Originally aired: 15/05/2008

Writer: Eric Kripke
Director:Kim Manners

Guest Stars: Jim Beaver as Bobby Singer, Katie Cassidy as Ruby

Official CW Description

DEAN'S TIME IS UP It's 30 hours before Dean's deal with the crossroads demon is up and Dean, Sam) and Bobby are searching for Lilith, who holds the contract. They discover her location and Sam summons Ruby for help despite Dean's protests. Ruby warns them they aren't ready to fight Lilith yet but they steal her knife and depart for New Harmony, Indiana. In a battle to the death, Sam, Dean and Bobby take on Lilith and all her demons in a last ditch effort to save Dean's life.

Full Synopsis

Dean is running. There’s something chasing him, and it’s growling. He keeps running, and looking back. It’s getting closer. Finally, it catches him, and he yells in pain.

Motel
Dean wakes up with a jump. He fell asleep on top of a book about hellhounds. “Think up anything good?” Sam says, walking up. “No, nothing good,” Dean says, still looking a little stunned. “Well Bobby has, finally,” Sam replies. “A way to find Lillith.” “Wow,” says Dean, “With… just thirty hours to go.” Dean attempts to make a joke, but it falls flat. Sam sits down next to him. “Dean, hey, I know we’re cutting it close. But we’re gonna get this done. I don’t care what it takes, Dean. You’re not gonna go to hell. I’m not gonna let you. I swear. Everything’s gonna be okay.” Dean turns to look at Sam, but instead of Sam’s face, he sees a horrible, demonic face – then it’s Sam again. “Yeah, okay,” he says.

Bobby’s place
Bobby is showing the boys a sort of contraption. He tells them with the right name and the right information, there’s nothing you can’t find. “Like the town Lillith’s in?” Sam asks. “Kid, when I get done, we’ll know the street,” says Bobby. He turns to the contraption and starts to speak in Latin, and the pendulum in the middle, which was slowly swinging, stops. “New Harmony, Indiana,” Bobby says, looking up. “Looks like we have a winner.” “Alright, let’s go,” says Sam, starting to leave. Dean stops him. “What’s the problem?” Sam asks. “What’s the problem? Well where do I begin? First of all, we don’t even know if Lillith holds my deal, we’re going off of Bela’s intel. Now when that bitch breathes, the air comes out crooked. Second, even if we could get to Lillith, we have no way to gank her. And third, isn’t this the same Lillith that wants your giant head on a pike? Should I continue?” Dean says. “Well ain’t you just bringing down the room,” Bobby says sarcastically. “Well I’m sorry, so what’re we supposed to do?” Sam asks irritably. “Well just cause I gotta die doesn’t mean you have to – either we go in smart, or we don’t go in at all,” Dean replies angrily. “Well if that’s the case, then I have the answer,” Sam says immediately. “You do,” Dean says flatly. “A way to confirm it’s Lillith, and to get us a bona-fide demon killing instrument,” Sam replies. “Dammit, Sam, no,” Dean says, turning away. “Dean, we are so past arguing,” Sam says. “Dean, I am summoning Ruby.” “The hell you are! We got enough problems as it is!” Dean argues. “Exactly. And we got no time, and no choice, either,” Sam says. “Come on man, she is the Miss Universe of lying skanks, okay? She told you she could save me. Lie! She seems to know everything about Lillith, but forgot to mention – oh right, Lillith owns my soul!” Dean yells. “Okay fine, so she’s a liar. But she still has that knife,” Sam says. “Dean,” Bobby begins. “For all we know, she works for Lillith!” Dean cuts in. “So give me another option, Dean!” Sam says. “I mean, tell me what else.” “Sam’s right,” Bobby says. “No, dammit!” Dean yells loudly. “Just no. We are not gonna make the same mistakes all over again. You guys wanna save me, find something else.” He walks away and sits down. “Where’re you going, Bobby?” Sam asks as Bobby walks away. “I guess to… find something else,” Bobby says irritably.

