Author's Note: By the way, I've changed Kat's age so she's 3 years old in the future instead of a baby. (She's born in 2011).
The Angels' Base,
Boston, Massachusetts
August 28th, 2009
Beth was startled awake by a hand shaking her roughly. She grumbled, blinking blearily up at Michael in annoyance as her vision adjusted to the darkness of the room.
"Bethany," Michael said softly so as to not wake Amitiel up.
"Michael?" she replied, voice full of sleep. "What are you doing?"
"I have to show you something," he explained as he pushed the comforter aside, grabbing her hands and pulling her from the bed. Beth protested loudly, shivering as the cold air nipped at her sensitive skin. Michael rolled his eyes before snapping his fingers and Beth suddenly found herself wearing a smoky grey tank top, skinny jeans, lace-up boots and the same brown leather jacket she'd had before the ghouls had stolen it. She hesitantly pulled the jacket around her tightly, running her fingers over the left sleeve slowly. "What's wrong?" Michael asked, taking note of her sad frown.
"I… A-Adam got me this jacket for our 18th birthday. I always wore it, wherever I went because I loved it so much. The ghouls took it and now it reminds me of them and what they did. B-but I don't want to get rid of it because it's one of the only things I have left of him."
Michael paused before setting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "He's in a better place."
"I know," she said, surprising him at the surety in her voice. She offered him a weak smile and patted his hand before moving away. "So, what's so important that you have to drag me out of bed at 4:30am?"
"I'm going to show you what the world will be like should Dean continue to refuse me and my brother win."
He reached out, taking her arm and flying them both from the room, leaving Amitiel sleeping in her cot with a newly arrived Amriel watching over her.
August 4th, 2014
Kansas City, Missouri
(3:00pm)
The first thing Beth noticed when she woke up was the ache in her head and back. She rolled over with a grimace, staring up at the mouldy ceiling of the room she was in in disgust.
"'the hell?" she asked in confusion, words slurring together. She was no longer in the base, she was now in a small room with a torn-up mattress, a knocked over nightstand and table and what looked like dried blood all over the walls.
Slipping a hand into her pocket, she pulled out her phone and sighed in frustration at the 'no signal' symbol in the middle of the screen. She shoved her phone back into her pocket and stood up, stumbling towards the door, pulling it open and wincing at the loud creak that filled the air.
"Hello?" she called out, stepping warily into the hall. "Anyone there?"
A thud sounded just down the hall from where she stood and Beth jumped in surprise, her heart racing in her chest. "This totally feels like the first five minutes of a horror movie," she mumbled sarcastically to herself and then started cursing as a figure appeared out of a room further down the hall and turned in her direction. "Crap, crap, crap."
"Beth?" the voice sounded so familiar to her and then he stepped into the light and Beth's eyes widened in amazement.
"Dean?" she called out, stepping forward. A smile spread across her face and she started running towards him. "Dean!"
Dean's arms opened at the last minute and Beth collided with him roughly, her arms snaking around his neck tightly. He wrapped his around her waist and lifted her off of the ground slightly. A breathless laugh left Beth's lips when he set her down after a few minutes.
"It is so good to see you," she beamed.
"The feeling's mutual," he replied, slinging an arm around her shoulders, guiding her towards the stairs.
"Dean, where are we?" she asked as she looked around in confusion. "The last thing I remember is speaking to Michael before I woke up here."
"I have no clue. I was asleep in my own bed and when I came to, I was in this old dump," he murmured back, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of danger.
"Y-you don't think the angels did this, do you?"
Dean shrugged roughly, removing his arm from around her so he could scrub a hand across his face. "I wouldn't be surprised if this is one of their little schemes."
Beth nodded in understanding, the confusion morphing into displeasure as she tried to figure out what the angels could possibly be up to now. Dean took hold of her wrist and tugged her down the rest of the stairs and out the door of the hotel.
The outside of the hotel was just as deserted and dilapidated as the inside. There were rusted, dirty old cars parked haphazardly in the middle of the street, junk and scrap metal was strewn about and most of the doors and windows in nearby buildings had been smashed and kicked in. Beth and Dean shared an uneasy look before walking further out into the street. Dean slowly turned in a full circle as they took in the devastation with wide eyes.
"Dean, what's going on?" Beth asked fearfully, hurrying after him as he started walking down the road, turning the corner onto the next street.
"I don't know, Beth," he answered quietly, slowing slightly so she could catch up as he continued leading the way down roads and around corners.
A loud grating noise caught their attention and they snapped their heads in the direction of a nearby alleyway. Dean sent a glance over his shoulder and she immediately began shaking her head in refusal.
"No. No way am I going down there," she snapped, taking a step back.
"Suit yourself princess," Dean said with a shrug before he turned and headed down the alley.
"Dean! Dean, get back here!" she hissed through gritted teeth. She waited for a few seconds and sighed impatiently when he refused to come back. "I'm gonna kill him!" she grumbled, walking down the alley with hesitancy clear on her face and in her movements. She was extremely grateful when she finally reached the other side and found Dean standing a few feet away. "Dean, I'm gonna kill you!"
"Shh!" he ordered quietly. Beth's eyebrows shot up and she was just about to yell at him when she caught sight of the little girl crouched down a few feet away with her back to them. "Little girl? Are you hurt?"
"Dean, I think she's bleeding," Beth whispered, catching a quick glance of the girl's face.
The two siblings were definitely not expecting the child to suddenly grab a shard of glass from in front of her and let out a scream as she slashed at Dean with it, cutting his side and causing him to fall backwards in surprise. Beth jumped, startled at the sudden attack before she picked up a trash can lid lying next to her and swung her arm out, hitting the girl in the face and knocking her out cold.
"Dean, are you okay?" she asked in concern, throwing the metal lid down with a bang. Dean nodded, grimacing slightly as he climbed back to his feet.
"It's just a cut," he assured her, batting her hands away gently. "What the hell was wrong with that kid?"
"I-I don't know. She just went nuts."
"Oh crap," Dean whispered suddenly. Beth frowned but followed his gaze to find him staring at the word 'Croatoan' written on the wall in front of them in big, blood red letters.
"What's Croatoan?" she questioned, walking closer to the wall, her head tilted to the side in wonder.
"Beth. Beth, we need to go. Now," Dean ordered sharply. She glanced back at him in confusion, wondering why he was suddenly looking nervous and… afraid.
A group of wild-eyed, dirty looking people appeared around the corner, just a couple of feet away from Beth. She swallowed deeply and took a step back, Dean's eyes widened in fear and he darted forward, grabbing Beth's hand and tugging her after him. The croatoan-infected people moved immediately after them, their eyes dark with hunger as they zeroed in on their prey. Beth let out a panicked yelp as one came close to knocking her down but Dean managed to pull her out of reach in time.
"Beth, come on!" he called over to her.
"I-I'm trying!" she panted back, her lungs beginning to burn as she struggled to keep up with his fast pace.
They turned the corner sharply, the infected people right on their heels. Beth whimpered in terror as they skidded to a stop, stuck between a chain link fence and their soon-to-be killers. One of the men marched forward, fully intending on ripping them apart when the sound of an engine filled the air and the man was gunned down where he stood.
Dean immediately pushed Beth to the ground, holding her head to his chest as he covered her with his body to protect her from any stray bullets. He kept his head down but watched from the corner of his eye as their chasers were shot before slumping to the ground.
"Beth, go!" Dean shouted over the noise, pushing her ahead of him and crawling after her as she headed towards the steps he'd pointed out. They ducked down as a bullet shot past them and hit the wall. He let out a deep breath of relief the moment they were out of the line of fire and hidden safely in another alleyway a good distance away from the soldiers.
3 Hours later
(6:00pm)
"What are we supposed to do now?" Beth asked, shivering as she followed her brother down the alleyway. A few hours had passed before Dean said it was safe to move and the sun had set, leaving them in the middle of nowhere with little to no light to guide them.
