Dean stood in the doorway, quietly watching Beth as she stirred, tasted and seasoned at the stove. She moved to the counter, picking up a knife and humming a tune softly to herself as she chopped an onion. Her hair, twisted quickly into a messy bundle and clipped, had several tendrils loose, curling invitingly on her neck as she bent over her work. She impatiently pulled the shoulder of her sweater up where it repeatedly tried to slide down over her shoulder, continuing to chop the vegetables laying on the counter.

Dean walked silently up behind her in his stocking feet, putting his hands on her upper arms and bending to kiss her neck, nibbling a bit as he moved across her nape, and then pushing the offending sweater off her shoulder as he continued that direction. "Dean," she breathed as his arm slid around her waist, pulling her close as his lips explored the soft skin. "Dean, I'm trying to cook," she protested weakly, and a low chuckle rumbled in his chest.

"Trying is the operative word here, Coop," he whispered into her ear, sending goosebumps over her flesh. He moved his hands down to her hips, pulling her tight against him. "Why don't you take a break."

"Baby, Sam could walk in at any moment."

"Sam just left to go to town. Bobby's gone until this weekend. And BJ is sleeping." He pushed himself up against her, and she laid her head back on his shoulder as he nipped at the side of her throat. "You smell so good," he murmured, and she laughed quietly.

"I probably smell like onions and celery," she said, catching her breath as his hand roamed underneath her sweater, his hand brushing over her skin.

The plaintive cry of an infant pierced the air, and Dean moaned audibly. "Oh, man..." He kissed her neck in the spot he knew drove her the most crazy, sucking on it gently and touching his tongue to her as she sighed softly, and then he straightened, reluctantly moving away from her and heading to the sink to wash his hands. "To be continued," he said as he headed out of the kitchen, and she smiled as she heard his voice, speaking to the baby. "Little man, you and dad are gonna have to talk."

Beth stirred the vegetables into the soup simmering on the stove and moved quietly to the doorway, watching Dean change BJ's diaper, talking to him the whole time as if he were just another guy. "Dude, you have to be more considerate. See, when you grow up, you're gonna have... Well, big guys just need time, you know, with their women, and Daddy needs time with Mommy. It's just the way it is, little man. If you could take longer naps, say, a half an hour, maybe forty-five minutes, that would be perfect." He smiled down at his six-month-old son, and Beth watched as the baby smiled brightly up at his father. "Best looking kid on the planet, bar none, BJ. I'm tellin' you." Beth was smiling as she turned and walked quietly back to the stove, giving the soup another stir and adding a few more seasonings.

Dean sat on the couch in the living room for a time, playing with BJ on his lap, until the child puckered up and began to fuss. "Hungry? I bet you are. Let's go see your mom and get you some grub, okay?" He stood up with the baby in his arms, walking towards the kitchen. "Hey, Mommy, you've got a hungry man here. Can we..." He stopped as he stepped into the kitchen, his eyes widening and turned back to the living room quickly, carrying BJ back to his crib and laying him down, to his loud displeasure. "I'll be right back, little man," he said, rushing back to the kitchen where Beth lay on the floor, unconscious.

Beth woke with Dean's hand on her face, gently stroking her cheek as he sat in the middle of the kitchen floor, his arms cradling her as he spoke softly. "Coop, come on, wake up, please." Her eyes opened reluctantly, gradually focusing on the worried face of the man she loved. "Beth, are you okay? Can you talk?"

She squeezed her eyes closed tightly for a moment, then opened them again, trying to remember what had happened. Then, suddenly, they flew open wide, and she fought to sit up as Dean held on, trying to soothe her.

"Beth, you're okay," Sam said, standing above her, BJ in his arms busily working on a bottle. "Dean's got you, we're right here. Just take a breath, calm down and tell us what happened, midget."

She turned her face into Dean's chest, putting her arms around his neck, and he tightened his hold on her, whispering in her ear. "I've got you, baby. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you." Beth shivered a little, then took a deep breath and sat up, pulling gently away from Dean's grasp.

"I thought you went into town," she said, glancing up at Sam.

"I did. But Dean called me and told me to get my ass back here, so I did." He held BJ easily in one arm, reaching down a hand for her to grasp as she stood. Dean rose to his feet behind her, and she turned into his arms, hugging him tight for a moment.

Beth stepped back a little, her hands still in Dean's. "I'm okay, Dean. It was just... It was another angel visit. But it was Cas."

Dean's face darkened, his brow furrowing. "Cas? Cas did this to you?" He took her arm, leading her to a chair, then sitting down beside her as Sam joined them on the opposite side of the table. "He's got some explaining to do." There was a quiet threat in his voice, and Beth put a hand on his arm, looking up at him as his jaw worked angrily.

