Dean had come back without Sam, determined that he was never going to see his brother again. After everything they'd been through together, he turned his back on his family and headed out with that bitch, Ruby! Dean couldn't fight him anymore, he didn't want to. He just had to make it to Lilith first and stop this before Sam royally screwed it up for the rest of humanity.

He'd gotten in late the night before and crashed out on Bobby's couch, years of practise helping him force his head to shut off and he got a few hours sleep. He'd woken up to find Bobby still awake and Amy nowhere to be seen. He stretched, cracking his back and rubbing his face, feeling like he'd not been to sleep at all.

"Where's Amy?" He asked before Bobby could say anything.

"Upstairs." Bobby replied, "Found her after you'd gone after Sam in the basement. She was unconscious, I think Sam must have done a number on her because when she came to she ran upstairs and locked herself in. Can't get her to come out." Dean nodded slowly, pushing himself off the small sofa. Anything to get his mind off his little brother, who was paired up with some demon bitch as they spoke.

"I'll get her. Then we can get to work on this damned apocalypse." He muttered, heading out of the room and swiftly up the stairs. He could hear her moving about inside her room so he knocked a couple of times.

"Amy!" He barked, grumpy and hurt, "Come on, stop sulking. Sam can't have done that much to ya!" The movement stopped but she didn't reply. He frowned as the door didn't open, that didn't seem right. He tried to open the door but it was locked, "Amy, are you okay?" He asked, now becoming worried. He tensed up, ready to barge the door open when she did it herself, appearing with her eyes filled with tears and one hand over her mouth like she was about to cry.

"Oh, he didn't do that much to you." Dean dismissed, unable to see any injuries on her. In fact, as his gaze ran up her, he couldn't see any reason why she'd be hiding. Then he noticed it. She wasn't about to cry, she was crying. Her shoulders were shaking, she should have been filling the hallway with her sobs, but she was silent, "Why aren't you talking?" She lowered her hand, mouthing to him again and again.

'I'm sorry, Dean. I'm so sorry.'

~0~0~0~

"You have your voice to the angels?" Bobby raged, pacing to and fro in front of Dean and Amelia, who were sat on the couch in the study. Dean had his arm protectively around her shoulder, holding her close as she nodded, "Why the hell would you do that, Amelia?" She mouthed to him, trying to explain but the pair became increasingly frustrated. He stormed to his desk, grabbing and pad and a pen then headed back to her, practically shoving them into her hands.

'They said they'd leave Cas alone'.

"'Cas?'" Dean read out loud and she nodded, "You gave your voice up for Cas?"

'He has it. I thought he'd give it back when he felt bad.'

Bobby frowned, "Thought? As in, he won't give it back now?" She shook her head, looking like she was about to start silently crying again. She snatched the pad off her godfather.

'Where's Sam?'

Obviously she was done talking about it. Amelia didn't want to admit that she'd saved an angel who'd in turn let out Sam, betraying her and them in the process. She didn't want to have to tell them that he'd looked beyond devastated before he'd knocked her unconscious. Sam was more important, the apocalypse was imminent and Dean was here but Sam wasn't. He'd never admit it, but knowing Castiel was behind Sam getting out in the first place would deeply upset Dean and she couldn't be the one to do that.

"Sam's not coming back." Dean snapped and she shook her head, 'and why not?'

"He went off with Ruby." Bobby explained to her, "We don't know where they're heading and Dean here won't pull his head out of his ass and call him." He pointed at her, "We're not done talking 'bout this." He warned her and she nodded slowly with a roll of her eyes, like a teenager.

"I'm not calling him." Dean insisted tiredly.

"Don't make me get my gun, boy." Bobby warned and Dean stood up.

"We are damn near kick-off for Armageddon," He argued, "don't you think we got bigger fish at the moment?"

"I know you're pissed. And I'm not making apologies for what he's done, but he's your—"

"Blood?" Dean interrupted, "He's my blood, is that what you were gonna say? Cause you know that mean jack shit."

"He's your brother." Bobby corrected him, "And he's drowning."

"Bobby, I tried to help him, I did. Look what happened." Dean pointed out and Bobby shot him a confused look.

