A/N - Just to let you all know, I'm gonna split this episode into 2 chapters because it's long enough as it is and I don't want to keep you waiting any longer.

"Bethany."

Beth turned quickly at the sound of her name and found Lucifer standing in the doorway. A strange mix of hope and relief filled Beth at the sight of the archangel.

"Is this a dream? Is that how you've been speaking to me?" She asked, glancing around the room that was identical to the one she'd fallen asleep in.

"I can't find you, obviously," he started and gestured to her ribs, where the Enochian sigils were craved into the bones. "So yes, I'm contacting you through your dreams."

"What do you want?"

"It's time for you to urge your kind out of hiding," Lucifer explained. He walked over and sat down beside her on the bed.

"Out of hiding?" Beth echoed, confused.

"The ones you've met already were created by the fallen angels," he told her softly. "The ones in hiding were created by the archangels in Heaven and my Father."

"Why are they hiding?"

"They are afraid of my brothers and sisters. They're afraid they'll be cut down the moment they show their faces."

"How am I supposed to convince them to come out of hiding?" Beth asked, feeling sympathetic towards the ones she supposed could be classed as family. She knew how violent and intimidating the angels could be. "I can't even control my powers."

Lucifer set a heavy hand on her knee, curling his fingers around the bone. "You are descended from the very first Nephilim created by the other archangels and Father, they will know who you are and will bow down immediately. If any of them questions your authority, you will show them why they should bend a knee to you."

"…How?"

"If you believe you can do it, it will be done." Lucifer stood back up, staring down at her. "Just believe, Beth. You have it in you."

"I'll try my best."

"I know you will." His lips twitched into the tiniest hint of a smile. "It's time to wake up, Beth. You have work to do."

Lucifer snapped his fingers and Beth was sent flying back to consciousness.

Beth snapped awake with a gasp, her eyelids flying open as she shot into a sitting position. She glanced around wildly, wondering where she was until her eyes landed on Castiel and she realized she was in Bobby's guest room and the angel was staring back at her in concern.

"Are you alright?"

"I-I… I think so," she said finally, rubbing at her forehead. She looked back up at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Dean, Sam and Bobby are downstairs," Cas explained. "Two women called Ellen and Jo are also here. They seem eager to meet you."

"Oh. Good. I guess it's because I'll be the first Nephilim they've ever seen?" Beth asked rhetorically. Castiel nodded in confirmation.

"Yes. Jo seems under the impression you'll have wings and a halo, like a normal angel," he told her as she slipped off the bed and walked over to him. "I don't think she understands what a Nephilim really is."

"I guess we should go and show her then," Beth murmured. She was about to walk past him when his hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her arm. Her eyes snapped up to meet his.

"How long have you been having dreams about my brother?" Castiel asked softly. Beth flinched at the blunt question. She shrugged and looked to the door in an attempt to escape his unrelenting gaze. "Bethany…"

"A while… since Becky caught us kissing," she admitted finally. "He wants me to find the rest of my kind, to convince them to come out of hiding."

"Are you going to do it?"

Beth had to blink back the sudden urge to cry. "I don't know what to do. If I help him, I risk the lives of the other Nephilim against the archangels in heaven and it gives him the advantage and I lose all trust and respect I've gotten from Sam and Dean and Bobby and…and you. But if I don't help him, he'll kill me and the others. I-I don't know what to do, Cas."

"I understand, trying to decide which path to follow is always difficult," Castiel started, still holding onto her arm. "I also know how tempting my brother can be. After he fell, he spoke to all of us. His words were poisonous and sometimes cruel but they were also so very tempting. I, myself, had often found myself listening to him when I shouldn't have been. I suspect I would've been swayed by his words had it not been for Ariel and my old friend Balthazar."

"My brothers don't understand what it's like. They don't trust me as much as they did before I said I wanted to go back to Lucifer. Dean looks at me differently, he thinks I haven't noticed but how can I not? He watches me like a hawk and sometimes… sometimes I think he's afraid of me." Beth looked down, tears finally spilling from her eyes.

