Shadow of the Wind - Chapter Ten: Nightmares must Begin
Title: Shadow of the Wind
Subtitle: Nightmares Must Begin
Author: dracox-serdriel
There was a fire burning on earth.
Seven hundred degrees Celsius burns away the skin and flesh. One thousand degrees burns the remaining muscle and bone. Holy oil fueled the fire. It was infinitely fitting and deeply profound in its own way.
'How long will it burn?'
The Devil's Gate in Wyoming. May 18, 2008.
Sam, Dean, Ruby, and Crowley gathered around the Devil's Gate. The former demon complained loudly as he set up for the spell, and all the while Ruby mocked the style and form of his witchcraft.
"I've kept up my end. So, where's the angel you promised?" Crowley demanded from the Winchesters.
"I am here," Cas replied as he appeared suddenly.
"You?" Crowley sneered.
"My name is Anael," Anna/Cas said as his eyes erupted into a golden-white hue. "I have taken this vessel for a time."
"See? Angel at the ready," Sam said. "Now how do we cast the spell?"
"All it needs is a few words and blood," Crowley replied. "Human blood only. Both of you would be best."
Sam and Dean cut their forearms and recited a brief chant, finishing the spell.
Nothing happened, and four pairs of angry eyes fell on Crowley, who threw up his hands in protest.
Then the world trembled.
"Take Crowley outta here," Dean said to Anna/Cas. "He's been human for less than a week, he gets a pass. Oh, and whatever happens, can you make sure the Colt gets back to our younger selves?"
"I will."
In a blink of an eye, Crowley and Anna/Cas disappeared with the sound of rustling feathers.
Not long after, howling resounded, echoing all over the graveyard.
"Hellhounds!" Ruby shouted.
Dean and Sam donned their x-ray goggles. The hounds were still far off, but the shadowy mutts were clearly inside the giant devil's trap and getting closer. It was hard to count how many, as they could only be seen as they darted under lampposts or other sources of light.
Even without a head count, there were too many.
"A lot of hellhounds," Sam said fearfully.
"What the hell?" Dean growled. "The supersized Devil's Trap should've held them up a hellova lot longer."
Sam cast a glaring eye to Ruby, who was clearly shaken by the approaching pack of demonic canines.
Sam asked, "Begs the question, doesn't it? Who let them in?"
"You think it was me?" Ruby demanded scornfully.
"You are a demon," Sam replied.
"Yeah, a well-known, deeply unpopular demon," Ruby said. "Like you boys said, with Lilith dead, all I am is the traitor who helped the Winchesters."
"Doesn't mean you're not a two-face bitch," Dean said. "Just putting it out there."
"I'm not what you should be worried about," she said. "If hellhounds can get in, then so can demons. I'm guessing they sent the mutts in first to soften us up, which means it's only a matter of time before the big guns get here."
"Fine, we believe your sorry ass," Dean said. "Any ideas on how they got through the trap so quickly?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Ruby asked. "Humans, Dean. They used humans."
Somewhere along the iron tracks a few hours ago...
Meg gathered a trio of human minions outside the train tracks. Each one of them was shaking in fear. That made her smile.
"All I need is for you three to get these over the tracks," Meg said, indicating the crates. "Once you're on the other side, line the boxes up. Then take these tools and rip the tracks up so there's a clean break straight through. Shouldn't take that long."
All three nodded their heads, yes.
Meg continued, "This next part is important. Notice that there is one crate for each of you. After you rip up the tracks, you need to go to the boxes and open the doors at the same time. All three of you have to be synchronized. That's very important."
"And, we do this, our contracts are void?" one man asked.
"That's right, Sunshine," Meg replied. "What're you waiting for, boys?"
The walking meat suits all raced to do as instructed.
She enjoyed watching them destroy the devil's trap. But their expressions when the hounds began to tear them to bits? Now that was entertainment.
The Devil's Gate in Wyoming. May 18, 2008.
Dean slowed the hellhounds down with salt and iron rounds from his shotgun, and Ruby hacked and slashed any that got too close.
It took them a few tries to wound one badly enough, but once the hound was down, Sam swooped in to finish it off. He sliced it open and covered himself in its blood.
"Get to cover, Sammy!" Dean shouted.
Sam nodded to his brother before he took cover behind a large monument that they had reinforced on three sides. The madness of the scene fell away as he said the words that completed the first trial. Again.
Then the younger Winchester drew an angel blade and peeked out to see how things were going. There were over a dozen hellhounds, and the three of them had only killed four so far...
Without warning, Dean tackled Ruby and pinned her behind a tall headstone. She struggled against him, but before Ruby could retort, a blinding light filled the area. The hounds squealed and howled in pain as they evaporated.
