It was only when Dean arrived back at the motel with a book in hand that Sam pried his eyes from his computer screen.

"You find anything notable?" Sam asked.

"I'm really starting to believe you're right about Cas," Dean admitted.

Sam smirked. "Well there's a first time for everything."

Dean ignored his sarcasm. "There was nothing I found that directly spoke of angels that die with their grace being reincarnated but some of the beliefs some religions have caught my eye."

Dean sat down at the room's wooden round table with Sam and opened the book up to a page near the front. "There are a couple of religions that believe in reincarnation of non-human beings. Jainists believe that their Gods can die and be born in some different form. Then there is Sikhism, in which people believe every creature has a soul and are reincarnated over and over until God sees their souls are good enough to go to Heaven. I figure since angels are creatures and they have been mistaken for Gods in some religions that its plausible angels can be recreated as humans."

"You said Sikhism people believe that every soul of every creature is reincarnated until God believes their souls are fit enough?" Sam inquired.

"Yeah," Dean confirmed.

The puzzle pieces were finally fitting together in Sam's mind. "I'd been thinking about exactly why an angel would be reincarnated and you helped me figure it out. It's because they were created to serve Heaven so they automatically lived there. So when they die they are put on Earth because they haven't earned a place in Heaven yet like humans have."

"Makes sense," Dean said. "Would explain why the angels are scared to die. Majority of them rather go to Hell then become human."

"Probably," Sam agreed.

"So what did you find?" Dean asked.

Sam smiled. "I found a way to be sure whether or not Castiel is ...er…well Castiel without a psychic."

"How?" Dean frowned.

"We go talk to him," Sam said. "I was reading this website that said that since the soul of a reincarnated angel stays intact that their subconscious mind still remembers their past life. So they may still act like their past selves sometimes. Also they may have feelings of not belonging and have a hard time living a human life. We could ask Castiel if he feels he fits in, among other things."

Dean nodded. "Sure. But only after pizza."

Sam grinned.


After eating pizza Dean and Sam went back to Sally and Carl's house. As Dean turned the Impala into the drive-way Sam noticed that Carl's navy blue Ford pick-up truck was gone and that Claire's yellow 2019 Chevy Cobalt was in its place.

Hopefully she didn't blow our cover, he thought.

The less people who knew who he and Dean were the better.

When Sam knocked on the front door it was Claire who answered. She looked depressed.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked.

Claire sighed. "Aunt Sally tripped down the stairs and broke her arm. Seems like everything's going bad lately."

"We're sorry," Sam apologized.

Claire nodded. "So what do you want?"

"We want to talk to Castiel," Dean answered.

Claire glanced at him and Sam. "This is about what I said isn't it? You think he's reincarnated? That the demons attacked my mom to get to him?"

"We can't be sure until we talk to him," Sam said.

Claire stepped aside to let Dean and Sam into the house. "Just make it quick. Uncle Carl's going to come back soon to pick up some clothes for Sally. The doctors are going to keep her at the hospital for an overnight. Uncle Carl doesn't like police of any kind constantly asking questions."

"We'll keep it short," Sam promised.

"Cas is in his room upstairs," Claire told the brothers.

They nodded, and made their way towards the house's first downstairs bathroom then turned left to climb up the steps that led to the second floor. Castiel's room was the first bedroom to the right.

Dean knocked on the closed door and Castiel opened it.

The teen was surprised to see them and flinched. "Oh, what are you doing here?"

"We'd like to ask you a few questions," Dean replied.

"About my Aunt Amelia?" Castiel frowned. "I already told the cops everything I remember. I didn't see it happen; I was with my sister."

Sam shook his head. "We're not here about that."

"Then what?" Castiel inquired.

"We want to talk about you."

"What do you mean?" Castiel asked confused.

"I know this is going to seem strange of us to ask but it's important to solving your aunt's murder," Sam said.

Castiel stepped out of his room. "What is it?"

"How are you in school?" Dean questioned. "Do you have a lot of friends?"

Castiel narrowed his eyes. "I'm fine in school I guess…I have a couple friends. Why?"

"We already said," Dean pointed out then continued with another question. "Do you feel like you fit in? Not just in school but in general?"

Castiel shrugged. "I don't know. Yeah….What does this have to do with my aunt's death?"

"What place do you like the most?" Sam blurted.

