CHAPTER 16

It wasn't until they were settled into one of the motel rooms – the one that Bobby and Sam were going to share, since it had two beds instead of just one, and that meant that there was more room for people to sit – that Bobby brought up the reason that they were here. "You knew something about that murder-suicide thing, didn't you," Bobby said, looking over at Sam from his seat in one of the chairs. "You knew there'd be a case here."

Slowly, Sam nodded.

"Yeah, speaking of cases," Dean suddenly interrupted, "weren't you supposed to be working ours? Who's gonna take care of that werewolf problem?"

"I got another kid to take care of it," Bobby said. "Name's Garth, and he's not the best hunter around, but he was in the area and he'll be fine as long as he remembers to stock up on silver bullets. And your avoiding the subject, boy," he added, then turned back to Sam. "How did you know about all of this?"

Sam bit his lip and didn't respond, looking as if he were trying to figure out what exactly he should say. Then, finally, he said, "Have you ever heard of a demon named Azazel?"

Bobby frowned. "Can't say that I have," he said after a moment. "Why? Is he somehow caught up in this mess?"

"He's the demon that killed our parents," Sam said, then pointed one thumb toward Castiel. "Jimmy knew the name. Apparently he'd helped our dad track the demon for a bit."

Castiel turned to Sam with a start, about to demand to know what made them think that. He stopped himself just in time, and then he remembered. Up until that exact moment, he had forgotten that he had allowed the Winchesters to believe that. That was probably something that he should clarify later, to ensure that they didn't continue to think the wrong thing about him, the fact that he had given them a fake name notwithstanding.

Nobody was paying Castiel any attention at the moment, though. Bobby let out a low whistle. "All these years and you finally have a name, then," he said. "Now, go on, what exactly is going on here?"

"We're not sure," Sam said slowly. "But Azazel... I think he did something to me."

"We don't know that," Dean snapped. He was over in the corner of the room, slouching in an overstuffed armchair with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at Sam like he generally disagreed with this conversation as a whole.

"Well, what other explanation is there, Dean?" Sam practically snapped, though Castiel thought that he sounded more worried than anything else. Dean just muttered to himself and sunk lower in his seat, and Sam turned back to Bobby. "All we know is that there are other kids like me, who were all born in the same year, and whose moms were killed when they were exactly six months old." He paused, then took a deep breath, and said, "And we have powers."

"Powers," Bobby repeated.

"Yeah," Sam said. "I see things before they happen. Sometimes I get there in time to stop it. Other times, not."

Bobby just blinked at him and shook his head. "Powers," he repeated, then let out a low breath. "Damn, and I thought that I'd seen everything."

"Yeah, well, it's a crazy world," Dean said, then sat up and added, "All of the visions that Sam's had before have related to Azazel or one of his kiddies, so that's what we figure it going on. There's this guy, Andy Galagher. Works at the local diner, Ash said – or, he used to, anyway. We're thinking it's him."

"Or, at least, it's related somehow," Sam added.

Bobby nodded slowly, looking like he still didn't quite believe them. After a moment, though, he nodded and stood. "Well, okay, then," he said, and gestured toward the door. "Let's go talk to him, shall we? You three look like you're dressed well enough." Castiel glanced around. They hadn't taken the time to change out of the FBI clothes that they had worn earlier that day, so they did still look professional, if a bit rumpled. And Bobby was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, but that didn't seem to concern him, so he decided not to comment on that.

"Okay, good idea," Sam said, and Dean reluctantly got to his feet. "What's the plan? It's way too soon for the FBI to be showing up. Local PD?"

"I was thinking that Jimmy and I could just be a couple of regular Joes, see if we can get him talking without having to do a full-on interrogation," Bobby said. "Not like he's just going to casually mention that he uses his psychic powers to murder people or anything, but we might be able to figure something out. You two can come in and start asking official questions if you have to."

"Got it," Sam said with a nod.

"You think that Jimmy's the best one to help with that plan?" Dean asked. "He's not exactly the most subtle guy in the world. He's likely to just come out and straight up as the guy what his psychic powers are, completely blow your cover."

At once, everyone turned to look at Castiel, as if Sam and Bobby wanted to see how he would respond. For a moment, Castiel said nothing, just continued to sit on the edge of the bed, staring up at Dean. Seeing that Castiel had said nothing in his defense, Sam turned and began, "Dean, don't you think-?"