"We see if we can find Bobby," Dean replied, digging away until the hole in the ground was big enough for him to push the fence forward and fit through. He held it open to allow her to get through as well. "If that fails, we call on Cas."
"And if that fails?" she retorted in frustration. Dean scowled at her in response before turning his attention to the large sign attached to the fence.
"August 1st, 2014?" Dean read out loud, disbelief colouring his voice.
"What?" Beth demanded, leaning over his shoulder to look at the sign as well. Her eyes widened almost comically when she realized he wasn't lying. "H-have we time-travelled?"
"I think we have." He turned away, and to his relief, found a nearby car in reasonably good condition. He headed over to it and got in, slamming the door behind him. Beth took one more look at the sign before hurrying over to the car and climbing in, watching curiously as her older brother hotwired the car and it jumped to life with a quiet roar.
"How long do you think we have to be here?" she asked quietly. Dean shrugged in response, keeping his eyes in front of him as he carefully drove away from the deserted street. "You… you don't think we're stuck here, do you?"
"I really hope not, Beth," Dean sighed. He reached out and gently squeezed her hand. She weaved her fingers through his, holding on to him as though her were her lifeline. "Why don't you get some sleep? I'll wake you when we get to Bobby's."
"Okay," she agreed quietly, still holding his hand as she shifted to get comfortable, closing her eyes and falling asleep almost immediately.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
4th of August, 2014
(11:00pm)
"Beth… Beth, wake up!" Dean continued to shake his sister until she woke up with a grumble.
"What is it?" she mumbled sleepily.
"We're at Bobby's house," he explained, stopping the car and climbing out. He crossed to her side and opened the door, moving aside to give her room to get out.
"How long was I asleep?"
"About 14 hours," he replied as he headed for the door. Beth stumbled after her, wiping the sleep from her eyes.
"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" She asked, walking into the house and glancing around with narrowed eyes. The house was the same as she remembered it but everything seemed to be covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs were in every high corner and on back of the chairs in the study.
"Bobby?" Dean called out. He stepped further into the house, looking for any sign of the gruff old man. "Bobby, you there?" Dean entered the study and looked towards the kitchen, his heart skipped a beat when he caught sight of the familiar wheelchair lying on its side on the ground. "Oh no."
"Dean? What is it? What's wrong?" Beth stopped beside him and her eyes dropped to the wheelchair. Tears sprung to her eyes as they trailed over the three bullet holes in the back of the chair. "Oh God, n-not Bobby. He… he can't be dead—" she cut off abruptly, blinking the tears away as Dean hauled the chair upright and stared down at the holes and dried bloodstains in the back of the chair.
"Where is everybody, Bobby?" he asked quietly under his breath before looking back at his distraught sister.
"What are we gonna do, Dean?" Beth questioned softly as Dean pulled a piece of wood free from near the wall and took out a thick journal.
"We'll be fine, Beth," Dean told her reassuringly, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder. "We'll be outta here soon."
Beth shook her head, eyes flickering up to meet his. "I heard what Zachariah said—we're stuck here."
"You heard that? I thought you were asleep," he said in surprise as he met her gaze. Beth's cheeks turned pink in embarrassment and she scratched her head sheepishly.
"I woke up when he arrived in the car," she admitted quietly. "I listened in on the whole conversation."
Dean sighed sadly, guilt filling him as he looked down at his teenaged sister. He knew his dad would be mad at him if he was still alive for bringing Beth into this whole mess. It was so obvious how hard John Winchester had tried to keep his twins out of this life. He'd taken every precaution to make sure no-one—human and monster alike—knew about them, he hadn't even told his eldest two kids that they had siblings and he'd made damn sure that the twins knew nothing about his life and what he did.
"I'm sorry, Beth," Dean said suddenly, causing her to blink up at him in confusion.
"What for?"
"For getting you into all this mess… and for what happened to your mom and Adam."
Beth flinched, and her face dropped at the mention of her deceased family. Dean felt even more guilt pile onto the guilt he was already feeling knowing that he'd put that expression on her face.
"W-what happened to my mom and Adam and I wasn't your fault. You couldn't have stopped it, even if you'd tried," she told him honestly, reaching out and taking his hand. She squeezed his fingers gently. "And you didn't force me into this life. The whole ordeal with the ghouls happened and I didn't exactly try to stay out of it, even when you told me how dangerous it is. Besides, you tried everything you could to get me to continue living a normal life but I wouldn't listen. I miss my mom and Adam with everything I have, but I don't regret that I got to meet you and Sam and Bobby and Cas. You guys are my family too."
Dean's lips twitched at the side and Beth grinned back in response, nudging him softly as she leaned against his side. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him.
"You know, Adam and I used to imagine what it would be like to have other siblings," she started, her smile growing. "He always wanted another brother, he said that he didn't think he could deal with another girl in the house, at least with a brother, he wouldn't be outnumbered by my mom and I. But at the time, I didn't want any other siblings, I was happy with it just being Adam and I," she paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, "I'm glad I changed my mind though, because I don't know what I would do without you and Sam. I… I'm glad you're my brother, Dean."
"I'm glad too, Beth," Dean whispered against her hair.
"Adam would've liked you, y'know?"
"Really?" he asked in surprise. Beth hummed in confirmation, looking up at him.
"Oh yeah. He liked the music you like and he had the same attitude—he could be cocky and so sure of himself but he was kind and thoughtful," she explained, taking note of the way Dean's eyes lit up curiously as she told him about their other brother. "He was a ladies man too, just like you… and he had a thing for leather. H-he was gonna become a doctor because he likes helping people, it's what he spent most of his life doing, just like you and Sam. My mom was actually his inspiration, he knew how tired she got from being a nurse, but she always said that making the patients happy and helping them always made her feel good about herself. Adam wanted to do that as well."
"He sounds like a punk," Dean joked after a brief pause, gaining a giggle from Beth.
"He was, but he was my punk," she stated with a bitter smile. "I wish you had gotten to meet him, the real him."
"Same here, princess," he assured her truthfully before he released her from his one armed hug. "Right, we should get going. We need to find this Camp Chitaqua place."
Beth nodded in agreement and subtly wiped at her eyes, getting rid of any evidence of tears. Dean grabbed the photograph that he'd taken from the journal and handed it to Beth, who stared down at it curiously, only recognising Bobby and Cas, both of whom looked incredibly different to what they looked like in 2009.
Camp Chitaqua
5th of August, 2014
(4:00am)
By the time they got to Camp Chitaqua, back in Kansas City, Beth was utterly exhausted from all the running around and all she wanted to do was go to sleep and hopefully wake up back in 2009. She followed Dean quietly past the large sign with 'Welcome to Camp Chitaqua' in big, bold letters on it and towards a chain link fence, they ducked out of sight as a couple of men holding rifles walked past before Dean broke the large padlock with his lock pick. Beth gave her brother a strange look when he let out a noise of disbelief but soon caught on when she noticed a very familiar car that had been allowed to rust over and be covered in weeds. The once beautiful car was missing a door and there was a large hole in the windshield.
"Oh baby, what'd they do to you?" she heard Dean ask mournfully and she covered her mouth, stifling a giggle at his reaction.
"I'm sorry for your loss," she told him honestly, though amusement still flashed through her eyes.
"Beth, look out!" Dean called out in warning, but it was too late and a rough blow to the head had her slumping to her knees before hitting the ground as she fell unconscious. Dean followed suit only seconds later.
5 Hours later
(9:00am)
When Beth woke up, she found herself sitting against a wall with her arms stretched high above her head with her wrists securely locked in handcuffs. She let out a low moan, her head pounding painfully as she moved to look around the room.
"Dean?" she croaked out, stretching as far as she could before nudging him with her toe. "Dean, wake up."
"He won't wake up," a sudden voice said, causing her to start in surprise. She twisted around until she came face-to-face with… Dean? Her eyebrows shot up and she glanced between the two Deans in shock.
