Outfits in the external link

THEN

From 5.01 "Sympathy for the Devil", the ordinary bird's eye view of Maryland at night was interrupted by a column of blindingly bright white light shooting into the sky.

Sam: (voice over from 5.02 Good God, Y'All!) "And these specific omens, they're prelude to what?"

From 5.02 "Good God, Y'All!", the church's basement, the pastor looked at Sam, Dean, Catty and Ellen. "The Four Horsemen."

From 5.02 "Good God, Y'All!", in the street, War walked toward the cherry red Mustang, looking over his shoulder to see nothing.

Sam: (voice over from 5.02 Good God, Y'All!) "And which one rises the red horse?"

Pastor: (voice over from 5.02 Good God, Y'All!) "War."

From 5.02 "Good God, Y'All!", on the street, Sam and Dean arrived, grabbing either of War's arms, restraining him. Ness and Catty helped push War against the Mustang, pinning him. Ness let War go, drawing Catty's Knife.

"You can't kill war, kiddos," War told them.

"Oh, we know," Ness told him, taking War's right hand, slamming it against the red Mustang, cutting off all four of his fingers, making him scream in pain.

Ness: (voice over from 5.02 Good God, Y'All!) "The ring."

The ring clinked on the pavement. Ness picked up the ring. War had disappeared. The red Mustang (Catty's Mustang) was still here.

From 5.02 "Good God, Y'All!", in the gas station, after Catty had killed the two "Demons", Sam looked at the pool of blood gathering underneath the bodies.

Catty watched him cautiously. "Sammy?"

Dean: (voice over from 5.01 Sympathy for the Devil) "Are you jonesing for another hit of bitch blood or what?"

From 5.01 "Sympathy for the Devil", in St. Mary's Convent, Dean, Catty and Sam each covered their ears from the violent high-pitched noise, falling to their knees in pain. Octavia appeared, raising her hands toward Dean, Catty and Sam to teleport them away. Dean, Catty and Sam disappeared.

Sam: (voice over from 5.01 Sympathy for the Devil) "It's like when Octavia put us on the plane... Ava cleaned me right up."

From 3.12 "Jus in Bello", in the station, Sam, Dean, Catty and Ness were fighting against the army of 30 Demons.

Dean: (voice over from 5.09 The Real Ghostbusters) "I think that the Sam, Dean, Catty and Ness story sucks."

From 3.16 "No Rest for the Wicked", in Hell, Catty was chained to one of the racks. She was torn to shreds, breathing heavily, blood and sweat gathered and matted in her clothes, hair and on her skin. She had a hook stabbed into her shoulder. She had blood in her mouth. 

Dean: (voice over from 5.09 The Real Ghostbusters) "It is not fun."

From 4.21 "When the Levee Breaks", in the Singer House's Panic Room, Sam laid on the bed, screaming, hallucinating.

Dean: (voice over from 5.09 The Real Ghostbusters) "It is not entertaining."

From 5.13 "The Song Remains the Same", in the Campbell House, Uriel snapped Dean's neck, killing him.

From 5.01 "Sympathy for the Devil", in the motel room, Bobby/Demon slit Catty's Knife across Ness' arm, filleting a piece of skin off her arm, making her bleed and groan a scream.

From 5.09 "The Real Ghostbusters", outside the hotel, Dean looked at Carrie, Nova, Barnes and Damien. "It is a river of crap that would send most people howling to the nuthouse."

From 4.16 "On the Head of a Pin", in the prison room, Alastair pushed Catty on her back to the floor, straddling her to the floor, pinning her wrists to the floor with magic. Catty struggled to no avail, gasping in pain, having trouble breathing. Alastair smirked at the attempt, pushing a strand of her hair out of her face. Catty couldn't look at him, turning her head away, trying to keep her breathing under control.

Ruby: (voice over from 4.16 On the Head of a Pin) "If torturing souls in Hell is possible, don't you think rape would be, too? Every day for more than 30 years, sometimes more than once. It didn't happen to her body. It happened to every part of her on the inside. Which makes it about a million times worse."

From 5.09 "The Real Ghostbusters", in the hotel's bar, Catty and Ness were sitting together.

"I'm okay," Catty told her.

"No, you're not," Ness told her. "You're exhausted."

Catty hesitated. "Angels can talk to us through dreams, even if they can't find us. Little did I know they can induce dreams on you, too."

Ness already knew. "Hell. Alastair."

"On repeat, every night," Catty told her. "They don't want me to get over Hell..."

Ness finished. "So they can use it against you."

From 5.11 "Catty, Interrupted", in the hospital's hallway, Eric looked at Catty. "How many people do you have to save?"

"All of them," Catty answered.

"How do you get up in the morning?" Eric asked.

Catty gazed off for a moment. "That's a good question."

From 5.11 "Catty, Interrupted", in the hospital's hallway, Catty shook her head, tears in her eyes. Alastair disappeared.

Catty looked around in confusion. She turned around, walking away quickly. She could hear Alastair's voice singing to Irving Berling's Cheek to Cheek, the trigger song from 4.16 On the Head of a Pin. "Heaven / I'm in Heaven." Catty stopped, frozen. "And my heart beats so I can hardly speak. I seem to find the happiness I seek / When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek." Catty covered her ears, closing her eyes tightly. "Heaven / I'm in Heaven / And the cares that hung around me through the week." Catty lowered her arms, walking forward quickly. "Seem to vanish like a gambler's lucky streak." Catty reached the T-junction in the hallway, rounding a corner, looking over her shoulder, nearly walking into Alastair. Alastair smirked. Catty turned to run. Alastair restrained her from behind, singing the last part into her ear. "When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek."

From 5.04 "The End", in Future!Catty's cabin, Catty was gazing off numbly, handcuffed to the ladder. As she spoke, there were flashes of her memories from Hell, her torturing Alastair in 4.16 On the Head of a Pin, and Alastair's hallucination from 5.11 Catty, Interrupted, with Catty restrained to the bed. "He did what he did to me, you, and it left a darkness inside of you that you can't seem to shake. Hell, you don't even blame Al for what he did. You blame yourself. You hate yourself. You have to ask, 'Why me? What did I do to deserve this?' And you just have this hole inside of you... You feel completely empty and hollow, but you don't even want to make it go away, because you know that you deserve it after what happened, after what you turned into in Hell. You just have this darkness inside of you that you can't clean or make go away. And what Zach said, about you trying to get yourself killed for the entire year after you got out of Hell without even realizing it... that it was some inside, twisted, broken part of you calling the shots and you didn't know why you were going along with it... He was right. You didn't know it then... but he was right. And even if Alastair's dead, he still wins."

