'F.E.A.R has two meanings -

Forget everything and run

OR

Face everything and rise,

The choice is yours.'

- Unknown.

22nd of August, 2009

Windom, Minnesota

Beth was at a complete loss. Castiel had returned to the motel not long after she had three days ago, and she had been confused as to why he had come back so early after saying only five minutes prior that he was going to look for his Father and he didn't know how long it would take. When she had asked him about it, he told her that he'd been gone for more than 3 hours.

And that was why Beth was confused, she couldn't remember anything that had happened from after Cas had carved the sigils into her ribs to when he returned to their motel room. He was just as confused and concerned as she was, even if he was better at hiding it than she was.

She was now on her way to meet up with Dean again for the first time since he and Sam had split up and gone their separate ways. Her phone ringing startled her out of her thoughts and she quickly pulled over to the side of the road and fished her phone out of the pocket of her denim shorts.

"S'up?" she asked with a grin.

"How far are you?" Dean cut straight to the point and Beth rolled her eyes in amusement.

"About a day away, maybe less," she replied softly, knowing he was just stressed out from the whole 'splitting from Sam' thing and she should cut him some slack.

"I'll see you soon," Dean told her stiffly, sensing her pity. He then gave her the address of the motel he was staying at before hanging up quickly.

"Stubborn ass," she grumbled lightly, tossing her phone on the passenger seat before continuing on her journey to where her eldest brother was.

"You sure you're okay?" Beth asked again, shifting in her seat at a diner near Dean's motel. "Cause I can come and meet you…?"

"Beth, I'm 26 years old," Sam snorted in amusement. "I can take care of myself."

"I know, but… but this is stupid!" she whisper-shouted in frustration down the phone at him. "You and Dean are adults yet you both act like children—I'm younger than you and even I don't act like this. Why can't you just call and make up with him? I don't wanna be stuck in the middle of your feud!"

"Beth, it's not that easy—" Sam started, but she quickly cut him off.

"Yes it is!" she argued immediately. "Look, I don't know what went down between you two but I know that Dean's miserable without you… and so am I," she paused, letting her words sink in with him. "I want to get to know both of you and I-I can't do that if we're separated," she admitted quietly.

"Beth, I… I want that too—but I'm not ready to be around Dean again after the voice message and what happened in Colorado," Sam told her and Beth could practically hear the frown on his face.

"What voice message?" she asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"It doesn't matter," Sam said firmly. There was a muffled voice in the background and her brother spoke to the other person briefly before returning to his phone call with Beth. "Beth, listen, I gotta go."

Beth frowned and nodded once before remembering that he couldn't see her. "Yeah, okay… I would like to see you again soon though."

"I'll think about it."

"Promise?" she asked, a hint of warning in her voice.

"Beth, I promise I'll see you soon," Sam sighed in exasperation before hanging up. Beth frowned again as she locked her phone and set it on the table next to her. A waitress walked over seconds later with a coffee pot in her hands.

"Refill?" the older blonde woman questioned politely.

"Yes please," she smiled up at her. "Can I get a slice of that pie as well, please?"

"Sure, coming right up," the blonde refilled her cup before heading back to the counter to get Beth a piece of the peach pie. She returned moments later and set it on the table with a fork and then turned away to go clean up the other tables.

Beth ate the pie quickly, barely stopping to savour the taste and gulped down her coffee before dropping some money on the table to cover the pie and 2 cups of coffee and the tip. She pulled her jacket on and stuck her phone in her pocket, grabbing her bag as she stood up and headed towards the exit of the diner, fully intending on getting to Dean's motel room as soon as possible.

When Beth finally arrived at the motel, she gathered up her stuff and climbed out of the truck, locking it and heading over to Dean's room, walking straight in… and raising her eyebrows at the sight of Cas and Dean standing rather close together in the bathroom. They both looked over as she entered.

"Uh, am I interrupting something?" she asked teasingly.

"Cas here was just telling me how he was wasted by a teenage mutant ninja angel," Dean told her after sending her an unimpressed look.

"Was that a joke or are you being serious?" She glanced between the two males in confusion.

