Dean slowly came to with a bit of a headache but feeling no more worse for wear. However, his ingrained instincts immediately kicked in and he jolted, shaking the hand that had been handcuffed to the ladders he was leaning against. They were on tight, though and he knew he'd not be able to break them. He was trapped. And alone, it would seem, because Amelia wasn't next to him.

"Amy?" he called loudly, turning his head to see if she was behind him. No such luck as all he could see was the wooden walls of the cabin he was in.

There was the sound of a gun being cocked and he looked back around to see himself holding what looked like a rifle, but it was hard to see in the dim light. All he knew was it was big, probably rather powerful and in the hands of a pissed-off version of himself.

"What the hell?" he asked and the other Dean sent him a look.

"I should be asking that question, don't you think?" he snapped in reply. He pointed the gun straight at him and Dean was rather concerned about the fact that he couldn't exactly run. "In fact, why don't you give me one good reason why I shouldn't gank you right here and now?"

Dean shrugged, his mind pulling a blank. All he could focus on was the fact that the man in front of him was, obviously, the 2014 version of himself. He hadn't changed much. Still looked deeply cynical at everything that he came across. Nice jacket, though. He suited it.

He shot the man a hopeful smile. "Because you'd only be hurting yourself?"

"Very funny," the 2014 Dean replied, not amused in the slightest. His sense of humour seemed to have gone south, though.

He needed to find out where Amy was, though. And to do that, he needed to get himself on side. One thing he did know about himself was that he'd never endanger her if he could help it. She, Sam and Bobby, and even Cas, they were his only family and he'd always look out for them first.

2014 Dean continued to set up the gun with the intent of using it on his lookalike. He needed to talk, and fast. "Look, man—I'm no shapeshifter or demon or anything, okay?" he promised

"Yeah, I know. I did the drill while you were out. Silver, salt, holy water—nothing," 2014 Dean explained. "But you know what was funny? Was that you had every hidden lock pick, box cutter, and switchblade that I carry."

Dean felt rather violated that he'd been searched so thoroughly without realising. His hand immediately went to his jacket pocket to make sure everything was still in place. "Now, you want to explain that? Oh, and the, uh, resemblance, while you're at it?"

2014 Dean stared him down, expecting an answer rather than asking for one. Dean just stared back. They both wanted information. "Where's Amy?" he retorted.

He watched his future self, saw the look of recognition on his face but he didn't answer. He was weighing up whether or not he should give up the information.

Then, with a nod of his head, he motioned to the other side of the room. Dean had been too distracted by his doppelganger to notice her, but she was slumped up against another part of the wall, handcuffed as well. Unlike him, though, she had a blanket thrown over her.

"You knocked her out?" he demanded, furious and his future self pointed a gun at him, reminding him of who was in charge.

Dean took a deep breath. "Zachariah."

The one word obviously meant a lot to 2014 Dean, who stood up. "Come again?" he asked lowly.

"I'm you," Dean replied. "From the tail end of 2009. Zach plucked me and Amy from our bed and threw us five years into the future."

Future Dean approached him. "Where is he?" he demanded. "I want to talk to him."

"I don't know," Dean replied. Why would he? He didn't like Zachariah and the angel obviously had it in for him.

"Oh, you don't know," his future self replied like he didn't believe him.

"No, I don't know," he insisted. "Look, I just want to get back to my own friggin' year, okay?"

Future Dean nodded, observing his younger self for signs of deception, or anything that seemed suddenly less bizarre than the story he was spouting. Maybe he wasn't lying. Angels were dicks, everyone knew that, and he remembered Cas sending him into the past. The future probably wasn't out of their reach, either. And the Dean currently on the floor seemed to show the same hatred for them as he had.

He wiped his hand over his mouth, not quite believing he was actually accepting his story, before he crouched down. "Okay. If you're me, then tell me something only I would know."

Dean looked away for the moment, running through all their memories. A lot of bad came up, but he also knew that anyone could find out some of their more noisier exploits. He needed something more personal, something he'd never shared with anyone, ever.

He looked himself up and down. "Rhonda Hurley," he stated and his future self tilted his head slightly. He'd obviously recognised the name, but he needed more than that. "We were, uh, nineteen. She made us try on her panties. They were pink. And satiny. And you know what?" He leant forward, a smirk on his face. "We kind of liked it."

Future Dean looked up, remembering that night and the fact that he'd still never told a soul. He nodded his head. "Touché," he admitted before standing up and heading back to his gun. "And she's Amy?"

Dean nodded. "She's really Amy," he promised. "And she's going to be pissed that you hit her."

"Damn right," she groaned and they both looked at her, surprised as they'd not noticed her stir. She blinked to clear her vision, then started at the sight of the two Deans. "Woah."

She looked between the two. One had a green jacket, one had a blue. One was handcuffed, much like she was, and the other had a gun next to him on the table. The one standing up looked older as well, though. She turned to the one in blue. "Dean?" she asked unsurely and he nodded.

"And so is he," he replied. "Amy, this is future me."

She looked up at him. The hardened look on his face was to be expected, having come to find another version of himself and his friend in his camp. She shot him a soft smile. "Done all the checks?" she asked and he nodded, not saying a word. "Can't say I blame you for knocking me out, though. Hell, I'd probably have done something similar if I'd come across us first."

He stared for a moment longer and she frowned. It was like he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. She understood that, after all there were now two of him, but that's not what it felt like. She shifted under the blanket, uncomfortable under his gaze.

He didn't answer, instead turning back to his younger self. "So, what, Zach zapped you up here to see how bad it gets?"

"I guess," Dean replied as Future Dean began to pack all of the guns on the table into a bag. "Croatoan virus, right? That's their endgame?"

