Six Days of Twilight

Rating: PG-13

Characters: Sam, Dean, Lucifer, Bobby, Castiel

Warning: AU apocalypse-fic, character death, blood/gore, speculation

Disclaimer: its Kripke's sandbox, I just like to think it's mine. He's a genius; I'm a poor, student wanting to be like the master.

Summary: Six days after the sixty-sixth seal is broken, Lucifer roams free over the Earth looking for the Winchesters and their final stand.

Five days had passed, the sixth dawning right before them, since the last of the sixty-six seals had been broken, since Castiel had fled earth and ascended back up into Heaven. It had been six days of an ever dark sky, dry arid winds with the smell of burning flesh, and blood curdling screams. Six days the demons of hell had walked up on this Earth, terrorizing humans, possessing them, killing them ruthlessly as they went.

The Winchesters, Bobby ever faithfully at their side, fought off the hordes closest to ground zero, a fairly large town about twenty miles away from the Devil's Gates. They set up large Devil's traps and locked as many son of bitches as they possibly could in there, then let Sam choke and kill each and every one of them without ever lifting a finger. But after a few times, the demons caught on, dancing around the edge but never taking that final step, and the hunters were forced to find other means to destroy them.

They blessed any source of water they stumbled upon, stocked up on salt, and acquired crosses at each and every turn. But it still wasn't enough to protect all the defenseless humans. Bobby herded the remaining townspeople into the church while Sam and Dean laid salt lines and protective sigils to keep the demons out.

Then they fled. Found an abandoned cabin in the middle of a wide open field. Not the best for holding up defensively but it was the first shelter they found that hadn't been touched by demons yet. It would do for now.

That was two days ago.

Sam grit his teeth harder, pushing the shield further up. It was the only barrier between Dean and the demons, the only barrier besides Sam himself and weak cabin walls. They were being surrounded by them, demons pounding on the shield and wearing Sam down. But he wouldn't give in.

His head was pounding furiously, stabs of pain lancing through his brain, sending jolts down his spine. But still he held.

Behind him he could hear Dean and Bobby readying the weapons, their movements hurried, albeit a little slow from the previous attack. They had literally been enduring Hell on earth for the passed six days, doing their best to gank every demon that crossed their path. But it quickly became apparent that they wouldn't be able to kill every one. So they did their best to hold them off and wait. The angels had warned them it would be bad. But they had never expected this.

Sam shook his head, trying in vain to block out the pain. But it was useless. He cringed as his body absorbed yet another blow to the shield and deflected yet another demon. Their attacks were slowing down and while Sam would normally be thankful, he knew it could only mean one thing.

Lucifer was almost here.

The final battle was almost here.

Everything they had learned, had lived, had worked for their entire lives would all come down to this one moment in time. When good will face off against evil. When the Winchesters will take on the Prince of Darkness.

Sam shivered at the thought, his focus slipping just the slightest.

"Dean, how much longer?" Sam's voice was laced with pain, cracked with pleading as he spoke.

Dean risked a quick glance up and watched as the first drops of blood trickled out of Sam's nose. Sam was tired. He was wearing out right before their eyes. Dean wanted to tell Sam to stop and save himself but he was their only hope.

"Just a few more minutes, Sam. Just hang on."

He heard a pained grunt but didn't look up again. He knew who it was coming from and he knew he wouldn't be able to anything about it right now. He and Bobby had to finish. If his knife shook just the slightest when he set it to metal to finish the sigils, it went unnoticed by anyone. Bobby's Latin incantation continued on flawlessly; Sam stood unwaveringly in front of them, arms outstretched in protection, face bloodied and determined.

Sam could feel the demons backing off and breathed a quick sigh of relief a split second before he felt it. It was still a little ways off; maybe a mile but it wouldn't take long for it to cross that distance. At first he thought it was another host of demons making their way to the Winchester fortress. That is until he realized all the other demons were parting, clearing a way for this new, magnificent power. Power that belonged to one thing and one thing only.

"Lucifer." His lips quivered slightly as he uttered the name, barely a whisper on an exhaled breath, but it was enough to freeze the movements behind him.

"What?"

"He's a little ways off but he will be here soon. How close are you?" Sam's voice edged on panic as he risked a glance over his shoulder to where Dean and Bobby were piecing back together the Colt.

Dean's lips moved in answer but the sound never reached Sam's ears. The shield took a powerful, and completely unexpected, blow. The force of it had Sam crying out, had his legs buckling sending him crashing to his knees. It took him a moment to pull himself back together, to reinforce their protection, but when he did, it was to hear Dean's worried voice and the sounds of approaching footsteps.

