When the sun's first rays light up the sky, Sam wakes to an empty car. He stretches and yawns and looks around the empty vehicle in a daze, rubbing the sleep from of his eyes before deciding to exit the vehicle to see where his brother got off to. Although instead of having to call out and possibly attract unwanted attention, muffled laughter reaches his ears and gives him the general location of Beth and his brother.
And sure enough, Sam finds both people in question sitting with their backs against trees and a few dead croats a couple yards away.
"Any problems?" He asks, gaining Dean and Beth's attention as he waves in the general direction of the croats.
"Nope. All good," Beth smiles at him.
"Better than good, actually," Dean smirks. "You shoulda seen her, Sammy. The kid- Beth, I mean Beth," he corrects when she groans at the nickname. "-is practically a natural."
The young blonde preens under Dean's praise and Sam rolls his eyes at his brother's sudden ease with the young girl. "I'll believe that when I see it." Dean chuckles when Beth suddenly pouts, and Sam walks closer to lean against the tree Beth is resting against. "What were you laughing at anyway? I heard laughing when I woke up."
"Oh," Beth suddenly perks up. "Dean was telling me about Castiel and his personal space issues. He sounds like a.. swell guy."
"Swell," Sam's lips twitch in amusement. "That's one word I haven't heard used to describe Cas."
"Oh, and I heard about your run in with Cupid!"
Dean snorts but doesn't comment, he choosing to instead to climb to his feet. "That's enough chit-chat for the day. It's light out so we should hit the road."
XxX
They're still travelling North- Northeast when the roads are too cluttered to get around- both Beth and Sam being forced to listen to Dean's classic rock once more. Though the music is preferable to silence, both Sam and Beth can't help but mentally curse the existence of cassette tapes and Dean's love for them.
Beth is once again in the backseat- though the brothers were lenient enough to let her keep her bag in the back now- and Sam is once again in the passenger seat up front, though this time, he's studying a map in his lap. "What exactly is north of here?" He suddenly sighs. "The way we're heading, we're headed for the more populated states. You'd think that a group of survivors who have lasted this long would stick to more rural areas since there's less croats walking around there."
Dean hums in acknowledgement and agreement, Beth humming as she moves forward to peer over the seat and Sam's shoulder. "I'm not sure. As I said before, I was taken and then when we were reunited, it wasn't for long."
"Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it," Beth nudges Sam's shoulder with a grin. "What I am worried about is our reunion, the inevitable confrontation, and then figuring out how the group is going to fit in Dean's car."
"No one is riding in Baby," Dean snorts. "Except for Sam.. and maybe you if you want. We'll find a suitable vehicle- keep an eye out starting now- for your friends and we have some gas in the trunk to spare that we siphoned earlier."
"It's going to have to be a big vehicle," Beth muses. "We were originally a big group so.."
"Yeah, yeah. Find a gas guzzler. We know," Dean cuts her off.
XxX
On the lookout, they end up finding a decently suitable truck- the beige GMC large enough for three people inside the cab and a handful of others in the bed of the truck. It needs a bit of work and cleaning- something in which Dean gladly takes charge of while Sam fills the tank with gas. They were going to let Beth drive it but after she confesses she doesn't know how to drive, Sam drives the truck while Beth accompanies Dean in the Impala since she's acting as their sense of direction.
Though a couple hours into the drive, the sky ahead of them starts to darken very ominously.
"Pull off to the side," Beth mutters, leaning forward with her gaze on the sky as she feels a twinge in her gut. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
"What, the storm?" Dean huffs when he follows her worried gaze. "It's jus' a lil' water, some wind, some noise, and a flash here or there."
"I know what a storm is," Beth frowns. "But this- this feeling? It's just.. it's different. It feels-" she trails off, brows pulling together as she tries to put her feeling into words only to sigh in frustration.
"Like the great Powers That Be are warning you of impending doom?"
