Dean took a swig from Bobby's flask, glaring angrily at the wall of numbers. Bobby's dying act had been to write a series of numbers on his hand before calling them idjits. They'd enlisted the help of Frank, but had thus far been unable to crack the code. "Come on, Bobby. The hell does it mean?" he grumbled. He stormed outside, heading into the wooded area behind the cabin they were camped out at. The stars twinkled down at him from an inky sky, and he scowled. The night sky always made him think of Cas, especially on clear nights like this one.

"Cas, you stupid son of a bitch," he slurred, tears springing to his eyes. "Why'd you have to go and screw everything up? If you'd just friggin' listened to me when I told you not to pop Purgatory, we wouldn't be in this mess. Bobby would still be here. You know… Mack thinks you're still out there somewhere. Want to know what I think? I think, if she's right, and you are still alive and are just ignoring us, then I friggin' hate you, man. I hate you, you hear me?! And I hope I never see you again!"

Emmanuel was frozen in place on the couch beside Daphne. She'd fallen asleep against him while they watched a movie and he was terrified to move and wake her. That wasn't why he was frozen in place, though. He had just heard another one of those prayers to Cas. They were prayers, he didn't know what else to call them. However, this prayer hadn't been like the ones from the little girl. This one seemed to have come from, who he assumed, was the girl's father. He sounded drunk and angry at Cas.

He had talked about how Cas had screwed everything up, and that Bobby would still be around if he had just listened to him. Emmanuel assumed that was the girl's grandfather who died. And then… he'd used a name that made Emmanuel's heart stop. Mack. That was one of the names that held significance to him somehow. It had to be the little girl who kept praying to Cas. Which made him wonder… was this man, who claimed he hated Cas so much and never wanted to see him again, Dean?

It turned out, the numbers Bobby had written on Dean's hand were coordinates. They'd finally figured that out after paying Frank a personal visit. Those coordinates had led them to an empty field that Dick Roman had apparently bought through his subsidiaries. Dean got a call from Sam about the case he was working on, but the hunt had gone sour. So, he left Frank to watch the surveillance of the field, and went with Mack to help Sam. The creatures Sam went after were called Vetalas.

After that, Dean got sent back in time and met the Elliot Ness. While Sam and Jody worked on their end, tag-teaming taking care of Mack while they found a way to get Dean back, Dean worked with Ness to stop the time-traveling bad guy the case was about. The case after that dealt with children's worst fears coming to life at Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie. Mack had been terrified because she'd had to face a giant spider the size of a car, and Sam had been terrified because he'd had to deal with clowns. Dean had been the one to stop the employee, Howard, by making him face his worst fear of the water.

Their latest case, however, started out as a simple cursed object deal. A man had sold some of his mom's things after she died, and they all turned out to be cursed objects. Then, they realized that almost every single shop on the street was owned by the same company, Bicklebee Reality. Thanks to a little help from Frank, Dean figured out Bicklebee was connected to Richard Roman Enterprises. So, the simple cursed object case turned out to be a Leviathan thing.

The man who sold the cursed objects, Scott, called saying he'd looked in a mirror his mom owned and wanted to scratch his face off. So, they rushed to the antique shop only to find the two Leviathans running Bicklebee Reality with Scott duct taped to a chair. The male Leviathan helped them take down the female so he could eat her. He also let loose that Dick was going to cure cancer when they asked about the empty field, and then they ditched town. When they got to Frank's, the place was trashed and there was blood on some of the screens. One of them still showed a picture of Dick Roman.

Mack was hurrying to keep up with her father as he barged through a door and made a b-line for the doctor behind a desk. A nurse followed him with Mack. "Okay, sir? You can't just barge in here without an appointment!" she cried. "They said, 'Talk to Kadinsky,'" Dean addressed the doctor, ignoring her. "You Kadinsky?" The nurse was still frantic, "You need to be scheduled!"

"Well, then schedule me!" Dean roared, and the nurse cowered. "He was in a car crash. Why the hell can't I see him?" The doctor piped up. "You're Sam Smith's brother?" Dean turned back to him. "Yeah, what's going on?" Dr. Kadinsky looked at the nurse, "It- It's fine. Really. Thank you." The nurse gave Dean a terrified glance and dismissed herself. "Sam was admitted," Dr. Kadinsky explained. "He was treated for a broken rib and lacerations."