"It's efficient, it's incurable, and it's scary as hell. Turns people into monsters. Started hitting the major cities about two years ago. World really went in the crapper after that."

"What about Sam?" Dean asked, needing to know about his little brother. Future Dean stopped, stilling his movements for a moment. They shared a look that they both knew meant bad news.

"Heavyweight showdown in Detroit," he replied quietly. "From what I understand, Sam didn't make it."

"You weren't with him?" Dean asked, surprised.

"No," he said, lowering his gaze as the guilt fell on his shoulders once again. "No, me and Sam, we haven't talked in—hell," he raised his head, smiling cynically now he knew when the other Dean was from. "Five years."

Dean leant back against the ladders, all of his bravado taken out of him. Sam was dead. His little brother was dead and he'd not even been there for him. He still dreamt about Sam dying in his arms after that sick game.

Amelia watched the devastation rock Dean and turned to his older self. "Did you not go look for him?" she demanded. "Since when did you leave Sam on his own?"

Future Dean looked at his friend, with fire burning in her eyes as she stared him down. It was so nice to see her angry again. "We had other people to worry about," he told her quietly, quickly dropping his gaze from her.

Amy frowned slightly, feeling a little rejected. He didn't seem to even want to look at her. Had something happened between them as well?

Dean noticed it as well. "And Amy?" he asked. "She's out there, isn't she?" Future Dean didn't say a word and Dean's eyes narrowed. "Isn't she?"

Future Dean met his eye and Dean felt his world fall apart a second time. "No," Future Dean replied. "She's dead."

Amy chuckled hollowly, shaking her head and leaning back against the wall. "Brilliant," she said sarcastically. "Dead. I don't even make it five years."

"Stop it," her Dean snapped but she kept her focus on the other one.

"Did I at least die after Uncle Bobby?" she asked him.

There was a pause. "No."

She slumped, much like Dean had done. "Poor Uncle Bobby," she whispered forlornly. "I'm never going to save him now."

Future Dean turned from her, zipping up his bag before picking up the large gun he'd threatened Dean with.

"Where you going?" Dean demanded.

"I got to run an errand," was all Future Dean would offer.

"Whoa!" Dean protested. "You're just gonna leave us here?" He motioned to his own handcuffs.

"Yes," Future Dean replied firmly. He pointed to the door. "I got a camp full of twitchy trauma survivors out there with an apocalypse hanging over their head. The last thing they need to see is a version of The Parent Trap, complete with yet another ghost. So, yeah, you stay locked down."

"Okay. All right. Fine," Dean agreed, because he had a point. "But you don't have to cuff us, man." Future Dean didn't even look back as he headed for the door. "Oh, come on. You don't trust yourself?"

Future Dean looked him up and down. "No. Absolutely not," he replied before walking out.

Amelia laughed again. "This is, by far, the worst thing that has ever happened to me and I'm not the one who's dead."

"Shut it," Dean snapped at her. "We're going to find out what happened, and we're going to stop it. Right?" She couldn't even look at him. She didn't cry, though. She didn't feel it; her mind had gone numb. Uncle Bobby had been alive to see her die, and she knew that for all his gruffness and his harsh words, that would absolutely break him. If Zachariah did send them back, she was going straight home and she was making sure that he was alright. She was going to fix everything.

"Amy?" Dean barked and she met his gaze. "Right?"

She nodded. "Right," she agreed. "Can you get out?"

He shook his wrist again but it was pretty obvious that he was trapped. "You?" he asked and she did the same, shaking her head. "Great. Well," he sighed, "let's get to work."

~0~0~0~

"Keep low," Dean told Amelia as he opened the cabin doors. "I can pass for myself, you'll just frighten everyone."

He'd managed to pick out a nail from the floorboards after a good while of digging in with his own, stubby nail. It had turned day again and there wasn't much shadow for her to hide in, but he couldn't just leave her behind either. Sam might be dead, Amy might be dead, Bobby might be dead but Cas definitely wouldn't be dead. It'd take more than a biblical virus to put him away.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she murmured. "Thanks for the reminder."

In the daylight you could really see how the camp was full of near-apocalypse survivors. The grass was overgrown, hiding bits of engines and other items that may have been useful once but now just filled up space. There was a giant satellite dish, probably used for the small amount of communications that could be afforded. Or it could have been out of use completely, she didn't really know.

"Ever feel like you're in a movie?" she asked Dean, who nodded. None of this felt right, or real.

"Hey, Dean," they both spun, alarmed to see Chuck striding over to them with a clipboard in hand. "You got a second?"

Dean just stared for a moment, stunned that he didn't seem to be making a bigger deal out of them both being there. He figured that he probably thought that he was his future self, but Amy had frozen on the spot and Chuck didn't seem alarmed that she was alive and kicking.

"No," he replied before worrying that his future self wouldn't have denied him the time. "Yes. Uh, I—I guess. Hi, Chuck."

"Hi," he greeted before glancing at Amelia. "Hey Amelia. He let you out, huh?" He seemed surprised to see her, but not as much as she was at his words. Let out of where?

"Uh, yeah," she said with a little, awkward laugh. "Guess I was a good girl, eh?"

"First time for everything, I guess?" he joked back and she just shot him a grimace of a smile. He didn't seem to notice her bewilderment, nor Dean's as he turned back to their leader. "So, uh, listen, we're pretty good on canned goods for now, but we're down to next to nothing on perishables and—and hygiene supplies," he explained, glancing down at his clipboard. "People are not gonna be happy about this. So, what do you think we should do?"

Dean stared back, wondering what he was supposed to say to that before realising that Chuck was expecting an answer. He wasn't surprised that he was in charge, and at the same time he had to wonder what that pressure would do to him. "I—I don't know. Maybe, uh, share?" Chuck's brows furrowed slightly. "You know, like at a kibbutz?"

