Home Sweet…Hell
SPNFanfic #10
Plot Copyright 2016 D. Gray
I acknowledge Sam, Dean, Castiel, Crowley and the Impala are the property of The CW.
This job was going to take all she had to make it through. Apparently people were disappearing at an alarming rate in an old industrial town close to the border of Lake Champlain. They were the first ones to find the oddities in the story, so there they were, combing through piles of dusty, damaged hallways to find whatever the hell it was that was creating the issue.
The building was abandoned, but not lifeless, at least not that Beth could feel. She knew that Dean was on the floor below her and Sam on the floor above, but that wasn't the kind of life she meant. There were things here that just couldn't be seen, they could only be felt. With the Colt aimed at the ready, an iron blade at her side, she pressed her back against the wall and turned another corner.
Her heart thumped painfully against her ribs, as she rounded the bend and her eyes met with the gruesomeness of what was in front of her. Blood caked the walls and the floors, some had even splashed to the ceiling, dripping down in puddles like a leaky faucet, but as she stepped around the blood spatter, she knew what lie ahead. With a deep breath, in through her mouth, trying to get passed the nauseous odor of decay, Beth stopped once more at the door to her right.
She could hear the boys, pinpoint where they were in the building, and she turned to look into the room she stood beside. Body parts lined the floor as crimson walls oozed with gore, and her heart sunk again, flashes came at her faster than she could handle and she backed out quickly.
Trying to control the memories, just for a second, leaned her head back to say a prayer. To Cas, to whatever higher power she was protected under, she didn't care, because the prayer went out. That was when she felt it, the drop of blood that dotted her forehead, something that had come down from the ceiling and she opened her eyes.
Whatever the hell it was, it was nasty looking. She imagined the monster from Resident Evil, the damned video game she had caught herself playing years ago. It had no eyes, a wide grinning mouth full of teeth and a long tongue that darted out at her, like a snake looking for its food. She fired once, upwards towards its head but it scurried along the tiles as she followed it down the hallway.
She slipped once on a large puddle of sticky, coagulating goo and found herself covered in it. Her mind flashed back to a time that she had hoped to forget but it was just for a split second before she regained her posture and moved on after it. Sam met her at the corner and gestured in the direction it had headed.
"What the hell is that?" She whispered as she watched the front and he had her six. "I've never seen anything like that before."
"Neither have I," he replied and peeked cautiously into room. "Where the hell is Dean?"
Three shots fired ahead and the two of them made a break for the sound, only to find Dean against the wall, the monster coming right at them. Sam fired on it, diverting its attention as Beth tossed the long, silver blade that was tucked in the back of her belt in Dean's direction. He let it hit the floor, ducking down to avoid the gun fire, and scooped it up.
As the creature slinked in Sam's direction, Beth unsheathed the iron blade; she circled to the other side, trapping it in a triangle.
"You do remember how to kill this thing, right?" Sam questioned, looking up at his brother for just a second.
"You're the expert on all things fugly, you tell me." Dean snapped and gave his brother a wink. Beth knew there was no way she was going to take it down and glanced up at the man across from her. Sam fired again, getting its attention as Dean and Beth switched blades.
"Any time there, Cowboy!" Sam growled as the claws it swung drew inches closer. Dean gave him a sly grin, twisting the handle of the blade twice in his hand before he lifted it over his head.
"Giddy-up!" He laughed as he swung down the sharpened blade, just as the monster turned its sites on Beth. As the head rolled across the floor, Beth wiped the blood from her face and sighed at Dean, who shrugged. "Sorry."
"Let's just get out of here." She sighed, rubbing her already bloody sleeve across her face and she stepped past Sam. Dean walked up to his brother, who finally lowered the gun and looked up at him.
"Cowboy?" Dean questioned and watched Sam give him a crooked smile.
"It sounded good at the time." With that the two of them followed the petite woman out of the building.
Dean watched Beth pull the extra clothes from the car and a towel. Sam noticed the change in her as well but said nothing as he grabbed his bag and unbuckled his jeans. Beth pulled the blood-soaked shirt from her jeans, then off over her head.
"Whoa, whoa, now." Dean laughed as she stood there in her bra and jeans looking at him with irritation, "do you always strip in front of two guys?"
"Dean," she whispered and stepped closer, covering the distance between them as he looked up at Sam, whose only response was to smile, "I'm covered in blood and there is no way I'm walking into THAT building AGAIN to change, so you have two choices. Look away or look at my boobs. Knock yourself out."
"Well, if you insist." He grinned and Beth rolled her eyes, walking away from him. Sam could only laugh as he doused the towel she tossed at him with some bottled water, then poured some over her arms. "Okay, now bottle bathing is where I draw the line."
Dean turned around and pulled his own shirt off as he listened to Sam give her directions.
"Give me your arm," Sam whispered, a smile in his voice, and Dean could only image her shaking her head, "Beth, just give me your arm." Again she refused, this time with a little "ut-uh", and Dean couldn't help but imagine what was going on behind him. "Okay, you asked for it."
Beth let out a bloodcurdling scream that had Dean, bare chested, swinging around on his heels, only to see Beth standing there, completely drenched in the water from the plastic gallon jug that Sam held above her head.
She grabbed the towel from the younger Winchester, lightly punching him in the gut and rubbed the blood from her face. Dean stood there, wide-eyed at the soaking wet woman, but suddenly heard Sam clear his throat. Dean shrugged at him but Sam's eyes lowered quickly. Dean peered down himself and noticed the state of his condition, quickly turning back to finish what he had started, changing.
Beth complained under her breath as she shivered, drying off with a clean towel. Sam, who had the least amount of blood and the fewest items to change, started a fire and as each piece was removed and passed over, he tossed them in the fire. Beth stood, wrapped one of Sam's large shirts and had a pair of Dean's jeans on with the waist and legs rolled. Her hair was starting to dry but she couldn't fight off the shiver that ran through her.
"We need to get out of here." She mumbled as she walked over to the Impala and climbed in the back.
Sam raised his eyebrows, staring at Dean over the fire. "Dude, you have to do something about that."
"About what?" Dean asked curiously. Sam cocked his head to the side and watched his brother's face change to acknowledgement. "Yeah, I was going to head out tonight to grab some pie."
"Is there anyway the two of you can stop referring to it like that?" Dean laughed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"As soon as she does, I will." He gave Sam a wink and headed to the car, but stopped and glanced back at his brother. "Listen, while I'm out, I'm going to check into a few of the things we talked about the other night."
"Yeah," Sam nodded, "that would probably be a good idea."
"You coming?" Dean questioned as he opened the door and Sam, who gave one last peek at the remains of the fire, headed towards his side of the car.
It screeched off into the night, the backseat passenger felt the sense of dread that hung in the air slowly leave her body.
The sun was just coming up over the horizon and the field that lay over the bunker was filled with fog, giving it an eerie look, something right out of the horror movies, but it didn't bother Dean in the slightest. He had only returned a few hours before, catching some sleep in the backseat of the Impala so as to not wake the sleeping couple inside but he could feel Beth stirring as he stepped out of his car.
Dean looked over the modified 2010 Mustang GT that sat next to his Impala. He just couldn't get past the point that she had bought another Ford, but his biggest concern at that moment wasn't the car, but large trucks that were backing into the empty field in front of him. He leaned against the car, facing the small shack as Beth stepped outside its wooden walls. She walked up to him, handed him a cup of coffee and then made herself comfortable against his chest, back to him. Dean took a sip of the hot liquid and draped his arm around one of her shoulders before placing his hand on the other, gently rubbing her upper arm.
"A house?" He mumbled as he watched the two piece of it pull in.
"It's called a modular home." Beth laughed as she tilted her head back to peek her head up at him. "And we really need one. It's been a month and the sheriff has been out here twice. Three people, two men and me, in a small shack is getting some attention that we don't need."
"Yeah, home sweet home, until some God blows it up." Dean rolled his eyes as he felt her elbow against his ribs. "Hot coffee here." He warned and Beth smiled. "I guess I'm just not used to the Apple Pie life."
"Speaking of pie," she grinned, "you were out until the wee hours of the morning. What was your flavor this time?"