"Okay," Dean said. "That's not too bad. And?" The doctor swallowed, "And… he's on our psychiatric floor." Dean looked surprised and Mack stared up at him worriedly. "I mean, he's had some trouble…" Sam had expressed how Lucifer was keeping him awake, but Dean didn't think it was bad enough to warrant a trip to the psych ward. "So you're aware that Sam is experiencing a full-blown psychotic episode?"

"Psychotic? Come on. I mean, the guy's… It's not like the guy's freakin' Norman Bates," Dean said. "No, I'm sure he isn't," Dr. Kadinsky agreed. "We need to determine whether his state was brought on by the insomnia or whether the insomnia is a symptom of his condition. Do you understand? So that we can figure out how to treat him." Dean glanced down at Mack and then back at the doctor. "Well, all I can say is that the sleep thing is- is kind of new."

"Right," the doctor nodded. "Well… we've pumped him about as full of sedatives as we safely can. So far, he won't go under. I've never seen anything like it."

"Daddy, take a break."

"Not now, bug. I have to find something that can help Uncle Sammy," Dean told her dismissively. "Daddy, look at me." Mack was quiet until Dean complied with her request. "It's been three days. Nobody's been able to help so far. Take a break." Dean's shoulders slumped as he realized the significance of the situation. His eight-year-old daughter was telling him to stop working. "Okay," he nodded, setting down the pen he was using to cross names off the list. He stood, kissing Mack on top of the head and going upstairs to shower.

Mack sat down in the spot he'd previously occupied, looking at the list of names. Just then, Dean's phone began to ring on the table. She glanced at the stairs, and then answered it. "Hello?"

"Hi. Is Dean there?" the person on the other end asked. "This is Mackey, calling him back." Mack glanced at the stairs again. "He's busy right now. Can I take a message?" Mackey paused, "Uh, yeah. Who is this?"

"I'm his daughter, Mack."

"Hi, Mack. Will you tell your dad that I know someone who can help with your problem?" Mackey asked. "You know someone who can fix Uncle Sammy?" Mack asked back. "Yeah, his name is Emmanuel, and he lives in Colorado with his wife." Mack picked up the pen, writing down the information. "Emmanuel in Colorado, okay," she repeated. "You'll have to talk to his wife to get him, her name is Daphne Allen. But you tell your dad, he's the real deal. I did all the tests, and he passed every one. He healed my blind eye. Got perfect vision now."

"I'll tell him. Thanks," Mack said. "You're welcome. Take care, Mack."

"You, too."

Dean and Mack pulled up outside Daphne Allen's house in Grand Junction, Colorado. It was a quaint, pastel green color in a row of identical cookie cutter homes. "Let me do the talking, okay, bug?" Dean told her. "Okay," she agreed, nodding. They got out of the car and headed up to the front door. A man opened the door. "Hi. Uh, is this, uh, Daphne Allen's house? I'm looking for Emmanuel."

"Well, you found him. Daphne's resting. If you don't mind." Dean blinked, "Oh, yeah, sure." Emmanuel stepped outside and closed the door, joining Dean and Mack on the narrow front step. "Um… So, I was hoping, uh…." Dean spotted a woman through the window, bound and gagged. He looked back at the man claiming to be Emmanuel, whose eyes turned black. Mack scrambled out of the way as the demon pushed Dean up against the door. "You were saying, Dean?" the demon snarled.

"You know, I'd think twice. Or don't you know that your boss issued a hands-off memo." The demon laughed. "Please. What have you done for him lately? Roman's head on a plate? No? Whatever Emmanuel is, Crowley's gonna want him- a lot more than he wants you these days. So…" They fought, and Dean managed to stab the demon with Ruby's knife. The demon sparked with yellow light as it died, and he pushed the body down the stairs, withdrawing the blade. That's when he noticed the man standing beside Mack at the bottom of the stairs- Cas.

"What was that?" Cas asked. Dean didn't know how to respond, because it was Cas. "Uh…" Cas looked away from him, spotting the woman through the window. "Daphne!" He pushed past a very confused Dean, heading inside to help her. "Daddy, what-?" Mack started quietly. "Shh, bug, let me talk, remember?" They entered the house cautiously as Cas was finishing releasing Daphne from her restraints. "That creature hurt you," he observed. "I'm okay," Daphne shook her head. "But, Emmanuel… They were looking for you."