"Yes!" Beth smiles in realization that that's what the feeling is- her angelic senses warning her- but when she faces Dean, she finds him grinning and chuckling as if mocking her. "You were joking," she then realizes.
Smiling, Dean glances at Beth's saddened expression and his amusement falters as he comes to realize that she wasn't joking. "You're serious."
"Of course, I'm serious!" she snaps, frowning a second later and taking a deep breath to collect herself. "Something feels off. I wouldn't tell you to stop just because I was scared of a storm. Which, I'm not," she clarifies as an afterthought.
Dean's gaze ping-pongs between the road and Beth, he deciding a minute later to finally listen and pull off to the side of the road. Sam pulls up next to them, gesturing with his one arm hanging out the window as if saying what's going on?
"Bad storm," Beth hollers over the sounds of the combined engines. "We need to hang back and let it pass."
The Impala's engine cuts off, Dean leaning over to peer through the passenger side window to see his brother. After a cut it motion from his hand, Sam shuts the engine off to the truck and stares back at his brother. "Her angel senses are tingling," Dean grins.
Sam nods in understanding before he climbs out of the truck, slamming the door shut and leaning against it which prompts Beth and Dean to join him out in the open. Thunder rumbles in the distance and lightning flashes across the sky, charging the already electrified atmosphere and causing Beth to shiver.
"I hope they found shelter," she mumbles, gaze on the brewing storm. "I feel like they're here- right there," she points off in the distance. "They're so close."
"Of course they found shelter. They're survivors," Dean assures her. "They know what they're doing."
"Unless the storm caught them off guard."
"Alright, debbie downer, I'm trying to be optimistic here."
Sam snorts as he grins at his brother and their newest ally, crossing his arms over his chest the second the wind reaches them. It's not strong enough to send them back into their vehicles but given it's strength, he knows the storm up ahead is going to be a rough one. The tall grass in the fields surrounding them sway with every strong gust, Sam's hair and Beth's ponytail whipping around their faces.
The trees in the woods ahead of them barely sway, but it's a handful of minutes later when the trees nearly bend do they realize something's wrong. The thunder is louder and more frequent along with the lightning, and instead of the wind blowing against them, it appears to be being sucked from behind them now- being sucked towards the storm.
"You hear that?" Dean suddenly perks up, pushing himself off from leaning against the Impala. "What's that sound like to you, Sammy?"
Sam shrugs, hands tucked into his jean pockets as he moves to stand beside his brother and braces himself against the wind. "A storm?" he guesses.
"No," Dean shakes his head. "Listen. Really listen," he says and Beth doesn't like the way Dean appears to be too serious now. "You're hearing the thunder but below that- there's a constant rumbling."
"Like a train," Beth realizes, eyes going wide in fear. "A tornado."
Alarmed, Sam's eyes widen. "What?! Why are we sitting here then? We should find shelter!"
But Beth shakes her head, quickly shutting his idea down. "It won't reach us here. If it was, I'd know." Her gaze remains on the destructive storm miles ahead of them, heart pounding as she mentally prays that her sister and the remaining group are safe.
The storm keeps up for the next half hour, Beth worrying her bottom lip as she never tears her gaze from the tornado's destructive path. And it's only when the constant rumbling ceases and the sky starts to lighten up does Dean suggest they get back in their vehicles to check out the damage. Beth has a strong feeling that they're really, really close to the group, she telling them as much and Sam is quick to take out their First Aid from the trunk of the Impala to let her hold on to it.
Dean leads the way again, their drive soon coming to slow crawl since the storm had uprooted numerous trees and flung about croats that had been unfortunate- fortunate, really- enough to be in the tornado's path.
"Dammit!" Dean curses as he maneuvers around fallen debris, a large tree trunk blocking the road up ahead. "We're gonna have to walk on foot or find a completely new path to take. Is your mojo picking up on anything?"
Beth frowns, grimacing at all the walkers that have been torn apart and flung around that are now lying in the road or on the side of said road. She gulps and averts her gaze, sitting back in her seat while nodding. "The pull is really strong now. They're close."
