Prologue
"I see now it's a punishment resurrection. It's worse every time…"
These words, his own words, rang in Castiel's ears as he lay helpless on the ground. He briefly wondered if this would be his last life, or if he would come back again, worse than before. As Dean and Sam continued to fight the fallen angel, Castiel felt his newly human body bleeding out, losing more and more blood with every beat of his heart.
"Dean," he choked out, coughing up blood. Maybe Dean would come to his rescue as he had so many times before. Their relationship was one of give and take, of rescuer and rescuee. Castiel had come to accept that. He had come to accept that, on occasion, he needed to be saved. He prayed to his long gone father that Dean would hear him.
"Dean…" he choked again, but just as Sam plunged the archangel blade into the fallen angel's heart, Castiel's life slipped away.
Dean pulled himself off the ground and dusted off his jacket. "You all right, Sammy?"
"Yea, just peachy." Sam smiled.
"Cas?" Dean turned to where he had last seen Cas standing. All he saw was a crumpled and bloodied man. "Cas!" He rushed to Cas's side, checking for any sign that he was okay. "Cas?" Dean frantically shook his best friend's shoulders, "C'mon, buddy. Wake up!"
Dean didn't know when Sam joined him, but he was also speaking to Cas in an attempt to wake him. Dean lost track of how long they tried before reality set in. Cas was still holding an archangel blade to his gut.
Sam checked Cas's pulse.
Dean wiped the blood from under Cas's slack mouth.
The both looked into Cas's vacant eyes for a long time before Dean leaned forward and closed them. "Dammit, Cas," he said to himself.