They keep a close eye on the demon for hours, going through more stores in one day than Castiel has likely ever been to in his life. It's a miracle that the vessel's family can fit everything they bought into their trunk. It almost feels like they're never going to go home — which Emma voices numerous times — when they finally find themselves in a small neighborhood. When the demon's car pulls into a driveway, James pulls off to the side of the road, barely in view of the house. They can't just barge in there, James reasons, though how they'll know when they're needed, Castiel can't guess.

Everyone in the family has to help bring the bags inside. There are three young kids, and of course they can't bring very many bags inside at once, so when one person walks in with a bag, another person walks out to grab more. Every time, a dog peeps its face out the door, and every time, someone has to shove it back inside, which Castiel finds far too entertaining.

Why did he never have a dog? He used to have a home in the bunker. His dog would have been very happy there, assuming it would leave the books and all the magic items alone. And, of course, touching Dean's stuff would have been a death sentence. But an old dog who didn't do very much would have fit perfectly there. Had Castiel had a new home and not just a new car and series of motels to live in, maybe he'd consider getting one.

He's pulled from his thoughts when one of the kids — a young boy who can't be more than eight years old — runs out of the house, screaming. Instantly, Emma and James are out of the car, and Castiel hurries after them.

"What happened?" James asks the kid quickly.

The boy breaks down crying, and all his words are lost to his sobs.

"Go," Emma says firmly. "I'll stay here with the kid."

James and Castiel run inside just as a little girl is running out. They jump aside to let her by, and James yells something about the woman outside keeping them safe as she passes. Hopefully, when the kid sees her brother, she'll recognize Emma as a helping figure. Castiel and James split up, each searching a different side of the house. With another child and a mother still here with the demon somewhere, there's no time to lose.

Castiel kicks open doors and runs up and down stairs, but he can't find anything or anyone here. It's almost like the demon left, and took the bodies with him. But even if this demon is acting strange -- staying in one place for three massacres certainly isn't the norm -- it wouldn't take the bodies if it's left them every time before.

But then there's a scream and a loud thunk from the basement, and Castiel immediately turns back to find the stairs. He may not have his wings anymore, but he feels as though he's flying on his way down to the basement.

The first thing Castiel sees is James lying against the wall, his leg bent unnaturally beneath him and his head dripping in blood. Had that been the only thing he'd seen, he would've run to his side immediately, but — and likely for the best — he also sees a young girl on the floor, a stab wound in her stomach that Castiel knows will be fatal if he doesn't get to her quickly.

And, of course, the demon is here, holding its vessel's wife by the throat. When it sees him, it tosses the wife to the side carelessly, and it's only the soft groan she makes that lets Castiel know she's alive. The demon steps towards him, a smile on its face.

"Castiel," it says, its smirk making Castiel far too uncomfortable. "I thought that was you."

"Do I know you?" Castiel asks, confused.

"Oh, I doubt it," it says. "But everyone knows you." It glances at the door, then asks, "Are the Winchesters coming, or are you the only one I get the pleasure of killing?"

Castiel raises an eyebrow. "I'm interested in how you think that's going to happen. If you know my name, you must know I'm an angel."

"In case you haven't noticed," the demon says, "your little friend over there isn't in the best situation to protect your weapons." He gestures vaguely in James's direction.

Castiel cocks his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

The demon pulls an angel blade from his belt, smirking.

"Son of a bitch," Castiel mutters, which only makes the situation worse — he's facing a demon armed with his angel blade, and he misses Dean.

The demon charges at him, blade pointing straight in forward. Castiel jumps to the side, dodging the blade by less than an inch. He grabs the demon's arm and yanks it to the side, and he knows he's dislocated its shoulder, even if the demon doesn't flinch. The demon kicks his shin, and, to retaliate, Castiel sweeps its legs out from under him, and the demon falls to the floor. Castiel snatches his blade, then sits on top of him, straddling the demon's hips, and puts a hand to his forehead.

"Ah, nice try, Castiel," the demon says with a smirk.

Before Castiel can even process what it said, the demon smokes out, and Castiel is left on top of its empty vessel.

He groans and crawls off. Great. He may have the chance to save a couple lives here, but the demon is still out there. It's just going to murder more families, this time without a group of hunters watching it.

But he still has a job to do, so he heals the demon's former vessel, fixing not only his arm, but the damage to his head that must have happened not too long ago. Maybe someone tried to fight back. Had they been fighting a human, that may have been the blow they needed to win, but they were no match for a demon.

