THE PHONY PREACHER

right is still running away from a Reaper, yelling. "Help! Help me please!" He yells.

Sam finds Wright looking around wildly. "Where is he!" He yells.

"Right there!" Wright grabs Sam's shoulder and points.

Sam grabs Wright and pulls him away. "Fine, come on."

Elena sneaks into the tent and whispers. "Tell them the tent is on fire." She says to Dean who turns to look at her.

"What?" He asks.

Elena rolls her eyes. "It's the only diversion j could think of, okay?"

Roy is about to lay his hands on Layla, who looks enraptured. Before he could, Dean shouts. "FIRE! Hurry, tent's on fire!"

Layla opens her eyes and looks toward the crowd. Everyone starts to rise and evacuate.

"NO! No, please. Please don't stop. Reverend, please, please! Please don't stop, please!" Mrs Rourke pleads.

Dean watches helplessly. "Friends, if you'd all just leave the tent in an orderly fashion...and we'll, uh, and we'll figure out what's giong on out there and we'll come back." Roy says.

Dean pulls out his phone. "I did it, I stopped Roy." He says into the phone.

Sam holds the phone to his ear and Wright looks around. "David, I think it's ok." He says.

David looks around at Sam, nodding, then turns back. The reaper is in front of him. "No!" He yells.

"Dean it didn't work.The reaper's still coming!" Sam yells.

Dean is still on the phone. "What's going on?" Elena asks. Dean looks up at her.

"The reaper's still coming for David."

"What? How is that possible?" She asks.

"I'm telling you, I'm telling you it didn't work. Roy must not be the one controlling this thing." Sam says.

"Then who the hell is?" Dean looks around and spies Sue Ann beside the stage, facing into the corner and reciting. "Sue Ann."

Dean runs to her and spins her around. She gasps and stops reciting, reaching down to hold a cross on a chain around her neck. It is the same as the wooden cross Sam saw earlier.

Back outside, The reaper is holding his hand to David's face. Suddenly he stops, looking confused, and rises.

Sue Ann stares at Dean, tucking the cross inside her blouse. "Help! Help me!"

Dean backs away, nodding and staring at Sue Ann like he shouldn't have expected anything better. Two cops grab him roughly and pull him away.

"Hey! Officers!" Elena yells. "It's not what you think!" She yells and follows them out.

The reaper stares at David lying on the ground gasping for breath, then turns away and vanishes. "I got you. I got you." Sam comforts.

"Thank God." David says.

Two cops manhandle Dean through the entry. Elena follows close behind. He shakes them off as soon as they are outside.

"I just don't understand. After everything we've done for you. After Roy healed you. I'm just very very disappointed Dean." Sue Ann says. Dean stares at her, saying nothing. "You can let him go. I'm not gonna press charges. The Lord will deal with him as he sees fit.

Sue Ann leaves. The cops turn to Dean. "We catch you round here again son, we'll put the fear of God in you, understand?" The Cop says.

"Yes sir, fear of god. Got it." Dean says. The cops give him one last push. He turns to find Layla waiting for him. "Layla?"

"Why would you do that Dean? And it could have been my only chance." She says.

"He's not a healer." Elena says.

"He healed him."

"I know it doesn't seem fair, and I wish I could explain. But Roy is not the answer, I'm sorry." Dean says.

Layla shakes her head. "Good Bye Dean." She walks away. Dean raises his eyes to the sky, then turns to watch her. She turns back. "I wish you luck. I really do."

"Same to you." Dean's voice cracks. Layla turns to walk away again. "You deserve it a lot more than me."

Layla walks away past where her mother is talking to Roy and Sue Ann. "Private session tonight, no interruptions. I give you my word, I'll heal your daughter." Roy says.

Dean and Elena walk past behind them to where Sam is waiting. They both overhear. "Thank you reverend. God bless you." Mrs Rourke says.

n the Motel Room, Sam and Elena sit on a bed and look and the book they found. "So Roy really believes." Sam says.

"I don't think he has any idea what his wife's doing." Dean says.

"Well, we found this." Elena hands the little book to Dean."

"Hidden in their library. It's ancient. Written by a priest who went dark side. There's a binding spell in here for trapping a reaper." Sam says.