Dean coughed on the sip he took and kissed her on the cheek. "Why should I tell you? Are you going to get all clingy about it?"
"Depends on the flavor of the day, because," she turned and looked up at him, setting her mug on the hood of the car as his arm moved down to hug her waist, "if you ever say cherry, I will cut off your dangly bits."
"Woman, you need to get some anger management classes." He grinned and kissed her forehead, and let her turn in his arms again. "Lemon," he replied and felt her giggle as his hand pressed against her stomach. "I had to go out of town, which was why I was out so long. I won't do it again, I promise."
Dean leaned down and kissed her neck as Beth shivered. "You don't have to promise me anything, Dean, your needs come first in that department."
"Good, I'm glad we agree on that part, because watching you and Sam might make me sneak away more often." He felt her relax against him as he placed his chin against the top of her head and the two of them watched as they began to move the house into place. "Do you think it will be big enough?"
"Three bedrooms, two full baths, kitchen, dining room, den, great view of the sun coming up in the east, and hidden entrance to the bunker," Beth smiled, "I think it's going to be perfect."
Sam stepped out of the shack, shrugging on his coat and he looked over at the two of them, smiling before he shook his head at the entourage of trucks that were pulling in. He sighed as he leaned against the car next to Dean and tucked his hands in his pockets.
"Do you think it's going to be big enough?" Sam asked and Beth couldn't help but smile.
"I'm not building a three-story Victorian, if that's what you're asking," Beth replied as she reached out and stuck her hand in Sam's coat pocket, tucking her fingers between his. Sam watched the grin form on Dean's face as he sipped his coffee.
"Get out of my head, man," Sam laughed and Dean just looked down in his cup, "seriously."
"You project too much, Sammy, and I thought you two would have taken care of that last night. I did give you the whole morning to yourselves." The older brother laughed and Beth looked up, glancing back and forth between them.
"What's going on?" She questioned, as if she hadn't heard the conversation, which only got a shrug from both of them. "Ugh!" She groaned and stepped away. "We really need a lead, or you two are going to drive me to drink."
Dean watched as she grabbed her cup and headed back towards the shack, which got a swift backhand against the chest from Sam as he caught his brother's thoughts.
"I thought you took care of that." Sam groaned.
Dean just gave a light shrug. "Hey, you can't blame a guy for admiring when a beautiful woman walks away."
"What did you find out?" Sam whispered as Dean waited for her to disappear behind the door before he turned to his brother.
"Cas caught a lead." Sam raised an eyebrow, waiting on Dean to continue. "Most of the activity is centered here, in Northern New York. He's had eyes out everywhere but the only thing they've come up with is a place near Niagara. He says it's crawling with East Wind demigods."
"What would the East Winds have against Beth, she's the last of her kind?" Sam questioned.
"Beats me, I don't even know what an East Wind is." Dean grumbled and glanced over at the construction taking place. "Maybe it's like Oz, good and bad, you know, like the witches."
"That would make sense, I guess."
"Still doesn't tell us why."
"Maybe Cas will come up with more information." Sam shrugged, sighing. "She's right, though, we need to follow a lead, or something. We've got to get her out of here and do something. Her thoughts keep going back to that night with Ares, it's not good, Dean."
"So, let's call a witch up and see if we can't track something down for her to do." Dean gave Sam a sly grin and watched at the younger brother nodded.
Becca's cell phone vibrated against the tabletop. She knew they would call, it was only a matter of time, but the fact that they had picked this particular moment just through her off. She pushed the accept button and put it on speaker.
"Hey guys, what's going on?" She was a little nervous as she looked at her guest.
Sam and Dean exchanged looks as Sam held the phone up while on speaker. "Is this a bad time?"
"I have company." Becca answered, but paused before she said anything else. "Is Beth okay?"
"Besides itching for a fight, she's fine," Dean spoke up, "what about you? You okay?"
"The company is a little unexpected but I was going to call anyway. Would you three mind coming over, there's something we need to talk about."
Dean looked up at Sam, not at all liking the tone of her voice. "Of course, we'll be right over."
"Good, see you soon." With that she hung up the phone and the screen darkened.
"Something's up." Sam acknowledged.
"Yeah, she never says goodbye." Dean watched as Sam ran to get Beth and the three of them made their way into town in the Impala. Beth danced in the backseat as she listened to the music in her head, but she stopped as soon as they pulled up to Becca's place. Dean watched her through the rear-view. "Something wrong?"
"It's an oddly familiar feeling." She said as they got out of the car. Beth stood on the sidewalk at the bottom of Becca's stairs as the boys ventured up. She couldn't place where it was coming from but she knew that it was definitely something she dealt with before.
Sam stopped, almost bumping into the back of Dean, as he kept his eyes on the pair of sneakers at the bottom of the stairs but when he looked up, he realized what had made Dean stop in his tracks. There, sitting in one of Becca's kitchen chairs, in a designer black suit was Crowley, his legs crossed and a cup of tea in front of him.
"Well, now isn't this just the peachiest of family reunions." Crowley snickered and watched as Sam moved from behind Dean. "Moose, I've missed your face. The two of you have been off playing with the little North Wind for so long, I thought a visit was in order."
"What are you doing here Crowley?" Dean questioned, and Sam felt that protective streak flair in his brother at the mention of Beth.
"You must be joking, Dean, I've only come to see what the fuss is all about." The man smiled and watched as Sam's jaw clenched. "And I see that the rumors are true."
"What rumors?" Sam's brow creased as he stared at the man.
"The Winchester boys enamored with the same girl?" Crowley looked as if he might have been a little jealous. "And shacking up with her."
"Get to the point, Crowley." Dean snapped.
"I just want to meet the little wench that stole your hearts." He smiled, devilishly.
"There's no mystery, we've met before." Beth spoke up, standing behind the boys. She watched the King of Hell rise from his seat as Sam and Dean stepped aside. "I knew it felt familiar."
"Peterson." The man in black smiled, but he didn't move from his spot. "Well, well, haven't you just made a name for yourself?"
"If it's making the circles of Hell, I must be." Beth felt Sam's hand against her back and Dean touched her ever so gently on the back of her neck. They were in full protection mode, and as much as she loved it, this one she could take. "What's the real reason you're here, Fergus?"
"I hate that name." He grumbled and stepped forward but stopped dead in his tracks.
Beth smiled as she closed the gap between them. "Well, ain't that a bitch," she looked up at the ceiling, "caught in a Devil's Trap by a witch."
"She's not a witch," Crowley smiled, looking back at Becca with admiration, "she's a hunter, just like you."
"So, we've reunited, what do you want Crowley?" Beth questioned, Crowley shrugged. "Oh, come on, you don't just venture out of Hell to visit an old friend."
"I've come to offer my services."
"For what price?" Sam inquired, making Crowley turn his gaze from Beth to the men in the room.
"For her, I'll do it for free. Peterson and I go way back."
"What exactly are you offering to do?" Dean spoke up and watched as Crowley grinned.
"Whatever she wants."
Beth licked her lips and made a gestured to Becca. "You can let him go, he's not going to do anything."
"Are you sure?" Becca questioned, watching Beth nod as her eyes rested on Crowley, and Becca watched the standoff as she scraped the paint on the ceiling.
"Call me when you need me." Crowley whispered low, his face inches from Beth's and then snapped his fingers, disappearing from sight.
"Something you need to tell us, Bee?" Dean questioned and watched as Beth, climbed up on the table to restore the Devil's Trap. She looked down at him and shrugged as she used the red wax to seal the circle.
"Crowley was a crossroads demon at the time," she hopped down and handed the stick back to Becca, "I was alone and didn't know what to do so I was going to make a deal. Turns out, Crowley wasn't making deals with little noobs, he had bigger fish to fry."
"And?" Dean watched as she moved towards the refrigerator and grabbed a soda out of it. She took her time turning to lean against it before looking up at him.
"I helped him with fishing issue." She replied and watched the look on Dean's face.
"You helped a demon, did you even know what he was going after?" Sam questioned, shocked that she had kept it from him but watched as she took a sip from the bottle and nodded.
"Some yellow-eyed bastard." She replied. "Azazel was what Crowley called him once, if I remember right."
