(A/N)-Reviewers-you guys rock. The Powers That Be-you own, I don't. Here we go! (And for those of you who have asked if they're going to get together again-good things come to those who wait…) EDIT: Sorry if you get two emails for this chapter. Apparently the line-thingy doesn't work on , so I'm trying to fix it. Sorry!

Another flash of lightning struck. Lydia and Cas looked up at the ceiling, then back at each other anxiously.

"Raphael?" Lydia asked.

Cas nodded. "Him and his followers." He took hold of Lydia's wrist and pulled her behind his back. "Stay behind me. If I tell you to run, you run."

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England," Lydia snorted. "You think I'm just going to run from a fight?"

A flash of lightning and thunder struck again, drowning out Cas' words back to her. Besides, they had another issue at hand-an angel was standing in the corner, sneering menacingly at Castiel and Lydia.

"Lyd! Go!" Cas thundered, looking at the angel. He turned back to her, and Lydia could see the fear in his eyes. Protecting her, Cas turned back to the angel, who was walking towards them, ready to attack. "You're making a mistake. Please. There is another way." But the angel didn't heed Cas' warnings. "Brother, please. I don't want to hurt you…"

"But I will." Without really thinking, Lydia eyed the angel-killing sword in Cas' hand and grabbed it, then threw it into the angel's chest. The angel screamed in pain, and after a few seconds, all that was left was an empty vessel lying on the floor.

Cas and Lydia stood there, breathing heavily for a few seconds before looking back at each other.

"Did you listen to a word I said?" Cas asked her breathlessly.

Lydia shook her head. "No, not really."

Then, at an alarming speed, Lydia felt her body being torn away from Cas by some invisible force and slammed into a wall. She tried to move, to get away, but found that she couldn't-she was trapped. She looked towards Cas for help, but her eyes widened with surprise and horror. "Cas, look out!"

Cas was grabbed behind by another angel, who struck the fear of God into Lydia just by looking at him. He spoke slowly and dangerously into Cas' ear. "Well, well. Hello, Castiel. How nice to see you." The angel shoved Cas into a set of double doors, that opened with the force of Cas' body. The angel, instead of stepping towards him, noticed Lydia out of the corner of his eye and walked over towards her.

"You must be the blasphemous whore I've heard so much about." The angel let go of the force pinning Lydia to the wall, but grabbed her by the throat and stared at her face. "You must have heard the rumors, haven't you? Castiel flies away from heaven to check on you almost every day." The angel shook his head, disgusted. "You must think he really loves you."

"Raphael." Lydia was struggling to breathe. "You're Raphael."

Raphael didn't answer her; he tightened his grip around her throat and dragged her to the room that Cas was in. He was lying on the floor, clearly injured, and stared at Raphael and Lydia.

"Don't bring her into this, Raphael," Cas sounded hurt, but there was a deadly anger creeping through. "Let her go right now."

There was a slight smirk on Raphael's face. "If you insist…" He shoved Lydia onto the floor, not reacting at all as her head hit the wall with a sickening thud. She blinked a few times, groaning. She felt dizzy, her head was pounding, and she thought for sure that she was going to throw up. It was a concussion for sure. Everything around her was fuzzy, but she couldn't even sit up, the pain in her head was so bad. She watched helplessly as Raphael viciously kicked Cas while he was down, then hauled him to his feet and punched the trench coat-wearing angel in the face repeatedly. Cas fell down a flight of stairs, and Lydia felt her heart sink. Raphael was going to kill him.

She struggled to her feet and bite down on her lip to hold back the vomit that was rising, then stumbled to the dead angel's body. After a few feeble attempts, she managed to get the blade out of his body, and she raced to the top of the stairs, where she saw Raphael holding his own sword over Cas, ready to strike. Without really thinking, Lydia chucked the sword towards Raphael, missing horribly. Raphael looked up at her, his eyes ice-cold and devoid of all emotion.

"You poor, dumb animal," Raphael shook his head. "After I'm done with my brother here, you will be punished for that."

"Hey!" Cas, Lydia, and Raphael all looked to find Balthazar holding a glowing crystal. "Look at my junk."

"No." Raphael actually looked frightened, but then began to turn to…salt? Eventually, there was nothing left of the archangel except a pile of white, grain-like salt.

Balthazar chuckled, look at what was left of his dangerous, powerful brother. "Same thing happened to Lot's wife. Iodize the poor sucker, and your kitchen is stocked for life."

Castiel, however, didn't seem to notice Balthazar's words; he only noticed Lydia, swaying on her feet. She looked like she was going to collapse down the stairs any second. He quickly got up and raced up the giant staircase up to her.

"Lyd!" he said sharply, grabbing her face to assess the damage. But instead, he found himself supporting her completely as she fell into his arms, her head buried against his chest. Cas shifted the girl in his arms so he could get a good look at her face. "Lydia, look at me."

Lydia looked up at angel, still leaning on his chest, her hands clutching his shirt. She nodded slightly, then winced at the pain that shot through her head.

"I'm okay," she muttered. "Ghosts and vampires I can handle. Don't think I'm used to fighting angels yet."

