Hey, guys!!. I am back with a brand new chapter. I'm so, so sorry about such a late update. I am working on quite a few stories now so this one got pushed aside a little. I am planning on getting back to doing more regular updates. This is the last chapter before going into In the beginning.

-x- -x-

"Cover each other and aim careful. Don't run out of ammo until I'm done or they'll shred you. Ready?."

I nod, swallowing hard, tightening my grip on my shotgun, trying my hardest to stop my heart from bursting free from my chest watching Bobby turn the handle, opening the door to the panic room, fully expecting another pissed off spirit waiting for us on the other side.

Seeing nothing is only making me feel worse not better, making me want to run back in the panic room regardless of my fear of basements. I instinctively move in between my two brothers, needing to feel both of them protecting me even if Sammy is the baby of the family.

"Oh great, another one," I muttered under my breath, us having turned round the corner, moving to the stairs leading up to the first floor, seeing the figure sat on the top step, his head down, staring at his hands.

And just like with Henriksen and Meg, I automatically remember him, all the trouble he had caused in that bank, convinced a skinwalker was some kind of Cyberman rip-off. Even though I hadn't exactly liked him much, I feel an instant spike of guilt, knowing he was another person we could have saved.

"Hey, Dean. You remember me?."

"Ronald?. Huh?. With the laser eyes?. I wish I could say it's good to see you," Dean said, smiling slightly.

"I am dead because of you. You were supposed to HELP ME!," Ronald yelled, his form suddenly vanishing.

"If you're gonna shoot, shoot. Don't talk," Bobby said, him having been the cause of Ronald's spirit disappearing, having opened fire, shooting it.

"Umm, can I just say I never liked that guy. Laser eyes indeed!," I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

-x-

"Upstairs. Linen closet. Red hex box. It'll be heavy," Bobby explained, the three of us setting up the living room for the spell, the fire being lit, a thick circle of salt getting laid out on the floor.

"Got it," Sam nodded, leaving the room fast, heading upstairs.

"Bobby."

"Crap," I mumbled, seeing two little girls suddenly appear in the room, clearly yet more hacked off ghosts, someone Bobby failed to save feeling my heart sink, them looking so young.

I act first, opening fire on them, their forms vanishing, it being impossible not to notice how my hands suddenly seem to be trembling.

"Kitchen. Cutlery drawer. It's got a false bottom. Hemlock, opium, wormwood."

"Opium?," Dean questioned Bobby, raising an eyebrow.

"Go!."

"Bobby. You walked right by us...while that monster ate us all up. You could have saved us."

"Go away," I said angrily, opening fire on them a second time then running to Bobby's side.

Suddenly, the doors to the kitchen slam shut making me jump, running to them, trying to open them, dropping my gun, finding they won't budge.

"DEAN!," I cried, slamming my fists on the wood.

"I'm all right. AJ, I'm fine. Bobby, keep working," Dean shouted through the doors.

"You'd better be or I'll kick your damn ass."

I bend down picking up my gun running back to Bobby, helping him with drawing the symbol he needed to complete the ritual. I hear the doors suddenly open, my automatic response being to raise my shotgun, pointing it right at my two brothers seeing they're both okay letting out a heavy sigh, lowering it a little.

Then my eyes land on the figure stood on the other side of the desk, my hands shaking, nearly losing my grip on my weapon, him staring at me.

"R...Ronald. I'm...I'm sorry. I...I thought..."

"Yeah, you did. I'm gonna eat you alive, AJ," he said, grinning.

"Come on. My sister isn't a cheeseburger," Dean said, going to open fire on Ronald, his spirit suddenly vanishing.

"I don't like this," I said moving closer to him, looking around the room, seeing we're alone, no ghosts anywhere.

Suddenly, all the windows in the room fly open, a massive gust of wind blowing in, hitting the circle of salt, trying to blow it away. And one after another, the ghosts of Meg, Henriksen and Ronald appear, us shooting at them, sending them away, Bobby busy with the incantation, starting the spell.

Eventually, I end up out of ammo, dropping my shotgun, my hand moving to the back of my pants, pulling out the weapon I have concealed there, just managing to drive it through Meg's ghost, sending her away, breathing heavily.

"SAM!," Dean shouted, Sam having been pinned up against the wall by Bobby's desk, having been moved there by Henriksen.

"Cover Bobby," Sam grunted, struggling to get free.