Mack looked up at her father with wide eyes, but he was still staring at Cas… or Emmanuel… whoever he was. "It's okay," Cas… Emmanuel… told her, helping her to her feet. Dean clenched his jaw as Daphne put a hand on his chest, clinging to him. And then he forgot about feeling jealous as a pair of blue eyes he never thought he'd see again fixated on him. "I'm Emmanuel," he introduced himself, holding out a hand for Dean to shake. Dean took it robotically. "D- Uh, I'm David. This is my daughter, Riley."

"Thank you for protecting my wife," Emmanuel… Cas… said. "Your wife," Dean echoed. "Right." He swallowed, severely uncomfortable with the situation. "I saw his face. His real face," Cas… Emmanuel… stressed. "He was a demon," Dean informed him. "A demon walked the Earth," Emmanuel… Cas… murmured, getting a faraway look in his eyes. "Demons," Dean corrected. "Whackloads of them. You don't know about…?" Daphne looked up at Cas… Emmanuel. "You saw the demon's true face," she looked back at Dean. "Emmanuel has very special gifts."

"Yeah, w-we've heard about… Emmanuel. That you can heal people up." Emmanuel… Cas… did his signature confused head tilt and Dean just about melted into the floor. "I seem to be able to help to a certain degree. What's your issue?" Dean swallowed a few times, mouth totally dry as he tried to get his voice to work right. "M-my brother."

Emmanuel was sitting shotgun in the black car next to David, Riley in the back. When he got back from his morning walk and saw the three people on his front step, he'd paused. A man with short brown hair and striking hazel-green eyes was fighting a man with a face that looked like something straight from Hell. He later learned from the green eyed man that it had been a demon. With the two men was a young girl. She, too, had bright hazel-green eyes and brown hair. Father and daughter, no doubt. The duo seemed so familiar to him.

Inside the house, the man had introduced himself as David, and the girl, his daughter Riley. Those names didn't sit right with Emmanuel, because the man's voice sounded vaguely like the drunk, angry man who'd prayed to Cas a few weeks ago. The one Emmanuel mentally referred to as Dean. Daphne had put up a fight when… David… had asked Emmanuel to come with them to heal his brother. She'd pulled him aside to another room so they could talk away from David and Riley. "You can't go with them," she hissed at him. "Daphne, they need my help," he told her. "What about me?" she asked. "What if one of those… those demons come back here and you aren't here to save me?"

"I have to do this, Daphne," Emmanuel stood his ground. "I promised to help everyone who came asking for my aid. Or don't you remember?" Daphne scowled at him. Now that he'd seen David, Daphne's brown hair and green eyes bothered him even more. Before, he'd clung to those features of hers because he knew someone in his past had had similar features. Now those features of hers felt like an imposter. David's brown hair and hazel-green eyes felt more real. "Don't go," Daphne begged him. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I have to go. I hope you'll understand, someday."

Now they were heading toward an unknown location to him, so that he could try and save David's brother. David's daughter, Riley, was in the backseat. She hadn't said a single word the entire time she was in Emmanuel's presence. "So, Daphne…" David struck up conversation hesitantly. "Is that, uh, your wife?" Emmanuel frowned. He only referred to Daphne as his wife because she insisted. The term felt wrong to him, just like almost everything else had during his time with her. "She found me and cared for me," Emmanuel chose to answer neutrally.

"Meaning?"

"Oh, it's a… strange story. You may not like it," he tried to close the subject. He didn't like thinking about the day he and Daphne met. "Believe me, I will," David pressed. Emmanuel sighed, giving into the request. For some reason, he felt he couldn't deny David the truth. "A few months ago, she was on her monthly nature retreat in Kansas. She was hiking near a reservoir, and I wandered into her path, drenched confused, and…" he glanced back at Riley hesitantly before continuing, "unclothed. I had no memory. She said… God wanted her to find me."

David was frowning, keeping his eyes straight ahead. Emmanuel wished he'd look over at him, just so he could look into those beautiful hazel-green orbs again. "So who named you Emmanuel?" David asked. "Bouncy Baby Names dot com." Emmanuel thought he saw the corner of David's mouth twitch upwards in a smile just briefly before he went back to his stoic demeanor. "Well, it's working for you. Must be weird, not knowing who you are."

"Well, it's my life. And it's a good life," Emmanuel said. That much he knew. Even though life with Daphne had been hard, he couldn't deny they'd had a good thing going. The routine had helped him not feel so useless all the time, even though Daphne refused to help him regain his memories. "Yeah, well, what if you were some kind of… I don't know… bad guy?" Emmanuel frowned, "Oh, I… I don't feel like a bad person." David was quiet a moment. "... Right."