"What the hell?" she asked as she blinked up at the older looking Dean.
"Right back at you," he started, fiddling with a switchblade. "I'd like to know why you look like my sister… and why you have the same locket and bracelet that she had but not the ring she got and the knife I gave her."
"Uh, what? I-I don't know what you're talking about," Beth told him carefully, eyeing him nervously.
"Who are you and why do you look like my dead sister?" the other Dean demanded. His green eyes seemed to burn angrily as he stared her down.
Beth's eyebrows shot up again and her face clouded over with a hint of fear as he stood up, walking over before crouching in front of her. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.
"Answer me!"
"It's me, Beth!" she shouted back in response, wincing as he tightened his grip. "I'm the same person I've always been and the question that I want to know is who the hell are you? Why are there two of you?"
"This is the future. From what I'm guessing, I'm him in 5 years' time." He jerked his head in the direction of a still unconscious Dean.
"Just like Zachariah said," Beth whispered inaudibly. Her eyes shot up when he released her and backed away, going over to the table where he sat down and started dismantling and cleaning a rifle. "What happened to the world?" she asked him, taking in his form with curious eyes. "What happened to you?"
"Croatoan virus. Simple yet deadly, it spread through humanity like wildfire," he explained as he briefly looked up at her. "As for what happened to me? I lost Sam and then I lost you."
Beth's eyes widened in surprise, she hadn't been expecting the last part. She cleared her throat awkwardly, blinking to keep the tears at bay. "H… how did I—"
"I don't want to talk about it, and I know for a fact that you don't want to know," he answered swiftly, sternly. Beth nodded jerkily, clenching her jaw as she looked down. There was a rough groan from beside her and she watched patiently as Dean slowly came to, looking around in confusion.
She ignored both of the Deans as she replayed future Dean's words over and over again in her head. She didn't know what to think about this world she'd suddenly found herself in, and she knew future Dean was right—she really didn't want to know how she was gonna die.
Beth watched on silently as Dean finally pried the nail loose from the floorboards and let out a smug 'aha!' as he got to work on freeing his right wrist from the handcuff.
"Dean?" Beth asked hesitantly, glancing up at him as he stood up and walked over to her, fiddling with her handcuffs.
"What is it?"
"Do you think he's telling the truth? About Sam I mean?" she clarified. She watched intently as his jaw clenched and his mouth spread into a thin line. "Do you think he's really dead?"
"I don't know what to think," Dean told her honestly. When he finally unlocked the cuffs, he leaned down and helped her to her feet. "Come on, it's time to go."
"But the other Dean said—" she cut off as he turned and sent her a harsh glare.
"Screw what he said, the guy's a dick," her brother snapped. Beth raised her hands in surrender and followed him as he walked down the stairs and towards a faded brown door.
"This is weird, I don't like it," Beth said quietly, clutching Dean's arm tightly. He simply reached back to squeeze her arm before walking down the porch steps.
"Hey Dean, you got a minute?" a familiar voice called out from behind them. They both turned to find Chuck heading in their direction.
"No. Uh… yes," Dean stumbled over his words until Beth pinched him roughly. "I guess… hi Chuck."
"Hi," Chuck returned before glancing down at his clipboard. "Listen, we're pretty good on canned goods for now, but we're down to next to nothing on perishables and hygiene supplies. People are not gonna be happy about this. So, what do you think we should do?"
"I-I don't know," Dean replied hesitantly. Beth watched Chuck over his shoulder curiously, the prophet had yet to even glance in her direction. "Maybe share? You know, like in a kibbutz."
"Wait a minute, aren't you supposed to be on a mission right now?" Chuck asked suspiciously.
"Absolutely, and I will be…"
"Uh-oh," Chuck said suddenly and both Beth and Dean spun around just in time for a dark haired woman to throw a punch at Dean, which he managed to dodge and stumble backwards. Beth let out a growl of anger—who the hell did this woman think she was? Coming over here and trying to hurt her brother?
Beth grabbed the stranger's arm, just like Dean had taught her and put a large amount of pressure on it, waiting until she tried to fight back before she bent the limb behind the woman's arm and wrapped her free arm around her neck.
"What the hell, lady?" Dean demanded in disbelief.
"Risa," Chuck informed him after Dean had ducked behind him.
"Risa?" Dean repeated.
"You spent the night in Jane's cabin, didn't you?" Risa spat angrily, struggling against Beth. Beth tightened her grip on Risa's neck, her eyes flashing dangerously. Chuck's gaze was finally drawn to her and his eyes widened in shock at the sight of her. Beth simply grinned in response and nodded in greeting.
"Uh, what? I… did I?" Dean asked in confusion.
"I thought we had a connection," Risa told him in a sugary sweet tone.
"I'm sure we do," Dean said, eyes roving over her form.
"Yeah?" Risa continued struggling against Beth until Dean motioned for his sister to release the hostile female. The older woman stormed past Dean and Chuck, sending a glare over her shoulder at them.
"Hi Risa," Chuck called out to her.
"Screw you!" Risa yelled back.
"Oh, that's it," Beth hissed, about to storm after the woman and demand to know what her problem was when Dean slipped an arm around her waist and lifted her up, turning and setting her between him and Chuck, ignoring her growls of protest.
"That's just great. I'm getting busted for stuff I haven't even done yet," he mumbled to Beth, who raised an unamused eyebrow at him. "Hey Chuck, is Cas still here?"
"Yeah. I don't think Cas is going anywhere," Chuck snorted, jerking his head in the direction of a pale brown cabin on the other side of the camp. "He's still in his cabin." The prophet eyed Beth wearily, He had no idea how she was even there but he knew for certain that she wasn't going to like what was in Cas' cabin at that exact moment.
Beth trailed after Dean silently, her eyes taking in Cas' cabin in silent wonder. Dean glanced back at her to make sure she was still there before he moved towards the beads that hung on plain white thread in place of where the door should be. Beth raised an eyebrow at that but made no comment as she stepped into the cabin after her brother.
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the group of women that sat in a circle next to Castiel. The angel looked nothing like his past self—this version was messier, his hair had grown longer and he was sporting a large amount of stubble that was slowly turning into a beard. Gone was his familiar attire of a suit, trenchcoat and backwards blue tie, now he wore a faded blue tunic, baggy, dark blue pants and a pair of sandals.
The suspicion dropped from her face and was replaced by shock as Cas told the women to 'go get washed up for the orgy' as soon as he saw Dean standing there. He didn't see Beth however, as she was standing behind her brother. She shared a look of mutual incredulity with Dean.
"You're all so beautiful," Cas told the women, smiling as they left the cabin, heading past Dean and Beth and paying no attention to the two.
"What are you, a hippie?" Dean questioned as Cas stood up, stretching until his bones cracked loudly.
"You know, I thought we'd gotten over trying to label me," Cas pointed out, back still turned.
"Cas, we gotta talk," Dean started, the seriousness in his voice causing Cas to turn to them and almost step back as a result.
"Whoa, strange. You're not you… not now you anyway," the angel said.
"Yes exactly," Dean agreed eagerly. Beth turned back to them from where she'd been examining the cabin with curious eyes and she stepped forward.
"Dean, this place is so weird," Beth stated, her voice drifting over to Cas, who froze instantly, his eyes seeking out her own hazel-green ones.
"B-Beth?" he stuttered as his eyes widened. He looked as though he'd seen a ghost, and Beth supposed he had, seeing as her future self was dead and he was now looking at the past version.
"Hey Cas," she smiled lightly. The angel's lips parted in shock, a glassy sheen covering his eyes as he took a step forward, followed by another one… and another… and another until he was standing in front of her. He raised a shaking hand, his eyes still locked on hers as he took a strand of her dark hair between his fingers and tucked it behind her ear. Dean watched the scene unfold with narrowed eyes, knowing full well that he'd step in if this Cas tried anything. Beth stood completely still, allowing the angel to get it out of his system. He stroked her cheek gently with his thumb before Dean's hand suddenly shot out, grabbing Cas' wrist and pulling it away from his baby sister's face.