"Dean?" Anna/Cas asked. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, we're good."
Sam and Dean regrouped at the door of the Devil's Gate and jammed the Colt into the lock. They stepped back as the intricate mechanism began to shift, and in a few seconds, the Gate burst open with a hail of smoke and light fleeing outward like a tidal wave.
Anna/Cas started for the door, pushing against the tide to shut the gate, slowly gaining ground. Ruby and the Winchesters watched from where they had taken cover.
It was almost over.
Then the angel stopped, like a wall blocked the path, and something sent Anna/Cas flying away from the Devil's Gate.
"Well, well, well," Alastair said as he approached. "What do we have to play with today?"
Anna/Cas threw something white and hot at the demon, but he dodged it. Other demons appeared, like an army circling the Gate.
"Don't worry boys," Meg announced. "We brought fun for the whole family!"
"If you screw us this time, Ruby, you're gonna be worse than not-dead and in Hell," Dean whispered as he handed Ruby the demon-killing knife.
She nodded as a wicked smile spread across her face. Ruby took in her surroundings for a moment, then she pounced, making quick work of the posse of demons that had closed in on them.
Sam and Dean, armed with pilfered angel blades, hacked away at every Bob, Dick, and Joe demon that approached. Both took bad hits in the fray, and Sam was literally shaking. Dean could only hope that it was the weight of the Trials.
Alastair and Anna/Cas were toe to toe, but she had the upper hand on the demon, who hadn't met a match for himself in years.
"Sammy, just shut the gate and say the damn spell!" Dean yelled. "Don't worry about us!"
Just as Sam retreated, Dean spotted a man painting a blood sigil on a tombstone. Without Anna/Cas, they'd be done for, so Dean dodged Meg and went straight for the sigil man. He had to be human for the blood sigil to work, so Dean cracked him over the back of the head, knocking him down and possibly killing him.
Meg, on the other hand, had let Dean pass so that she could sink her teeth into the traitorous bitch, Ruby.
The younger demon slashed Meg with the knife, which admittedly burned, but then Ruby was in the air, burning. She roared in pain and dropped the knife, which Meg deftly caught. Then she thrust it into Ruby over and over again.
Ruby's screams echoed with Meg's laughter.
Meg tossed the empty meat suit aside and went straight for Sam, who was near the Gate. She was almost there when she hit an invisible wall. She looked down to find a devil's trap etched in stone beneath her feet.
At a loss for holy water, Sam injected Meg with one of the remaining syringes of purified blood. She screamed and grabbed at him, so he staked her with a length of Palo Santo for good measure.
Then he returned his attention to the door, which was ajar and still spewing demons upon demons. He put all his weight behind it and finally moved it the last few inches. Just as he yanked the Colt from the lock, Alastair plunged a stake into his chest, missing his heart by centimeters.
The pain paralyzed Sam, and the demon took pleasure in slowly pressing the stake deeper.
BANG!
Sam shot him with the Colt, and Alastair's eyes were wide with shock as his meat suit tumbled onto him. The weight of the lifeless body forced the stake through Sam's spine.
Anna/Cas, still in a weakened state from battle injuries, dragged Dean to Sam's side. The angel turned and held off the attacking demon horde with an angel blade in each hand.
Dean pulled Alastair off his brother.
"Sammy?" he said in disbelief. "Sam?"
Realizing that there were too many demons, the angel considered the possible escape routes, but there was little point unless they could complete the trials before the timeline shifted and expunged the future Dean and future Castiel from existence.
That was when the angel noticed the demon Meg trapped mere feet away from them, snarling as she stopped her feet in a vain effort to break the devil's trap that ensnared her.
Anna/Cas bounded Meg's powers and knocked her out. Then the angel teleported Meg, Dean, and Sam's body away from the Devil's Gate.
That same day, somewhere in Northern California.
As soon as they landed, Anna/Cas secured Meg. Even a simple demon binding was draining and caused the angel to buckle. Alastair's spells had weakened her. She needed to regroup.
She healed her vessel and Dean Winchester, nearly collapsing from the effort.
Dean cradled Sam's body.
"Sammy," he whispered. "Cas, I mean, Anna, can't you... can't you help him?"
"I'm sorry Dean, but he died moments after Alastair. He was gone before I could get to him. He can't be healed, and I don't have the power to bring him back."
"No, you've gotta do something!" Dean yelled. He took a few deep breaths and said, "I need... I need Cas."
Anna/Cas nodded, and the angel left her vessel. Cas collapsed to the ground.
"Cas?" Dean said, going to his side.