From 5.09 "The Real Ghostbusters", at the hotel's bar, Catty and Ness were sitting together.

"Look," Ness told her. "I know that you can't talk about any of this to Sam or Dean, or Cas and Ava. But when you're ready... you can talk to me."

Catty shook her head. "I can't talk about it, Ness. I just have to deal with this on my own."

"No one Human can handle this on their own," Ness told her. "You're the only one that thinks that you have to. You're drowning. We're just trying to help."

Catty slowly nodded, looking down. "I know."

From 5.11 "Catty, Interrupted", in the hospital's patient room, Sam looked at Catty, sighing. "You can't just keep this crap in."

Catty chuckled without humor. "Watch me."

From 5.12 "Swap Meat", at the diner, at their table, Catty looked at Sam and Dean. "Next person who breathes another word of it gets a punch to the face. Got it?"

From 5.11 "Catty, Interrupted", in Catty's hospital room, Catty was sitting on her bed. She looked at Dean. Dean's eyes were completely white, like Alastair's. He smirked a twisted smile.

Catty gasped, sliding away into the wall behind her. "No. This is supposed to be over."

"It will never be over as long as you can remember," Dean/Alastair told her. "As long as you're breathing. It'll be in your head when you're asleep, it'll be in your every waking nightmare. You can't escape me, Catty. Not until you can't take it any longer and put yourself out of your misery. So I win."

Dean looked at Catty in concern. His eyes were normal, revealing it had been just a hallucination. Catty looked at Dean, realizing what had just happened hadn't been real, relieved and completely numb all the same.

NOW

§ 

Day One

Night - Apartment Building - Outside

A couple walked toward the apartment building.

"First date," the man told him.

"I had a really good time tonight, Russell," the woman told him.

"Alice..." Russell trailed off. "Can I see you again? Sunday, maybe? I just don't want to be alone on Valentine's Day. Again."

"I know what you mean," Alice told him. Russell leaned closer, kissing Alice. They kissed again more passionately. Alice pulled away. "I'm sorry. I just--I--I don't want you to think I'm the type of person who--"

"No, I should apologize," Russell told her.

Alice kissed Russell.

§ 

Alice's Apartment

Russell pushed Alice against the refrigerator. They were kissing hungrily and passionately.

Russell pulled away, unbuttoning her shirt, pulling it off, leaving her in a bra. "Oh, God." He pulled his own shirt over his head, letting it fall. "I respect the crap out of you right now."

"Shut up," Alice told him, either kissing him or biting him on the neck. Russell groaned in pain. Alice pulled away. "Your neck. I think I bit you."

"It's okay," Russell told her. "It's good."

"I've been so alone," Alice told him. "So empty..."

"I know," Russell told her. "Me, too."

"I want you, Russell," Alice told him. "All of you... inside me."

Russell smiled. "Yes."

They started to take bites out of each other, blood staining their lips and mouths, chewing each other's flesh. Blood splattered onto a Valentine's card on the refrigerator behind them, with a picture of a baby Cupid.

§ Worlds Colliding (Supernatural) §

Day Two

Morning - Alice's Apartment

Dean was looking at the bloodstained Cupid Valentine's Day card, posing as FBI. There was a radio playing quietly at the side of the room, playing a Valentine's Day radio station.

(Song:) Cheek to Cheek - Irving Berling's

Catty was glaring at the radio, tense, posing as FBI.

Radio: "Heaven / I'm in Heaven."

Dean looked at Alice's roommate. "So, you were the one who found the bodies?"

Radio: "And my heart beats so I can hardly speak..."

"There was blood everywhere," the roommate told them. "And... other stuff. I think Alice was already dead."

"But Russell wasn't?" Dean asked.

Radio: "I seem to find the happiness that I seek..."

"I think he was, mostly, except... he was still sort of... chewing a little," the roommate explained hesitantly.

Radio: "When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek..."

Dean noticed Catty glaring at the radio, gazing off numbly, clearing his throat to get her attention. "Oh." Catty looked at him and the roommate. "Uh-huh."

"How do two people even do that?" the roommate asked. "Eat each other to death?"

Radio: "Heaven / I'm in Heaven."

Catty walked toward the radio, turning it off, turning to face them.

(Song Ends)

Dean and the roommate looked at Catty in confusion.

Catty ignored their gazes, already feeling better, looking at the roommate. "That's a really good question. Now, the last few days, did you notice her acting erratically?"

"How do you mean?" the roommate asked.

"I mean, did she seem... unusually hostile, aggressive?" Catty asked.

"No way," the roommate answered. "Alice never drank, never even swore. She was a nice girl. And I'm talking, like, a nice girl. Like, she still had her promise ring, if you know what I mean."

"She was a virgin?" Dean asked in surprise.

"No premarital," the roommate answered. Dean seemed offended. "I used to wonder how she did it. I mean, you know, didn't do it. It was her first date in months. She was so excited."

"Apparently, they were both pretty excited," Catty told them.

Dean still seemed to be going over the whole virgin thing in his head.

§ 

Motel Room

Dean and Catty walked into the new motel room with fast food, still in their suits.

Sam was already here, sitting at his laptop, also in a suit. "How'd it go?"

"Um..." Dean trailed off. "No EMF, no sulfur. Ghost possession and Demonic possession are both probably out."

"Hmm," Sam hummed. "That's where I was putting my money."

"Nope," Dean answered. "Oh, but you did miss out on Catty going postal on the radio."

Catty tossed the bag to Sam. "I didn't go postal."

"No, you just got very forceful and determined," Dean told her sarcastically.

"I didn't like the song that was playing," Catty told them, sitting down on one of the beds.

"Catty, you're set into frenzy mode by a song at the girl's apartment, and you can't even get into your favorite holiday when it was a love song?" Dean asked.

Sam frowned in confusion. "Cat, you love love songs. Sometimes a little bit too much, too annoying, and too loud."

"Remarkably patronizing concern duly noted, Sam," Catty told him. "And why would I be getting into 'my favorite holiday', Dean?"

"It's Valentine's Day," Dean told her. "I remember you being a fool for love, but not enough to actually fall into it yourself."

Catty nodded. "Oh, yeah. Well... be that as it may... I don't know. Guess I'm not feeling it this year." Sam and Dean gave her an unconvinced look. "Nothing's wrong. We gonna work or what?" Catty pulled her laptop on her lap, leaning back against the wall. Sam and Dean looked at her in curious confusion. "What?"

"This got anything to do with the nightmares, and..." Sam trailed off.