"So, your brother…" Emmanuel prompted. "Sam," David provided. "Sam," Emmanuel echoed. "What's his diagnosis?" David swallowed, and Emmanuel watched the motion distractedly. "Well, it's not exactly medical."

"That should be fine. I can cure illness of a spiritual origin."

"Spiritual?" David echoed, frustration coloring his tone. "Okay. Someone did this to him." Emmanuel blinked, "You're angry." David scoffed. "Well, yeah. Dude broke my brother's head." In the backseat, Riley whimpered and Emmanuel instinctively wanted to comfort her. "He betrayed you, this dude," Emmanuel pressed, figuring the best way to comfort her was to calm her father. "He was your friend?"

David clenched his jaw. "Yeah, well, he's gone." Emmanuel narrowed his eyes, tilting his head curiously. "Did you kill him? I sense that you kill a lot of people." David's eyes flickered over to him briefly and then went back to staring out the window. "Honestly, I-I-I don't know if he is dead. I just know that this… whole thing couldn't be messier. You know, I used to be able to just shake this stuff off. You know, whatever it was. It might take me some time, but… I always could. What Cas did… I just can't- I don't know why."

Emmanuel furrowed his brow, fixating on that name- Cas. Maybe he had been right about these people after all. But that begged the question, why give fake names? "Well, it doesn't matter why," he told David… Dean? "Of course it matters," David growled. "No. You're not a machine, David. You're human." He paused, looking out the window. "Your friend's name was Cas? That's an odd name." David didn't take the bait, not elaborating on the friend.

"Your father doesn't seem to like me," Emmanuel observed, trying to get the little girl in the back to talk. They'd stopped at a Gas n' Sip and Dean had gone inside, leaving the other two alone in the car together. Mack didn't respond and Emmanuel looked back at her. "You don't have to be scared of me, Riley. I'm here to help." Mack bit her lip, staring at him with her big green eyes that matched her father's. "Daddy doesn't want me to talk to you," she murmured quietly. Emmanuel froze. That voice… he definitely knew that voice.

He was still hesitant about matching David's to the one prayer he'd heard from Dean, but Riley… She sounded exactly like Mack. "Why doesn't your father want you to talk to me? Is it because of Cas?" She averted her gaze, confirming his words. "Cas was more than just a friend, wasn't he?" Emmanuel pressed. "Your father… he's not just mad because he broke your uncle."

"Cas was-" Mack started, but was cut off as Dean returned with Meg in tow. "Her face!" Emmanuel cried. "She's one of-"

"It's okay," Meg purred, slipping into the backseat beside Mack. "We come in different flavors. Mack had scrambled across the seat, putting as much distance between herself and Meg as possible. Meg opened her mouth to say something to her, but was stopped as Dean and Emmanuel spoke in unintentional unison. "Don't." They looked at each other in surprise and Meg chuckled. "That's cute," she grinned. Dean glared at her, "This is Meg. She's… a friend."

"Just here for moral support," Meg promised. "I mean, after all we go way back. David, the little one and me. Just met you, of course. But I think we're gonna be good friends."

Mack had moved up front in between her father and Emmanuel to escape Meg. As night fell, she curled up with her head against her father's arm and her feet in Emmanuel's lap. "Aww, ain't she adorable," Meg purred. Dean glared at her in the rearview mirror. "What? Just making an observation," Meg defended herself. "Well, stop," Dean snapped. "What, it's a crime to use my eyes now?" Dean opened his mouth to argue further, but then he noticed something weird. "Hold on." He pulled the car over. "Stay here."

After adjusting his daughter so she was leaning on Emmanuel instead, he climbed out to confront the person in the car that had been tailing them since Colorado. When he got closer, he realized it was Daphne behind the wheel. "Man, you just don't quit, do you?" he growled. "You kidnapped my husband," Daphne accused him, getting out of her car to better argue with him. "Lady, I did no such thing. And he isn't your husband."