"Dean, please listen. You know we have the house warded against angels. This...vision thing, he said that or dreams were the only ways he could contact me. I don't get out much with the baby, and he felt he needed to warn me."

"Why didn't he contact me, or Sam? He didn't need to do this to you, Beth. I am gonna talk to him." He put a gentle hand up to Beth's face, his expression softening. "At least it wasn't Samael."

Beth shuddered. "Cas said there's a war going on for Hell. Which we knew would happen after you killed Dameon. But apparently there have been some whispers about BJ again. I don't know if they're still afraid, or if they think he would give them leverage over you two. I guess I wasn't taking him seriously enough, because he changed to his true form, which is why I was on the floor." She looked into Dean's worried green eyes. "You were right when you told me he could be terrifying."

"Yeah, well, he had no reason to put you through it. It had better not happen again, and I will tell him that." Dean's tone left no doubt that an argument about the subject would be futile, so Beth didn't try. He leaned to kiss her, then stood and headed for the door.

"Dean. Go easy, we don't know what's going on with Cas," Sam warned his brother quietly. Dean looked back at him, then continued on his way outside.

He walked into the middle of the yard, fists clenched at his sides, fear and anger roiling inside him. Once again he heard himself, younger, preaching to Sam about not getting involved, that it didn't work for hunters. And how many times did people get hurt or killed, just from being around them, let alone personally involved with them. Beth had been hurt, almost killed, several times, and BJ was threatened before he was out of the womb, all due to their connections with him. He ground his teeth in frustration, and tried to reign in his emotions as he called for Cas.

"Dean."

He turned to see Cas standing stoically before him. "Cas. What the hell, man? Why did you do that to Beth? Why didn't you just wait until I was out of the house and talk to me?" He was trying to keep his cool, but it wasn't easy. Cas looked back at him, his blue eyes emotionless.

"Because I didn't know if I could trust you to tell her the truth. You tend to try to hide things, Dean. She needed to know. She and the infant are both in danger, and I don't know if they are afraid of them, or if they want to use them against you and Sam. She had to know."

"Since when do you decide what I need to tell my family, Cas?"

"Since I knew exactly what you'd do, Dean. I have Heaven's authority behind me, so don't presume to tell me how to do my job." The angel's eyes were glowing just a bit, and Dean clamped his jaw shut.

"Fine. I get it. But Cas, please, I'm asking you, just talk to me, or come to us outside, and we'll bring her out so you can talk in person. Please, man." Cas stared back silently for a moment, then finally nodded slowly. "And Cas-appearing to her in your real form, was that really necessary? Come on!"

"It was necessary. She needed to know the seriousness of the situation, and she has grown too comfortable here with you, she has lost her fear. You make her feel too safe, Dean. She's not safe. Do you understand? She and the baby are not safe."

"All right, I get it. They're in danger. She gets it too. Is that all you can tell us, Cas? Do you even know what's going on?"

"Not yet. But I will let you know if we have any more information that could help." Cas turned away, taking a step as he prepared to leave, but turned back once more. "Dean, I am sorry if I frightened Beth. That was not my original intention." Then, with a sound of rushing wind, he was gone.

He went back into the house, walking into the living room where Sam sat on the couch watching a basketball game on the old television. BJ was asleep again in his crib, and Dean looked at his brother, who nodded towards the stairs. He headed that direction, climbing the stairs and walking into their bedroom, where Beth sat folding laundry on their bed. "Hey," he said softly, and she smiled up at him.

"Hey. How did your little talk go?"

He pushed aside the pile of clean clothes and sat down next to her, pulling her into his arms. "As well as it could, I guess. Cas says you and BJ are in danger. But you know that already." She looked up at him, her soft brown eyes searching, and he sighed. "And he came to you because he didn't think I'd tell you if he came to me. I told him he didn't need to show you his true form, but he said it was necessary. That you feel too safe here with me, and you've lost your fear."

Beth reached to smooth the frown lines from his brow. "I do feel safe with you. If something comes for me, I know you'll be right behind them. And if they come after your son, God have mercy on them."

"If they touch either one of you, God won't have anything left to have mercy on, Beth. That's a promise." Beth's hand gently stroked along his tense jaw line, and he bent his head to kiss her. Her lips opened beneath his, and he pulled her closer, his tongue slipping in to tangle with hers as he laid them back onto the bed. He kissed her, his fingers buried in her hair, for a few minutes, and then he pulled back, looking down at her. "I mean it, Coop. I'll do what I have to do to protect you and BJ. Whatever I have to do." His hand was brushing her hair back from her face gently as he spoke, and she touched his face, running her fingertip along his bottom lip.

"I know you will, Dean." The heat in his eyes silenced her, followed by his lips claiming hers again, and there was no further need for words.