'I'm coming home,

From all the places, I have been,

With nothing, but a voice within,

That calls me... Calls me home.'

- Calls me home, Shannon LaBrie.

Windom, Minnesota

May 3rd, 2009

After Beth had told Dean and Sam what her and Anna had gotten up to and had gotten some sleep, she'd decided to go back to her house, wanting to see it one last time before she left with her new brothers. She didn't expect Dean to go nuts though, and drag her back to the motel room they'd been staying in for days, calling her stupid and reckless and out—of—her—mind. She let him get it out of his system before telling him that if he'd just phoned her this could all have been avoided and he wouldn't have been overreacting. After telling him this, she took the empty bed by the door and went about ignoring him, drifting off to sleep.

Beth let out a whine, slapping at Dean's hand as he tried to push her out of the bed. Apparently he'd had a dream about Castiel and the trench coat clad angel had told him to meet him at some address, and Dean had spent the last ten minutes trying to force Beth to get up but she was unwilling and just as stubborn as could be.

"Go without me," she moaned, burrowing under the warmth of the comforter. "I'll be fine."

"One, we're not leaving you behind—who knows what sort of trouble you'd get yourself into," Dean held up one finger before raising another, "and two, you're wasting time, Castiel could be in trouble and instead of being out of the road going to the location he gave, I'm stuck here trying to get your lazy ass out of bed."

"Ugh, fine." She pushed the comforter back—shivering as the cold air attacked her bare legs—and dragged herself out of the bed, grabbing her clothes and heading for the bathroom.

"Who knew that having a sister could be such hard work?" Dean said to Sam. His younger brother chuckled in response as he continued to pack away the rest of his belongings. "She's a spoilt brat."

"I heard that!" Beth yelled from the bathroom.

"You were meant to, princess," Dean called back.

Five minutes later, Beth exited the bathroom, slipping her night shirt and shorts into her bag and pulling her shoes on. She tugged her hair up into messy bun before following them out the door and across the lot towards the Impala.

A few hours later, the trio had arrived at an abandoned factory just outside of Windom. Dean and Sam stood around the trunk and grabbed a shotgun each and a flash light. Sam took an extra flash light out and passed it to Beth, who thanked him quietly.

"I don't like this place," she whispered, following them down a cold, wet corridor. She kept her flash light pointed at the ground to make sure she wouldn't trip over anything.

"Suck it up, princess."

"What did he say Dean? What was so important?" Sam asked curiously.

"If I knew, would I be here?"

Beth jumped as something sparked above her head as she made her way up the metal staircase. The scene in front of her was shocking, it looked as though something had exploded, sending a variety of pipes and other junk in all directions.

"It looks like a bomb went off," she whispered to Sam. He nodded his agreement.

"There was a fight here," Dean concluded, walking ahead of them.

"Between who?"

"Hey, check it out." Dean pointed towards a large, red drawing on the wall behind them.

"The hell is that?" Beth demanded.

"It's a sigil, like the one Anna used to banish Cas and that other one," Sam explained.

"Why is it here then? W-was Castiel fighting other angels or something?"

"I dunno, looks like it," Dean said.

Beth walked a few steps ahead of them, catching sight of a figure in the corner of her vision. She turned towards it, and recognized the man immediately. Dropping her flash light, she sprinted towards him, dropping to her knees and shaking him.

"Cas?" she called, patting his cheek. "Castiel?"

Dean jerked her backwards just as Cas shot up and nearly head butted her. She pulled away from Dean and crouched down to steady a confused Castiel.

"Wha-what's going on?" he questioned, looking at her.

"Hey, it's okay. Calm down," she soothed as he glanced around wildly before pushing himself to his feet.

"No!" His eyes flickered around almost nervously, causing Beth to stare at him in confusion, the angel she'd met wasn't nervous at all and the way he held himself was tall and fierce, as though he was welcoming anyone who might be a threat to take a swing and see who came out on top. He was nothing like this guy, whose voice was slightly higher, his eyes not as blue and seemed to express his emotions more willingly, more freely.

"Are you all right, Cas?" Sam asked, concerned.

"Castiel?" the man repeated. "I'm not Castiel. It's me."

"Who's me?" Sam demanded.

"Jimmy… my name's Jimmy." Jimmy glanced behind him, as if wondering how he'd gotten there.

"Where the hell is Castiel?" Dean asked gruffly. Beth rose to her feet, standing close to her brothers as she eyed the stranger warily.

"I… he's gone," Jimmy explained. He look between the three of them curiously, his gaze lingering on Beth.

"What do you mean 'he's gone'?" Beth's eyes were wide, filled with confusion. "Who is this guy? Why's he saying Cas is gone?"

"You don't know," Jimmy realized. Beth frowned at him, wondering what the hell he was talking about.

"Know what?"

"Enough chit-chat, we need to get to the car, now." Dean grabbed Beth's arm, pulling her away from Jimmy and back towards the stairs with Sam following quickly and Jimmy much more hesitantly.

"So, are you gonna tell me who the hell you are?" Beth questioned. She was stuck in the back seat with 'Jimmy' while Sam and Dean stopped at a diner to pick up some food for all of them.

"In order for angels to walk on earth, they need to have a vessel," Jimmy explained. "A human willing to cart them around."

"You're Cas' vessel, aren't you?" Jimmy nodded, rubbing his stomach as it rumbled loudly. Beth reached into her messenger bag and pulled out the Hershey bar she had and handed it to him.

"No, I can't take this," he declined and attempted to hand it back.

"Hey, you need it more than I do." She pushed his hands back towards his chest and smiled.

