The motel they were staying in was their usual type; unimpressive but cheap and had the necessities. Sam sat at the small table with his laptop doing research while Dean flipped through a couple books they had checked out from the local library. Bobby still had not gotten back to them yet with any new information and Hank had left for another job.

Finally, unable to take anymore, Dean closed the book he was reading and tossed it onto the pile with a groan. He rubbed his slightly burning eyes as he rolled off the bed to his feet and stretched, a yawn following. He saw Sam smirk at him and he raised a brow.

"What?" he asked, his brother shaking his head in response.

"I was betting with myself how long it would take before you gave up." Sam glanced at the clock on his computer and smiled. "Almost three hours. I think that's a record for you."

"You're the nerd here, not me. I'm an action guy, just point me in the right direction." he grabbed his keys from the nightstand and moved towards the door. "I'm going to get some grub and stretch my legs."

"Whatever, Action Ken."

"Bitch!" Dean said over his shoulder as he headed out the door.

"Jerk!" Sam yelled back with a grin before the door shut behind his brother.

Dean slid into the leather seat of Baby and started her up. There were a few dinners in town but he already knew which one he was heading to; the one that had the big sign in the window that said 'Fresh Baked Pies'. After spending a good chunk of the morning reading and finding out nothing, he needed a boost. Nothing gave him a boost like pie.

The diner was small, having only six tables and one waitress working, but it was cozy and welcoming. The seats were all soft enough that your butt wouldn't fall asleep while you were eating, but firm enough to keep you upright. There was an old jukebox in the corner playing music quiet enough for the patrons to be able to converse with each other without shouting. A few of the tables were taken as the people who ate early lunch came in, usuals going by how the waitress greeted them by name. Dean made his way to an empty table towards the back and sat down letting out a pleased sigh as the delicious smells reached his nose.

The waitress was probably in her mid thirties with brunette hair, green eyes, and legs that stretched a mile. After he ordered a piece of pie for now and more food to go, he leaned out of his booth a bit to appreciate the sight as she walked away. The pants she wore were tight enough to show off her figure but not skin tight like the pants teenagers wore these days. Her blouse had the top couple buttons undone but did not show off an indecent amount of skin. She looked over her shoulder as she walked away and caught him staring and sent him a smile and a wink. Dean grinned back.

A familiar sound reached his ears and he continued to smile as he turned back around, "Hey Cas."

"Hello Dean." the deep voice greeted in return.

Dean had to do a double take and then tilted his head to the side, much like the angel across from him does, and he looked at him a bit confused. "Casual Friday?"

Castiel frowned a bit and shook his head. "Today is Wednesday." he then realized what the other meant and he looked down at his outfit.

Instead of his usual suit and trench coat, the angel wore a grey t-shirt that hugged his chest enough to show off the muscles underneath, dark denim jeans that were well fitted and a pair of red Converse sneakers. A small cross hung on a silver chain off his neck that rested just below the dip in his throat. When he brought his hands up to rest his arms on the table, his shirt pulled nicely and Dean couldn't help but to look at his exposed arms normally hidden by his suit and coat.

"I thought that I should try to fit in more with you and Sam. Charlie also said something about 'flaunt it if you've got it' I don't quite understand, but I thought there was no harm in indulging her." Castiels blue eyes were locked onto Deans face, trying to read him. "Does it look bad? I admit that it has taking me a bit to get used to the tightness of the pants, but they are rather comfortable now. I can see why you prefer them to a suit."

Dean didn't realize he hadn't replied yet until Castiel cocked his head to the side and said his name.

"Uh, no it looks fine." Dean said and cleared his throat as he looked away for a moment. "I'm just not used to seeing you dressed like this. It's great to finally seeing you relaxing a bit. The holy tax accountant look was starting to get old." he grinned then when he looked back to the angel. He would have to remember to thank Charlie later.

"I am glad you approve." he replied with a small smile.

The waitress was back carrying a tray with two cups, a pot of coffee and a plate with Deans apple pie on it. She put the pie down before setting down his coffee before turning and smiling at Castiel.

"Can I get you some coffee, Sweetheart?" she asked after her eyes looked him over, her smile growing as she liked what she saw. "Maybe something to eat?"

"Just coffee please. Thank you." Castiel watched as she poured his drink then thanked her again before she went off. His blue eyes immediately shifted to Dean when a moan caught his ears.