Catty looked at Sam and Dean sarcastically. "Man, you two are on ball today, guys. Like I said. I'm not into it this year." She looked at Sam. "Just tell us what you found at the coroner's." Sam and Dean exchanged a look. Catty snapped her fingers impatiently. "Come on, Sam, tell us what you found at the coroner's."

Sam sighed. "All right. You didn't see these bodies. I mean, these two started eating a--and they just... kept going. I mean, their stomachs were full. Like--like... Thanksgiving-dinner full. Talk about co-dependent." Catty nodded sarcastically. "Well... I mean, we got our feelers out. Not much more we can do tonight."

§ 

Night - Office

A man was looking at some papers. "Ouch. No me gusta." He looked at a nearby coworker. "Have you been proofing this thing, Jim?"

"Sorry?" Jim asked.

"Tell me you are not checking your cellphone again," the man told him. "Man, she's got you on a leash."

"I'm not on a leash, Brad," Jim told him. "She just wants to know where I am."

"She just wants to know that you're whipped," Brad told him.

"It's not like that," Jim told him.

"Oh, yeah, it's like..." Brad trailed off, making a whip-crack sound and gesture.

"Brad, just give me two minutes," Jim told him.

"No, man," Brad told him. "No. I'm the project leader on this thing, and I'm not gonna half-ass it just 'cause my wingman has gone mental over some chick he met, like, a week ago."

A woman walked in, crying. "Jim?"

"Holy crap," Brad told them.

The woman ignored him, looking at Jim. "Where were you?"

"I know," Jim told her. "It's just I had to--"

"You can't choose work over me, Jim!" the woman told him.

"I won't, Janice," Jim told her. "I'm sorry."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Brad told him. "Jimbo, all due respect, but honestly, bro?"

Brad made a whip-crack sound and gesture. Janice didn't look at Brad, drawing a gun, shooting him in the heart, killing him, making him fall backward in his chair. Jim was in shock.

"What are we gonna do, Jimmy?" Janice asked.

"I don't know, baby," Jim told her. "Seems like whatever we do, something in life is always gonna keep us apart. Work, family, sleep."

"Now prison, maybe," Janice told him.

"Maybe," Jim agreed. "But I think I have an idea. How we can stay together... forever..."

They brought Janice's gun to her chin, aiming it toward her head.

§ 

Outside

A shot rung out, followed by another.

§ 

St. James Medical Center - Hallway

Dean, Sam and Catty walked into St. James Medical Center, walking down the hall. A bald man in a suit walked past. Sam watched him go weirdly, sniffing the air.

"You okay?" Catty asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam told them unconvincingly.

They walked into the morgue.

§ 

Morgue

The doctor looked at Sam. "Agent Cliff, you just can't stay away."

"Heard you tagged another double suicide," Sam told him.

"Well, I just finished closing them up," the doctor told them.

Sam gestured to Dean and Catty. "These are Special Agents Marley and Thunder."

"Agents," the doctor told them. "I've finished my prelims. I pulled the organ sets and sent off the tox samples."

"Great," Dean told him. "You mind if we take a look at the bodies?"

"Not at all," the doctor answered. "But, like I said. Their... good and plenties are already tupperwared."

"Super," Catty told him.

"Leave the keys with Marty up front," the doctor told them. "And, please, refrigerate after opening."

The doctor walked away, leaving. Dean, Sam and Catty were examining the hearts.

Dean looked at Catty. "Hey." Catty looked at him. Dean held one of the hearts toward her, being funny to try to lighten her mood. "Be my Valentine?"

Catty gave Dean a look. She looked between the two hearts. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second. These hearts both have identical marks. Check this out. It looks like some kind of letter."

Sam looked closer. "Oh, no."

"What?" Dean asked.

"I think it's Enochian," Sam told them.

"You mean, like Angel scratches?" Dean asked. "So, you think it's like the tagging on our ribs?"

"Dean, I don't know," Sam told him.

"Ah, hell," Catty told them, pulling out her phone, walking away from the table. "Cas, it's Catty. Yeah, room 31-c, basement level... St. James Medical Center."

Castiel appeared in front of Catty, on the phone. "I'm there now."

"Yeah, I get that," Catty told him.

"I'm gonna hang up now," Castiel told her.

"Right," Catty told him.

Castiel and Catty didn't move.

§ 

Later

Castiel picked up one of the hearts. "You're right, Sam. These are Angelic marks. I imagine you'll find similar marks on the other couples' hearts as well."

"So, what are they?" Sam asked. "I mean, what do they mean?"

"It's a mark of union," Castiel answered. "This man and woman were intended to mate."

"Okay, but who put them there?" Dean asked.

"Well, your people call them, 'Cupid'," Castiel told them.

"A what?" Catty asked.

"What Human myth has mistaken for 'Cupid' is actually a lower order of Angel," Castiel explained. "Technically, it's a Cherub, third-class."

"Cherub?" Catty repeated.

"Yeah," Castiel answered. "They're all over the world. There are dozens of them."

"You mean the little flying fat kid in diapers?" Dean asked.

"They're not incontinent," Castiel told them.

"Okay, anyway," Sam told them. "So, what you're saying--"

"What I'm saying is a Cupid has gone rogue and we have to stop him," Castiel told them. "Before he kills again."

"Naturally," Catty told them.

Dean nodded. "Of course we do."

§ 

Restaurant

Sam, Dean, Catty and Castiel sat in a restaurant decorated for Valentine's Day, at their own table. Dean was eating a bacon burger. Sam was eating a salad.

Catty was eating a hamburger, looking at Castiel. "So, what, you just happen to know he likes the cosmos at this place?"

"This place is a nexus of Human reproduction," Castiel told them. "It's exactly the kind of--" He watched Dean put ketchup on his cheeseburger. "Of garden the Cupid will come to--to pollinate."

Catty put her cheeseburger down.

"Wait a minute," Dean told her. "You're not hungry?"

"No," Catty answered. Sam and Dean gave Catty a look. "What? I'm not hungry."

"Then you're not gonna finish that?" Castiel asked. Catty looked at him weirdly, sliding the burger toward him. Castiel took it, looking toward a couple at a table across the room. "He's here."

"Where?" Sam asked. "I don't see anything."

"There," Castiel told them.

"You mean the same-side-of-the-booth couple over there?" Dean asked.

"Meet me in the back," Castiel told them, disappearing.

Sam, Dean and Catty exchanged a look.

§ 

Back Room

Sam, Dean and Catty walked into the back room.

"Cas, where is he?" Catty asked.

"I have him tethered," Castiel told them. "Zoda kama mahrana. Manifest yourself."