"Thank you," he said before proceeding to devour the chocolate bar in two bites.

"How does it work?" she asked and then clarified, "Being a vessel, I mean."

"Castiel put me through a series of tests in order to check my faith," Jimmy explained lightly. "When he was sure I was ready, he asked me if I was willing to serve the Lord by being his vessel on earth. I said yes and then this bright light filled the air and I was shoved to the back of my mind."

"That sounds… intense," Beth breathed in surprise. "W-what was it like?"

"Intense is putting it lightly." Jimmy turned slightly to face her. She stared back at him, pity flitting across her face. "It felt as though I was strapped to a comet and there was no escape. It's a horrible feeling––being shoved aside and having no control over your actions or words."

"I'm sorry," she told him genuinely. "Do you remember anything whilst you were a vessel?"

"I remember one thing, actually," he admitted.

"What?"

"Cas was very intrigued by you," he explained. Beth's eyebrows shot up towards her hairline.

"Me? Why?"

"He thought your strength was admirable." Beth stared at Jimmy in complete shock, there was no way that someone as plain as her could gain the admiration of someone as powerful, as magnificent as an angel. "I may not have been aware of everything that happened over the past year, but I know that he thought you were surprisingly strong for a human, especially after what you've been through the past while. It confused him to no end, he didn't know what he was feeling or why."

"How… what?" She tried desperately to wrap her head around what she was just told.

"I could hear his thoughts, Beth," Jimmy said as he glanced out the window, Sam and Dean had just exited the diner. "I know that you lost your mom and brother and that you kept going even though you wanted to just break down. I also know that you didn't take on that station of demons alone."

"Cas did he–"

"He knows it was Anna that killed most of the demons," Jimmy smiled in amusement. "It's not like you could've smote them yourself."

"He didn't tell anyone, did he?" she asked frantically. Her brothers were getting closer.

"I don't think so, why are you-"

"No one can know about Anna," she told him urgently. "If they find her, she's in trouble."

"Why?" Jimmy asked.

"Because Anna's a fallen angel and they want to hurt her."

"Yup, I am definitely no longer hungry," Beth said as she dropped her burger on her plate. Jimmy sent her an apologetic look but continued to devour his own burger.

"Mind slowing down? You're gonna give me angina," Dean grumbled and Jimmy held his hands up in surrender, still chewing away at his burger.

"I'm hungry," Jimmy said defensively as he picked up his large cup of soda and took a long sip.

"When's the last time you ate?" Sam asked curiously.

"I dunno, months."

Dean and Beth shared a disgusted look as Jimmy shoved the last bite into his mouth, moaning happily as he ate it. When the brunette glanced not-so-subtly at Beth and then her cheese burger, she rolled her eyes and shoved the plate at him—he took it with a wide smile and a nod of thanks.

"What the hell happened back there?" Sam said, leaning his elbows on the table. "It looked like an angel battle royale."

"All I remember is a flash of light and I, uh, woke up and I was, you know, just like me again."

"So what? Cas just ditched out of your meat suit?" Dean questioned.

"I really don't know," Jimmy replied. His cheeks puffing out at the amount of food stuffed in his mouth.

"Do you remember anything about being possessed?" Jimmy glanced at Sam quickly before his eyes flickered to Beth, who had a pleading look on her face, begging him not to tell them what he had told her.

"Bits and pieces." Jimmy shrugged his shoulders. "Having an angel inside you is kinda like being chained to a comet."

"That doesn't sound like much fun," Dean pursed his lips, feeling a hint of sympathy for Jimmy.

"Understatement." Jimmy went back to eating the remains of Beth's burger.

"Cas said he wanted to tell us something, please tell me you remember that." Sam kept a secure gaze locked on Jimmy's face, examining him to see if he could find any hints of dishonesty when the other man finally answered.

"Sorry." Jimmy shook his head apologetically.

"Come on, what do you know?" Dean probed.

"Dean, leave him alone," Beth scolded without hesitation. "It's clear he doesn't remember anything, and even if he did, he would've told us by now, right Jimmy?"

"Yeah, what she said," Jimmy agreed.

"There has to be something," Dean urged, ignoring Beth.

"My name is Jimmy Novak," Jimmy said finally, a deeply thoughtful look on his face. "I'm from Pontiac, Illinois and I have a family."

"Beth, you stay here with Jimmy." Dean clapped a hand down on her shoulder as he stood up. "Sam, we need to talk, outside."

"Yeah, sure." Sam nodded and followed Dean outside the motel room and across the lot to the car.

"Can you tell me more about your family?" Beth asked hesitantly.

"I'm married to a woman named Amelia," Jimmy smiled fondly as an image of his wife and daughter appeared in his mind. "She's beautiful and smart and loving. We have a daughter, Claire—she's 11 years old now."

"What's she like?" Beth rested her elbows on the table, leaning towards him.

"She's… just like her mother," Jimmy explained quietly, missing his family with all his heart. "But she has my eyes."

"She sounds lovely," Beth smiled. She hesitantly set a hand on his squeezing it comfortingly. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For you not being able to see them for a whole year—it can't be easy for you." Jimmy returned Beth's smile with a weak one of his own and set his left hand over hers, patting it gently before pulling away.

"You're right, it hasn't been easy," he said as he turned his gaze to the wedding ring on his finger, turning it in circles slowly. "…I just left them behind. I didn't even stop to think about what it would do to them. I'll be lucky if Amelia lets me back in."

"If she loves you, she will," Beth told him gently. His eyes flickered up to meet hers and her lips twitched up into a side smile.