"If it helps, I'm not afraid of you," Castiel murmured, he brought his hands up and carefully brushed away her tears.

"Yeah. Yeah, that does help," she admitted and sent him a small smile. She dragged the sleeve of her hoodie across her eyes. "I don't think I can ever thank you enough for dealing with my, and my brothers, crap. There's Jesse too, I know how difficult it is for you to be around him. It's just not exactly an easy thing to deal with especially when you're new to the whole emotions thing."

"We help each other," Cas told her with a crooked smile.

Beth returned his smile and twisted her arm to take his hand. She led him out the door and towards the stairs so she could go down and meet the famous 'Ellen and Jo'.

The second Beth walked into the living room with Castiel still holding her hand, she was practically ambushed in a hug by a tall woman with dark blonde hair and dark green eyes.

"Wow. Uh, hello," Beth forced out, trying not to choke as the older woman's arms tightened around her neck.

"It's good to meet ya, Beth," the woman replied as she pulled back and clasped her hands on Beth's shoulders instead. "Dean just finished telling us about you. I'm sorry about your mom and Adam."

"It's fine, thank you." Beth smiled reassuringly up at her. "You must be Ellen."

"That's me," Ellen confirmed, returning her smile readily. Ellen steered Beth in the direction of the kitchen by her shoulder. Beth continued to hold onto Cas' hand tightly. "This is my daughter, Joanna-Beth."

Beth smiled in amusement at Jo's full name. She reached out and shook Jo's hand. "It's nice to meet you. Sam's told me about that H.H. Holmes case you worked with them a couple years back, you were really brave."

"It wasn't that big a deal," Jo said, embarrassed. The older blonde's cheeks turned a light pink. "Everyone calls me Jo, by the way."

Beth grinned briefly at Jo before she turned slightly to talk to Sam, Dean and Bobby who were all by the fridge, watching the introductions with amused eyes. Ellen joined the conversation as well. Jo moved towards the fridge to get a bottle of beer when her eyes flickered down and caught sight of Beth and Castiel inconspicuously holding hands. The interlocked limbs were hidden in between the two of them. The blonde woman smirked slightly and continued on her path to get a beer, deciding she'd talk to Beth about it later and she wouldn't tell Beth's brothers, knowing full well how overprotective the two Winchester boys were.

"So, Beth," Jo started, smiling gently at the teenager. She'd been waiting until she could get Beth alone before she tried to bring up what she'd witnessed the Nephilim and the angel doing before. "Are you involved with anyone?"

Beth choked on a mouthful of water and she turned to stare at Jo with wide eyes. "W-why would you ask me something like that?"

"I saw you and Castiel before. Holding hands," Jo explained quietly, glancing towards the door as Sam passed by.

"I won't deny that there's something between me and him but I don't fully know what it is yet," Beth replied hesitantly. "You won't tell my brothers, will you? I don't want to give Dean another reason to get angry with me."

"My lips are sealed," Jo promised, squeezing Beth's arm. A mischievous smile crossed the blonde's face. "So, give me the details."

"…What do you wanna know?" Beth asked.

"Have you guys kissed? Or did you jump straight into the sack?" Jo asked bluntly. Beth's cheeks turned bright red and she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear.

"We, uh, we've actually done both," Beth replied, her cheeks turning bright pink. "I really like him, y'know? I…I think Cas is the first guy I've ever really cared about."

"Hey, Beth!" Dean's sudden shout from the kitchen had the two females jumping in surprise and they both quickly turned to see him standing by the kitchen table. "I wanna talk to you, c'mon!"

"I best go see what he wants," Beth said, sharing a smile with Jo as she set her glass down on the table and stood up. She headed into the kitchen and Dean held a hand out to her, Beth took it and allowed her brother to drag her out the back door.

"What do you wanna talk about?" Beth asked her brother as they stopped at an old car far enough away from the house that no one should be able to eavesdrop on them.

"Anything you want," Dean said, sitting on the trunk of the rusted green car.

"Anything?" Beth repeated dubiously. Dean nodded in confirmation, a small smile crossing his face as Beth frowned in response.