"You went after a demon, that demon, with Crowley?" Beth couldn't seem to get passed the look on Dean's face. "He was the one that killed our mother."
"I know." She whispered, giving a slight nod. "It was one of the reasons I took the job."
"And what were the others?" Sam questioned. Beth took a deep breath, glancing up at Becca.
"I needed to annihilate something." She was honest with her answers, but both Sam and Dean could feel the frustration building in her. She didn't really want to talk about that part of her life. "Before you go ahead and ask the questions rolling around in your heads, the only reason Crowley will do anything for me, is because of what I did for him and no, at this moment, I'm at liberty to say what exactly it was."
Beth placed the soda on the table, hugged Becca quickly and walked past the two men that blocked the doorway. Sam turned to follow her out the door but he stopped at the top of the stairway, watching her disappear around the corner. Sam looked back at Becca, who slowly took a seat at the table, her eyes avoiding Dean's penetrating stare.
"If she's not going to tell you, neither am I." She shrugged, and noticed Dean sit down at the table across from her. "What do you want from me, Winchester? Those were some very, very dark days."
"How about the truth?" He snapped, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Becca, but it's just hard to imagine Beth with Crowley."
"She wasn't alone," the woman smiled, "she had help, my kind of help. How do you think she got him in the first place?"
"You said you used it to kill demons." Sam spoke up.
"And that was exactly what we did with it, we used Crowley to kill off some of the nastiest things we had ever come across." Becca kept her eyes on her own fingers as she thought back. "Beth wasn't in her right mind at that time, she was hell bent on destroying something and really didn't care what. She just wanted blood." Sam pulled out a chair, turning it around and sat down next to his brother. "You're going to think I'm insane for saying this, but Crowley was the best thing to happen to her at that time. He was just as pompous and arrogant as he is now but he knew how to get the rage out, and he never touched her."
"What do you mean "never touched her"?" Sam was a little worried about the statement but Becca just brought her gaze up to meet his.
"Crossroads Demon? They always want to make a deal, meet their quota, but Crowley never once even accepted what she had to offer. In fact, he never even struck his own bargain with her." Both Sam and Dean exchanged a quick look, which made Becca laugh. "He said once that she was more valuable than anything he had ever encountered."
"I wonder if he knew?" Sam whispered, but Dean shook his head.
"Not with the way he responded to her walking in the door." Dean slid the chair back and walked over to the entrance. "I'm going to go find her. Do you mind, Sam?"
Sam's lips did his usual "whatever" as he shrugged and shook his head, all that expression in the matter of seconds. "No, I've got some stuff I want to talk to Becca about anyway."
Dean nodded, turned and headed down the stairs. He took a deep breath at the bottom, and closed his eyes only for a second to see if he could try the same little trick that she had pulled on him once. He could feel her, not the pull of her body, or the scent of her skin, but the emotions that flowed through every inch of her and he headed to his right.
The bar wasn't all that big, in fact it only had six small tables and the counter, and there wasn't even any booths, but he found her sitting on a stool, looking up at the sports broadcast with the closed captions that flashed across the bottom. Cautiously, he slipped onto the stool beside her and asked quietly for a beer before he glanced at the drink in her hand.
"Whiskey?" He asked a bit shocked.
"Tequila," she smiled as she took her time with the drink and looked him over.
"I thought you were a shots kind of girl?" He grinned as the young woman behind the counter put the beer down.
"Dean," she whispered, as she picked the glass back up again, "I said I didn't want to talk about it."
"And I asked what you were drinking, what does one have to do with the other?" He turned on the stool to face her, one leg behind her, the other touching her knee. "But, really? Crowley?"
"You have your demons, I have mine," she finished her drink and went to move when his leg froze the chair. "I don't want to fight with you."
"I'm not fighting, but you have to understand just how hard this is for me to wrap my head around." Beth twisted towards him, a flash of anger in her eyes as she glared.
"Wrap your head around?" She laughed, sarcastically and licked her lips as she took a moment to think of the words. "When you had the Mark of Cain branded on your arm, there was bloodlust inside you that you couldn't help, right?"
"Yes, and it ultimately turned me into a monster." Dean admitted. Beth stood, pushing the chair back so that she could walk by before she leaned in towards his ear.
"To the demons I put down," she whispered, "I was that monster, one-hundred fold."
With that she walked out of the bar, having slipped the woman a twenty before disappearing out into the light. Dean knew he would never understand what truly happened to her, but learning more about her past also brought with it the guilt of having lost her in the first place. He finished what he had and tipped the woman before making his way back to the Impala, where he found her laying across the backseat, her earbuds in.
Sam and Becca sat on the steps, and just observed as Dean paced back and forth, debating on whether or not to keep bothering her but in the end, Dean walked over to stand in front of them.
"I don't know what to do," he shrugged, "she's never closed me off like this."
"She needs time, Dean," Becca watched as he took a deep breath, "she's never talked about it to anyone but me and I don't even know half the story."
"I get why she did whatever it is," he sounded so confused, "but I don't get why she thinks she was a monster for doing it. We all killed demons. Hell, Sam and I put down so many that I lost count, but in her mind, she is so much worse than us."
"I guess we have to wait for her." Becca shrugged and watched as Sam took a breath, before his face became full of curiousness.
"Hey," Sam started, "why do you think Crowley said to call him when we needed him?"
"Maybe he knows something we don't," Dean rubbed his forehead. "Let's just get back to the bunker. I think I need a drink."
"Just try to keep your cool, Dean, and remember her past isn't pleasant and while she might know yours, she might not want to talk about hers." Becca whispered as he leaned in and hugged her. He gave a slight nod and made his way over to the driver's side while she turned to Sam. "Can you feel her?"
"No, she's completely blocked me out." He licked his lips, and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I don't think I've ever felt so empty."
"She'll come around." Becca kissed him on the cheek as he gave her a slight smile and climbed in the car. Becca's eyes connected with Beth's as she raised her fingers in a wave as the car pulled away from the curb.
Beth watched the trees roll by through the back windshield, her music blaring as she felt the sway of the car and just like any other time she had been in it, she started to feel relaxed. As she let the feeling grow, she was suddenly hit with a barrage of memories from her time with Crowley. The blood that covered her was almost as thick as syrup and she could feel the rage fill her. With a deep breath, she sat up quickly in the seat, alerting the men in front of her, as her earbuds came flying away.
Sam turned quickly as Dean looked at her in the rearview.
"You okay, Al?" Dean's voice was gruff, like he was still trying to hold back emotions, and she gave a little nod but avoided his eyes. Looking down at her hands, she could only see the crimson color that stained them and he watched her shake them, as if the drops were still wet. "You sure?"
"Yeah!" She snapped, "I'm fine."
She knew that her tone would make him put up his walls once again and she hated that she couldn't' just let him in but that part of her past, that was too bloody for even her to think about. She snuck a peek at Sam, whose face was full concern and gave him a wink. In her mind she connected with him, letting him feel her sadness, because that was the only thing she had to offer him.
"I'm here for you," his mind tickled hers as she lay back and looked out the window, "we both are."
"He's not going to understand, Sam, and I'm going to lose you both," she answered, and choked back the emotions that.
"No, you're not," Beth turned her gaze back to him.
"How can you be so sure, you don't even know what I've done?" Sam smiled, letting some of his memories from the past twelve years invade her senses. From the demon blood, to the innocent lives he took when he was soulless, right down to anything he might have done to protect Dean and the others he loved, he let her see it all. But, it didn't touch her. "It's so much worse than that."
"What could be worse than that?" Sam questioned, confused and watched her turn away once more. "Beth?"
"Not now, Sam," her voice faded off as the barrier went up.
Sam turned back in his seat as the earbuds were placed back in and the music on her phone cranked up. He let out a breath, and Dean adjusted his hand on the wheel, as they road back in silence.
When the car was parked, Dean got out first, checking over the work they had done so far and Sam closed the door softly, leaning on the roof.
"Doesn't look too bad." He acknowledged as Dean shot a look at the backseat where Beth lay with her eyes closed.
"Do you really think she's sleeping?" Dean cocked his head as he looked at the way her fingers twitched. "If she is, it can't be a good dream."