"This pie tastes like Heaven." Dean said before taking another bite, his eyes rolling back in pleasure.

Normally Castiel would have said something about Heaven not having a taste, but he was too distracted by Deans mouth and the sounds he was making. His tongue darted out to run over his lips the same time Deans did and he fought back a groan of his own. After a moment, he saw Dean stop eating and his blue eyes raised to meet green ones. He could see a faint flush on the elder Winchesters cheeks and saw him fidgeting.

"Uh, you want to try some?"

Castiel's eyes dropped back down to Deans mouth for a moment before he looked away and picked up his coffee. "No thank you." as he drank from it his eyes moved back to look at the hunter and the hunter looked back.

Dean looked at him for another moment before returning to his pie, though this time being a bit more self conscious as he ate it. The look Castiel had been giving him made his insides a mess, worse than usual. He could see the lust in the angels eyes and it had startled him a bit. He had never been looked at like that before from him and he was unsure of how he felt about it. Not knowing what to do, he played it off like he didn't notice it. The last thing he wanted was to make things awkward between them.

"Alright, your loss." Dean finished the last few bites before leaning back in the seat. "So, what brings you here? I thought you were helping Gabriel with something upstairs?"

"He and Balthazar have things under control at the moment. I sensed your distress and thought I would come and help you out if I could."

Dean chuckled. He would never have imagined Gabriel and Balthazar to be working on restoring order back in Heaven, with Castiel helping too of course. He knew Balthazar would not stay there; he was only doing it as a favor. Even Castiel was unsure if Gabriel would stay or not.

"Your timing is great, actually. Sam and I are stuck on a case and still have no idea what we are dealing with."

Dean signaled the waitress over and she brought him the check and his to-go order. He paid for them both and as he got up, he couldn't help but look over Castiel again as the other male left his seat and headed for the door. He unconsciously licked his lips as his eyes zeroed in on how the jeans clung tightly to his ass. The waitress caught him staring and she grinned and gave him a wink as he passed, causing him to flush and exit the diner quickly. Castiel slid into the passenger seat of the Impala, happy to ride shotgun for once, and took the food from Dean as he got in.

"I've heard about it. Something is in the hospital taking the eyes of children and some of them have died due to the shock." the angels voice was sad and he looked out of the window for a moment. "It does not sound like typical demon behavior and if it was from an angel, then there would be no survivors."

"That's what we were thinking. Sam thinks that it could be a god. I hope not, I hate those bastards." Dean muttered. "Always with the sacrificing of innocents and animals."

His phone started ringing and he saw that it was from the hospital. After a short conversation, he cursed and hung up the phone. "That was Betty at the hospital. There's been another attack." his foot pressed down harder on the gas and he cursed again and dialed Sam. "Hey, Cas and I are on the way to the hospital. Another kid's been attacked. Alright, see you there."

He was surprised to see that Castiel was still sitting beside him and had not flown off already. He frowned a bit at that, wondering what he was waiting for. Castiel saw his look and he gave a slight smile.

"You said before that you don't like it when I fly off all the time. I also thought it best to stay with you since the people at the hospital don't know me. I don't want to cause you more trouble than you already have with this case." as Dean continued to stare at him between glances to the road, he shifted a bit in his seat. "Should I go ahead of you instead? I could go in unseen if it would help."

Dean gave a shake of his head and looked back to the road. "When I talked to Sam, he said he was just pulling into the hospital lot. There is not much we will be able to do for the kid at this point." he saw Castiel open his mouth but he gave another shake of his head. "They are having their eyes ripped out of their heads, Cas. I know that you want to heal them, and it really sucks that they are blind now, but that will cause too many questions and potentially more problems. Let's just wait on that for now, alright?"

Castiel gave a sigh and sunk down into his seat. He was not happy about that, but he understood. "Until we find whatever is doing this to them, it may be pointless to return their eyes right now. It could just go after them again and they may not survive it a second time."

When they reached the hospital, they found Sam talking with Betty on the second floor and police officers checking all of the rooms. Some of the patients were sitting in the lobby and looking scared, but the aides were doing a good job at keeping them calm. A few of the more mobile kids were sitting on the lobby floor playing with some toys while their parents watched them, eyes constantly darting around at sudden noises, waiting for something to try and attack their child.

When Sam spotted them, he waved them over. Then did a double take when he noticed what the angel was wearing. His mouth moved silently for a moment as he fought for words, causing the angel to shift a bit and tug on his shirt.

