"Look what I got," Sam sang, walking up to the motel bed with his laptop in his hands.

Liam put his Gameboy down and got up on his knees, leaning over Sam's shoulder. "What?"

Sam clicked on the email attachment, and it opened up, displaying a written letter on the screen. "It's the letter saying you got an education this year! I just got it from the evaluator."

Liam brightened immediately, blue eyes shining. "Really? So, I passed?"

Sam pursed his lips. "Well, it's not really a matter of passing or failing, but the short answer is, 'Yes.'" Sam put the laptop down on the bed so Liam could see it better.

"What are you guys looking at?" Dean asked, walking into the motel room with a bag from a nearby convenience store.

"I just got the letter saying Liam got an education this year, which was more than a little delayed, seeing as it's almost July." Sam put his hands on his hips, smiling proudly. "We're just soaking it up a little bit."

Dean frowned slightly, confused. "What does a letter do?"

"Well," Sam scratched the back of his head, "that's a little complicated. Normally, you send the letter to whatever school you're in the district of, but we're not permanently in a school district, and… well, Liam is kind of kidnapped, so…"

Dean nodded slowly. "Okay. I can see the problem." Then he smiled, walking over and tousling Liam's hair. "You better be proud of yourself, kiddo. You're doing exactly what you need to be doing."

"I'm really happy," was Liam's response, his lips pulled into a big grin. "It's really awesome that I passed!"

"Yeah, it is." Dean grabbed Liam and gave him a quick hug before jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "I gotta use the bathroom, and then we need to finish packing and hit the road. I don't like how long we've been here."

"Okay." Liam crawled off the bed and went to get his shoes. "I think all my stuff is already packed."

Sam closed his laptop and walked toward the door. "I just need to take this out and pack my toothbrush. Then I'll be ready."

"Got it." Dean gave a thumbs up and then disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Sam walked out of the motel room and made his way to the Impala, opening the back door and putting his laptop inside. He had barely shut the door when his phone started ringing, and he quickly checked the caller ID.

"Bobby?" Sam asked, putting the device to his ear. "What's wrong?"

"Well." Bobby let out a sigh. "I'm not entirely sure, but I might have a lead on Famine."

Sam started walking back toward the motel room, a furrow in his brow. "Really? Lay it on me."

"We've got a couple here that ate each other alive." Bobby cleared his throat. "Not entirely sure how you do that, given how much pain you'd be in, but according to the reports, that's what happened."

Sam frowned, grabbing the motel doorknob and giving it a twist. "So, you're thinking they were just… supernaturally hungry?"

"I've got no idea," Bobby replied, sounding a bit exasperated. "Like I said, I don't even know for sure that this is Famine, I just thought it might be a possibility."

Sam glanced up when Dean stepped out of the bathroom, and he quickly pulled the phone away from his ear. "Let me put you on speaker." He hit the necessary buttons and stood next to the bed Liam was sitting on. "Okay, go ahead."

"It's happening here in Sioux Falls, and it's only happened once so far." Bobby paused briefly, and it sounded like he might have closed a book. "I have no idea how widespread it's going to get. I was thinking you could get in touch with Feathers and see if he knows what kind of signs Famine would be leaving."

Dean scratched the back of his head. "What signs are we talking about exactly?"

Sam hesitated with Liam sitting right there, but he eventually answered the question. "A couple ate each other alive."

Dean's eyes widened slightly and he nodded. "Okay, well… even if it's not Famine, it sounds like it has to be something supernatural. We'll get in touch with Cas and head your way as soon as possible."

"Alright. I'll see you soon."

With that, the line went dead, and Sam returned his phone to his pocket. "Well?" he asked, looking at Dean. "What do you think?"

Dean held his hands up. "I have no idea. That's why I said we're calling Cas." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "But first, I wanna get on the road."

"Right." Sam walked into the bathroom and grabbed his toothbrush from the edge of the sink, walking back out and dropping it into his duffel bag. "I think we've got everything, so let's go."

"Am I going to stay at Bobby's?" Liam asked, walking over to the door and waiting for his caretakers to join him.

