Jack felt weirdly numb watching the Winchesters gear up and load the car with what they thought they needed to go rescue Mac. He was trying to be helpful, but found himself feeling like he was just in the way. He stood back, hands in his pockets.

He had a feeling, right in the pit of his stomach, not unlike the one he'd had when Murdoc had taken Mac and he realized the trail had gone cold. Mac was on his own. And Jack could think of nothing he could do to find him or to help.

Actually, this was worse. When Murdoc had taken Mac, Jack had been worried, horrified, almost panicked even. But he'd also known that Mac could handle himself. He'd been trained in every way possible to resist interrogation, escape from impossible levels of captivity; and there was no quit in Mac. The kid was a fighter like no one lese Jack had ever met. But this …

Not only was Mac in a situation that he was unprepared for, but the creature who had ahold of him had the ability to get in his head, to try to force control. Jack didn't think he'd ever been more worried about Mac in his life, and given their jobs and how long they had known one another, that was saying something.

"They will find him, Jack Dalton." Cas spoke right on Jack's elbow and he startled just a little.

Jack glanced sideways, but his eyes quickly returned to his cousins' preparations and to trying to figure out the almost coded language they naturally used with one another. "I sure hope so, Cas," he replied, his voice too tight to sound even close to normal.

One of Cas's hands settled onto Jack's shoulder, applying gentle pressure until Jack turned to look at him. "No … No, you don't." Jack frowned, about to contradict the angel, but Cas went on. "You have lost hope at the moment, Jack. But you have to find it. You have to armor yourself with it. If you don't, then you will lose your friend."

Jack took a shaky breath. "What are you talking about?"

"Mac already told all of you what this is about … but I don't think you really heard him." Cas paused, giving Jack a kind, understanding smile. "This is about you, Jack."

Jack's frown deepened. "Cas, I appreciate what you're trying to do … But I'm not the one who got pinched by this La Llorona thing. God only knows what she's going to do to him …"

Cas squeezed Jack's shoulder. "She feeds on your pain, Jack. Not her captives'. She'll drink him dry, torment him endlessly before she does, but not to hurt him. It will be to hurt you. Mac is a bystander, spiritually speaking. La Llorona targeted him because of your feelings."

Jack almost rolled his eyes. Everyone behaved like the bond he and Mac shared was unusual, but for Christ's sake, they'd been to war together, been through a hell of a lot. Okay, Jack had to admit to maybe being a little protective of the guy, but that was a) his job, and b) Mac didn't have anybody else to fill that role. Boze was a great friend, almost the ultimate kid brother (although he was even a little older than Mac, he'd never seemed it). But Mac hadn't had parents since years before he could shave.

Jack sighed and ran his hands over his stubbly face, through his short hair and when he spoke again, he didn't quite look at Cas. "You mean because I look at him like a brother and losing him would about kill me. Dean is Sam's brother and I've never met a more protective dude in my life than Dean when it comes to Sammy."

"Well, events have shaped their relationship a bit in the last few years." Cas frowned, searching for what to say. Words were not necessarily his gift when it came to communicating with humans. "I mean because you often look at him like a son. And it almost surely would."

Jack considered their frequent banter about him being a helicopter parent. Although he'd always thought of Mac more as a little brother that needed guidance from time to time and more overtly thought of Riley as his kid, he realized just how frequently his instincts were to parent rather than just sit back. With both of them.

Oh, thank God Riley wasn't here. Jack was still trying to convince himself that she could take care of herself at all. And he knew it wasn't fair, but his protective instincts as they related to his little girl were almost ridiculous. Even he realized it. But right now, he couldn't think of Mac as any more capable given the situation, and the idea of losing either of those kids made him sick. If Mac'd been grabbed by a terrorist, a drug dealer, hell, even Murdoc, Jack wouldn't feel cold all over like he did right now.

Jack made himself look at Cas. He wasn't even about to deny what Cas had said. He knew it was true. He loved the reckless little shit he'd been calling Partner since the guy could barely shave. And sometimes he thought of him as just his good friend, and more often like a brother, and sure, every once in a while, when the kid needed him to, he thought of him like a son.

"You mean I've gotta try to do the Mac thing and put all those feelings in a box and sit on it so they can't get out or this crazy bitch is gonna hurt Mac more?"

Cas finally took his hand away from Jack's shoulder. "I believe that is exactly what I mean. I also believe you just perfectly described the inside of Mac's head."

Jack managed a slight grin, although it was a little wan. "I been trying to figure out what goes on in that ginormous brain a his for a long time now, Cas."

Cas frowned again.

"Whatsamatter, Cas?"

"Dean! Sam!" he called, drawing the Winchesters' attention to him and Jack. "I have a sense of MacGyver again. He is thinking very hard at me directly."

Jack felt a bright spark of hope at Cas's words. "What's he thinking at you Cas?"

Cas's face fell.

"That we need to hurry. That he's running out of time."