"So, where is he?" Dean asked.

Cupid appeared, embracing Dean from behind, tightly, cheerfully. "Here I am!"

§ 

The Cupid was a big man in nothing but underwear, laughing.

Dean groaned in pain. "Help!"

"Oh, help is on the way," Cupid told them. "Yes, it is. Yes, it is. Hello, you!"

Cupid let go of Dean, turning to face Sam.

Sam turned away. "No."

Cupid appeared in front of Sam. "Yes, yes, yes, yes!"

Cupid embraced Sam tightly, letting him go, appearing in front of Castiel, hugging him tightly. Castiel groaned uncomfortably. Cupid let him go, embracing Catty tightly, lifting her briefly off the floor, putting her back down, letting her go, backing away, lying a hand on Castiel and Catty's shoulders, smiling, laughing.

"This is Cupid?" Catty asked.

"Yes," Castiel answered.

"Is this a fight?" Catty asked. "Are we in a fight?"

"This is... their handshake," Castiel explained.

"I don't like it," Catty told him.

"No one likes it," Castiel told her.

Cupid sighed, taking his hands off of their shoulders. "Mm. What can I do for you?"

"Why are you doing this?" Castiel asked.

"Doing what?" Cupid asked.

"Your targets, the ones you've marked, they're slaughtering each other," Castiel told him.

"What?" Cupid asked. "They are?"

"Listen, birthday suit, we know, okay?" Dean asked. "We know you been fitting around, popping people with your poison arrow, making them murder each other."

"What we don't know is why," Sam told him.

"You think that I--" Cupid started. "Well, uh... I don't know what to say."

Cupid walked past Castiel and Catty, starting to cry. Sam and Dean walked closer to Castiel and Catty, all of them looking at Cupid, watching him cry in confusion.

"Should..." Sam trailed off. "Should somebody maybe... go talk to him?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Catty told them. She looked at Castiel. "Give him hell, Cas."

Castiel gave her a look. "Catty."

Catty shrugged. "Do it."

Castiel turned to Cupid. "Um... Look. We didn't mean to, um... hurt your feelings."

Cupid stopped crying, embracing Castiel tightly. "Love is more than a word to me, you know. I love love. I love it! And if that's wrong, I don't want to be right!"

"Yes, yes," Castiel told him awkwardly. "Of course. I, uh... I have no idea what you're saying."

Cupid pulled away. "But you will. I was just on my appointed rounds. Whatever my targets do after that that's nothing to do with me. I--I was following my orders. Please, brother. Read my mind. Read my mind, you'll see."

Castiel seemed to be reading Cupid's mind, turning to face Catty, Sam and Dean. "He's telling the truth."

Cupid sighed. "Jiminy Christmas. Thank you."

"Wait, wait," Dean told him. "You said--You said you were just following orders?"

"Mm-hmm," Cupid answered.

"Whose orders?" Dean asked.

"Whose?" Cupid repeated, laughing. "Heaven, silly. Heaven."

"Why does Heaven care if Harry meets Sally?" Catty asked.

"Oh, mostly, they don't," Cupid told them. "You know, certain bloodlines, certain destinies. Oh, like yours."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, the union of John and Mary Winchester?" Cupid asked. "Very big deal upstairs. Top priority arrangement. Mm."

"Are you saying that you fixed up our parents?" Catty asked.

"Well, not me, but..." Cupid trailed off. "Yeah. Well, it wasn't easy, either. Ooh, they couldn't stand each other at first. But when we were done with them... perfect couple."

"Perfect?" Catty repeated.

"Yeah," Cupid answered.

"They're dead," Catty told him.

"I'm sorry, but..." Cupid trailed off. "The orders were very clear. You, Sam and Dean needed to be born. Your parents were just, uh... meant to be." He started to sing. "A match made in Heaven / I'm in Heaven."

Catty knew the song instantly, looking at Cupid seriously. "Stop it."

Cupid started to sway and he continued to sing Cheek to Cheek. "And my heart beats so I can hardly speak."

"Seriously, dude," Catty told him. "I mean it. Stop."

Cupid slowly spun around. "I seem to find the happiness--"

Cupid turned to face Catty.

Catty punched Cupid in the face, holding her fist, turning away. "Son of a bitch."

Cupid disappeared, leaving.

"Where is he?" Dean asked. "Where'd he go?"

"I believe Catty upset him," Castiel told them.

"Upset him?" Catty repeated.

Castiel walked closer. "Catty. Enough."

"What?" Catty asked.

"You just punched a Cupid," Dean told her.  

"I told him to stop, and he didn't," Catty told them.

"Um..." Sam trailed off, walking closer. "Are we gonna talk about what's been up with you lately or not?"

Catty lowered her hand to her side. "Or not."

Catty walked past them, out of the room, leaving. Sam, Dean and Castiel watched her go, confused and concerned.

§ 

Day Two

Morning - St. James Medical Clinic

Sam was standing with the doctor from before.

"You said you wanted to hear about any other weird ones," the doctor told him.

"Okay," Sam told him.

The doctor walked toward a gurney, showing Sam a corpse with his belly distended. "Lester Finch. Pulled his records. Looks like this gentleman used to weigh 400 pounds or so, till he got a gastric bypass, which brought down his weight considerably. But then for some reason, last night, he decided to go on a twinkie binge."

"So, he died from a twinkie binge?" Sam asked.

"Well, after he blew out the band around his stomach, he filled it up till it burst," the doctor explained. "When he could no longer swallow, he started jamming the cakes down his gullet with a... with a toilet brush, like he was ramrodding a canon."

"So, what do you make of it?" Sam asked.

"I'd say that it was a very peculiar thing to do," the doctor told him, taking a drink from his flask.

Sam nodded cautiously. "Thank you, Dr. Corman."

§ 

Outside

Sam walked outside toward the Impala, on the phone. "Hey. So, uh, this guy was not marked by Cupid, but his death is definitely suspicious."

Dean and Catty were in the hotel room, in normal clothes. Dean's phone was on speaker.

"Yeah, well, I just went through the police blotter, and counting him, that's eight suicides since Wednesday and 19 ODs," Catty told them. "That's way out of the seasonal batting average."

"Yeah, if there's a pattern here, it ain't just love," Sam told them. "It's a hell of a lot bigger than we thought."

"Yeah, all right," Dean told him. "We'll see you in 10."

"Yeah, okay," Sam told them, hanging up.

Sam looked across the street to see the bald man in the suit from the day before carrying a suitcase, looking angrily traced. He could hear a heart beating.

§ 

Alley

The bald man in the suit walked into the alley with his suitcase.