Sam slung his bag over his shoulder and grabbed the doorknob. "Yeah, buddy, that's probably the safest place for you."

Liam didn't say anything, but he didn't seem too happy about the fact that he was getting left behind again. Still, Sam wasn't about to let Liam anywhere near the Horsemen, so there was really no better place for him.

"Bobby will be with you guys, right?" Liam asked, opening the back door and crawling in the Impala. "So, I'll be alone?"

Sam tossed his duffel bag in the back of the Impala next to Liam, and then he got in the driver's seat. "Yes, but hopefully not for long."

Dean got in the passenger seat, turning so he could look at Liam. "Don't worry about being alone, bud. Bobby's place is warded from here to kingdom come. Nothing is getting you in there."

Liam nodded his head, but he still looked like he wasn't looking forward to his alone time. Which Sam fully understood, but, again, he wasn't about to let Liam anywhere near the Horsemen. Or monsters at all, for that matter. Liam had already experienced too much hunting for Sam's liking; Sam wasn't about to add to it.

So, they pulled onto the road and headed for Sioux Falls, and Sam hoped Liam would come around by the time they got there.

"Uh, Cas?"

Castiel looked up from the burger he was devouring, pleased to see Dean, Sam, and Bobby standing there in the diner. "I've been here several hours," he said, taking another bite and talking with his mouth full. "It's def'nitely Famine. I think it's 'fecting my vessel's affinity for red meat." He swallowed. "I looked into the couple that ate each other alive, and I found out they were marked by a cupid, which led to me finding a cupid in the area, which was… unpleasant, to say the least." Castiel briefly thought back to the massive hug he had been given, but he was quick to shake it off. "The cupid had nothing to do with their deaths, but beyond that, I don't know much. I don't know what Famine is doing or why. I suggest we find demons in the area and interrogate them."

Dean blinked as he sat down in the booth, a little surprised by the onslaught of information. "Well, you've got things all figured out, haven't you?"

It was Castiel's turn to blink. "I just said I don't know what he's doing or why." And then he shoved the rest of his burger into his mouth.

"Yeah, I meant…" Dean shook his head. "Never mind. Where should we look for demons?"

Sam sat in the booth next to Dean, putting his laptop on the table. "Let's start by finding out if Famine's killed anyone else."

Bobby pulled a chair up to the end of the table and sat down, folding his arms over his chest. "We could split up. We don't need all four of us to comb through the local news."

"Are we sure it's just local?" Dean asked, watching Sam open his computer. "It could be more widespread than that."

Sam frowned slightly. "I don't know, Dean. War's impact was pretty restricted to that small town we were in. Maybe all the Horsemen are operating at a smaller level."

"That doesn't make sense to me." Dean shook his head. "These guys are supposed to be powerful, unstoppable bringers of death and destruction. Why are they so limited?"

Bobby scoffed. "Well, I don't make a habit of looking a gift horse in the mouth, so maybe we should let that question rest for now."

Castiel's face scrunched up with confusion, but he didn't comment on the turn of phrase. "I don't know much about what the Horsemen were supposed to do. I wasn't privy to the conversations in Heaven that revolved around them."

"Oh, that's a big help." Dean folded his arms over his chest, leaning back in the booth. "So, what? We split up, searching local and surrounding news sites, and then go from there?"

"I think we have to." Sam pulled up a news website. "We can't form a plan until we know what Famine is actually doing."

Bobby nodded in Castiel's direction. "We also got to keep an eye on each other. If Famine's influence is making an angel stuff his face, we have to figure it can make us do the same."

Dean gave Sam a judging look. "You feeling hungry for demon blood?"

Sam's jaw tightened, and he kept his eyes on the computer screen. "I'm fine."

Dean scoffed. "Right." He shook his head and put his eyes on Bobby. "You wanna head to the library with me and see if we can come up with anything?"

Bobby nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Sam, who still seemed on edge about the demon blood, jerked his head in the direction of the computer. "I'll stay here and do my own research. You guys can come back here if and when you find something." Sam looked at Castiel then. "Do you think you could check on Liam for me? He's back at Bobby's."

