They went into the back where Cas was standing in the middle of the room. "Cas, where is he?" Sam asked him.

"I have him tethered. Zoda kama mahrana. Manifest yourself." Castiel ordered. Azriel sighed. What a disaster.

"So, where is he?" Dean asked and the angel appeared behind him and hugged him.

"Here I am!" he stated happily.

"Help!" Dean exclaimed, clearly uncomfortable.

"Oh, help is on the way." the cupid told him happily. "Yes, it is. Yes, it is. Hello, you!" He let go of Dean and walked over to Castiel, hugging him too.

"This is Cupid?" Dean asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Castiel looked equally as enthusiastic as Azriel.

"And look at you, huh?" the angel said and Sam quickly turned away with a 'No', but the angel appeared in front of him and hugged him too. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

The angel let go of Sam and turned to Azriel.

"Hug me and I will end you."

"But I've seen you hug Michael!" he replied affronted.

She glared at him. "Ever heard of privacy?"

His face fell. "I'm sorry."

"And that's why I usually avoid them." she mumbled to Dean. He nodded, fully understanding. At least she thought he did.

"What can I do for you?" the angel asked finally.

"Why are you doing this?" Castiel asked him.

"Doing what?" the angel asked him.

"Your targets, the ones you've marked, they're killing each other." Azriel explained.

"What? They are?" the cupid asked shocked.

"Listen, birthday suit, we know, okay? We know you been flittin' around, popping people with your poison arrow, making them murder each other!" Dean snapped.

"What we don't know is why." Castiel told him.

"You think that I- Well, uh ... I don't know what to say." the angel began to cry and turned away.

"Should ... Should somebody maybe ... go talk to him?" Sam asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Give 'em hell, Cas. Or Azriel. One of you."

Castiel didn't make a move. She glared at him. She approached the sobbing angel and put a reluctant hand on his shoulder. "We're sorry." she told him. "We didn't want to hurt your feelings. Dean is just very worried that more people could die. Sometimes it overwhelms him."

He turned around and hugged her. Her hands clenched in dislike. She glared at the others.

"Love is more than a word to me, you know. I love love. I love it! And if that's wrong, I don't want to be right!" the angel cried.

"Oh, yeah, I absolutely agree with you," she nodded but had the feeling she was not quite as convincing as she wanted to be, "but please, explain what happened."

"I was just on my appointed rounds. Whatever my targets do after that that's nothing to do with me." he told her convincingly. "I-I was following my orders. Please, sister. Read my mind. Read my mind, you'll see."

Azriel entered his mind swiftly, sifting through memories. She blinked and refocused her eyes. "He's telling the truth." she told the others.

"Jiminy Christmas. Thank you." the cupid cried out, his arms tightening around her. She closed her eyes. I hate cupids, Azriel thought angrily. "Let go of me!" she ordered him. He was still hugging her. He sniffed and nodded, letting her go. She shuddered and quickly brought distance between them.

"Wait, wait, you said … you said you were just following orders?" Dean asked him.

"Mm-hmm." the angel nodded.

"Whose orders?" Dean asked.

"Whose?" he laughed. "Heaven, silly. Heaven."

"Why does Heaven care if Harry meets Sally?" Dean wanted to know.

"Oh, mostly they don't. You know, certain bloodlines, certain destinies. Oh, like yours." the cupid pointed out.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, the union of John and Mary Winchester. Very big deal upstairs, top priority arrangement. Mm."

Azriel opened her mouth silently. Oh, right. They didn't know. She had completely forgotten about that.

"Are you saying that you fixed-up our parents?" Dean asked angrily.

"Well, not me, but ... Yeah." A nod. "Well, it wasn't easy, either. Ooh, they couldn't stand each other at first. But when we were done with them: Perfect couple." he said happily.

"Perfect?" Dean said in disbelief.

"Yeah." the cupid nodded.

"They're dead!" Dean snapped.

"I'm sorry, but ... the orders were very clear. You and Sam needed to be born. Your parents were just, uh ... meant to be." he said with a shrug. "A match made in Heaven. Heaven!" Azriel glanced at Dean. She had a feeling that response didn't pacify him.

Dean punched the cupid and grimaced in pain. "Son of a bitch!"

The cupid disappeared.

"Where is he? Where'd he go?!" Dean asked angrily.

"I believe you upset him." Castiel told him.

"Upset him?!"

"Good riddance." Azriel mumbled. Sam threw her a glare that said 'you're not helping'. "Dean! Enough!" he snapped.

"What?"

