"Come on, Cas… Wake up…" No… Sleep… So nice… "Come on, buddy, don't be — come on, Cas, we still need you," the voice said urgently. Cas… Is that me? Why does the voice need me?
"Dean." Whoa, there's two of them! Is Dean the first voice? "He's still breathing. Has been all the way here. Remember, you made me sit in the back with him? He'll be alright. He just needs some time to wake up. Let's go." Wait… No… The voices are so nice. Don't leave…
"Cas? Cas! Sam, he just moved! Hey, buddy. Hey, Cas. You alright? Sam, get over here!"
The light… It's so bright. I don't want to open my eyes. It hurts. It all hurts. The shadow. Is that Sam? Or Dean? Oh, now there's two. So I wasn't imagining them.
"Hey, Cas, how're you feeling? Are you hurt?" the taller shadow asked.
Everything. Everything hurts. "I… I'm fine. I think," Cas croaked. "Except everything hurts. Especially my head. My head hurts. A lot. What…? Where am I? You — Dean, right? — why are you bleeding?"
Sam and Dean exchanged a look. Can I sit up? Ouch… No… No sitting. "Uh, Cas, what's the last thing you remember?" Sam asked.
"I… Uh…" A black car. A gun. A Gas N Sip. "Not much."
"Do you… Do you know your name?"
"Cas?"
"Your full name," Dean said.
Full name? "I…"
"Do you know what you are?"
"I'm… human?"
"Before," Sam said.
"I… I was something else?"
The shorter one — Dean, right? – sighed and swore under his breath. "I told you this was a terrible idea," he muttered to Sam. Wait, what?
"You said he'd be fine!" Sam protested. "Besides, he probably would have just gotten a cab or something and followed anyway." I'd be fine doing what?
"You think he knows how to rent a cab?" I know how to rent a cab! You just… Uh…
Sam shot him a look, and then turned. "Hey, uh, Cas? Could you give us a minute? Just stay here You'll be fine. We'll be right back."
"Oh." No, don't leave me alone… "Okay." I'll be all alone in this… What is this, anyway? Where am I? Slowly, Cas stood up and looked around nervously. It was dim, very dim. He was seated under one of the only lights in the room. Cas shielded his eyes and looked out into the murkiness of the surrounding area. Some sort of cluttered warehou— no, regular house. That's furniture. Or, used to be. They're filthy… I don't think I even want to know what that stain — Holy — that's blood. Cas recoiled and stumbled backwards, accidentally kicking something metal that then slid across the floor, only to stop in front of Dean, who had just reentered the room. Cas stared at the object in horror. "Tha — is that a gun? Are you holding me hostage? Are you serial killers? Was that — was that your last victim?" He gestured towards the couch.
"Whoa! Cas, buddy, slow down!" Dean said.
"'Buddy'?! I don't even know you!" Dean's half smile faltered.
Sam spoke up. "But you knew our names when you woke up."
"Because I heard you talking! I don't know who you are or why I'm here or what you want with me. I just want to go home."
"You can't," said Dean.
"So you are holding me hostage! Let me go right now, or I'm warning you, I'll… I'll—"
"You'll what?" Dean stifled a smile. "You'll scream? You'll run away? Where would you go? I'm sure you remember where you live, right?" Dean paused for Cas to say something, but he only stared at Dean, eyes wide. Dean sighed. "Look, Cas, we're not holding you hostage. You're our friend—" Cas scoffed. "—and we're trying to help you."
"Cas, you can't go home–to your actual home–because you're an angel. Or, you were. You're human now, but–"
"Oh great, Sam! Way to stick to the plan!"
"Well, we had to convince him we're not holding him hostage somehow, right?"
"So that's your genius plan? Tell the guy he's an angel and his home is heaven?" Dean scoffed. "Like that's going to get him to believe anything we say!"
"Well it's the truth!" Sam protested.
"Yeah, I know! But – You know what? Nevermind. He freaks out, that's on you. Let's just get him back to the bunker, then we can figure out what we're gonna do with him."
Cas spoke up again. "'What you're going to do with me'?! I thought you said you weren't serial killers! I – I have a family! And kids! And – And a wife! That I have to go home and support!" Dean stepped closer. Cas took two steps back and raised his arms to defend himself. "Don't touch me!"
Dean sighed. "Okay, this is getting old." He looked at Sam. "He's not going to cooperate any other way."
"Wait, what?" Sam said.
Dean put down the gun he had picked up off the floor earlier, and took a few steps forward until he had Cas backed nearly into a wall. Before Cas could process what was happening, Dean raised his arm.
Sam took a few quick steps forward. "No! Dean, that won't–"
Dean's fist collided with Cas's head and his world went black.
"…help."