Sam was hiding behind the upcoming corner, holding Catty's Knife, waiting till the man was close enough, running toward him, pushing him against the brick wall, holding the knife to his throat. "I know what you are, damn it." He cut the blade across his cheek, making the wound flash with red, making him groan a scream. His eyes were black, revealing he was a Demon. "I could smell you."

The Demon let his eyes return to normal. "Winchester."

Sam was too entranced, hearing the heart beat. The Demon punched Sam in the face, making him let go and back away. He tried to use the suitcase to hit Sam. Sam raised Catty's Knife to block the move, slashing it into the Demon's arm, making the wound flash with red, making him groan a scream and drop the suitcase. Sam raised the blade to finish the Demon off. The Demon ducked, running away down the alleyway, leaving. Sam breathed heavily, knowing he couldn't catch up to him. He looked at Catty's Knife, noticing the Demon blood over the blade. He looked as if he was fighting the urge, taking a cloth from nearby, using it to wipe the blade clean, still breathing heavily.

§ 

Motel Room

Dean was sitting at the table, on his laptop. Catty was sitting on one of the beds, on her laptop.

Dean looked at Catty. "So..."

"So what?" Catty asked.

"Nothing to share about what's going on in that more-violent-than-usual-head of yours?" Dean asked.

"Nope," Catty answered.

"Catty, you've been acting all kinds of off lately," Dean told her. "First off, the Angels using nightmares of Hell and Alastair against you. Second, there's your lack of enthusiasm in your favorite holiday and then this song..." 

Dean started to play a song on his laptop.

(Song:) Cheek to Cheek - Irving Berlin

Catty instantly tensed up, closing her eyes.

Dean nodded to himself, knowing he had gotten the reaction he had been expecting. "Same song at Alice's apartment, same song Cupid sang before you clocked him one." Catty gave him a look. "And I'm guessing it's kind of like a trigger, although, I have no idea what it could possibly be a trigger for."

"Turn it off before I put a bullet in your computer," Catty told him. "Fair warning."

"See?" Dean asked. "That's exactly my point. Look, I think I got this whole new aversion to Valentine's Day thing figured out. The more-than-torture part of the torture in Hell." Catty stood, walking closer. "But I still can't figure out why you hate the--" 

Catty closed his laptop, making the song stop. 

(Song Ends)

Dean looked up at Catty. "Song."

Catty raised her arms in a shrug. "You're right. It's a trigger for very painful memories. Feel better?"

"No," Dean answered.

"Then let it go," Catty told him, sitting down across from Dean at the table.

"Catty..." Dean trailed off. Catty looked up. Dean looked at her seriously. "Out with it."

Catty sighed, hesitating a long second, not wanting to tell him, but knowing that he wouldn't let it go. "It's the same song that he would sing."

"Alastair?" Dean asked.

Catty nodded. "Every day. During the torturing, after the torturing when he would start to..." She didn't have to finish for Dean to understand what she meant. "Now, when I hear that song, it's all I can think about, and as you've seen, that's not a good thing. So just let it go."

Dean sighed. "Keeping all of this stuff buried like this is gonna tear you apart."

"Coming from the guy who invented the method I'm going with," Catty replied.

"Hey, it works for me," Dean told her. "It's obviously not working for you. Find a different method. Because it's obviously not doing anything to help you move on."

"Yeah, well, I'm not gonna talk about it with you," Catty told him. "And not with Sam. Or Cas or Ava. I'm sure you can understand that."

"Then who?" Dean asked.

"That's the point," Catty told him. "I can't tell any of this to anyone else without getting sent back into the nut house. So, no one."

"Well, there is one person that you can talk to," Dean told her. Catty raised her eyebrows slightly. Dean looked at Catty. "Ness' already said that if you needed to talk, you could go to her."

Catty nodded to herself. "But like I've told all of you before, including Ness, I can't talk about it, Dean."

Dean opened his mouth to argue.

Sam walked in with the suitcase in hand, closing the door, looking between them seriously, breathing heavily. "We need to talk."

§ 

Night - Motel Room

The suitcase was sitting on the table. Sam, Dean and Catty stood nearby.

"What the hell does a Demon got to do with this, anyway?" Catty asked.

"Believe me, I got no idea," Sam told them.

"You okay?" Catty asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Sam answered. "I'll be all right."

Dean looked at the suitcase. "Let's crack her open. What's the worst that could happen, right?"

They opened the suitcase slowly. A bright light escaped the case, levitating in the air, fading into darkness.

"What the hell was that?" Dean asked.

They heard Castiel's voice behind them. "It's a Human soul." Catty, Dean and Sam turned to face Castiel, seeing that he had a fast food bag in his arm, a hamburger in his hand. "It's starting to make sense."

Castiel took a bite out of his burger.

"Now, what about that makes sense?" Sam asked.

"And when did you start eating?" Catty added.

"Exactly," Castiel told them. "My hunger. It's a clue, actually."

Catty, Dean and Sam spoke together. "For what?"

"This town is not suffering from some love-gone-wrong effect," Castiel told them. "It's suffering from hunger. Starvation, to be exact. Specifically... Famine."

"Famine?" Sam repeated. "As--as in the Horseman?"

"Great," Catty told them sarcastically. "That's freaking great."

"I thought Famine meant starvation," Sam told them. "Like, as in, you know, food."

"Yes," Castiel answered. "Absolutely. But not just food. I mean, everyone seems to be starving for something. Sex, attention, drugs, love..."

"Well, that explains the puppy-loves that Cupid shot up," Dean told them.

"Right," Castiel agreed. "The Cherub made them crave love, and then Famine came, and made them rabid for it."

"Okay, but what about you?" Catty asked. "I mean, since when do Angels secretly hunger for White Castle?"

"It's my vessel, Jimmy," Castiel explained. "His, uh, appetite for red meat has been touched by Famine's effect. Even if he is technically dead, and he's gone, up in Heaven, and even if I'm the only thing inside this vessel now... we're both still affected."

"So, Famine just rolls into town and everybody goes crazy?" Dean asked.

Castiel turned partially away from them, thinking. "'And then will come Famine riding on a black steed'."

§ 

Biggerson's Restaurant - Outside

A black SUV Cadillac Escalade pulled up to the restaurant. 

Castiel: (voice over) "'He will ride into the land of plenty'."

The car pulled over to a stop. A man got out of the car. Another man wheeled a wheelchair closer to them. Another man pulled an elderly man out of the car, putting him into the wheelchair. He put a breathing tube around his head. The elderly man had a Horsemen ring on his right hand ring finger, revealing him to be Famine.