Castiel cut him off. "You think that I cannot handle this investigation," Castiel said in a low voice, standing and turning so that he was staring hard at Dean, their eyes now nearly on the same level. "You never had this problem when I was saving either of your lives."

Dean shook his head. "Look, nobody's arguing that when you've got a blade in your hand, you're pretty badass at killing monsters. But your people skills kinda suck."

Perhaps that was a fair assessment, as the last time that Castiel had spoken to someone during an investigation, he had accidentally revealed that they were hunters, which had ultimately led to him being tortured. But after the way that Dean had been acting this past week, Castiel was not in the mood for fairness, nor for allowing Dean to insult him.

"I am sorry if you think that I will be incapable of helping you on this hunt," Castiel snapped in a tight voice, in a way that made it clear that he did not actually feel sorry at all. Finally, he believed that he was beginning to get the hang of sarcasm. "If I'm so useless, then, perhaps I should remain in the motel room, allow you three to continue the hunt while you contemplate while you even bothered to bring me along in the first place."

Dean let out a long breath. "Listen, man, you know that that's not what I meant-"

"I would not be so certain of that if I were you," Castiel said in a low voice. "From my perspective, it sounds as if that is exactly what you meant. You have made it abundantly clear over the past few days that you would rather I were not around, despite the fact that you were having sex with me barely more than a week ago." Dean spluttered, shaking his head hard at Castiel like he was trying to keep Castiel from saying anything more on the subject. Of course, Castiel was hardly in the mood to listen to him. Instead, he took a step closer to Dean and said, "I consider Sam to be a good friend, and I am just as eager to learn the truth of his powers as you, and so I am going to go down to the diner where Andy works, and I intend on following Bobby's plan. Once we have uncovered the truth, simply say the word and I will be gone."

The words hurt to say. It had only been slightly more than a week ago when he had promised Dean that he would never leave unless Dean wanted him to go, and at the time, he had begun to believe that Dean would always want him to stay. But he meant it.

Dean sputtered again, but Castiel didn't wait around for an answer. He turned on his heel and stormed off out the door, letting it slam shut behind he. Instinctively, he headed for the Impala, then paused after only a few steps, realizing that riding in the backseat of Dean's car was probably the last thing that he wished to do at the moment.

After a second, he heard someone awkwardly clear his throat, then Bobby said, "That's my pickup truck over there, if you want a ride."

"Thank you," Castiel said, then walked over to the waiting truck and climbed into the backseat.

"You could ride up front if you want," Bobby offered as he got into the driver's seat. "I'm pretty sure that Sam's going to ride with Dean. And give him a piece of his mind, judging by the look on his face."

"Thank you," Castiel repeated, "but I am fine where I am." Mostly because moving to the front seat seemed to be too much work at the moment.

"Suit yourself," Bobby said with a shrug, and backed out. It wasn't until they were driving down the road that he added, "Listen, Dean's a good guy and all, but he can be an idiot sometimes. Don't let it get to ya."

"I will remember that," Castiel said stiffly, though privately, he was tired of waiting while Dean acted like an idiot. Mostly, he at least wanted to know what had prompted Dean's change in behavior, and whether or not it was worth hoping that Dean would return to his old self sometime soon. At the moment, Castiel could not help but worry that maybe this was Dean's normal manner of behavior, and that he had been foolish for assuming that Dean cared about him.

He did not want to think that, or believe that it could be true. And he did know for certain that Dean cared about him, at least somewhat. At times, though, that was difficult to remember.

"You two will figure it out," Bobby said after a minute had passed in silence. "If your relationship's worth anything at all, then Dean'll get his head screwed on right before he ruins anything forever."

Castiel certainly hoped that that would be true. He wasn't so certain, though.

The waitress at the diner introduced herself as Tracy, and only made it halfway through taking their drink orders before she broke off and began yelling at the busboy who wasn't clearing the tables fast enough, which was how they learned that his name was Weber. There didn't appear to be anyone else working – at least, not anyone who was out front, though Castiel assumed that there must be more people in the kitchen. But the restaurant was small, and didn't appear to be very busy, so perhaps two people was all that was needed to keep the place under control.