Cas felt the corners of his mouth twitch upward. That's my girl, he thought silently. He placed his hand against her cheek, almost startled at the memory of how right, how familiar this felt. Her eyes were shut, but Cas worked his magic quickly; by the time her eyes were open, Cas had healed her completely.

Lydia nodded, sighing. "Thanks." She continued to stare at the angel, who was staring at her, neither of them even remembering Balthazar was in the room until he coughed uncomfortably. They quickly jumped apart, and it was then that Lydia realized they had been clinching to each other and keeping contact with each other until the very last second.

Lydia, for once, actually had a chance to relax. It had been almost three weeks since that whole mess with Raphael had happened, and Bobby had finally gotten his soul back. It was a messy business-Lydia had to help him torture a few crossroad demons, help Rufus bury a body, and get the Feds off their back-but it had all worked out. Dean and Sam were, as far as she knew, working on a vampire case in Illinois. Bobby and herself had just finished a case in North Dakota two days ago, but now they had some down time, looking for another case. Lydia was currently on her laptop as she lied on her bed, typing away and looking for a new case, when she looked up and saw a familiar face standing in her bedroom.

"Hiya, Cas," Lydia kept her eyes focused on the computer screen, but she smiled anyway.

Cas looked around curiously. "Hello." Then, he added, "So this is your room now?"

Lydia nodded. "Yeah. It's bigger than my old room in Iowa. And it's less drafty." She closed her laptop and shoved it under the bed, having completely lost interest in any kind of research. "So what're you doing here?"

"I wanted to say hello."

"Oh, come on, Cas," Lydia said disbelieving. "You're never here just to say hello."

Castiel looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "You don't know that." When Lydia only looked at him, her eyebrow raised, he sighed and sat on the other end of her bed. "I'm exhausted and completely drained. This war is taking a toll on me."

"The war in heaven?" Lydia asked him quietly.

"Yes," he nodded. "I do not know how much more of it I can take…" Cas looked back at Lydia, a faint smile on his face. "Which is why I needed a break. And you were the first person I could think of that I could talk to…"

"That wouldn't start yelling at you or call you a dick in a trench coat?" Lydia finished his sentence for him, Dean immediately coming to mind.

Cas nodded. "Exactly. He is under an immeasurable amount of stress, but…so am I."

Lydia thought for a second, then scooted a little closer to him and said, "So you've got all your angel powers back, right?"

"Yes…" Cas wasn't sure what to make of the look on Lydia's face. "Why?"

"Well," Lydia began mischievously. "You said you needed a break. When humans need a break, we go on vacation." Cas immediately opened his mouth to protest, but Lydia only continued talking. "Come on, it'll be fun! Three hours, that's all I'm asking for." She held up her fingers. "They can do without you for three hours."

Cas genuinely seemed surprised. "I thought…that you were still angry at me. That you didn't want to see me anymore."

"Well..." Lydia mentally kicked herself. She had said that, hadn't she? "It's all water under the bridge now. You saved my life. It kind of changes things, y'know?"

Cas shook his head. "Not really."

Lydia rolled her eyes and smiled again. "So let's go! Somewhere! Anywhere! We'll just go get something to eat and romp around or whatever." Lydia, not even noticing what she was doing, grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers. "Please!" she begged.

Cas found it was extremely hard to ignore her pleading smile, and the feeling he got when she held his hand. "Fine. Where would you like to go?"

"You're awesome," Lydia grinned, then looked down on the bed, still thinking. (She hadn't let go of his hand, though) "Hm…New York. I went to New York City when I was thirteen with my mother, and it was the greatest thing ever."

"I have been there too," Cas said. "Many years ago, when it was first being established by…"

Lydia held up her hand. "No history lesson. This is a vacation." She looked out the window. "Okay, I'll go tell Bobby I'm going to work. You poof outside or whatever, and I'll meet you there." Cas nodded, and in an instant, he had vanished.

Lydia, as quickly as she could, put on a pair of leggings, the nicest clean shirt she could find, a pair of heeled boots, and a light, fall jacket. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her makeup still looked decent from earlier this morning, and her hair was perfectly straightened. (She had let it grown to shoulder-length and had let it fade to it's natural brown color) Satisfied-and trying to ignore the butterflies that had suddenly appeared in her stomach-she grabbed all two hundred dollars she had, stuffed it in her pocket, and went down the stairs. As she passed by Bobby's study, she called, "Hey! I'm going to work!"

"Make good choices! And use protection!" Bobby called back-his usual goodbye, though he had seemed a bit happier now that he had his soul back. Lydia rolled her eyes and walked outside, seeing Castiel waiting for her. She looked at the sky-it was almost 5 in the evening, and the sun was going to set in over an hour.

"Wow, I love sunsets," Lydia stared at the sky. "Isn't it pretty?" Then she looked at Cas nervously. "You ready, or…?"

"Of course." Cas held out his arm to the girl, indicating her to hold it. With her cheeks growing red and a smile on her lips, Lydia slipped her arm through his. She shut her eyes for a little over three seconds, and when she opened them again, she was in Times Square.

Lydia smiled up, looking around at all the lights and the buildings and the people. "Isn't it amazing?"