Castiel: (voice over) "And great will be the Horseman's hunger, for he is hunger'."

The men, presumably Demons, led Famine into the restaurant.

§ 

Inside

The Demons and Famine entered the restaurant. The restaurant was very busy.

Castiel: (voice over) "'His hunger will seep out and poison the air'."

Famine's wheelchair was automatic. He was able to move by a button on his chair. As he rolled his way through the restaurant, his hunter seeped out and poisoned the air. People around him started to eat ravenously. A girl was rummaging through the cash register, putting all of the dollar bills into her bra. The lights flickered. Everyone around continued to eat ravenously.

§ 

Kitchen

A cook walked toward the deep fry, putting his hands into the boiling grease to grab two handfuls of fries, burning his own skin.

§ 

Main Room

Famine watched, satisfied. A woman poured a bottle of pills into her mouth. A man was drinking thirstily. A couple were kissing hungrily. A man was eating ravenously.

§

Kitchen

The cook pulled out his burned and seared hands from the deep fryer, eating the fries right from his destroyed hands.

§ 

Main Room

Famine was watching, satisfied, his breathing and voice labored. "Hungry."

§ 

Motel Room

Castiel had his back to Catty, Dean and Sam. "Famine is hungry. He must devour the souls of his victims."

"So, that's what was in the briefcase?" Dean asked. "The twinkie dude's soul?"

Castiel turned to face them, nodding. "Lucifer has sent his Demons to care for Famine, to feed him, make certain he'll be ready."

"Ready for what?" Sam asked.

"To march across the land," Castiel answered.

None of them liked the sound of that.

§ 

Biggerson's Restaurant

All of the people inside the restaurant were dead. The Demons and Famine were the only ones that were alive. The Demon that had fought Sam in the alley walked in, stepping over a girl's body, holding his hand to his injured arm, walking toward Famine.

"Hungry," Famine told him.

"Sam Winchester, the vessel, he's here," the Demon told him.

"Where?" Famine asked.

"At the hospital," the Demon told them. "We fought, but he got away. I... I got this off him."

The Demon held up Sam's motel room key.

"Good," Famine told him. "Yes. After lunch. Now, where is it?"

"Sorry?" the Demon asked.

"The one who loves cream cakes so much," Famine told him. "Where is his soul?"

"I am sorry," the Demon told him. "No. The--Winchester took the case from me. Uh, he had the knife. I--I lost it."

"But I'm hungry!" Famine told him.

"I'll get another," the Demon told him. "I--I won't be 10 minutes."

The Demon turned to leave.

"Hungry!" Famine told him. "Now!" Famine raised his hand toward the Demon, using magic to make the lights shatter, leaving the room in darkness, and to draw out the Demon's smoke, making the vessel fall to the floor, devouring it. "Oh, delicious."

§ 

Motel Room

Sam stood by the sink, wiping his face with a cold washcloth.

"Famine?" Dean asked.

Castiel spoke through a mouthful of cheeseburger. "Yes."

"So, what, this whole town is just gonna eat, drink, and screw itself to death?" Catty asked.

"Well, I vote for option number three," Dean told them.

Catty gave Dean a look. "Keep it in your pants."

"What?" Dean asked. "I'm just saying."

"We should stop it," Castiel told them.

"Yeah, that's a great idea," Catty told him. "How?"

"How did you stop the last Horseman you met?" Castiel asked.

"War got his mojo from this ring," Catty explained. "And after Ness cut it off, he just tucked tail and ran, left behind his car, which I graciously took for my own, you know, whenever I'm not with these two dweebs." She looked at Sam and Dean. Sam and Dean gave Catty a look. Catty ignored them, looking at Castiel. "And everybody that was affected, it was like they woke up out of a dream. You think Famine's got a class ring, too?"

"I know he does," Castiel answered.

"Well, okay," Catty told them. "Let's track him down and get to chopping."

"Yeah," Castiel agreed, looking at his empty fast food bag sadly.

"What are you, the Hamburglar?" Catty asked.

"I've developed a taste for ground beef," Castiel told them.

"Well, have you even tried to stop it?" Catty asked.

"I'm an Angel," Castiel told them. "I can stop anytime I want."

"Whatever," Dean told him. Sam was still cooling off his face and neck by the sink, breathing heavily, trying to calm down. "Sam, let's roll."

"I, um..." Sam trailed off. "I can't. I can't go."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

Sam turned to face them, breathing deeply. "I think it got to me, Dean. I think I'm hungry for it."

"Hungry for what?" Catty asked.

"You know," Sam told them.

"Demon blood?" Dean asked. Sam hung his head in shame. "You got to be kidding me."

Catty looked at Castiel. "You got to get him out of here. You got to beam him to, like, Montana. Anywhere but here."

"It won't work," Castiel told them. "He's already infected. The hunger is just gonna travel with him. "

"Well, then, what do we do?" Dean asked.

"You go cut that bastard's fingers off," Sam answered.

Catty looked at Dean. "You heard him."

"But, guys..." Sam trailed off. "Before you go, you better--You better lock me down, but good."

§ 

Later

Catty hand cuffed Sam to the bathroom sink pipe. "All right, just hang in there. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"Be careful," Sam told them. "And... hurry."

Catty walked out of the bathroom, standing next to Castiel and Dean. Castiel and Dean blocked the bathroom door with a dresser.

§ 

Bathroom

Sam pulled at the handcuffs uncomfortably. He could hear his heart beating, leaning his head against the sink, sighing.

§ 

St. James Medical Clinic - Hallway

Dean walked through the hallway. He saw a woman walking past him down the hall, looking after her longingly, obviously affected by Famine. He sighed, walking toward a male doctor. "Hey, Marty. Is Dr. Corman around?"

"You haven't heard?" Marty asked.

"Heard what?" Dean asked.

"Guy's been dry for the last 20 years, but this morning, he left work, went home, and drank himself to death," Marty told him.

Dean sighed. "Damn it, Famine."

"Pardon?" Marty asked.

"Nothing," Dean told him. He noticed another woman, taking a deep breath. "Look, I gotta go."

Dean turned around, walking away. He saw Woman 1, looking entranced. He shrugged it off, continuing to walk.

§ 

Motel Room - Bathroom

Sam was still handcuffed to the sink, sweating, breathing heavily, still hungry for Demon blood. He closed his eyes, trying to shut it out.

§ 

St. James Medical Clinic - Outside - The Impala

Catty was sitting in the driver's seat, waiting. Castiel got into the passenger side with another hamburger bag.

"Are you serious?" Catty asked.

"These make me... very happy," Castiel told her.