Bobby and Castiel both ordered coffee, and Tracy flashed them a wide, fake smile before promising that she'd bring them out immediately. Then she turned and headed back into the kitchen, giving Bobby and Castiel relative privacy in which to talk.

"Okay," Bobby said, leaning forward slightly so that Castiel would still be able to hear him, even though his voice was lowered. "Let's start by asking Tracy if she knows anything about Andy. She looks like she's running the place, so there's a good chance that she was working here a year ago, before he quit." Castiel nodded agreement, and Bobby added, "Just follow my lead, we'll mostly be making it up as we go."

Castiel shifted. "Are you certain that that is such a good plan?" he asked, because as angry as he was with the things that Dean had said, he couldn't help but acknowledge that in some respects, Dean had been right about Castiel's abilities when it came to questioning suspects, and though Castiel wanted to prove Dean wrong, he also didn't want to risk ruining the investigation, especially when discovering the truth was so important to keeping Sam's safe.

Bobby just nodded and said, "You'll do fine," though, so Castiel squared his shoulders and nodded. Yes, he would do fine. He would prove to Dean that he could speak to someone without blowing his cover, and that would show that Dean had been completely wrong when it came to Castiel's hunting abilities.

Castiel turned and saw Tracy talking toward them, holding the pot of coffee in one hand. He looked over and nodded at Bobby, then immediately returned his eyes to her, watching as she came closer and closer to their table. Privately, he was running over a variety of possible ways to mention Andy Galagher, and to casually bring him up so that they could talk. He couldn't think of any foolproof ways, though. Perhaps it would be better if he waited until Bobby had said something, and then followed his lead. He could prove to Dean that he wasn't useless as soon as Bobby had found a way to "break the ice", as Castiel had heard people say before.

Sam and Dean were currently sitting on a bench outside, waiting to see what they found out about Andy. It was likely that they wouldn't know who had begun the conversation, anyway, so this wouldn't be taken as a sign that Castiel was not good enough. At least, Castiel hoped that it wouldn't be.

Tract had almost reached their table, when suddenly a boy who looked to be about Sam's age burst through the door, panting hard, a panicked look on his face. Tracy turned toward him, them immediately set down the pot on the nearest tabletop, and hurried over to him. "Andy? What's wrong?"

Bobby's eyes immediately went to Castiel's, and they exchanged a look before turning their attention back to Andy.

"Dr. Jensen," Andy gasped, and closed the distance between him and the girl, grabbing her and wrapping his arms around her. He lowered his head against Tracy's shoulder and added in a much lower voice, "He's dead."

"What?" Tracy asked, pulling back just enough that she could look at him, her eyes wide. Clearly the news of the death hadn't had time to reach them.

Andy nodded, looking slightly shaky. "I just, I needed to come find you," he said, his arms tightening on her again. "Is that okay?"

"I- Of course," she said, then slowly reached up to pat him on the back gently.

Castiel leaned forward and told Bobby in a low voice, "Well, I'm assuming that we don't need to go looking for Andy, then."

Bobby snorted. "No, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that we found him. And either the kid's genuinely shocked, or he's a damn good actor."

Yes, that was true as well. "So, what do we do now?" Castiel asked.

"Change of plans," Bobby said. "Got a badge on you?"

Castiel felt in the pockets of his trench coat, searching. "Just my FBI one," he whispered back.

Bobby considered for a second, then shook his head. "No good," he said, then stood and added, "Again, just follow my lead."

Castiel nodded and followed over to where Tracy and Andy were still standing with their arms wrapped around each other.

"Excuse me," Bobby said, and pulled a police badge out of his own pocket. This one was not FBI; Castiel supposed that it was what Sam had called local PD. "I couldn't help but overhear. I take it that you knew Dr. Jensen?"

Andy pulled back from Tracy, though he kept one arm curved around her shoulders. "Uh, yeah," he said with a nod. "My dad's good friends with him. I've been going to him since I was a kid."

Bobby nodded and returned the badge to his pocket. "We're supposed to be off duty right now," Bobby said, with a gesture down at his clothes and Castiel's. "It's why we're not in the official uniform or anything. But we just heard the news about what happened. He was a great guy, can't imagine why he would do something like this, and we're just trying to get to the bottom of it. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"Me?" Andy repeated slowly. "Why me?"