"I showed her everything, Dean, every hateful, evil thing I had ever done and she didn't even bat an eye at it." Sam met his brother's eyes as they stared across the car at each other. "She said she was so much worse."
"She told me the same thing, but you know what she hasn't said yet?"
"What's that?"
"That we couldn't ask Crowley."
"Don't you think that might be stepping over the line? Go behind her back and find out her past from the man who helped her make it?"
"You got a better idea?"
"Yeah, I do," Sam raised an eyebrow, "we can wait, she's not going to hold out forever."
"Yep, neither am I," Dean started towards the shack and Sam came around the car.
"So, what?" He asked the older man as he walked behind him, "she doesn't spill, so you'll just walk?"
"I would never walk away from her, or you," Dean pivoted suddenly to face his brother, "but, I will not sit by and wait for her to have a breakdown because of a past that only rose to the surface because Crowley, the King of All Bullshit, decided to show his face."
"Why are you so angry?"
"Because, she…" Dean took a breath and lowered his voice, "because she's hurting and there isn't anything I can do to help her because I don't know what is going on."
"There isn't anything either of us can do, Dean."
"If I hear "you just have to wait" one more time, Sammy, I swear…" Dean didn't finish the sentence, he just walked on passed the shack to the woods. Sam took a deep breath, glanced at the car, to make sure it was locked, and then headed into the small building.
Beth could hear the screams of hundreds in her ears as the blood covered everything she touched. She walked blindly down the dripping hallway, demon blade in hand and listened for the sounds, something that lay just beneath the surface. Her face was covered in the crimson liquid, her closed doused in it, hiding not only her scent but helping her to blend in with the surroundings.
She twisted the handle of the knife in her hand, prepared for anything and slowly she rounded the corner. These halls were just like the rest, a long narrow passage with solid doors, all open and empty except for the blood and remains within them. This was probably her third time through this particular place, the first time, she had been the one who caused the carnage, thrusting the pointed end into anything that moved. The second time around had been after the Berserker had made his pass, that was who she tracked this third time.
They had released it to find Crowley, but it found everything else instead, leaving bodies in pieces and blood lined walls in its wake, but she was the one that needed to put it down. One last corner that was all she had before she would start another pass, but it was the last one she needed. The creature was monstrous, standing almost seven-feet tall and had to be over four-hundred pounds.
She pressed her back against the wall as it tore a limb from one of the bodies before it, and listened to it stop, for just a moment and smell the air. Satisfied that there was nothing else but the blood of the dead, it went back to its daunting task. Beth was able to step up behind it, a feat not easily accomplished with the sticky liquid that coated the floors, but she had learned to not make a sound, to barely breath and as she raised the blade above her head, both hands tightly on the handle, it paused for a moment.
Beth stopped, stood perfectly still and waited, her heart thumped quietly in her chest as she controlled the rhythm. It snorted and dug its fingers down into the cavity of the body before it, breaking off a rib and Beth took the chance. She drove the blade deep into its spine, backing away just as it roared to life and stood above her. It swung the jagged rib in her direction, as she ducked and moved, but she found something to use to her advantage. With her small statue, she was able to turn it in circles, confusing it by weaving through the furniture that was sprawled about.
She had finally gotten ahead of it, jumped up on a desk, then a cabinet and came down on its back, grabbing the blade as she did and with all her weight she pulled straight down, slicing from neck to tail along its spine. The berserker wailed as the blood splashed around her and it swung around, bouncing her, and ripping the blade from its back and caught her with a forearm almost as large as she was. Beth felt the wind leave her lungs and she pounded against the wall, her head slamming backwards as she slid to the floor.
She stared with fading vision as it came closer, wrapping its huge hand around her throat, and she though that she was done for, but with the blade in hand, and with what little strength she did have left, she sliced across the tendon and rendered it useless. The monster stumbled down and flopped into the puddle of blood next to her, as her world began to fade. There was only one word on her tongue as the darkness began to take over.
"Crowley!" Beth screamed and sat up in the back of the car, just as the door at the end of her feet swung open.
She still wasn't seeing straight as the arms reached inside, and she began kicking furiously until those hands grabbed her, one on each ankle and dragged her towards the bright light at the end of the seat. She felt those hands grasp her by the waist, and lift her from the car. One arm suddenly hugged her and the other tucked under her backside, holding her to him and she felt the solid metal of the Impala's trunk under her soon after.
She hadn't realized that she had her arms so tightly around the neck of one who had pulled her from the car, but as she buried her face against his neck, felt the stubbles of a day off from shaving rub against her skin, and breathed in his scent, she knew just whose arms she was wrapped so securely in and she didn't intend to let him go.
Dean quietly shushed her as he held her to him, so close he could feel the heat of her body, but that wasn't what had drawn him back from the woods. He had seen what she was dreaming, the blood, the gore, and violence had sent him sprinting from his torrid walk into nature. He raised a hand from her back and pressed it against the back of her head. His eyes filled with the raw emotions he had hoped to hide from her, but she never eased up to even see, she just held him.
Her arms came down from his neck, and she tucked them up between their chests, as if she were cold, but he soon remembered that she had always done that after nightmares when he curled up against her at night. It just made her feel more secure to be completely enclosed by him.
"Sam's going to come out and think something's up." He tried to be cute, but the pain in his voice was evident.
"Don't care," she whispered, "just don't let go."
"Never," he kissed her gently on the head as he put his cheek to her hair and tightened his hold.
He leaned his lower half against the car, which brought him right up against all of Beth, and he was surprised that his mind didn't automatically go to something perverted. He could feel the heels of her feet as she tucked them in between his legs, locking him against her and he smiled.
"How did you see that?" Her small voice whispered against the skin of his neck, sending shivers down his spine as he placed his lips against her shoulder.
"I don't know," he answered honestly, "maybe the hunter in you called out to the one in me, because I'm pretty sure if Sam saw that, he would be out here too."
"The hunter," she scoffed, "the evil."
"Hey," he put a hand against her cheek, forcing her to lean her head back so he could look into her eyes, "we all do what we need too to survive."
"That wasn't for survival, it was for revenge," he watched her eyes move away from his but she didn't try to get away from his touch. Dean licked his lips as he took in the features of her face. "I wanted someone to pay for what happened, demons just seemed the easiest thing on the menu."
"And that thing?" She didn't realize just how much he had seen. "Why were you after it?"
"Crowley," she shrugged, and went to sit back but his brace became tighter.
"You're not getting away from me that easy, Munchkin," he grinned and watched as she rolled her eyes.
"Crowley was trapped, the berserker was his guard. My job was to get him out," she shook her head, "and I did."
"All those bodies?"
"I was angry," was all she responded with.
"How many?" Dean's feelings weren't changing, but he knew that if she were anything like him, a body count would end at a certain number.
"Too many," she whispered and Dean knew then just how far she had gone.
"It wasn't the first time, was it?" He felt her shake her head as she leaned it forward against his shoulder once more. "So what do we do now?"
"Find out why Crowley is back in the area," she shrugged, her warm breath against him again, "checking on you two was the lamest excuse he has ever given, and I think he has a thing for Becca."
"Hey," he whispered, as he thought of the oddness of Crowley's arrival, "why show up there to begin with?"
"It's where he always brought me after…when I needed some medical attention and he wasn't," she sighed, "let's just say the whole idea of seeing any part of me uncovered wasn't his biggest turn-on."
"He didn't want to see you naked?" Dean laughed and watched her sit back a bit to look up into his eyes, for the first time since earlier they sparkled with life.
"Not everyone can be you, Winchester," she grinned and Dean leaned down, capturing her lips with his as he gave her a gentle, but loving kiss.
"True," he whispered as he drew back just a bit, "perfection like this is the work of the Gods."
"Oh give me a break," she grumbled, kissed him quickly again and put her head back on his shoulder. "Are your legs going to give out?"
"No, I could stand here all day with you." His cheesy pick-up lines didn't work on her but she wasn't arguing if he wanted to just stand there holding her. She welcomed it, and cuddled up closer to him. "Should I tell Sam?"
"Yeah," she mumbled, "it might be a good idea before he walks out to see it."