"I'm fine," Cas replied. "I'm sorry about Sam."
"Cas, I - I just... I'm sorry."
"What happened to Ruby?" Cas asked.
"Dead," Dean spat.
"But we need a demon," Cas said. His eyes fell on the unconscious body next to them. "Is this Meg?"
Dean nodded without looking up from Sam's body.
Cas put his arms around him and said, "Your brother isn't dead. He's alive and well, and if we finish this, he'll be safe. He'll have a life. A real life. No demons. No angels. No Apocalypse."
"You're right," Dean muttered. "We gotta keep on track, so long as we're still breathing."
Cas kissed his forehead.
"Which means I gotta finish the second trial," Dean continued.
"What about the first?" Cas asked. "We'll need a hellhound - "
"I already did the first," Dean interrupted. "Right after Sammy told me his Third Trial didn't take."
"That's why you've been ill?"
Dean nodded.
"Then, I'll ensure Meg is properly restrained and prepared to be cured. We have purified blood," Cas said. "But right now, you need to complete the Second Trial. I doubt we have the strength to repeat it."
Dean closed his eyes and said, "Kah na ahm darr."
The hunter collapsed. His heart was broken, and his blood boiled. The trials weighed on him heavier than any sin, any self-hatred he'd ever known before. He despised himself for ever letting Sam take on this burden.
"Now all I have to do is cure Meg, what a treat," Dean commented.
"I'll be with you, Dean," Cas said, pulling the Winchester back to his feet. "I will be with you."
Hours later...
Tears streamed down Meg's face. Her humanity telegraphed from every inch of her stolen body.
Dean wasn't looking so good. He had had to supplement some of his own blood to complete the ritual, which Meg complicated as much as she could with screaming and struggling.
But she was human now, and Dean allowed himself to sit down and rest for a moment.
"Dean, get up," Cas said. "You're almost done. You need only say the spell."
"We should do this out in the open in case I explode or something," Dean said. "Can you get us somewhere out like that where other people won't be?"
Cas nodded. "I will."
"Cas, make sure our bones are burned," Dean implored. "I know that the whole timeline thing is suppose to disappear us, but..."
"Dean, you have my word," Cas replied.
The former angel stepped aside for a moment and whispered into the wind, "Anna, can you hear me? We need your help."
A woman appeared. Her eyes were soft and warm.
"Castiel," she said.
"You found another vessel?"
Anna nodded. She cast a wary eye to the weeping Meg.
"Can you take us back to the Gate?" Cas asked. "Dean needs to complete the last trial, and it seems a fitting place to do it."
"All of you?" Anna asked.
"Yes."
"Very well. Be ready. I'll be back in a moment."
The Devil's Gate in Wyoming. May 19, 2008.
The graveyard around the Hell Gate was littered with mangled bodies. Demons paraded around the doorway. Some were confused, others triumphant, their deranged singing and shouting rising into the air as a curse to the entire earth.
Anna appeared in front of the Gate and revealed her true form to the area, casting a pallor of energy that obliterated every demon for miles.
She disappeared and returned a moment later with Dean, Castiel, and Meg along with the body of Sam Winchester.
Dean took hold of Cas and pulled him into a long, slow kiss. He could barely stand, so the former angel held him up.
"If I explode," Dean warned Cas.
"Then I will explode with you," Cas replied. "I promised to be with you while you do this, Dean. I won't let you go."
Dean smiled and nodded sadly before he said, "Kah na ahm darr."
The world shook violently.
Dean screamed and fell to his knees as his body rippled with energy. He broke Cas's grip and scrambled to a headstone to prop himself up.
"Run!" Dean yelled.
Anna took hold of the now-human Meg, but when she reached for Cas, he shook his head.
"GO!" Cas shouted.
Anna and Meg disappeared as the former angel went to his hunter. Cas redoubled his hold on Dean, even as the hunter began to convulse.
"We're going to finish this together," Cas whispered in his ear as the earth shook.
Men of Letters Bunker. May 17, 2008.
Cas's hands were wrapped around Dean's as they curled together on the bed.
Dean said, "Figured Sammy would finish up, we'd all disappear or whatever. I prepared myself for that."
"Me too."
"Cas, I... I can't do that," Dean said. "Just accept that we're gonna disappear and keep going like it's not gonna happen. Like it doesn't matter."
Cas stroked Dean's hair as he said, "We must."
They shared a moment of resigned silence before Cas stole kiss. Dean pulled back so he could look into Castiel's eyes.
"Gabriel is powerful enough to keep us and our doppelgangers around, isn't he?"
"Even if he is, that doesn't mean he will."