"You just punched a Cupid!"

"I punched a dick!" Dean replied stubbornly.

"Um ... Are we gonna talk about what's been up with you lately or not?" Sam demanded.

"Or not." Dean told him. They glared at each other. Azriel exchanged a glance with Castiel. She was torn between wanting to watch the verbal match between the brothers and reminding them of their case. She shrugged. She'd watch it play out. "Perhaps we should continue searching for the one responsible for the two dead humans." Castiel suggested carefully, glancing between the brothers and ruining her entertainment. "Sure." Dean said, still glaring at his brother. "No problem."

(I am a line break)

"What the hell does a demon got to do with this, anyway?" Dean asked and looked at a briefcase. Sam had taken it off some demon while Dean had waited at the motel room, trying to get over a cupid fixing up his parents. She assumed it was because his belief that his parents had been truly happy with each other had been destroyed by this reveal.

"Believe me, I got no idea." Sam said with a shake of his head.

"You okay?" Dean asked him.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be all right."

"Let's crack her open. What's the worst that could happen, right?" Dean asked and they opened the briefcase and something Azriel recognized as a human soul escaped.

"Whoa!" Sam said.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked.

"It's a human soul. It's starting to make sense." Castiel took a bite out of his burger. She had lost count after the thirtieth burger.

"Now, what about that makes sense?" Sam wanted to know. Azriel realized what Castiel meant. Even though she was wondering if Famine was truly powerful enough to affect angels. She glanced at Castiel. She suddenly really wanted something to eat. Huh. Guess she had her answer.

"And when did you start eating?" Dean asked.

"Exactly. My hunger - it's a clue, actually."

"For what?" the brothers both asked.

"This is not the work of a cupid. It's Famine." Azriel explained.

"Famine? As-as in the horseman?" Sam wanted to know

"Great. Th- th-that's freaking great." Dean stuttered out.

"I thought famine meant starvation, like as in, you know, food." Sam asked.

"Yes. Absolutely. But not just food. I mean, everyone seems to be starving for something. Sex, attention, drugs, love …" Castiel trailed off.

"Well, that explains the puppy-lovers that Cupid shot up." Dean said.

"Right. The cherub made them crave love, and then Famine came, and made them rabid for it." Castiel explained.

"Okay, but what about you? I mean, since when do angels secretly hunger for White Castle?" Dean asked.

"It's my vessel, Jimmy. His, uh, appetite for red meat has been touched by Famine's effect." Castiel explained awkwardly.

"So, Famine just rolls into town and everybody goes crazy?" Dean asked.

"'And then will come Famine riding on a black steed. He will ride into the land of plenty and great will be the Horseman's hunger, for he is hunger.' Famine is hungry. He must devour the souls of his victims."

"So, that's what was in the briefcase. The twinkie dude's soul?" Dean asked.

"Lucifer has sent his demons to care for Famine, to feed him, make certain he'll be ready."

"Ready for what?" Sam wanted to know.

"To March across the land." Castiel told them. Azriel licked her lips.

"Famine?" Dean asked.

"Yes." Castiel said, muffled by his cheeseburger.

"So, what, this whole town is just gonna eat, drink, and screw itself to death?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"We should stop it." Castiel suggested.

"Yeah, that's a great idea." Dean said lightly. "How?"

"How did you stop the last horseman you met?" Castiel asked him. She remembered that. It had been just after she had come back to life.

"War got his mojo from this ring." Dean remembered. "And after we cut it off, he just tucked tail and ran. And everybody that was affected, it was like they woke up out of a dream. You think Famine's got a class ring, too?" he wanted to know.

"I know he does." Castiel answered him, scarving down the last of his burger.

"Well, okay. L- let's track him down and get to chopping." Dean decided. Azriel rolled her eyes.

"Yeah." Castiel eyed the place his burger had been sadly.

"What are you, the Hamburglar?" Dean asked him disbelievingly.

"I've developed a taste for ground beef." Castiel admitted.

"Well, have you even tried to stop it?" Dean demanded to know.

"I'm an angel. I can stop anytime I want." Castiel told him confidently.

"I'm told drug addicts say the same thing." Azriel threw into the room. Castiel ignored her.

"Whatever. Sam, let's roll." Dean said.

"Dean ... I, um ... I can't. I can't go." Sam told him hesitantly.

"What do you mean?"

"I think it got to me, Dean. I think I'm hungry for it … "

"Hungry for what?" Dean asked.

"You know."

"Demon blood?" Dean asked in disbelief. Sam hung his head dejectedly.