Catty smirked, looking at Castiel in slight amusement. "How many is that?"

"I lost count," Castiel admitted. "It's in the low hundreds. What I don't understand is... where is your hunger, Catty?"

"Hmm?" Catty asked.

"Well, slowly but surely, everyone in this town is falling prey to Famine, but so far, you seem unaffected," Castiel told her.

Catty shrugged. "I don't know, Cas. I live in the now. If I feel something, I act. If I want something, I take it."

"So..." Castiel trailed off in confusion. "You're saying you're just well-adjusted?"

Catty scoffed, looking out of the window. "God, no. I'm just well-fed." Castiel looked at Catty, unconvinced. Catty looked at Castiel curiously to change the subject. "Did you really mean what you said earlier? That Jimmy's dead and in Heaven?"

"Yes," Castiel answered. "The Human soul, it can only occupy a body while it retains a certain... structural integrity, and this vessel, it was... It was ripped apart on a subatomic level by Raphael when he killed me."

Catty nodded for a moment, shaking her head. "I have no idea what you just said. But I can take the headlines. Jimmy's at peace in Heaven. That's something, at least."

Castiel and Catty looked at each other. There was a long moment of silence where neither of them moved or spoke.

"Catty, I'm sorry," Castiel told her.

"For what?" Catty asked.

"The real reason why you're not affected," Castiel answered.

Catty looked away, sighing. "I can't talk about that, Cas."

Castiel nodded sadly in understanding. The backseat door opened, breaking the quiet.

Dean got into the backseat, closing the door. "All right, we need to get me the hell out of here before I go back to that hot nurse."

"What'd you find out?" Catty asked.

"Dr. Corman drank himself to death," Dean explained.

"Aw," Catty told them, disappointed. "I really kind of liked that guy."

"They haven't harvested his soul yet," Castiel told them.

"Well, if we want to play 'follow the soul' to get to Famine, our best shot starts with the Doc, here," Dean told them. He looked toward the medical center. "And now. Look there."

Castiel and Catty followed his gaze to a man in a black suit walking out of the hospital, carrying a brief case, getting into his car, driving away. Catty started the Impala, following the Demon.

§ 

Motel Room - Bathroom

Sam was starting to struggle within the handcuffs, groaning in pain. He heard something from outside the bathroom, stopping immediately, looking around hungrily. He could hear his hear beating. "Guys?" He could hear wood scraping as the dresser outside the door was pushed away. "Guys, what happened? I don't think it worked. I think I'm still--" A male Demon opened the door, revealing a female Demon next to him. Sam looked at them, entranced. "Still hungry."

The female Demon stepped closer. "Look at this. Someone trussed you up for us. Boss says we can't kill you... but I bet we can break off a few pieces." The female Demon looked at the male Demon. The male Demon smirked, walking toward Sam, taking his wrists, pulling them apart, breaking him free. Sam lunged at the male Demon, punching him in the face, making him back away into the shower curtain, making them both fall into the tub. The female Demon looked at Sam in surprise. Sam stood, running toward the female Demon, tackling her into the main room, to the glass table behind her, making the glass shatter and them fall to the floor. He straddled her to the floor, grabbing a broken piece of glass from nearby, using it to stab her in the neck, making her groan in pain, pulling out the glass, leaning closer to drink Demon blood from the vein on her wounded neck. The male Demon ran into the room. "Get him off! Get him off!"

The male Demon ran closer, grabbing Sam by the back of his shirt, trying to pull him off. Sam was holding the female Demon too tightly, still drinking, making the male Demon rip the back of his shirt. The male Demon grabbed a wooden coat rack from nearby, raising it over his head to hit Sam.

Sam pulled away from the female Demon, turning to the male Demon, mouth and chin drenched in blood, raising a hand toward the male Demon, using magic to throw the rack out of his hands to the floor, throwing him into the wall, making him fall to the floor. "Wait your turn."

§ 

Biggerson's Restaurant - Outside

The Impala pulled up outside, staying back, pulling over. The car from the clinic pulled up next to the entrance with many other Demons in suits and briefcases outside. The Demon from the clinic got out of the car, walking past them, walking inside.

§ 

The Impala

Catty was still sitting in the driver's seat. Castiel was still sitting in the passenger seat. Dean was still sitting in the backseat.

Catty was watching the entrance. "Demons." She looked at Castiel. "You want to go over the plan again?" Castiel didn't answer. "Hey, Happy Meal." Castiel looked at Catty. "The plan?"

"I take the knife, I go in, I cut off the ring hand of Famine, and I meet you back here in the parking lot," Castiel told them.

"Well, that sounds foolproof," Dean told them. Castiel disappeared. There was a long moment of silence. Dean looked at Catty. "This is taking too long."

Dean got out of the car, closing the door, walking around the car toward the door. Catty sighed, getting out of the car.

§ 

Inside - Kitchen

Catty and Dean walked into Biggerson's with shotguns in hand. There were dead bodies all over the restaurant, including one kneeling over the grill, drowning in the bubbling water. Catty looked through a kitchen window to see Castiel was in the main room, kneeling on the floor, eating ground meat raw.

"Cas!" Catty told him in a whisper. "Cas."

Dean saw a Demon approaching them from behind in the mirror, using the shotgun to hit him in the face, making him back away. Catty shot the Demon in the chest, making him fall to the floor. A Demon grabbed Catty from behind, pushing her against the metal plate on the wall, making her fall to the floor.

Castiel looked up, but was fallen prey to the Famine hunger. "Catty?"

The Demon behind him stood, punching Dean hard enough to make him drop the gun and fall to the floor.

§ 

Main Room

The two Demons were restraining Catty and Dean, leading them out into the dark, deserted main room except for Demons, Castiel, Famine and a bunch of dead bodies.

Catty had a gash on her head from the metal plate on the wall, looking at Castiel as he continued to eat. "Cas."

"The other Winchesters," Famine told them.

Catty gestured to Castiel. "What did you do to him?"

"You sicced your dog on me," Famine told them. "I just threw him a steak."

Dean noticed a girl at the side of the diner that was still alive, counting money, looking at her longingly. "So, this is your big trick? Huh? Making people cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs?"

"Doesn't take much," Famine told him. "Hardly a push. Why don't you have a taste?"

The Demon holding Dean pushed him toward the girl.

Catty struggled. "Dean!"

The other Demon helped the one holding Catty restrain her. Dean and the girl looked at each other longingly, starting to kiss hungrily.

Famine smirked, looking at Catty. "Oh, America, all-you-can-eat, all the time. Consume, consume. A swarm of locusts in stretch pants. And yet, you're all starving because hunger doesn't just come from the body. It also comes from the soul."