Sam is setting up a symbol to summon a demon. He begins to speak in Latin, then strikes a match and lights the candle in the middle. He hears something behind him, but then “You know, phones work too,” know?” Sam asks. “Um, gonna need a tiny bit more…” she says. “About Dean’s deal,” Sam interrupts. “That Lillith holds the contract.” “Yes, I did,” Ruby replies. “And, what you didn’t think that was important?” Sam glares. “You weren’t ready,” she says. “For what?” Sam asks. “If I told you, you too yahoos would’ve just charged after her half-cocked. And Lillith would’ve peeled the meat from your pretty pretty faces,” Ruby replies. “Well we’re ready now. I want your knife,” Sam says. “You’re right about one thing,” Ruby says. “If you are ready, and now’s the time, too – Lillith’s guard’s down.” “Is that so?” Sam says. She tells him that Lillith’s on leave, having a little R&R. She tells him that if he still has the hexbags she gave him, then Lillith won’t see they’re coming. But she says she won’t give him the knife, because it’s not good enough. “Okay then how?” Sam says desperately. “I know how to save your brother, Sam,” she begins, but Sam cuts in. “No you don’t! You told Dean you couldn’t, you’ve been lying to me all along. So just give me your damn knife!” “You’re not the one I’ve been lying to,” she says. “Oh so you can save him,” Sam says sarcastically. “No. But you can,” Ruby says. Sam pauses. “What?” “Sam, you’ve got some God-given talent. Well – not God-given, but you get the gist,” Ruby begins. “What all that psychic crap? That’s gone, ever since Yellow-Eyes died,” Sam says. “Not gone. Dormant,” Ruby replies. “And not just visions. Why do you think Lillith is so scared of you?” “Right. She’s scared of me,” Sam says. “If you wanted, you could wipe her off the map without moving a muscle,” Ruby says. “I don’t believe you,” Sam says. “It’s the truth,” Ruby argues. She tells him that she’s just telling him now, because he never would’ve considered it until he was desperate enough. “You don’t like being different. You hate the way Dean looks at you sometimes, like you’re some sort of sideshow freak,” Ruby says. “But suck it up, cause we got a lot of ground to cover and we’ve gotta do it fast. But we can do it. Look, call me a bitch, hate me all you want, but I have never lied to you, Sam,” she says. “And I’m telling you? You can save your brother. And I can show you how.” “So that’s you, huh?”

Dean suddenly walks in. “Our slutty little Yoda.” “Dean,” she says, turning around. “Charming as ever.” “Oh I knew you’d show up. Cause I knew Sam wouldn’t listen!” Dean says. “But you’re not gonna teach him anything. You understand me? Over my dead body.” “Oh, well you’re right about that,” she says. “What you are gonna do is give me that knife,” Dean says, ignoring her. “Then you’re gonna go and crawl back into whatever slop you came from, and never bother me and my brother again. Are we clear?” “Your brother is carrying a bomb inside of him, and we’d be stupid not to use it,” Ruby says. Sam starts to say something, but Dean cuts in. “Don’t! Come on man, what are you blind? Can’t you see that this is a trick? She wants you to give in to all this demonic, psychic crap. I mean, she probably even wants you to become her little anti-Christ superstar.” “I want Lillith dead, that’s all,” Ruby says irritably. “Why?” Dean asks. “I’ve told you why!” Ruby replies. “Oh right. Cause you were human once, and you like kittens, and long walks on the beach,” Dean says sarcastically. “You know I am so sick of proving myself to you! You wanna save yourself, this is how, you dumb, spineless dick!” she yells. Dean starts to turn away, and then hits Ruby. She then attacks both of the boys, and goes after Dean. However, even after she’s beat him up, he’s smiling. “What the hell are you grinning at?” she asks. “Missing something?” Dean asks, holding up her knife. She starts to go after him, but something’s holding her back. She looks up to see a Devil’s Trap above her. “Like I said, I knew you’d come,” Dean says, starting to walk away. “Wait. You’re just gonna leave me here?” she asks. “Let’s go, Sam,” Dean says, and the boys start up the stairs. “Oh, so you’re just too stupid to live, is that it? Then you deserve it. You deserve hell! I wish I could be there, Dean. I wish I could be there to see the flesh sizzle off your bones! I wish I could be there to hear you scream!” Ruby yells. “And I wish you’d shut your piehole, but we don’t always get what we want,” Dean replies as they leave.