"The archangel that killed me was Raphael," Castiel explained as he turned his attention to her, gazing at her with his intense eyes. "I believe he knows where I can find Him, where I can find God."

Beth's lips parted in surprise at his words. She watched him curiously as he walked over to stand beside her, his coat brushing against her as he moved.

"I need your help, Bethany," Cas continued, sending her an apologetic look.

"Why me?" she asked nervously.

"You're his vessel," the angel explained honestly. "I know you're frightened of him, but I can promise you that I won't let him harm you."

"Harm me?" she repeated in disbelief as worry clouded her eyes. "Are you forgetting what happened?"

"Of course I have not forgotten," Cas replied, looking slightly offended by the insinuation, "but if I stand a chance of talking to him without being smote, then I need your help."

"Okay," Beth relented, her expression softening as she took in his pleading expression. "I'll help you, Cas."

"What are you guys talkin' about?" Dean asked, glancing at them suspiciously.

"It doesn't matter," Beth said quickly, shooting a 'don't you dare tell him' look at Castiel, something the angel failed to understand as he turned to Dean.

"Raphael invaded her dreams and frightened her," Cas explained.

"…And you wanna use her as a shield?" Dean asked in disbelief. He wandered over to his duffel bag and started folding up his clothes and sticking them in the bag. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. She's not doing it."

"Uh, excuse me?" she demanded, irritation welling in the pit of her stomach. "I don't need your permission. When are you gonna realize that I'm old enough to take care of myself? I've survived this long without you, Dean, I think I can manage helping out Cas with this one thing without you breathing down my neck!"

"You're my sister, it's my job to look out for you," Dean told her. Beth didn't reply, she continued to stare at him—unamused—until he sighed in defeat, raising his hands in surrender. "Fine. But you're to stay behind me at all times, understand?"

"Yes captain." She smiled smugly up at him, sending a quick wink at Cas, who tilted his head in confusion. Dean snorted at her expression and reached out, messing up her neat curls. "Dean!" she protested, batting his hands away.

"Where's Sam?" Cas asked curiously, glancing around the motel room.

"You didn't tell him?" Beth explained, slapping Dean's arm roughly. She looked over at the angel. "Sam and Dean are taking a break from each other for a while."

"…Oh, my apologies." Castiel nodded his head at Dean.

"Hey, Cas," Beth called as she walked into the bathroom to work on fixing her messy hair. "How do you plan on finding Raphael?"

"I've heard whispers that he's here, on earth, we just need to find somewhere away from humans and use specific ingredients to summon him," Cas told her as he stood in the bathroom doorway so he wouldn't have to shout.

"So, you think if you find this dude, he's just gonna spill God's address?" Dean raised an eyebrow, packing up the rest of his belongings.

"Yes," Cas responded, not picking up on Dean's sarcasm. "Once we've trapped him, we'll interrogate him."

"Okay, sounds like a plan." Beth clapped her hands together, mock-enthusiastically. "Shall we get going?"

"Meet ya at the car, princess," Dean said as he finished folding a couple of t-shirts that were strewn about the room. "I gotta talk to Cas about something."

"Okay, sure," Beth smiled over at the angel—he returned it readily—as she picked up her duffel bag again and headed out of the room, closing the door behind her and strolling over to her truck.

Waterville, Maine

(3 days later)

After arriving in town, the trio had found an abandoned house on the outskirts of town and had settled in quickly before heading into town to get fake FBI badges and suits to make them seem the part. Beth had decided to take her time whilst getting ready, just because she knew it annoyed Dean and had followed them out to the Impala when she was sure he'd been waiting long enough.

That led to now as she clambered out of the Impala eagerly, groaning as she felt her knees crack painfully. She closed her door and readjusted her pencil skirt, smoothing out the wrinkles.

"We're here… why?" Dean questioned as he glanced over the Sheriff's office.

"A deputy sheriff laid eyes on the archangel," Cas replied gruffly.

"And he still has eyes?" Dean sounded both surprised and impressed by the statement. "All right, what's the plan?"

"We'll tell the officer that he witnessed an angel of the Lord," Cas started. "And the officer will tell us where the angel is."