"So try again." He replied firmly

"It's too late." Dean said with a head sigh, shaking his head as he walked away and to a mirror on the wall. He didn't like what he saw, but then again he didn't like anything that was going on. How had everything fallen to crap so badly?

"There's no such thing." Bobby replied and Dean spun around.

"No, damnit!" He exclaimed angrily, before deflating, the need to scream and shout about it completely leaving him, "No." He repeated, quieter and a lot more resigned, "I gotta face the facts. Sam never wanted part of this family. He hated this life growing up. Ran away to Stanford first chance he got. Now it's like déjà vu all over again. Well, I am sick and tired of chasing him. Screw him, he can do what he wants." He sat down on the chair under the mirror and Amelia walked over, sitting on his knee. He smiled sadly as she hugged him, unable to vocalise her feeling she just tried to offer him some comfort.

"You don't mean that." Bobby snapped and Dean shook his head, looking him dead in the eyes.

"Yes I do, Bobby." He replied, "Sam's gone. He's gone. I'm not even sure if he's still my brother anymore. If he ever was." He trailed off for a moment before smiling up at his friend, ruffling her hair and she squirmed silently, "You and Amelia are all I need." Bobby turned away, leaning on his desk, both hands clenching tightly against the well-worn wood. He prided himself on being able to keep his cool under stressful situations, there was no use getting worked up when getting emotional would just lead to mistakes, but his anger was building so quickly he wasn't sure he could force it down. Dean wasn't supposed to give up on his brother, the Winchester brothers were all each other had. Their deadbeat of a father had made sure of that. Bobby had done his best to help when he could, but ultimately without each other, the boys were more doomed than they were together.

And Amelia… She liked to think herself tough, but he'd kept her as far away from the life as he could and it had made her so naïve. Naïve enough that those bastard angels took away her voice, tricking her into thinking she could help. They'd hurt her, because he knew how much her voice meant to her. His little girl.

With one large sweep, he took the entire contents of the desk clean off, it all tumbling to the floor and spun just in time to see Amelia jump in surprise. He stormed over to Dean, who also scrambled

"You stupid, stupid son of a bitch!" He ranted, startling both of them. Amelia placed a hand on her Godfather's arm but he shrugged her off, his entire focus on Dean for the moment, "Well, boo hoo, I am so sorry your feelings are hurt, princess!" Dean blinked, surprised by the use of his nickname for Amelia. He must have been pissed if he couldn't even think up another one, he never used it for anyone but Amelia, "Are you under the impression that family's supposed to make you feel good?! Make you an apple pie, maybe? They're supposed to make you miserable! That's why they're family!"

"I told him, 'you walk out that door, don't come back' and he walked out anyway!" Dean argued, "That was his choice!"

"You sound like a whiny brat." Bobby retorted and Dean rolled his eyes, storming past him to the, "No, you sound like your dad. Well, let me tell you something. Your dad was a coward."

Dean turned to him, a hard look on his face, defences up, "My dad was a lot of things, Bobby, but a coward?"

"He'd rather push Sam away than reach out to him." Bobby argued, and Amelia couldn't help the small nod of agreement. John Winchester wasn't the saint Dean had always thought him to be, and the fact that he'd let Sam walk away and didn't even attempt to sort their relationship out hadn't surprised her at all, "Well, that don't strike me as brave. You are a better man than your daddy ever was. So you do both of us a favor. Don't be him." Dean turned to stare out the window, fuming slightly because he knew Bobby was right, but he had always been too stubborn to admit it. They'd both got that from their father, a stubbornness that refused to go away, even if it came out in different ways. His had always led to him seeming a bit pig-headed, but Sam was the same. That's why he was falling under the charms of the demon bitch who had him dosing up on demon blood.

Dean had to stop him from making a huge mistake, he just hated to admit it.

Amelia appeared by his side, a gentle nudge from Bobby had her walking over and smiling softly up at him. Dean had always had a soft spot for his God daughter, she'd been his friend when he hadn't been able to have any and they'd always looked out for each other in their own separate ways. So, as if to seal the deal, he knew even just a look from her would have him changing his mind.