"Stop!" Sam hated that it came out as a command, but it was better than a plea and it had Dean halting in his tracks against his will. Sam sucked in a deep breath and staggered to his feet, turning enough so he could see Dean. "You have to finish. It's our only chance. I'm okay but please Dean, you need to finish."

Dean nodded hesitantly and moved back around the table. Bobby, who had fallen silent, slowly started the incantation where he'd left off.

Sam closed his eyes and concentrated, allowed himself to feel out the boundaries he had set and beyond them to feel the demons. A mental pictured formed in his mind, the land outside the cabin and what it looked like sitting abandoned in the middle of a field. He could almost see the demons, both corporeal and thick hovering clouds of black smoke, could see the way they writhed in place, itching to charge against the force field protecting the humans. But he could also see a red glow in the distance, it was hard not to with the way the flames around it danced up to the ever dark sky, the way it grew larger, brighter, more painful with each yard of dirt it swallowed up.

Instinctively, Sam reinforced the shield. But he could feel his power, his energy, waning rapidly. If he were take another hit like the previous, Sam had no doubt that his hold would break. And even a small lapse in the protection would be all that the demons need to swoop in and attack like vultures. He needed to conserve his power for the final stand, but that would mean shrinking in his circle of protection. Right now there were no demons within a thousand feet of the cabin. They still wouldn't be able to get to their human targets, but Sam was hesitant to give up any of the ground that they had gained.

Loose the battle to win the war?

He glanced back at Dean and bobby, worry in his eyes as he started to speak. "I can't hold it much longer. I need to pull it back." Dean and Bobby didn't hesitate to nod their assent but Sam couldn't help but feel like a failure.

The room filled with a static hum, vibrated with energy as Sam once again located the edges of his power and reeled them in. He could feel the demons surging forward with every inch he retreated, felt them as they rammed against the shield, trying desperately to break through. But he held firm as he pulled their protection inside the walls of the cabin.

And suddenly the air was filled with their screams. The windows and doors rattled with their pounding. But the salt lines held true and no demon crossed the threshold.

At least not until Lucifer arrived.

He arrived with a fanfare, a chorus of demonic praises calling his name as he approached the lone shelter. And from a hundred feet away he ripped off the front of the cabin. Dean quickly tucked the gun into the front waistband of his jeans, hiding it under the layers of his jacket for secrecy as he and Bobby came to stand flanking the youngest Winchester.

Sam stood unwaveringly in the center of the room, eyes blazing as he watched Lucifer tear down their physical protection wall by wall until they were completely exposed. But still they didn't move. The demons surged forward, their screams echoing up to the thundering sky. Some got faces full of holy water and backed off while others pushed forward. There were no Latin exorcisms to recite as there was no longer a Hell to send them back to, so they had to rely on prayers and reciting scripture to fling at the demons when the holy water ran out.

The petty battle continued on, each side trying their hardest to inflict blows on the other side and neither causing much damage. And in the middle of each army, their leaders stood, locked in a silent battle all their own; Sam flanked by his remaining family and Lucifer surrounded by his demon army. Neither backed down, neither one moved or flinched until Lucifer held up his hand and silenced his arm without a word.

With purposeful strides he moved forward, coming to pause only a few feet before the Winchesters, all hovering dark shadows and half corporeal shapes. He held out his arms, a triumphant grin up on his face.

"All this could have been yours, boy king. Each and every demon at your command, ruler of the new kingdom of Hell here on Earth." His voice echoed loudly in the too still air. "It can still be yours now if only you-"

"Never." Sam's voice was only a whisper compared to Lucifer's raucous voice, but it still halted everyone.

Lucifer's blood red eyes flashed with amusement as he took another step forward. "Then you choose death."

The first blow to the shield was unexpected and Sam staggered under its weight. Pain spiked all over his body as if he'd taken a physical hit, but it was the sudden pressure in his head that was the worst. The demons laughed, their shrieky voices echoing and bouncing around his head. He grit his teeth and straightened his shoulders. He was a Winchester, he'd be damned if he'd give in that easily.

Instead, he pushed his power out. Focused it like Ruby had taught him all those long months ago, and pushed it outwards with as much force as he could manage. A smile split across his face when Lucifer and five surrounding demons staggered back and cried out in pain. Beside him, Sam could feel Dean twitching, itching to reach for the gun that could end this here and now. But Sam stilled him instantly with a look.

Not yet.

They had no way of knowing if the Colt would work or not. And even if it worked on lower-level demons, there was nothing saying it would work on Lucifer. No, they needed to bide their time, let Sam try and take him down first.

After a few more blows, however, Sam could barely stand. The pain in his head was unbearable, the weight pressing down on him literally crushing him to death. As he collapsed to his knees, blood trickling from his mouth and nose, he looked over at Dean and slowly nodded his head.