Bobby gave a small shrug. "Like I said, we're trying to find out as much about him as possible, and talking to family friends is going to help with that," he said, then added, "We can keep it off the record, if you prefer. You're not in trouble, don't worry. I guess you could say that this is more for myself than anything else. A lot of people on the force don't care why people did it as long as we know who did it, but we've never been able to think that way."

Andy glanced at Castiel, who assumed that the best thing to do was confirm Bobby's story, so he nodded, then added, "It won't take much time."

"I- Sure," Andy said slowly. "There's, uh, there's a back room if you want to talk there."

Bobby nodded and gestured for Andy to lead the way. They ended up in a back storage room, surrounded by various canned and boxed foods on rickety shelves.

"When was the last time you've seen or talked to Dr. Jensen?" Bobby asked, to start them off.

Andy bit his lip, looking like he was thinking about his answer. "Uh, about a week ago," he said after a moment. "He was over for dinner. Dad made me come home to eat with the two of them. It was the first time I'd seen the doctor in months."

"And did he seem strange to you at all?" Castiel asked, and made sure not to give any examples, and particularly not to list the signs of demonic possession. He had learned from his last mistake.

Andy, though, was already shaking his head. "Not at all," he said. "Everything was completely normal. Just, god," he covered his face with one hand, and added, "It doesn't make any sense, this isn't like him at all. I don't have a clue why he'd do this."

"I'm sure that there's an explanation," Castiel said awkwardly, because he wasn't sure what other words he could use.

Andy nodded, but didn't look reassured. "Can I ask a question now?"

Castiel hesitated, but nodded after a moment. "What would you like to know?"

"What exactly happened?" Andy asked. "Exactly? I mean, I know that the doctor's dead, and it sounds like someone else is, too, but nobody will tell me more than that."

Bobby opened his mouth to answer, and Castiel would have gladly allowed him to be the one to answer the question, but then Bobby's cell phone rang. He pulled it out and checked the caller ID, then turned to the two of them. "Sorry, this looks important," he said. "But it's okay. My partner knows more about the actual deaths than I do, anyway." He nodded at Castiel, then answered his phone and walked off, going over to stand by the door, still within the room, but far enough that he would not be a part of the conversation.

Castiel looked back at Andy, who was watching him expectantly. "Well?"

Castiel swallowed, and decided that the best thing he could do was explain the situation honestly. That would make Andy more likely to answer their questions. Or, at least, he hoped that it would. "From what I've heard," Castiel said slowly, "the doctor entered the gun store, loaded a gun, then shot the man behind the counter before killing himself."

Andy's hands clenched around his knees, but he nodded once. "Okay," he said, his voice tight. "And you have a guess about why he did it?"

This time, Castiel had to lie. "I don't know." After all, it was likely that Andy wouldn't believe the truth.

Andy narrowed his eyes. "You're lying," he said. Castiel was prepared to argue that he was not, but before he could, Andy said, "Tell me the truth! Why do you think he did it?"

There was something different about Andy's voice now. Castiel couldn't be entirely sure what it was, but it didn't... quite... sound like it belonged to Andy anymore. Castiel frowned, trying to figure out what the difference was, as he said, "The theory that makes the most sense is demons. You are definitely connected to the demon Azazel, at the very least, and it seems highly unlikely that your presence is merely a coincidence. I suppose that my friends would probably say that you were the one who killed him."

"Demons," Andy repeated, his voice sounding somewhat strangled and shaking, and he swallowed hard, his breathing abruptly speeding up, like he was trying not to panic.

It was then that Castiel realized what he had just said. He froze, and lifted one hand to touch his fingertips against his mouth, trying to determine what had possibly caused him to say that out loud, especially when he had been so determined that he was not going to unintentionally reveal their secrets this time. "Why-?" he began.

"Tell me," Andy said, his voice suddenly much firmer. "Tell me more about Azazel."

Castiel nodded at once. "He appears to be collecting children. For what, we don't know. Actually, we were hoping that coming here and investigating you would help us to learn something about whatever's happening. And all of Azazel's children have some type of powers, and it just occurred to me that I may currently be under the influence of whatever your power is, because I had no intention of telling you any of this."

"Who are you?" Andy demanded. "All of you? Answer."