Beth paused, glancing up at them from where she was sorting her tights. "Is he for real?" she asked her brother, watching as he rolled his eyes, clearly amused. "You're gonna walk in there and tell him the truth?"

"Why not?" Cas' eyes flickered between the siblings in obvious confusion.

"Because we're humans," Dean began slowly, taking out two FBI badges and tossing one to Beth, who stuck it in her blazer pocket. "And when human's want something really, really bad, we lie." Dean stuck the other FBI badge in the inside pocket of Cas' trenchcoat before straightening his blue tie and doing up the top button of the angel's shirt.

"Why?" Castiel frowned.

"Because that's how you become President," Dean smirked. Beth nodded in agreement, giggling at Cas' lost expression. She followed after Dean as he marched across the road, stopping briefly to curl her fingers around Cas' wrist and pull him after her.

"Deputy Framingham?" Dean questioned, stopping behind two officers, one with pale skin and dark brown hair and the other with light brown skin and dark eyes. The tall, bald man turned to face them as the other officer walked away. "Hi. Alonzo Mosely, FBI. This is my partner Eddie Moscone."

"Who's she?" the deputy pointed at Beth.

"Phoebe Harper. I'm in training," she explained to him, smiling sweetly.

He nodded and glanced back over at Castiel, who stood as still as a statue. Dean sighed in exasperation and nudged the angel sharply in the side.

"Also FBI," Dean said pointedly. Cas started and quickly reached into his coat pocket, pulled out the badge and flipped it open… upside down. Beth mentally face palmed as her brother yanked it from the dark haired angel and turned it the right away before handing it back.

"He's… he's new," Dean excused in embarrassment before changing the topic. "Mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"Yeah, sure. Talk here though," the deputy pointed to his right ear, "hearing's all blown to hell in this one." He gestured at the left one.

"That happen recently?"

"Yeah, gas station thing… that's why you're here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, that's exactly why we're here," Beth replied when Cas and Dean stayed silent, unsure of what to say.

"Can you run us through what happened?" Dean took over for Beth.

"A call came in, disturbance out at the pump 'n go on Route 4," Framingham started, sitting in his desk chair and gesturing at the trio to take the seats on the other side of the desk.

"What kind of disturbance?"

"Would not have believed my eyes… if I hadn't seen it myself." The deputy looked trouble as he recalled what happened. "We're talking a riot, full-scale."

"How many?" Dean asked, intrigued.

"Thirty, maybe forty," Framingham answered. "In all-out, kill-or-be-killed combat."

"Geez," Beth whispered, feeling shocked at his words.

"Any idea what set them off?"

"It's angels and demons, probably," Castiel finally spoke, leaning towards Dean. Beth quickly covered up a snort with a light cough and looked away as the deputy's eyes flickered from her and back to Cas. "They're skirmishing all over the globe," Cas informed Framingham.

"Come again? What did he say?" The older man stared at Cas like he was crazy.

"Nothing," Dean said quickly, just as Cas repeated himself by saying, "demons."

"Demons, you know—drink, adultery." Dean sent a frustrated look at the angel as he tried to explain Cas' words. "We all have our demons, Walt, right?"

"I guess…" Framingham agreed hesitantly.

"Anyway, what happened next?" Beth queried curiously.

"Freaking explosion, that's what. They said it was one of those underground gas tanks… but I don't think so."

"How come?"

"It wasn't your usual fire ball," the officer explained. "It was…"

"Pure white?" Cas offered.

"Yeah," the other man replied in surprise. "Gas station was levelled. Everyone was… it was just horrible. Then I see this one guy, kneeling there, real focused-like. Not a damn scratch on him."

"D'you know him?" Dean questioned.

"Donnie Finnerman. Mechanic there."

"And let me guess—he just vanished into thin air?"

"Uh, no, Kolchak. He's down at St. Pete's."

"St. Pete's," Cas repeated to Dean, acting as though Dean hadn't heard the man. Beth hid a smile behind her hands.

"Thank you," Dean said sarcastically, nodding. The three of them thanked the deputy and each shook his hand before leaving the sheriff's office.

