"All of my memories keep you near,
The silent whispers, the silent tears."
—Memories, Within Temptation.
September 6th, 2009
Scottsdale, Arizona
"Leave me alone, Dean!" Beth grumbled as her brother threw yet another piece of candy at her. Her oldest brother winked at her in response. "Sam, tell him!"
"Dean, leave Beth alone," Sam said half-heartedly, glancing away from the wheel for a few seconds. "Beth, ignore him and just read your damn book—I'm busy, trying to drive."
Beth pouted dramatically before throwing the candy back at Dean, successfully hitting him in the face. She let out a triumphant shout and cackled loudly at Dean's disgruntled look—she was glad she had her seatbelt on or she would've fallen off her seat in her amusement.
"Why are you throwing those things at each other?" Castiel asked, confused. Beth tipped her head to the side and looked over at him.
"Because Dean's an ass and deserves it," she explained with a grin. Castiel turned and eyed Dean critically.
"He doesn't look like a donkey."
"I-I didn't mean that he was an actual donkey," Beth got out between giggles. "It's meant as an insult, Cas."
The angel looked rather put out at that as he let a quiet "Oh," slip from his lips.
"What an idiot," Dean snorted in amusement. Beth shot him a warning look and slapped his shoulder.
"Don't be an asshole, Dean," she scolded before undoing her seatbelt and shuffle over to sit beside Cas and pat him on the arm. "Ignore my brother—it's just his time of the month."
"Pay no attention to them, Cas," Sam told him with a smile. "They've been bickering like that for the past few days now. It's actually getting quite annoying."
"Yeah, well. What else can I do when I've been stuck in this car with you two for days and I'm not allowed to even go to the bathroom by myself whenever we stop, I mean, Dean always escorts me to the bathroom and waits outside until I'm done before practically shoving me back in the car," Beth countered with a scowl.
"Why is that?" Cas asked, sending her a surprisingly concerned look.
"They don't want to let me out of their sight after last time when Michael kidnapped me," she explained grumpily. "They seem to forget that I'm still a teenager and get bored easily… and that if I want to wander off on my own, then I will."
"I could take you out?" Castiel offered hesitantly, his deep blue eyes locking on her hazel ones.
"Really?" She grinned, her face lighting up at his offer. He nodded in confirmation and Beth let out a happy shout. "Yes! Can we go to the beach?"
"Yes, if you'd like."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea—" Dean started and Beth was quick to silence him with a glare.
"Yes, it is. If I have to spend five more minutes locked up in this car with you, I might actually rethink my policy on not killing you," she said firmly as she met his gaze. "Besides, if it makes you feel any better, you two can come to the beach as well."
"Well, I don't know about Dean, but I think a day at the beach might help us all de-stress and get along again," Sam said thoughtfully, turning slightly to wink at an eager Beth.
"Fine. Fine, we'll go to the beach," Dean agreed begrudgingly. Beth cheered happily and punched Dean's arm fondly, gaining a small smile from her older brother.
"You're such an idiot," Dean grumbled, though not unkindly.
"Y'know, she has a point, Dean," Sam said to his brother as they sat in the car, waiting for Beth and Cas to finish buying everything they'd need for the beach. "You mother her too much. She needs her space."
"Yeah? Well, the last few times she's been alone, she's been tortured by ghouls, strangled by you and kidnapped by angels, so forgive me if I don't want her to be alone or defenceless ever again," Dean snapped defensively.
"But she's not alone, Dean," Sam replied, trying to ignore the guilt he felt as he remembered the terrified look on Beth's face as he choked her until she passed out. "She has Castiel and we know he won't let any harm come to her."
"Yeah, about that—I'm not so sure he should be around her so much. I don't like the way he looks at her."
"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, a clueless frown on his face.
"He stares at her too much and he sits—and stands—far too close to her," Dean explained gruffly.
"…I think you're being paranoid—Cas is like that with everyone. Besides, even if what you say is true, there's no way you could split them up."
"What? Why?" Dean looked surprisingly alarmed at his brother's words and Sam raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Because Beth wouldn't let you. She's grown rather attached to the scruffy angel."
"I… I don't like it," Dean said finally.