The boys are preparing guns and all their weapons. “We just gonna let Ruby rot down there?” Sam asks. “That’s the idea,” Dean says. “Dean. What if Ruby’s right. What if I can take out Lillith?” Sam wonders. Dean looks at him. “Stop looking at me like that,” Sam says. Dean asks if Sam think she can just stare at Lillith and kill her. “I don’t know what Ruby meant. Maybe we should just go ask her,” Sam suggests. “Sammy, you wanted the knife, I got you the knife,” Dean says, starting to walk away. “Dean, just listen to me for a second,” Sam begins. “Last time, Lillith snapped her fingers and we had thirty demons on our ass, and all we got is one little knife? I mean like you said, we go in smart or we don’t go in at all.” “Well this ain’t smart,” Dean says. “We got one shot at this, Dean, one. So if there’s a surefire way, maybe we should just talk about it,” Sam replies. “Sam. We are not gonna make the same mistake all over again,” Dean says. “You said that, but what does that even mean?” Sam asks, staring at Dean. “Don’t you see a pattern here? Dad’s deal, my deal, now this? I mean every time on of us is up the creek, the other one’s begging to sell their soul. That’s all this is, man. Ruby’s just jerking your chain up the road. You know what it’s paved with and you know where it’s going,” Dean replies. “Dean,” Sam says softly. “What are you afraid’s gonna happen? This is me. I can handle it. And if it’ll save you…” “Why even risk it?” Dean cuts in. “Because you’re my brother,” Sam says. “And you’d do the same thing for me.” “I know. And look how that turned out,” Dean says. “Sammy all I’m saying is… you’re my weakspot. You are. And I’m yours.” “You don’t mean that, we’re family,” Sam says. “I know. And those evil sons of bitches know it too. I mean what we’ll do for each other, how far we’ll go? They’re using it against us,” Dean replies. “So what, we stop looking out for each other?” Sam asks. “No, we stop being martyrs. We stop spreading it for these demons. We take this knife, and we go after Lillith our way. The way Dad taught us to. And if we go down, then we go down swinging. What do you think?” “I think you totally should’ve been jamming ‘Eye of the Tiger’ right there,” Sam says. “Bite me,” Dean says, standing up. “I totally rehearsed that speech, too.” “So Indiana, huh?” Sam says, with a bit of a grin. “Yeah, where Lillith’s on short leave. Tell me something. What the hell does a demon do for fun?” Dean wonders.

We see a cheerful neighbourhood, two old men are getting their mail. One of them asks how the other’s granddaughter is doing, and the other replies that she’s homesick. “Well you give her a big old hug for me,” the other replies, and they shake hands. As they part ways, the first old man sees that there’s a piece of paper in his palm. He opens it. It says “help us”.

The old man goes into his house, stepping over his wife, who is dead on the floor. “Where is she?” he asks a younger couple who is in the kitchen. “Upstairs, playing with Freckles,” the woman replies. “We can’t just sit here,” the old man says. “She’ll hear you!” hisses the man. “That’s my baby girl,” the woman says. “Not anymore. There’s something inside her!” the old man says. “Shut your mouth – she’s coming,” the younger man says, as a little girl walks into the room. Her dress is covered in blood. “What were you guys talking about?” she asks cheerfully. “Just how much we love you,” the old man says. “What happened to your dress?” the mother asks. “Oh, Freckles was mean to me,” she says off-handedly. She then asks if she can go play on the swings, and the father asks if she wants to change her dress first. “You don’t want the neighbours to see all that blood,” he says. “Oh Daddy you’re so smart, I love you,” she says, hugging him. “Hey sweetie, do you think – maybe – after a while, you might… let us go?” he asks slowly. She backs away. “Why?” “I dunno,” he says weakly. “Don’t you wanna be here? Don’t you love me?” she asks. “Well sure I do,” he says, and the mother quickly agrees. “Don’t be mean to me, Daddy. Like Freckles, or what’s-her-name, that mean old baby sitter,” she replies. “I’m sorry,” he says quickly. “That’s okay, silly. Now let’s go and play,” she says, smiling.