Dean pulled out his phone, still not used to the telepathic way of doing things and sent the man downstairs a text, which got an instant reply.
"He said he knows," the confusion in his voice is what got her to look up.
"What did you tell him?"
"That I was out here holding you." Dean grinned lovingly.
"Well, yeah that he would know about. It's pretty hard not to know what you're feeling right about now."
"Maybe we should go in then," he suggested and stepped back, hips first, and sighed as the warmth from her arms left him. Beth looked up as she gripped his shirt and he helped her down from the car. "Al, listen, about those feelings…"
"Apple pie, Dean, for you it's all apple pie," she kissed his cheek and walked towards the bunker, while he locked and closed the door to the Impala once again.
"I have no idea what that means." He sighed as he ran his hands down over his face, trying to control the emotions that ran through him. Want, need, protection, anger at her pain, they all coursed through him as he made his way down the ladder to the bunker see Sam standing in front of Beth, his hands gently caressing her shoulders.
He didn't understand why he could feel certain emotions from her when she was alone but everything when she was near Sam. Dean grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down on his favorite chair as he listened to them whisper. Beth had a bad dream, that was all, nothing to worry about. These comments made him smile, not because it was now a secret that he and Beth shared, but because she was still trying to protect one or both of them from the truth.
Beth slapped Dean on the leg as she walked by and found a spot on the couch as Sam walked around, getting comfortable on the other side of her. Dean sat forward, watching the look on her face as she stared at him, just took in his features and then a deep breath.
"So, the East Winds are gathering?" She questioned and watched as the two men gave each other a dirty look. "My powers are stronger than yours," she teased and Dean sat back, "either of you want to elaborate?"
Sam sighed, pushing his hair back from his face, "Cas said a group of them were gathering up near Niagara, he thought they might have something to do with why the Olympians are coming after you."
"But, he didn't have much else on them, not even why they might be after you," Dean spoke up, "and I don't think it would be the best idea to go half-cocked into a fight with some demigods because of misinformation."
"Good point," Beth nodded, "but how else are we going to find out just what's going on up there?"
Sam shrugged, she made sense, there was no other way that he could think of to get anything on them without Cas or the three of them being involved.
"Crowley," Dean replied and both Beth and Sam snapped up to look at him, "he said he would do whatever you needed."
"His reach isn't as limitless as you think, Dean. Demigods and Demons, even the King of Hell, could get into a pissing match that would leave something leveled." Beth shook her head.
"Are you afraid to send him in there?"
"I'm afraid of what he would do when he got there," she rubbed her neck and sighed. "This is Crowley after all, demigods or not, if he can rule them, he'll try his hardest to take over. If they really are controlling the Olympians…think about what Crowley could do with that much power."
"You know, sometimes you make my head hurt." Dean stated, rolling his eyes. "Use him, don't use him, I have no idea what to do next."
"Cas?" Sam spoke up, feeling the tension between them growing. Dean shrugged. "It's worth a try."
"Fine, I'll go outside and see what I can wing up." Beth watched him move, she could tell that she had struck a nerve and gave Sam a quick look before going after him. She met him just outside the shack as he stared up at the sky. "Some days, I just don't get how your mind works."
"Me?" Beth laughed and watched as he brought his gaze down to her. "Why, because I think it's a bad idea to send a demon in on a job like this?"
"Because you have been back and forth with the whole Crowley thing from the jump. First, it's you hate him for your past, and then you're protecting him from something he was meant to do. I don't get it."
"And," she stated walking up to him, "apparently you never will. What is aggravating you more, Dean, the fact that Crowley and I have a past, or that I won't share every intimate detail with you?"
"That's not fair, Peterson," Beth could hear his voice lower as he stared down at her, "I'm just trying to protect you."
"I don't need it, Dean!" She snapped, her voice had never raised that high with him, "for the first time, I don't need to be protected from him. He's just Crowley, he's just a demon, and demons I can handle."
"Crowley is not just another demon." Dean's teeth clenched as he tried hard to hold onto his anger.
"You don't know him like I do." Beth stepped passed him, and Dean grabbed her gently by the arm, but instead of stopping, she lashed out, her forearm came crashing down a crossed his wrist, breaking the hold. "Don't grab me like that again."
Dean put his hands up and stepped back as she slipped into the Mustang, roared it to life and took off down the road. Sam stepped out of the doorway and watched the car disappear around the corner.
"What happened?"
"We had a fight." Dean replied, and that was all he had to say about it, before he started to walk in the other direction.
"Great, that helps me a lot." Sam sighed as he watched his brother disappear. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Castiel, I could really use your help right now," Sam opened one eye and looked around before closing it again, "Cas?"
"I'm here, Sam," the deep voice of the angel came from behind him and Sam turned swiftly to face him. "What's going on?"
"Dean was supposed to call you to ask if you could find out more about the East Winds, but he just took off because he and Beth had a fight." Sam stated, with aggravation in his tone.
"About Crowley, I know," he replied, which got an eye roll from Sam. "It's dangerous for her to work so closely with Crowley."
"I know that, she knows that but Dean wants to use him. What is the deal with their history?"
"I'm not sure but I do know this, in the years that they worked together, Hell had never seen carnage like that before." Cas stepped up closer to Sam and glanced around. "We could only watch, no one was allowed to interfere but Sam, if he gets involved especially with Dean and Beth at odds, it won't end well. Get her to admit to her deeds, only then will it open the gateway she and Dean need to get passed this. I will check into the East Winds. Don't make a move towards them without me first."
"How do I…" but Cas was gone, which made Sam sigh. He hated when the angel did that.
Beth returned about an hour later, a brown paper bag in hand and she made her way down to the bunker, where Sam and Dean were sitting, quietly awaiting her arrival. She eyed them as they did her while she placed the bottles of vodka and orange juice on the counter and then searched for a glass.
Sam gave Dean a quick nod in her direction and the older one slowly made his way over to stand just in her way. Beth looked up, reached past him and grabbed her items, which she began to mix in the glass that sat in front of her but as she raised it to her lips, Dean touched her hand gently with his fingers.
"I'm sorry." This admission alone stopped Beth for only a second before she swallowed down the potent mixture, her eyes locked on Dean's. With a shiver as the vodka went down, Beth set the glass on the counter and poured another drink. She downed the second one just as fast and when she went to pour another glass, Dean put his hand over the top of it. "I get that you don't want to talk about it, but you need to, Beth, you can't keep that in."
She lifted his hand gently, by sliding hers under his and moved the glass to continue what she was doing after downing the third drink, she grabbed just the vodka bottle and moved to the couch, where she looked up at him an gestured to his chair with impatience.
Dean tossed his hands in the air and moved over to sit across from her. Sam turned in his seat, putting one knee up on the couch as Beth cleared her throat and opened the bottle. She offered it to both, who politely refused and then smiled.
"Liquid courage," she laughed and shook her head, "I don't think I've ever had to use it."
"Courage for what?" Sam whispered, "you're the most fearless person we know."
"Not about this I'm not," Beth took a deep breath and a swig of the alcohol, letting it burn as it went down. "So you know Becca and I worked with Crowley but the extent of it was longer than two years. I was angry, I told you that, but it went beyond fury, it was rage, pure blind rage."
"So you went to Crowley?"
"I went to a crossroads, I wanted it gone, I wanted my family back, I wanted you." Beth stared at him and then over at Dean, "both of you, but apparently there was nothing that I had that he wanted, except my rage and he didn't want to strike a deal with my soul for that, he wanted to help me with it."
"Oh, Beth." Dean whispered and leaned forward in the chair.
"It was a great idea at the time. Hunt down Azazel, avenge Mary, get the rage out but we never found him. Sam was off to college, you were off with your dad, I wasn't going to screw that up, so we moved on from Azazel, or more to the point, we lost him." Beth took another sip and coughed as it went down. "He had other fish, and the more it went on, the bigger they got. It was a bloodbath, day in and day out. If I was hurt during it, he would bring me to Becca, heal me the best he could and leave me with her until the need to kill again got too great and then I was out the door."
"She told us that you would stay and then vanish." Sam whispered. "She didn't tell us it was because of this."