Dean looks at the decayed book. "Must be a hell of a spell." He says.

"Yeah. You gotta build a black alter with seriously dark stuff. Bones, human blood. To cross a line like that, a preachers wife. Black magic. Murder. Evil." Sam continues.

"Desperate. Her husband was dying, she didn't have anything to save him. She was using the binding spell to keep the reaper away from Roy." Elena says.

"Cheating death, literally." Sam says.

"Yeah but Roy's alive, so why is she still using the spell?" Dean asks.

"Right. To force the reaper to kill people she thinks are immoral." Sam says.

Dean scoffs. "May God save us from half the people who think they're doing God's work."

"We gotta break that binding spell Dean." Sam says.

Dean looks at the picture of the cross in the book. "You know Sue Ann had a coptic cross like this. When she dropped it the reaper backed off."

"So you think we gotta find the cross or destroy the alter?" Elena asks.

"Maybe both. Whatever we do we better do it soon, or he's healing Layla tonight."

Impala rolls in without lights and stops. "That's Layla's car. She's already here." Sam says.

"Yeah." Dean responds.

"Dean..." Elena echoes.

"You know if Roy woulda picked Layla instead of me she'd be here right now. And if she's not healed tonight she's gunna die in a coupla months." Dean says.

Sam spoke softly. "What's happening to her is horrible. But what are you gunna do? Let somebody else die to save her? You said it yourself Dean, you can't play God."

Dean sits without speaking, then gets out of the car. Sam and Elena follow, giving each other worried looks.

They approach the tent and peek inside. Roy is speaking to a small group of the faithful, including Layla and her mother.

"Gather round, please everyone, gather round. Come in closer, come on up." Roy says.

"Where's Sue Ann?" Elena asks.

"House."

The gang move to the house. "Go find Sue Ann, I'll catch up." Dean aims at them.

"What are you gunna...?" Sam says as Dean pushes him away.

Dean spies the two cops from earier coming down the stairs. "Hey! The cops look over. "You gunna put that fear of God in me?"

The cops drop their coffee and run at Dean, who takes off. As soon as they're gone, Sam turns to Elena. "Wait out here." He says and runs up the stairs and checks around the house.

"Great." Elena mumbles.

The house is immersed in darkness. Sam turns back, confused, then spots light emerging from the cracks of the outside basement entrance.

Outside, Dean silently creeps up beside a camper van. The cops are on the other side with flashlights. "You see him?" Cop 1 asks the other.

"Nah."

Elena stands outside quietly with her hands in the pockets of her jean jacket. "One day you boys are gonna realize you need me" she says to herself. Sam moves toward the basement entrance, opens the doors and slips inside.

Dean slowly rises next to the passenger window of the camper van, looking behind him. A large dog jumps at the window, barking wildy and he leaps back.

On the other side of the van the cops shine their lights underneath, then in at the dog who is still barking. "Psycho mutt." Cop 1 says.

They move on, the camera pans to the roof as Dean sticks his head over. He looks around tensely, then sags against the roof.

Sam moves quietly through the basement to a candlelit alter littered with parts of dead animals, blood, horns, etc.

There is a photo in the middle of Dean, taken from the security camera the first time they were in the tent, before he was healed. His face has been crossed out with what looks like blood.

Sue Ann appears behind Sam. "I gave your brother life and I can take it away." She says. Sam is furious. He tips over the table the alteris on, then runs at Sue Ann, but she is already up the stairs.

She closes the hatches and secures it with a beam. Sam stretches to push against them and keeps trying.

"Sam, can't you see? The Lord chose me to reward the just and punish the wicked. And your brother is wicked and he deserves to die just as Layla deserves to live. It is God's will."

Sam turns to survey the room. Sue Ann speaks. "Good Bye Sam."

Sam pulls a block off wood out from the wall and smashes out a small boarded up window.

"Mrs Rourke, pray with me now." Roy says and takes her hand. "Pray with me friends."

Dean is heading toward the tent when some lights go out. He stops, looking behind him, and watches the line of lights lighting the path go out one by one. He turns back to see the reaper walking toward him.

"Raising his hands, Roy speaks to the crowd. "All right now. All right."

Roy places his hand on Layla's head. Just outside the door Sue Ann is reciting Latin and holding the cross in her hands.