"Castiel, I believe," Castiel said, the name slipping from his mouth without his conscious choice. "Or, Jimmy Novak is the name that people usually use with me, even though I'm not quite sure if that's right or not. I'm currently working with a man named Bobby Singer, and with two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester. We are hunters, and Sam has the ability to see when people are going to die, and the deaths are typically related to the demon Azazel, who I've already told you about. Sam saw that the doctor was going to kill himself, and we tried to arrive in time, but did not make it."

Andy was definitely shaking now. "I need to go," he said, sounding terrified as he jumped to his feet, then looking Castiel hard in the eyes. "I'm leaving now. Don't try to stop me."

Castiel nodded – of course he wouldn't try to keep Andy from leaving – and Andy shoved past him, running for the door. Bobby looked up, surprise flashing in his eyes as he realizes that Andy was leaving, but he didn't get the chance to do anything before Andy was gone, the door swinging shut behind him. Bobby turned toward Castiel, the confused expression still locked on his face as he hung up his phone. "What the hell was that?"

Castiel blinked slowly, trying to clear his head. "I am not sure," he said after a moment. "I don't know what just happened."

"Well, whatever that was, let's talk about it later," Bobby said, and held up his cell phone for a moment before slipping it into his pocket. "That was Dean. We gotta go meet up with him and Sam."

Castiel nodded. "Where are they?"

"Gas station down the road," Bobby said. "Apparently Sam's had another vision, and they didn't make it in time to stop this one, either. That means we've got another body on our hands."

"You said that she got a phone call, then decided to just squirt gasoline all over herself and then set herself on fire?" Bobby asked, sounding vaguely incredulous. Castiel did not blame him. He found it hard to believe himself. In fact, there was a good chance that he would not have believed him, if it wasn't for the fact that the charred remains of the body was still lying in the center of a gas station parking lot, in plain sight despite the multitude of police officers and ambulance workers who gathered around it.

Sam nodded, then turned to Castiel. "And you say that he made you tell him stuff?"

Castiel also nodded. "It was as though I were not in control of myself," he said slowly. "I would never have told him that we suspected demon involvement, and I most definitely would not have shared the fact that Sam has visions." He immediately glanced over at Dean, half expecting Dean to say something about how Castiel must have just made a mistake and let this information slip. Dean did not say any such thing, though. He just frowned at Castiel, and for a second, Castiel believed that the look in his eyes was genuine worry.

"So, I think it's safe to say that we know what Andy's power is," was all that Dean said.

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "but this woman got the phone call a minute before she died, if that. And we got to the gas station just as she was lighting the match. No way that Andy could've done it, if Jimmy was watching him at the time."

Again, Castiel expected Dean to argue. He did not. "So then, if it's not Andy, who is it?" Dean asked.

"That's what we need to figure out," Sam said, then lanced back over at the woman. "We could start by figuring out who our mystery victim is, and try to figure out what her connection to the doctor could be."

"And try to see if we can figure out a way to track down that boy Andy," Bobby added. "I get the feeling that he knows more than he's letting on."

"Alright," Sam said. "Let's go back to the restaurant and ask around, see if we can figure out where Andy might've gone. As soon as we know that, we can figure out what to do from there."

Just as before, it turned out that they didn't need to make any attempts to track down Andy. He was waiting in front of the restaurant when they arrived, pacing back and forth in front of the doors. His eyes had been locked on the pavement below him, but he looked up as they approached.

"You," he said, looking toward Castiel immediately, then hurrying forward a few steps forward, lessening the distance between them. "Castiel, or Jimmy, or whatever your name is. I want to know more about this demon you were telling me about."

"So your Andy Galagher," Dean said, taking a step forward. "You want to say something about the fact that three people were murdered today, by someone who looks like he's gotta have the exact same power that you've got?"

"What?" Andy asked, looking so incredulous that it made Castiel feel almost certain that Andy had not known this before. "No, I didn't kill anyone! Believe me!"

Well, that certainly cleared that up, at least, though it did mean that they were going to have to figure out who was really responsible. "Sorry for the accusation, then," Dean said, and Bobby nodded in agreement as Dean added, "Honestly, we're not entirely sure who did it, didn't meant to accuse you of something you obviously didn't do."

Sam looked at the three of them, his eyes narrowing. "You know, it only makes you look more guilty when you do that," he said.

Andy froze, blinking up at Sam, with shock etched on his features. "Wait, this doesn't work on you?" he asked, backing up a step.