"Close enough to walk?"
"Possibly."
"Alright. I'm gonna drop you off here and try to find somewhere to hide the car in the treeline. Tell Sammy just to leave the truck by the downed tree. Everything we need is in the car anyway."
"Okay." Beth exits the car when Dean comes to a brief stop, she walking towards the truck where Sam has stopped and is now leaning his head out the window as Dean drives off. "He said to park the truck here. We're gonna walk on foot but he wants to hide the car just in case," she tells him.
Sam nods, parking the truck and undoing the wires that he had twined together to hot wire the engine to life. As he exits the vehicle, he and Beth walk towards the large tree that had blocked their path and wait for Dean to return. And when he finally appears from the treeline, he has a backpack in hand as well as several guns and blades that he disperses between the three of them.
Beth holsters a gun to her thigh and an angel blade slides into the back waist band of her jeans, and the brothers both take an angel blade each- Sam also taking the demon blade and a small handgun while Dean handles a sawed-off shotgun. The backpack holds the First Aid supplies as well as the anti-possession necklaces and a few food items, and Sam shoulders the bag without a second thought. If the group were coming back with them, they would appear a lot more friendlier with food and it would be a lot safer to have them safe from possession the second they were seen out in the open together.
XxX
Dean, Sam, and Beth end up on a seemingly deserted dirt road leading up to an abandoned farm- the only thing left standing in the distance being a paint-chipped barn and the occasional rusted tractor that the tornado seemed to skip. Trees were uprooted and/or snapped in half, and walkers/croats- either dead for good or impaled by branches that kept them in place- snarl and growl for a taste of fresh meat.
The closer they get to the barn, the more walkers/croats and thick trees they stumble upon. Sam and Dean take the lead fairly quickly, letting Beth walk behind them even as she groans and mutters about being able to take care of herself.
"You'd think that after proving my capability last night that Dean would let me handle myself but no," she drawls, kicking at dirt clumps along the road.
"It's just for now," Dean assures her after huffing in amusement. "We're not sure of the reception you're going to get and well, if they don't take your reappearance too kindly, we can't have you getting ganked. We need you even if they don't believe what we have to tell 'em."
"Ganked?" Beth snorts. "What's-"
A twig snaps, freezing everyone in their tracks. "Shh," Dean mutters.
Another twig snaps. No growling. No moaning.
"Do you think-"
"Drop you weapons and put your hands up." A gun cocks at their backs, and Beth tenses up when she recognizes the gravelly voice. "Turn around nice and easy, and state your business."
Beth watches as Dean and Sam never ease up but their visible weapons are slowly lowered to the ground at their feet after a moment's pause. As they slowly turn, both men give away nothing in their facial expressions and their gaze goes over Beth's head to the man at her back.
"Her, too, or does she have a hearin' problem?"
Beth gulps but doesn't turn, she slowly unholstering her weapon and crouching to lay them on the ground all without peering over her shoulder. The angel blade comes next, her hand slightly trembling as she realizes she's about to come face to face with none other than Rick Grimes within the next few seconds. But before she can turn, Sam's opening his mouth when he notices her hesitation.
"M-my name's Sam and this is my brother Dean," he tells Rick, hands held up as to show no sign of aggression. "We're just trying to survive like everyone else. We even picked up our new friend here not that long ago," he then nods at Beth though he never gives her name. "It's she who's looking for a group, specifically your group," he warily admits with a gulp.
"Yeah? And why is that?"
Beth doesn't have to see Rick's face to know that distrust is swimming in his eyes and that he feels the sudden need to take out the possible threat- the hard edge of his tone being very telling. Still, she doesn't turn around and this time, it's Dean who speaks up. "Apparently, we all have a friend in common." It's then that Dean and Sam's gaze fall to her own, quirked eyebrows saying well, what are you waiting for?