"That's funny," Catty told him. "It doesn't seem to be coming from mine."

"Yes," Famine agreed. "I noticed that. Have you wondered why that is? How you could even walk in my presence?"

"Well, I like to think it's because of my strength of character," Catty told him.

"I disagree," Famine told her, rolling closer, reaching a hand toward her. Catty struggled, tense. The Demons only held Catty tighter. Famine placed a hand over Catty's heart, as if trying to make her long for something like he made everyone else, but all that came from it was pain, making Catty groan. "Yes. I see. That's one deep, dark nothing you got there, Catty. Can't fill it, can you? Not with food or drink. Not even with love. Not that you even want it."

Catty forced herself to smirk. "Oh, you're so full of crap."

"Oh, you can smirk, and joke, and lie to your brothers, to your friends, lie to yourself, but not to me," Famine told her. "I can see inside you, Catty. I can see how broken you are, how defeated. You can't win, and you know it. But you just keep fighting. Just... keep going through the motions. You're not hungry, Catty, because, inside, you're already... dead."

They heard Sam's voice. "Let her go."

Famine turned to face him. "Sam..."

Sam's face was still stained with blood.

"Sammy, no!" Catty told him.

Two of the five Demons guarding Famine went to attack Sam.

"Stop!" Famine told them. "No one lays a finger on this sweet, little boy." The Demons stopped. "Sam, I see you got the snack I sent you."

"You sent?" Sam repeated.

"Don't worry," Famine told him. "You're not like everyone else. You'll never die from drinking too much. You're the exception that proves the rule. Just the way... Satan wanted you to be. So..." He gestured to the Demons guarding him. "Cut their throats. Have at them!"

Catty struggled fiercely against the two Demons restraining her to no avail. "Sammy, no!"

"Please, be my guest," Famine told him.

Sam raised his hand, closing his eyes, exorcising all five Demons guarding Famine and the two Demons restraining Catty all at once. The hosts' bodies fell to the floor. Catty watched in shock, stepping away, grabbing her knife on the floor. The Demon smoke pooled on the floor.

Sam lowered his hand to his side, breathing heavily. "No."

"Well..." Famine trailed off. "Fine. If you don't want them... then I'll have them." He opened his mouth widely, gasping. All five Demon souls filed into Famine's mouth, being devoured. Sam stepped forward, raising his arm toward Famine. "I'm a Horseman, Sam. Your power doesn't work on me."

"You're right," Sam told him. "But it will work on them."

Sam used his power to rip out all of the Demon souls that Famine had consumed, making him scream in pain as all of the souls fought their way through his skin. Sam's nose bled with the effort. All of the Demon souls exploded out of Famine, disappearing. Famine slumped, his eyes empty. Castiel, Dean and the other girl were released from their temptations, looking around, all of them looking at Sam. Sam looked down in shame, but knowing he had to have done it. Catty looked at Sam, knowing he had to have done it, too, but also knowing what they had to do.

§ 

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Singer House - Basement

Dean, Catty and Ness were standing together outside of the Panic Room door. Ness was leaning against the wall, drinking. Catty looked as if she was thinking about what Famine had told her.

Sam was locked inside for his second round of Demon blood detox, screaming. "No, stop! Guys, help! Let me out of here, please! Help!"

Ness took a drink of alcohol. Catty closed her eyes in guilt.

"That's not him in there," Ness told them. "Not really."

"I know," Catty told them.

"Cat, Sam just has to get it out of his system," Ness told her. "Then he'll be as good as new. We've been through this before. We know--"

"Listen, I just, uh..." Catty trailed off. "I just need to get some air."

Catty walked upstairs, leaving. Dean sighed, looking at Ness.

Ness looked at Dean knowingly. "You want me to talk to her?"

"Please," Dean told her. Ness nodded understandingly, taking a drink, handing her bottle to Dean, walking toward the stairs. "Hey, Ness." Ness turned toward Dean. "Thank you."

"For you, Dean?" Ness asked. "For Catty, for Sam? Anything."

Dean managed the smallest of smiles that didn't quite reach his eyes. Ness nodded barely, turning around, walking upstairs, leaving. Dean watched her go, taking a drink.

§ 

Singer Salvage Yard

Catty walked along, looking despaired and depressed, desperate. She leaned against Catty's Mustang. Ness walked closer slowly, leaning against the car next to Catty.

"Dean sent you to talk to me?" Catty asked.

"I came of my own free will," Ness answered.

"Look, Ness, I told you before," Catty told her. "I can't talk about it."

Ness nodded to herself. "Yeah, and I told you before. You're drowning, and you need to let someone in before you destroy yourself." Catty had tears in her eyes, pushing them back. "You know, all this time, while everyone knew, the only thing that never happened was... You've never told anyone. We had to learn from Ruby, of all people, and she only told Sam and Dean because she wanted to manipulate Sam into killing Alastair, to make him stronger. And you never actually let yourself grieve. You never let the sadness take over and let it all out."

"Because I'm not that kind of girl, Ness," Catty told her. "I never have been. You know that."

"But you have to sometime, Catty," Ness told her. "If you think Famine's wrong, prove it. Prove that you're not as dead inside as he thinks."

"He's not wrong," Catty told her. 

Ness looked unsurprised to hear this. "Just talk to me."

"What is there to talk about?" Catty asked. "Some Demon that literally tortured the living hell out of me made me his bitch. And now all the dreams from the Angels... But... Ness, I'm getting over it." Ness gave Catty an unconvinced look. Catty sighed, correcting herself. "I'm trying to get over it."

"And how is that going for you?" Ness asked.

Catty looked away, sighing. "Not well." She exhaled shakily, hesitating. "I can... I can put on a good face, but if I'm really being honest, it's all just an act, trying to be who I was before Hell, before Alastair." There was a long moment of silence. Catty could barely make herself continue, tears in her eyes, taking a deep breath. "He used to scare the hell out of me. He really, really did." Her voice broke. "And after all he did... it broke me in the worst possible, and the Angels aren't helping in the healing process at all." She took a deep breath. "I have to relive everything that he did to me every night. And even while dead, he still wins. Because if I don't want love of all things, then what is there that I could possibly want?" She hesitated, looking at Ness, letting a few tears fall. "So, please tell me how you can help with any of that, Ness, because I'm not seeing anything that you can possibly help."

Ness seemed to be in pain from seeing Catty's pain like this. She didn't answer, not knowing how she could help, wrapping an arm around Catty soothingly, comfortingly.

Catty looked away, crying silently, unable to help it, still trying to remain strong.