Dean has a nightmare of finding himself in a room full of bloody corpses... all of them dead by his hand. He wakes up and looks at his arm with the Mark of Caine.
Pontiac, Illinois
A cop takes Claire Novak back to the group home that she escaped from and tells supervisor Sandra Phelan that they caught Claire shoplifting. They lock her up in isolation for 48 hours, and she waits out her time until she gets a visitor: Castiel. Castiel is still in her father Jimmy's body and claims that he's Claire's father. Once the security leaves, Claire--knowing that the angel is possessing her father's body--asks if Jimmy is still alive. Castiel admits that when his body was destroyed and reassembled, Jimmy went on to heaven. He explains that he came to make amends and asks where Claire's mother is, and the teenager explains that after Jimmy disappeared, her mother left to "find herself." She never came back and Claire lived with her grandmother until she died. After that, Claire went into the foster system and never left. Castiel offers to get Claire whatever she needs, and Claire tells him to get her released.
Castiel soon meets with Sandra and tries to convince her that he would be a good father, and that he wants to get Claire released. He stumbles through an explanation of why he disappeared for several years, claiming to be an exterminator, and Sandra tells him that she knows he's lying. She denes his application for custody and warns Castiel that Claire needs a father, not a friend.
At the bunker, Sam comes in to the main room and finds Dean laughing a bit too hard at a Three Stooges video. He notices the Mark on Dean's arm but Dean insists that he's fine and invites Sam to join him.
That night, Castiel breaks into the group home, puts the security officer to sleep, and frees Claire.
In Hell, Gerald throws a demon named Trice into a cell next to Rowena. Rowena asks to speak to her son, saying that it's been weeks, but Gerald just smirks and leaves.
Later, Castiel takes Claire to a restaurant to get her a decent meal. He tries to act like a father but Claire finally has enough and admits that while he's nicer than the last time they met, he's now kind of a dufus. Castiel admits that he once believed that he was on a righteous path but now he knows more. When he asks where they're going next, Claire figures that Castiel is just with her because he feels guilty, and she insists that she can take care of herself. Castiel still believes that they should stick together, and Claire agrees. However, she then claims that she's going to the bathroom but slips out the back, bumping into Castiel in the process. Castiel goes up to pay the check and realizes that his wallet is gone, and runs outside just in time to see someone pick Claire up and drive away.
With no idea what to do next, Castiel calls Sam and Dean in. They're less than thrilled to discover that they're helping the angel with his personal problems, but Castiel insists that he needs to know that Claire is safe. Sam goes to the group home while Dean says that he and Castiel will wait at the diner in case Claire comes back. However, once they're alone, Dean tells the angel that he's having a midlife crisis and warns that there are some people that can't be saved. He tells Castiel to forget about the people that he's hurt for his own good, but admits that he does the exact opposite. Dean claims that he's doing great but Castiel doesn't believe him, and Dean asks him to kill him if he gives in the Mark because he'd rather die than become a demon again.
In Hell, Rowena asks Trish what she was in for, and Trish tells her that despite the fact that it isn't allowed, she paid someone to get her out of Hell. Rowena says that she's imprisoned because she's a horrible mother.
In the throne room, Crowley tells Gerald that Rowena's a horrible mother. However, he doesn't want to kill her because he has his reasons. Gerald says that he killed his mother because she burned him with cigarettes, and hints that he'd be glad to kill Rowena.
Sam, posing as a police detective, talks with Sandra. She says that Claire is a good kid at heart, and was fond of another foster child, Dustin Tate. Dustin is out and now works at the Wiener Hut. As for tracking down Claire, Sandra admits that she doesn't know where the teenager hid the other times that she escaped.
Claire goes to a quiet home in the suburbs where Dustin is eating supper with an older man, Randy. She gives Randy Castiel's money but he warns his two "children" that he's still short. He owes money to a loan shark named Salinger, who is coming later that night to collect the money that Randy owes. He looks over at Dustin, who picks up on his cue and says that he knows of a way Claire can get the money because she's under 18.
Following Sam's lead, the Winchesters go to the Wiener Hut with Castiel and wait until Dustin shows up for his shift. Castiel grabs him by the throat and demands to know where he can find Claire.
Claire goes into a convenience store with a gun that Randy gave her, and prepares to rob the cashier. However, Castiel grabs her and drags her outside. Claire knows the Winchesters from the last time they met and blames them for letting Castiel take over Jimmy. She threatens the Winchesters with her gun and says that she used to pray to Castiel to bring her father back, and he's just helping her because he feels guilty over what he did to Jimmy. Sam and Dean warn her that Randy is just using her, but Claire says that Randy is the only one that has been there for her. She tells Castiel to go to hell and walks away.
Gerald finally takes Rowena to Crowley, and she wonders how her son died. Crowley points out that she left him in the street when he was 8, and Rowena explains that she had to flee town after a disagreement with the locals. However, she says that they can be a family now, and assures Crowley that he can trust her. Rowena tells Crowley that she'll always love him and always be his mother, and gives him a motherly kiss on the forehead.
Sam and Dean take Castiel to a bar, and Castiel admits that he is guilty. Sam tells him that he can never make it up to Claire for what he did, and Castiel explains that he doesn't know much about fathering because his father was distant. He asks Dean for his opinion, and Dean tells him about the time that John took them to New York and Dean snuck away to CGBG and got drunk. John tracked him down and dragged him out, and Dean hated him for it. When he complained, John told him that it was his job to raise him right, not to raise him nice. Castiel worries that Claire is in trouble and Dean figures that she is.
When Claire goes back to Randy's place, she discovers that Salinger and his men are already there and have tied Randy up. She goes for her gun but they disarm her, and Salinger tells Claire that Randy isn't worth risking her life. When Claire spits in her face, one of the men drags Claire into a bedroom and Salinger offers Randy a deal: Claire as a payoff for some of his debt. Randy insists that Claire is like a daughter to him, Salinger says that he knows Randy is running a con. After a moment, Randy says that Salinger had better have a good deal for him.
Crowley and Gerald take Rowena back to her cell, and she tells Crowley that Gerald is the one who has been smuggling souls out of Hell. A surprised Gerald denies it, but Trish insists that it's true. Furious, Gerald strangles Rowena, but Crowley kills him with a dagger, and then tells Rowena to come with him. As Crowley goes on ahead, Trish reminds Rowena that they had a deal: she'd incriminate Gerald in return for her freedom. Rowena assures her that she'll get Trish released--eventually--and walks out, locking the door behind her.
Salinger goes into Claire's bedroom, locking the door behind her. He tells her that he's pretty and starts to unfasten his pants, and Claire knees him in the groin and tries to get out the door without success.
Sam, Dean, and Castiel break into the house, Castiel blasting one thug. They hear Claire screaming and Castiel smashes through the bedroom door to find Claire kicking Salinger. The angel finally stops her and takes her downstairs, and Claire realizes that Randy sold her out. Dean holds the thugs at bay while Sam and Castiel get Claire out to the car. However, Salinger recovers and hits Dean from behind. As he kneels on the floor, Dean warns them that they don't want to come after him, but Salinger kicks him in the head.
Outside, a crying Claire hugs Castiel. Men scream inside the house and they run back inside. Dean is kneeling on the floor, covered in blood and holding a knife. Salinger and his thugs are all dead, cut to pieces. Sam goes to his brother and asks if it was him and them, and Dean stares at him in shock as Castiel realizes that Dean has given into the Mark.
Written by Gadfly on May 22, 2016