Scowling at the brothers, Beth then takes a deep breath only to let it out slowly. She turns very hesitantly only to come face to face with the barrel of Rick's Colt Python. Her eyes nearly cross as she stares down the barrel of the gun, the sudden sharp intake of breath at Rick's side causing her gaze to dart to her sister Maggie whose own weapon is trained on Dean.
"How is this even possible?" another voice- female- asks, and it's then that Beth realizes Sasha is there as well with a rifle pointed at Sam.
"Beth?" Maggie finally breathes in awe, her weapon lowering as her eyes fill with tears.
Beth offers Maggie a tight-lipped smile, her eyes widening when Maggie's eyes suddenly roll into the back of her head and she collapses. "Maggie!" She takes a step towards her sister but Rick's gun waving in front of her face stops her.
"Sasha, check on Maggie. I got this." Rick's gaze never leaves that of Beth, he watching as various emotions flash across the blonde's face as she stares worriedly at her fallen sister. "How?" He finally asks. "We watched as Dawn put a bullet through your skull. We buried you."
Beth holds her tongue, her worried gaze still on her sister even as Sasha informs Rick that she'd just fainted. And once hearing her sister is somewhat fine, her gaze darts back up to Rick's tortured gaze. "It's a long and unbelievable story, Mr. Grimes," she finally says. "One that I promise to tell you once everyone's back together so it doesn't need to be told more than once."
"How do I know this isn't some kind of a sick twisted trick- that you're not just trying to see how big our group is and kill us all?"
"'Cause it's me, Mr. Grimes. It's Beth," she frowns as she pleads her case. "I know this is hard to believe but just please, trust me. Trust me like Daddy trusted you when he let you stay on our farm after Uncle Otis shot Carl. There's so much more going besides this virus outbreak and I need your help. They," she points to the brothers behind her. "-need your help to stop all of this."
"Stop this?" Sasha finally stands, her weapon training back on the group as she sneers in distaste at them. "There is no stopping this. We've already had one guy lie about a cure so what's to make us believe that you can stop this?"
Beth wants to cry- she really does. Her own eyes tear up but she doesn't let the tears fall as she wonders what happened to the group since she'd gone missing. Sure, they had been cautious before but they were never this cautious or outright mean when meeting someone new.
"Because you're starin' at a girl that went up to Heaven and was sent back down with a mission," Dean informs them gruffly. "You're starin' at a girl that has an angel's grace swimmin' 'round her neck and a girl that clawed her way out of her own damn grave back in Atlanta just to find us, find you, and help us stop the croats from chompin' on our limbs. So are you gonna kill us or are you gonna introduce us to the bigger group so we can figure out a plan and stop worrying about dyin' every single day?"
Rick and Sasha are absolutely speechless, Sasha's wide eyes darting between Dean and Beth, and Rick's gaze staring hard at the suddenly haggard looking teen. "Like I said," Beth mutters, slowly reaching up to the rope cord around her neck and pulling the vial out for Rick and Sasha to see the swirling grace inside. "-it's a long and unbelievable story. You're all gonna have to keep an open mind for what I have to tell you."
With Maggie still passed out, the remaining standing people all fidget rather uncomfortably in silence. Sasha is the first to waver with her weapon, the barrel of the rifle drooping as she stares in awe at the glowing grace just a few feet in front of her. Rick's attention is divided, his gaze ping-ponging between the grace and Beth's silently pleading expression. He eventually lets up on the trigger and lets the gun slip in his grip, he allowing the barrel of his gun to be pointed downward before he holsters it with a sigh.
"Thank you," Beth nods, shoulders slumping in relief. "I know this must'nt be easy for you and I promise you'll get answers soon enough." Rick can only nod in response, he still too shocked to say anything as he readjusts his stance by placing his hands on his hips. Then turning her back on Rick, Beth catches both Dean and Sam's gaze. "Give them everything. Backpack included."
Sam's eyes widen but Dean scoffs and tries to play it off. "We did. Our guns are there," he gestures to the weapons on the ground.
