~*****~

"So, fire, huh?" I wonder after checking on Mary while she slept.

"The only way I found to kill these bastards--" Travis replied. "Deep-fry 'em."

"Well, that's gonna be... horrible." Dean comments. "Is that what you did to Jack's dad?" Travis hummed out his answer.

I glanced over as the door opened. "Not wasting any time, are you?" Sam asked.

"None to waste! The guy hulks out, we won't be finding bodies, just remains." Travis says.

"What if he doesn't hulk out?" Sam asks. Travis raised his eyebrows at him. "I did a little homework. I've been checking out the lure on Rougarous."

"What, my thirty years of experience not good enough for you?"

I patted Travis' shoulder. "He doesn't mean anything like that, Travis, and you know it. Sam loves research. He keeps it right under his mattress right next to his KY. It's a sickness-- It is!" I exclaim as Sam gives me his bitch face.

Sam rolls his eyes. "Look, everything you said, checked out, of course, but, uh, I found a couple of interesting stories. About people who have this Rougarou gene or whatever. See, they start to turn, but they never take the final step." Sam explains.

"Really?" Dean asked.

"See, if they never eat human flesh, they don't fully transform." Sam states.

"So, what-- Go Vegan, Stay Human?" Dean asks.

"Basically, or in this case, eat a lot of raw meat, just not--"

"Long pig!" Dean says for him.

"Right." Sam says. Dean flashes me a triumphant smile.

"Good on you for the due diligence, Sam." Travis mentioned. "But those are fairy tales. Fact is, every Rougarou I ever saw or heard of... Took that bite."

Sam got up. "Okay, well, that doesn't mean that Jack will."

"So, what do we do? Sit and hope and wait for a body count?"

"No, we talk to him, explain what's happening. That way he can fight it." Sam explained.

Travis gave him an incredulous look. "Fight it?" He barked out a laugh, and I glanced over at Mary in fear that she'd wake up. "Are you kidding me? You ever been really hungry? I mean, haven't-eaten-in-days hungry?"

"Yeah." I retort irritably.

"Yeah. Right, then. Somebody slaps a big, juicy sirloin in front of you, you walking away?" Travis asks.

"Depends, I'm on a veggie kick right now." I say almost venomously.

"Well, that's what we are to him now-- meat on legs. I'm sorry. I'm sure he's a stand up guy. But it's pure, base instinct." Travis sighed. "Everything in nature's got to eat. You think he can stop himself 'cause he's nice?"

"I don't know," Sam shrugged. "But we're not gonna kill him. Unless he does something to get killed for."

Dean and I shared a glance before we cast it on Sam. He was shaking visibly, and I didn't like it. "What's up with your brother?" Travis asked after Sam stormed out.

Dean chuckled. "Don't get me started."

~*****~

"You don't have to show up every time Sam and Dean leave." I mention as I watch Cas move around Mary's little play pen.

Cas doesn't look up. "It is my duty to watch over you and the child every opportunity I get." Cas explains briefly. "I would prefer you two return to heaven."

My nose scrunches up. "Listen, buddy, I'm not going anywhere with you. Especially not to a place with a bunch of winged dick bags floating around."

"We don't... float." Cas said as he stood up fully. "I realize you hold resentment for my brethren and their actions, so I will not force you to return."

I just glare at him until I kick at the ground with my toe. "Did you have any part in it? How the hell did they get a Wendigo up a mountain where there shouldn't have been. It wasn't sacred land. It didn't have any history of any type of Wendigo."

Cas pursed his lips for a moment. "I am... unsure." Cas says truthfully. "I was not told anything, just that God had a plan for all of his children."

"All of his children?" I echo. "Are there more... More of what I am?"

Cas shook his head. "None of them survived the trails that had been set for them. You were the only one to tap into the power that had been put inside of you."

I recoiled. "How many--" I ask in a threatening tone. "How many children died for God's sick little games, huh?"

Cas kept his gaze on me. "Twenty-Seven." He said as if it weren't a problem.

"Get out. Now." I snap. Cas doesn't move. "I said get out!" I shout at him, and the fluttering noise that accompanies him as he leaves.

The door bursts open with Dean's shout. "What's wrong?!" He barks as he rushes in.

I shake my head. "Nothing... Cas was here, I got some answers from him..." I explain. "How'd the talk go?"

Dean shook his head. "Didn't believe us. We tailed him for a while, thought he would break. Saw him scaling a building to a girl, but I guess he resisted it, cause he was gone before we got there. You heard from Travis?"

I shake my head. "No, he left shortly after you guys did. Said he was going to get more beer." I explain. "Let me trace his cell and we can hit the road, okay?"

Dean nods and starts buckling Mary into the car seat.

~*****~

"I can't believe he'd rush in by himself." I hiss irritably as we pile out of the Impala. The window remained cracked for Mary as she slept, and I felt a little worried to leave her all alone.

