"Are you sure that's him?" Dean asked, watching Jack Montgomery through binoculars. They were parked outside his middle-class home. It had already been over an hour, and there was nothing off-putting about the guy.

"Only Jack Montgomery in town."

"What are we looking out for?" Nadia was leaning on the front seat.

"Travis said to keep an eye out for anything weird."

Dean pulled his binoculars down, "weird?"

"Yeah."

Dean put the binoculars back to his eyes. Jack was in the kitchen, having a beer.

"Alright, well, yeah, I've seen big weird, little weird, weird with crazy on top. But this guy? I mean, come on, this guy's boring."

After all that had happened, Dean didn't have the patience for a stakeout.

"I don't know, Dean," Sam shrugged. "Travis seemed pretty sure." He watched through his own binoculars.

Nadia lay her hands down, waiting for something to happen—or for one of the brothers to call it quits. She assumed it'd be Dean.

The car grew quiet, and then a little too quiet.

Nadia lifted her head; the boys were shocked.

"What?! What's he doing?"

Speechless, Dean handed her the binoculars. Nadia hesitantly put them to her eyes and gasped.

Jack was devouring raw red meat like a savage.

"Oh no, Jack," she cringed, even feeling nauseous. "Here," she handed the binoculars back to Dean.

Sam dropped his binoculars from his face. "I'd say that qualifies as weird."

Now that the case had presented itself, they returned to the motel to regroup and found Travis in the boys' room, drinking a beer.

The brothers smiled.

"Travis!" boomed Dean. "See, Sam? Told you we should have hid the beer."

"Smartass. Get over here!" Travis hugged him. "Ah, good to see you."

Travis had been a hunter for thirty years. He'd known the boys since Sam was a teenager. He looked like any other aging, old-school hunter with his rugged style, broken arm, and receding gray hair.

"You too," Dean returned the sentiment as Travis embraced Sam.

"Good to see you."

"You too, Travis."

Travis laughed, looking Sam up and down. "Man, you got tall, kid. How long has it been?"

"Ah, gotta be ten years."

Travis sighed, amazed at how fast time went by.

"You still uh—oh, what is it? A mathlete?"

Sam laughed, "No, no."

"Yep, sure is," teased Dean, patting him on the back.

"Been too long, boys. I mean, look at you. Grown men. John would have been damn proud of you. Sticking together like this."

"Yeah. Yeah, we're as thick as thieves," snarked Dean. "Nothing more important than family."

Sam's smile disappeared. He grimaced at his brother's evident sarcasm.

"Hi," Nadia greeted Travis with a handshake. "It's nice to meet you. The boys have told me a lot about you."

"And who is this beauty?" He kissed her hand.

"This is Nadia, a friend of ours," Dean forced a smile. He swallowed the urge to slap Travis's hand away. "She's been hunting with us."

"Just a friend?" He looked between the boys as if one of them just had to be interested—or at least trying to make a move on her.

"Best of friends," Nadia made it clear with a contemptuous smile.

Though she knew he meant well as a woman who found herself typically outnumbered by the opposite sex, she hated the insinuation that men and women couldn't co-exist platonically.

Flirting and toying aside, she and Dean were doing pretty good at being friends.

Dean's cold shower didn't count though. Right?

"Okay," Travis appreciated her boldness. "I like you," he high-fived her. "Sorry I'm late for the dance," he sat at the table.

They took off their jackets and joined him.

"Thanks for helping out an old man. I'm a little, uh, shorthanded." He laughed, motioning to his cast. "So, you track down Montgomery?"

"Oh yeah," Nadia whistled.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, we found him at his home."

"And?"

"Well, he had a hell of a case of the munchies, topped off with a burger he forgot to cook," recalled Dean.

"That's him, alright."

"What's him?"

"Well, we got a rougarou on our hands."

"A rougarou?" Dean had never heard of such a thing. Neither had Sam and Nadia. "Is that made up? That sounds made up."

"They're mean, nasty little suckers. Rotted teeth, wormy skin, the works."

"He looked pretty damn normal to me," Nadia crossed one leg over the other.

"He'll turn ugly soon enough. They start out human, for all intents and purposes."

"So, what?" Sam questioned. "They go through some kind of metamorphosis?"

"Yep, like a maggot turning into a bull fly. About age thirty, they start changing. Bones shift around, animal instincts kick in. But most of all, they're hungry."

Dean's head tilted. "Hungry for what?"

"At first, for everything, but then... for long pig."

Sam and Nadia exhaled at the revelation. They understood; Dean didn't.

"Long pig?"

"He means human flesh," Sam withdrew.

"And that is my word of the day."

Travis cackled at him. "Hunger grows in, till they can't fight it. Till they gotta take themselves a big, juicy chomp, and then it happens."