"I've already asked him, and he told me if we pulled this off, he'd do it," Dean said quietly.
"You mean, if we succeed and survive."
"Is that such a bad thing?" Dean asked, sitting up properly. "I thought you would be happy."
Cas sat up as well. "You believe you will survive the death of your brother?"
"He won't be dead."
"He will," Cas said, coming closer to Dean. "You are still alive in this timeline. The younger Sam Winchester will never see you as his brother."
"So what?"
"You shouldn't have to do that."
"If it buys me more time with you, I'll do it."
"You'll regret it."
"No, I won't," Dean said.
"You won't?"
"No. I wanna be here," Dean replied. "I wanna survive this thing and be with you. We can figure out the rest."
The Devil's Gate in Wyoming. May 18, 2008.
Storm winds cascaded around them. The demons regrouped in record time, flocking to the battleground.
"Dean, I love you," Castiel said.
"Me too," Dean replied. After a few stuttering breaths, he added, "I thought we had it."
As they spoke, the world changed. Black smoke was yanked back into the bowels of hell. The pores of the earth opened and snatched demons like whirlpools, drawing them under.
Their screams sounded like a hurricane around them as Cas cradled Dean.
"I wanted to stay," Dean whispered.
"I know."
"I still want to stay."
"I know."
"I don't wanna leave you," Dean said. "I could've stayed. I mean, I could've handled Sam being gone."
"I know that."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Cas said. "I'm not. I'm not sorry for a single second of it."
"Me either."
Then Dean closed his eyes, and his last breath left his lips. Castiel hadn't realized that he had started crying, but the tears fell in earnest now.
Anna returned with Crowley and Meg, two of the oldest enemies to one another and to the Winchesters. Their new humanity weighed heavily on them.
"We must build a pyre," Cas said, remembering his promise. "Quickly."
The four of them collected nearby branches and trees, chopping as needed. It took hours to pile the wood by hand, and they placed the two bodies together.
Sam and Dean Winchester, their fire finally burned.
Unafraid of how the Garrison would react, Anna stood in vigil with Crowley, Meg, and Castiel. She was an angel among impossibilities: two demons who returned humanity and one incredible man, an angel-become-human.
It was a fitting start for a gathering to honor the Winchesters.
Hours passed, and others silently joined.
"They live," Anna whispered to Cas from time to time. "They live."
And, indeed, hours later, the living Winchesters came to the Gate with Bobby and Rufus. They took their time wandering the vigil, getting their bearings.
Finally, the younger Dean approached the obvious ringleader and asked, "Who are you?"
"Castiel."
"Something big obviously went down here. I'm talking Texas-sized," Dean said. "Can you fill us in?"
"No."
"No?"
"No," Cas repeated.
"Why the hell not?"
"Because you're not him," Cas replied. He couldn't bring himself to look at the younger Dean, so he passed the Colt to him, never moving his eyes from the fire. "This is yours. I promised to get this to you."
"How did you get this?" the younger Dean demanded. "Who did you promise?"
"Someone I love."
"You gonna elaborate, asshat?"
"No."
"Any particular reason?"
"Because I love him, and you're not him," Cas said harshly. "I love him, and, right now, his body is burning."
Anna put her hand on Dean's shoulder. "Leave him be," she said. "For now. You'll know all in time."
Castiel bowed his head. He couldn't even think the name 'Dean Winchester' without a deep ache resounding within.
The fire roared. Castiel could feel the presence of others gathering: angels, monsters, people. None of them could understand the sacrifice that the Winchesters - Castiel's Winchesters - had made. No one would know how any of this came to be.
Cas wept. The knowledge that he would vanish at any moment was the only comfort he had. His task was finished, so there was no longer need for him. Every time he felt overwhelmed, he reminded himself that time would soon right itself.
But hours passed. Castiel's Winchesters had been reduced to ash. The wind began to scatter them, yet Cas remained.
The former angel stood vigil through the night, the morning, and into the afternoon. Those that had gathered had dispersed when the fire dropped to flames.
Suddenly, Cas dropped, weak and dehydrated with the heaviness of his grief.
Anna gently restored him to his feet. Of all those who came to the Gate, only he and Anna remained.
"Anna, why am I still here?" he asked.
"You are the sole witness to the Winchester Trials," she replied. "The two men, both living and dead, who saved the world. You alone can tell their story."
"It's better forgotten."
"Gabriel told you that you must pay a price," Anna explained. "And this is it. Even the Prophet Chuck doesn't know what you know. Only you and you alone. You must live, so you will."
Cas stared at the ash and embers.
"I'll live?" he repeated in disbelief.
'How long will it burn?'