"We might as well, who knows what will happen tomorrow?" Dean asked rhetorically.

"This is about dad, isn't it?" Beth sat down beside him. "You want me to tell you if what I said about dad is true. Did Sammy put you up to this?"

"Okay, maybe Sam convinced me to talk to you," Dean started, meeting his eyes. "But I was planning on it eventually."

Beth's lips twitched in amusement as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against Dean's side. "I know dad meant a lot to you, Dean and don't get me wrong, he meant a lot to me too. I love our dad, but I-I just feel like it's his fault, y'know? If he had just told us what he did for a living, then maybe we could've done something to protect ourselves from the ghouls. I could've kept mom and Adam safe."

"Beth, what happened to Kate and Adam wasn't your fault," Dean told her softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Then why do I feel so guilty that I survived and they didn't?" Beth asked quietly. Dean sighed sadly and wrapped his other arm around her, hugging her tightly.

"It's okay. I've got you," Dean promised, pressing a kiss to her hair. "I'm always gonna be here when you need me."

"I know you will. I'm here for you too," Beth murmured. She huddled deeper into Dean's warmth, knowing that she would always be safe in her big brother's arms. Nothing could possibly harm her when she had Dean to protect her.

"You're gonna stay behind tomorrow when me, Sam and Jo go to that demon Crowley's house, okay? Bobby, Ellen and Jesse are staying behind too," Dean said, though it was clear by his tone that there was no point in arguing with him because he wouldn't budge on the matter. "I mean, I need someone to keep those heathens under control."

He nudged Beth lightly a grin lighting up his face as Beth burst out laughing, staring up at him with bright hazel eyes. His sister tightened her arms around him, resting her cheek on his shoulder as he started laughing too, his body shaking slightly in her grasp.

"You're such an idiot," Beth whispered, though it lacked any heat and Dean caught on to the fond note in her voice almost immediately.

"It takes one to know one, little sister," Dean replied. He rubbed her arm gently, moving his gaze away from her and staring up at the sky instead.

Almost an hour had passed since Beth and Dean had gone outside to talk, and now they were just sitting on the trunk of the car in silence, enjoying each other's company.

"Hey, Dean?" Beth asked hesitantly, breaking the peaceful silence.

Dean turned his head to look down at her. "What's up?"

Beth almost lost her nerve as she met Dean's patient, curious green eyes. "I… Are you afraid of me? Of what I am, I mean."

Dean looked completely taken off guard at her questions. He also looked hurt that she would think such a thing and Beth was almost immediately overcome with guilt.

"I was at first," Dean admitted. Beth's face fell and then clouded over with hurt. Dean winced, realising how bad that had sounded. "You're misunderstanding me here, princess. I wasn't afraid of you, I was afraid of what it meant for you. So many people want to use you as a weapon and I'm scared that you're gonna end up hurt or… or dead. I'm still afraid of what's gonna happen. I just want to keep you safe. You're my sister, I will never be afraid of you, Beth. I love you for who you are not what you can do."

"…Thanks, Dean," Beth whispered, feeling touched by his words. She leaned against his side and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You haven't been thinking I'm afraid of you, have you?" Dean asked seriously, before a grin settled on his face as Beth started trying to stutter out a response. "I'm just messing with you, Beth. Besides, we all know I could kick your ass without breaking a sweat," Dean teased. Beth pushed him gently, grumbling about what an asshole he was under her breath.

"You wanna put that to the test?" Beth asked, sliding off the car and cracking her neck. "Let's see who can kick whose ass."

"Okay, you're on," Dean agreed, hopping off the car. "But no teleporting or whatever else it is that you can do."

"Fine. I don't need my angel side to beat you anyway," Beth said, shrugging carelessly.

"You keep telling yourself that, shorty," Dean snorted.

"Hey! I am not short, I'm fun sized," Beth argued, sending Dean a playful glare. A second later she charged at him and their play fight to see who would win began.

Sam, Dean, Castiel and Jo left early the next morning, before the sun had even begun to rise. The four of them had disappeared while the others slept, Bobby was on the couch while Ellen was in his room, Beth took the guest room as per usual and Jesse was in Sam and Dean's shared room.