Castiel looked down at his empty plate and then looked toward the service counter of the diner. "I was actually going to get another burger. Can it wait until after that?"

Dean shook his head. "No way. You've got to resist this Famine thing." He grabbed Castiel's plate and pulled it closer to himself. "Go check on Liam."

Castiel hesitated for a moment more, but then he nodded. "Understood. I'll return here when I'm done."

With that, Castiel flew, immediately appearing in Bobby's library and quickly looking around to find Liam. He spotted the young boy sitting on the couch, a rather large tome sitting open on his lap.

"Liam?"

Liam looked up from the book, wearing the expression of someone caught doing something they shouldn't. "Oh. Castiel." He looked back at the book and then looked at Castiel again. "I was just…"

"Researching?" Castiel took a few steps closer to the couch and peered down at the pages. "What are you researching?"

"I just…" Liam struggled for a moment and then let out a sigh. "I just thought I might be able to help. I know Sorzie doesn't want me to be a hunter yet, but when I think about him and Dean and Bobby and you all working on this hunt, I just…"

Castiel nodded understandingly. "I've never been very good at walking away from a mission, either." He took a step back and looked into the kitchen, briefly considering finding food for himself. "Have you eaten? It's almost dinner time."

"Not yet, but there's leftovers in the fridge. I'll be fine." Liam smiled, picking up his cell phone from the couch next to him and holding it up. "I have this. I can always call for help. Sorzie just worries about me."

"Yes, he does." Castiel tore his eyes away from the kitchen and put his attention back on Liam. "I don't see anything wrong with you researching, but make sure to notify us. Don't try doing anything on your own."

"I won't." Liam put his phone down. "Thanks for checking on me."

"It was my pleasure." Castiel offered a faint smile, and then he was flying back to the diner. He landed in the seat he had left behind, and he quickly realized Dean and Bobby were gone.

Sam looked up from his laptop with an expression of mild surprise. "That was quick."

"He was fine." Castiel glanced at the waitress walking nearby, still wanting to appease the ache in his stomach. "He was researching."

Sam let out a sigh. "He shouldn't be worrying about this."

Castiel frowned. "He didn't seem worried. He just wanted to help." He paused, watching Sam's face and finding what he thought were notes of frustration. "Sam, you can't change what you are. You're a hunter, and you're wrapped up in the end of the world. It's going to be a part of Liam's life. You might as well get used to him playing a part."

Sam reached up and rubbed his face. "I know. I know." He let out another sigh and dropped his hands into his lap. "I just… keep thinking I can keep it away from him."

"You keep a lot away from him." Castiel cocked his head slightly. "You've kept him as safe as he can be under the circumstances."

Sam scoffed. "Cas, if you hadn't decided to switch sides, Liam would still be trapped in some angel prison."

"And that's one of the circumstances." Castiel watched Sam's face, but he had never been very good at reading human expressions, so he wasn't entirely sure what he was seeing. "You are up against the forces of Heaven and Hell, and that means Liam is going to face some very powerful enemies. That doesn't make you a bad parent."

"Doesn't it?" Sam pushed his laptop aside and folded his arms on the tabletop, leaning forward and looking Castiel in the eyes. "If I hadn't taken him from his group home, none of this would have happened."

"Maybe not, but you don't know something worse wouldn't have happened." Castiel leaned forward slightly, too, staring Sam down. "I don't know everything about Liam, but I know about his nightmares and the abuse. I have seen him hurt himself, and I have seen the self-deprecation. What would his life be like if you had left him? Do you think he would have even the faintest notion of happiness?"

Sam let out a breath and slowly lowered his head, pressing his forehead to his arms. "You sound like Dean."

"I choose to take that as a compliment." Castiel glanced at the waitress again, but then he put his attention back on Sam. "If Dean is telling you the same thing, we must be on the right track."

Sam reached up to rub his face again. "Yeah. Maybe." He still didn't seem convinced. "Let's just focus on finding Famine."