The End
<<< Previous Chapter:
Chapter Nine: Garden of Good and Evil
<
Subtitle: Nightmares Must Begin
Author: dracox-serdriel
There was a fire burning on earth.
Seven hundred degrees Celsius burns away the skin and flesh. One thousand degrees burns the remaining muscle and bone. Holy oil fueled the fire. It was infinitely fitting and deeply profound in its own way.
'How long will it burn?'
The Devil's Gate in Wyoming. May 18, 2008.
Sam, Dean, Ruby, and Crowley gathered around the Devil's Gate. The former demon complained loudly as he set up for the spell, and all the while Ruby mocked the style and form of his witchcraft.
"I've kept up my end. So, where's the angel you promised?" Crowley demanded from the Winchesters.
"I am here," Cas replied as he appeared suddenly.
"You?" Crowley sneered.
"My name is Anael," Anna/Cas said as his eyes erupted into a golden-white hue. "I have taken this vessel for a time."
"See? Angel at the ready," Sam said. "Now how do we cast the spell?"
"All it needs is a few words and blood," Crowley replied. "Human blood only. Both of you would be best."
Sam and Dean cut their forearms and recited a brief chant, finishing the spell.
Nothing happened, and four pairs of angry eyes fell on Crowley, who threw up his hands in protest.
Then the world trembled.
"Take Crowley outta here," Dean said to Anna/Cas. "He's been human for less than a week, he gets a pass. Oh, and whatever happens, can you make sure the Colt gets back to our younger selves?"
"I will."
In a blink of an eye, Crowley and Anna/Cas disappeared with the sound of rustling feathers.
Not long after, howling resounded, echoing all over the graveyard.
"Hellhounds!" Ruby shouted.
Dean and Sam donned their x-ray goggles. The hounds were still far off, but the shadowy mutts were clearly inside the giant devil's trap and getting closer. It was hard to count how many, as they could only be seen as they darted under lampposts or other sources of light.
Even without a head count, there were too many.
"A lot of hellhounds," Sam said fearfully.
"What the hell?" Dean growled. "The supersized Devil's Trap should've held them up a hellova lot longer."
Sam cast a glaring eye to Ruby, who was clearly shaken by the approaching pack of demonic canines.
Sam asked, "Begs the question, doesn't it? Who let them in?"
"You think it was me?" Ruby demanded scornfully.
"You are a demon," Sam replied.
"Yeah, a well-known, deeply unpopular demon," Ruby said. "Like you boys said, with Lilith dead, all I am is the traitor who helped the Winchesters."
"Doesn't mean you're not a two-face bitch," Dean said. "Just putting it out there."
"I'm not what you should be worried about," she said. "If hellhounds can get in, then so can demons. I'm guessing they sent the mutts in first to soften us up, which means it's only a matter of time before the big guns get here."
"Fine, we believe your sorry ass," Dean said. "Any ideas on how they got through the trap so quickly?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Ruby asked. "Humans, Dean. They used humans."
Somewhere along the iron tracks a few hours ago...
Meg gathered a trio of human minions outside the train tracks. Each one of them was shaking in fear. That made her smile.
"All I need is for you three to get these over the tracks," Meg said, indicating the crates. "Once you're on the other side, line the boxes up. Then take these tools and rip the tracks up so there's a clean break straight through. Shouldn't take that long."
All three nodded their heads, yes.
Meg continued, "This next part is important. Notice that there is one crate for each of you. After you rip up the tracks, you need to go to the boxes and open the doors at the same time. All three of you have to be synchronized. That's very important."
"And, we do this, our contracts are void?" one man asked.
"That's right, Sunshine," Meg replied. "What're you waiting for, boys?"
The walking meat suits all raced to do as instructed.
She enjoyed watching them destroy the devil's trap. But their expressions when the hounds began to tear them to bits? Now that was entertainment.
The Devil's Gate in Wyoming. May 18, 2008.
Dean slowed the hellhounds down with salt and iron rounds from his shotgun, and Ruby hacked and slashed any that got too close.
It took them a few tries to wound one badly enough, but once the hound was down, Sam swooped in to finish it off. He sliced it open and covered himself in its blood.
"Get to cover, Sammy!" Dean shouted.
Sam nodded to his brother before he took cover behind a large monument that they had reinforced on three sides. The madness of the scene fell away as he said the words that completed the first trial. Again.
Then the younger Winchester drew an angel blade and peeked out to see how things were going. There were over a dozen hellhounds, and the three of them had only killed four so far...
Without warning, Dean tackled Ruby and pinned her behind a tall headstone. She struggled against him, but before Ruby could retort, a blinding light filled the area. The hounds squealed and howled in pain as they evaporated.