"A kibbutz?" Amelia spoke up before she could think about. "Really?" She turned to Chuck. "Half the rations, tell everyone who complains that it's temporary and that it'll go back up to full sizes on the next supply run. Just don't tell them you have no idea when that will be."

Dean looked at her and she rolled her eyes. "Come on, have you never seen a movie?" she retorted.

Chuck smiled, placated. "That will work for now," he agreed. "I did always say you should have been in charge…" his eyes widened slightly as he turned back to Dean. "Not that I don't think you're doing a bad job…" He frowned. "Wait a minute. aren't you supposed to be out on a mission right now?"

Dean nodded. "A-absolutely. And I will be…"

"Uh-oh," Chuck interrupted as the sound of footsteps crunching on the gravel seemed to get louder.

"Dean, duck!" Amelia cried as he turned around. A woman with her hair pulled back and a face like thunder stormed up, grabbed him and tried to slug him one. Dean ducked out of the way then dashed behind Chuck, using him as a shield as she went for him again.

"Whoa! Jeez! Easy, lady!" he exclaimed.

"Risa," Chuck corrected and Dean patted his shoulder in gratitude.

"Risa," he repeated.

The woman was not calmed down by the fact he didn't seem to know her name. "You spent the night in Jane's cabin last night, didn't you?"

"Uh, what? I—I don't," Dean stuttered, looking at Amelia and then Chuck for help. "did I?" Chuck nodded.

"I thought we had a 'connection'," Risa pointed out angrily, air-quotes around the word. Dean shrugged, a look on his face like he actually was thinking about trying to win her around.

"Well, I'm sure that we do," he replied cheekily.

That was the wrong thing to say. She started towards him and he turned Chuck, keeping him between them both. "Yeah?"

"Hi, Risa," Chuck stammered out but she shot them all a dirty look.

"Screw you," she snapped as she stormed away.

"Nice to know you will always be a man whore," Amelia commented smugly. He turned and pointed at her.

"Don't," he warned but she just stuck her tongue out at him. "You child."

"Always," she replied happily before turning to Chuck. "One of the better parts of my day," she told him. "Is Cas still here?"

"Yeah," Chuck replied. "I don't think Cas is going anywhere." He said it with the air of an inside joke, one they all should have known. Then he started slightly, as if realising something. "Oh, but you might not know that, actually," he rambled. "He's in his cabin, I believe."

"And that is…" Dean said leadingly. Still a little confused by the Dean in front of him, Chuck pointed away from the cabin they were next, towards the back of the camp.

"The one right at the back," he told them both. "You'll know, it's the one with all the music coming out of it." He waved his clipboard. "I better get back to sorting out the supplies."

Dean clapped his hand on his arm a couple of times. "Yes, yes, good idea," he agreed. "Nice-Nice work, Chuck."

He started walking, Amelia jogging to catch up with him. "Man whore," she teased again.

"Shut it," he told her lowly. Luckily the camp didn't seem too full of life, but they still kept close to the cabins in case they needed to dive behind one.

"I wonder if we'll get to meet Jane," she continued.

"Shut it," he warned again as she tapped her chin.

"Do you think she's as nice as Risa?" she asked, despite the warning glare he was sending her. "Do you think you'll also have a 'connection'."

"Amy, I swear to God…" he warned and she giggled, nudging him with her shoulder.

"Oh, I'm only teasing," she promised. "I'm quite surprised, actually. Your older self is still quite podgy."

He stopped and turned to face her. "How dare you?" he replied, offended. "I'm gorgeous no matter what the year."

"Didn't say you weren't," she flirted right back. "The bigger question is; why did Chuck think you let me out? Of where? I thought I was dead?"

Dean shrugged. "I have no clue. This place is absolutely batshit crazy, I can't wrap my head around it."

"Cas will know," she replied. "You know he can't keep a secret at all. He's a terrible liar." She frowned. "Can you hear that?"

He listened out and heard the faint sound of music floating towards them in the still air. It was definitely not in keeping with the rest of the setting the two had found themselves in. They shared a look, silently deciding whether to follow it, before Dean headed to the cabin. He walked up the wooden stairs first, motioning behind him to make sure Amelia stayed hidden. As if she would do anything but.

Cas was sat on the floor in a circle with four women, wearing what Dean would consider 'hippy' clothes and surrounded by candles and statues. He had stubble on his face. He looked nothing like the trench coat wearing angel who was probably still stood at the side of the road, worried about ringing him in case he ran out of minutes.

"So, in this way," he was saying in hushed tones as he spoke to the women around him. "We're each a fragment of total perception—just, uh, one compartment in that dragonfly eye of group mind. Now, the key to this total, shared perception—it's, um, it's surprisingly physical…" He looked over at the doorway and caught sight of Dean. "Oh. Excuse me, ladies. I think I need to confer with our fearless leader for a minute," he winked at Dean. "Why not go get washed up for the orgy?"

Amelia jabbed Dean on the back in rapid succession, getting his attention as he could only look on his shock. He turned his head and she mouthed 'orgy?', obviously as stunned as he was. He shrugged, then stepped back, hiding her even more as the women headed to the door he was stood at.

Cas stood up, stretching his back with his hands behind his back. When Dean was certain they were alone, he stepped into the room, arms out by his side.

"What are you, a hippie?" he asked, bewildered.

"I thought you'd gotten over trying to label me," Cas replied, sounding almost exasperated. Dean looked back at Amelia, who was still hidden behind the doorway. She shrugged at him, ducking back as Cas turned around.

"Cas, we got to talk…" Dean started as Cas's eyes widened.

"Whoa. Strange," he declared.

"What?"

"You...are not you," Cas told him. "Not now you, anyway."