"I don't see any point to this," Castiel huffed. "I'm going back in my room."

"Just answer the last question," Sam pleaded.

"And honestly," Dean added.

Castiel sighed. "Fine. It's the church."

"Church?" Sam and Dean both gaped.

"Yeah, I know it's weird," Castiel said sheepishly. "But for some reason I enjoy going there and just listening to the priest and looking around. It's peaceful."

Sam and Dean glanced at each other.

"Is that all?" Castiel asked.

"Yes," Sam answered.

"Good."

Castiel stepped back into his room and closed the door.

Dean and Sam looked at each other again.

"It is him," Sam said. "A kid his age normally doesn't like going to church like that."

"I can't argue that," Dean told him, shaking his head. "It's just hard to wrap my mind around."

Sam smiled. "I know."


"So Cas really is the reincarnation of the angel Castiel?" Claire inquired with wide eyes.

Sam nodded. "Yes."

"What else did he tell you?"

"That's all we asked him," Dean told Claire.

"I doubt he remembers anything," Sam said. "Reincarnated angels only get certain feelings. In less someone jogs their memory through hypnosis or something like that, they can't unlock memories from their past life. It gives them a chance to live normally here on Earth."

"You're not going to treat Cas differently because in another life he was an angel, are you?" Dean inquired with a hint of concern.

"You think I have a grudge against Castiel?" Claire asked.

"Do you?"

"No," Claire answered. "I don't. Even though he took my father away from me I don't hate him. He was just doing what he had to do. I blame God, not him, for making the angels need to possess people."

"If you've got a grudge against God why do you wear that cross around your neck?" Dean questioned.

Claire fingered the silver religious symbol and closed her eyes. "My dad gave it to me on my eleventh birthday. It was his."

Dean nodded in understanding.

"You should go before Carl arrives," Claire told him and Sam.

They both stood up.

"Are you watching Castiel and Holly tonight?" Sam inquired.

Claire said, "Yeah."

Sam passed Claire a piece of paper.

"This is my cell phone number," Sam told her. "If anything happens, call."

"I will," Claire promised.

Sam and Dean nodded then left.


"We should watch the house tonight," Dean said to Sam as Sam checked the weather on his computer. "Even if there isn't any signs the demon could still be around. I doubt he's just leave and not try to kill Castiel again."

Sam shut the lid of his laptop and sighed. "I know."

"Then we'll catch some shut eye and at eleven we'll head back down and stakeout until morning," Dean decided.

Sam yawned. "Whatever."


Eight hours later Sam and Dean were sitting in the Impala watching Castiel's house from across the road. The radio was on but low, and both of the brothers were drinking coffee.

"What time is it?" Dean asked.

Sam looked down at his watch. "It's three in the morning."

Dean sighed heavily. "Everything seems alright. I guess he's not coming tonight."

Just then the wind picked up and all that could be heard on the radio was static.

"I think you spoke too soon Dean," Sam said.

At once, they both jumped out of the Impala and raced to the trunk to grab the Colt and Ruby's knife.

They crossed the street in seconds and banged on the front door. Claire opened it as a demon manifested himself behind her.

"Claire, duck!" Dean shouted.

Claire did as told and dropped to the floor. Dean fired at the demon but it disappeared before the Colt's bullet could reach him.

"Dammit!" Dean cursed.

He bolted into the house and charged up the stairs with Sam and Claire close behind. They had to reach the kids before the demon did.

Dean entered Castiel's room first to find him cornered by the demon between his bed and the wall. The demon was holding a knife in the air ready to finish his mission. Dean shot at him.

The demon howled in pain as the bullet entered his shoulder and caused electricity to spark from it but he did not die. Instead he left the man he was possessing and his smoky form slipped under Castiel's window to escape.

Dean rushed over to Castiel and put a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

Castiel quickly nodded.

Dean turned to face Sam and Claire. "We need to get Castiel and Holly out of here and to the motel."

"But Carl's going to be back at eight," Claire protested. "He'll kill me if I take them somewhere without asking."

"We'll bring you back at seven then," Dean said. "But for tonight it would be better if you stay with us."

Claire nodded.

"I'll go get Holly," Castiel told them.

He ran out of the room before Dean, Sam, or Claire could say anything to him.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Claire inquired.

"If I know anything about him he should be," Dean replied. "He's a tough soul."