Dean's lip-reading skills were shoddy at best, but he could tell she was trying to reassure him after her Uncle Bobby's outburst and he rubbed her arm in thanks, turning around to tell Bobby he was going after Sam, but also planning on making sure the Bobby knew he wasn't happy about it. The sight of the lavishly decorated room had him grabbing Amelia, pulling her up against him as they looked around, the pair of the surprised they'd moved at all.

He slowly walked her in, trying to take everything in with a mixture of suspicion and awe. The walls were white with ornate wooden fixtures, gold furniture and old paintings depicting various scenes decorated the walls.

"Do you know where we are?" He asked Amelia, who shook her head and mouthed 'no' along with it. She certainly hadn't been anywhere like this before, she didn't know anyone rich enough. It was like a palace, somewhere royalty would live and the last time she checked, she didn't know any princes.

A couple of douchebags and a set of Winchesters, but no princes. More was the pity.

Dean turned around and jumped at the sight of Castiel stood there, pulling Amelia even closer as his eyes narrowed at the sight of the angel, knowing what he'd done to her making him want to punch first and ask questions later.

Castiel could barely look at them, especially Amelia who looked so hurt at the sight of him. His hand was in his trench coat pocket, clasping at the vial tightly but out of view. This was wrong, but there was nothing he could do about it. It wasn't his place it argue with his superiors, no matter how much he wanted to. Dean deserved to know what was about to happen, both of them did but this was the way it was supposed to be.

"Hello, Dean." He stated quietly, unable to even address Amelia, "It's almost time." Then he disappeared.

"Nice to see you too, Cas." Dean grumbled, letting go of Amelia, "Can't believe you gave your voice for him." She smacked him on the arm, hard and he rubbed it grumpily, "What was that for?" She rolled her eyes and went to sit at the large marble table in the middle of the room, laying her head on her arms, "Hey, you're the one who gave your voice to them, don't get bitchy at me." She tilted her head, looking at him incredulously and he sighed, "Yeah, yeah, I know." He grumbled.

~0~0~0~

Dean paced around the table, trying to keep his cool at being kidnapped by a bunch of angels but also rather curious to why he was there in the first place, why both of them were there. He still couldn't understand why the angels would take Amelia's voice off her, if they were trying to stop the apocalypse then surely an angel army would actually be of some help, but perhaps their script didn't have room for outsider help.

He stopped to look at one of the paintings, tilting his head to one side with his nose scrunched up. He'd never really understood all these religious paintings, they looked ridiculous and were all pastel. Give him a pin-up girl any day.

"At least they know how to throw a party." He called to Amelia, who had relocated to the floor by the fireplace. She raised her eyebrow, but obviously said nothing in return, "You used to be better company." He teased. In reply she flipped him off and he laughed, joining her on the floor, "How are you holding up?" He asked her, wanting to take his mind off his brother. His brother, who was out there, getting high as a kite and thinking he could stop this himself. Even if he could, which Dean doubted, it didn't mean he had to do it alone. They could have found a way together.

Amelia shrugged, leaning her head back against the wall, 'Fine'.

"Don't give me that," Dean retorted, mimicking her little shrug, "What even is that? I know you can't talk, but that doesn't give you permission to B. S. me. You must be pissed at Cas." She shook her head, "Seriously? Not even a little bit?" She shook her head again, "But you gave your voice to him and he shot you in the ass! How are you not raging at this?" She leant against his arm, mouthing something he couldn't read so he just sighed, "Why did you do it, Amy?" She didn't answer, instead nodded to the table in front of them. He double took when he noticed the beer and giant pile of burgers that had appeared on the marble. He stood up slowly, walking over as the smell of the food reached his nose. Oh, they smelt delicious, "What, are they throwing us a party now?" He joked, picking up a bottle of beer and showed her it, "Even the good stuff, we must be special." Her shoulders shook as she laughed silently, a small smile on his face.

"Hello, Dean." A voice declared and they both jumped, startled by the appearance of Zachariah and Castiel, "You're looking fit." Dean frowned, putting the beer back in cooler.

"Well, how 'bout this?" He muttered, "'The suite life of Zach and Cas.'" The two angels stared, confused by the reference, "It's a..." He shook his head, "never mind. So, what is this? Where the hell are we?"