"You got to be kidding me." he mumbled. "You got to get him out of here. You got to beam him to, like, Montana. Anywhere but here." he demanded of Castiel and Azriel

"It won't work. He's already infected. The hunger is just gonna travel with him." Castiel explained, his wings flexing slightly. Azriel eyed the grace in him with hunger.

"Azriel?" fingers snapped in front of her face and she focused on Dean. "What?"

"What about you? You in fighting shape?"

"Probably not." she answered honestly.

He stared at her in disbelief. "You're fucking useless." he mumbled under his breath and she glared at him.

"You're coming with us, but you stay in the car." he ordered. "No munching on grace or souls."

Her glare intensified.

(I am a line break)

Dean got into the car and a bit later Castiel appeared with another hamburger. She eyed him hungrily.

"Are you serious?" Dean asked him.

"These make me ... very happy." Castiel told him, happily munching on it.

"How many is that?" Dean asked him.

"I lost count," Castiel admitted, "it's in the low hundreds. What I don't understand is, where is your hunger, Dean?" She snapped out of her trance to look at Dean, or at least in his direction. Castiel was right. Dean was the only one not affected.

"Huh?" Dean asked, not sounding like he really cared.

"Well, slowly but surely, everyone in this town is falling prey to Famine, but so far, you seem unaffected." Castiel explained.

"Hey, when I want to drink, I drink. When I want sex, I go get it. Same goes for a sandwich or a fight." Dean told him. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. Her hunger was easier to control when she didn't see anything enticing.

"So ... you're saying you're just well-adjusted?" Castiel asked him and she wondered about that. Dean's life sounded balanced the way he had described it, but it also sounded empty. To not have something to long for … it didn't sound like living. Dean answered, distracting her from her thoughts. "God, no." he said. "I'm just well-fed."

"Look there." Castiel pointed out and she quickly opened her eyes again. A demon possessing a man in a black suit came out of the hospital. He was carrying a briefcase and they followed him as he drove off. They drove to some diner, where the man stopped and walked inside. Azriel blinked. She sensed demons and something far older. She shivered unconsciously. She wasn't sure if anyone except God and Death was capable of killing Famine. She didn't want to find out. She liked living. She faintly wondered if she shouldn't have stayed with Sam. She was, after all, originally supposed to watch over both Winchesters and who could blame her if she stayed with the one that was currently effected? Yeah, she was aware that that excuse didn't work. Dean was after all Michael's vessel, not Sam. And Michael might play fair with his brother by allowing him to use his vessel if he managed to convince Sam, but Dean was more important. She sighed and regretted her life choices.

"Demons." Dean stated. "You want to go over the plan again?" Castiel didn't answer, distracted by another burger. She kicked his seat.

"Hey, happy meal." Dean snapped. "The plan?"

"I take the knife, I go in, I cut off the ring hand of Famine, and I meet you back here in the parking lot." Castiel recited.

"Well, that sounds foolproof." Dean decided and Castiel disappeared. "I could've gone in too." she remarked. He shook his head. "Nope. Don't trust you not to let Famine keep his ring for your entertainment."

"I'm not a demon!" she protested, eying the way Dean's life energy moved with him. They waited until Dean frowned. "This is taking too long." he got out of the car and she followed him. They walked inside the diner and she spotted Castiel immediately. He was munching on beef, clearly taken out of the equation. She let out a gasp and sank to her knees, clutching her head. Her hunger overwhelmed her. She shook with her efforts to not attack anyone. She whimpered. She felt so hungry! She needed to eat! She needed to! Before she knew what she was doing she attacked one of the demons and slammed him against the wall, consuming his twisted soul. It flowed into her mouth and she breathed it in. It brought her no relief, no, the hunger seemed to grow even stronger. Another presence entered the room. Her head snapped up. Her blurry vision adjusted a bit, causing her to recognize the figure. It was Sam. She slowly crawled over to him, she just needed to get close enough.

Azriel, don't!

She slammed her back against the wall. Her entire body shook with restraint, tears fell onto the floor. It hurt, it hurt so much, she just needed to get up a bit and then she'd be able to hold onto Sam and devour his soul.

Azriel, calm down, don't let Famine win. You're stronger than this.

She could barely hear his voice through the all-consuming hunger. Then it was suddenly gone. She took a deep breath and slumped against the wall. It was as if slowly, she was starting to see again, to think again. She felt eyes on her and hastily wiped away the tears she had shed before not even bothering to stand up before disappearing.