Atlanta, Georgia
May 2nd, 2009
Beth stumbled after Anna, wiping the sleep from her eyes as the red head led her down the empty road in the direction of a deserted gas station. The two of them had decided to take Beth and Adam's truck so Beth would be able to catch some sleep on their road trip… and because Beth wasn't that fond of teleporting—it left her feeling dizzy and nauseas afterwards. It was just their luck that the truck had decided to run out of gas, in the middle of nowhere.
"Slow down," Beth whined, struggling to keep up with the angel's fast pace.
"You should hurry up," Anna countered without pause, "the longer we're out in the open, the more likely we are to be attacked."
"By what? There's nothing around for miles," Beth argued as she finally caught up to her companion.
"That doesn't matter, they can find us no matter where we are."
"Who? Your brothers and sisters?" she asked mockingly, receiving a glare from Anna before she trekked across the road and towards the station.
"And more." Anna pushed the door open and stepped inside, heading straight to the counter as Beth went to the right, eyeing the products on the shelves curiously.
As Anna spoke to the man behind the counter, Beth opened the fridge at the back of the station and pulled out a bottle of water. Beth turned around and was about to walk back over to Anna when another two men walked in, locking the door behind them. She let out a strangled gasp as their eyes flickered a pitch black, the colour standing out against their tanned skin.
"Anna!" Beth cried out, and the red head spun around, dodging to the side to avoid being stabbed by a shiny silver blade.
"They're demons!" Anna shouted, jumping away from the black eyed men and helping the station owner duck under the counter.
Beth' eyes widened in fear as the taller of the two turned on her, charging at her and sending her flying back into the fridge, the glass smashed under her weight, and the shelves fell down, sending water bottles rolling across the floor.
"Let go of me!" she screamed as he grabbed her by the collar of her blouse and tossed her aside, she collided with the wall, hitting her still bruised face against the wall.
"Beth!" Anna threw herself at the other demon, pulling out her angel blade and raising it to stab him. She plunged it into his chest and watched as his skeleton flickered with light before extinguishing as he fell to the floor.
In the next few seconds, the small station was swarming with at least ten demons, half going for Anna, some going for the human man under the counter and the rest going after Beth. Anna was doing well at holding her own, seeing as she had been raised to be a soldier and knew exactly how to fight, Beth however, had no experience in fighting, she tended to stay away from fights and so she simply cowered away from the demons, trying to fend them off with a piece of broken glass.
Anna suddenly cried out in pain, holding a hand against her side as blood and grace seeped out of it. Beth scrambled to her feet, not even thinking as she shoved her way through the crowd of men, and brought the long shard of glass down on the back of the tall woman towering over her friend. The woman shrieked and her body jerked, slumping to the floor as she clutched at her back.
"Give me your blade-thingy!" Beth ordered and Anna hesitated before weakling holding it out to her. She took it and spun around, holding it in front of her pathetically.
"You can't win against us, kiddo," a female with wavy brown hair said, smirking at her. "You'll die trying."
"Then I'll die trying," she replied and threw herself forward without hesitation, swinging left and right with the blade, stabbing and slicing clumsy as she made her way through the group. Anna joined her moments later, using her grace to smite the demons in bursts of bright, bluish-white light.
Beth's eyes widened in pain as a hand closed around her wrist and yanked it back, the sound of bones snapping filled the air, followed promptly by her agonized screams. She fell to her knees, her hand still in the woman's vice tight grasp. The brunette winked at Beth teasingly as she ripped the angel blade from her hand and tossed it across the room. She grabbed Beth and yanked her up before throwing her across the station and through the door.
Beth landed heavily on her back, surrounded by pieces of broken glass and wood. Her body felt numb, along with her mind as she lay there, the sun beating down on her face.
"Oh, come on princess," the brunette pouted down at her, "don't tell me that that's all you've got… I expected more from a Winchester."