"Dean?" Anna/Cas asked. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, we're good."
Sam and Dean regrouped at the door of the Devil's Gate and jammed the Colt into the lock. They stepped back as the intricate mechanism began to shift, and in a few seconds, the Gate burst open with a hail of smoke and light fleeing outward like a tidal wave.
Anna/Cas started for the door, pushing against the tide to shut the gate, slowly gaining ground. Ruby and the Winchesters watched from where they had taken cover.
It was almost over.
Then the angel stopped, like a wall blocked the path, and something sent Anna/Cas flying away from the Devil's Gate.
"Well, well, well," Alastair said as he approached. "What do we have to play with today?"
Anna/Cas threw something white and hot at the demon, but he dodged it. Other demons appeared, like an army circling the Gate.
"Don't worry boys," Meg announced. "We brought fun for the whole family!"
"If you screw us this time, Ruby, you're gonna be worse than not-dead and in Hell," Dean whispered as he handed Ruby the demon-killing knife.
She nodded as a wicked smile spread across her face. Ruby took in her surroundings for a moment, then she pounced, making quick work of the posse of demons that had closed in on them.
Sam and Dean, armed with pilfered angel blades, hacked away at every Bob, Dick, and Joe demon that approached. Both took bad hits in the fray, and Sam was literally shaking. Dean could only hope that it was the weight of the Trials.
Alastair and Anna/Cas were toe to toe, but she had the upper hand on the demon, who hadn't met a match for himself in years.
"Sammy, just shut the gate and say the damn spell!" Dean yelled. "Don't worry about us!"
Just as Sam retreated, Dean spotted a man painting a blood sigil on a tombstone. Without Anna/Cas, they'd be done for, so Dean dodged Meg and went straight for the sigil man. He had to be human for the blood sigil to work, so Dean cracked him over the back of the head, knocking him down and possibly killing him.
Meg, on the other hand, had let Dean pass so that she could sink her teeth into the traitorous bitch, Ruby.
The younger demon slashed Meg with the knife, which admittedly burned, but then Ruby was in the air, burning. She roared in pain and dropped the knife, which Meg deftly caught. Then she thrust it into Ruby over and over again.
Ruby's screams echoed with Meg's laughter.
Meg tossed the empty meat suit aside and went straight for Sam, who was near the Gate. She was almost there when she hit an invisible wall. She looked down to find a devil's trap etched in stone beneath her feet.
At a loss for holy water, Sam injected Meg with one of the remaining syringes of purified blood. She screamed and grabbed at him, so he staked her with a length of Palo Santo for good measure.
Then he returned his attention to the door, which was ajar and still spewing demons upon demons. He put all his weight behind it and finally moved it the last few inches. Just as he yanked the Colt from the lock, Alastair plunged a stake into his chest, missing his heart by centimeters.
The pain paralyzed Sam, and the demon took pleasure in slowly pressing the stake deeper.
BANG!
Sam shot him with the Colt, and Alastair's eyes were wide with shock as his meat suit tumbled onto him. The weight of the lifeless body forced the stake through Sam's spine.
Anna/Cas, still in a weakened state from battle injuries, dragged Dean to Sam's side. The angel turned and held off the attacking demon horde with an angel blade in each hand.
Dean pulled Alastair off his brother.
"Sammy?" he said in disbelief. "Sam?"
Realizing that there were too many demons, the angel considered the possible escape routes, but there was little point unless they could complete the trials before the timeline shifted and expunged the future Dean and future Castiel from existence.
That was when the angel noticed the demon Meg trapped mere feet away from them, snarling as she stopped her feet in a vain effort to break the devil's trap that ensnared her.
Anna/Cas bounded Meg's powers and knocked her out. Then the angel teleported Meg, Dean, and Sam's body away from the Devil's Gate.
That same day, somewhere in Northern California.
As soon as they landed, Anna/Cas secured Meg. Even a simple demon binding was draining and caused the angel to buckle. Alastair's spells had weakened her. She needed to regroup.
She healed her vessel and Dean Winchester, nearly collapsing from the effort.
Dean cradled Sam's body.
"Sammy," he whispered. "Cas, I mean, Anna, can't you... can't you help him?"
"I'm sorry Dean, but he died moments after Alastair. He was gone before I could get to him. He can't be healed, and I don't have the power to bring him back."
"No, you've gotta do something!" Dean yelled. He took a few deep breaths and said, "I need... I need Cas."
Anna/Cas nodded, and the angel left her vessel. Cas collapsed to the ground.
"Cas?" Dean said, going to his side.