"Why would she do that?" he questioned. "After everything, why would she welcome me back?"

Beth was silent for a moment, trying to decide what to say in response. Jimmy was staring at her, waiting patiently for her to speak her mind, to tell him why she thought his wife would forgive him.

"Because… because people make mistakes and when they do, it's only fair that they get a second chance. I know you feel guilty for leaving them, but sometimes… sometimes you have to do what you feel is right… even if it hurts the ones you love."

"I can see why he was interested in you," Jimmy stated finally, assessing her through his deep—but not as deep as Cas'—blue eyes. "You have a kind heart. Don't ever lose it."

"I-I won't." She swallowed deeply and looked away. In that split second, she felt as though it was Cas that she was talking to, that was staring at her in that strange, yet adorable, squinty way he did. And she did not just think that. She did not just call one of Cas's traits adorable. Nope. Definitely not.

She was yanked out of her thoughts as Sam and Dean re-entered the motel room, closing and locking the motel door behind them and coming to stand just in front of her and Jimmy.

"There's been a change of plan," Dean started, glancing between his half-sister and Jimmy. "As it turns out, you can't go home."

"The hell you talking about, I can't go home?" Jimmy demanded in disbelief.

"There's a good change you've got a bulls eye on your back," Dean explained with a shrug. Sam perched himself on the edge of the table and watched the scene before him play out. Beth crossed her arms over her chest, sharing Jimmy's feeling of disbelief. She couldn't believe that Dean and Sam were refusing to let Jimmy go back home to his wife and daughter.

"What?" Jimmy's eyebrows shot up towards his hairline. "From who?"

"…Demons."

"Come on; that's crazy." He shook his head, turning to give Beth a look that said 'are you buying what they're selling?' and she shrugged weakly, not wanting to side with anyone, even if what Dean was saying was starting to make a little bit of sense. It probably was safer if Jimmy were to remain with them, if that meant that he would be safe and so would his family. But she wasn't going to get on his bad side by agreeing with her half-brothers. "What'd they want with me?"

"I dunno. Information, maybe?" Dean asked rhetorically.

"I don't know anything," Jimmy repeated for what felt like the hundredth time, raising his voice slightly. He couldn't believe that these strangers were actually trying to prevent him from leaving, from seeing his family again. What gave them the right to tell him he couldn't leave?

"I know," Dean also raised his voice to match Jimmy's.

"Look, I'm done! Okay? With demons, angels, all of it." Jimmy interrupted before Dean could continue. "I just wanna go home."

"Look, we understand that-"

"No, I don't think you do understand," Jimmy said angrily. "I've been shot and stabbed and healed. My body's been dragged all over the earth." Jimmy paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "By some miracle, I'm out. I'm done. I've given enough, okay?"

"Look, all we're saying is until we figure this out, the safest place is with us," Sam took over from Dean, standing up and taking the spot on Dean's right.

"Beth, don't tell me you agree with them?" Jimmy asked as he turned to her, wanting her to side with him. He knew deep down that she understood how he was feeling, that she would help him if he asked her to.

"I-I don't agree with them wanting to keep you here against your will," Beth answered reluctantly, gaining irritated looks from her half-brothers. "But I agree that this might be the safest place for you… and your family."

Jimmy looked away from her and back towards Sam, "How long?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Sam said after a minute.

Jimmy shook his head angrily and made his way past Dean towards the door. Beth followed him with her eyes but made no move to go after him.

"Where are you going?" Dean demanded. Sam put a hand against Jimmy's chest and pushed him back a few steps.

"To see my wife and daughter, okay?" Jimmy snapped, grabbing his trench coat off the table.

"No. You're not," Sam told him firmly, "you're just gonna put those people in danger."

"So what, now I'm a prisoner?" Jimmy couldn't believe these people, he really couldn't. Were they really going to keep him locked up because some demons may or may not be after him?

"Harsh way to put it." Sam shrugged lightly.

"I can't believe you guys." Jimmy shook his head, dropping his coat on the table and backing away from Sam.

Beth felt pity for him as she took in his desperate expression, she reached out and set her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry-"

"I don't wanna hear it." He shrugged her hand off roughly and stormed across the room, sitting down on the bed nearest the door with his back to them.

Beth pushed her hair away from her face as she reluctantly turned to face her brothers. She sent them a disappointed look and moved to sit at the table, sipping at her cup of pineapple juice.

"I can't believe you guys," she whispered, trying not to disturb Jimmy, who had stretched out across the bed and pulled the comforter up to his chin. "I thought you were better than this—I never imagined that you would willingly keep someone from going home to the family who missed them dearly, who were worried sick about them and had no idea if they were okay, or if they were even still alive. I guess you're not the men I thought you were."

Beth finished her juice and turned her back on them, climbing onto the couch and curling up into a ball, knees drawn in to her chest and her arms wrapped around them.

Beth had been kept awake for hours after the argument between her, her half-brothers and Jimmy. She couldn't help the guilt that was eating away at her for not trying to encourage Sam and Dean into letting Jimmy go. She missed her mom and brother more than anything, so she could imagine what he was going through, the only difference was that his family was still alive and hers wasn't.

At 4:34am, when Sam had left the motel room, presumably to get a drink from the soda machine, and Dean was fast asleep in his bed, snoring away, Beth quickly got up off the couch and tiptoed towards Jimmy's bed.

"Hey, wake up," she whispered gently shaking his shoulder. "Jimmy, wake up."

"Huh? What—?" Beth quickly clamped a hand over his mouth and placed a finger against her own, gesturing for him to be quiet.