"Call it a Green room." Zachariah offered, Castiel standing behind him, hands clasped behind his back, ever the attentive little angel, "We're closing in on the grand finale, here. We want to keep you safe before show time." Dean looked down as he felt a jab in his side, seeing Amelia staring up at him. The anger in her eyes startled him slightly as she pointed at Zachariah.

'Him,' she mouthed purposefully and Dean frowned in confusion before remembering his question, "Why did you do it, Amy?"

'Him'.

"Why is she here?" Dean asked, turning back and feeling more pissed than ever.

"We thought you'd be calmer with your, hmm, friend here." Zachariah replied snootily, "Without her voice, she could get into a lot of danger so we thought you'd like her by your side." He motioned to the table, "Try a burger. They're your favourite. From that seaside shack in Delaware. You were 11, I think." Dean looked at the burgers on the table, he remembered that. He'd taken Sam there when their Dad had been busy chasing some ghoul. They had been gorgeous. Still, he shook his head as Amelia just stood there with the distinct feeling she'd been threatened.

"I'm not hungry." Dean declared.

"No?" Zachariah thought for a moment before a slimy smirk, "How about Ginger from season 2 of 'Gilligan's Island'? You do have a thing for her, don't you?" Amelia's nose crinkled in slight disgust as Dean considered it for a moment and she headed around the two, standing next to Castiel, who still wouldn't look at her. She placed a hand on his arm and he looked pained as he turned his gaze onto her.

'Are you okay?' She mouthed, knowing he couldn't hear her. He looked at the ground, ashamed of himself and the fact that her voice was still in his pocket, warm against his thigh. She was still concerned about him even after he betrayed her, he had seen that in her eyes as he'd held her back. She rubbed his arm, trying to make him feel better and it took everything he had not to break the vial there and then. He needed to tell them, Dean deserved to know about his brother.

"Well, I'm about to be pissed and leaving, so start talking, Chuckles." Dean demanded, pulling Castiel's attention away from the blonde woman trying to give him comfort when he did not deserve it and back to the conversation. He knew from experience that Zachariah's patience did not stretch very far and Dean was treading on dangerous territory, but he also knew not to speak out of turn, no matter how much he wanted to.

"All the seals have fallen." Zachariah explained with a sigh, walking past Dean, "Except one."

"That's an impressive score." Dean mocked, "That's... that's right up there with the Washington Generals." He turned to Amelia, looking for approval but she just shot him a look that told him to behave himself. Killjoy.

It was a pretty appalling score though, considering it was the angels that were losing. If they were so close to the apocalypse and having so much riding on Dean's shoulders, was it really the best idea to keep him locked up?

"You think sarcasm's appropriate, do you?" Zachariah asked him, almost sounding angry, "Considering... you started all this?" Dean looked down and Amelia stormed over to his side, glaring at Zachariah, "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" He asked her and it was only Dean's arm stopping her storming over, not like she could do any damage to him anyway.

"Hey!" Dean barked in warning.

"But the final seal... it'll be different." Zachariah continued as if Dean hadn't threatened him, walking back towards Castiel and patting them both condescendingly on the shoulder as he did.

"Why?"

"Lilith has to break it." Zachariah explained, "She's the only one who can. Tomorrow night - midnight."

Dean and Amelia shared a look. That was the first bit of good news since the angel duo had appeared, "Where?"

"We're working on it." Zachariah brushed off.

"Well, work harder." Dean snapped.

"We'll do our job." Zachariah reassured him, "You just make sure you do yours."

"Yeah, and what is that, exactly?" Dean asked, "If I'm supposed to be the one that stops her, how? With the knife?"

"All in good time." Zachariah replied calmly, which just pissed Dean off more. The whole situation with the angels had not sat right with him for a while, and this was putting him even more on edge. If he didn't find out what was going on soon, he was going to start busting heads.

"Isn't now a good time?" He snapped.

"Have faith."

"What, in you?" Dean scoffed, "Give me one good reason why I should." Eyes narrowed, Zachariah walked up to Dean, trying to intimidate him by towering over the human.

"Because you swore your obedience." He snarled, "So obey." Dean looked over his shoulder at Castiel, who looked down guiltily but didn't say a word. Coward. A spike of protectiveness ran through him and he nodded at Amelia.