"No!" Dean agreed before realising it sounded like he was denying it. "Yeah. Yes, exactly."

Amelia dipped out of the room, checking the coast for unwanted listeners. The camp didn't seem particularly busy, though, and she wasn't sure where the women had gone to get cleaned up. She assumed somewhere communal. The thought made her shiver.

She darted back into the doorway as a couple of people with guns walked past. She assumed that anyone with a gun, seeing a woman who was supposed to be dead, in a near-apocalyptic world wasn't exactly going to wait for explanations.

"They'll be back soon," one of them said.

"I hope they bring some water," the other replied. "I heard we're down to our last…"

They turned the corner. It wasn't hard to figure out who they were talking about, so she headed back into the room. "Dean," she called over. "There's talk of you returning soon, we better get going."

"Amy," Cas breathed, staring at her like she was the last person he was expecting to see. She gave him a little wave while Dean shot him a dirty look for using his nickname.

"Nice to see you, Cas," she greeted. "You look… different."

"You look beautiful," he told her, pushing past Dean like he was of no consequence to wrap Amelia in a tight hug. She tensed slightly, taken aback by the warm welcome. She caught Dean's gaze, but he seemed just as puzzled as she was, so she patted his back gingerly.

"Good to see you too, Cas," she reiterated. He pulled back, holding onto her and taking in her every feature. She frowned, tilting her head to catch his gaze. His eyes were dull, and ordinary, and human. There was no doubt that he was Castiel, but the bright blue light that shone out from them, that had taken her breath away, was barely a backlight anymore. "Cas, what happened to your grace?"

He reached out, trailing the back of his fingers down her face. "You could always see right through me," he murmured, a fond smile appearing as if he was remembering something. "Every time I lied you just told me to stop messing around."

"You are a very bad liar," she agreed as she tried to work out how she felt about him stroking her. "What happened?"

He sighed. "It's gone," he told her. "Faded away. I'm just mortal, now."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Oh, well, that's friggin' fantastic," he snapped. "So you can't strap on your angels wings and fly us back to the our page on the calendar?"

Cas chuckled, shaking her head slightly. He still hadn't let go of Amelia. "I wish I could just, uh, strap on my wings, but I'm sorry, no dice."

He continued to chuckle and Dean frowned. "What, are you stoned?"

"Uh, generally, yeah," Cas replied. "You know, your eyes are simply stunning. I'd forgotten how much I love the colour." Amelia shot him another queasy smile as Dean worked out that he wasn't actually talking about him.

"Well, if Cas isn't an option, why don't you go have a look around and see if you can spot what Zachariah wants you to find, and I'll stay here and… um, try and sober up our resident meditator here?" Amelia suggested.

"Why do you think Zachariah wants me to find anything?" he asked. "I thought he just wanted me to see what a hellhole the world became?"

"He could have just shown you that," she pointed out. "He's left us here for three days. He wants you to see something in particular. Maybe if you find out what, we can go home?"

He nodded. It wasn't a bad suggestion, but he wasn't sure if he was happy to leave her alone in all this craziness. "I guess it'll be easier to move around without you scaring the locals," he agreed reluctantly. "Don't go anywhere, okay?"

She nodded. "Wouldn't dream of it," she replied cheekily. He narrowed his eyes and, after a moment, turned to Cas.

"Look after her," he commanded. "I won't be long." He walked out, taking a look out of the beaded door before heading off.

Amelia turned to Cas, giving him a warm smile. "How about we sit down?" she suggested before looking around. "Do… Do you have any chairs, or anything?"

"Not in this room," he replied. "Do you still sing?"

She nodded as she sat on the floor, feeling a little bit grossed out by the matts knowing that he had been planning with those women. She didn't like to think about that, though. It made her uncomfortable, so she patted next to her. He was immediately down next to her, not like the laidback, stoned Cas they'd found before.

"Whenever the mood takes me," she replied.

"I miss your singing," he said. "It was very beautiful."

She shrugged. "I don't think it's the time right now," she said apologetically. "I'm trying to keep people hidden, not bring more into the mix. Plus, Dean said that bringing more angels into the mix is probably a bad idea and I think he might be right."

Cas chuckled hollowly. "You always did listen to Dean over everyone else," he commented cynically. He wasn't wrong, but the statement seemed to sit funny in the air and she shifted slightly.

"You know," she started. "It didn't surprise me to find out Dean was sleeping his way through the campsite, but I have to admit, I didn't see you having orgies to be a part of the future. Not long ago you were uncomfortably making your way through a night at a strip club."

Cas chuckled. "I remember that," he said, looking up at the ceiling as he thought back on it. "You were very angry."

"Dean shouldn't have been forcing you into something you didn't want to do," she replied. "How times have changed, eh?"

He stared at her for a moment, making her feel like he was remembering her, not just the night in question. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not, but she had to admit, being missed felt rather nice. Conflicting, but nice.

"You once told me that when Dean went to Hell, you slept around because it broke your heart," he told her. "I believe you told Dean a similar thing?" She nodded, remembering her talk with Dean on top of a pile of rusted cars. She was surprised she'd told Cas about it, though. "It seemed like a good idea."

She frowned. "What did?"

"Sleeping around to mend a broken heart," he explained. Her face softened, her heart aching for the pain that dominated his face.

"Who broke your heart?" she asked quietly.

"The same person who broke Dean's," he replied before meeting her eyes. "You."

She couldn't deny how taken aback she was. He looked so forlorn, so hurt, and she wanted to know what that look came from. What happened between them to make her break his heart? Were they… Did they become involved? Did she actually end up dating an angel?

She understood Dean. If she had died, he'd take it personally, even if it was nothing to do with him. But Castiel, Angel of the Lord?