"If you wanna get home to your family, now is the time," she told him urgently and stepped back. Jimmy nodded eagerly, climbing out of bed and tugging his trench coat on. Beth pulled on her doc martens and tied them quickly before shoving the loose articles of clothing of hers that lay around the room in her bag and pulled her jacket on, gesturing for him to follow her.

"Thank you for this," he told her quietly as he carefully closed the door behind them.

"It's not a problem. I know you would do the same if it was someone else in your position," Beth returned with a gentle smirk, walking quickly past the long line of motel rooms.

Later that morning, Sam was frantically shoving belongings into his duffel bag and Dean was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth and taking his time.

"Dean, would you hurry up?" he barked. Dean exited the bathroom, toothbrush still in his mouth as he chuckled deeply at his brother. "Sorry, this is funny to you?" Sam demanded.

"Mr big, bad prison guard, our sis and Jimmy gives you the slip, yeah, it's pretty funny." Dean removed the toothbrush from his mouth. Sam sent him an irritated look and went back to packing. "What were you doing anyway?"

"I was getting a coke," Sam said defensively.

"Was it a refreshing coke?" Dean asked mockingly. He wasn't that worried about Jimmy leaving, it was the fact that Beth had either willingly gone with the older man or had been dragged along that had him concerned.

"Can we just go? Please?" Sam asked. He was also worried about Beth, she knew next to nothing about what they hunted and wouldn't stand a chance against demons, should she and Jimmy encounter them.

Dean nodded finally and returned to the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth.

"Hey, there's no need to worry. You'll see them soon," Beth said to Jimmy. The older man was bouncing his knee up and down as he stared out of the window of the bus.

"I'm sorry, I just… I can't wait to see them again," Jimmy said truthfully.

"It's understandable, trust me." Beth pulled a can of soda from her bag and handed it over to him, waving his words of thanks aside and taking out her own grape soda.

"Won't your brothers be angry that you've run off?" Jimmy asked.

"I… I doubt it." She shrugged weakly at him. "I'm only their half-sister, I doubt they even know I'm gone."

"I don't think that's true," Jimmy reassured her, looking down at her. "It was obvious that they care about you. Sam made sure you got your dinner first before anyone else and he got you that pineapple juice, which is obviously something you like very much and Dean wouldn't let you move away from his side, it was as if he thought I would attack you or something and he wasn't willing to let you get hurt."

"Really?" Beth met his gaze evenly, hope flashing across her face.

"I think they care for you more than you know."

Beth smiled widely up at him before turning away and sticking headphones in her ears. Jimmy's lips twitched into a smile as well as he went back to staring out of the window.

He would be back home with his family soon enough.

"That's it. That's my house," Jimmy told her, pointing towards a large, beautiful house with a wide porch and a lawn in front of it.

"It's beautiful," she admitted, staring at it with wide eyes. She followed Jimmy up the sidewalk and onto the path leading to the porch.

Jimmy came to a sudden stop a few feet from the porch steps and Beth skidded slightly to stop herself from colliding with his back. She looked up at him in concern, wondering why he wasn't going any closer.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just… I have so many memories of this place," he said with emotion filled eyes. Beth smiled at his words and took his hand, guiding him up onto the porch. He glanced through the window to see a young girl sitting at the table, studying hard. Beth followed his gaze and came to the conclusion that the blonde girl must have been his daughter, Claire.

"She's pretty." Beth nudged him gently after releasing his hand.

Claire turned slightly in her chair and spoke to someone just out of sight and a few seconds later, a beautiful woman with blonde hair entered the room, leaning over her daughter to get a better look at her assignment.

"Go on," Beth encouraged, stepping back as he stopped in front of the door. "It's time for you to see them again."

Jimmy nodded at her words, taking a deep breath and pressing the doorbell. It rang for a short period of time before the door opened to reveal Jimmy's wife. Amelia's eyes widened in shock and in relief as she stared at him.

"We, uh… we stopped looking for you," Amelia stated, feeling the familiar sting of tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Jimmy whispered as tears welled in his eyes.

"You were dead." Amelia's eyes flickered to Beth, who stood awkwardly behind Jimmy, a few feet away. "We… we thought you were dead."

"I'm okay," Jimmy assured his wife, regaining her attention. "I just… I needed to see you again… you and Claire."

"Who is she?" Amelia looked back at Beth, eyes narrowing as the brunette waved weakly.

"I'm Beth. Beth Milligan," she introduced herself with a polite smile before deciding to make up a story on how she knew Jimmy. "I met Jimmy at the bus station just outside of town and saw that he had no money, so I offered to pay for him."

"Why are you here?"

"He told me so much about you that I just wanted to make sure he got back to you safely," she explained lightly, "and I hope you know how lucky you are to have him, he's a nice guy, really."

Amelia was silent, staring at Beth with cautious eyes. Beth shifted awkwardly under the woman's strong gaze and felt relieved when the blonde nodded and a smile crossed her face.

"Thank you," she said genuinely to Beth.

"It's no problem," Beth grinned happily and took a step backwards. "I guess I should get going. I don't know when the bus to Windom is, but I should hurry so I don't miss it." She turned her eyes to Jimmy. "You be careful, you hear? Don't do anything stupid."

"Thank you, Bethany Milligan." Jimmy said warmly, grateful for all her help.

"Hey, it's just Beth," she corrected immediately. She turned away from the Novak's and walked slowly back down the path, wondering silently how she was going to explain her actions to Sam and Dean, she knew they'd be pissed at her. She also knew she was gonna get an earful from Dean for being so reckless.