Although every part of him wants to help James next, Castiel knows the hunter is likely in the least critical condition of the three. Instead, he crouches next to the little girl and puts a hand on her head. He can feel the grace pulsing through him, and the stab wound is slowly healing, but he's been running on low power for far too long to heal wounds of this magnitude as quickly as he used to. It doesn't seem to be an issue until he hears a voice from behind him.

"Who are you and what did you do to them?"

Castiel sighs. He should have anticipated this. Had he had enough grace left, he would probably knock the man unconscious, but instead, all he says is, "You aren't going to want the answer to that."

He scoffs. "You come into my house, hurt my wife, my baby girl —"

Castiel shoots a hand up, catching the man's wrist as he tries to attack. The man struggles to free himself, but Castiel's grip is too strong for any normal human to break free.

"I would suggest you wait to attack me until after I've saved your daughter," Castiel says.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Castiel stands up and drops the man's hand. Instantly, he's crouched by his daughter's side, just in time for her to wake up. Castiel doesn't stay for their reunion, turning his attention to the wife next. It's just her airways that seem to be injured, so she shouldn't be too difficult to heal.

"You're okay," the man whispers in awe. "Oh, thank god you're okay."

There's a deafening scream, one Castiel likens to a human hearing an angel's true voice. Castiel glances over his shoulder, and he's not surprised to see that it's the little girl.

"Hey, baby, what's wrong?" the man asks.

"Get away from me!" she screeches.

"What?"

Castiel finishes healing the wife, then heads to the little girl's side. He crouches down, because he's learned before that children are more comfortable when the person they're speaking to is close to their height.

"You're okay," Castiel says gently. "It wasn't him that hurt you, it was a demon, but the demon's gone now. It can't hurt you."

She stares at him with wide, fearful. "A demon?"

Castiel nods solemnly.

"Like the devil?" she whispers.

"Not quite," Castiel says. "The devil was much more organized."

She gapes at him.

"What are you talking about?" the man demands. "Demons? The devil?"

"Are you an angel?" the daughter asks.

The father scoffs. "He isn't —"

"I am," Castiel says, ignoring him. "My name is Castiel."

She smiles at that. "I'm Hannah."

"Hannah," Castiel repeats. "That's a pretty name."

She beams.

"You're not an angel," the father says, but he doesn't seem too confident in it. "You can't be."

Castiel sighs and pushes himself to his feet. He closes his eyes and gathers what little strength he has left. The lights flicker in and out, and he summons his wings into the physical realm just long enough for them to see the shadow. A few short seconds later, he has to put them away, and he doubles over, coughing. His head is pounding, his grace all gathered together. He hasn't had to summon his wings in a very long time. He didn't realize it would be so much work.

"Oh my god," the man whispers, then quickly says, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that, I —"

Castiel waves a hand dismissively, then uses what little strength he has left to straighten up. "It's okay. God isn't really a friend of mine, anyway."

"What?"

"Castiel?" Hannah says quietly. "Are your wings broken?"

Castiel nods. "Yes, they have been for a few years."

"Why?"

He shakes his head. "It's a long and unpleasant story."

He crouches James's next, his back to the family as he begins to heal the hunter. He squeezes his eyes shut, focusing all his energy on the task at hand.

"Are my other kids okay?" the man asks.

Castiel nods. "They're outside." He doesn't elaborate, too focused on what he's doing to think of anything else.

"Oh, thank god," the father whispers.

It takes all the strength he has, but he manages to heal James before he collapses, lying on the floor because he doesn't have the energy to stand. He closes his eyes, focusing on his breathing and nothing else.

"Castiel? Are you okay?" Hannah asks.

Castiel forces himself to give her a thumbs up, but it's all he can manage.

The next person to ask the same question is James, followed immediately by, "What happened?"

All Castiel says is, "The demon escaped."

"Did it get you?" James asks. "I didn't think demons could hurt angels like that."

"Wasn't the demon," Castiel says. "I'm just feeling very human right now."

"Join the club," James says. "Is Emma still outside?"

"As far as I know," Castiel says, and it's comforting to realize talking is already getting easier.

"We should go check on her," James says. "For all we know, the demon could be out there."

Castiel opens his eyes, letting himself readjust to the dim basement lighting. "Give me a second."

James doesn't give him a second, but he does give him a hand. Castiel takes it gratefully, and, with James's help, manages to stand up. He puts a hand against the wall for a moment, gathering his strength and his balance before he can stand on his own.

"Are you okay?" James asks again.

Castiel swallows hard. "Yeah, I'm fine." He takes a deep breath. "Okay, let's go find Emma."