Valley of Joy

01. Devil's Trap

(Props to anyone who gets the title's meaning. And yes, there is a purposeful meaning to the title.)

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA

John's phone rang and Meg picked it up. "You boys really screwed up this time."

SALVATION, IOWA

Dean looked at his brother. "Where is he?"

"You're never going to see your father again."

Dean hung up his phone. "They've got Dad."

"Meg?" Sam asked as Dean nodded. "What'd she say?"

"I just told you, Sammy. Okay. Okay." He took the Colt and tucked it into the back of his jeans.

"What are you doing, Dean?" Sam questioned.

Dean grabbed his duffle bag. "We got to go."

"Why?"

Dean put on his jacket. "Because the demon knows we're in Salvation, all right. It knows we got the Colt. It's got Dad -- it's probably coming for us next."

"Good. We've still got three bullets left. Let it come."

"Listen, tough guy, we're not ready, okay? We don't know how many of them are out there. Now, we're no good to anybody dead. We're leaving... now!"

The Impala sped down the road and took a turn sideways.

"I'm telling you, Dean, we could have taken him."

"What we need is a plan," Dean told him. "Now, they're probably keeping Dad alive, we just gotta figure out where. They're gonna wanna trade him for the gun." Sam shook his head and Dean glanced over at him. "What?"

"Dean, if that were true, why didn't Meg mention a trade?" He started getting upset. "Dad, he might be..."

"Don't!" Dean cried.

"Look, I don't want to believe it any more than you. But if he is, all the more reason to kill this damn thing. We still have the Colt. We can still finish the job."

"Screw the job, Sam!"

"Dean, I'm just trying to do what he would want. He would want us to keep going."

"Quit talking about him like he's dead already. Listen to me, everything stops until we get back, you understand me? Everything."

Sam paused to think. "So how do we find him?"

"Maybe we go to Lincoln. Start at the warehouse where he was taken."

"Come on, Dean, you really think these demons are going to leave a trail?"

"We need help."

The Impala drove on through the night.

BOBBY'S PLACE

The Impala drove onto Bobby Singer's property. There were junk cars around and hubcaps nailed to the side of the house. A large dog was chained to a post and was laying on the hood of an old tow truck.

Two children, who looked about four, ran around, stopping to look at the brothers.

They walked inside. Books were stacked everywhere. It was untidy and cluttered with papers on every wall.

Bobby picked up two round silver flasks with crosses on them and handed one to Dean. Sam was sitting at a cluttered desk reading a large book.

"Here you go," Bobby said.

"What is this -- holy water?" Dean asked.

"That one is." He held out the other flask. "This is whiskey."