"You don't have to like it, you just have to deal with it." Sam sent his brother a small smile, which Dean ignored and turned to look at Cas and Beth as they headed towards the car—the latter laughed at something the angel said and nudged him in the side with her elbow, grinning widely up at him. The eldest Winchester scowled, he didn't like it at all. His future self's words echoed around his head and he made a silent promise to do whatever it took to keep them apart.
"Ah, this is so exciting!" Beth beamed, practically bouncing on her heels as they got closer and closer to the beach.
"It's just a beach," Dean snorted. Beth turned and stuck her tongue out at him.
"I haven't been to one since dad visited Adam, mom and I when I was 13," she told him firmly. Dean nodded in understanding and was quick to catch the bag Beth threw at him before she started running away from the group.
"Beth! Slow down!" Sam shouted. Beth waved a hand back at them and continued on towards an ice cream van by the steps that led down to the beach.
"She is so immature," Dean said fondly.
"Well, she would be consider a fledgling if she were an Angel up in Heaven," Castiel stated suddenly. Sam found himself nodding thoughtfully at the angel's words and Dean smirked in reply.
"So, she's a baby everywhere then. I can't wait to tell her," Dean said, right before he took off towards where his sister was buying an ice cream cone.
"I can't believe I'm related to those idiots," Sam sighed under his breath. Castiel glanced at him in confusion.
"I thought you were extremely close to them?"
"I am… well, Dean more so than Beth right now but sometimes it's hard to believe that I have two immature kids for siblings."
"Oh…"
"We should catch up to them before a fight breaks out," Sam told the angel with a smile. Beth and Dean were arguing about the ice cream when Sam and Cas caught up to them. "Are you seriously arguing over types of ice cream?"
"Yes!" Dean and Beth exclaimed in unison.
"He said chocolate's better than strawberry!" Beth told Sam, eyes wide. "I can't believe he said that!"
"It is better! Strawberry is for babies," Dean countered with a smug grin.
Beth gasped in disbelief and glared up at him. "Take that back!"
"No, I won't. Sam would agree with me." Dean said. Sam smiled in amusement but continued to stay out of it.
"Yeah? Well Adam would agree with me, wouldn't you, Adam?" Beth asked, turning away from Dean. Her face abruptly fell when she realized what she'd said and that her twin wasn't there. The others fell silent in pity and Dean took the ice cream from her without a fuss as she hurried away from them towards the toilets.
"Should… should someone go after her?" Castiel questioned hesitantly, glancing at the Winchester brothers. Dean shook his head and took off, dumping the slowly melting ice cream into a nearby trash can.
"No, just give her some time," Sam said softly, patting Cas' shoulder as he followed his brother in the opposite direction to the men's toilets so they could change out of their jeans, jackets and flannel shirts and into a pair of board shorts and keeping their short sleeved, turtle neck t-shirts on. Castiel changed into the clothes Beth had convinced him to buy and folded his suit jacket, shirt and slacks and stuck them in the plastic bag with his tie. He put his trench coat back on over his shorts and t-shirt.
The three men met up again about five minutes later and waited patiently for Beth to return. The young brunette appeared minutes later, carrying the beach bag she'd taken back from Dean before she ran off. She was wearing a see-through, white sun dress with black strips over her black bikini and had a pair of black sandals on her feet.
"We, uh, we should get going then," she said quietly as she reached them. Dean nodded, slinging his arm around her shoulders and tugging her down the steps to the soft sand. The tall, dark blonde haired male did his best to ignore the way Cas had been staring at Beth's bikini-clad form when she'd first approached them.
A few hours later, Beth and Castiel were sitting on a large blanket on the sand while Dean and Sam played volleyball with a group of others that had invited them to join in about 20 minutes ago.
"They look like they're having fun," Castiel said to break the silence between them. Beth smiled softly and nodded, turning to look at the angel.
"Are you?" she asked curiously. "Having fun that is?"
"Yes, I believe I am," he admitted quietly. "This is my first time at a beach."
"Really?" A thoughtful look crossed her face and she stood up quickly before holding her hands out to him. "Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"Well, if this is your first time going to the beach, we have to go swimming," she told him firmly. She peeled off her sun dress, dropping it on the blanket before kicking off her sandals.
"Swimming?" Cas repeated doubtfully. Beth nodded, telling him that he'd have to leave his trench coat and t-shirt behind if he didn't want them to get ruined. Cas did as he was told, divesting the coat and blue t-shirt and setting them down beside her dress. Beth cleared her throat and diverted her eyes away from his smooth, muscular chest and abdomen.
