THE GRIM ADVENTURES

OF ROY AND SUE

t Roy's house, Roy and Dean sit on couches, Sue Ann stands, filling a glass. "I feel great. Just trying to, you know, make sense of what happened." Dean says.

"A miracle is what happened. Well, miracles come so often around Roy." She says.

Dean turns to Roy. "When did they start? The miracles." He asks.

"Woke up one morning, stone blind. Doctors figured out I had cancer. Told me I had maybe a month. So, uh, we prayed for a miracle. I was weak, but I told Sue Ann, 'You just keep right on praying.' I went into a coma. Doctors said I wouldn't wake up, but I did. And the cancer was gone." Roy says.

He takes off his sunglasses, his eyes are white. "If it wasn't for these eyes, no one would believe I'd ever had it."

"And suddenly you could heal people." Dean said.

"I discovered it afterward, yes. God's blessed me in many ways." Roy says.

"And his flock just swelled overnight. And this is just the beginning." Sue Ann says.

"Can I ask you one last question?" Dean asks.

Roy smiles. "Of course you can."

"Why? Why me? Out of all the sick people, why save me?" Dean asks.

"Well, like I said before, the Lord guides me. I looked into your heart, and you just stood out from all the rest." Roy says.

"What did you see in my heart?"

"A young man with an important purpose. A job to do. And it isnt finished." Dean looks slightly surprised.

n employee was talking to Sam and Elena. "I'm telling you, he seemed healthy. Swam every day, didn't smoke. So, a heart attack just kind of seemed, well, bizarre." He said.

"And you said he was running, right before he collapsed?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, yeah, he was freaking out. He said that something was, uh, was after him." The man says.

"Did he say what?" Elena asks.

"Well, thin air is what. I mean, it wasn't anything."

Sam glanced down. "Alright, thanks. As Sam is leaving he notices the clock on the wall isn't working. "Hey, buddy? Your, uh, your clock's busted."

"Oh, yeah, we, uh, can't get it workin'. Just froze at 4:17." He says.

"Is that the Same time Marshall died?" Elena asks.

The employee is surprised. "How'd you know?"

ack at Roy's, Dean is leaving. Layla and her mother are waiting to go in. "Dean, hey." Layla says.

"Hey." He says.

"How you feeling?" She asks.

"I feel good. Cured, I guess. What are you doing here?"

Layla speaks softly. "You know, my mom, she wanted to talk to the reverend."

Sue Ann comes onto the porch. "Layla?" She asks.

"Yes, I'm here again." Layla says softly.

"Well, I'm sorry, but Roy is resting. He won't be seeing anyone else right now." Sue Ann says.

Layla's Mom speaks up. "Sue Ann, please. This is our sixth time, he's got to see us." She says.

"Roy is well aware of Layla's situation. And he very much wants to help just as soon as the Lord allows. Have faith, Mrs. Rourke." She says.

Sue Ann goes inside. Mrs. Rourke stares then turns, looking at Dean. "Why are you still even here? You got what you wanted." She says.

"Mom. Stop."

"No, Layla, this is too much. We've been to every single service. If Roy would stop choosing these strangers over you. Strangers who don't even believe. I just can't pray any harder." Mrs Rourke says.

"Layla, what's wrong?" Dean asks.

Layla hesitates. "I have this thing...

"It's a brain tumor. It's inoperable. In six months, the Doctors say..."

Layla puts a hand on her mother's shoulder, stopping her. "I'm sorry." Dean says.

"It's okay." Layla says.

Mrs Rourke stares into her daughters eyes. "No. It isn't." She turns to Dean. "Why do you deserve to live more than my daughter?" Mrs Rourke walks away.

Layla takes a deep shaky breath and follows her down the stairs. Dean watches them go then turns to look back at Roy and Sue Ann's house...

ean enters the motel room, throwing his keys on the bed and beginning to take off his jacket. Sam and Elena are staring at a laptop. "What'd you guys find out?" Dean asks.

Sam speaks quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry about what?"

"Marshall Hall died at 4:17." Elena points out.

Dean is stunned. "The exact time I was healed."

"Yeah. So, we put together a list of everyone Roy's healed, six people over the past year, and cross-checked them with the local obits." Elena says.

Sam continues. "Every time someone was healed, someone else died. And each time, the victim died of the Same symptom LeGrange was healing at the time."

"Someone's healed of cancer, someone else dies of cancer?" Dean asks.

"Somehow. LeGrange...he's trading a life for another." Elena says.

Dean pauses. "Wait, wait, wait. So, Marshall Hall died to save me?" He asks.

"Dean, the guy probably would've died anyway. And someone else would've been healed." Sam says.

Elena crossed her arms. "Still doesn't make it right." She says.

"You never should've brought me here." Dean says.

"Dean, I was just trying to save your life." Sam says.

"But, Sam, some guy is dead now because of me." Dean says.

"I didn't know."

Elena begins pacing around the room. "The thing I don't understand is how is Roy doing it? How's he trading a life for a life?" She asks.

"Oh, he's not doing it." Dean says. "Something else is doing it for him."

"What do you mean?" Sam asks.

Dean recalled his memory. "The old man I saw on stage."

"What old man?" Elena asks.

"I didn't wanna believe it, but deep down I knew." Dean says.

"You knew what? What are you talking about?"

"There's only one thing that can give and take life like that."