After leaving the sheriff's office, the trio headed over to St. Pete's hospital and were staring through the window at an African-American man in a wheelchair after asking for directions to his room. The man was facing away from them, his eyes looking in the direction of the window on the other side of the room, but he couldn't see out of it due to the blinds being closed.

"What happened to him?" Beth whispered, rubbing her arm.

"Raphael happened," Cas said gruffly. "He's just an empty vessel now."

"Are… are you telling me an angel did this to that poor man?" she demanded, horrified. Cas nodded slowly, reaching down and squeezing her wrist gently in a reassuring manner.

"Is this what I'm looking at if Michael jumps my bones?" Dean questioned lowly from beside them.

"No. Not at all. Michael is much more powerful," Cas explained, not knowing his words were making the two siblings feel worse. "It'll be far worse for you."

Beth flinched in unison with Dean at the angel's blunt answer. She glanced quickly at Donnie's slumped over form before turning away, not wanting to look anymore. There was no way she would agree to be Raphael's vessel if that's what would happen.

A few hours later, Beth and Dean were back at the abandoned house they'd found and Dean was reading through their father's hunting journal whilst Beth sat at the table, reapplying her eyeliner and mascara in her compact mirror.

"Where've you been?" Dean asked as Cas suddenly appeared in the room. Beth paused and looked up briefly, waving in greeting.

"Jerusalem," the angel replied vaguely.

"Wow. Really?" Beth's face was filled with amazement. "God, I wish I could fly like you," she mumbled, a hint of jealousy in her tone.

"How was it?" Dean appeared almost as curious as her.

"Arid." Castiel walked over and set an old looking jug down on the table beside Beth, who looked intrigued as she ran her fingers over the ancient item.

"What is that?" Dean frowned, brows raised.

"It's oil. It's very special and very rare."

"Great, we're gonna trap Raphael with a nice vinaigrette?" Dean said, mock enthusiastically as Beth chuckled lightly.

"No," Cas stated firmly. Beth snorted, rolling her eyes as she took the lid off the jug and sniffed at the oil. A pained cough escaped as the strong scent filled her nostrils and made her eyes burn.

"So, this ritual of yours, when's it gotta go down?"

"Sunrise."

"You keep saying we're gonna trap this guy, but isn't that kinda like trapping a hurricane in a butterfly net?" Dean asked, concerned.

"No… it's harder."

"Do we have any chance of surviving this?"

"You two do. You are Michael's vessel and Beth is Raphael's. He wouldn't kill either of you," Castiel explained quietly, causing Beth's eyes to widen in worry for the angel.

"So, odds are you're a dead man tomorrow." Beth slapped Dean's arm at his insensitive words, glaring up at him.

"Yes," Cas returned in the same quiet voice.

"Well, last night on earth, what are your plans?"

"I just thought I'd sit here quietly," Cas answered.

"Dude, come on. Anything, hm? Booze, women." At Dean's last words, an uncomfortable look crossed Cas' face. "…You have been with a woman before, right? Or an angel at least?"

Castiel refused to answer, rubbing at his neck as he avoided making eye contact with the two humans. Beth couldn't help feeling sorry for the angel as she nudged his ankle with her foot reassuringly.

"Are you telling me you've never been up there doing a little cloud seeding?"

"Really? You haven't had sex… ever?" Beth's eyes widened in surprise as he shook his head once.

"I've never had occasion," he told her stiffly.

"Just wait till you do," she started, temporarily forgetting that he might not be alive tomorrow. "It's definitely worth the wait."

The loud clearing of a throat had Beth stiffening in panic, her cheeks burning bright red. She glanced at Dean quickly as he stopped in front of her, leaning down until they were eye level with each other. Her brother had a mixture of pissed off and over protective on his face and in his eyes. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Dean asked, a hint of warning in his tone of voice.

"Uh… no?" she replied meekly, her cheeks growing even redder.

"Beth."

"Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" she snapped in embarrassment. "It's not like you are a virgin either."

"That's different!"

"How?" she yelled back, fully aware Cas was watching them argue in concern.