"What is with all the touching?" Dean demanded and the spell was broken, Beth's chest rose and fell quickly as she regained her breath and her eyes dropped from Cas'.
"It's nothing," Castiel said stoically, taking a large step back and closing himself off from them. "What year are you two from?"
"2009," Beth answered, her eyes seeking his out again. "Late August."
"Who did this to you? Was it Zachariah?"
"Yes," Dean confirmed.
"Hmm, interesting," Cas tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"Yeah. It's frigging fascinating," Dean snapped, irritated. "Now, why don't you strap on your angel wings and fly us back to our page on the calendar."
Castiel let out a chuckle of bitter amusement that quickly turned into laughter. "I wish I could just strap on my wings but I'm sorry, no dice."
"A-are you stoned, Cas?" Beth questioned in surprise.
"Generally, yeah," he grinned at her, nodding his head in confirmation.
"What happened to you?" Dean asked in disgust.
Castiel's face hardened immediately and he looked to Beth once again. "Life happened. Her death happened."
"Wait, what?" Dean glanced between them in shock, noting the way Beth's face fell and she looked down almost guiltily. "Beth, you knew about this?"
"The other Dean told me," Beth admitted shamefully, her hair falling to cover her face.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because if I told you, then it just makes it all the more real," she reasoned, trying to get him to see her side of things. "I didn't want to think about it… I don't want you to know what happens because I know you. I know you'll beat yourself up about it and blame yourself but it won't change anything… it won't bring her back or save me."
Dean scrubbed a hand over his face, as much as he wanted to argue, he knew that she had a point. He would blame himself for it and he would beat himself up about it. But she was also right when she said it wouldn't change anything, the future her was dead, but if they somehow made it back to their timeline, he would do everything to prevent it. He would not watch her fall as well.
"What happened to him?" Beth asked Cas quietly as they followed her Dean and future Dean into a cabin. She was completely terrified of future Dean, seeing as she'd just watched him blow some innocent guys brains out.
"After the showdown in Detroit, when he lost Sam, he was angry and distraught. But losing you was what pushed him over the edge. He'd made a promise to himself and you that he would keep you safe but he failed," Cas explained, eyeing future Dean in disdain. "He was supposed to keep you safe."
"I-it's not his fault," Beth said, surprisingly defending the older Dean. "I'm sure he did everything he could do."
"It wasn't enough," Cas told her firmly before moving away to stand near the counter. Beth watched him go, a frown on her face as confusion flashed through her eyes.
After Cas' little outburst at her concerning her demise and future Dean's failed attempt of trying to save her, Beth had decided to for a walk around the camp to familiarise herself with it, seeing as it looked as though they were stuck there for the time being. She'd spent most of the day exploring the place and introducing herself to the inhabitants of the camp… and explaining that no, she wasn't a ghost and yes, she really was from the past.
The sun was beginning to set that night when she caught sight of Castiel strolling through the camp, a tired frown on his face. Beth hesitated, before curiosity got the better of her and she stood up from where she'd been sitting on the porch steps of future Dean's cabin. She headed after Cas, making sure to keep quiet and not attract any unwanted attention.
The fallen angel glanced over his shoulder briefly and Beth ducked behind an old, rusted jeep. When she was sure he'd not seen her, she stood up again and trailed after him. Cas headed up the porch steps and into a pale blue cabin on the outskirts of the camp.
Beth paused hesitantly, rocking back and forth on her heels before she made her mind up and darted up the steps. She walked over to the window and peered in curiously after bracing her feet on the small bench beneath the window. Castiel was sitting on the bed, watching as a young blonde girl of about 17 or 18 walked over to him and… handed over a small child of about 3 years old with light brown hair and shocking blue eyes. Beth's eyes widened as Cas took the child and smiled softly down at her, pressing a kiss to the little girl's head.
Beth let out a loud curse as her foot slipped off the edge of bench and she toppled sideward, hitting the ground with a thud.
"Beth?" Cas' voice sounded from the doorway and Beth looked up, smiling sheepishly at him.
"Hey, Cas… how's it hanging?" she asked nervously. Cas frowned down at her in response and she sighed, holding her hands up in surrender. "I know, I shouldn't have followed you but you were acting all suspicious and I couldn't help it."
"You always were too curious for your own good," Cas sighed as he reached a hand out to her. She took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet. "Why don't you come inside?"
"Thanks," Beth said quietly and followed him into the cabin.
"Cas, what was all that—" the young blonde cut off abruptly, eyes meeting Beth's in disbelief.
"She's from the past, Claire," Cas explained as he took the child from Claire's arms.
"Wait, Claire-bear?" Beth asked incredulously, glancing at Cas. She looked back to Claire and felt amazement fill her—Claire had changed just as much as Cas had. The young girl she'd known briefly was now all grown up, she'd lost most of her baby fat and had numerous piercings in both ears. She even had a tattoo on her arm.
"Yeah, that's me," Claire confirmed, her light blue eyes glimmering with mischief. Beth beamed happily as she crossed the room and hugged Claire tightly. The blonde returned it, clinging to the other female with all she had.
"Now that reintroductions are out of the way, why don't you come over here and meet your daughter?" Cas asked dryly. Beth released Claire and spun to face him at his sudden words.
"My what?" she asked dumbly.
"Your daughter," Claire said more gently than Cas had. She took Beth by the arm and led her over to Cas. Beth's eyes were immediately drawn to the girl in Cas' arms and she took in the light brown hair—that was similar to Beth's when she was that age—the blue eyes that had flecks of green and brown in them and the small cupid's bow mouth and slightly upturned nose that was identical to Beth's. The little girl glanced hesitantly at her dad, gaining a nod and a smile from him. It was enough to have her sending a small smile up at Beth.
"Daddy, who's that?" the little girl asked quietly, meeting his reassuring gaze.
"This is your mom," Cas whispered to her softly. "She's come back to see you."
Beth watched the two of them, a strange feeling settling in her stomach as she followed their interactions with slightly watery eyes.
"C-can I hold her?" Beth asked cautiously, completely entranced by the child. Cas nodded and held the child out to Beth. She welcomed the girl into her arms and smiled happily as she received another smile from the little girl. "What's her name?"
"Katharine," Cas answered gently. "Katharine Millie Winchester."
"After my mom," Beth whispered, she carefully held Katharine closer to her chest and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "She's really mine?" Both Claire and Cas nodded in confirmation, watching intently as the brunette smiled down at Katharine when the child took hold of a lock of her hair and began twisting it around her fingers. "What happened to me? Why did I leave her behind?"
"You didn't want to," Cas said hesitantly, sitting on the bed and scrubbing a hand across his face. "There was a demon attack, they'd been hunting us for ages because they wanted to take Kat. You made me take Kat and run whilst you stayed behind to distract them. You died saving her."
"Why would they want to hurt her?" Beth couldn't understand why anyone would want to hurt such a beautiful little person.
"Because of her father," Claire explained, sending a sharp look at Cas.
"I-I don't understand," Beth told them truthfully.
"Cas is her dad. They wanted to take her to Lucifer because she's one of the few Nephilim left on this earth," Claire admitted reluctantly.
Beth's head shot up and she turned to them in disbelief. "You're saying I have a kid with Cas?"
Cas winced at her tone of voice and forced himself to nod. He stood up and went over to Beth, taking Kat back. Beth looked extremely reluctant to let go but followed his silent command and released her.
"W-why would I do that?" Beth demanded before looking awfully sheepish at her rudeness. "I… uh, sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
"We fell for each other, Beth," Cas said, trying to get her to understand. "We never meant for it to happen… it just did."
"Was… was it after the kiss we shared?" Beth questioned almost nervously.
"Yes."