"Castiel?" Sam said, eyes wide as he looked over the shorter male. "I didn't even recognize you. What happened to your suit?"

Before Castiel could answer, Dean held up his hand. "We have more important things going on right now, Sam. Tells us what happened."

Sam nodded and led them out of the middle of the hall to the end so they could talk without extra ears around, ducking under caution tape to get down the hall. "It was a girl this time, eight years old, named Sara. Her parents were in the room with her when it happened. They said they had been reading Sara a story to help her fall asleep when she suddenly started screaming and clawing at her eyes. They managed to hold her down to keep her from doing damage, but it didn't work. Her eyes bled heavily and when Betty got in there to check them, they were just...gone."

"I'm guessing that no one saw anything?" Castiel asked and Sam shook his head.

"No, and I checked the room. No sulfur, so it is not a demon." Sam looked at the angel, once again looking over his outfit but said nothing about it. "Any ideas, Cas?" The angel shook his head sadly.

Dean sighed in frustration and thumped his head against the wall. The longer it took them to figure out what was causing the attacks, the more dangerous things became. Castiel was looking back down the hall towards the police officers, head tilted to the side a bit as if he were listening to them talk.

The sound of a door opening down the hall caught their attention. Saras parents came out of her room with Betty, the nurse saying comforting words while the parents nodded their heads and followed her somewhere. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to speak to the girl alone, Dean immediately headed down the hall and into her room. Castiel went in with him while Sam stayed in the hall to keep an eye out.

The girl lay in her bed, her wrists bound to it to keep her from scratching herself, though it was useless at this point, the damage had already been done. Her pink nightgown was twisted around her body from struggling against the bindings. There were stuffed animals piled along one side of her bed and at her feet. There was a small pile of books in an empty chair beside the bed along with a battery powered night light in the shape of a star. The trashcan was filled with bloody tissues and an empty box lay beside it, covered in blood smudged fingerprints. Her parents must have used them to try and stop the bleeding until the nurse had come in to help.

Sara turned her head towards them when they entered and she let out a whimper, hands pulling at the bindings, and her body trembled in fear.

"Mommy, daddy?" she asked, her lip quivering as she was on the verge of crying.

"No, Sara. My name is Dean, I'm with the FBI, and my friend here is Castiel. We are here to help you." Dean moved over to the side of the girls bed but did not touch her so he wouldn't scare her. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Sara gave a nod. "Mommy was reading to me to help me sleep. Daddy was holding my hand. Then my eyes started to hurt. They felt hot and itchy. I tried to itch them but then mommy and daddy were holding me down and yelling. Then my eyes really, really hurt and then the nurse gave me some medicine." her lip trembled again, the bandages around her head keeping her tears from sliding down her cheeks.

"Did you see hear or see anything, Sara?" Dean asked gently.

Again she thought for a moment. "Daddy said I shouldn't talk about it. It would scare people." her head turned and if she had eyes, Dean would have sworn she was looking right at Castiel. "But I will tell you because you are an angel and mommy says that angels protect us."

Dean and Castiel exchanged surprised looks. Then Castiel smiled and knelt down next to her bed and gently put a hand on her hand. He gave it a squeeze and she smiled. She relaxed at his touch and her trembling stopped.

"How do you know that he is an angel?" Dean asked curiously. He couldn't help but smile as the girl giggled.

"Because he has wings silly!" She gestured wildly at them and opened her arms wide to show how big they were. "They stretch this far!"

Castiel smiled fully and Dean wouldn't admit that his heart melted at the sight. "You are a very special girl, Sara." he turned to Dean and saw his questioning look but he just mouthed 'later' before turning back to the girl. "Will you please tell me what you saw? We are trying to find it so it doesn't hurt anyone else."

Saras smile left and she shifted closer to Castiel like she was looking for protection. Her voice was only a little more than a whisper. "He looked like my grandpa. He was wearing pjs and holding an umbrella open even though it can't rain inside." her voice got lower so that Dean could no longer hear her. "He smiled at me and he had really sharp teeth like a shark! I think he was a monster."

"It's okay, you are safe now." the angel said softly and put a hand on the girls head, gently ruffling her hair. "Thank you for your help. Now get some rest, you've had a big day." he used some of his angel mojo to make sure she would sleep peacefully and without nightmares.