"Because you're only 18. You shouldn't be doing that yet," Dean barked, his over protective nature rising to the surface.

"So? I'm 19 in two months time," she argued.

"Who was he?" Dean changed the subject so fast she could hardly keep up.

"…What?"

"Who. Was. He?" Dean repeated slowly.

"What does it matter?" she huffed. "It was two years ago. And Adam already beat the crap out of him."

"Beth," Dean growled.

"Dean! Just leave it alone. I don't need you to do anything to him. It's over, okay?" Beth held a hand up when her brother went to protest. "I said no. You just need to focus on trapping Raphael, okay? And taking Cas out for a beer or something because I wanna be alone right now."

Before Dean could say anything, Beth grabbed her makeup and disappeared up the staircase, slamming the door to the first room she found behind her after entering the bare, dust covered room.

Beth was glad when Castiel and Dean left, meaning she had the whole house to herself. It also meant she had a couple of hours to come up with a plan to somehow trap Raphael when he finally showed up.

After wandering down the stairs and into the deserted living room, Beth grabbed her almost empty bag of chips and stuffed a few into her mouth, chewing quickly and swallowing.

"Shit!" she cursed loudly as she accidently knocked over the jug of rare oil. As the jug tumbled towards the floor, a small amount of liquid spilled out and hit her arm.

It started off as a small tingle under her skin and then turned into an agonizing, burning sensation that spread from her arm towards her heart. She let out a panicked cry, trying frantically to wipe the burning liquid off her arm. The sound of wings met her ears and she spun around, clutching her injured arm tightly.

"Small fry?" Gabe questioned in concern, taking in her tear filled eyes and pale, sweaty face. "What's wrong? I felt your pain from miles away."

"I-I… it hurts. The o-oil burnt me," she whimpered, gesturing towards the jug on the floor. Gabe waved a hand and the spilled oil shot into the jug, which flew back up onto the table. He gently took her arm in his hands and frowned down at the deep red burn on her arm. He brushed his fingers over it lightly, and the pain faded immediately, though the burn mark stayed there, much to her surprise.

"Why isn't it healing?" she demanded, worried.

"I… I don't know," Gabe said as he backed away from her. "I gotta go… you gonna be okay?" he asked, smiling lightly at her.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine. You should go," she smiled back and hugged him quickly before stepping away.

"See ya soon, squirt." Gabe saluted before disappearing, leaving Beth wondering what she was supposed to do whilst her brother and Castiel were out.

When Castiel and Dean came back to the house, Dean had told Beth about the disaster at the 'house of inequity', which made her laugh for about five minutes straight before he went upstairs and taking a shower, thankfully it was still working, even though the house hadn't people living there for a few months. The water was cold but it didn't bother Dean, who was used to taking cold showers.

Beth was downstairs in the living room with Castiel and the two of them were discussing Beth's idea. The angel was a little hesitant, even though he knew it would be a good plan.

"It'll work," Beth promised, full of hope. "We put a ring of that oil stuff down and then we trick him into walk into it and then you set the ring of fire and he's trapped."

"That would work," Cas agreed quietly. "How are we to lure him into it though?"

"…Dean or I could distract him and the other could push him forward?" Beth said, unsure of that part of the plan. "Or one of us talks to him and backs away at the same time? It would get him to walk forward into the trap."

Castiel nodded as he walked over to her and leaned back against the table beside her, turned his head to look down at her and frowned curiously. "Why are you nervous?"

"What if something goes wrong?" she asked. "I just… I feel like we're not going to be successful or something is gonna change our plans."

"All we can do is hope everything goes according to plan," Castiel replied, though he felt the same as her. He couldn't deny the feeling that something was gonna happen that would change everything they'd worked hard to prepare.

"Cas, I… I want you to promise me something," she said seriously. Cas nodded almost immediately at her tone. "If something bad does happen, promise me that you'll protect Dean, that you'll get him out of here and not worry about me."

"…I can't promise that," he disagreed. Beth reached out, gripped his arm tightly, causing him to meet her pleading gaze.