Bobby’s place
The boys are in the Impala, and Dean is trying to start it, but it won’t. After a couple of tries, Bobby knocks on the window and holds up a part of the car. “Where you think you’re going?” he asks. The boys get out. “We got the knife,” Dean says. “And you intend to use it without me. Do I look like a ditchable prom date to you?” Bobby asks. “No, of course not, Bobby,” Sam begins. “This is about me. And Sam,” Dean says. “This isn’t your fight.” “The hell it isn’t,” Bobby says angrily. “Family don’t end with blood, boy. Besides, you need me. You’re playing wounded. Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?” “How did you know?” Dean asks. “Because that’s what happens when you’ve got hellhounds on your butt,” Bobby says. “And because I’m smart.” He hands Dean back the car part. “I’ll follow,” he says. “Don’t be stopping to pee every ten minutes, either.”

On the road
The boys are driving. “Hey Dean?” says Sam. “If this doesn’t go the way we want, I want you to know…” “No no no no,” Dean says. “You’re not gonna bust out the misty-good-bye speech. I mean if this is my last day on Earth? I don’t want it to be socially awkward.” There’s silence for a minute, and then Dean says, “You know what I do want…” He turns on the radio, to Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead Or Alive”. “Bon Jovi?” Sam says incredulously. “Bon Jovi rocks. On occasion,” Dean says. He starts to sing along, and nudges Sam to help him. After a minute, Sam joins in, and the boys sing along for a while. Dean stops, knowing he’s going to miss this.

A cop at the side of the road sees them drive past, and notices that Dean has a tail light out. He pulls out after them.

“We getting pulled over?” Sam asks. “I got a busted tail light,” Dean says. “It’s not like we’re in a hurry or nothin’.” He pulls over and winds down the window. “Problem officer?” “License registration, please,” he says, and the officer looks at it while telling him he has a tail light out. “Uh, yes sir,” he says, suddenly looking at the officer weirdly. “I’ve been meaning to fix that. As a matter of fact…” He suddenly opens his door, hard, knocking the cop down, and jumps out. He punches him a couple of times, then stabs him in the neck with the knife. It was a demon. Bobby pulls up and gets out of his car. “What the hell happened?” “Dean just killed a demon!” Sam says. “How did you know?” “I just knew,” Dean replies. “I saw his real face, under that one.”

Bobby and the boys cover the cop’s car with tree branches as he tells Dean it’s not all that crazy that he could see the demon. “What’ve you got, just over five hours to go? You’re piercing the bale, Dean. Glimpsing the B-side.” “A little less new-agey, please,” Dean says. “You’re almost hell’s bitch,” Bobby replies. “So you can see hell’s other bitches.” “Thank you,” Dean says sarcastically. “Might come in pretty handy, actually,” Sam says. “Well I’m glad my doomed soul’s good for something,” Dean says. “Damn right it is. Lillith’s probably got demons stashed all over town. We can’t let them sound the alarm. She knows we’re here, we’re dead before we’ve started,” Bobby says. “Well this is a terrific plan. I’m glad to be a part of it. Can we go please?” Dean says.

The family is sitting around the dinner table as the mother comes out with a cake. “Happy birthday, sweetie,” she says. “Yay, it’s my birthday every day,” she says, blowing out the candles. Then, “Hey Grandpa, can I ask you something?” She asks him why he tried to go to the neighbours for help. “I didn’t,” he says, scared. “I don’t know what you mean.” “You’re a big fat liar,” she says, then asks the man and his wife if they knew about it. They shake their heads, despite the grandfather’s silent pleas for help. “Grandpa? You don’t love me anymore?” she asks. “No I love you, I do,” he says. “You’re lying again,” Lillith says. “You’re just a mean old man. I don’t like you anymore.” She snaps her fingers, and his neck breaks, killing him. “Nobody scream, okay? Screaming makes me mad,” she says quietly. “Mommy, can I have ice cream with mine?”

Outside, the guys are watching the house. “It’s the little girl,” Dean says. “Her face is awful.” Dean then tells them that every single person around is a demon, the mail man and everything. Sam says they have to find a way to save everybody, not just Dean.

Meanwhile, the little girl that Lillith is possessing is making her mother read a story to her over and over again, as they lay on her bed.