Sam took a step forward, larger than the one that Andy had taken, so that they were now even closer to each other than they had been before. "No, apparently it doesn't," he said. "You want to tell me exactly what you're doing?"

"I'm not doing anything, I swear!" Andy insisted. "I don't even know what you're talking about, three murders! Your pal said that there was only two?"

"There was another death about ten minutes ago," Sam said. "And see, I was thinking that it couldn't be you, since you were talking with Jimmy when it happened. But when you do stuff like that-" he gestured back at the three of them "-it makes me not so sure."

"Okay, okay," Andy said quickly. "I won't use it anymore, okay?"

Dean took a step forward. "Now, tell us about your Obi-Won mind magic crap," he said.

"I-It started about a year ago," Andy said, and shrugged. "It's awesome, you know? I can make people do anything that I want, why wouldn't I like that? I got to quit my job, nobody bothers me about paying rent, I can get gas and food for free. Who wouldn't like that? But I'm not some psychopath or anything, I'm not going to go out and kill people."

"Well, if you're not," Bobby asked, "then who is?"

"You think that I know?" Andy demanded. "Hell no!"

He sounded very empathetic as he said it, and Castiel found himself believing it, though he couldn't be certain of how much of it was because of the "mind magic", as Dean had described it. Still, though, Castiel cleared his throat, causing everyone to look at him. "Do you think that there is any chance that there may be another one of Azazel's children in town?" he asked. "Someone with the same power as Andy, perhaps?"

They all turned to Sam for the answer, who nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, maybe. That would explain it, then. I'd need to do some research to figure it out." His fingers twitched, like he already wanted to reach for his laptop.

"Okay, back to the motel for now," Bobby decided. "We can figure out what to do there. And you-" He pointed straight at Andy, who gulped. "You're coming with us. You may not be the one who caused this, but I still want to talk to you more."

"Yeah," Andy agreed, his voice going shaky again, but when he nodded, his face was firm. "I kinda want to figure out what the hell is going on, too, you know? So yeah, I'm coming with you."

"Let's go, then," Dean said, and they headed down to where they had parked the car and the truck.

Sam's put his hand on Andy's shoulder, and gave it a squeeze that looked to be tighter than what could possibly be comfortable. "Considering that I'm the only one who isn't going to fall for your mind jutsu," he said, "you're going to ride with me."

Andy swallowed, but again, he nodded. "Sounds fair," he agreed.

Castiel thought about climbing into the Impala as well – if nothing else, then because he wanted to stay close to Andy, to see what else they could learn from him. Then Dean glanced over at him, meeting Castiel's eyes, and Castiel immediately turned and headed for Bobby's truck instead.

He risked a glance over his shoulder as he was climbing into the passenger seat. Dean was still looking over at him, and he looked almost- disappointed? Was that the word for it? That made no sense, though, and Castiel scowled to himself as he limbed into the car, deciding that he must have been wrong, somehow. It was the only explanation.

Somehow, though, he didn't think that he had been.

The five of them had been lying around in the motel room for the past hour or so, none of them saying a word. Part of that was because they didn't want to disturb Sam's research, the rest because it seemed as though none of them knew what to say, exactly.

Dean was stretched out on one of the beds, leaning back against the headboard, once more reading through his dad's journal. Bobby had also produced a couple books about demons from the backseat of his truck and he and Castiel were scanning through them for any signs of the name Azazel. So far, Bobby had found bits and pieces of lore, which was interesting, but didn't give them any indication of what they were dealing with now. Castiel's book had been completely useless.

Andy was sitting at the table across from Sam, fidgeting in his chair and twitching occasionally. Sam was bent over his laptop, eyes never leaving the screen, though now he suddenly looked up. The movement was enough to catch everyone's attention, even before Sam asked, "Andy, you were adopted?"

"Yeah," Andy said, and shrugged. "Why?"

Sam leaned forward, an intent look on his face. "And did you know anything about your birth family? Anything at all?"

"No," Andy said, sounding confused now. "The adoption was arranged before I was even born, I never even knew who they were. I mean, fuck, my dad'll barely tell me anything about my adoptive mom, doesn't like to talk about her since the fire," he said, then stopped and awkwardly explained, "Uh, my adoptive mother died in a fire-"

"-in your nursery when you were six months old," Sam finished for him.

Andy blinked. "Wait, how did you-?"