"Wait!" Beth spun around to find Amelia walking towards her.

"What is it?"

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Amelia asked. "I mean, it's the least I can do."

"I couldn't possibly-"

"Please. I won't take no for an answer."

"O-okay, I guess I could stay for a couple of hours," Beth said hesitantly and was promptly dragged back up the path, onto the porch and into the house after Amelia and Jimmy.

Beth sat awkwardly at the dining room table, occasionally glancing at Claire, who was openly staring at her. Jimmy and Amelia were in the front room, talking quietly amongst themselves.

"So, what are you working on?" Beth asked curiously.

"History assignment," Claire replied, glancing down at the paper in front of her.

"Ah, History was one of my favourite classes when I was your age," Beth smiled gently at the girl.

"How do you know my dad?"

"I met him at a bus station just outside of town, he seemed like a nice guy, so I helped him find his way home," Beth explained.

Claire simply smiled in response and stood up when her mom called her name, rushing past Beth and towards the front room.

"Hey daddy," she whispered, throwing her short arms around him.

"Hey baby." Jimmy held her tightly, closing his eyes as he savoured the moment between himself and his daughter.

Beth met Amelia's tearful eyes and smiled at her, feeling honoured that she was witnessing such an emotional reunion between a father and his child. She crossed her arms over her chest and continued smiling away to herself.

"So, we have turkey and roast beef," Amelia explained as she set two plates of sandwiches on the table. "If that's okay?"

"It looks delicious, thank you, Mrs Novak," Beth said, eyeing the food hungrily. She remembered a time when her mom used to do the same thing, making her and Adam piles of sandwiches and letting them eat them in the living room in front of the TV.

"It's perfect—it's more than perfect," Jimmy added, resting his hands against the back of the chair. "Shall we sit?"

Beth waited until the Novak's had sat down before she took the seat beside Claire. Jimmy sat at the head of the table and Amelia sat across from Claire, on Jimmy's right.

"It's perfect," Jimmy repeated, picking up a sandwich.

"Daddy, aren't you gonna say grace?" Claire asked, confused.

"No honey, I don't think I am," Jimmy answered after a moment. Beth felt pity for the man well in her stomach, it didn't really surprise her that he didn't want to say grace after everything he'd been through the past year, acting as Castiel's vessel.

"Why are you crying?"

"'Cause I'm happy," Jimmy explained tearfully, looking towards his daughter. Claire smiled brightly at him, gaining a watery laugh from her dad. Amelia looked awfully uncomfortably and the doorbell suddenly ringing seemed to give her a reason to move, to do something.

"Hey, let me get that for you," Beth told the older woman gently. "It's the least I can do," she added when Amelia made to protest.

"Thank you," Amelia said finally and sat back down. Beth nodded and left the dining room, heading straight for the door. She opened it and came face-to-face with a man with light ginger hair and dark green eyes.

"Can I help you?" Beth asked politely.

"Is Amelia home?" the man questioned.

"Uh, yeah, Mrs Novak's in the dining room. I'll just go get her, wait here." Beth closed the door behind the man and walked back to the dining room, telling Amelia that a man wanted to speak to her.

Jimmy followed his wife out moments later and hugged the man. Beth remained in the doorway of the dining room with Claire behind her, peeking out at the adults from under Beth's arm. Beth smirked in amusement and crouched down, telling Claire to climb onto her back. She stood up to her full height which allowed Claire to see what was going on without having to crouch down.

"Can I get you a beer?" Amelia asked and Roger nodded, thanking her as she headed for the kitchen.

Amelia walked back into the living room in time for Jimmy to hit Roger roughly over the head with a heavy object, she gasped in horror as her husband began hitting their neighbour over and over again in the head.

"What are you doing?" Amelia cried out.

"He's a demon!" Jimmy yelled back.

Beth jumped at the sudden shout, almost knocking Claire's head against the top of the doorframe. She set the girl down on the ground and herded her towards the stairs, pushing her up them and telling her not to leave her room until Beth came for her.

She raced to the kitchen and grabbed her bag, riffling through it until she found the flask of holy water Dean had given her when she was dropped off with them again after meeting Castiel. Without a moment's hesitation, she hurried to Jimmy's side and flung her wrist out, sending a small splash of holy water onto Roger's face. He yelped in pain and anger as the holy water ate through the skin of his face, leaving burn marks on his skin.

Jimmy hit Roger again as he made to get up and lunge at Beth, who jumped backwards out of the way.

"Stop! What are you doing?" Amelia screamed.

"Run, Amelia! He's a demon!" Jimmy ordered. Beth quickly grabbed Amelia's hand and tugged her out of the living room, stopping at the bottom of the stairs and calling on Claire. The young girl appeared at once, running down the stairs and latching onto her mom.

"Why did you do that?" Jimmy paid no attention to Amelia, riffling through the objects on the shelves in the pantry.

"Do you know how to fight them?" he asked Beth urgently.

"N—no. Dean and Sam never got around to teaching me," Beth answered shakily, running her fingers through her hair. "But, Anna said… she said that salt can hold them off, if we spread it around the doors and windows, it should buy us some time until I can get my brothers here."

She joined Jimmy in his search and eventually came across a large tub of salt. She edged her way past Amelia and Claire, heading straight for the door.

"Roger was your best friend," Amelia whispered, keeping Claire behind her.

"No. Roger was a demon, dammit," Jimmy corrected, pouring salt over across the bottom of the door. "Don't cross this line," he ordered.

"I thought you were better—you said you were better," Amelia accused.