"I'm fine," Cas replied. "I'm sorry about Sam."
"Cas, I - I just... I'm sorry."
"What happened to Ruby?" Cas asked.
"Dead," Dean spat.
"But we need a demon," Cas said. His eyes fell on the unconscious body next to them. "Is this Meg?"
Dean nodded without looking up from Sam's body.
Cas put his arms around him and said, "Your brother isn't dead. He's alive and well, and if we finish this, he'll be safe. He'll have a life. A real life. No demons. No angels. No Apocalypse."
"You're right," Dean muttered. "We gotta keep on track, so long as we're still breathing."
Cas kissed his forehead.
"Which means I gotta finish the second trial," Dean continued.
"What about the first?" Cas asked. "We'll need a hellhound - "
"I already did the first," Dean interrupted. "Right after Sammy told me his Third Trial didn't take."
"That's why you've been ill?"
Dean nodded.
"Then, I'll ensure Meg is properly restrained and prepared to be cured. We have purified blood," Cas said. "But right now, you need to complete the Second Trial. I doubt we have the strength to repeat it."
Dean closed his eyes and said, "Kah na ahm darr."
The hunter collapsed. His heart was broken, and his blood boiled. The trials weighed on him heavier than any sin, any self-hatred he'd ever known before. He despised himself for ever letting Sam take on this burden.
"Now all I have to do is cure Meg, what a treat," Dean commented.
"I'll be with you, Dean," Cas said, pulling the Winchester back to his feet. "I will be with you."
Hours later...
Tears streamed down Meg's face. Her humanity telegraphed from every inch of her stolen body.
Dean wasn't looking so good. He had had to supplement some of his own blood to complete the ritual, which Meg complicated as much as she could with screaming and struggling.
But she was human now, and Dean allowed himself to sit down and rest for a moment.
"Dean, get up," Cas said. "You're almost done. You need only say the spell."
"We should do this out in the open in case I explode or something," Dean said. "Can you get us somewhere out like that where other people won't be?"
Cas nodded. "I will."
"Cas, make sure our bones are burned," Dean implored. "I know that the whole timeline thing is suppose to disappear us, but..."
"Dean, you have my word," Cas replied.
The former angel stepped aside for a moment and whispered into the wind, "Anna, can you hear me? We need your help."
A woman appeared. Her eyes were soft and warm.
"Castiel," she said.
"You found another vessel?"
Anna nodded. She cast a wary eye to the weeping Meg.
"Can you take us back to the Gate?" Cas asked. "Dean needs to complete the last trial, and it seems a fitting place to do it."
"All of you?" Anna asked.
"Yes."
"Very well. Be ready. I'll be back in a moment."
The Devil's Gate in Wyoming. May 19, 2008.
The graveyard around the Hell Gate was littered with mangled bodies. Demons paraded around the doorway. Some were confused, others triumphant, their deranged singing and shouting rising into the air as a curse to the entire earth.
Anna appeared in front of the Gate and revealed her true form to the area, casting a pallor of energy that obliterated every demon for miles.
She disappeared and returned a moment later with Dean, Castiel, and Meg along with the body of Sam Winchester.
Dean took hold of Cas and pulled him into a long, slow kiss. He could barely stand, so the former angel held him up.
"If I explode," Dean warned Cas.
"Then I will explode with you," Cas replied. "I promised to be with you while you do this, Dean. I won't let you go."
Dean smiled and nodded sadly before he said, "Kah na ahm darr."
The world shook violently.
Dean screamed and fell to his knees as his body rippled with energy. He broke Cas's grip and scrambled to a headstone to prop himself up.
"Run!" Dean yelled.
Anna took hold of the now-human Meg, but when she reached for Cas, he shook his head.
"GO!" Cas shouted.
Anna and Meg disappeared as the former angel went to his hunter. Cas redoubled his hold on Dean, even as the hunter began to convulse.
"We're going to finish this together," Cas whispered in his ear as the earth shook.
Men of Letters Bunker. May 17, 2008.
Cas's hands were wrapped around Dean's as they curled together on the bed.
Dean said, "Figured Sammy would finish up, we'd all disappear or whatever. I prepared myself for that."
"Me too."
"Cas, I... I can't do that," Dean said. "Just accept that we're gonna disappear and keep going like it's not gonna happen. Like it doesn't matter."
Cas stroked Dean's hair as he said, "We must."
They shared a moment of resigned silence before Cas stole kiss. Dean pulled back so he could look into Castiel's eyes.
"Gabriel is powerful enough to keep us and our doppelgangers around, isn't he?"
"Even if he is, that doesn't mean he will."