Dean and Castiel left the room and as soon as the door shut behind them, Dean was turning towards the angel and staring. Green eyes looked into blue and he saw amusement in them.

"How'd she know you're an angel?" Dean asked, voice low so none of the staff or police would overhear him.

Sam was only a few steps away and he moved closer so he could hear his brother."What?" Sam asked, eyes wide as he too turned to face the other man.

"I have told you before that there are some humans who can see our true form. It is very, very rare but it does happen. When she lost her eyes, her other senses must have become more sensitive and that is what allowed her to see the true me." Castiel wore a small smile, a bit happy that the girl was able to see him and that she trusted him instantly with no questions. With how things had been going lately for him, it was a relief.

Dean frowned, "How could she see you without having eyes?"

"You can see with more than just your eyes, Dean. She saw me with her soul." His smile grew a bit bigger. "You have seen me before too. You just don't remember it." Blue eyes stayed locked onto green ones for what felt like minutes. "You were only a soul when I pulled you from hell, and I was not in a vessel."

The trio fell silent, Dean and Castiel still staring at each other as if they were having a telepathic conversation, and Sam shuffling his feet suddenly feeling awkward to be standing there for that conversation. Even if the two 'conversed' with their eyes more and more often, he didn't think he would ever get used to it.

Laughter echoed down the hall as two of the kids came running down back towards their rooms, their parents following behind them with forced smiles as they passed by the detectives and angel. One of the kids, a boy in Batman pajamas, bumped into Castiel and fell down. The angel quickly helped him back up with a smile and a comment on his pajamas. The boy beamed up at him before continuing past a few more doors before finding his room.

"What did you find out? Anything useful?" Sam asked, the bump from the boy having broken the silent conversation between his brother and the angel.

"Yeah, another description of what's been attacking the kids." Dean lead the way out of the hospital and back to his car out front. "Sara said that she saw an old man in pajamas holding an umbrella. Oh and that he had sharp teeth like a shark." He leaned against the side of his car with a sigh. "It could still be almost anything."

Sam frowned, just as lost as his brother was. "Okay, that's...interesting. I'll give Bobby a call and see if he knows anything and to give him the new information." he ran a hand through his hair and loosened the tie around his neck. "This case is becoming more complicated the longer we are here." he moved past Deans car to where his rental was parked a few spots away. "I'll call you later."

"I think we are dealing with some kind of spirit." Castiel said to Dean as he moved around the Impala to get in after Sam drove off. "I could feel traces of it when I touched Saras arm. It did not feel angry or like it was seeking revenge."

"What the hell does that mean?" Dean slid into his seat and turned to face Castiel. "It's ripping eyes out of kids and you say it's not angry? Sounds to me like it gets it's jollies from causing pain. Like a demon." he hit his steering wheel as the anger bubbled up again, then rubbed it as if he was sorry for doing so. "Sorry, Baby." he said under his breath. "It still could be an angel. We already know that if a human sees your form their eyes burn out of their heads.

"No, I am positive it is a spirit. I just don't know which one." Castiels lips twitched as he watched Dean continue to treat his car like a living thing. "If it were an angel, then Saras parents would not have their eyes either since they were in the room with her when she was attacked. There is also no motivation or purpose for doing such a thing, especially to a child."

Suddenly Deans stomach gave a loud growl and cut off his reply. Castiels eyes opened wide for a moment before he chuckled. The hunter laughed a bit and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"That's right, you didn't get to eat your lunch." Castiel reached down and picked the bag up off the floor that had the take out from the diner in it and handed Dean his wrapped burger. "It's still warm."

"Awesome." Dean snatched the burger and unwrapped it, then started tearing into it like a man who hadn't eaten in days. He felt Castiels eyes on him like back in the diner, but he was too hungry to care.

Castiel pulled out a box that held the french fries and held it open for Dean. He took one for himself and tried it, then made a face. "Tastes like molecules." He still licked the salt and grease off his fingers before wiping them on his jeans. He'd have to learn how to block out his extreme sense of taste if he wanted to eat human food again.

"Dude, you're weird." the hunter said around a mouthful of burger as he stuffed a couple of fries in with it. "Bacon double cheeseburgers and fries are the best food ever. Well, second and third best. First is-"

"Pie?" the angel said with a smirk and Dean nodded.

"Damn straight it's pie!" Dean finished his burger and then started up the car. "Now let's get back to the motel and see what Bobby has to say."