Cas looked at her, not even once glancing at the city itself. "Yes."

Lydia tucked a piece of hair behind her ear sheepishly. "So, uh…you still like hamburgers?"

Just like Lydia had promised, they were only in the city for three hours. They had walked around the city, gone different places to eat, and had literally talked the whole time-there wasn't a silence that lasted more than five seconds max. Cas had talked about the war in heaven, how his life was before meeting the Winchesters, how his life had changed since then. Lydia talked about her childhood with her mother, her life before meeting Cas at that diner, what being a hunter was like. Of course, they both had steered clear any mention of their relationship; they just hadn't talked about it. It was like all those months had never happened.

Now, it was close to eleven-thirty at night, and they were standing at the gates to Central Park, deciding whether to go in or not.

"I dunno, Cas…" Lydia bit her lip nervously.

Castiel, on the other hand, seemed eager to go see the park. (In all honesty, he could've cared less about the park itself-he just wanted to stay with her a little longer, stay away from heaven for a few hours more) "Why not? The man said it was open all night."

Lydia shrugged. "It's late at night. My mom grew up in Brooklyn, and she said that the crime rate in Central Park at night is crazy high. It's probably not safe."

Cas, feeling bold, reached over and grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "You're with me. If anybody bothers you, I'll take care of them."

"My hero!" Lydia jokingly gushed in a fake Southern accent. Cas only squeezed her hand again and they started walking through the park. Lydia pointed at the monuments and different things she recognized, but her entire face completely lit up when she reached to what looked like a giant circle in the ground to Castiel.

"Oh my God, I totally forgot about Strawberry Fields!" Lydia let go of Cas' hand and raced over to the giant circle that said "Imagine" in it. She whipped out her phone and opened the camera, then handed it to Cas. "Take a picture, take a picture!" When Cas only stared at this strange technology, Lydia rolled her eyes. "You press the middle button."

Cas took the picture of Lydia crouching next to the circle, then handed her the phone back. "What is this, exactly?"

"It's called Strawberry Fields," Lydia explained. "It's dedicated to John Lennon, who was a really famous musician who died like thirty years ago. He made a song called Strawberry Fields Forever, so after he died, they took a section of the park and made him a memorial."

Cas nodded, looking at the circle. "Why does it say Imagine?"

"That was a really famous song he wrote." Lydia put her hands in her pocket and looked at the memorial. "People come and decorate the circle all the time. That's why there's flowers and pictures of him all over it." Then she grabbed her phone again and opened up the camera. "Hey, go sit next to it. I'm going to take a picture of you."

"Is that really necessary?" Cas didn't look to thrilled with the suggestion.

Lydia smiled and nodded at him. "Absolutely. Now go." Cas went over and stood next to the circle, his back straight and his expression serious. Lydia took the picture, then showed him the screen. "You look great." Then, Lydia stared down at the picture and said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course." The angel nodded.

"See, when Raphael had me pinned against the wall…" Lydia sighed. "He said that you came down from heaven to check on me almost everyday."

Cas suddenly became very interested in his shoes and continued to stare down at them. "He was lying."

"Was he?"

"…It wasn't just you," Cas confessed quietly. "I checked on you, Dean, Bobby, even Sam sometimes. And it wasn't everyday." Cas sighed again. "But it was very close."

Lydia nodded in understanding. "Oh." She then realized how that sounded. "I was just curious…" They were both silent for a while before Lydia looked at the time, her heart sinking. "Well, it's been three hours. You're free to go now."

Cas didn't look happy about that. "Wonderful. More time to go fight a war that I'm losing terribly." He looked back up at Lydia. "I didn't mean to worry you…"

"I'm not worried," Lydia lied and she shrugged her shoulders. "You're strong. I have faith you'll pull through."

"I should probably get you home…" Cas started.

"Oh, yeah," Lydia nodded. "I have to work in like an hour…"

"Right." Cas stepped towards her and cupped her face with his hand. They just stood there, staring into each other's eyes before Cas said, "Close your eyes. The next time you open them, you'll be back at Bobby's."

Lydia nodded again. "Okay." She started to shut her eyes, then opened them again.

"What?" Cas asked her, concerned.

"I…" Lydia was whispering softly; she was sure her voice would break if she spoke even a little bit louder. "I don't want to go yet."

Cas continued to stare at the girl in front of him a little longer, and realized right then and there that his feelings for her hadn't changed a bit since that day he saw her in that diner. Overwhelmed, he stepped forward quickly and kissed her passionately.

Lydia was surprised and almost froze on the spot, but it felt so good, so familiar, her body did things before she could even begin to think about then. She returned the kiss, their lips moving in sync, and she stepped even closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. All those nights with Sam didn't even come close to this. She had always known she had missed Castiel, but she hadn't realized how much she had missed him until right then and there, kissing the angel in the middle of Central Park. She remembered how much she loved him. She, Lydia Carmichael, was still completely, totally, and hopelessly in love with Cas…

And just like that, it was over. His body heat and his kiss were suddenly gone, and the next time Lydia opened her eyes, she was back at Bobby's.