"Not her place," Beth said shrugging, "Becca and Crowley had a pretty rough go of it because of what he was doing, or more to the point because of what I was doing, but she knew that I needed it, until it came to the last one we ever did." Beth's eyes met Dean's. "Crowley got caught, don't ask me how, or by who but I knew just where he was, I knew how to get to him and by then I knew everything I needed to know about how to deal with anything.
"I slashed my way through the building, innocent, demon, human, creature…it didn't matter, to me they were all monsters and stood in the way of what I needed to do," Beth licked her lips and closed her eyes as she thought back to the memory. "They were dead, all of them, hundreds of them in this abandoned building in the middle of nowhere. I made my rounds two or three times, making sure that there was nothing living left in the place. I was covered in their blood but it was nothing compared to how the place looked when the Berserker came through.
"He was huge, all muscle, larger than life, and he loved to shred things, apparently dead things." Sam glanced up at Dean, and they realized why her reaction to the earlier hunt had set off the memories. "By the time I came back around, after covering the other floors, the one I knew Crowley was locked on was covered by blood, every inch of it, and the bodies were torn to pieces. Arms, legs, insides, they were everywhere and he was just going at it."
Dean watched her eyes as they seemed to fade into the memory and he reached out to take her hand, Sam's was already on the lower part of her back, under her shirt to make direct contact with her skin. They could feel the shiver as she tried to control the memories that bombarded her.
"When I got to him, the fight was overpowering, but I sliced him down his spine. He still had enough strength to knock me out cold, almost squeezed the life out of me, but I sliced the tendon in his arm and he went down hard." Beth swallowed, staring at the bottle. "I don't know how long I was out, minutes, hours but I could hear Crowley calling to me, and that brought me to. He was behind a wall that had a secret door. It wasn't hard to find him but it was hard to get past what I had done. That was the moment I realized that I had done that, I had caused that much chaos and destruction and I was done."
"What happened after?" Beth looked up at Dean, who had asked the question and she shrugged.
"He brought me somewhere, turned around and let me shower off the blood and guts, never left the room though," she laughed as she glanced between them, "not like you two who would have watched me shower bare-assed. He couldn't stand to see the sight of my skin, which was truly weird, and when the water turned off, I was dry, dressed and we were standing in front of Becca's stairs."
"That's it?" Sam questioned, rubbing his neck. "After two years he just dropped you off?"
"With just a few choice words, "whatever you need", and then he was gone." Beth took one more sip and put the bottle down. "I never even knew what he meant by them, but I do now," she looked up at Dean, "if I need anything, all I have to do is ask him and it will be done."
"So what are you going to ask?"
"Only the most important thing I could ever ask him," she stood and glanced down at the both of them, "to bugger off."
Sam laughed as she took a few stumbling steps away from the couch and Dean snatched the bottle.
"I see why you do shots," Sam smiled and watched as she stopped, giving him a dirty look. "Where are you going?"
"I don't really know," she stopped, and turned to lean on the couch. "There is a very good reason that I don't drink while in the company of men that I love."
"What's that?" Dean was way too curious about what he was feeling to let it go.
"Liquor goes right to my…"she thought for a moment, looked down, and then up at the shocked faces of the two men in the room, "so in order to avoid the temptation that I see right now, I'm going to take a really, really, extremely cold shower."
Sam burst out laughing as Dean sat back on the couch, grabbing a pillow from behind him as he sat back and covered his lap. The grin never left Sam's face as he watched Dean from under his hair. The older man sat there and stared for a minute at his brother before rolling his eyes.
"Dude, seriously?" The older one questioned, and Sam glanced at the bathroom, "oh, come on Sammy, that was an open invitation that only one of us can use."
"She's drunk, Dean," Sam sighed and looked back and forth from the shower to his brother.
"She's not even buzzed," Dean laughed, "are you telling me you can't feel it? She's more sober than a freaking pancake."
"Really?"
"I swear," Dean rolled his eyes, "I swear on everything Olympian, if you don't go in there, I'm going to."
"NO!" Sam said startled that Dean would even suggest it with his knowledge of the rules.
"Then, please, Sam, I'm begging you, as your big brother," Dean sat forward, "go give that girl some help before we both explode."
"Why is it that you can feel her sexually right now?"
"If I had the answer to that, I wouldn't need the pillow." Sam stood and watched as Dean shooed him towards the bathroom, where Sam casually knocked on the door and slipped inside. Dean laughed as he heard the bang as one of them hit the wall. Closing his eyes, he stuck his fingers in his ears and started humming "Eye of the Tiger".
Sam opened his eyes, the sheets tangled around him and Beth, as he listened to the voices that mumbled in his head. He spread his hand out over Beth's bare stomach, an action that brought her closer to him, and listened for her dreams, for her voice, but she was silent. He searched for his brother in the bunker but there was nothing but the mumbled noises from outside.
Slowly, Sam snuck out from under the sheet, pulled on his jeans and a flannel shirt without buttoning it and made his way to the ladder. Dean's bedroom door was open, but he still couldn't feel anything. Rung by rung, the mumbles got louder and as his head breached the opening he could hear Dean's clear scream for help.
Sam moved as quickly as he could barefoot and found his brother with Cas' coat bunched in his hands as he held the angel up against the Mustang. Castiel's face was bloody, his eyes were swollen shut, and he was barely conscious. Sam came up beside him and put his hand along Cas' jaw, turning him gently to face him, but there was no response from the angel.
"I can't get him past the door." Dean stated, worry filling his voice.
"It's warded," Sam reminded him and patted his pockets to find that he had put on the pair with his cell conveniently tucked in the back. With and unsteady hand, he dialed Becca's number, let it ring until voicemail picked up and then called her back three time.
"This better be good, Sam!" Her tone was full of sleep as she answered.
"How do I get the angel ward off?" Sam questioned quickly.
"What?"
"The angel ward on the bunker, I need to get it off! Cas is hurt." Sam was frantic, and Dean was holding together surprisingly well.
"Okay, okay, calm down," her tone was sounding more awake as she spoke, "at the door to the shack, repeat these words, and Sam, you have to say them right. Sit pia anima intrare! Say it back to me."
"Sit pia anima intrare!" Sam repeated as he made his way to the door. "What the hell did I just say?"
"It doesn't matter as long as you say it correctly," he could hear her putting on her shoes. "I'll be there in five minutes."
Sam looked at the phone as she hung up, and sighed, he hated when she did that too, it reminded him too much of Cas.
"Dean, bring him to the door," Sam yelled. Dean let the weight of the man fall on him and he looked at his brother.
"A little help here," he yelled.
Sam came back and the two of them dragged Cas to the door and Sam took a deep breath, "sit pia anima intrare!"
"Try it," Dean whispered and Sam stretched out Cas' hand, praying that it didn't catch on fire but nothing happened so the two of them dragged him inside. "He still can't go down in the bunker."
"Becca's on her way," Sam sighed as Dean patted the angel's face.
"What the hell were you doing out here anyway?"
Dean looked at him, "clearly, you have never been on the receiving end of the emotions that fly around the house when the two of you go at it."
"Oh," Sam replied.
"Yeah, "oh", I needed some air," Dean sighed and looked down at the man that lay between them. "Come on, Cas, wake up."
The Grand Am roared into the drive and Becca stopped just short of tripping over Castiel's foot. She looked down at the badly beaten man and shook her head.
"Give me a few minutes, the wards took three weeks to put up, I'm pretty sure they aren't going to come down easy but I just have to get a small opening to get him through." She stated and headed for the ladder.
"Wait," Dean spoke up, making her turn to him, "if it goes back up, he's not going to burn is he?"
"It's mean to keep them from finding you and to keep them out, but once in, they're in." She reassured him and made her way down, where she met Beth, who stood wrapped in a blanket. "You might want to get dressed, woman, it looks like you're going to have company."
"What?"
"Cas is hurt and we need to get him down here," Becca whispered and watched Beth go in the opposite direction of the bedroom.
Beth made her way up the ladder with the blanket on and knelt down beside Cas. Dean stared at her, glanced up at Sam and rolled his eyes because no, a woman in a blanket isn't distracting at all. Sam stripped off the shirt and put it around Beth's shoulders, who slipped it on as she leaned down and listened for any signs of, well, anything. Sam helped her button the bottom few and she was able to finish the rest before she placed a hand on his head.
