( LOVED AND LOST )

PARKING LOT
[ ☾]

       Jody's on the phone with Alex as Donna listens. "Alex—Stop. No! D—Why do I hear firecrackers? Hel—"

       "So, maybe your life's not all cupcakes, either." Donna says.

       "Never said it was." Jody holds up her hands in defense of herself, revealing her car keys.

       "Uh-oh. Flyin' the coop without me? Again?" Donna asks.

      "No

      "No, I get it. I do." Donna says nervously. "'Take a hint, Donna', right? It's okay."

       "There's been another animal attack." Jody says.

      "Shut the front door." Donna says heavily. "Says who?"

      "I just talked to Sheriff Cuse. I was on my way out to the morgue, but it's probably closed by now, anyway. And—But it'll wait til tomorrow."

       "Anything I can help with there?" She asks.

       "Not unless you got any gems on how to handle a teenage girl, 'cause mine is..." Jody starts.

       "Kind of a dick?" Donna finishes.

        "She's got a whole lot more in there, too. Really good stuff. I was 17 once." Jody says. "Yeah, hair up to here, attitude up to here. Why can't I get through to her?"

       "You let anybody through to you at that age?" Donna asks.

       "Joey Demoupied. Drove a motorcycle. Smelled like...Mm. Yeah."

       "She'll come around. You did, right?" Asks Donna.

      "Eh."

       "So, fresh corpse,jerk ex-husband, out-of-control teen. Want to get blingo'd on my minibar and watch pay-per-view?" Donna asks.

       "Thanks. I'm gonna crash. It's been a long day." Jody says.

       "Don't I know it

LODGE
[ ☼ ]

      The Impala drives up the road through the trees. She pulls into the parking lot of the Lodge where the sheriff's retreat is being held. Sam, Elena, and Dean get out and enter the lobby. "I said I could handle it." Jody says as she looks at Elena. "Good to see you again, Elena." Elena nods.

       "Nice to see you, too." Dean says sarcastically.

      "Hey." Sam says.

       "Hi." Jody says. "Okay, I'm headed to the morgue. You want in?"

       "Uh, we just came from there."

       "And?" Jody asks.

       "And flesh was eaten off the second vic, too." Sam says.

       "Anything missing?"

       "Eh, His wallet. Why?" Dean asks.

       "Because I think a belt was missing off the first kid."

       "belt? So...what?" Elena asks. "We have monsters eating and then robbing people?"

       Donna speaks in the background. "Jodio, you take sugar?" She asks.

       "No. No sugar."

       "Okeydokes." Donna says.

       "'Jodio'?" Dean asks.

       "It's—ah—" Jody starts. "Don't ask."

       "Wait a second. Isn't that, uh, uh, Donna?" Sam asks.

       "Fat-spa Donna! Right."

       "You guys know my stalker?" Jody asks and Sam groans.

       "She nearly blew a case for us last time." Dean says.

       "Yeah, I haven't been able to shake that ray of sunshine since I got here." Jody says. "She's actually been pretty helpful, but, you know, it's just tough keeping her out of this nightmare stuff, you know?"

       "Right. You mind distracting her while we poke around?" Sam asks.

        "You show up, and now I'm a babysitter?" Jody asks.

       "Look, she hasn't gotten mixed up with this crap yet. Let's just try to keep it that way." Dean says.

       "Fine. But if she tries to show me her sticker collection, I'm out." Jody says.

       Donna comes over from the coffee table. "Agent Frehley? Agent Criss?" She asks.

       "Hey. Sheriff Hanscum."

       "I thought that was you! Well, ain't this a kick in the pants? What dragged you in?" Donna asks.

      "Uh, well, uh... We can't talk about it." Dean says.

       "Oh. Yeah. I hear ya. Anything I can help with?" Donna asks.

       "Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Uh, nothing." Elena says.

       "Actually, Sheriff, I was thinking you and I could go check out the gear expo." Jody says.

      "What about the morgue?"

      "Well, you know, like you said, animal control will handle that." Jody smiles.

      Donna is a bit hesitant. "Well, if it's cool with you, it's cool with me." She says.

      "Great."

      "Did hear they're packing some pretty serious heat in there?" Donna asks as they both leave.