"I can agree to that." Castiel struggled with himself for a moment more, and then he raised his hand over his head. "Excuse me, miss. Could I get another cheeseburger?" He immediately looked at Sam. "Just one more. Then I'll stop."

Sam gave him a suspicious look, his face clearly showing that he didn't believe the angel, but he didn't intervene. He simply pulled his laptop closer and started typing.

Castiel watched Sam's face, and briefly, he thought back to his recent interaction with Dean. Dean wasn't willing to kill the host bodies of demons—not unless he absolutely had to—and Castiel had to wonder if Sam felt the same way. If he did, their mission was going to be more than a little difficult, and if Sam already had the temptation of Famine making him crave demon blood… well, Castiel didn't like how things might end up going. Not to mention the amount of time it would take; he needed to get back to researching with Balthazar.

But he didn't know for sure, so he sat back and waited for his cheeseburger to arrive, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Maybe I can kill a few demons while no one is looking.

Maybe.

"He just needs to detox, alright?"

Liam looked up at Castiel for a moment, and then he leaned slightly to see around Castiel to the stairway that led to Bobby's basement. "So… you gotta lock him up until…?"

Castiel let out a soft sigh. "That's… hard to say. We just need to wait until the demon blood gets out of his system."

"Demon blood?" Liam looked at Bobby, who was sitting behind his desk, and then he looked at Castiel again. "That's the stuff he drinks that makes him able to exorcise demons with his mind, right?"

Castiel nodded sharply. "He had to drink some to defeat Famine, a Horseman of the Apocalypse."

Liam turned to look at the front door to Bobby's house, which Dean had hurried through just a few minutes earlier. Dean had, while clearly struggling to hold himself together, told Liam that Sam would be fine, and then he had disappeared.

"Can I see him?" Liam asked, tearing his eyes away from the door.

Castiel shook his head. "That's not a good idea, Liam. Sam is…" He struggled with his words for a moment, glancing up at the ceiling. "Sam is not himself right now. He's something else, and the best thing to do is to leave that something else alone until it goes away."

Liam leaned again to look around Castiel, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. He was pretty sure he could hear some kind of commotion coming from the basement, but it was really muffled, and he couldn't be sure. Still, what if Sam needed something?

"Sam's gonna be just fine, little man."

Liam looked at Bobby with disbelief in his eyes. "You don't know that." He looked back at the basement stairs. "What if something goes wrong? How are we going to know if we're all ignoring him?"

"I'll stand outside the panic room," Castiel said, even though Liam knew he was busy. "I'll make sure nothing goes wrong. Alright?"

Liam considered the idea for a moment, and then he cautiously nodded his head. "Alright… You'll know how to tell when something's really wrong?"

"I believe I will." Castiel offered a small smile. "You just stay up here with Bobby. Everything is going to be alright."

Liam had serious doubts about that, but he nodded anyway. He stood there a moment more, and then he turned and walked toward the front door.

"Liam, Dean needs some space right now." Bobby got up from behind his desk and walked over to Liam, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're worried about him, but he just needs to breathe. He'll be alright."

Liam once again had doubts, but he once again nodded. "Alright."

Bobby gestured to the kitchen. "Let's go make some dinner."

Liam looked at Castiel as the angel turned and started down the stairs, and then he put his attention on Bobby. "What are we making?"

"I think I've got everything we need for some chili. Does that sound good?" Bobby patted Liam on the back and walked into the kitchen, the young redhead on his heels.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Liam tried to focus on the cooking, watching Bobby open the refrigerator, but Sam and Dean weren't far from his mind.

Sam was suffering, and Liam didn't know how to make it better. Because Sam was suffering, Dean was suffering, and Liam didn't know how to fix that, either. He didn't know enough about the supernatural to make any kind of suggestion about Sam, and despite all the therapy he had gotten, he didn't know how to help Dean. He just wanted to hug them both, and that wasn't an option. Even if it was, he doubted it would do any good.

"You want to mash up the ground beef?"