"Screw you," Beth gasped as she was yanked into a sitting position by the lapels of her jacket.
"Maybe another time, sugar." The brunette brought her fist down on Beth's face and her head snapped to the side. A dazed look crossed Beth's face as she tried to black spots from her vision. Just as the demon woman was about to bring her fist down on Beth again, a piece of glass was shoved into her back, the tip sticking out of her stomach. She screamed loudly, her body curling in on itself before she vanished into thin air.
"T-thanks," Beth breathed, staring up at Anna's face with a weak smile.
"We have to go—there are angels coming." Anna attempted to pull Beth to her feet, but Beth cried out, struggling against her friend. "Beth… your back…"
"What?" Beth demanded, tears springing to her eyes as pain erupted in her back and shoulders.
"There's glass and wood stuck in it," Anna whispered. She pulled her arm back to reveal a blood stained hand. "I need to get it out."
"You don't have time," Beth argued and got Anna to help her to her feet. The red head supported her weight as they stumbled back towards the station. "You need to get out of here, and take that man with you, just get away from here."
"Why do you seem to think I'm gonna leave you behind?" Anna questioned as she propped Beth against the doorframe, before the brunette slid down into a sitting position.
"B-because Sam told me that the angels want you dead—I'll hold them off, but you need to get away from here."
Anna looked torn, glancing between the injured teenage girl and the unconscious man in front of the counter. "I'll return as soon as they're gone."
"You better, loser," Beth laughed weakly.
Anna joined in on the laughing for a few minutes before approaching the middle-aged man and lifting him up, slinging his arm around her shoulders. She looked back towards Beth, sharing a mutual look of understanding.
"See ya soon, Ariel." She saluted her friend. Anna nodded and disappeared, just as the sound of two pairs of wings filled the air.
"They're all dead," a male voice stated from inside the station.
"No shit, Sherlock," Beth called weakly. A second later, two men appeared, towering over her.
"Bethany Milligan." Beth looked up, taking in the tousled, dark brown haired male. He was wearing a suit and a beige trench-coat, his deep blue tie was back to front. Her gaze moved to his face and she was met with a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen. They were beautiful.
"It's just Beth," she corrected, shifting slightly. Her face clouded with pain as one of the numerous piece of glass dug into her back. "Who are you?"
"I'm Castiel, I'm an-"
"You're an angel of the lord," she interrupted, deepening her voice to imitate his. "They told me you would say that if I met you."
"How did those demons die?" Castiel questioned as he crouched beside her.
"I totally kicked their asses," she lied with a wide grin. "It was awesome."
She was being truthful, to an extent, she had gotten two of them, and Anna had gotten the others. She turned her head away and looked at the other male, he had light brown hair and blue eyes that were a shade lighter than Castiel's.
"Who is he?"
"Samandriel," Castiel said, his gravelly voice drifting over her.
"Well, s'nice to meet you," she slurred, her lips as pale as her face.
"What is wrong with her?" The younger looking one—Samandriel—peered at her curiously.
"One of them threw me through the door," she explained and struggled to sit forward to show them the bloody mess that was her back.
Castiel held a hand over her back and a glowing light shone from it. Warmth washed over her back, seeping into her skin and filling her entire being.
"The hell was that?" she asked in awe as the scratches on her arms and hands—the wounds she'd received from the ghouls—disappeared before her very eyes. It was almost as if they'd never been there in the first place. The pain from her head and back vanished too, leaving no trace that she'd been attacked.
"I healed you," Castiel explained and stood up. Beth scrambled to her feet, rubbing her bare arms as a cool breeze surrounded them.
"Why?"
"Because it was an order," he answered. He tilted his head to the side, assessing her through narrowed eyes.
Beth quickly grew uncomfortable with his staring and turned her back on him, heading back into the gas station and picking up a bottle of water. She uncapped it and started gulping down the cool liquid.
"Did no one tell you it's rude to stare?" she demanded as she spun around to face them, annoyance clear on her face.