"So far, every one of Azazel's children that we met has had a mom who died that way," Sam said absently. "But you've never heard of the name Holly Beckett, then?"

"Uh, no," Andy said slowly. "Why?"

"Because that's the name of the woman who just killed herself," Sam said. "I hacked the police reports," he added, as way of explanation, then added, "and her medical record. Turns out, she gave birth to twin boys twenty-three years ago, and they were both put up for adoption. One boy, Andy Galagher. The other, Ansen Weems. I take it that that name doesn't mean anything to you?"

Andy shook his head numbly. "Never heard of him, either," he said slowly, then looked at Sam sharply. "Wait, you think that-?"

"That your twin brother is the one going psycho on these people?" Dean finished for him, then nodded, tossing the journal to the side and scooting toward the end of the bed. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and nodded. "I'd say that that's a pretty safe guess."

"No way," Andy said. "No way. I do not have an evil twin brother, that is not possible."

"Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you," Sam said slowly, sounding like he meant it, "but it looks like you do. I mean, it all fits. It looks like Ansen was also adopted by a family who lives around here, and if you're twins, it'd make sense that you have the same power. And it would also explain the victims. Your birth mother, and the doctor who delivered you as a baby. I'm guessing that the guy who worked at the gun store was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, probably wasn't a real target."

"So, they killed themselves because my evil twin told them to," Andy said slowly, still putting emphasis on the words "evil twin", as though he didn't believe it. Then he asked, "Do you know who he is? What he looks like? Fuck, I could've been passing him on the streets and I never would've known it!"

"I'll see if I can get a picture," Sam promised, and typed something on his laptop. After a minute of scrolling, he said, "Okay, I found a newspaper article. It looks like Ansen Weems won a science fair contest beck during his senior year of high school. The picture's about five years old, but it should still help. I can try to find something more recent if we need it." He spun his laptop around and pushed it across the table to Andy. "He look familiar to you at all?"

For a moment, Andy just stared at the photo, his eyes wide and his mouth partially opened. Then, suddenly, he pushed himself to his feet so fast that the chair behind him fell over and crashed to the floor. "Fuck," he practically shouted, and had his cell phone in his hand a second later.

Everyone else hurried to their feet as well, and stepped toward them. "Andy?" Dean asked. "What are you doing, man?"

Andy ignored them. He hit a number on the speed dial, and a second later, the phone was ringing. Whoever was on the other end must have answered immediately, because Andy quickly said, "Hey, dude. Where are you right now? What? Why are you and Tracy- You know what, never mind. I need to talk to you. Think we could meet up?" Pause. Castiel and the others exchanged a look, not knowing what to do about this new development, and then Andy said, "Yeah, okay, let's head to your apartment. Wha-? No, it doesn't matter about your roommates, we can just kick them out of your room. It doesn't matter, okay! I just need to talk to you right now!" Pause. "Yeah, okay, I'll meet you there in five minutes. Yeah, I'll have one of the roommates let me in if you're not home."

He hung up the phone without another word, then started for the door, but Dean stepped in front of him, blocking his way. "What the hell do you think that you're doing?" he asked, glaring at Andy with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Listen, I've got to go talk to him," Andy insisted. "He's my twin. Well, okay, evil twin, but still."

"You don't know this guy," Dean insisted. "No way are you meeting up with him alone."

Andy was quiet for a minute, then he shook his head. "No," he said quietly. "I do know him, actually. And-" He broke off, and swallowed hard. "And he's a friend, okay? So I'm going to go talk to him."

"Listen, kid-" Bobby began, but never got the chance to finish.

"I'm going," Andy insisted, then ordered, "Don't try to stop me."

He ran off. Sam was the only one to go after him, calling his name as he followed him out the door. Apparently he was unsuccessful, though, because he returned to the motel room a minute later, alone. "We need to figure out where he went," he said, and grabbed his laptop, holding it up to show it to the rest of them. "Anyone recognize the boy from this picture?"

Castiel looked at it, then slowly nodded. "Yes," he said, surprising even himself. "That's the boy from the restaurant. But earlier, he had been called Weber."

"That's a start, then," Dean said, grabbing his coat from where he'd thrown it onto the bedside table and shrugging into it. "Come on, everyone, let's go. We gotta catch up with that idiot before he gets himself killed."