"How do I know you're not lying?" she asked roughly, trying to blink back tears. Cas was silent as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a battered phone with his free hand. He fiddled with it for a few seconds before handing it over to her. She held the phone with shaking hands, staring down at the picture on the screen with wide eyes. It was a picture of her and Cas. The Beth in the picture was heavily pregnant and staring up at Cas with a look of adoration in her eyes. Cas was staring back at her, his blue eyes filled with love and happiness. "This… this can't be happening." She shook her head in denial, dropping the phone with a thud. She backed away from the trio, her vision blurring slightly around the edges. "I-I can't breathe," Beth gasped out, she turned quickly on her heel and burst out of the cabin, ignoring the calls of concern from behind her.
"Where's she going?" was the last thing she heard her daughter say before the door slammed shut behind her.
The next morning, Beth found herself walking up the steps to Cas' cabin yet again. She hesitated before knocking on the wall beside the beaded curtain.
"Come in," Cas called out. She pushed the beads aside and ducked into the cabin, smiling lightly at him when he looked up. "I didn't expect you to come here… especially after all the information we dumped on you last night."
"That's, uh, that's actually why I'm here," Beth admitted and stepped closer. "I wanted to apologize for how I reacted. It… it was just a little much to find out at once. I mean, back in my timeline, we're good friends and we kissed once. But I-I don't know how that means we get together and have a kid."
"It happened before we really knew what we were doing," Cas explained, still fiddling with something in his hands. "You were reluctant to start anything because you thought it would get me in trouble. But, in the end, it was me who got you in trouble… and you paid the price with your life."
"I'd probably do it again," she said honestly, gaining his attention as she sat on a chair next to the small dining table. "If it meant Kat would have the chance to grow up and be happy. I… I hope you and Claire tell her what my future self did, and that it was all for her."
"I'll make sure of it," Castiel promised quietly. Beth's eyes dropped to his hands and she caught a flash of gold as the light hit whatever he was holding.
"What's that?" she asked curiously. Cas paused briefly in surprise before he loosened his grip on it and the locket fell from his hand, dangling in mid-air as the chain was looped around his finger. "T-that's my locket," she gasped, reaching up to grasp the one around her neck. "How do you have that?"
"She gave it to me, before she died," he replied. "I'm supposed to give it to Kat when she turns 16."
"Y-you really weren't lying about us, were you?" she whispered, almost dreading the answer as he stood up and walked over to her, setting the locket on the table beside her.
"No. I wasn't," he said in return before walking over to a record player in the corner of the room. "I can tell you another thing about you that you told me and no one else."
"…Okay," she agreed softly. Her eyes followed him as he pulled a record out from a large collection and got to work on putting it on the record player. There was a brief silence before a very familiar song started playing. Beth's eyes widened and her mouth parted in surprise. "T-that's my—"
"It's your mom's favourite song," he interrupted, glancing back at her. "She used to play it the whole time because it was playing when she first realized she loved your dad. The four of you were out for dinner when he came to visit you and Adam and you went up to the band and asked them to play it for you before you encouraged your parents to get up and dance."
"My mom looked so happy when she was dancing with him," Beth said, reminiscing about that night back when she was 14. "I've never seen someone look at another person with such love in their eyes before and I… I thought to myself that I wanted that someday. I wanted someone to look at me like that." Beth jumped as a hand was suddenly thrust under her nose and she looked up, staring at him in surprise. "What are you doing?"
"Dance with me," was all he said in response. Beth hesitantly slipped her hand into his and stood up, following him to the centre of the room. A peal of laughter escaped as Cas spun her out before twirling her back in, she hit his chest roughly, letting out a quiet 'oomph' at the impact.
"You're surprisingly good at dancing," she told him teasingly, curling her fingers around his shoulder. He grinned back mischievously before dipping her backwards and pulling her up quickly. She met his eyes and almost stepped back in surprise at the way his eyes lit up as he watched her.
The two of them continued dancing until the song had ended, and even when the last note died down, they continued to stay in the dancing position, staring at each other. Cas' eyes flickered to her lips and back up to her eyes and Beth nodded once, her breath quickening as he leaned down towards her.
"Hey!" the gruff voice of future Dean had Beth springing backwards in shock. She felt like a bucket of icy water had been dumped on her head as she was torn from her trance. "What the hell's going on?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Cas retorted, sending a glare at Dean.
"No. No, I refuse to let you corrupt her as well," Dean growled. He stood up straighter and jerked his head at Beth. "Get over here." Beth lowered her head, about to walk over to him when a hand locked around Beth's arm and pulled her to a stop. "Let. Her. Go."
"What happened to her is not my fault," Cas told him sternly. Beth glanced back and forth between them in concern. The last thing she wanted was for a fight to break out because of her.
"She died because you got her knocked up," Dean barked. "She was dead from the moment you two got involved."
"Would you two shut up!" Beth demanded, yanking her arm free. She sent a sharp glare at both of them. "What happened to me—my future self was no one's fault. She died to save the life of her child and the sooner you two idiots get that into your thick skulls, the better. There is too much at stake here for you two to continue fighting and bickering like children. You need to get it together and work as a team, like you used to."
Both Cas and Dean were silent, completely taken aback at her stern telling off. Beth exhaled noisily, hands dropping from where they had been perched on her hips. She glanced between them and waited impatiently until they both let out a reluctant 'fine' and backed down. She smiled smugly and patted their shoulders before heading out the door in search of her Dean.
"So, that's it? That's the Colt?" Risa asked later that day when future Dean had called a group meeting in his cabin.
"If anything can kill Lucifer, this is it," future Dean told her firmly, barely glancing at her. Beth muffled a snigger with a cough when her Dean elbowed her roughly.
"Great. Have we got anything that can actually find Lucifer?" Risa demanded.
"Are you okay?" future Dean questioned, finally looking up at Risa with a look of mock-concern on his face.
"We were in Jane's cabin last night," Dean interrupted from his position on the table in the corner, gaining his doppleganger's attention, "and apparently, we and Risa have a connection."
Beth hid a grin behind her hands as Cas chuckled quietly, Risa looked away in irritation and future Dean sent his younger self a glare.
"You mind shutting up?" Dean raised his hands in surrender at his doppleganger's order and gestured for him to continue. "We don't have to find Lucifer. We know where he is. That demon that we caught last week, he was one of the big guy's entourage. He knew."
"So, a demon tells you where Satan's gonna be and you just believe it?" Risa input.
"Oh, trust me, he wasn't lying," future Dean promised darkly. Beth frowned in confusion, sending a glance back at her brother.
"And you know this how?"
"Our fearless leader—I'm afraid—is all too well-schooled in the art of getting to the truth," Castiel explained, and only the Deans seemed to get the hidden meaning in his words.
"What are you talking about?" Beth asked, just as confused as Risa.
"Torture?" Dean questioned in disbelief. "We're torturing again? Well… that's good. Classy."
"What do you mean again?" Beth demanded, standing up as well. "Why the hell would you be torturing demons in the first place?"
Both Deans ignored her questions and the future one sent an unimpressed look at Cas when the fallen angel started chuckling to himself.
"What?" Cas asked defensively. "I like past you… and Beth too, of course."
"Shut up," Beth and future Dean said in unison. Cas raised his hands in surrender as future Dean pulled out a map to show everyone.
"Lucifer is here. Now," he started, pointing to a spot on the faded paper. "I know the block, I know the building." Risa walked over for a closer look as Castiel leaned in, barely glancing at the spot ringed in red ink.
"Oh great. It's right in the middle of a hot zone," Cas pointed out, mock enthusiastic.
"Crawling with croats. You saying my plan is reckless?" Future Dean queried, his tone suggesting that arguing was pointless.
"Are you saying we walk up the driveway past all the demons and croats and shoot the devil?" Cas countered.
"Yes," Future Dean confirmed.
"Okay," Cas said simply, seeming to back down before he spoke again. "If you don't like 'reckless' I could use 'insouciant' maybe."
