( SOLUTION )

DAPHNE
ALLEN'S HOUSE
[ ☼ ]

Emmanuel/Castiel is removing the gag and ropes binding Daphne. "That creature hurt you." Emmanuel says.

"I'm okay. But, Emmanuel... They were looking for you." Daphne says.

"It's okay." Emmanuel says to Dean. "I'm Emmanuel." He holds out his hand and Dean shakes it.

"Dean. I'm...Dean. And this is Elena."

"Thank you for protecting my wife."

"Your wife. Right." Dean says.

"I saw his face. His real face."

"He was a demon." Says Dean.

"A demon walked the Earth."

"Demons. Whackloads of them. You don't know about...?" Dean says.

Daphne turns to Emmanuel. "You saw the demon's true face. Emmanuel has very special gifts." She says.

"Yeah. I-I've heard that about... Emmanuel. That you can heal people up." Dean says. 

"I seem to be able to help to a certain degree. What's your issue?" Emmanuel asks.

"My brother."

HOSPITAL
[ ☼ ]

Sam is lying on the bed with his eyes closed. A firecracker pops and Sam starts. "Wake Up Little Susie" by the Everly Brothers plays. Hallucifer lights a firecracker and tosses it to the floor.

"You know, you're actually keeping it together better than I thought. Kind of... the way someone pinned under a bus keeps it together." Hallucifer says.

"None of this is real." Sam says.

"And yet... you know what really sucks?" Hallucifer tosses another firecracker. "It doesn't really matter. Because I won. Your madness won. I mean, look at you. It's hard to believe you were the guy that saved the world once." An Orderly, Marcus brings in a tray of food. "Mmm! Sammy. What'll be today? Maggots again... Or, uh, tapeworm?"

"Thanks." Sam says.

"Yeah, no problem. How you doing?" Marcus asks.

"Uh... little better. That girl, uh, Marin..." Sam starts.

"Look, I'm not really supposed to talk about it. Let's just say, unlike you, she didn't get here 'cause of no accident." Marcus says and Sam lies back down on the bed. Hallucifer lights another firecracker and laughs as Sam flinches.

CAR
[ ☾]

Dean is driving with Emmanuel in the passenger seat and Elena in the back. "So, Daphne – is that, uh, your wife?" Dean asks.

"She found me and cared for me." Emmanuel says.

"Meaning?" Dean asks.

"Oh, it's a...strange story. You may not like it." Emmanuel says.

"Believe me, we will." Elena says.

"A few months ago, she was hiking by the river, and I wandered into her path, drenched and confused, and... unclothed." Emmanuel says. "I had no memory. She said... God wanted her to find me."

"So who named you Emmanuel?" Dean asks.

"Bouncybabynames.com."

"Well, it's working for you. Must be weird not knowing who you are." Dean says.

"Well, it's my life. And it's a good life." Says Emmanuel.

"Yeah, well, what if you were some kind of... I don't know...bad guy?" Elena says.

"Oh, I... don't feel like a bad person."

HOSPITAL
[ ☼ ]

Sam gets up from the bed and stands at the window in his room "Man, you must be really determined to wait out nap time." Marin holds up a chocolate bar. "Here." She tosses the chocolate bar onto the bed and turns to leave.

"Wait. Uh... share this with me." Sam says.

"Thanks. I don't know why I'm thanking you for a candy bar I stole." Marin says.

Sam tries to tear the wrapper and can't. "So, how long you been here?" He asks.

"Five weeks and counting. Going for the record."

"How come?" Sam asks.

"It doesn't matter."

"That's a lot of bandages for "it doesn't matter". Sam says.

"You want the Doctor answer? I'm psychotically depressed to a suicidal ideation." Marin says.

"And the not-Doctor answer?"

"I feel like crap. I just... want it to be over." She says.

"What?" Asks Sam.

"Everything. Come on. Tell me I'm young and have everything to live for."

"Why would you believe me?" Sam asks.

"True. I heard you're here because the voices won't let you sleep." Marin says.

"Just one, really."

"Who is it? Like Charlie Manson or the devil?" Marin asks.

"Kind of. Yeah." Sam says.

"Me too. I...hear a voice."

"Is that why you set the fire?" Asks Sam.

"Who told you that?" Marin asks.

"No one. The – they're burns, right?"

"I didn't set the fire, o– he did! You know what? I don't even know why I'm talking." Marin says.

"Marin, it's okay." Says Sam.

"No, it's not! You are crazier than I am! Charles Manson tells you what to do. At least it's my own brother—" Marin starts.

"It's your brother?" Sam asks.

"Yes. It sucks... when it's your dead brother saying... kill yourself to be with him... or he'll do it for you." Marin leaves the room.

CAR
[ ☾]

"So, your brother..." Emmanuel starts.