"I am better, I'm not crazy," he said desperately. Amelia backed away, holding a scared Claire against her back.

"Stay the hell away from us!" Amelia barked.

"This is all a big misunderstanding," Jimmy pleaded. Beth shifted awkwardly on her feet, watching him trying to get his wife to understand what was really happening.

"You're crazy!" Amelia snapped. Jimmy grabbed her arms, reaching one hand out towards Claire. Amelia pushed with all her strength, shoving Jimmy against the shelves and shouting for Claire to run. The young girl ducked past Beth as she tried to grab her and fled into the kitchen. Beth raced after her, calling for her to come back.

Jimmy darted after them, only to skid to a stop beside Beth and stare at a bloody Roger, who had Claire in his hold, a knife poised over her throat. Amelia entered the hall last and went to run to Claire's aid when Beth held an arm out, preventing her from going closer.

"Heya pal," Roger greeted cheerfully, acting as though he hadn't just had his head bashed in. Amelia stared at him wide, disbelieving eyes. "Told ya I'd get the bitch."

"Roger," Amelia breathed.

"Daddy!" Claire gasped fearfully.

"Let her go, you son of a bitch!" Beth ordered, a very Dean—like expression. She'd heard those words some many times since Dean had rescued her that it seemed to be favourite catch phrase now.

"Normally, I would, but in this case," Roger started, backing away with Claire, "the misses has other ideas."

A woman with short brown hair suddenly appeared, leaping onto Jimmy's back and tackling him to the floor. She immediately began punching him as Claire screamed loudly. The woman turned her head towards Beth and Amelia, her eyes completely pitch black.

"Oh my god," Amelia whispered. "No!" The blonde latched onto the demon and tugged her backwards, stopping her from hitting Jimmy again. The demon let out an angry shriek, struggling against Amelia. Beth rushed to help, only to get back-handed and sent flying across the hall into the wall.

Roger let out a sudden, strangled cry that filled the air. Beth glanced up, pressing a hand against her bleeding forehead to find Dean standing there, holding a strange looking knife in his hand. Claire darted away from Roger's fallen body, throwing herself at her mom as the female demon attempted to flee the room, only to be stopped by Sam, who seemed to make her freeze on the spot just by holding his hand out.

Jimmy scrambled to his feet, pulling his wife and daughter to him. Dean's gaze locked on Sam, watching as he held the female in place.

"Go! Get out of here!" Sam ordered breathlessly.

"Go! Go!" Dean encouraged as he helped Beth to her feet, slipping his arm around her waist to support her weight.

"Dean, I need my bag," she told him, her vision swimming. "It's on the kitchen table."

"Get her out of here," Dean gently pushed her to Jimmy, watching as the man followed his example, slipping his arm around her and encouraging her to lean against him as he rushed her and his family outside. Dean and Sam appeared seconds later, running towards them. Dean had Beth's bag slung over his left shoulder. "Where's your wife?" he demanded, looking at Jimmy.

"I'm right here," Amelia answered as she popped up beside Claire, wrapping a coat around her daughter.

"Let's go," Dean ordered as he climbed into the front seat. Sam took Beth from Jimmy helping her into the front of the car and climbing in after her. He pulled out a bandanna from her bag after Dean had handed it to him and pressed it firmly against her head.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked softly.

"I'll be fine," she assured him weakly, face pale from the smell of the blood. "It'll take more than a bang to the head to take me down."

"That's good to know," Sam chuckled and gained a small smile from Beth. She leaned against him, hesitantly resting her head against his shoulder and sighing, exhausted from the day's events.

"You were right," Jimmy sighed, looking from his wife and daughter in the back of the car to Dean, who was frowning.

"Sorry we were," her brother said in response. Beth glanced over at them, trying not to wince as Sam finished cleaning the cut on her head and stuck a large band aid over it.

"You'll be fine, it doesn't stitches or anything," Sam told her, sticking the first aid kit back in the trunk. "It's just a cut."

"Thanks, Sam."

"I'm telling you, I don't know anything," Jimmy was saying when Beth tuned back in to their conversation.

"I don't think they're inclined to believe you," Dean pointed out.

"And even if they did, you're a vessel," Sam continued for his brother, "they're still gonna wanna know what makes you tick."

Beth turned away from the trio, grabbing her bag from the front seat and taking out a bottle of pain killers, she shook a couple out onto her palm and chased them down with a bottle of water she found in the glove compartment.

"Don't you get it?" Sam demanded suddenly, regaining Beth's attention. "Forever. The demons will never stop. You can never be with your family. So you either get as far away from them as possible, or you put a bullet in your head, and that is how you keep your family safe but there's no getting out and there's no going home."

Dean looked taken aback by his brother's harsh words as Beth re-joined them, a shocked look on her face. She stood beside Jimmy, eyeing Sam warily.

"Why the hell would you say that?" she asked sharply. "Don't you think he feels bad enough as it is?"

"Because it's the truth," Sam told her, turning his gaze onto her.

"Well, don't sugar-coat it, Sam," Dean snorted.

"I'm just telling him the truth, Dean," Sam snapped. "Someone has to."

With that said, Sam and Dean walked a few feet away, discussing something quietly, and leaving Beth standing beside a shell-shocked Jimmy and rubbing her arm awkwardly.

"I'm sorry for what he said, it was uncalled for."

"No, it wasn't. He's right, I shouldn't have come back; I was the one who put them in danger." Jimmy's gaze slid to his wife and daughter, sadness covering his face.

Beth sighed in pity, following his gaze. She squeezed his arm gently before leaving his side and climbing onto the hood of the Impala.