Beth was the first one to wake up, though she just lay there in bed for about half an hour, thinking about the events of the past few months and the looming apocalypse. She just didn't understand why the weight of every single human life on earth had been placed on the shoulders of her and the rest of her small family. They all had roles to play in Michael and Lucifer's upcoming death match but they hadn't chosen them, why was it fair that they were being forced into those roles? She wouldn't wish it on anyone else, but she couldn't help but wish that it wasn't her family that was right in the middle of all this insanity. Though, she supposed if it had been anyone else in their position, they would've been thinking the same thing.

She sighed heavily as she pushed back the duvet and slipped out of the bed. She stopped briefly to pull a loose sweater on and pat down her hair before she headed down the hall and down the staircase.

Bobby was in the kitchen with Ellen when Beth walked in, the two adults were chatting quietly amongst themselves as they sipped occasionally at luke-warm coffee. Ellen looked up when she heard Beth's footsteps and the older female smiled politely.

"Hey Beth, how'd ya sleep?"

"Dreamless. Which is a first," Beth admitted as she reached eagerly for the fresh pot of coffee and poured herself a generous amount of the dark liquid. She poured in a little milk and stirred it quickly before sitting at the table and taking a small sip from the faded green mug. "How about yourself?"

"Not too bad," Ellen replied. "Came down this morning to find Bobby here snoring away like a monster truck engine." The two women shared an amused grin as Bobby starting sputtering in indignation. "Calm down, old man. You know I'm just messing with you."

"Damn women," Bobby grumbled under his breath, though his voice lacked any heat.

"Love you too, Bobby," Beth smiled into her cup of coffee. "Have you heard from Sam or Dean yet?"

"Jo called about an hour ago, said they were almost there. They're gonna wait till dark before they go in for the Colt," Ellen explained.

"I hope they'll be okay," Beth murmured softly. Ellen smiled and reached out to squeeze the brunette's hand.

"They're both as stubborn as each other," Bobby input. "They'll be fine. Besides, Jo will kick their asses if they do anything stupid."

Beth finished her coffee and washed her cup out before sticking it back in the cupboard. "I'm gonna for a walk, explore the property."

"There's an old barn out back if you have a look in there," Bobby said. Beth nodded and bid them both goodbye as she left the room, heading for the back door.

A little while later, Beth found herself in Bobby's old barn sitting cross-legged on the dirty ground as she carefully riffled through a box full of old photo albums. She pulled one out that had a label with the name 'Property of Karen Singer' on it in neat cursive writing.

She slowly opened the album, the first picture she saw was of a woman with dark blonde hair and light blue eyes next to a slightly younger version of Bobby. The woman was smiling widely, while Bobby's smile was smaller and more reserved. Photo-Bobby had an arm around the woman's waist and she had hers around his shoulders. Under the photo was the caption 'Bobby + Karen's engagement party'.

"Wow. I never knew Bobby was engaged," Beth whispered as she turned the page. The next one was clearly taken on Bobby and Karen's wedding day as Karen was wearing an elegant white dress and Bobby was in a suit. They had bridesmaids and best men on either side of them.

"Hey Cas," Beth smiled as she heard the flutter of wings and then Cas was lowering himself to sit beside her. "What are you doing back so soon?"

"The demon Crowley's home is warded against angels," he explained. "I told Dean the location of his house and came back here. What are you looking at?"

"Bobby and his wife's wedding album," Beth explained, holding it out to show him the picture she'd been looking at. "I didn't know he had a wife."

"Ah yes, Karen Singer," Castiel said in understanding. His eyes flickered back up to meet Beth's. "She was possessed by a demon and Bobby killed her. It happened before he knew about hunting."

"That's so sad," Beth whispered, glancing back down at the album. She gently closed the album and cradled it against her chest. "We should head back inside and start discussing a plan, seeing as we're gonna try and kill the devil and all."

Castiel nodded and stood up, extending a hand to her. Beth took it, still cradling the album to her as she was pulled to her feet and the two of them left the barn, walking slowly towards the house.