When Sam opened the door of room 118 to see Dean and Mack on the other side, he partly closed it, and then opened it fully again, a pissed off expression on his face. Dean shoved his way inside. "What did you expect?" he asked his brother. "Long drive," Sam growled. "Well, we wouldn't have had to make it if you hadn't have hung up on me." Mack shifted nervously, staying by the door while the brothers argued. "Yeah, well, I heard all I needed to hear."

"No, you heard what you wanted to hear," Dean snapped. "I told you Benny wasn't killing. Hell, I watched him end the fangbanger that was. Saved Mack's life to do it." Sam glanced over at his niece before refocusing on Dean. "How about Martin? How did he end that?" he demanded. "Stupid- just like I said it would. Crazy son of a bitch didn't give Benny a choice. It was self-defense."

"Seriously, Dean? That's the story you're going with? That the vampire was the real victim here?" Sam scowled. "Hey, like it or not, that's the truth, okay? There was a time that actually meant something," Dean countered. "Yeah, yeah. No kidding." Dean blinked. "What does that mean?"

"You think this is just about Benny?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"What the hell do you think I'm talking about?" Dean scoffed as it dawned on him. "Amelia? Oh, come on, man. I sent you that text 'cause I need you to- to-" Sam cut him off, "You needed me to what? To tear ass to Texas? To be afraid that what happened to Jessica, what happened to… everybody that we care about might have happened to her?"

"You were gonna kill Benny. What was I supposed to do?"

"Is that what we are? You save a vampire by making me believe the woman I love might be dead?" Sam demanded. "What do you want to hear, Sam? That I was wrong? Fine. I was wrong. Okay? But if you'd just heard me out, if you'd trusted me, all this could've been avoided." Sam shook his head. "You didn't want me to trust you. You wanted me to trust Benny, and I can't do that." Dean nodded, "Right. Okay, well, then, what the hell do we do now?"

"That depends," Sam said. "It depends on you. On whether or not you're done with him." Dean clenched his jaw, "Well, honestly, I don't know." They stared at each other for a long moment. "Glad we made the drive. Oh, one more thing." Dean stepped forward, clocking Sam across the jaw. "That's for cuffing Mack. You do that to my kid again, I'll kill you." Sam massaged his jaw, glaring after Dean as he shepherded Mack out the door without another word.

Cas ended up showing up at Rufus' cabin and asking Dean and Mack for help finding an angel Crowley had kidnapped, Samandriel. After tracking him down, they went to Kevin at Garth's houseboat to get more demon bombs. Cas disappeared to get the ingredients they needed to make them, returning with Sam despite the fact Dean had explicitly told the angel they didn't need him. After making the bombs, they returned to the factory where Crowley was holding Samandriel.

After breaking in and saving Samandriel, the Winchesters returned to the car to find Cas holding the body of Samandriel's dead vessel. "Cas! What the hell happened?" Sam demanded. "He was compromised," Cas replied almost mechanically, not sure where the words were coming from, but knowing exactly what to say. "He came at me. I killed him in self-defense."

"Cas, you okay?" Mack asked him. Blood trickled from the corner of one of Cas' eyes, and he wiped at it. "My vessel must have been damaged in the melee. I have to go. Samandriel's remains belong in Heaven." Dean's heart pounded as they watched Cas reach down and put his arm around the dead angel's shoulders. "Cas, wait," he protested. "Thank you all… for everything you've done," Cas told them, vanishing with Samandriel's vessel. "Cas!" Dean yelled. "Daddy, what's wrong with him?" Mack asked. "I don't know, bug," he shook his head.

They climbed into the Impala, heading back to the cabin. Sam worked on spray painting angel-warding on the walls and doors. "Okay. That should do it. Cas can't see or hear us now," he said. "Okay, what the hell?" Dean demanded. "I know," Sam nodded. "I told you something was off with him since he got back from Purgatory."

"So, what, you think someone's messing with him or something?"

"Who?" Dean asked. "Angels?" Sam suggested. "Why would the angels have him kill another angel?" Dean demanded. Sam shrugged helplessly. "You know what, man? Mack and I got this. You go." Mack looked up at the use of her name. She'd been quiet since Cas disappeared, chewing her lip as she got lost in thought. "What?" Sam blinked. "Don't you have a girl to get back to?" Dean asked. "Yeah. I guess I do. Um… Since when are you on the Amelia bandwagon?"

"I don't know. I'm just tired of all the fighting," Dean shrugged, taking a beer out of the fridge. "And, you know, maybe I'm a little bit jealous. I could never separate myself from the job like you could. Hell, maybe it's time for at least one of us to be happy." Sam smirked, "What, you being such a big hugger and all? She does make me happy, and she could be waiting for me if I went back. I'd be a very lucky man if she was. But now… with everything staring down at us, with all that's left to be done… I don't know."

"Huh," Dean grunted. "Yeah," Sam nodded. "Well, I do know this- whatever you decide, decide. Both feet in or both feet out. Anything in between gets you dead."

"Yeah, I keep hearing that. I'm gonna… take a walk. Clear my head."

Sam exited the cabin and Dean sighed, looking over at Mack. "Bug?" he asked gently. "When did our lives get so screwed up?" she asked him. He sighed again, walking over to sit with her at the table. "I don't know," he admitted. "If I could change it, I would." She nodded, chewing on her lip some more. "I know," she said, avoiding his gaze. "Dad, I wanna leave."

"Excuse me?" he demanded. "I wanna leave. Go solo again." Dean shook his head, protesting immediately. "Absolutely not. It's not safe, especially now." Mack huffed, looking up at him. "I hate it here, Dad. I hate all the arguing and constantly walking on eggshells around you and Uncle Sammy. I wanna get away from it all."

"You can't leave. Every time you and I get separated someone kidnaps you. I don't want to have to save you again."

"I hunted on my own for a year, Dad. I never got kidnapped then."

"Oh, really? Because, if I remember correctly, I saved you from a vamp nest that had kidnapped you when we reunited," Dean pointed out. "Okay, so I got kidnapped once while hunting on my own for a year. But still," she reasoned. "I know how to take care of myself."

"The answer is no, Mckinley," he shook his head. "My decision is final."

"But-"

"No."

Mack groaned in frustration, getting up and stomping upstairs. Dean flinched when her door slammed a minute later.