"Please, Castiel," she begged desperately, hearing the water shut off upstairs. "Dean's important to me. I can't live with myself if anything happens to him… to either of you. Promise me that you'll leave me behind if it means saving him and yourself."

"I… I promise," Castiel sighed. Beth smiled thankfully at him, squeezing his arm before letting him go. "Dean's not gonna be happy about this."

"Yeah, well, Dean's not gonna find out because you're not gonna tell him."

"You want me to lie to him?"

"Yes," Beth replied firmly, honestly. "This is something he doesn't need to know."

Castiel frowned but didn't respond, knowing that he could argue with her all he wanted, but she was just as stubborn as her brothers, meaning she wouldn't listen to anything he had to say at that time. Beth hesitated before wrapping her arms around Cas' waist, giving him a tight, side hug. Cas stiffened, just like last time before slipping an arm around Beth's shoulders, holding her against his side.

"Thank you," she sighed, briefly resting her forehead against his neck before pulling out of the hug and backing away towards the door.

"You're welcome." Castiel nodded, watching the young woman closely. Beth stopped in the doorway, glancing back at him, clearly in an internal debate with herself.

"Hey Cas…" Beth trailed off hesitantly.

"What is it?" he asked.

Before Beth could stall any longer, she closed the distance between them, rising up onto her tiptoes and setting her hands on his shoulders. She leaned in and kissed him gently, savouring the way his warm and slightly chapped lips felt against hers as she applied the tiniest amount of pressure to the kiss. Castiel responded after a brief pause—much to her surprise—and awkwardly placed his right hand on her hip and his left on the side of her neck, pressing her closer to him. Only when the rough clearing of a throat filled the air did she pull away slowly, reluctantly breaking away from his hold, and he let her, looking the slightest bit reluctant himself.

"At least you're not gonna die a total virgin," she whispered, grinning lightly. And then she was gone, disappearing out the door after Dean, leaving Castiel standing there, a blank look on his handsome face.

"What a strange little human," he mumbled thoughtfully before trailing after the Winchester siblings.

25th of August, 2009

"Dean, wait!" Beth heard Castiel say as she struggled in Raphael's hold. Whilst Dean and Castiel had gone back to the hospital about an hour earlier, she had stayed behind to prepare everything. She had taken a break after making the ring of holy oil on the ground and had turned her back for like two seconds when she'd been grabbed from behind and pulled back into Raphael's tight grip. Her brother and angel-friend entered the room seconds later, just as the archangel's wings appeared in the form of electricity.

"Lightening wings," Beth whispered, though she couldn't understand why the name was familiar. She let out a startled squeak as the light bulbs in the room smashed suddenly and she cowered back into the archangel—partly because she was trying to avoid the falling glass and partly because his hand was squeezing her neck slightly and making it somewhat difficult to breathe.

"Beth!" Dean was about to charge forward when she shot a pleading look at Castiel and the angel grabbed her brother's arm, pulling him back.

"Castiel," Raphael greeted, his voice cold and hard.

"Raphael," Cas returned. He tried desperately to not let his fear show, and he did a rather good job of it.

"You know, I thought you were supposed to be impressive," Dean taunted, unable to help himself. The two older men walked closer to where Beth and Raphael were standing. "All you do is black out the room?"

"And the eastern seaboard," Raphael added, a hint of smugness in his voice. He moved his hand from around Beth's neck and replaced it with his arm, wrapping it loosely around her and resting his hand on her right shoulder. Thunder rumbled ominously outside as Raphael continued, "it is a testament to my unending mercy that I don't smite you here and now."

"Or maybe you're full of crap," Dean stated, gaining Raphael's attention. "Maybe you're afraid God will bring Cas back to life again and smite you, you candy-ass skirt. I'm Dean, by the way."

"I know who you are," the archangel interrupted fiercely. "And now thanks to him, I know where you are. And I have Bethany in my possession as a bonus."

"You won't kill them," Castiel pointed out firmly.

"No, that is true." Raphael nodded. Beth swallowed nervously. "But I will take him to Michael and keep Bethany with me."

"Well, that sounds terrifying, it does," Dean started. "But I hate to tell you, I'm not going anywhere with you, and neither is Beth."