Beth watched sadly as Jimmy said his goodbyes to his family, she knew how hard it must be for him. She was taken by surprise as Claire suddenly approached her, hugging her tightly around the waist. She glanced up at Jimmy to find him watching his daughter fondly, sending a small smile at Beth, she returned it and hugged Claire back, brushing her thumb over Claire's long blonde locks.

"You be good, you hear?" Beth crouched in front of her. "If you need someone to talk to, at any time, just give me a call, all right?" she handed a piece of paper to Claire, watching as the girl tucked it into her pocket.

"Will you take care of my daddy?"

"Of course, you have my word," Beth promised, holding out her hand and grinning as Claire linked their pinkies together, shaking their hands up and down once. "See ya later, squirt."

Claire gave her a bright, parting smile and headed back to her mom. Beth waved at them as she climbed into the backseat of the Impala, waiting patiently as Jimmy waved goodbye and joined her in the back. Sam and Dean were already sitting in the front, waiting to go.

They drove out of the parking garage minutes later, leaving Claire and Amelia behind. Beth bit her lip, an odd feeling coming over her as the two blondes disappeared from sight.

"What's wrong?" Jimmy asked curiously, seeing her worried expression.

"Nothing… just had a bad feeling, is all."

Beth's phone started ringing suddenly, jerking her from her sleep and causing her to hit her head against the roof of the car.

"Hello?" she asked sleepily as she flipped her phone open and answered the call.

"Hey, Beth," Amelia greeted cheerfully.

"Amelia?" Beth said in surprise, gaining curious looks from her brothers. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, I was just wondering if you could put Jimmy on the phone?" Amelia replied in a reassuring voice.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Hold on a sec." Beth leaned across and gently patted Jimmy's shoulder. He woke up almost immediately, his blue eyes locking on her. "It's Amelia, she wants to talk."

"Amelia," Jimmy greeted, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with one hand. A look of horror appeared on his face.

"What is it?" Beth mouthed in concern.

"Oh my god," was all Jimmy uttered before the call cut off.

"Well… this is a nice place," Beth pursed her lips, eyeing the abandoned factory in distaste.

"Right, they're expecting you to come alone," Dean told Jimmy as the man pulled his trench on, "and that's exactly what you're gonna do."

"We'll be right behind you," Sam added. Beth nodded in agreement.

"All you gotta do is stay calm and stall," Dean finished. "Let us do our job."

"You want me to stay calm? This is my family we're talking about!"

"Listen to me, this will work, you understand? Nobody's gonna get hurt."

"Yeah, whatever," Jimmy said flippantly. He started walking away from them. "Give me a minute okay?"

"D'you think he's gonna be okay?" Beth asked worriedly.

"Of course," Dean told her reassuringly.

"There's no way they're expecting him to come alone, Dean," Sam pointed out. "You know this is probably a trap."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I have a plan."

"You knew this was a trap?" Beth demanded, glaring at them. "You just let him walk right in there—he could die… so could his family."

"We didn't have another choice, princess," Dean replied. He glanced down at her. "Maybe it's best if you stay here."

"No. No way," Beth disagreed stubbornly. "I'm not waiting out here, you two might not come back. Besides, you need all the help you can get."

"She has a point, Dean." Sam shared a meaningful look with Dean. His brother nodded subtly, the action going unnoticed by Beth.

"Yeah, I guess she does."

Before Beth could fight back, Sam pulled her against him, grasping her arms and holding them out to Dean, who locked one handcuff around her wrist before hooking it through the space in between the door handle and the car and attaching it to her other wrist. Sam released her with a smirk, watching in amusement as she struggled against her restraints.

"What the hell are you doing?" Beth demanded, sending a glare over her shoulder.

"I'm afraid you're gonna be stuck out here princess," Dean said with a wink. "You don't know anything about hunting, so it's safer it you stay here."

"Dean!" she yelled as they grabbed their necessary equipment and walked away. "Don't you dare leave me here!"

"Damn son of a bitch!" Beth cursed, tugging uselessly at the handcuffs.

She'd been stuck to the car for the last five minutes and was still trying to free herself. It wasn't easy, seeing as she had nothing to try and open the cuffs with.

The flutter of wings sounded behind her and she turned the best she could, looking over her shoulder at the familiar brunette.

"You look like you're in a spot of bother," he told her with an amused smirk.

"Would you just help me out, please?" she begged. He nodded and set a hand over the cuffs, they sprung open immediately and Beth pulled her wrists free, rubbing them gratefully.

"What do I get in return?"

"My everlasting gratitude?" Beth offered.

"I already have that," he replied.

"Ugh, you're so annoying," she grumbled. She grabbed the lapels of his coat and drew him into a quick hug before pushing him away and running towards the factory. "Catch you later!"

"You have my thanks, little dove." He turned on his heel and disappeared from sight.

Beth burst into the factory in time to see Amelia shoot Jimmy. She let out a startled gasp, watching as he clutched his side and fell to the ground.

"Waste little orphan Annie," Amelia ordered, eyes flickering to one of the other demons.

The large male approached a tied up Claire slowly, edging around Jimmy's sprawled out form and stopped in front of the chair, raising a metal pipe to hit Claire with. Beth was about to run to Claire's aid when the girl's head suddenly snapped up and she set a small hand on the man's forehead, watching as a bright light shot out of her palm and the demon shrieked in agony as the girl smote it.

The distraction gave Sam and Dean enough time to break free and launch their own attacks on the demons. Beth rushed over, grabbing hold of the one trying to strangle Dean, she tugged him backwards, freeing Dean from his tight grasp.