"What happens?"

"They transform completely and fast. One bite's all it takes. Eyes, teeth, skin; all turns. No going back either. They feed once, they're a monster forever. And our man Jack's headed there on a bullet train."

"How'd you even find this guy?" Nadia thought out loud.

"Let's just say it runs in his family."

"You mean, uh..."

"Killed his daddy back in seventy-eight. Son of a bitch mangled eight bodies before I put him down. Guy used to be a dentist. Cadillac, trophy wife... Little did I know, pregnant trophy wife. She put the boy up for adoption. By the time I found out, he was long gone, lost in the system."

"You mean to tell me you couldn't find someone?" Sam was surprised to hear.

Travis sighed, "I'm not sure I wanted to. The idea of hunting down some poor kid... I don't think I'd have the heart."

They nodded understandingly.

"No. I wanted to wait, make damn sure I had the right man. Apparently, I do," he took a swing of his beer.

Now that they knew what they were dealing with, it was time to prepare to take Jack down. According to Travis, fire was the way to go. He showed them how to build one of his best innovations: a flamethrower made of mini propane tanks.

While they were working, Sam had gone off to do something. He didn't say.

"So fire, huh?" Dean asked.

"The only way I found to kill these bastards; deep-fry 'em."

"Well, that's gonna be... horrible. Is that what you did to Jack's dad?"

Travis nodded, "Uh-huh." He looked at Nadia. She was just about finished assembling hers. He was impressed. "How'd you get into this?"

"Born into the life," she said proudly. "My dad is the king of innovation."

Sam returned with research. "Not wasting any time, are you?"

"None to waste," said Travis. "The guy hulks out, we won't be finding bodies, just remains."

"What if he doesn't hulk out?"

Nadia, Dean, and Travis looked at one another, having not thought about the possibility.

"I did a little homework. Uh, I've been checking out the lore on rougarous."

"What? My thirty years of experience not good enough for you?" Travis grinned, sipping on his coffee. Though he said it light-heartedly, it was obvious that he was offended.

Older hunters tended to be very stuck in their ways. They always went by the book. Most of them were more like Dean; shoot first, ask questions later. Sam was different; he always had been. In some situations, if not most, his ways worked, especially in the past four months.

"What?" Sam chuckled incredulously.

The atmosphere was growing tense.

"No. No, I-I- I just wanted to be prepared. I mean, not that you didn't."

"Sam loves research," inserted Dean with a hopeful intention of de-escalating the situation. "He does. He keeps it under his mattress right next to his KY. It's a sickness. It is."

"Look," Sam maturely explained his intentions. "Everything you said checked out, of course, but uh, I found a couple of interesting stories about people who have this rougarou gene or whatever. See, they start to turn, but they never take the final step."

"Really?" Dean was surprised.

Nadia watched Travis's face; he was too old school. He wasn't going to take the chance.

"See, if they never eat human flesh, they don't fully transform."

"So what? Go vegan, stay human?"

"Basically. Or in this case, eat a lot of raw meat, just not..."

"Long pig!" Dean jumped at the opportunity to use his new vocabulary word.

Nadia smiled; he was adorable.

"Right."

Sam looked at Nadia for her input.

"There's nothing wrong with talking to him first,"

she shrugged. "I mean, he probably doesn't know what's even going on since he didn't get to meet his biological parents. If we tell him, we can help him—"

"Control it. Exactly," Sam grinned.

Finally, a hunter that didn't belittle or count him out because he preferred taking a different approach.

Nadia was all for killing monsters, but if one looked at it from another perspective, Jack Montgomery didn't choose to be a rougarou. He'd lived an everyday life up to this point, and he was probably scared and confused. He deserved answers and to be helped before they wrote him off.

"Good on you for the due diligence, Sam," smirked Travis, standing with his empty mug. "But those are fairy tales." He poured himself another cup of coffee. "Fact is, every rougarou I ever saw or heard of... took that bite."

"Okay, well, that doesn't mean that Jack will." Sam stood.

Dean did too—just in case.

"So, what do we do?" Travis asked him, leaning against the counter. "Sit and hope and wait for a body count?"

"No, we talk to him like Nadia said. Explain what's happening. That way, he can fight it."

Open to Sam's approach, Dean skimmed the papers that he brought.

"Fight it?" Travis scoffed and laughed. "Are you kidding me? You ever been really hungry? I mean, haven't-eaten-in-days hungry?"

"Yeah!" Dean's mouth watered at the thought of food alone.

Nadia shook her head at him, taking Sam's information to read.

"Yeah. Right then. So somebody slaps a big, juicy sirloin in front of you, you walking away?"

Dean pondered for a second; his eyes said it all. He looked at Sam. He was swaying Travis's way.