"Are you coming?" Future Dean asked, looking completely down with Cas' crap.
"Of course. But what about them?" Cas pointed at Beth and Dean. "He's you five years ago and she's… well, she's Beth. And if something happens to either of them we're screwed."
"Thanks for clearing that up, really. I had no idea who I was," Beth snarked from beside her brother. Cas and the two Deans ignored her whilst Risa sent her an amused look.
"They're coming," Future Dean declared, glancing between the group, looking for any signs of protest—not that he really cared if anyone protested or not.
"Okay," Cas nodded in acceptance, though he did send a worried look over at Beth. "We'll get the grunts moving."
"We're loaded and on the road by midnight," Future Dean said as everyone headed for the door. Beth hesitated before following after them, leaving her brother behind with his doppleganger.
"Alrighty!" Castiel called back, taking a hold of Beth's arm and dragging her after him.
"Where are we going?" Beth asked, tripping over loose twigs.
"I'm gonna say goodbye to Kat," Cas started, guiding her towards Claire's cabin. "I thought you might like to hold her one last time before you go back to the past."
"I… I'd like that," Beth said, surprising herself at her honesty. Cas smirked back at her in response.
"Yo, Claire!" Cas called, walking right into the cabin. "I wanna say goodbye to Kat before we go."
Claire came out of the bedroom seconds later, clutching a grumpy looking Kat to her. "Thanks a lot dumbass, I just got her to sleep."
"Yeah, well. She can sleep plenty while I'm gone," Castiel replied carelessly, immediately reaching for his daughter. Claire handed her over without a fight.
"Daddy," Kat whined, burying her face in his neck. Cas rubbed her back softly in comfort.
"I'll give you some privacy," Claire said before leaving the cabin. Beth paid no attention, she was too busy staring at Kat.
"She's so beautiful," Beth whispered. She found it hard to believe that someone as screwed up as she was right now could ever create something so pure, so beautiful.
"She takes after her mom," Cas replied without thinking. Beth winced uncomfortably at his choice of words.
"Look, Cas, could you tone it down a little? I'm flattered really, but I'm not used to this sort of comments from you," Beth said hesitantly.
Cas paused briefly before nodding lightly. "I can do that… it wasn't my intention to make you uncomfortable."
"It's okay. Can I hold her? Please?" Castiel nodded and held Kat out to Beth. She took the child and rocked her lightly as the little girl blinked up at her tiredly. "It's okay, sweetheart, I'm here."
"M'sleepy," Kat said, resting her cheek on Beth's shoulder.
"I know, sweetie," Beth assured her. "Just go to sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up."
Castiel watched on fondly as Beth started pacing slowly, continuing to bounce Kat until she eventually fell asleep, her short brown curls tickling Beth's neck. Beth sent a glance over her shoulder at Cas and smiled lightly before she turned back to Kat and pressed a kiss against her head.
"You know, I wasn't entirely honest with you before," Cas said suddenly, causing her to start in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"The demons that killed you… it wasn't just Katharine they were after."
"What are you talking about, Cas?"
"They were after you as well, because of what you are," he replied reluctantly.
Beth's brows furrowed at his evasiveness of the question and she stepped closer. "What am I?"
"You're like her… a Nephilim," he admitted, looking away.
Beth stared at him in shock, she hadn't been expecting that. "That's… that's funny, seriously. It's also completely impossible because both my parents were human."
"You're a different kind," Cas explained as he looked back up and met her gaze. "It was not long before Lucifer fell, when he and the other fallen angels were creating nephil left and right, that our Father decided to create some of His own. He picked some of his strongest humans and took blood from the remaining archangels and Himself. The humans had to drink the blood and undergo a series of tests to prove themselves. When they passed, they were trained to fight and sent out to destroy their cousins."
"Right… and just where do I fit into all of this?" she asked sceptically.
"The reason you're the perfect vessel for Raphael is because his blood is in your family. It's been passed down for generations—your maternal grandmother had it, your mom had it and now so do you."
"B-but what about Adam? He's my twin," Beth pointed out.
"There's a chance some of the gene was passed onto him, but who knows?" Cas shrugged.
Beth let out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose with her free hand. "This is ridiculous and overwhelming and I really wish I was back home in the base with Ami and that lot."
"I'm not surprised," Cas chuckled dryly, causing her to look at him in confusion. "You've always been a bit of an 'angel groupie'," he explained, smiling at her. "Dean and I used to tease you about it."
"Uh… okay?" she said hesitantly. The door flying open put an end to any move conversation and they turned to find Claire standing there, panting slightly as she tried to regain her breath.
"R-Risa's looking for you," Claire gasped out. "S-she needs help sorting out the jeep."
Castiel nodded in understanding, turning back to Beth. "I'll be back in a few minutes, will you be okay here?"
"Yeah, sure," Beth agreed as she sent a glance down at Kat. "I'll be fine." Cas nodded again and then headed out the door with Claire hot on his heels. "I guess it's just you and I then," she mumbled. Katharine jumped awake as the door closed with a bang. The young girl looked back up at Beth in confusion.
"Your daddy's just gone out for a bit, he'll be back soon." Kat nodded, watching her mom closely.
Beth hesitated before reaching into her pocket and pulling her phone out. She put the camera up onto the screen and turned it so she could take a picture of her and Kat. "Hey, Kat. Look at the camera," she said gently, sitting down and pointing to the camera. Kat immediately looked towards the phone, a cheeky smile on her lips causing her cheek to dimple slightly. Beth chuckled fondly at her as she moved closer to her daughter, their cheeks pressing together lightly.
Beth smiled and took the picture, forever capturing the moment she shared her first proper bonding with her daughter. She kissed Kat's hair, hugging the girl tightly. Kat returned it, clinging to her mom with all her might.
It was almost midnight by the time all the jeeps were ready to go. Beth followed Dean silently down the path towards the second car at the front of the line. She paid little attention as Chuck came over and started talking to Dean, something about '2009' and 'hoarding toilet paper'.
She waved briefly at Chuck, which he returned before she climbed into the backseat and slumped against her seat, resting the side of her head against the window. Her eyes slipped shut as she drifted into an uneasy sleep.
(1 hour later)
When Beth woke up, it was to the sound of Cas' gruff voice as he asked Dean if he wanted some of the pills he'd just taken. She rubbed her eyes roughly as she sat up before leaning forward, her head stretching past the space in between their seats.
"Y'know," she started tiredly, glancing at Cas. "It's a wonder Claire lets you anywhere near Kat with the amount of drugs you take."
"She knows I'd never hurt Kat," Castiel replied, sounding the slightest bit hurt at her words. "Besides. This is the first lot of pills I've taken since you two arrived and shook up our lives."
Beth tilted her head in acknowledgement, leaning back against her seat and closed her eyes again, leaving Cas to explain to Dean who Kat was.
She vaguely heard him say, "She's my special little lady," before she fell asleep again.
August 7th, 2014
(9:00am)
"Dean, I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Beth whispered to her brother as they walked down the deserted street after the rest of the group. "Why are we even here? What if something bad happens?"
"It won't. Zach's got an eye out for us," Dean reassured her. "Besides, I won't let anything happen to you."
"…Thanks," Beth said, sounding surprisingly touched at his promise.
"Don't sweat it," Dean replied uncomfortably. Beth smirked and elbowed him lightly until a small smile of amusement crossed his lips.
"There we go," she crooned teasingly. "I knew you knew how to smile."
Dean rolled his eyes and threw his left arm out, wrapping it around her neck and pulling her to him, he used his free hand to mess up her hair. Beth immediately began struggling against her brother's tight grip.
"Ouch! Dean, let go, you ass!" Beth hissed at him. She heard a couple of chuckles from behind her and ignored them as she tried to pull herself free.
"You two, shut up!" Future Dean barked quietly. Beth and Dean immediately moved apart, glancing at each other as if to say 'he started it' and 'she started it'. "Do I have to remind you that we're in the middle of a croats hot zone?"