"Beth!" Dean said breathlessly. "How the hell did you get out?"

"I had help," she answered with a shrug. "Now is not the time, we have bigger issues to deal with."

She glanced over and saw that Sam had managed to pin the female demon down, raising the demon killing knife to her neck. The demon that had previously attacked Dean turned its sights on Beth, throwing her to the ground and wrapping his hands around her neck.

"D… Dean!" she wheezed desperately, clawing at the man's hands. Castiel stopped beside the demon and smote it as well, the body slumped to the floor and Beth was left sucking air in greedily. She sent a thankful look at Castiel. "Thank you, C-Cas."

The young girl nodded once and stepped aside, giving Beth room to scramble to her feet. Her brown eyes locked on Sam and she gasped in horror, hands flying to her mouth as Sam locked his mouth around the cut he'd made on the demon's neck and started sucking at the blood that welled up. Her half-brother's head snapped up as she let out a choked breath. Blood was smeared around his lips, cheeks and chin and stained his teeth a bright red.

"Oh my god," Beth whispered, stumbling backwards into Dean. He gently grabbed her elbow and held her in place. Sam turned back around and plunged the knife into the woman's chest, killing her instantly, her skeleton sparking twice before fading.

He took a step towards them and Beth panicked, letting out a terrified squeak as she yanked her arm free and hid behind Dean. Sam raised his arm suddenly, causing Dean to jerk back in surprise, only to realize that he was exorcising the demon possessing Amelia, who stood behind them.

Thick, black smoke poured from Amelia's mouth, drifting towards the floor. Amelia let out a rough cough as the smoke settled in a cloud on the ground and she fell to her knees, unable to support her own body weight. The smoke slowly burned away, leaving a scorch mark in the shape of a circle on the ground. Castiel walked around Amelia, heading to Jimmy's side as Dean went to Amelia's aid, lifting her up onto her feet.

Beth watched as Castiel crouched beside Jimmy, running her fingers through his thick, black hair. Jimmy weakly looked up at her.

"Of course we keep our promises," she told him, "of course you have our gratitude. You served us well. Your work is done. It's time to go home now. Your real home. You'll rest forever in the fields of the Lord."

Beth bit her lip, trying to keep the tears from falling as Jimmy slipped closer and closer to death's door. The man stubbornly shook his head, gritting his teeth as he looked up into the face of his daughter.

"Rest now, Jimmy," Castiel encouraged.

"No, Claire," Jimmy groaned weakly.

"She's with me now," Castiel replied. Beth risked a step closer, accidently kicking a small stone and causing Castiel to glance back at her quickly before turning back to Jimmy. "She's chosen. It's in her blood, as it was in yours."

"Please, Castiel," Jimmy begged, blood stained his teeth and lips. "Please… just… take me. Take me, please."

"I wanna make sure you understand," Castiel began as Dean, Amelia and Sam joined them, "you won't die or age. If this last year was painful for you, picture a hundred, a thousand more like it."

Jimmy reached out weakly, grabbing a hold of Castiel's arm, "It doesn't matter," he choked out. "You take me. Just take me."

Beth glanced back at her brothers and moved to Dean's side, hooking her hands around his lower arm tightly.

"As you wish," Castiel said and rested her hands on Jimmy's face. A soft ringing filled the air, Claire's eyes turned a shimmering silver and a beautiful, white light erupted from Jimmy's eyes.

"Beth, look away," Dean ordered, tugging her head away from the light.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"It'll burn your eyes out," he explained quietly as Claire let out a sudden gasp and slumped forward. Castiel looked around quickly before he got to his feet, walking away from Claire and coming to stand in between Beth and Sam, glancing back as Amelia went over and embraced her daughter.

"Cas, hold up," Dean spoke up as Castiel made to leave.

"What were you going to tell me?"

"I learned my lesson while I was away, Dean," Castiel answered gruffly. His eyes flickered to Beth before going back to Dean. "I serve Heaven. I don't serve man, and I certainly don't serve you."

Castiel turned away, walking towards the door. Beth took one look up at Dean's expression of disbelief and Sam's expression on shock and stormed after the angel.

"Beth, don't!" Dean hissed, only to be ignored as the eighteen year old disappeared out the door.

"Hey, jackass!" Beth shouted, gravel crunching under her shoes.

Castiel slowed to a halt, his irritation clear in the way he held himself. Beth locked her hand around his elbow and turned him to face her.

"What the hell is your problem?" she demanded. She knew that she didn't really know Sam and Dean at all, but she couldn't stop the surge of protectiveness that coursed through her—she hadn't felt this way since her mom and Adam. "What makes you think you have the right to speak to them like that?"

"I'm an Angel of the Lord and I don't need to explain myself to you," Castiel responded stoically.

"Oh yeah? Wanna bet?" she hissed. "Those two guys are my brothers and no one—not even an asshole angel like you—gets to speak to them like that. Do you understand me?"

"You should hold your tongue, if you know what's good for you," he warned, squinting at her.

"I'm not scared of you." Beth held her ground, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking her chin out in defiance.

"You are lucky you have purpose, Bethany Milligan, that I have orders to watch you and make sure no harm comes to you," Castiel began, towering over her. "Because if you didn't, I would lay you to waste for your disrespect."

"Bring it on." Beth glared up at him, not liking his attitude at all.

Castiel shook his head and turned away, walking off before disappearing in a flutter of wings. Beth snorted, unfolding her arms and dragging her hand through her hair.

"Stupid assed angels," she grumbled before waiting for her brothers.