She shifted slightly. She needed to find out what was going on. She needed to find out what happened to her. "We met Chuck on the way here," she started slowly. "He said that Dean never lets me out anymore. What did he mean by that?"

Even in his stoned state he seemed to know that perhaps he shouldn't answer that question. "I- Er… I don't know what you're talking about."

She sighed. "Cas," she said. "You're a terrible liar." He smiled slightly. "What did he mean?"

"I'm not sure if I should tell you," he replied. "Knowing one's own future can be disastrous."

"In the last two days I have found out that the Croatoan virus is going to decimate the planet, that my Uncle Bobby is going to die, that Sam and Dean never speak again and my favourite angel in a trench coat is a raging stoner," she pointed out. "There's not much left for me to learn."

She reached out and took his hand, and his gaze immediately fell down to where she clasped it tightly. "Please, Cas," she begged. "I don't understand what is going on. I need to know."

He continued to stare at their hands for a moment, then lifted his gaze. "I'm your favourite angel?" he asked and she smirked slightly.

"Don't get too big headed," she warned. "It's not a hard contest to win."

He chuckled slightly, then nodded. "I suppose if I don't show you, you'll find a way on your own," he reasoned.

"You know me well," she retorted, letting his hand go to stand up. He quickly joined her, taking hold of her hand once again and she couldn't help but smile at the gesture.

"We'll have to be very careful," he told her, his voice deepening slightly as he sounded more like the Cas she knew. "There are a lot of people who would shoot you on sight."

"Oh, great," she muttered. "Nice to know everyone hates me."

"They don't," he promised as they headed out of the cabin. He checked first to see if they were safe to exit, but Dean was on a mission so the grounds were pretty deserted as they all waited to see if he was successful. "Only some."

"Do-Do you hate me?" she asked quietly. She hadn't been massively popular growing up, but she'd had a good group of friends. She didn't mind other people disliking her, but she always worried that her own would turn on her. It's what made Uncle Bobby's anger hurt so much.

He turned and shook his head. "Never," he replied and she beamed in response. It was nice to know that he could still make her smile.

He led her up to the cabin at the far back of the camp, past his own and the storage. She frowned as they got closer, hearing the notes of singing floating from inside the wooden structure. They approached a window and both peeked inside.

"It's not like you to say sorry. I'm always waiting on a different story," the figure inside sang and Amelia watched herself sway to her own singing in the middle of the room. She didn't look too different; her hair was still blonde but pulled up into a ponytail. She was wearing a leather skirt and a black t-shirt that she wasn't sure she could have pulled off but looked rather nice on her. And she was still wearing her brown boots, which was good. She'd spent a lot on them, it was nice to know they lasted.

"I'm alive," she whispered, relieved, before her nose crinkled up in disgust. "And I'm singing Nickleback?"

"And I've been wrong, I've been down into the bottom of every bottle. These five words in my head scream; 'are we having fun yet?'"

"It's become one of your favourites in recent months," he replied just as quietly. Well, there was an apocalypse going on, she couldn't possibly keep up a flawless taste in music around one.

"I'm going in," she told him and he shook his head.

"That wouldn't be wise," he said.

"I'm going in," she reiterated firmly before heading up the small ramp to the door. He watched after her, conflicted on whether or not he should follow her, looking behind him to see if anyone was watching.

Surprisingly, the door wasn't locked and Amelia was able to push it open slowly. Her future self didn't turn around as she stepped into the room but did as the door slowly creaked to a close.

She seemed surprised at the appearance of her younger self, but she still smiled like she was happy to see her. At least in the future she would still be friendly.

"Never made it as a wise man. I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing. And this is how you remind me," she continued before motioning her younger self over. Castiel opened the door as Amelia walked forward.

"This is how you remind me," Amelia sang back. How often did you get to sing with yourself? Really?

"This is how you remind me of what I really am. This is how you remind me of what I really am," they sang in unison and, even if no angels joined them, Castiel still felt the warmth he always had at the sound of her voice. He missed it so much that he would come at night just to hear her singing to herself.

"It's not like you to say sorry. I was waiting on a different story," Future Amelia sang, proving that she was keeping up her singing practice.

"This time I'm mistaken, for handing you a heart worth breaking!"

"I've been wrong, I've been down, to the bottle of every bottle!" they sang together and Castiel was mesmerised. Their voices were beautiful. She always sang so wonderfully. When his grace had started to fade, it was the only thing that made him feel like he was a proper angel again. "These five words in my head scream."

Future Amelia reached out, grabbing Amelia around the wrist. Her fingernails dug into her skin and she pulled her closer as her eyes turned completely black. "Are we having fun yet?" she sang.

Amelia screamed, shoving back at her and out of her grasp. She fell to the floor as Future Amelia stopped in her tracks. Her eyes turned back to normal and she started laughing.

"What the fuck?" she exclaimed and Future Amelia shook her head, motioning with her hand to tell her to shut up.

"Oh, oh, that was brilliant," Future Amelia crowed. "I've not had not much fun in, oh," she glanced over at Castiel. "Since we last had some alone time, right Cas?"

She winked and Amelia looked between the two before shaking her head. One thing at a time. She turned back to her future self. Her eyes were back to normal, but now she'd seen them go black, she knew exactly what she was. She scrambled off the floor. "You shouldn't be possessed," she declared firmly. "We have the tattoo, we can't get possessed."

Future Amelia pointed at her. "Right in one, sweetheart," she agreed. "And I'm guessing by those thighs that you're from my past."

She glanced down at her legs, frowning for a moment before looking up at her, defensive. "There's nothing wrong with my…" she trailed off, shaking off the words. "Wait, so you're not possessed?"

"Nope," Future Amelia confirmed. "This," she waved down at herself, "this is all you."

"Why?"