"Sam." Dean finishes.

"Sam. What's his diagnosis?" Asks Emmanuel.

"Well, it's not exactly medical." Elena says from the back seats.

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

"Spiritual? Okay. Someone did this to him."

"You're angry." Says Emmanuel.

"Well, yeah. Dude broke my brother's head." Dean says and Elena looks over at him with caution.

"He betrayed you, this dude. He was your friend?"

"Yeah, well, he's gone." Dean says.

"Did you kill him? I sense that you kill a lot of people." Says Emmanuel.

"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." Dean says. "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."

"Well, it doesn't matter why."

"Of course it matters." Dean says.

"No. You're not a machine, Dean. You're human. Your friend's name was Cas? That's an odd name."

STREET
[ ☼ ]

Dean parks the car and gets out. "Oh, hey, hey. Just, uh, sit tight. I'll be right out, okay?" He says.

CONVENIENCE STORE
[ ☼ ]

Dean takes out his phone. He hears the door open, and looks up at a mirror to see a man walking towards him. He takes out his knife. The man shoves Dean into a wall and Dean pushes the man into a refrigerator, shattering its glass door.

As the man stands up, Dean stabs him with his knife. Light flashes from the man's face as he dies. Dean picks up his phone and sees that the screen is broken. "Oh, come on." Dean walks to the next aisle of the store and finds two more demons waiting for him.

He raises the knife and swings at one of them, but the demon blocks his arm and the knife goes flying to the floor. Dean punches the demon and it throws him into some shelves.

While Dean is still on the floor, someone stabs the demon from behind. Light flashes from its face. Black smoke pours from the mouth of the other demon as it leaves the body it was possessing.

"Emmanuel, you son of a bitch." Dean says. The first demon falls to the ground, revealing Meg, who is holding Dean's knife.

"Emmanuel. Yeah, not so much." She says.

"Meg." Dean says.

"Dean, Dean, Dean. You got some 'splainin' to do."

Dean turns the sign on the door around so it reads "Closed" and pulls down the blind. "Rumors are really starting to fly about this Emmanuel fellow. My curiosity sure got revved up." Meg says.

"Just tell me what you want, Meg." Dean asks.

"Imagine my surprise when I track him down, and he's snuggled up with you.And he's the spitting image of poor, dead Castiel." Meg says. "So, Dean, what's poor, dead Castiel doing in that junker out there?"

"Christmas caroling." Dean says.

"Fun. But how's he alive? Last I heard, he played God, went poof."

"I don't know. And neither does he, so you got to keep it shut." Dean says.

"Oh, I do?" Meg asks.

"He doesn't know he's Cas."

"I know. Been watching you for hours. So here's the deal. You might remember Crowley and me were frosty back in the day? Well, times haven't changed."

"Good." Dean says.

"That hurts my feelings. I've been good to you, Dean." Meg says.

"No, you've been good to you, sweetheart."

"Look. Right now..." Meg says as Dean takes some items from the shelves and puts them in his jacket. "...rumors of this wandering healer are strictly low-level. But body count's getting high enough to change that. Folks start poking, they sniff angel dust."

"Yeah, they start falling all over each other trying to tell Crowley." Dena says.

"Now picture Crowley with his hands on harmless little amnesia-Cas. Don't get me wrong. I'm gonna burn that smarmy dick." Meg says. "My time's coming. But right about now, my army-of-one situation is not cutting it. It's cold out here, there's a price on my ass, and I need friends."

"Yeah. I get that. But I ain't it." Dean says.

"That's where you're wrong, Dean. 'Cause I'm here to help you, and that makes us friends."

"Help, huh? You mean see if you can't turn harmless little Cas out there into an angel-sized weapon?" Asks Dean.

"Like you're taking him caroling. And by the way, you really want to keep going with no backup?" Meg asks. "Hey, I don't trust you, either. But I could really use Emmanuel. And he trusts you. So for now, it's in everyone's best interests to hold hands and cross the street together, okay?"

"We go straight to Sam. No detours." Dean says.

"I love it." Meg says.

"And one more thing. My knife." Dean says.

Meg holds up the bloody knife and Dean takes it. "You sure we wouldn't be safer traveling with a full-throttle angel? I could jog his memory. Kidding! We wouldn't want to upset the poor guy." She says.

STREET
[ ☼ ]

Dean and Meg walk up to Emmanuel and Elena. "Meg?! What is she doing here?" Elena asks.

"To help." Dean says.

"Her face! She's one of—" Emmanuel starts.

"It's okay. We come in different flavors."

"She's, uh... a friend." Dean says and Elena gives him a look.

"Meg. Just here for moral support. I mean, after all, we go way back. Dean, Elena and me. Just met you, of course. But I think we're gonna be good friends, too."

"All right. Can we go?" Dean asks.