"I have heard of that saying before," Castiel agreed. He stepped through the door, Samandriel following after him and glass cracked beneath their feet as they stopped. "Though I don't understand why it would be considered rude if you're staring to figure someone out."
Beth gazed at him, a vacant look on her face. "You are so weird."
"Is… is that a compliment?" Samandriel asked in confusion. Beth's eyes flickered to him before she moved away from them. She grabbed a plastic carrier bag from under the counter and filled it with a couple of water bottles and some candy bars.
"Are you planning on stealing those items?"
"No, I'm gonna eat the candy bars and then put them back," Beth retorted sarcastically. At their clueless looks, she frowned. "I'm not a thief, I'll leave some money under the register." She pulled some notes out of her pocket and slipped it under the corner of the cash register. "Pft, some people just can't take a joke."
"Are you finished?" Beth nodded before stopping. She turned to them slowly.
"Why do you want to know?"
"We are supposed to take you back to your brothers," Samandriel explained with a smile.
"Hell no, I am not going anywhere without—" Beth was cut off as two warm fingers were placed against her forehead and she suddenly found herself standing in the middle of a medium sized motel room, swaying slightly from the sudden shock of teleporting.
"Beth?"
"Oh… hey?" She smiled nervously at the two men staring at her in shock.
"So… explain it again," Dean ordered, perched on the end of his bed.
"I've told you three times already," Beth grumbled, sprawled out on the couch.
"Just humour him," Sam sighed. He had stopped listening when she told them what had happened the second time around.
"Fine. I was woken up by Anna in my hospital room and she told me I needed to go with her, and that she had to protect me because I was danger and she couldn't let someone or other take me." Beth stretched her legs out in the air, holding them there as she turned her head and grinned at Dean. "We stopped at a gas station in Atlanta, where we were attacked and then Anna took the owner of the station away and I met Castiel and Samandriel and then Cas healed me and sent me back here."
"Okay, maybe one more time—" Dean cut off with a laugh as Beth threw her boot at him.
"You're an ass!" Beth stretched her neck in her other brother's direction. "Sam! Dean's an ass!"
"I know—I deal with him every day," Sam snorted. He sent a wink at Beth, who chuckled in response.
"Hey! I'm a joy to be around," Dean argued.
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." Beth put her legs down before raising her arms. She let out a moan of discomfort as Dean suddenly grasped her arm, pulling it towards him roughly. "What are you doing?"
"Your arms—they're completely healed."
"Oh yeah, Cas did it." She shrugged the best she could whilst lying down. "Perks of being an angel I guess."
"Hey Beth, what did you think of him?" Sam asked curiously.
"Well… he seemed nice. A little clueless about sarcasm and all that but he was nice," she answered. "Nothing like what Dean described him to be like."
"He was an ass—he would've killed Anna without blinking, even though she's his sister."
Beth sat up and turned to look at him. "Dean… you do know that angels are warriors of God? They follow orders without question because that's how they were made. They're not like us, they don't understand emotions the way we do."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I used to love reading about angels and God," she admitted reluctantly. "In some books they're depicted as fluffy, cloud hopping, harp players and in Anna's words 'angels have no free will. They're cold, hard like a statue, they do what they're told and don't question it.'"
Dean pursed his lips but nodded his head, seemingly accepting her words, even though he clearly wanted to say something in response to it but decided not to when she let out a long yawn and her head hit the cushion with a light smack.
"I'm so tired," she whined lowly.
"Then get some sleep," Dean countered.
"Okay boss." She saluted at him and rolled over onto her side, her back to the other occupants of the room. She was asleep within minutes, the day's events finally catching up to her.
Sam and Dean had no idea that Beth had killed two beings that afternoon and she didn't know what she was supposed to do about it or if she should tell her brothers. One thing was for certain, she knew that she wouldn't be getting over it any time soon.
What she had done would live with her for years to come.