"Surely you remember Zachariah giving you stomach cancer?" the archangel queried.

"Yeah. That… that was hilarious."

"Yes. Well, he doesn't have anything close to my imagination," Raphael continued. "And I believe you would come willingly if Bethany was at risk of facing my wrath." His arm tightened slightly around her throat and she gasped out in fear, struggling against him.

"Oh yeah?" Dean asked, mock polite as Raphael approached him slowly, forcing Beth to walk with him. Dean shared a brief look with Cas and Beth—the latter giving him a reassuring look—before turning back to the other angel. "But I bet you didn't imagine one thing."

"What?"

"We knew you were coming, you stupid son of a bitch."

Castiel flicked a lighter open and tossed it to the ground at Beth and Raphael's feet. The two of them watched as fire raced around the circle of holy oil and a wall of flames burst upwards. Beth pressed herself into the angel behind her to avoid being burnt again. Raphael sent Dean an accusing look over Beth's head and the sandy blonde haired male raised his hands in a placating manner.

"Don't look at me," Dean said defensively. "It was his idea."

Castiel turned his head slowly, giving Dean a look that was both unamused and betrayed. Dean shrugged pathetically in response as Beth bit her lip to hold in a laugh.

"Where is He?" Castiel demanded firmly, turning his gaze to his brother.

"God?" Raphael replied, knowing full well who Cas was talking about. "Didn't you hear? He's dead, Castiel. Dead."

Beth's heart skipped a beat, she knew God wasn't in heaven but there was no way He could be dead… right?

"No. You're lying," Castiel argued.

"There's no other explanation," Raphael countered. "He's gone for good."

"You're lying," Cas repeated.

"Am I?" Raphael asked him pointedly. "Do you remember the twentieth century? Think the twenty-first is going to be any better? You think God would have let any of it happen if He were still alive?"

"Oh yeah? Well then, who invented the Chinese basket trick?" Dean questioned, a smirk on his face. Beth rolled her eyes in amusement.

"Careful. That's my Father you're talking about, boy," Raphael warned fiercely.

"Yeah, who would be so proud to know that his son started the friggin' apocalypse," Dean retorted.

"Who ran off and disappeared, who left no instructions and a world to run." Beth felt pity well in her stomach for the angel—she knew what having an absent father felt like and she wouldn't wish it on anyone. She hesitantly set her hand on his and squeezed gently.

"So daddy ran away and disappeared. He didn't happen to work for the post office, did he?" Dean asked, grinning at Beth when she sent him a 'what the actual hell?' look.

"This is funny to you?" Raphael demanded. "You're living in a Godless universe."

"And?" Dean demanded. "What, you and the other kids just decide to throw an apocalypse while he's gone?"

"We're tired," Raphael explained, and Beth could practically hear the exhaustion in his voice. "We just want it to be over. We just want paradise." He sent a look over at Castiel, a range of emotions swimming in his soulful gaze.

"So, what, God dies and makes you the boss?" her brother demanded, not feeling at all sorry for the angel. "And you think you can do whatever you want?"

"Yes. And whatever we want we get." He held Beth tighter as if to prove his point. Thunder crashed loudly outside and the window behind Castiel and Dean shattered, causing them to duck to avoid the glass.

"If God is dead, why have I returned?" Castiel called over the rain. Beth knew she should have been focussed on the situation at hand, but she couldn't help thinking how attractive Cas looked with damp, messy hair, intense eyes and soaked from the rain. "Who brought me back?"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe Lucifer raised you?"

"No," Cas denied immediately.

"Think about," Raphael encouraged. "He needs all the rebellious angels he can find. You know it adds up."

"Let's go," Castiel said finally, turning away after sharing a look with Beth. She nodded subtly at him, knowing that he would keep his promise.

"What about Beth?" Dean demanded. "I ain't leaving her behind."

"Dean, go," Beth ordered, gaining a look of disbelief from her oldest brother. "Now, Dean. I'll find you later on," she promised quickly.

Dean went to protest but was quickly silenced when Cas grabbed him and began dragging him towards the front door.

