Sam pushes Dean back to arm's length.

"You've got some serious explaining to do." Dean says.