Sid's been lying in bed for fifteen minutes, trying to decide whether to get up and turn the light on or not. Is it better to be visible but able to see something coming, or to hide in the dark? It hits him after a few minutes of lying there, not sleeping, that they can't move to New Zealand the next day. They don't have the money. They spent it all on this damned house in the suburbs. So he lies there in the dark, and holds his wife, and worries.

The decision is made for him a few minutes later when the whimpers coming from the living room become too loud to ignore. He gets up, and his wife comes too, and they bring the bedspread, because it's thick and warm and makes them feel safe, even though it will trip them up if they try to run, or catch fire if they stand within three feet of an open flame.

The lights are on in the living room, and everyone is there. Ben is tense and stands close to his mother, who is speaking quietly to Dean. Dean's hardly even acknowledging her. He's bent over his thrashing friend (the angel of the Lord), his hands on Castiel's chest like he's trying to hold in the strange light that's trying to escape. Sid and his wife stand awkwardly in the corner of their living room, wrapped in a bedspread, and try to think of a way to help.

The scene stays like that for hours, with Dean growling and whispering and occasionally yelling at his friend, and Lisa trying to comfort Dean, and Ben trying to be helpful and pretending not to be scared. Everyone seems to have forgotten Sid even though it's his house they're in. And through it all, Castiel shudders on the sofa, and moans and lets out strangled little cries. The light recedes into his body and escapes and recedes, over and over. It's almost funny that it's not the weirdest thing Sid's ever seen.

Dean is talking. He's taken his hands off Cas, and he's standing in the middle of the living room, talking at the ceiling. "You bastard," he says, "What did Cas ever do to you? He was faithful. He was the only faithful one. How can you just let this happen? YOU BASTARD!" And then he just loses it completely and yells until Lisa comes over and rubs his back and makes him look at her. Sid wonders for a moment what the light fixture ever did to Dean before he realises that Dean was talking to God. Because God is real. Literally. And so are angels. The shock hits him belatedly and he has to sit down. The sleeping pills kick in.

Morning light is seeping in through the gap between the curtains when Sid wakes up. Castiel stops moving. The light returns to his body a final time, and he stops whimpering. There is a strange silence. It's like the sounds of pain have been so constant it's no longer normal without them.

"Cas?" Dean whispers. The worry lines on his face and the tension in his shoulders don't suit him. Sid remembers seeing him laugh yesterday. He was like a different person. Like someone he could have been.

Castiel's eyes snap open. They are clear and blue and sharp. "It is not safe here," he says, struggling to sit up.

"Oh, thank God," Lisa breaths.

"God had very little to do with it," Castiel says. He is looking at Dean.

Sid realises later that day that Castiel is very rarely not looking at Dean.

They spend the next hour packing things up. They have to leave. Apparently Sid's idea of moving to New Zealand hadn't been a bad idea, only they can't get to New Zealand, so they're going to South Dakota instead. At least for now.

Castiel, angel of the Lord, draws lines of sigils on their backs, over their ribcages. He says something about carving it into their ribcages, and Sid is excessively glad when Dean vetoes that idea. Dean doesn't give a reason, but everyone knows it's because Castiel's angel powers are leaking out. Dean and Cas spend the morning very loudly not talking about it.

They drive to South Dakota in Dean's car. It's a beautiful 1967 Chevy Impala, and Sid's surprised Dean hasn't talked about it more, because he clearly loves it. But then there's a lot of stuff Dean left out when he talked about his life. Sid thinks it's probably magic, because it fits them all in, along with the small amount of stuff they're taking. It's a mark of the last day that Sid hardly even flinches when he sees all the weapons in the trunk.

It takes them eleven hours and thirteen minutes to get to Sioux Falls. Dean drives the whole way. He drives too fast and Sid knows he hasn't slept for at least 32 hours, Dean's face is hard and Sid is kind of scared of him. Anyway, Dean is clearly not letting anyone else drive the car. It's quiet except for the engine noise. Castiel, angel of the Lord, sits in the front seat and stares at Dean and pretends he's not in pain. They don't talk. The rest of them are squeezed across the back seat, and no-one says a word until four hours in, when Lisa insists on a bathroom break.

The 'safe place' in Sioux Falls turns out to be a junkyard. They are greeted by a grumpy older guy who is probably an alcoholic, considering the way he's forcing beer on them at 10am. Sid can only manage a couple of mouthfuls, but the guy seems satisfied.

"More angels, huh?" He says, and shuts them in a cell in the basement. Dean brings his beer and looks like he wishes it was whisky.

The prison cell turns out to be a safe room. It's made of salted iron, which Sid is surprised hasn't rusted. There are sigils and spell-work, and an exceptionally heavy door. There's also a very carefully engineered air vent. Dean tells him it's in the shape of a devil's trap, and doesn't elaborate. Dean's very quiet. He keeps looking at things and quickly looking away, a muscle twitching in his jaw. Castiel catches his friend's eye and doesn't say anything.

The safe room is too small for six people, and when Bobby (alcoholic), finds the books he needs, he's going to join them. Sid's not claustrophobic, but he thinks Ben might be, and there's definitely something wrong with Dean.