Dean touched her fingers as Sam placed his lips against her forehead and she closed her eyes. The white light that filled Cas was enough to bring down the swelling in his eyes but Beth sat back almost exhausted before she could do anything else.
"He's an angel," she whispered, "apparently, there is only so much I can do for them."
"It's okay, kid," Dean replied, running his finger down her cheek as she leaned back against Sam. "We'll get in, I'm sure Becca is taking care of that now."
"Done," Becca's head popped up, "but move him quick, I'm not sure how long I can keep this open for."
Dean grabbed under Cas' shoulders while Sam grabbed his legs and the two of them lowered him down into the bunker where they moved him, carefully to the couch. Becca quickly climbed back up to seal off the door before she came back to sit beside them on the coffee table.
Dean stripped off the tie, coat and suit jacket as Sam grabbed water and towels. "Why the hell does have to wear so many clothes?"
Beth smiled but it quickly faded as Becca gave her a dirty look before going back to looking over his wounds. Dean took the damp cloth from Sam and gently wiped the blood from the man's face as Beth took Cas' hand.
"Dean," she whispered, and watched as his eyes peeked up at her, "I can hear him, he's trying to heal from the inside out," she paused for a moment, a look of concentration on her face, and she licked her lips, "he says to stop worrying."
"You can talk to him?" Dean questioned.
"I can hear him, that's all," she stroked her fingers along the lines on the inside of Cas' arm, a gesture that caught both Sam and Dean off guard. "I can hear…things working inside him."
"What are you doing to his arm?" Dean's voice made her stop and their eyes met. She wasn't sure if it was jealousy she saw there, and if it was, she didn't know what he was jealous of.
"It's just a way to connect better," she moved her fingers, "you and I have a telepathic way, most people you have to touch in order to get into their heads."
Dean nodded, not quite sure what to say about it but Beth placed Cas' hand down on his stomach and moved away from him. Sam watched the strange interaction and followed Beth into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
"He's just worried about Cas, Beth, it's nothing," Sam whispered as he watched her drop the blanket and grab a pair of shorts.
"It's not Dean, it's Cas," she replied, turning to sit down on the bed, "they did that to him, the East Winders, they hurt him like that."
"Why didn't you say anything? Did he show you that?" Sam spoke softly as he sat beside her on the bed. Beth nodded, staring at her hands before she looked up at him.
"I can't protect him from them," she admitted, "and if I can't protect an Angel, how am I supposed to protect the two of you?"
"Hey," he knelt down in front of her, between her legs as he placed both hands gently against her cheeks, "don't think like that, we're stronger than Cas. The three of us together are unstoppable."
"According to Hera?" Beth shook her head, "I don't know anymore, Sam."
The door opened and Becca stuck her head in, "he's awake."
Both Sam and Beth followed her to the couch, where Dean was leaning over, sitting in Becca's spot on the coffee table and Cas looked at all of them shocked.
"How did I get down here? This place is invisible to angels." He questioned.
"And demons, and Olympians." Beth replied and knelt by the couch. Cas sat up slowly, inching closer to her and Beth stared into his bright blue eyes. "Why did they do that?"
"What?" Dean spoke up. "Who?"
"To get to you, to see what you are capable of," Cas replied and he continued to stare, "I could feel you in my head, I felt the repairs you made to my brain."
"I think I left a few screws loose," Beth replied and felt him grab her hand.
"You don't understand, Elizabeth, if they find out, they'll know how to get to you." Cas' concern was touching but Beth just shook her head.
"No one is getting to me, Castiel, certainly not any demigod wanna-bes." He watched her stand and walk over to the counter.
"The East Winds did this to you?" Dean spoke up and Cas nodded. "How did they get the jump on you?"
"In a group, they are powerful, alone they are just like any other human," Cas explained, and his sight turned on Beth once more, "but you have to understand, none of them are as strong as she is."
"So, what," Dean whispered, "you got your ass handed to you to see what they could do?"
"It was the only way to truly understand the extent of their powers." Cas agreed and Beth rolled her eyes. "The only problem is, they can use their telepathy much like you can, Beth, but as a group they become one mind."
"Oh, we've been working on that problem," Beth smiled and glanced at Dean, who gave her a 'not the right time' kind of look, which made the smile widen. "My question to you, Castiel, are they the ones controlling the Olympians?"
"That was still unclear, but there is something going on. The one that I did manage to interrogate said something about a gathering of more in a town called Hyde Park." Beth shook her head at the mention of the name and Becca stood straight.
"That son of a bitch!" Sam heard Beth mumble under her breath.
"What?" Dean inquired, sitting up straighter.
"The asylum, the one that I busted Crowley out of," she looked over at him, "it was in Hyde Park."
"You need to get rid of him, Beth," Cas suggested.
"Ya think?" She snapped sarcastically.
"Can't I just gank the bastard and have it be done?" Dean grumbled.
"He's the King of Hell, Dean," Cas answered, which got a smile from Becca as Dean rolled his eyes as if to say he knew.
"I think it's time to send the demon on his way." Beth sighed and looked at the people in the room, but she stopped and stared at Cas. "You, you're kind of stuck here for now. The wards are up, there is no in or out for you unless Becca opens a hole, but knowing what we do about the East Winds now, I think you're better off to stay put."
"Agreed." Cas sighed, laying back on the couch, which was the easiest answer Beth had gotten all night.
"Now we just have to think of something for Crowley." Sam glanced between Dean and Beth and noticed the stares before Beth turned to him.
"I think I have an idea." And, Sam never liked the outcome when Beth said that.
Beth stepped outside into the darkness, her breath evident against in the light. The nights were getting closer and the smell of fall was in the air. However, she wasn't out there to enjoy the New York nights, she was beyond mad, at Dean, at Sam, hell even at Becca and she needed some time. That much needed moment was squashed as she heard his footsteps on the frosted ground behind her.
"You shouldn't have done that, Beth." Dean's voice was full of hostility but the one inside Beth's mind was teasing her, and she drew in a good amount of the cold air before she turned to face the man behind her.
Dean stood there, in all his pent-up glory, his arms crossed over his chest staring down at her with some kind of "my way, or the highway" look on his face and she shook her head. This might be harder than she thought.
"It needed to be done." She replied, her face void of all emotions. "I'm going to Crowley, I'm going to find these bastards and I'm going to put an end to it."
"You broke his heart, is that really how you want to leave it?" Dean growled. Just the thought of hurting Sam made her eyes glisten, but she squared her shoulders and pulled the keys out of her pocket. "You can't go off and fight this alone."
"And I don't need you saving my ass every time I walk out the door." She snapped. "This is not a healthy relationship, you and I. I have nothing to offer you except heartbreak. We can never be together, Dean, you know this as much as I do. The only logical next step is going to him and doing what he and I do best."
"Bloodshed, more innocent lives lost." Dean stepped closer, probably not the best step in the ingenious acting gig they had thought up. "You are not that monster anymore."
"I have always been a monster, no matter which way you slice it." Again, with the pie jokes, but Dean tried to ignore it. "Stay here, take care of Sam, hell, live out your last days on this little piece of heaven, but don't you dare try to follow me."
"And if I do?" He questioned, grabbing her arm. Beth closed her eyes, hoping her acting was just as good as she hoped as she swirled to face him and slapped him square across the cheek.
"I told you to never grab me like that again." Dean released her, his hand dropping to his side as she opened the car door. "I mean it, Dean, try to find me and I promise, what I do to you will be worse than anything you can ever imagine."
Beth slipped into the Mustang, swung it around and took off down the road, disappearing into the night. Dean closed his eyes, praying she stayed safe for the moment and moved back inside the bunker. Once passed the wards, he opened his mind to her and glanced at Sam who stood just by the opening with the crossbow in hand.
"Tell me you got something, Bee," he spoke quietly aloud as he stared at his brother.
"He took it," she replied. "The grove between the Oaks."
"I hate that place," Dean growled as the two men made their way to the Impala. "Why did she have to pick that place?"