"Now."

Bobby and Dean pulled out small pouches and laid down a circle of salt around the three of them as Sam's power finally wavered and the shield crumbled. As Dean was straightening up, he slipped the Colt from his belt. When Dean raised the gun, Sam focused some of his last remaining power and forced it towards Lucifer as a gunshot rang out.

The world blurred out for moment for Sam as he collapsed back onto the floor. He heard screams and shrieks and loud claps of thunder and rushing wind before everything went eerily silent. Two arms pulled him close and Sam coughed weakly as he opened his eyes.

Dean sat above him, tears starting to slip down his cheeks as he pulled Sam closer. "Hey, you're okay Sam. We did it. Just hang on a few more minutes, okay?"

Sam rolled his head to the side and looked out over the field. Lucifer was gone. The demons were still there, albeit a few yards back, snapping their jaws and cursing at the Winchesters from a safe distance. A small smile curled up his lips as he looked back up at Dean. They had done it, they had killed Lucifer. Sam wanted to say so much in that moment but was unable to as his body lurched and jerked in Dean's arms, fighting pain and exhaustion and losing quickly.

When Castiel had told them the last seal had been broken, Sam had known the final battle would be a small one, had known it would come down to him and Dean versus Lucifer. And he had known that only one Winchester would walk away and face the new tomorrow. He had feared greatly that it would be Dean that sacrificed himself to save his brother, to save the rest of the world. But lying here in his brother's arms now Sam was glad that wasn't the case.

He wanted Dean to go on and have a fresh start. It wouldn't be easy, piecing the world back together when it was on the brink of destruction. But if anyone could do it, Sam knew for a fact it was Dean.

The sharp crack of a gunshot pulled Sam's focus back to the present. He watched as Bobby aimed the Colt at the nearest demons and fired round after round into them. He and Dean had made enough ammo to supply a small country, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to fight off all the hosts of hell.

Dean was still above him, his lips moving as he spoke but his voice sounded too distant, too soft in response to the sharp crack of the gun. Sam pulled in a breath to tell him so but his crushed lungs refused to obey, there was a weight on his chest that was no longer psychic but all physical.

Sam wheezed hard, trying to cough out the blood that filled his airway, but it was useless. The ache in his head was slowly dissipating, along with all the other pains in his body, but he knew it wasn't a good thing. He was dying.

Dean held him tighter, his tears running faster as his lips formed a prayer, a plea for him to hold on a few more minutes; their part in the battle was almost over. But Sam knew he would never make it.

Instead, he looked up at his brother and smiled as best he could, placing his hand over Dean's rapidly beating heart he prayed that simple touch would convey all he was feeling; pride relief, hope, but mostly love. Then Sam reached inside himself, as deep as he could go and pulled all his power together. It was hard, like trying to hold sand in his fist, but he pulled as much as could together. Swinging his arm outwards, up towards the sky, he forced the power out in a blinding white light, mowing down all the demons within a mile radius of them.

Dean ducked his head, tightening his hold on Sammy when the light burst forth. Sam's body arched up, going as taut as a bowstring, but refused to slacken as the light faded. When Dean picked his head up, he stared in shock at the pure white light blazing out from his brother's eyes. It flickered once. Twice. Three times before it disappeared, leaving only his brother's vacant stare behind. Sam's body slowly went limp as the blood started to trickle out of his eyes and ears.

"No! Sammy, stay with me. Please Sam. Hang on, we're almost outta here." Dean rocked Sam's body in his arms as he looked down at his brother, pupils blown wide, black bleeding into the hazel-green. "No, Sammy" he moaned as the last of the resistance fled his brother's body. A sob tore out of his throat, drowning out the first flaps of angel wings.

It was only a soft touch to his shoulder that had him looking up, straight into Castiel's sympathetic gaze. He had no words to offer, just a promise in his gaze and a gentleness in his touch when he pressed his palm to Sam's forehead. Dean wasn't sure what he expected to happen, but it wasn't for Castiel to slowly slide his hand down and close Sam's eyes. The realization of the angel's true feelings for his brother was more than Dean could bear. He leaned his head against Sam's and let his grief take him.

It wasn't until hours later that Dean looked up and saw the field around them was free of demons. Took him a little longer to realize that Castiel hadn't been the only angel to step foot on Earth again that day, but rather one of thousands here to fight off hell's forces. But what took him the longest was to realize that the heat he felt on his back wasn't oppressive hellfire, but rather the gentle warmth of the sun's first rays as they peeked through rapidly dissipating clouds.

A mile stretch of the sky returned to bright blue that day, a promise of a new tomorrow to come thanks to a brother's love and ultimate sacrifice.

finis