The mailman sees Dean, and heads off across the yard after him, only to be caught and stabbed with the knife. Bobby is putting holy water into the sprinkler system. As Dean heads off to the next place, he is suddenly shoved up against the fence by Ruby. “Can I have my knife back please? Or your neck snaps like a chicken bone,” she says. Sam grabs her. “He doesn’t have it. Take it easy.” “How did you get out?” Dean asks. “What you don’t know about me could fill a book,” she says. Dean looks at her weird. “Whoa.” “What?” “Nothing, it’s just I couldn’t see it before but you are one ugly broad,” Dean says. “Sam. Give me the knife before you hurt yourself,” Ruby says. When Sam tells her she can have it later, she says it’s already over. Dean’s dead, and Sam can’t die too. “Try and stop me, and I’ll kill you. Bitch,” he says. “Hit me with your best shot, baby,” she says, and Dean stops them. “Have your little cat fight later.” There’s demons standing all around the other houses, watching them. “So much for the element of surprise,” Dean says, and they make a run for the house. As the demons chase them, Bobby sets the sprinkler system off and they are stopped by the holy water. Ruby says that Lillith probably knows they’re there.

They continue into the house, and Dean grabs the father. He says they’re there to help, and the man tells them that his daughter is upstairs. Dean tells him to go downstairs and put salt in front of the door, and when the man says not without his wife, Dean punches him and carries him down to the basement.

Sam and Ruby go upstairs, and they split up. Sam goes into the bedroom and sees the little girl laying beside her mother, asleep. The mother is awake, and she tells him to do it, to stab the girl. Just as Sam is about to, the little girl wakes up and screams. Dean runs in behind Sam and says Lillith’s not inside the little girl anymore, she’s in someone else.

Dean tells the wife and her daughter to go downstairs, and Sam asks Ruby what he has to do. She tells him it’s too late, he had his chance and blew it. “You can’t just flip a switch,” she says. Sam says there’s gotta be some way, and Dean tries to stop him. “I’m not letting you go to hell!” Sam yells. “Yes you are!” Dean yells back. “Yes you are. I’m sorry. This is all my fault, I know that. But what you’re gonna do… it’s not gonna save me. It’s just gonna kill you.” “Then what am I supposed to do?” Sam asks. “Keep fighting,” Dean says. “Take care of my wheels… Sammy, remember what Dad taught you.” Sam nods. “And remember what I taught you,” Dean finishes. Just then, the clock strikes twelve. “I’m sorry, Dean,” Ruby says. “I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy.” Then Dean hears it, the growling. “Hellhound,” he says. “There.” They run. They close the door, and put the black dust in front of the doors and windows. “Give me the knife, maybe I can fend it off,” Ruby says. “That dust won’t last forever.” Sam starts to give her the knife, but then Dean stops him. “Sam that’s not Ruby! It’s not Ruby!” Sam goes to stab her, but she throws him back against the wall, along with Dean, who is on the table. “How long you been in her?” Dean asks. “Not long,” she says. “But I like it.” She looks up and her eyes are white. “It’s all grown up and pretty.” “And where’s Ruby?” Sam asks. “She was a very bad girl,” Lillith replies. “So I sent her far, far away.” “You know I should’ve seen it before,” Dean says. “But you all look alike to me.” She looks at Sam. “Hello, Sam. I’ve wanted to meet you for a very long time.” She kisses him. “Your lips are soft.” “Alright so you have me,” Sam says. “Let my brother go.” “Silly goose,” she says. “You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want. You don’t.” “So this is the big plan, huh?” Dean says. “Drag me to hell, kill Sam, and then what? Become Queen Bitch?” “I don’t have to answer to puppy chow,” she says coldly. She walks to the door, and opens it. “Sic ‘em, boy.” The hellhound rushes in, and drags Dean down onto the ground. He screams in pain, while Sam yells. “NO!” “Yes,” Lillith says, and holds out her hand as white light floods out.

As the light dims, Lillith realizes that Sam is still alive. She stares at him in surprise. He gets up off the floor and looks at Lillith. “Back,” she says. “I said back!” But it does nothing. He picks up the knife and prepares to kill her, but the demon leaves her body. Sam rushes to Dean’s side, lifting him up into his arms. “No,” he says. “No.” But Dean is dead.

Dean is screaming, in a dark and horrible place filled with strange black webs. He is laying on one of the webs, covered in blood. “Help!” he yells. “Somebody help me! Sam! SAM!”

Synopsis by Deanandhisimpala

Episode Music

Carry on My Wayward Son by Kansas
Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi

Extras

Episode Promos Episode Trailer Episode Screencaps Episode Review Audio Clips

Video Clips

Wayward Son Intro
Family
Bon Jovi
End Scene