"That stupid son of a bitch." Sam growled.

The door is unlocked as we enter the house, and my gaze immediately travels to the large puddle of blood on the carpet. The puddle trails off behind the couch. I start gagging as we round the couch. There's an indescribable piece of human on the ground. "Think that's Travis?" Dean asks.

"What's left of him." Sam sighs. "Guess you were right about Jack."

My throat constricts as someone shoves me to the side. "Dean! Lottie!" Sam exclaimed as I rolled onto my stomach to get up. I hear a sharp thud from behind me as I get to my feet and whirl around.

"Jack, don't--" I snap as he rounds on me, holding the gas container up. But he's fast-- unbelievably so. I swing my fist out, cracking it against his wormy skin. He staggers back before surging forward and hitting me back-- hard. My head snaps backwards as blood spurts from my nose and busted lip. My gaze snaps back to see a red canister hurtling at my head.

~*****~

I groan irritably as I come to, my head pounding. "Dean? Sam?" I call out worriedly as my eyes snap open. Sam is still unconscious besides me, but I can't see Dean. "Dean!?" I shout, waking Sam. He slings himself up to the door and tries opening it.

"Dean can't come to the phone right now." Jack's voice rang out, and it was raw from emotion.

"Jack! If you hurt him, I swear to god!" Sam growled as he pounded on the door.

"Calm down!" Jack snaps back. "Your brother's alive." I give a relieved breath. "But not for long if you don't calm down!"

"All right, Jack. Listen. Open the door. We can figure this out, okay?" Sam pleaded.

I hear Jack scoff. "Oh, yeah, we'll have ourselves a little brainstorming session."

"Jack, please." I pleaded.

"I don't think so. After what you did?" Jack snaps.

"What? What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"You sent your friend here. He tried to burn my wife alive!" Jack growled.

"What? Why?" I ask.

Jack hesitates for a moment. "He didn't say." Jack states. I grasp at the metal coat hangers above me and began untwisting it before moving in front of Sam. "I guess psychopaths don't have to explain themselves."

"Listen to me. You got to believe me." Sam says as I work on the lock.. "Lottie, Dean, and I, we never would have hurt her, okay?"

I don't hear a response. "Oh, god, I'm so hungry..." I hear Jack whimper.

"Jack, don't do this." I plead again.

"I can never see my family again." Jack says. "You two... your friend-- you made me into this!"

"No one's making you kill us!" Sam exclaimed. I whimpered when the lock wouldn't give. "Listen to me. You got this dark pit inside you. I know. Believe me, I know. But that doesn't mean you have to fall into it. You don't have to be a monster."

"Have you seen me lately?" Jack asked with a laugh.

"It doesn't matter what you are. It only matters what you do!" Sam expresses. "It's your choice." I finally get the door open and Sam bursts out. "Jack!" Jack glances back at us, only a few inches from chewing through Dean. He gets up and runs at Sam, seemingly making his choice.

Sam fires his makeshift flame thrower, and Jack falls to the ground. Dead.

~*****~

It's silent in the car on the ride out of town. "You did the right thing, you know." Dean mentions as I nurse the pounding headache in my skull. "That guy was a monster. There was no going back." Sam doesn't answer. "Sam, I want to tell you I'm sorry." Dean says softly. "I've been kind of hard on you lately."

"Don't worry about it, Dean." Sam says.

Dean sucks in a breath before sighing. "It's just that your, uh-- your psychic thing-- it scares the crap out of me."

"Look, if it's all the same, I'd really rather not talk about it." Sam expresses.

"What a minute. What? You don't want to talk? You?" Dean teases.

"There's nothing more to say." Sam says. "I can't keep explaining myself to you guys. I can't make you understand."

"Well, why don't you try?"

"I can't." Sam expresses. "Because this thing, this blood-- it's not in you the way it's in me. It's just something I got to deal with."

"Not alone." Dean reminds him.

Sam sighs heavily. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. These powers-- it's playing with fire. I'm done with them. I'm done with everything."

"Really? Well, that's a relief." Dean mutters. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I'm not doing it for you. Or for the angels or for anybody." Sam states. "This is my choice."

I gaze at the back of Sam's head for a moment before Dean changes the topic. "How is she?" He asks with a brief glance to the back seat.

I give him a warm smile. "She's fine. Just don't pull any risky maneuvers, got it?"

Dean snorted. "If she's anything like you, she'd appreciate it. Right, Sam?"

Sam cracked a small smile. "Yeah, by the time she's old enough, she'll be slinging this car around corners like you do, Lottie."

I wave my hand at the both of them. "I am not that bad of a driver."

Dean rolled his eyes. "I've seen every car you've driven lift off of the ground entirely over railroad tracks."

Sam cracks a laugh at that.