"The Dryads." Sam spoke up, raising his brow, and Dean nodded. "She couldn't have picked a safer place, they won't let anything happen to her."
"We can hope."
Sam smiled at him as they slowly made their way down the road. "Nice acting by the way."
"Shut up!" Dean gave him a nasty look, but a little grin hid underneath it.
Beth stood against the hood of the car, her ankles and arms crossed as she looked down at the grass before her. The trees that stood as a way into the field were in her line of sight, purposely chosen for the guardians inside. She hadn't meant to be so violent, but there was just something that set her off about, well, everything.
"You called?" Crowley questioned as he stepped towards her, hands in the pockets of his black jacket.
"I didn't actually," Beth replied and looked up at him. "I didn't ask for any of this and now, you've come and all hell is breaking loose."
"King of it, sweetheart," he smiled.
"Oh don't give me that "I'm the King of Hell" horseshit, Crowley!" She growled. "If it wasn't for me, you'd still be rotting in that lunatic asylum."
"And I thank you every day from the bottom of my black heart for what you did, but you had no part in my rising to the top." He stopped less than two feet from her.
"Why did you come back?"
"Curiosity."
"Why have you stayed?"
"To see where my black-haired angel goes next."
"I'm not an angel and you know it."
"I'm sorry," he laughed, "a North Wind, the stuff of legends and the last of your kind."
"Oh, see finally I'm getting where you're going with this whole friendly business." Beth nodded, "what do you want?"
"Just you, in all your hunter glory." Crowley smirked.
"And if I said you can't have me, what would you do then?"
"Go after the two, no three things you love the most," he gave her a devilish smile, "Becca seemed happy to see me."
"By the time you poofed your way out of there, she had ten wards up to make sure you never stepped back in."
"So what are you doing out here all alone?" Beth glanced around as she stood up straight, moving away from the car.
"Why are the East Winds headed to the same place I freed you from?" She questioned and watched him smile.
"So Castiel is alive."
"Barely," Beth said painfully as she stared up at him, her thoughts filled with horrible images of when the angel first arrived, just in case he was poking around in there.
"They need it for the spell they are casting, on you," he smiled.
"What? One lonely little girl too much for a hoard of East Winds to take care of without magic?" She laughed. "So they need the last place I spilled blood?"
"Not just any blood," he cocked his head to smile at her, "your blood, and the blood of anything you slaughtered. One potent, evil, rage-filled mix of pure hell."
"My blood?" Beth laughed. "Get me a map, I can point out every location I've dripped in from here to California and back."
"But not with the same passion." Crowley's words were starting to make sense. A North Wind with that much blood on her hands couldn't be good for the whole "protection of the world" deal that they were working on. "Ah, there's that angry look I remember." He leaned down, almost touching his forehead to hers. "I can help you stop it."
"I don't want your help, Crowley. I think you've done enough." She stared up at him, her blue eyes blazing with rage. "I think you told them where to find it."
"I would never put you in that kind of danger, Angel." She expected him to touch her, anything so she could break his arm, but he just took a few steps back. "I would do anything for you."
"Go down there and burn it to the ground." She suggested but he shook his head.
"That I can't do."
"You said anything, Crowley." She leaned back once more against the car.
"It's not that easy when my blood is in the mix, sweetheart." Beth stopped and thought about it for a moment. He was right. They had tortured him within an inch of his miserable demonic life but his blood coated the floor of that room. "If I step foot there, I'm in the mix and I don't think our boys would find that very amusing, would you?"
"Our boys?" She laughed and shook her head. "They would put you down in a second just for standing here with me."
"I don't think so, you see the Winchesters and I go way back," she watched as he looked up at the sky, smiling as if stuck in a pleasant memory. "By the way, where are your protectors now, Angel?"
"Right where they should be." Beth looked up as an arm came around Crowley's neck, blade in hand and the tip touched right at his jugular. "See the best part of being a threesome with the two best hunters in the world is, we don't have to communicate verbally."
"So your little lover's spat?" Crowley laughed as Dean peeked his head around to tighten the hold he had on the demon. Sam came around the back side of the Mustang with Beth's crossbow in hand.
"Staged, I could feel you nearby," Beth whispered, stepping closer, "Dean was right, I do hate you for my past, but I do protect you, and that's why you're going to do me the biggest solid ever."
"What's that, Princess?" He grumbled.
"You're going to go away and leave me be." Crowley smiled. "You won't touch my family, and you won't interfere, because if you do, I will find you and I will put that blade so far down your throat it will come out your tail end. Or, you can go destroy that building, your choice."
"I said I would do whatever you needed, but the building I can't do," he shrugged, "I can't, however, make any guarantees that I won't be back though."
"It doesn't matter, because I'll be waiting." Beth watched as he disappeared from the hold Dean had on him.
"Are you really going to kill him the next time you see him?" Dean questioned, sheathing the blade as he stepped up to her. Beth shook her head as she looked away. "Hey," he whispered, getting her attention back, "I get that the two of you had…whatever kind of dysfunctional friendship that was, but Beth, he's bad news."
"Says the man who used him to help stop the end of the world." Beth leaned back against the car, Sam stepped up beside her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close as Dean reached out and touched her cheek. "I thought I was done being angry, feeling that rage, but now I have to go back and do it all again, with things that I haven't even met."
"The East Winds are going to use this against you, you don't have a choice." Sam could feel her shake against him. "We'll do what we have to, Beth, no matter what."
"You can't have that kind of blood on your hands, Sam." She spoke up and stepped away, turning to the two of them. "We go down, we shut it down and then we burn it down, no one needs to get hurt."
"And if they do?" Dean questioned.
"Let me be the one to do it." She begged and watched as the brothers exchanged glances. "This isn't up for discussion."
"We'll see," Dean kissed her on the head as he walked by into the darkness to where the Impala sat. Beth shook her head as she looked over at Sam, who just stared.
"Come on, let's go check on Cas and Becca." Sam took her hand and pulled her to the car, kissing her lightly on the lips before she slipped inside, hit the lights and revved the engine. Sam slid into the passenger's seat and Beth rolled carefully out of the field, trying hard not to disturb the grass. She reached out and touched the tree on the way by and the gunned the car as she chased after the taillights of the Impala. "Are you going to race him?"
"Nah, I think I've kicked him enough the last few days." Beth shrugged, "getting beaten by a Ford would just set him off in a whole different way."
"Why is it that he can feel some of your emotions and I can feel others?" Beth shrugged, watching the road.
"Maybe it's the rawness of it, but you know you can feel more than he can."
Sam rubbed his lips and smiled at her. "You didn't have to play drunk to get me into the bathroom."
"Oh I wasn't playing, that really is what it does to me." She grinned and watched the color change on his face as she reached over and gave his thigh a little squeeze. When they pulled into the drive, Dean was waiting by the car, his usual stance was replaced by his head being down on the roof of the car. "Is he okay?"
"I don't know, guess we're just going to have to ask," but Beth didn't like the way that Sam was grinning as the two of them walked up to Dean.
Beth touched his arm softly and was completely thrown off guard as Dean wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her wholeheartedly on the lips. Sam's smile widened as he turned and made his way into the bunker, leaving them alone.
When Dean backed away it was only to give them enough room to breathe and he stared into her eyes. "I needed that."
"I'm sorry," she whispered against his lips. Dean nodded as he kissed her softly once again.
"You're so not sorry for earlier," he smiled as his hand traveled to grasp her backside, "and the fact that my brother left me out here with you, still throws me off."
"We need to go in and check on Cas, Dean," but her tone just wasn't as demanding as she wanted. He nodded, placing his forehead against hers before slowly letting her go.
With his hand in hers, the two walked it to the bunker. At the bottom of the ladder, Beth glanced over at Sam, exchanging knowing smiles and Dean made his way over to where Cas paced, staring up at the weapons on the wall.
"They're gathering because of the blood that was split in the building," he told the angel. Cas looked over at Beth, who was just slipping her arms around Sam's waist, and he sighed.
"Should they succeed, I have no idea what will happen to her," Cas spoke softly, "the outcome could be catastrophic."
"So we do something about it."
"I agree."
"Tomorrow, we leave for Hyde Park," Dean announced and turned towards Beth and Sam, "together."