"I've already asked him, and he told me if we pulled this off, he'd do it," Dean said quietly.
"You mean, if we succeed and survive."
"Is that such a bad thing?" Dean asked, sitting up properly. "I thought you would be happy."
Cas sat up as well. "You believe you will survive the death of your brother?"
"He won't be dead."
"He will," Cas said, coming closer to Dean. "You are still alive in this timeline. The younger Sam Winchester will never see you as his brother."
"So what?"
"You shouldn't have to do that."
"If it buys me more time with you, I'll do it."
"You'll regret it."
"No, I won't," Dean said.
"You won't?"
"No. I wanna be here," Dean replied. "I wanna survive this thing and be with you. We can figure out the rest."
The Devil's Gate in Wyoming. May 18, 2008.
Storm winds cascaded around them. The demons regrouped in record time, flocking to the battleground.
"Dean, I love you," Castiel said.
"Me too," Dean replied. After a few stuttering breaths, he added, "I thought we had it."
As they spoke, the world changed. Black smoke was yanked back into the bowels of hell. The pores of the earth opened and snatched demons like whirlpools, drawing them under.
Their screams sounded like a hurricane around them as Cas cradled Dean.
"I wanted to stay," Dean whispered.
"I know."
"I still want to stay."
"I know."
"I don't wanna leave you," Dean said. "I could've stayed. I mean, I could've handled Sam being gone."
"I know that."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Cas said. "I'm not. I'm not sorry for a single second of it."
"Me either."
Then Dean closed his eyes, and his last breath left his lips. Castiel hadn't realized that he had started crying, but the tears fell in earnest now.
Anna returned with Crowley and Meg, two of the oldest enemies to one another and to the Winchesters. Their new humanity weighed heavily on them.
"We must build a pyre," Cas said, remembering his promise. "Quickly."
The four of them collected nearby branches and trees, chopping as needed. It took hours to pile the wood by hand, and they placed the two bodies together.
Sam and Dean Winchester, their fire finally burned.
Unafraid of how the Garrison would react, Anna stood in vigil with Crowley, Meg, and Castiel. She was an angel among impossibilities: two demons who returned humanity and one incredible man, an angel-become-human.
It was a fitting start for a gathering to honor the Winchesters.
Hours passed, and others silently joined.
"They live," Anna whispered to Cas from time to time. "They live."
And, indeed, hours later, the living Winchesters came to the Gate with Bobby and Rufus. They took their time wandering the vigil, getting their bearings.
Finally, the younger Dean approached the obvious ringleader and asked, "Who are you?"
"Castiel."
"Something big obviously went down here. I'm talking Texas-sized," Dean said. "Can you fill us in?"
"No."
"No?"
"No," Cas repeated.
"Why the hell not?"
"Because you're not him," Cas replied. He couldn't bring himself to look at the younger Dean, so he passed the Colt to him, never moving his eyes from the fire. "This is yours. I promised to get this to you."
"How did you get this?" the younger Dean demanded. "Who did you promise?"
"Someone I love."
"You gonna elaborate, asshat?"
"No."
"Any particular reason?"
"Because I love him, and you're not him," Cas said harshly. "I love him, and, right now, his body is burning."
Anna put her hand on Dean's shoulder. "Leave him be," she said. "For now. You'll know all in time."
Castiel bowed his head. He couldn't even think the name 'Dean Winchester' without a deep ache resounding within.
The fire roared. Castiel could feel the presence of others gathering: angels, monsters, people. None of them could understand the sacrifice that the Winchesters - Castiel's Winchesters - had made. No one would know how any of this came to be.
Cas wept. The knowledge that he would vanish at any moment was the only comfort he had. His task was finished, so there was no longer need for him. Every time he felt overwhelmed, he reminded himself that time would soon right itself.
But hours passed. Castiel's Winchesters had been reduced to ash. The wind began to scatter them, yet Cas remained.
The former angel stood vigil through the night, the morning, and into the afternoon. Those that had gathered had dispersed when the fire dropped to flames.
Suddenly, Cas dropped, weak and dehydrated with the heaviness of his grief.
Anna gently restored him to his feet. Of all those who came to the Gate, only he and Anna remained.
"Anna, why am I still here?" he asked.
"You are the sole witness to the Winchester Trials," she replied. "The two men, both living and dead, who saved the world. You alone can tell their story."
"It's better forgotten."
"Gabriel told you that you must pay a price," Anna explained. "And this is it. Even the Prophet Chuck doesn't know what you know. Only you and you alone. You must live, so you will."
Cas stared at the ash and embers.
"I'll live?" he repeated in disbelief.
'How long will it burn?'
The End
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