"Sorry master," Beth muttered grumpily under her breath, though future Dean clearly heard her, if the glare he sent her was anything to go by.
The group continued walking along slowly until they came across a chain-link fence with 'Jackson County Sanatorium' written on a sign in bold letters.
"This place is creepy," Beth whispered to Cas, who had slowed his pace to walk beside her.
"Well, it's the devil's hide-out," Cas pointed out with a careless shrug. Clearly the pills he'd taken before had mellowed him out. Beth followed suit as they all ducked behind a couple of old, upside down cars to hide from any prying eyes.
"There, second floor window. We go in there," future Dean told the group as he lowered his binoculars.
"You sure about this?" Risa asked, clutching her rifle tightly. Dean glanced back at her, a tiny flicker of guilt flashing through his eyes as he took in the fear on her face.
"They'll never see us coming," future Dean said, fully aware that his doppleganger was staring at him suspiciously. "Trust me. Now, weapons check. We're on the move in 5."
"Hey, uh, me," Dean called out, gaining his older self's attention. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"
Beth watched curiously as the two Dean's walked a few feet away to talk privately amongst themselves. She turned back to Cas after a few drawn out seconds.
"Hey, Cas… you'll be careful, won't you?" she asked hesitantly, fully aware that Risa and the others were within hearing distance. "Kat needs you."
"I will, I promise," Cas whispered as he reached out and curled his fingers around hers, squeezing lightly before he let go. "I made the same promise to her, y'know? When she was dying, she asked the same thing of me… guess I didn't do as good a job as I thought I had."
"Don't be silly. Katharine couldn't have had a better dad than you," she told him firmly. "I've seen how you are with her, you're a great dad."
"Thank you, Bethany."
"It's just Beth," she corrected, instinctively. Cas' lips twitched into an amused smile and she returned it eagerly.
Castiel seemed to hesitate before her, and she tilted her head to the side, wondering what he was thinking about. Before she could ask if he was alright, he leaned in and kissed her roughly. Beth froze in surprise, his lips felt warm and chapped against her own, exactly the same as past Castiel's had felt when she'd kissed him. She snapped out of her trance and slowly returned the kiss, parting her lips against his.
"Beth!" future Dean yelled, once again causing her to jump backwards in surprise. She would've toppled backwards onto the ground if Cas hadn't caught her by the arm. She thanked him with her eyes before glancing over her shoulder at future Dean. "A word. Now."
"I'll be right back," she told Cas firmly as she stood up and walked towards future Dean. He led her away from the group towards a heavily wooded area. "What's up?"
"I'm really sorry about this," he said apologetically.
"About wha—" Beth was cut off abruptly as she turned to face him and he roughly hit her in the head with the butt of his rifle. She crumpled immediately, falling into his arms limply. Future Dean sighed softly as he brushed the hair from her face and carefully lowered her to the ground. He forced himself to turn around and walk away from her.
"Beth… Beth!"
Beth came to with a groan, her eyelids fluttered weakly as the light blinded her and the world blurred before her eyes. A warm hand cupped her face and she opened her eyes fully to find Dean hovering above her.
"D-Dean? Why are there two of you?" she slurred as he lifted her into a sitting position. She blinked a few times before her vision returned to normal. "Ah, there we go. There's only one of you now."
"That asshole," Dean growled. He wanted to wring his future self's neck. "I'm gonna kill him."
"Get in line," Beth grumbled, taking his hand and climbing unsteadily to her feet. "Wait, if we were knocked out, where is everyone else?"
Dean sent her a look over his shoulder and she immediately knew what it meant. She shook her head in denial, her hair slapping her in the face.
"No. No, t-they can't be… Cas can't be dead," she choked out. "K-Kat needs him. He promised."
"What's so special about this Kat person?"
Beth grew cold at his words and she reluctantly looked up at him. "S-she's Cas' daughter."
"Cas has a kid?" Dean asked in disbelief. "Who's the lucky lady?"
"I-I don't know," she lied, not wanting him to know that she was gonna enter into a relationship with Cas in the near future and have a child before she died protecting said child.
"Come on," he said finally, grabbing her hand and pulling her after him as he started running in the direction of gunfire. "We need to find the other Dean!"
The two of them glanced briefly up at the building as gunshots continued to echo from within before they turned right sharply and raced through the trees until the found future Dean lying on the ground with a tall, dark haired man standing above him, an unnaturally shiny white shoe pressing down on his throat. Beth let out a muffled yelp of horror as the man in white applied more pressure and snapped future Dean's throat with ease. The loud crack of his neck breaking echoed around the small clearing and Beth covered her mouth, trying to hold back the need to throw up.
"Oh," the man turned around and Beth's mouth dropped open in shock. "Hello, Dean… Beth."
"S-Sam?" she whispered in confusion. "Dean, what's going on?" Beth demanded, glancing between Sam and Dean.
Dean ignored her, his eyes locked on their brother's tall form. Anger and fear was swimming through his eyes as he stared at Sam. Beth clutched Dean's arm tightly, sensing that something was wrong with their brother.
"…Well, aren't you two a surprise?" Sam questioned, but his voice was all wrong, it was cold… and distant. Nothing like the Sam she knew. There was a loud rumble of thunder beside them and they both flinched automatically, and when they opened their eyes again, they realized Sam was no longer in front of them. "You've come a long way to see this, haven't you?" his voice asked from behind them and they spun around to face him.
"Well go ahead," Dean said gruffly. Beth gaped up at him in surprise. "Kill me."
"Kill you?" Sam repeated. "Don't you think that would be a little… redundant?" There was a brief pause before he continued, "I'm sorry. It must be painful, speaking to me in this shape. But it had to be your brother. It had to be."
Beth's brows furrowed in confusion as she glanced between them. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Sam raised an eyebrow at her in return. "She doesn't know, does she?"
"You shut your mouth," Dean warned viciously. Beth slapped his arm roughly to get him to be quiet.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm not your brother, Beth," he explained smoothly, walking closer to her. He circled her curiously, watching Dean from the corner of his eye. "My name's Lucifer. I'm an angel."
"T-the Morningstar?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded in response, smirking slightly when she flinched as he picked up a lock of her hair and tugged it roughly. "A-and Sam's your vessel?" she guessed flatly, pulling her hair free. He nodded again.
"You know, you two don't have to be afraid of me," Lucifer told them gently as he moved away from them. "What do you think I'm going to do?"
"I don't know, maybe deep-fry the planet?" Dean asked roughly, breath catching in his throat.
"Why?" Lucifer asked, fingers sliding from the rose he'd been admiring. "Why would I want to destroy this stunning thing? Beautiful in a trillion different ways. The last, perfect handiwork of God."
There was a brief silence that was quickly broken by the sound of a twig snapping and then a dark haired woman stepped into sight, the long skirt of her pure white dress brushing against her ankles as she approached them. Beth's eyes widened in amazement as she met the woman's eyes and realized—with a jolt of confusion and disbelief—that it was an older version of her.
Lucifer glanced behind him, stretching his arm out and offering her his hand. She took it, linking their fingers together as she stood beside him.
"Did you ever hear the story of how I fell from grace?" Lucifer queried.
"Oh, good God, you're not gonna tell me a bed time story are you? My stomach's almost out of bile," Dean retorted, gaining an amused smile from his sister.
Lucifer looked unamused at their insolence. "You know why God cast me down? Because I loved Him, more than anything. And then God created you… the little hairless apes." A look of bitter hatred crossed his face. "And then He asked all of us to bow down before you, to love you more than Him. And I said, "Father, I can't." I said, "These human beings are flawed, murderous." And for that, God had Michael cast me into Hell. So, tell me, does the punishment fit the crime?"
Beth shared a mutual look of 'are you believing this nonsense?' with Dean before her eyes were drawn back to the older version of her. She still couldn't get over the fact that she was staring at her future self, especially when Cas had told her that she'd died two years ago.