"That's what we are to him now, meat on legs. I'm sorry. I'm sure he's a stand-up guy, but it's pure base instinct. Everything in nature's gotta eat. You think he can stop himself 'cause he's nice?"

"I don't know," Sam was honest but still willing to try and help Jack. His heartbeat fastened as he grew frustrated. "But we're not gonna kill him unless he does something to get killed for."

Sam walked out, leaving the room tense and Travis confused.

"What's up with your brother?"

Dean shook his head, sitting down. "Don't get me started."

"I'll be back," Nadia grabbed her jacket and followed after Sam. She could see it in his eyes; the issue wasn't solely about whether it was best to kill Jack or leave him alive.

It was about Sam—what they had witnessed him do back in Kansas. He was still haunted by the choices he made, the things he couldn't erase, and Nadia could see it all written on his face. She found him outside, pacing back and forth beneath the cold, dim streetlight.

"Hey, you all right?" Nadia asked, her voice soft, careful.

Sam halted, his hand instinctively going to the bridge of his nose as he exhaled sharply, a sigh that seemed to carry all the weight of the world. "I'm sorry about that," he muttered, his voice strained.

Nadia stepped closer, her eyes steady on him. "It's fine. I get it."

Sam turned toward her, a confused look crossing his face. "Get what?"

Nadia hesitated, choosing her words carefully, but knowing Sam needed to hear this. "Come on, Sam. I know we're not as close as you and Dean are, and we haven't known each other all that long, but you and I? We're more alike than you think."

Sam frowned, clearly puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Nadia paused, gathering her thoughts, her gaze flickering away for a brief second before meeting his again. "I saw what you did back there. And yeah, it was... shocking, to say the least." She lowered her voice, stepping a little closer, trying to make her words feel less like a judgment and more like understanding. "But I get it. I really do."

Sam looked down, guilt pulling at him like an anchor. "But?"

"But I've got something... unnatural running through my veins too. Been that way since I was a little girl." She shrugged, as though the weight of her own truth didn't bother her, even though Sam could see the shadow it cast on her eyes. "I don't know what it is or where it comes from, just that it's caused me nothing but pain. I've spent years in therapy, bounced in and out of mental institutions, been poked, prodded, drugged up like some damn science experiment." Her lips twisted into something between a rueful smile and a grimace. "The only reason I'm standing here? It's 'cause of olanzapine."

Sam's brow furrowed. "An anti-psychotic?"

"Yeah." Nadia nodded, glancing away for a moment as though even speaking it aloud made it more real. "It helps me manage... whatever's inside me. Keeps me from losing it completely. So, if anything, I don't judge you, Sam." Her gaze locked onto his, earnest. "I actually envy you, in a way. You're trying to take something like that—something destructive—and use it for good. I've been battling this for so long, I don't even know what I am anymore, or where I'd be without it."

Sam was silent for a moment, taken aback by her raw honesty. He could see her tough exterior, the way she'd thrown herself into the fight, never hesitating to get her hands dirty. But beneath that, there was a vulnerability he hadn't expected. Something he understood all too well.

"I—" Sam started, but his words faltered.

"It's okay that Dean doesn't understand," Nadia continued, her tone softening. "Sometimes family doesn't. Dean's stubborn, but give him some time. He'll come around. Maybe." She gave a small, hopeful shrug. "He just wants what's best for you. I know that."

Sam swallowed, his thoughts a tangled mess. He opened his mouth to speak, but Nadia cut him off.

"So, what are you saying? That I should keep doing what I'm doing?" He sounded uncertain, but there was a quiet desperation in his voice, as if he was hoping for some kind of direction.

Nadia tilted her head, considering the question. She didn't have an easy answer. "I can't tell you that, Sam. Only you know what's right for you. Even if you think you don't." She paused, a subtle shift in her demeanor as she met his gaze, a knowing glint in her eyes. "But I will say this—take it from someone who's spent her whole life hunting demons. Keep an eye on Ruby. She's slick. As slick as they come."

Sam froze, his heartbeat quickening. His voice dropped low, a mix of suspicion and curiosity. "How do you know?"

Nadia's lips curled into a knowing, almost mysterious smile. She shrugged casually, though there was something deeply perceptive in the way she carried herself. "I just know. I've got this... sixth sense, you could call it, when it comes to demons."

Sam absorbed her warning, a quiet tension settling in his chest. He'd already questioned Ruby's intentions many times before—before they had grown close, before he'd let himself believe in her—but the feeling Nadia had planted lingered like a shadow. Even with the doubts, he had no choice but to trust her instincts.

She gave him one last look, a mix of concern and resolve in her eyes. Then, with a swift, confident motion, she turned and began walking back toward the motel.