The room was dim, the only light to be found was cast from a single candle in the room's center. The tiny candle flame flickered in and out, dancing a lonely dance, casting shows on the walls and revealing the crippling depression of the room. The walls were grey, the floor sagged and holes had formed in the collapsing roof. Nothing but rats were there to accompany the dying candle light, or so it appeared at a glace. Standing among the broken pews and shattered stained glass stood the figure of a man. He wasn't an ordinary man, yellow wings fringed with blue sprouted from his back. I knew at once who the man was, I didn't need to see his face to know.

"Balthazar?" I choked, seeing the hole that Castiel's blade had left in his back.

The angel turned slowly to met my gaze, pain etched upon his face, "Sammy," he smiled, the cockiness I was so use to hearing was now gone from his voice, there was barely any emotion.

I stood motionless, fighting my tears, he was hurt and there was nothing I could do for him. I wanted to walk away, join Dean back at the motel, go on a hunt, anything was better than seeing Balthazar so different...so unlike himself. However, I couldn't turn my back on him, I could only watch as he stumbled forward, grabbing at me as he fell. Instinct must have taken over, because the next think I knew was him in my arms, his knees buckled. Slowly he straightened his legs, standing tall, "How...how are you still alive?" I asked.

Balthazar's dimming gaze met mine, "Its only a flesh wound," he lied with a warm smirk.

A freezing hand took mine as another rested on my hip. Normally I wouldn't have danced with a member of the same sex, but today, in this instant, something was different. I knew my beloved angel was going to leave me soon. I rested my forehead on his as we moved in harmony around the church as broken as Balthazar's grace, silently seeking comfort. I couldn't understand why Castiel had stabbed his best friend, his brother. I had seen how the two of them looked at each other, they had been so much like myself and Dean, so I had never thought things would have led to this, "I'm sorry," I whispered.

Our private dance stopped, "For what?"

"Asking you to betray Cas."

"I would have anyway," Balthazar laughed (another lie) before his eyes shimmered with what remaining grace he had left. His legs went limp and it was all I could do to catch him from his fall. As I knelt beside him I fought my tears, all I could think was that this was the end, I would never see his beautiful blue eyes, hear the snide remarks I had fallen in love with. Even in the dim candle light I could see the pain in his eyes was fading, growing more distant. Our eyes locked for a moment, his mouth opened as if to speak, but before he could utter a word, a blinding light streamed from his eyes and mouth. Shielding my eyes I listened to the hum of the light. The church grew dark once more.

"Balthazar?" I heard myself whisper, "Balthy?" no reply, the last of his grace had fled. The fight against death had been too much. I collapsed, the crackling of his burning wings were an unwelcomed source of warmth. He was gone, really gone. I closed his eyes and kissed his forehead before curling up next to his lifeless body, unable to hold back my tears any longer. It was like loosing Jess all over again...

I don't know how long I stayed like that before the door opened, and I didn't really care who walked in, I wasn't able to. A strong hand gripped my shoulder causing me to look up. I could hardly see through the tears but I recognized my brother. I buried my face in his chest and he held me just like he did when we were kids after I had a nightmare.

"He's gone Dean!"

"I'm sorry Sammy, I'll fix this...I'll fix this," he whispered quietly.