Future Amelia sighed. "Why else?" she drawled. "Because Dean asked."

Amelia felt like she'd been punched in the gut, and like she had been lied to, simultaneously. She looked back at Cas, expecting him to correct her future self, but he averted his eyes and she knew that it wasn't a lie.

"Alright, fine," she murmured. "I understand us doing something because Dean asked. Why the hell would Dean ask us to become a demon? How is- I don't understand how that can even be a thing?"

Future Amelia sat down on the edge of her bed, crossing one leg over the other. "Oh, that's simple," she replied. "Sam said 'yes' to Lucifer, and Dean was heartbroken. He came to us with those big, puppy dog eyes, all drunk and crying and begged us to help. 'Please Amy, help me save my brother'. 'Please, Amy, you're the only one who can do this.'" She rolled her eyes. "He thought that, with our little army, that we would be able to get close enough to ice the devil. We made a deal with a crossroad demon and went to join the ranks."

Amelia nodded slowly. "Well, that makes zero sense," she said bluntly. "So, I guess, you're not lying. Then what?"

"Well, little Luci wasn't exactly fooled by the pretence. Once he'd almost killed us, we managed to get away. Unfortunately a useless demon isn't exactly what people want in a Croatoan-ridden world. We were brought back to the camp and it was pretty much consensus that we were to be killed."

"And that's why we're in here, right?" Amelia guessed. "Because Dean convinced them not to."

Future Amelia snorted. "Oh, if only," she replied cynically. "Our little prison here is down to Cas, isn't it Bright Eyes?"

Amelia turned to Cas, who didn't seem very comfortable about being in the room. She couldn't blame him. She wasn't exactly thrilled. "What about Dean?" she asked him quietly.

"We should leave," he replied instead. "I shouldn't have brought you…"

"What about Dean?" she interrupted, shouting louder than she meant to. She could feel herself shaking.

"Dean was the first one to pull a gun on us," Future Amelia crowed, enjoying the torment her younger self was going through. "A useless demon is just that; useless."

She should have expected that, after all this fucked up place wasn't going to give her anything else but devastating news. But she still felt herself tear up, her hands balling into fists angrily.

"Dean doesn't want you dead," Cas tried to reason. "He just doesn't know what to do. There's no cure, we've looked."

Future Amelia chuckled cynically. "Of course you have," she bit out. "High and low, I bet. Doesn't matter that I became an abomination because of him, I'm still an abomination, right Castiel?"

He didn't answer, but neither of them expected him to. Amelia turned her back on him, feeling incredibly betrayed even though he wasn't the one who had hurt her. "So, what? We're just trapped here for the rest of eternity?"

"Until someone grows the balls to kill us, pretty much," Future Amelia confirmed. She smirked slightly. "Trust me, no one has them. Oh, how I've asked. I've barely seen anyone in two years. Except Cas and Dean."

Amelia frowned. "Dean?" she repeated and Future Amelia nodded.

"He only comes when he's pissed," the demon explained. "And he doesn't stay long."

Amelia shook her head at the smug smirk on her future self's face. She knew the implications of that smirk, she'd pulled it a good few times before in her time. She turned back to Cas, as if he could give her some answers, but just by the state of him alone she knew he had nothing to offer her.

"I need to talk to Dean," she murmured before storming out, pushing past a protesting Castiel who really didn't know how to stop her once she was that worked up.

He turned back to the Amelia who was left, trapped in her demon trap and bound to her bed. "You shouldn't have worked her up like that," he scolded. "Dean sleeps around the camp, not with you."

Amelia shrugged. "What's the fun in having your past self come to visit if you can't dick with them?" she replied. "I bet you like having her here, don't you? A reminder of your little girlfriend who you lost?"

Castiel watched her eyes turn black yet again, a challenge on her face. Every time they talked, it always came down to this. They always argued about it, and now he had been smacked in the face by the reminder of who she had once been, he found himself too tired to fight her yet again.

He turned and left without a word, leaving her to cross her arms in a pout, flopping onto her bed. He never stayed anymore.

~0~0~0~

Amelia didn't care about being seen. She knew that it was probably dangerous, after all Dean hadn't been the only one to want her dead apparently, but she really did not care what happened. She just headed straight for the cabin she had woken up in, hoping that her Dean would have also made his way there.

She couldn't believe that he would try and kill her. That he would turn on her so quickly just for doing as he asked. She knew it was a different Dean, that this future was something that they were both going to strive to stop, but the betrayal raged through her and powered her strides as she stormed towards the door. She literally gave herself to save his brother, and his response was to try and put a bullet through her head?

She slammed the door open to find both Deans stood around the table, both with a tumbler of whiskey each and a gun in the middle of the table. Younger Dean, her Dean, seemed surprised at her sudden intrusion but she really couldn't focus on him when she saw the other Dean. Future Dean. The one who had traded her in and then turned on her when she was no longer a part of his 'plan'. The Dean who, apparently, would break her heart in a way she hadn't thought possible since he'd died and gone to Hell.

Her vision turned red. Her lips turn to a snarl and before either of them saw it coming, she shot forward and punched him hard, left hand connected with his cheek and startling him so much he actually fell into the table.

"You son of a bitch!" she screamed as his younger self jumped forward, hands up.

"Woah, woah, Amy," he started but she just took another swing at the man in front of her.

"How fucking dare you?" she continued, shaking and so angry and hurt. "How fucking dare you tell me I'm dead when you're the one who wants to kill me?!"

He steadied himself, watching her with a calculated look as he realised what she had seen. "It's not like that," he told her firmly.

Young Dean looked between the two. The fury on Amelia's face did not abate at his own words. "What does she mean?" he asked lowly.