"Why did you take her voice?" He asked in a much calmer tone than he felt.

"Because she offered." Zachariah replied, "Please, have a burger." And the duo disappeared, leaving Amelia and Dean stood there.

"You give it up to him?" Dean exclaimed, "Really?" She nodded, rubbing her eyes in frustration before pointing at the space Zachariah had stood, then her crotch, then her head. Dean grimaced, "Oh, please tell me you're not telling me what I think you are." He groaned and she rolled her eyes, doing it again but pointing at his crotch instead of her own, mouthing along, "He's a-" He trailed off before his eyes brightened in mirth, "Oh, he's a dickhead!" She clapped and he laughed, "Yes, he is." He agreed before picking up a beer, "Want one?" She shook her head and he looked at the label. His favourite. He groaned and put it back into the ice, "It's just not our day." He grumbled.

~0~0~0~

God had left the building? What kind of crap line was that? Dean felt sick in his stomach, all this time he and Sam had been played like tools and now the apocalypse was going to rain down and he was stuck in this stupid room with no way of getting out.

He ran his hand through his hair; Sam had no idea that he was doing exactly what the angels wanted him to. He only thought that he was trying to help save the world, even if it was in his own twisted way. He needed to call him, tell him what was happening and apologise until his brother allowed him back in his life. What kind of big brother left his little brother with a demon?

He pulled his cell out of his pocket, speed dialling Sam just in time to hear the crash. He spun to see the table overturned, burgers and beer everywhere and Amelia pulling a painting off the wall. He pocketed his phone, running over as she brought it down on a chair, her face contorted to show the angry scream she would have been letting out if she could.

"Woah, woah, woah!" He exclaimed, taking the battered painting from her before she could do it again, "Amy, calm down!" She shook her head, ranting silently to herself, "Look, Amy!" He grabbed her by both her arms, spinning her so she was looking at him, "I know, I'm pissed too! Trust me, I'm not going to let this go, but right now we need to focus on getting out!" She shook her head, mouth moving a mile a minute, "Amy, I can't understand you!" He barked, "Calm down!"

'They tricked me!' She was ranting, 'I gave them my voice, I just wanted him to be okay'. She couldn't believe that Castiel had been in on this whole thing. Sure he'd turned back to Team Angel, but from what Dean had told her and the few times they'd interacted he hadn't seemed like this would be something he'd agree with. He'd been downright fascinated with Dean at the bar, he'd had something urgent to tell him and she'd bet everything she had that before they'd got their hands on the bright-eyed angel he had been going to tell Dean.

They'd broke him, then they'd taken the one thing from her that had been truly hers. Her voice had meant everything to her.

She surprised Dean by falling against him, sobbing silently and clinging to his jacket. His arms floated out by his side, having absolutely no idea what to do before he hugged her with one and pulling out his phone with his other.

"It's going to be okay." He promised her, dialling Sam, "We're gonna find Sammy, and I'll fix it all." He held up his phone to his ear, frowning at the static that greeted him instead of ringing. He tried again, but again only static.

"You can't reach him, Dean." Dean spun, keeping a tight grip on Amelia, ready to fight off whoever it was. Castiel stood behind them, "You're outside your coverage zone."

"What are you gonna do to Sam?" He demanded angrily.

"Nothing." Castiel replied, slowly walking over so he was stood next to the pair, "He's gonna do it to himself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked quietly, Castiel looking down in guilt over the fact he couldn't tell them anything, "Oh, right, right. Got to toe the company line." Dean mocked, "Why are you here, Cas?"

"We've been through much together, you and I." Castiel explained and Dean stared at him incredulously, "And I just wanted to say, I'm sorry it ended like this."

"'Sorry'?" Dean repeated, letting go of Amelia to pull his fist back, punching Castiel in the side of the face. He barely moved, didn't even flinch but Dean did, turning his face to try and not let him see how much he'd hurt himself, his pride wounded, "It's Armageddon, Cas. You need a bigger word than 'sorry'." He snapped instead.

"Try to understand," Castiel pleaded, "this is long foretold. This is your..."