"Blades, too," Beth tells him, hands finding purchase on her hips as she mimics Rick's stance and stares Dean down. "And I'm pretty sure you're hidin' another gun," she muses, fighting a grin when Dean's easy going stare turns into a glare. "These are my people, Dean, and I know them. If you're hidin' weapons, they'll just count it against you when they find the blades later in another search."
Dean's glare is quick to turn into an annoyed eye roll, his brief pout making Beth grin. Both angel blades slide out of the brother's jacket sleeves at the same time and a handgun comes from the back waistband of Dean's jeans. Beth chuckles at him as he slowly lays the gun down, the angel blades being tossed carelessly to the ground to join Beth's. But before she can give Rick her attention once more, Beth stares at Sam until he hesitantly reaches into an inner pocket of his jacket to retrieve the demon blade. Her gaze stays on the runic blade until it's lying on the ground with all their weapons, she lowly thanking them as Sam passes her the backpack he had before turning around to face Rick once more.
Rick and Sasha are now staring at the odd blades on the ground, Beth having to clear her throat until they glance back up at her. "Here," she says, holding the backpack by one strap out towards Sasha. "We saw the storm a few miles back and packed a few necessities in case someone was injured. There's a bit of food inside as well." As Sasha takes the bag, she watches as Rick's gaze falls back to the blades. "They're odd lookin', I know, and those will be explained later," Beth continues to say. "Sam and Dean really are good people, and oomph!-"
The rest of Beth's words are cut off, she suddenly finding her arms pinned to her sides as Rick wraps her up in an unexpected hug. "Beth?" his voice cracks. "It's really you?"
"Yes, Mr. Grimes," she manages to say around the sudden lump in her throat, smiling softly. "It's me."
Rick sucks in a shaky breath, he readjusting his hold on her so one hand moves to smooth down over Beth's ponytail and the other splays across her back as he rests his cheek atop her head. Dean and Sam grin at the reunion, both brothers easing up now that no one's threatening to shoot them. A groan from near their feet makes everyone freeze, and all eyes dart down to the slow moving figure of Maggie as she starts to wake.
Instead of leaving Rick's embrace though, Beth watches as Sasha scurries to help Maggie sit up. And since Sasha's crouched figure is blocking Maggie's view of the others, Beth only manages another small smile as she hears her sister say, "I just had the weirdest dream. Why am I on the ground?"
Sasha hesitates and briefly glances over her shoulder, Beth sighing before finally stepping away from Rick and closer to Sasha's side. "It wasn't a dream, Mags. I'm really here."
Maggie seems to stop breathing all together, eyes wide and mouth agape as her eyes dart up and over Sasha's shoulder to meet her little sister's gaze head on. "W-what? But how?!"
"Pretty much the same thing Rick and I were wondering," Sasha mutters before offering Maggie a hand to stand up. "Something weird is going on, and Beth and her new friends promised us answers as soon as we get back to the others."
Maggie's gaze travels over to Dean and Sam, both of whom who nervously wave in her direction before she's staring at Rick for answers as she balances on her own two feet. "I know," he gulps as if knowing what she is currently thinking. "It's strange and unbelievable but.. so far, it really does appear to be her."
Maggie's eyes immediately tear up before she's suddenly flying at Beth- a bone crushing hug making Beth giggle before Maggie's smile practically blinds those around them. "I've missed you so, so much."
"We're never gonna separate again," the blonde assures her.
The sisters are allowed their reunion for a few minutes longer, Rick soon clearing his throat and telling them they needed to get back to the barn for some explanations. And as they start walking back towards their destination, Rick and Sasha can't help but wonder just who Beth got involved with when they hear the brothers talking about a girl who looked identical to Maggie, but that it couldn't be her because Bela had been most likely ripped to shreds by hellhounds.
Rick frowns upon hearing that and Sasha's eyes go wide- the two of them speeding up their pace to get to the bottom of things.