"Like hell it isn't!" Amelia shouted. "You spineless, dickless, pathetic excuse of a…"

"It isn't like that!" His older self barked and Amelia growled, raising her hand up again to attack.

"Okay, okay," Young Dean said, hoping to calm her down as he took another step forward. "Amy…"

"Shut up, Dean," she snapped quietly.

"I'm sure that whatever has happened…"

She turned, eyes blazing. "Shut up, Dean!" she screamed at him, and he nodded, taking the step back away from her. Seeing that he was doing as he was told, she turned back to his older self.

"After everything, everything I have ever done for you, you pull a gun out on me?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"I didn't think I had a choice," he snapped back. "She's a demon."

"She's a demon because of you!" she shouted back. "Because you felt guilty about your brother. You knew I would do anything for you!" She shot forward again, but instead of hitting him she shoved him hard backwards. "You're supposed to be my family!"

"I know!" he exclaimed, pushing her hands off him and her away. "You think I wanted this?"

"Yes!" she bit back. "I think this is exactly what you wanted. You threw me under the bus and now you're just pissed that there's a mess to clean up!"

His eyes darkened and a look she'd never seen on Dean's face shone on his eyes. He took a step closer. "Don't you dare pretend to know what I'm thinking," he warned. "You don't know what has happened over the last few years. Not a fucking clue."

"I don't care," she replied bluntly. She took another step closer. "I don't care. I stopped caring the moment you pulled a gun out on me. I trusted you, Dean! I've always trusted you!"

"Can someone tell me what the hell you two are talking about?" Younger Dean asked. Amelia glanced it him for barely a moment and saw the suspicious look he was sending his older self. She didn't blame him; she didn't want to take her eyes off him for too long either.

"Sam's not dead," she told him. "Sam said yes."

"Yes?" Dean repeated, confused. "Wait, you mean to Lucifer?"

She nodded. "And you begged for me to help. Asked me to become a demon to get close, and when it didn't work you put a gun to my head. Cas was the only thing that stopped him, and now I'm trapped in a fucking cabin for the rest of eternity."

Dean shook his head once, like he couldn't believe what she was saying. He looked at his older self, his gaze hard. "Is she telling the truth?" he asked. Future Dean didn't reply, didn't even take his gaze off the woman in front of him. "Well?"

Future Dean nodded and Amelia felt herself shaking. She'd expected him to deny it, or try and talk his way out of it. Not just accept it. They both reached for her as she shot for the table, grabbing the gun off it and pointed it at Future Dean. Her hand was shaking, but her gaze was steady.

"Amy," he started and she shook your head.

"Not your name, asshat," she warned and he held his hands up in surrender.

"Amelia," he corrected. "You won't shoot me."

She stared for a moment. "You're right," she agreed before reaching out with her free hand. She quickly shoved the gun into his. "You're going to shoot me."

He rolled his eyes. "You're acting like a child," he retorted.

"No, I'm acting like my heart is broken," she snapped back. "You're going to grow the balls you didn't have the first time around and you're going to kill me, because I refuse to let this be my future."

"I'm not going to kill you," he told her, but he didn't let go of the gun.

"I'm not spending the rest of my life as Dean Winchester's prisoner," she said. "If you can't save yourself, save me. Shoot me. Or are you too scared to?"

Young Dean stepped up to them. He didn't, for a moment, think that he would shoot Amy. But he wasn't sure about his older self. Something in his eye said that she was getting to him. Something told Dean that this him might just call her bluff.

"Alright, that's enough," he said, grabbing the Colt from Future Dean's hand and putting back on the table. "Amy, just step away." He reached out, putting a hand on her arm and she flinched away from him.

"Don't touch me," she warned. He nodded, understanding but hurt, and he moved his hand. When she looked at Future Dean, she saw the man who would betray her. He saw the man who'd traded her away and then locked her up for doing as he said. But Past Dean, her Dean, was the man who was going to do that and she couldn't bear to look at him either.

"Just… stay away from me," she muttered, turning and walking out. Dean watched her go, completely blindsided by everything that was happening. He wanted to go after her and try and convince her that he wouldn't do that. But, apparently, he would.

Instead of following her, he turned to the other Dean and pointed after her. "Want to tell me what she's talking about?"

His future self obviously didn't want to tell him. He was staring after Amy much like he would do if they'd just had a fight; like he wanted to charge after her and make her understand.

He sighed. "Sam said yes to Lucifer, and we made a deal to turn her into a demon," he explained bluntly. "I thought Lucifer would buy it and she would be able to get him out of Sam. It didn't work. The End."

Dean shook his head. "No, I mean the fact you put a gun to her head!" he snapped angrily. "We don't do that. She's our family."

"She was," Future Dean retorted. "And that's what got her into this mess. I was just trying to save her."

"Save her?" Dean scoffed.

"Yes, save her!" Future Dean exclaimed. "From us. She has so much faith in us, too much faith and look where it got her? And she still didn't see that she shouldn't have done what we said!"

"We should never have asked her to do that!" Dean corrected. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"Look, I just wanted my brother back," he retorted. "She should have known better."

"Don't go blaming this on her," Dean warned. "This is our fuck-up, our mess. How the hell did you even manage to pull it off?"

"We made a deal with the King of the Cross Roads," Future Dean replied. "He turned her fully demon. No possession, just Amy."

"For what? Your soul?"

The look on Future Dean's face said he really didn't want to offer this information. But he knew himself, and this was something he wasn't going to drop. "Her angels," he replied quietly.

"Her angels?" Dean repeated, surprised. "She gave up her angels for Sammy?"

Future Dean shook his head. "No, she gave them up for us," he corrected. "Because we asked her to. We convinced her that it was the right thing to do."

Dean shook his head slowly, wishing that he could believe that he was lying. "You're one fucked up son of a bitch, you know that?"