"Especially when I was right," Lucifer continued, regaining their attention. "Look what six billion of you have done to this thing… and how many of you blame me for it?"
"You're not fooling me, you know that?" Dean asked rhetorically. Lucifer tilted his head to the side curiously and future Beth's eyes flickered between Lucifer and Dean suspiciously. "With your 'sympathy—for—the—devil crap'. I know what you are."
"What am I?" Lucifer asked calmly.
"You're the same thing, only bigger. The same brand of cockroach I've been squashing my whole life," Dean explained harshly, ignoring the way the devil's eyes hardened at his words. "An ugly, evil, belly-to-the-ground, supernatural piece of crap. The only difference between them and you, is the size of your ego."
Lucifer's lips twitched into a mock-fond smile as he tilted his head to the side again. "I like you, Dean. Beth too. I get what the other angels see in you—neither of you take any nonsense from anyone… and you, Dean, are awfully protective of her. You actually remind me of myself and my younger brother Gabriel, we were inseparable and I always protected him from any possible threat." He fell silent as he glanced over at Beth's doppleganger, she stared up at him in return, awaiting his command.
"Wait!" Beth called when the two turned to leave. They both glanced at her at once, causing her to almost lose her nerve. "Cas… h-he told me she was dead."
"Oh yes, I brought her back," Lucifer explained, his hazel eyes meeting hers. "And removed her memories of them. She's the perfect soldier, what with the angel blood in her."
"Wait, what?" Dean interrupted. Beth shot Lucifer an annoyed glare, which he returned with a mischievous grin.
"Anyway, we have places to be," Lucifer started. "Goodbye, Dean, Beth. We'll meet again soon."
"You better kill me now!" Dean yelled, unwilling to let him just walk away.
"Pardon?" the angel queried as he turned back towards them.
"You better kill me now. Or I swear, I will find a way to kill you," Dean continued, voice gruff and tears in his eyes. "And I won't stop."
"I know you won't," Lucifer assured him softly. "I know you won't say yes to Michael and Beth won't say yes to Raphael. And I know you won't kill Sam. Whatever you do, you will always end up here… Whatever choices you make, whatever details you alter… we will always end up here. I win, so I win."
"You're wrong," Dean said desperately, a tear trickling down his cheek. Beth frowned up in concern, clutching his arm tightly.
"See you in five years, Dean, Beth," Lucifer told them. There was another flash of lightening and both Lucifer and future Beth disappeared in flash of light.
Beth continued to cling to Dean, even as he turned around and they came face-to-face with Zachariah. The angel placed two fingers on each of their heads and a bright light blinded them.
Kansas City, Missouri
August 30th, 2009
Beth let out a low groan as her and Dean abruptly landed in the middle of a motel room and she swayed awkwardly on her feet, trying to regain her balance. Dean looked up and growled in irritation as he caught sight of Zachariah.
"Well, if it isn't the ghost-of-Christmas-screw-you," Dean snarked, glaring at the angel.
"Enough," Zachariah ordered softly. "Dean, enough. You both saw it, right? You saw what happens? You're the only one who can prove the devil wrong. Just say yes."
"How do I know that this whole thing isn't just one of your tricks?" Dean demanded and Beth nodded in agreement. "Some sort of angel hocus pocus?"
"The time for tricks is over," Zachariah assured them honestly. "Give yourself to Michael, and you to Raphael, Bethany. Say yes and we can strike, before Lucifer can get to Sam. Before billions die."
Beth bit her lip, she understood what he was telling them, and she knew that saying yes could prevent it, but she didn't think she would ever agree to it if Dean didn't. Beth was forced to let go of Dean as he moved away, walking past Zachariah, the angel followed his example, turning with Dean. Beth walked after him, coming to stand a few feet from Zachariah as they both watched her brother.
"…Nah," Dean said finally.
"'Nah'?" Zachariah echoed in disbelief, sending a glance at Beth, who simply shrugged in return. She knew no more than he did about where her brother was going with this. "You're telling me you haven't learned your lesson?"
"Oh, I learned a lesson, just not the one you wanted to teach," Dean explained.
"Well, I'll just have to teach it again," Zachariah said sternly, approaching them slowly. Beth backed away from him, bumping into her brother. "Cause I got you now, you two, and I'm never letting you—" Zachariah was cut off as Beth and Dean both disappeared from the motel room.
The siblings landed on the sidewalk in the middle of nowhere, sharing a confused look before they turned to find Castiel standing behind them. Beth let out a grateful laugh as she lunged at Cas, throwing her arms around his neck. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist to prevent her from falling.
"That's pretty nice timing, Cas," Dean told the angel over Beth's shoulder.
"Well, I believe we had an appointment," Cas said in response. Dean set a hand on Cas' shoulder and raised a hand, pointing at him.
"Don't ever change," he told Cas sternly.
"How did Zachariah find you?" Cas asked, still holding on to a clingy Beth.
"Long story," Dean sighed as he took out his phone and flipped it open.
Beth pulled away from Cas' arms as Dean walked a few feet away to call Sam. "Words cannot describe how glad I am to see you, Cas," she whispered. He smiled crookedly in return. Beth met his eyes and was moving in before she knew what she was doing, she cupped his face and kissed him quickly. Cas froze in surprise, but Beth was pulling away before he could do anything. "I agree with Dean, don't ever change."
August 31st, 2009
The next day found Beth and Dean waiting patiently by the Impala as they waited for Sam to arrive. Beth was just grateful that Dean had finally gotten over his stubbornness and had told Sam that he wanted him to join them again.
A few minutes passed before an unfamiliar car appeared, driving down the trail towards them. Beth sent an excited look at Dean as she waited for Sam to get out of the car. The moment he did, and the car door was shut, Beth darted in his direction, colliding with her insanely tall brother roughly. She hugged him around the waist, grinning happily as his arms went around her shoulders and he held her tightly, leaning down to press a kiss to her hair.
"It's good to see you, Beth," he whispered.
"You too," she returned, refusing to let go of him even as Dean walked over to them, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his two siblings reuniting.
"Sam," Dean greeted. Sam stayed silent, though he shifted nervously as Dean pulled out the demon killing knife and held it up in mid-air. Beth simply glanced back at it, knowing that Dean wasn't going to hurt either of them. Dean flipped the knife around so the hilt was facing Sam. "If you're serious, if you want back in… you should hang onto this. I'm sure you're rusty."
Sam hesitated before reaching out and accepting the knife. He remained quiet, causing Beth to pinch him roughly and Dean to shift awkwardly on his feet.
"Look, man. I'm sorry," Dean started. "I don't know… whatever I need to be… but I was wrong."
"What made you change your mind?" Sam asked finally, meeting Dean's gaze.
"Long story," Dean sighed and Beth nodded in agreement from her position between them—she had yet to stop hugging Sam. "The point is, maybe we are each other's Achilles' heel. Maybe they'll find a way to use us against each other, I don't know. I just know, we're all we've got, Beth included… more than that, we keep each other human."
"Thank you," Sam said genuinely, for both apologizing and letting him back in. "Really, thank you. I won't let you down."
"Oh, I know it," Dean assured him immediately. "I mean, you are the second best hunter on the planet."
"…So, what do we do now?"
"We make our own future," Dean declared, gaining a proud smile from Beth.
"Guess we have no choice," Sam continued for his brother.
"I second that," Beth mumbled against his jacket.
"Right, it's time to get going," Dean said, waiting as Sam moved away from Beth towards the trunk of his 'borrowed' car. He got his duffel bag out and headed back towards them.
Beth grinned mischievously at her brothers before she shouted, "Shotgun!" and started running towards the Impala. Sam caught up to her in three quick strides and hooked an arm around her waist, lifting her off of the ground, even as she screamed in protest before laughing manically. Dean snorted in amusement and rolled his eyes at their antics.
He was just glad his family was back together again.