"Destiny?" Dean interrupted, furious, "Don't give me that 'holy' crap. Destiny, God's plan... It's all a bunch of lies, you poor, stupid son of a bitch! It's just a way for your bosses to keep me and keep you in line!" Castiel stared at him, knowing he was right and Dean saw his chance, "You know what's real? People, families - that's real. And you're gonna watch them all burn?"

"What is so worth saving?" Castiel suddenly raged, storming over so he could try and intimidate him, but was really hoping that Dean could give him a reason, a way to fight back, "I see nothing but pain here. I see inside you. I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace. Even with Sam." He couldn't lie, that sounded more tempting than it should have. Sam was all he had left, knowing that he'd still always have his little brother by his side. He looked down at Amelia, who was still shaking and his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah?" Dean scoffed, "Here." He pushed Amelia across at Castiel, surprising her enough for her to reach out for something to stabilise herself, grabbing onto his trench coat. He stared down, eyes wide as they gazes caught. She looked confused, but neither of the men knew it was because his grace was still repaired, but so dull she could actually see the eyes behind it. They were blue too, and incredibly pretty.

All Castiel could see was how hurt, how betrayed she was. Deep in her should she was crying, and it was because of him. He'd never meant for anyone to get hurt, but he'd been told to keep quiet unless permission had been granted for him to talk. When she'd offered her voice, just like Zachariah had wanted, he should have spoken up. He should have screamed for her to stop, but he'd done what he had been told. Coward.

"She gave her voice for you, Cas." Dean ranted, "As long as I've known her it was the only thing that made her feel safe, and you took that from her."

"She gave it willingly." Castiel insisted, helping her stand up straight. She'd wanted to give it up. That thought was supposed to make him feel better, it didn't.

"She thought she was helping you." Dean spat, "And look what you did? Turned on her the moment you could. When Sam broke out she had no way of defending herself, and that's because of you! That's on your shoulders. That was her 'peace', Cas!" Castiel looked down at her, surprised that she'd not tried to tell them it had been him. In response she looked away, almost ashamed of her secrecy but she still wasn't trying to correct Dean. All it would take was a couple of jabs in his direction and Dean would know what he did, but she didn't.

"You can take your peace..." Dean told him, pulling Amelia out of his grasp, "and shove it up your lily-white ass." Castiel stared at him, surprised more at his language than the rejection, "'Cause I'll take the pain and the guilt. I'll even take Sam as is. It's a lot better than being some Stepford bitch in paradise. This is simple, Cas!" Castiel turned, walking away, "No more crap about being a good soldier. There is a right and there is a wrong here, and you know it." Frustrated by his lack of understanding, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him, "Look at me!" Castiel stared pleadingly at him, hand back in his pocket, clenching the vial tightly, "You know it! You were gonna help me once, weren't you?" Dean reminded him, "You were gonna warn me about all this, before they dragged you back to Bible camp. Help me, help us. Now. Please".

"What would you have me do?" Castiel pleaded. He had to follow orders, that's what he had been created to do but none of the ones he was following felt right. He wanted to smash the vial in his pocket, go out and stop Sam because no one deserved what was going to happen to the humans but he didn't know how.

"Get me to Sam." Dean told him, "We can stop this before it's too late."

"I do that, we will all be hunted." Castiel pointed out, warring with himself, "We'll all be killed. She will be killed." He nodded to Amelia, "She's defenceless!"

"If there is anything worth dying for... this is it." Dean pointed out and Amelia nodded eagerly, hoping that her joining in would sway him.

It didn't. He let go of the vial and shook his head, turning away. He couldn't do it, these were the orders, it didn't matter what he thought. He wasn't there to think, to feel. Those were human traits, he was an angel. He had to obey.
"You spineless..." Dean snarled, pulling Amelia away, walking off towards the other end of the room with her. They couldn't get out, but he wanted away from the angel he'd thought was his friend, "soulless son of a bitch. What do you care about dying? You're already dead. We're done."

"Dean," Cas tried.

"We're done!" Dean shouted, ending their conversation. Amelia looked over her shoulder at Castiel and she saw how heartbroken he looked. She shot him a smile and he couldn't take it anymore, disappearing and leaving the two friends to mourn the end of their planet.

~0~0~0~

Anyone still here? Thank you for putting up with me if you are. Hope you like this :)