Dean makes Castiel (angel of the Lord), lie on the fold out cot, under the poster of Bo Derek. Castiel is trembling again, tired after the short walk from the car. Dean stands at the end of his bed and watches him sleep.

Bobby comes in with a pile of books and some food. They talk about strategy and lore and armies of angels. Dean seems to liven up a little. He's all business, and he's really good at his job. But then Bobby makes some kind of offhand comment about needing someone called Sam (who Dean's never mentioned) to help with the research. Dean's face closes off and he reaches for the whisky hidden under the desk. He turns away and quickly and efficiently disassembles his silver handgun. He starts to clean it. Sid starts to think maybe he was right about Dean being unstable. His wife can't take her eyes off the gun. He hopes Dean doesn't decide the easiest way out of the situation is to shoot them all. Because Dean kind of looks like he wants to.

Sid really, really misses his old life. He doesn't want to face an army of angels. He wants to play golf.

Raphael's army comes in the night. They can tell by the sudden storm that shakes the house. They're going to have to fight. This is their army: A weak angel with no wings; a businessman and his wife; a yoga instructor and her pre-teen son; an aging alcoholic (admittedly with some awesome general knowledge); and a slightly drunk, slightly crazy construction worker with a no-longer-secret life.

Dean wakes Castiel up by sitting on the edge of the cot and asking what he's dreaming about.

They leave the panic room not long after that. Dean makes a protesting Ben stay behind and doesn't even consider his arguments. Sid notices Dean doesn't suggest anyone else stays in the panic room. He knows he would jump at the chance, and he'd feel much better if his wife was in there. She's taken to the whole angelic war with much more enthusiasm than he'd like, and has spent the time in the panic room asking Bobby intelligent questions in the practical way that had made her so good at her job before she gave it up to start a family. She's holding a Molotov cocktail made out of holy oil, a weapon favoured by the angel Castiel. Sid kind of wishes he'd got that job instead of the 'painting on the wall in blood' task.

The angels can't get into Bobby's house. There's some kind of angel proofing on it. But it's shaking so much the piles of books are falling over.

When they get to the door to outside, Sid finds he really doesn't want to know what's on the other side. But someone's got to save the world, and Sid's going to feel really bad about it afterwards if he chickens out.

Dean throws the door open and they go out. Dean and Castiel go first. Dean's got a holy-oil flamethrower, but he doesn't really want to use it. Their holy oil supply is limited, and Castiel can't fly to Jerusalem for more. Castiel stands beside him. He can hardly walk, but he's got a silver-white blade in each hand, and his trench coat swishes behind him as he moves. Even with his wings ripped off, he's stronger than any of them. They're followed by the two women with their cocktails. Bobby and Sid bring up the rear. Bobby has a bowl with spell ingredients in it. Sid has a bleeding hand.

They are met by five angels: two young men, a young woman, an elderly man, and a somewhat androgynous child who can't be more than ten. They are all beautiful, and all terrifying. They have hard eyes and crackle with electricity. The lights all go out. Clouds cover the moon. All Sid can see are the angels, who shine in the darkness.

The angels have a fondness for showmanship. It is their weakness, and the only reason the humans last more than a minute.

The child steps forward. "Surrender," it demands.

"Go screw yourself, jackass," Dean says.

The angel does not take it well. "I'm hurt, Dean. And you were so eager to help us once."

Castiel steps forward so he's slightly in front of Dean. He looks angry. His hands tighten on his weapons. Sid is very glad he'd not between the angels.

"Aww, Castiel, always ready to protect your precious Righteous Man. But you have no wings now, brother. Your grace is leaking out."

Sid can hear the capital letters on 'Righteous Man', but he's not sure what it means. From the way Castiel is standing protectively in front of Dean, he thinks it might be some kind of gay joke.

Bobby tears his eyes from the four larger angels, who appear to be there for the sole purpose of looming menacingly in the background. He catches Sid's eye. That's the sign.

Sid misses most of what the angels are threatening Dean and Cas about. Something to do with needing something Dean has to open a cage and free someone. He hears the word brother in there, and Dean losing his temper and yelling at the angel, which basically amounts to suicide. But then the symbol is drawn in Sid's blood, and Bobby does his spell, and the two women throw their cocktails. Sid plants his hand in the centre of the sigil. There are a lot of explosions.

When the flames die down, there are two sets of angel wings burned into the ground. Everyone is covered in splatter. It's disgusting. Dean's limping, and panicking because Castiel's missing, and doesn't breathe until they find the angel unconscious where he's been flung against the wall of the house by the blood spell. There's a dent in the siding. The wood is cracked.

Sid's life has become so strange that it's almost funny what a problem Castiel has with houses.

There's no sign of the other three angels (the one's that aren't dead, with their wings burnt into the ground), and so they retreat back into the house. Lisa gets first shower because she has the most teeth in her hair.

They stay the night in the panic room, all seven of them. Ben asks lots of questions which Bobby gives slightly edited answers to. They finish the bottle of whisky.

The next morning, Sid and his wife call the real estate agent and organise to sell the house. This time they really are moving to New Zealand.