Liam pulled himself from his thoughts and grabbed the masher from Bobby's hand, flashing a weak smile. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Alright. I'll get the beans." Bobby stepped away from the stove.

Liam put his eyes on the pot with meat in it, once again trying to focus on the act of cooking. He didn't do a very good job, but it was going to have to be enough.

There was nothing else Liam could do.

"I'm gonna getcha while I gotcha in sight. I'm gonna getcha if it takes all night. You can betcha by the time I say, 'go,' you'll never say, 'no.'"

Sam looked down at Liam with a faint smile, keeping his arm wrapped around the little redhead as they sat on Bobby's couch. "That's pretty loud, buddy. I can hear it from here."

Liam continued to stare blankly at the center of Bobby's library, music blaring from his headphones.

"Liam." Sam reached over and plucked one of the earbuds out. "Hey. I want you to turn your music down, okay?"

Liam looked up at Sam and offered a little nod, and he still seemed a bit dazed, but he pulled his smartphone from his pocket and adjusted the volume.

"Thanks." Sam put the earbud back in and gave Liam a side hug, knowing his stint with the demon blood had scared Liam. Sam was just barely feeling better, his head still pounding with the aftermath of his substance of choice, but he was stable enough to be with Liam, so be with Liam he would.

Liam took a breath like he was going to say something, and then he deflated on the couch next to Sam, not saying anything.

"Hey." Sam gave Liam a little squeeze with the arm wrapped around him. "What's the matter, buddy?"

Liam stared at the center of the room, shaking his head slightly. "I…" He shook his head a little harder and then went still.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me. Even if you're not really sure, and it comes out all messy and confused, it's still good to talk about it." Sam gently pulled Liam's earbud back out, dropping it into his lap.

Liam sucked in a breath, toying with the earbud Sam had removed. "I… I'm still upset about, you know, what you said."

Sam nodded, understanding that Liam was saying he was still upset about Sam suggesting they take him back to the group home.

"But…" Liam bit his lip and finally turned his eyes to look at Sam. "I was really scared, and… and I was worried you were going to die thinking I was still mad at you, and…" He looked at the center of the room again. "I was just scared."

Sam rubbed Liam's upper arm. "I'm sorry I scared you, buddy, and I hope I don't ever have to drink demon blood again." Though he doubted he would be that lucky. "And even if something had happened to me, I know that you love me, Liam. Even when things aren't necessarily good between us, I know how you really feel. I hope you know how I really feel, too."

Liam didn't respond right away, but after a few seconds, he started to nod. "Yeah, I know." He looked up at Sam again. "We're gonna be okay, right?"

"Of course." Sam pulled Liam closer and planted a kiss on his temple. "Everybody hits rough patches. Rough patches don't mean you don't love someone."

Liam looked relieved for a moment, but then the worry came back. "What about Dean? I know he wasn't sick like you, but he's still…" He moved his mouth wordlessly, looking a bit like a fish out of water. "He's not okay."

Sam conceded with a nod. "You're right, but he will be. He just needs some time to sort through things, and we just need to be there for him and remind him how much we love him."

"I can do that." Liam ran a hand through his hair. "Sorzie, will you tell me about the Apocalypse?" He stared up at Sam with pleading eyes. "I want to know what's going on, even if I'm not hunting with you."

Sam fought with himself for a moment, taking a breath and carefully watching Liam's face. He tried to weigh the pros and cons as quickly as possible, but what his brain ultimately chose to cling to was, 'Ignorance never helped anyone.'

"Okay, I can tell you about that." Sam took a deep breath and leaned back slightly, settling in for a long explanation. "Well, it's a pretty big subject, but the gist of it is that Heaven and Hell are fighting each other for control over the Earth. It all started…"

Author's Note: I know I pulled the plot from a different episode, but I wanted to continue with the Horsemen, and I've changed quite a bit with this story, so I didn't think anyone would mind. Also, according to the Supernatural Wiki, the Famine episode takes place in Sioux Falls, but that didn't sound quite right to me, so I'm sorry if that's inaccurate.

Thanks for reading!