"Oh no, you don't," I yelled running towards Bobby, driving my blade through Meg's back, making her vanish, her hand having been through his back, grabbing onto his heart.

And Dean just about manages to catch the bowl Bobby was holding, him losing grip of it.

"Fireplace!."

I automatically shield my eyes, bright blue light flooding through the room, Dean having chucked the bowl's contents on the fire. When it dies out, all the ghosts have vanished, the spell having worked. I slip the knife back into my pants dropping to my knees, helping Bobby sit up, rubbing his back, my brothers then helping him up.

"Where...the hell did you get that knife from?," Dean asked, breathing quite heavily.

"A friend. Figured I'd need it," I shrugged, resting against the table, getting my own breath back.

We may have stopped what happened, put all those spirits back to rest, but why am I feeling like this is the beginning of something a lot bigger?.

-x-

The sound of rustling wings disturbs me, making me roll over from my back onto my side, my eyes automatically landing on the figure stood over by the window. It may be dark, but I can still see the intenseness of his blue stare, feeling yet again like he was looking into my very soul.

I clamber out of bed, my hands finding my robe, pulling it on doing up the tie, walking slowly over to him yet again questioning why I felt this need to be close to him.

"Excellent job with the witnesses."

"Wait, you...knew what was going on?."

"I was, umm, made aware."

"Oh, great. Thanks so much for your angelic assistance. You know, me and my brothers nearly died tonight, Bobby nearly died. I almost got my damn heart ripped out," I said a little angrily, trembling.

"But you didn't."

"Well, that's a comfort. I thought angels were supposed to be guardians as well as warriors. If you truly are such a thing, then why didn't you fight, huh?."

"I'm not here to perch on your shoulder. We had larger concerns."

"You're kidding me!. People were dying down here. I mean...what exactly is God waiting for before he sends you to help us humans?. What, genocide?. Monsters roaming the earth?. The freakin' apocalypse?. At what point does he decide to actually lift his finger and help his damn creations?. And don't even think about saying he works in mysterious ways or I will punch you in the face."

I take a long, deep breath, turning away from him, closing my eyes, trying to calm myself down knowing losing it with an angel was a bad idea.

"Okay...okay, so Bobby was right about the witnesses. This is a sign, isn't it?."

"That's why we're here. Big things afoot."

"What things?. Wait, do I really wanna know?," I asked, turning back round to face him.

"I sincerely doubt it, but you need to know. The Rising of the Witnesses is one of the 66 seals."

"Seals?. Like...locks?."

"That is correct. Those seals are being broken by Lilith," Castiel said, his stare moving back to me.

"Of course, who else?. She did the spell, rose the witnesses."

"Mm-hm. And not just here. Twenty other hunters are dead."

"She picked victims who couldn't be saved. So they would barrel right after us."

"Lilith has a certain sense of humour."

"But we put those spirits back to rest."

"Doesn't matter, the seal was broken."

"So...what do all these seals keep locked up?," I asked moving closer to him, staring at him just as intensely as he's staring at me.

"Lucifer."

I automatically take a few steps away from him, my hand moving over my mouth, shaking my head. And I end up tripping falling onto my back on the floor, scrambling up fast then flopping down on the bed finding he's moved away from the window, him moving closer to me this time.

"No. No, I don't believe you. Lucifer, he...he can't be real."

"He's as real as me. Why do you think we're here walking among you now for the first time in 2000 years?."

"To stop Lucifer," I whispered, getting up off the bed.

"It's why we've arrived."

"Well...bang-up job so far. Stellar work with the witnesses. It's nice."

"We tried. There are other battles. Other seals. Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one we lost."

I snort, shaking my head, turning away from him. The next thing I know, I'm up against the wall, his hands gripping my shoulders making me automatically struggle, seeing the cold, intense look in his blue eyes. And for the first time, I feel fear for an angel.

"Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of heaven should just follow you around?. There's a bigger picture here. You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of hell. I can throw you back in."

I wake up with a gasp finding I'm back in bed, the room light instead of dark. It must have been a dream or at least a visitation to my dream world. I know I should be scared and I am, knowing now what Lilith's plan is, that she wants to unleash Lucifer on the world.

So why am I thinking solely of the way Castiel touched me even if it was far from gentle?.

-x- -x-

Even though this is a slowburn, there may be tiny moments between Cas and AJ so he will be slightly OOC.