"Let's go," she smiled, holding a hand out again. Castiel took it, curling his fingers through hers. The angel followed the human across the sand and down towards the ocean without a fuss. Beth sent a couple of smiles over her shoulder at him before she tugged her hand free and charged into the surprisingly warm water. "Come on, Cas!"
"What do we do now?" Cas asked when he reached her. The water lapped up against his hips as he stood still and looked down at her.
"Now we swim," she explained, slowly tipping backwards until she floated back and forth, the warm water soaking her hair and skin. She started moving her arms slowly, pushing her further and further away from the shore and Castiel followed her example, floating on his back beside her.
"This doesn't seem like swimming."
"Well, this is more like floating," Beth admitted, turning her head slightly to look at him. "But I could show you how to swim properly, if you'd like?"
Cas nodded, trying not to show how eager he was. Beth grinned and pushed herself back up into a standing position so she could explain to him how to swim.
The dark haired angel got the hang of it eventually and the two of them were soon swimming side-by-side away from the beach, though Beth made sure they weren't too far away from the shore, knowing that her brothers would freak out if they found the two of them gone.
"This is fun," Beth sighed after about ten minutes of swimming around. "I just wish Adam and my mom were here—they'd like you," she said before blushing and adding, "Sam and Dean too, of course."
"They're at peace now, Beth," Cas told her gently as they made it back to the shore and walked over to where their stuff was.
"I know," she said. "But I still miss them." She pushed her dripping wet hair back from her face before squeezing the excess water from the tangled locks. She hesitated before looking up at Castiel. "Do you know what their heavens are like?"
"I caught a brief glimpse of them," Cas admitted, blinking in surprise as Beth curled up against his side, resting her head on his chest. The nephilim girl pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them tightly.
"Can you tell me about them?" Beth asked in a small voice. Castiel nodded firmly.
"Adam Milligan's heaven is based around all the trips he took with you and your mom," he explained, his chest rumbling against her cheek. "He liked it more when it was just you, your mom and him, without your dad there. Adam's favourite trip was the one you took to that playground when you were 9 years old. He remembered how happy your mom looked when she watched you play on the swings and on the monkey bars." Beth smiled fondly at the memory, though she felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes. "Your mom's memories in heaven are when she first met John Winchester and then all the times you spent together as a proper family before he would have to leave again. The memory I caught a proper glimpse of, the one that replayed itself the most was when you and Adam were born—it was the happiest and proudest moment of her life, knowing that she'd given birth to such strong children."
Beth curled herself tighter into Cas' side, biting back a sob. Castiel sighed softly and slipped his arm around her, holding her against him as she finally let the tears fall.
"It's okay to cry," he whispered into her ear.
Beth nodded but covered her face with her hands as she continued to cry. The angel hesitantly rubbed her arm, liked he'd seen a lot of humans do when they were comforting another that was upset. He was starting to think that maybe he shouldn't have told her, especially when it had resulted in her being in tears.
At the other end of the beach, stood a small group of men and women, all of them watching their brother and the Winchester bastard child.
"This is getting out of hand," one of the women said, looking up at their oldest brother. "Michael, what are we going to do? Every moment Castiel is with her and her brothers is just another step closer to us losing him for good. That abomination is corrupting him. We need to save him."
"And we will, dear Ariel," Michael assured his sister. He turned his icy eyes on her and she met them defiantly. "All in due time."
"Time is running out, Michael!" Ariel hissed back, ignoring the warning looks she got from the others. "He is dying. His grace is fading away as we speak. W-we can't let him die!"
Michael raised a hand and gently stroked Ariel's cheek. "I will offer Castiel a choice—forsake those Winchesters and come back home or continue to stand against us and face the consequences. If Castiel refuses my offer, it will be the last time he defies me and he will die for it."
Ariel's brown eyes widened in horror but she forced herself to nod in acceptance, knowing that arguing would be pointless and Michael would only punish her for standing against him. She turned her dark eyes back towards where her little brother Castiel was sitting, comforting the weeping Nephilim.
Ariel made a promise to herself that somehow she would save Castiel and bring him home—even if it meant killing the young nephil girl.