Across the lot, Elena could see Dean standing there with an old look on his face. "Dean?"

The reaper places his hand on the side of Dean's head. Dean convulses once. Inside the church, Layla is sinking to her knees, outside Dean is doing the same. His eyes glaze over.

"Dean!" Elena yells and runs over the the eldest brother. She tries to push him away, but he seemed to be stuck. "Sam!"

Sam heard his name and knows that he has only a matter of time left before his brother was gone. Sue Ann is reciting, holding up the cross. Sam appears, grabs it and throws it aside, breaking a glass bottle of blood.

The reaper stops what he is doing and looks up. Dean falls to the ground gasping. Elena catches him before his head could hit the ground.

Roy raises his hand from Layla's head, confused. "I don't understand..." He says.

"I don't...feel any different...?" Layla says.

Sue Ann falls to her knees beside the blood. "My God, what have you done!" She yells towards Sam.

"He's not your God."

Layla looks at Roy, confused. "Reverend?" She asks.

"Sue Ann?"

All of a sudden, Dean stops gasping. He looks up and notices a worried look on Elena's face.

He smiles. "Aw, were you worried about me?" He asks. Realizing that he was mocking her, Elena smiles and punches him playfully in the shoulder.

Outside, Sue Ann looks up and see's the reaper. He smiles at her. Terrified, she rises and turns to run. The reaper is there. He places his hand on her head, her eyes glaze over and she falls to her knees.

After a moment, still smiling, he allows her to slip to the ground where she convulses once, twice, and dies. The reaper watches, looking satisfied.

Leaving her lying there, Sam turns and goes to look for Dean. Dean and Elena make it back to the Impala just as Sam approaches.

"You Ok?" Sam asks.

Dean shakes his head. "Hell of a week."

"Yeah...All right, come on. We should get going, boys." Elena says and gets into the car. Sam and Dean look at each other once before they enter the car.

am is in the bathroom getting himself cleaned up while Dean sits on the bed, staring at nothing. Elena watches him intently. "What is it?" She asks.

"Nothing."

Elena waits a few seconds. "What is it?" She asked more gently.

"We did the right thing here didn't we?" He asks.

"Of course we did. What else could we have done?" She asks.

Dean hangs his head. "It doesn't feel like it. Sam comes out of the bathroom just as a knock at the door stops them.

"I got it." Sam opens the door as Dean turns to look. It is Layla. "Hey Layla. Come on in."

"Hey." She enters.

Dean quickly rises. "How did you know we were here?" He asks.

"Sam...called. He said you...wanted to say goodbye?" Layla says.

Dean glances at Sam, who is at the door, looking sheepish. "I'm gunna...grab a soda." Sam says.

Elena gets gist and catches on. "Uh, me too." She gets up and follows Sam, closing the door behind them.

"So, uh. Where are you going?" Layla asks.

"Don't know yet. Our work kinda takes us all over." Dean says.

Layla watches Dean in silence for a moment. "You know...I went back to see Roy."

"What happened?" Dean asks, but he already knew the answer to that question.

Layla sits on one of the beds. "Nothing. He laid his hands on my forehead but nothing happened." She says.

Dean goes and sits beside her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry it didnt work." He says.

"And Sue Ann. She's dead you know? Stroke." She says.

"Yeah I heard. You know Roy's a good man. He doesn't deserve what's happened." Dean looks at Layla. "Must be rough. To believe in something so much, and have it disappoint you."

Layla smiles. "You wanna hear something weird?" She says and Dean turns to look at her. "I'm Ok. Really. I guess if you're gunna have faith...you can't just have it when the miracles happen. You have to have it when they don't."

"So what now?" Dean asks.

Layla continues to smile. "God works in mysterious ways." Layla lays her hand softly on the side of Dean's face, staring at him. "Good Bye Dean."

She rises and moves toward the door. Dean closes his eyes for a second, remaining still. Dean rises and turns to face Layla. "Well..." He clears his throat as Layla turns back to face him. "I'm not much of the praying type...but...I'm gunna pray for you."

Layla's eyes shine with unshed tears. "Well...There's a miracle right there." She turns and leaves the room. Dean stands staring at the door.