Sam looks at Dean, confused. "We're dealing with a reaper." He and Dean are sitting at the table. Elena grabs a water out of the fridge. "You really think it's the Grim Reaper? Like, angel of death, collect your soul, the whole deal?"

"No no no, not the reaper, A reaper. There's reaper law in pretty much every culture on earth, it goes by 100 different names, it's possible that there's more than one of them." Dean says.

Sam looks confused. "But you said you saw a dude in a suit."

"What, you think he shoulda been working the whole black robe thing?...You said it yourself that the clock stopped right? Reapers stop time. And you can only see 'em when they're coming at you which is why I could see it and you couldn't." Dean says.

"Maybe."

"There's nothing else it could be Sam. The question is how is Roy controlling the damn thing?" Dean asks.

Sam seemed to have remembered something. "That cross." He says.

"What?" Elena asks.

"There was this cross, I noticed it in the church and I knew I had seen it before." Sam says. Sam looks through some papers and snorts. He holds a card up to Dean and Elena. "Here."

Dean leans into take the card. "A Tarot?" He asks.

"It makes sense. A tarot dates back to the early christian era right, when some priests were still using magic? And a few of them veered into the dark stuff? Necromancy and how to push death away, how to cause it?" Sam says.

"So Roy's using black magic to bind the reaper?" Elena asks.

"If he is he's riding the whirlwind. It's like putting a dog leash on a great white."

Dean rises to put his cup in the sink, then leaning back against it. "Ok then we stop Roy." He says.

"How?" Elena asks.

"You know how."

"Wait, what the hell are you talking about Dean, we can't kill Roy." Sam says.

Dean crosses his arms. "Sam the guys playing God, he's deciding who lives and who dies. That's a monster in my book."

"No. We're not going to kill a human being Dean. We do that we're no better than he is." Sam says.

"Ok, we cant kill Roy, we can't kill death. Any bright ideas college boy?" Dean asks.

Sam thinks for a second. "Ok. uh...If Roy's using some kind of black spell on the reaper, we gotta...figure out what it is. And how to break it."

he Impala bounces down the badly gravelled and potholed road again, passing a sign that says "Service Today".

They park and exit the Impala. "If Roy's using a spell, there might be a spell book." Sam says.

"See if you can find it." Dean looks at his watch. "Hurry up too, the service starts in fifteen minutes. I'll try to stall Roy."

The man from before is handing out papers to people who pass him by. "Roy LeGrange is a fraud. He's no healer."

"Amen Brother." Dean says and takes one.

"You keep up the good work." Sam says and walks by.

Elena nods in his direction. "Thank you." The man says.

oy comes down the stairs, assisted by Sue Ann on one arm, a dark haired man the other. Sam and Elena are watching them leave from the corner of the porch. Sam climbs in a window and helps Elena inside the house.

They look on the bookshelfs and Sam pulls out the only book that doesn't have dust on the shelf in front of it. Encyclopedia of British History.

He flips through it, finding nothing, then realises there is another, smaller book, hidden on the bookshelf behind the larger one.

Inside is a picture of a skeleton reaper, and on another page the wooden cross he saw earlier in the tent. He also finds newspaper articles about the people who died.

The one that died for Dean was an openly gay teacher, the woman jogging an abortion rights advocate. He finds a third clipping about Wright, the man handing out leaflets in front of the tent.

Inside the Church Tent, Dean is walking slowly up the side aisle. His phone ring. "What have you got?" He says into the phone.

"Roy's choosing victims he sees as immoral. And I think I know who's next on his list. Remember that protestor?" Sam asks.

"What, the guy in the parking lot?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll find him. But you can't let Roy heal anyone, alright?" Sam says.

Dean hangs up and moves further toward the front of the tent. Sam starts searching the car park. In the Church Tent, Roy is having one of his miracle sermons. "Layla. Layla Rourke. Come up here child."

The crowd bursts into pleased applause. Layla, stunned, looks around then rises to hug her Mom. "Mum. Thank you." She says.

"I love you child." She replies.

Dean watches them hug. "Oh man." As Layla passes him Dean grasps her arm. "Layla, listen to me. You can't go up there."

"Why not? We've waited for months!" She exclaims.

"You can't let Roy heal you." Dean says.

"I don't understand, Roy healed you didn't he? Why can't you let him try?" Layla asks.

Dean tries his best to give her the honest truth. "Cause if you do something bad is going to happen. I can't explain. I just need you to believe me.

Dean and Layla stare at each other. Sue Ann stands waiting. "Layla." She holds her hands out.

"Please." Dean pleads.

Layla stares at the hand Sue Ann is offering, then turns back and stares at her mother, who is standing ringing her hands. Her mother nods at her. Layla looks at Dean and shakes her head. "I'm sorry."

"Layla. Layla!" Dean yells after her.

Sue Ann smiles and puts her arm around Layla to take her to the stage. "Dear child!" She exclaims. The crowd continues to clap happily. "You deserve this." She says.

"I knew the Lord was planning. I knew it was just a matter of time." Roy says and takes Layla's hand.

Dean, frustrated, moves back to stand near Mrs Rourke. She is crying and covering her face with her hands.

Sam and Elena continue to search. Wright, the man in front of the Church, is running around a car, the reaper following slowly.

"HELP!"

Sam turns, searching for where his voice came from.

"Pray with me friends." Roy says inside of the tent. He turns to Layla. "I hope you're ready."

She smiles softly. "I am."