"Yes, I do," Future Dean retorted. "And that's why you've got to change it. You have to say yes to Michael. Before we destroy everything we love, before we damn her to an eternity in Hell." He shook his head, suddenly sounding tired. "But you won't, because I didn't, and Amy and the rest of the planet is going to suffer for the rest of their lives because of it."

~0~0~0~

Amelia wasn't sure why she sought refuge at the Impala, the one item that seemed to represent Dean more than anything, but that was where she found herself. In the dark no one could see her running, and even though she was sure no one would care if they heard her crying she kept herself quiet. She dropped onto the grass by the car's front right wheel, leant against it and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to cry so she scrunched her eyes tight to keep the tears at bay.

How could he do this to her? She understood how important defeating the devil was, she wasn't stupid. She was happy to give herself up if it helped him or that cause, but chucking her aside afterwards? Just discarding her like he didn't care? He was supposed to be her best friend, they were supposed to be family! He was… the Winchesters meant as much to her as her Uncle Bobby did. She thought they felt the same. She'd thought Dean had felt the same.

She opened her eyes at the rustling of the grass around her and saw Castiel joining her. He sat on the ground next to her but didn't say a word. For some reason, one she wasn't sure of, she was so relieved that he was there that she let it out. She started crying and she chucked her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder as she sought out comfort.

He tensed under her like the angel she had known him to be, then wrapped his arms back around her, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Amy," he said gruffly. "I should never have taken you to the cabin."

"No, you should have," she replied, keeping her head rested against him. "I needed to know. I needed to see what happened. I just wasn't expecting him to…"

"The Dean you know, and the Dean I know, are two very different men," he told her. "Fighting Lucifer, rejecting Michael, losing you… He definitely did not come out of that whole. He acts like it doesn't bother him but it does. Don't let him make you feel like he doesn't care."

"How am I supposed to go back now, though?" she continued. "Even if my Dean wouldn't, doesn't mean he won't change, doesn't mean that he won't ask again."

"This time you know not to say yes," he reminded her and she shook her head, pulling away, but only just. She kept one arm loosely wrapped around him, the other on his upper arm.

"If Dean is that desperate," she started softly. "If he really needs my help that badly, I'm never going to be able to say no to him." Cas looked away, down from her face and she felt like she'd hurt him. "I'm sorry, Cas. That's the way it's always been."

"What if," he said after a moment, raising his gaze to meet hers. She blinked in surprise by the slight blue brightness that had appeared, more than he had shown so far since she'd met this strange version of her strange angel friend. "What if you promised me first? Would you still say yes?"

She opened her mouth to confirm that she would, that promising him wouldn't change anything, but found herself unable to. Her eyes widened in surprise as her mouth worked around the small word but couldn't find it. She searched his eyes, looking for the reason why she couldn't let him down. That was new.

"I don't know," she replied softly, stunned. His eyes, for a moment, suddenly showed a glimpse of the grace he was missing. "Your eyes are brighter."

He smiled softly and it sat so well on his face. "You said that happens when I'm passionate about something. My faded grace appears, apparently."

That was it. That was the reason why she couldn't say that she would still say yes to Dean. He'd said it softly, but he was as if he was begging her, beseeching her to not go through with it. "Is- Is that why you're sleeping around?" she asked.

"It was, to begin with," he admitted. "I wanted to feel like I was whole again. It's safe to say it didn't work."

She nodded. "I can understand that," she whispered. "When my Uncle Bobby wouldn't let me sing I used to feel half empty. I can't imagine what it's like for you."

"I get by," he promised. "Don't worry about me."

She laughed slightly. "Nope, never going to happen," she broke to him. "I'm going to have to find a way to make my bright-eyed angel bright again before I go."

He suddenly looked sad at her words and she didn't know why. "I'll miss you," he told her.

She was silent for a moment. "How did I break your heart?" she whispered and the corner of his mouth turned up into a smile.

"By not letting me stop you saying yes to Dean," he replied. "I failed you."

She smiled at him, the first one she felt like smiling since she'd been zapped forward in time. "You didn't fail me, Cas," she reassured him. He looked doubtful and she gave his arm a squeeze. "Hey, I know that look," she teased lightly. "You didn't fail me, Cas. At worst I failed myself. Now," she continued to smile, "how do I make those bright eyes shine again?"

He studied her, like he was trying to work out if she really meant it. She wasn't sure why she expected him to kiss her, but he did and she was so grateful. He took her breath away and quickly used that to deepen the kiss.

She could tell from his words that they had been together in his past. She knew she was taking advantage of that, but the last couple of days had broken her heart and he was right; this was how she fixed it. She ran her hands up his arms, up until she could thread her fingers through his hair, pulling herself closer. Why not with her favourite angel?

Then there was a cough. "Um, Cas… Sorry to…" They broke apart and Cas looked up to see Chuck looming over them, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "D-Dean sent me to fetch you for the… um… meeting."

Cas sighed and turned back to Amelia. Her eyes were closed and he could see the frustration building on her face. When her eyes opened, there was annoyance in them that he thought was aimed at him. However, she looked past him and glared up at Chuck.

"Go around the block," she growled at him and he blinked back in confusion.

"I-I'm sorry?" he asked, intimidated by her look.

"I said; go around the block," she repeated angrily. "Three times."

"Oh?" he asked before his eyes widened in comprehension. "Oh! Oh, sorry, yeah…" and he quickly rushed off, leaving them alone on the grass.

"Dean won't be happy if I'm late," he told her gruffly and she shot him a look.

"Dean can wait," she snapped before smirking. "You're busy, aren't you Cas?"

She sounded so tempting, and she felt a thrill at the way his eyes flared to life. He didn't reply, he just reached out and pulled her closer, lips on hers again.