"Castiel," Raphael called out. "I'm warning you. Do not leave me here. I will find you."

"Maybe one day," Cas started. "But today, you're my little bitch." The angel turned away without another word.

"What he said!" Dean yelled over his shoulder as he was pushed out of the door. He briefly managed to send a wary glance back at Beth before disappearing from sight.

"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Beth asked, glancing back at Raphael.

He turned anger-filled eyes on her and she flinched instinctively, inching away from him as far as she could without touching the fire.

"You need to get water to put the fire out," he told her finally, assessing her through dark eyes.

"How am I supposed to do that?" she demanded. "We are surrounded by a ring of fire." There was a brief pause before Beth started humming Ring of fire by Johnny Cash under her breath. Raphael rolled his dark eyes, muttering about 'useless apes' and 'pathetic vessels'.

"Holy fire doesn't hurt humans, only angels," he explained flatly.

"The hell you talkin' about?" she frowned up at him. "I touched that oil earlier and it burnt me!"

Raphael suddenly looked more alert as he met her gaze. "Show me!" he commanded. Beth hesitated but pulled her sleeve up to reveal the small, deep red burn on her skin. The injury wasn't as bad as before, in fact, it looked like it had shrunk slightly.

"Impossible," he whispered.

"What?" she asked, wetting her lips nervously.

He didn't answer, he simply dropped her arm and she quickly pulled her sleeve down, refusing to look at the angel again as he seemed deep in thought.

"I need to you call on Michael," the angel said after about five minutes of silence.

"Why can't you do it?"

"The fire's cutting off my connection to heaven," he replied, "but you can pray to him—he'll hear you."

"Ugh, fine," she agreed, knowing that it might be the only way for her to get out of the ring of fire. "Uh… Archangel Michael, are you there?" Beth called, glancing up at the ceiling. "I'm here with your brother, Raphael and we have a bit of a situation… we, uh, we're stuck in holy fire at a house on the outskirts of town in Waterville, Maine. It's the only house around for miles… uh, a little help would be lovely." A few seconds passed before she looked over at Raphael. She raised an eyebrow at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Now what?"

"Michael," Raphael greeted, glancing past her at someone. Beth quickly spun around, following his gaze.

Beth was pleasantly surprised as she openly stared at Michael—she couldn't help it, the archangel's vessel was undeniably attractive with his tousled, dark brown hair, light blue eyes, high cheekbones and strong jawline. She could also tell that he was rather muscular underneath the expensive, dark grey suit he wore.

"Wow," she whispered quietly.

"Brother, what a mess you've gotten yourself into," Michael scolded, and even his voice sounded incredible. He suddenly turned his eyes on her and she flushed deeply at the attention before cursing herself for acting like a love sick idiot. "Bethany Milligan, we meet at last."

"Uh… hi?" she squeaked out.

"I see you had a part to play in trapping my brother," Michael said flatly.

"Hey, if Dean had had his way, your brother would be a pile of ash by now," Beth replied defensively. "I don't want anyone getting hurt… even if you guys are jackasses."

The brothers shared an amused look before Michael clicked his fingers and the fire died down, leaving both of them free to move apart. Beth immediately fled towards the door, determined to escape before they could try to take off with her. She yanked the door open and shrieked in surprise as she collided with Michael.

"Get off me!" Beth yelled, fighting against him.

Michael sighed and touched two fingers to her forehead. The last thing she saw before falling unconscious was a flash of icy blue and then darkness.

Author's Note - I am so sorry it's taken this long to post a new chapter! But here it is and I hope you enjoy it, especially the Bash/Bastiel scene! :D I really enjoyed writing that part.

In response to the awesome reader who asked me about the Gabe/Beth/unknown angel situation, Beth forgets about them about five minutes after they've left her but she remembers them the moment they come back. It's mainly so none of the other angels know about them. This storyline will be explained further soon, so please be patient! :D

Please review and tell me what you think! I'm also open to any ideas that any of you have that I could possibly add into the story. I was also wondering if any of you wanted me to put up a separate story with one-shots of Beth and Adam and the other characters? I'll probably add AU oneshots in as well! XD