      Elena and the boys head over to a group of sheriffs by the coffee, including Sheriff Len Cuse and Deputy Brice Graham. "Hey, there. Agents Criss, Masters, and Frehley. Looking for the sheriff...of...Hibbing." Dean says.

      "That'd be me." Len says.

      "Ah." Dean says.

       "Well, we're here investigating the attacks over the last couple nights. Just wondering where you're at on that?" Sam asks.

      "On the, uh...animal attacks?" Len asks.

      "Yeah."

      "Wait, wait, wait. You're telling me the FBI's got nothing better to do?" Brice asks.

       "Well, we go where the boss tells us to." Elena says.

      "To what—arrest a bobcat from Hibbing?"

      Dean comes to Elena's rescue by stepping up to the men. "Is there a problem? Because if you got a problem with her, you got a problem with me." He says darkly.

      "No. No, there's no problem. You ain't the first feds to roll through here and come up with nothing." Brice sad as he checks Elena out. "Sure is cute to watch you try, though."

      "Oh, pal, the FBI doesn't do cute." Dean says.

      "Uh, Sheriff Cuse, we are just hoping there might be some surveillance footage of the attacks." Sam interrupts. "Maybe a traffic camera caught something."

      "Right. No. Sorry, I-I-I don't have a record of it. Speaking of, uh...Can you keep an eye on the expo for me, uh, deputy?" Len says. "I got to check in with the guys at animal control. Agents, good to meet you. Uh...help yourself to a bear claw."

      Sam turns to Dean and Elena. "Sheriff's lying?" He asks.

       "Deputy douche seems to think so." Dean says.

       "All right. I'll go try and crack the police server. Maybe something showed up on surveillance." Sam says.

      "Yeah, maybe I'll go crack the deputy." Dean says.

      "Right, but this time, try to be a little less defensive of your 'pretend job'." Sam says.

      "You know, this badge means something." Dean says.

      "I made it at Kinko's." Sam says.

      "Yes, you did." Dean says. "Be proud of that."

      Donna and Jody stand at a booth displaying a variety of handguns. "Son of a gun." Donna says.

      "Uh, officer ladies, check this one out." The Vendor says. "You can take it to lunch, to the gym, have your nails done. She's always by your side."

      "How about this puppy?" Jody asks.

      "Oh. Well, it depends. Think you can handle a big one?" He asks.

      "Sigma, right?" She asks.

      "10 pounds pull weight." Donna says. "Cute."

      "Call this a big one? Hope you drive a Porsche." Jody says as Doug enters the scene.

      "Chaz." He says to the vendor. "If you're trying to pull the wool over this one, you got the wrong girl. Sheriff Hanscum here is a wolf in sheepskin, right?" He chuckles.

      "Thank you. Wolves are majestic creatures." Donna says. "But save your flattery for other female people."

      "Oh. Oh, Sheriff Goodhill. No. No. I mean, yeah." Doug says. "But, you know, we just met. Cufflinks—you know how it is."

      "Cuff what?" Jody asks.

      "Cufflinks! It's a dating site for cops. Y-You on it, Donna?" Doug asks.

       "Me? No. Not quite there yet." She says.

       "Oh, you still, uh, getting in date shape, huh? Huh?"

      "It's more like trying to get through the stuff on my DVR first." Donna says.

      "Oh, for the love of god." Jody says and turns to Doug. "What is wrong with you?! You get off on fat-shaming chicks?" She turns to Donna. "You are so not fat, by the way." Then back to Doug. "And you—you are just a douche."

      "Uh, okay. I'll just, uh... Okay, then." Doug says.

      "What the h-e-double hockey sticks, Jody?" Donna says. "Calling my ex a douche to his face?"

      "It didn't look like you were gonna do it!" Jody yells.

      "What would be the point? We're divorced!" She yells. "You really think I'm gonna change him now?"

      "So he gets to treat you like a doormat forever? Is that it?" Jody asks.

      "How about this? 'Til you've actually lost a husband, you keep your mouth zipped about mine." Donna says as Jody remembers how her husband died. "Did something happen... To your husband?"

      "We all have our crosses to bear, right?" Jody asks.

      "Hey, I'm sorry if I—"

       "No. It's fair. I certainly went there." Jody says.

       "You want to talk about it or—" Donna starts.

      "Not right now." Jody says.

      "All right, then. I'm gonna go get some air."