"How dare you! God wanted us to be together. He made-"

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right now. God didn't want shit from you," Dean snapped. "God doesn't freakin' care." Daphne was fuming, an angry fire in her eyes. "Emmanuel-"

"His name isn't Emmanuel! It's Castiel! He's an angel of the Lord and my boyfriend. So, lady, back. Off." Daphne instantly deflated, gaping at Dean in shock. "He… He… Boyfriend?!" Another voice spoke up behind Dean. "Yes, Daphne. Dean and I love each other. I was assigned as his daughter's guardian angel. I think it's best if you leave." Dean and Daphne both stared at Cas in shock. Meg had also gotten out to listen to the argument. "But… But…" Daphne stammered. "I love you."

Cas grimaced. "I never loved you. I'm sorry." Dean looked down, avoiding both Cas and Daphne's eyes as they had their moment. And then Daphne climbed back into her car without another word and drove off. An awkward silence fell, which was broken by Cas. "Dean, I-"

"Save it. We gotta go fix Sam."

Cas nodded, and they got back into the stolen vehicle they were still driving around instead of Baby. Mack was still asleep in the front seat, now laying with her head in Cas' lap and her feet in Dean's. Cas ran his fingers through her hair as they drove. When they arrived at the hospital, there was a large group of people surrounding the entrance- all demons. The angel headed down and started smiting them all. Mack woke up while he was killing them. "Cas," she said, standing beside her father as they watched. "Yeah… He's back," Dean murmured.

They headed down closer as Cas finished off the last of the demons, Meg following close behind. "That was beautiful, Clarence," the demoness grinned. Cas looked at her and then at Dean. "Dean, I'm sorry… What I did. All those people… I shouldn't be here." He turned, starting to walk off. "Cas! Wait, Cas!" Dean started to run after him. "Wait here!" he shot back over his shoulder at Mack and Meg. "Cas, hold up." The angel stopped, turning back to face Dean with sadness in his blue eyes. "If you're you and you really remember, then you know you did the best you could at the time."

"Don't defend me," Cas told him. "Do you have any idea the death toll in Heaven? On Earth? We didn't part as lovers, Dean." Dean swallowed, "So what?" Cas shook his head. "I deserved to die. Now, I can't possibly fix it… So why did I even walk out of that reservoir?" Dean bit his lip. "Maybe to fix it. Wait." He opened the trunk of the car, taking out the neatly folded trench coat he'd moved from vehicle to vehicle. "Here," he held it out to him. Cas stared at it for a long moment, and then reached out, unfolding it and slipping it on.

"There you are," Dean smirked a little. "Got your battle armor on. Now, how 'bout we start small, alright? Let's go fix my brother."

Mack hovered by her father's side, staring at her uncle on the bed in the psych room worriedly. Dean and Cas were arguing. "What the hell do you mean you can't?" Dean snapped. "I mean, there's nothing left to rebuild," Cas answered.

"Why not?"

"Because it crumbled. The pieces got crushed to dust by whatever's happening in his head right now," Cas explained. "Uncle Sammy," Mack whimpered softly, though the pair still heard her and glanced down at her. Dean went back to arguing with Cas. "So you're saying there's nothing? That he's gonna be like this until his candle blows out?"

"I'm sorry. This isn't a problem I can make disappear. And you know that," Cas paused. "But I may be able to shift it."

"Shift?"

"Yeah, it would get Sam back on his feet." Cas went over to sit on the bed, close to Sam. "It's better this way. I'll be fine." Mack tried to pull away from Dean's side, but he grabbed her, holding her back. "Cas!" she cried. He ignored her, focusing on Sam. "Wait, Cas, what are you doing…?" Dean asked, but he, too, was ignored. "Now, Sam… This may hurt. And if I can't tell you again, I'm sorry I ever did this to you." Cas put his hand to Sam's hand. Sam groaned in pain and his face and eyes glowed red.

"No!" Mack yelled, struggling in her father's arms. "Cas!" The red traveled up Cas' arms and his face and eyes started glowing red instead of Sam's. Sam groaned, gasping for breath. "Sam?" Dean asked. "Dean?" Sam looked at him. "Kinley?" He spotted Cas. "Cas, is that you?" Cas backed up against the wall, face contorted in fear. "Cas!" Mack yelled again.

Dean dragged Mack back to the car, kicking and screaming. It was a wonder no doctors or nurses didn't come to investigate. "No! We can't leave him there! Cas!" Sam followed them, shoulders slumped. He agreed with his niece, leaving Cas at the hospital experiencing whatever his hallucinations were doing to him now felt wrong. But there wasn't anything else they could do. Demons were out to get him, and Meg had volunteered to stay behind and guard him. They drove away from the hospital, Mack still screaming the whole time.