Chapter Two:

Shine Your Light on Me

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The front door and all the windows disintegrated. Shards of glass and wood turned to billowing dust and settled on every surface, turning them into a glittery mess. That was courtesy of the first one's entrance. Another ten Reapers arrived at every opening to the dilapidated house, with the promise of more on the way. Of course the Winchester's reputation would warrant such a force. Gathering up every Reaper in every state nearby no doubt. Perhaps even more, simply to watch and witness the finale end of the Winchester's unnatural 'legacy'. All Reapers present wore the black suits and folded hands. They knew the half powered angel was no match for their combined strength. He was on the top of their cosmic shit list for breaking Billie's deal, before murdering her in cold blood. They were determined to put a stop to it. What's dead should stay dead.

Castiel couldn't fight them all. Not even if he were at full strength. He backed up into the wall, hands that had been held out towards the brother's bodies were now brought closer to his chest. Attempting to hold them close and protect them with his own vessel to the last second. He knew he didn't have the power to do anything more then delay the inevitable. He couldn't just stand by and let it happen. The Winchesters deserved better. The thoughts echoed in his head as the first Reaper entered the room. Damn near sauntering over to him in a slick black suit.

"Stay back." Castiel's voice growled out. The souls sparking even more now that they felt the presence of their Reaper so close. Definitely awake. Aware. If anything, it solidified his desire to defend them til the last. They would feel and know the horror of being tossed into the empty. Witness every second of being ripped from existence. A tear fell down Cas's cheek.

Warmth started to flood his hands. A super nova of power building and building from the souls that somehow knew that they could be helpful, even in this limited state. Castiel watched in wonder as the wisps of light unwound themselves from his hands and hovered at his sides. Listing upwards in the air as the Reapers came in and watched in confusion and awe. Souls don't react like this. They are mindless. Basic. Energy. These souls... were gathering up their consciousness and will. Learning. Observing. Acting.

Castiel was about to say something but suddenly his whole body lurched back at the same instant that each soul bolted towards his invisible broken wings. One soul took over the wing on their side. The few feathers the fallen angel had left lit up blindingly white, and he felt the incredible power surge through him. Chasing down his vessels nervous system and reaching his grace a split second later. Realization finally dawned on him that Sam and Dean were giving him enough energy to fly.

He wasted no time at all.

Both of his massive damaged wings splayed wide, white this time instead of his usual smoky black. Castiel's eyes glowed blue as held them tight to his grace, and launched the three of them out of that damned building and halfway across the continent. Leaving a city wide block full of Reapers gaping in dumbfounded astonishment.

The brothers shivered and clung on tight to his wings. Wings that were still broken but somehow working. At least for this short jump. It wasn't enough to take them all to Heaven or off of the Earth where they might be safer, but, this jump was enough to get them clear of danger.

Castiel couldn't go any further, and they were going down. Fire billowed out from his wake once they re-entered the Earths physical atmosphere and to any observer, would look like a meteorite hitting the water of a sizable lake. The splash was enormous and Castiel curled his wings into himself to try and protect them and the brothers at the same time. Once he slowed his decent underwater, he quickly got his bearings, and faced the water's surface and started to swim upwards.

Each of the formerly bright souls were now slightly dimmed. Dislodged from his wings on impact as if knocked unconscious, and started to slowly sink, curling in the water like light gray radioactive dye. Dissipating in the water as they drifted to the lake bottom.

Castiel was shocked and horrified. They were fading. Castiel shunned the urge to breath and faced his friends. His precious family. Swimming back down as fast as he could in the black waters. Wherever he landed, it was almost too dark to see anything. Nighttime and under water with only the moon to illuminate anything. He followed the trail of dim lights in the black and held out his hands, reaching desperately for the nearest one to latch onto his hand again.

It was Sam. The recognition instant on contact. The soul was terribly disoriented, and weakly traced Castiel's hand before sliding up to his elbow. Like hands groping out and feeling his presence in the dark it gathered itself back together slowly. Coating his arm tightly before a few of the wispy tendrils swirled out again in Dean's direction. Sam was trying to reach for his brother.

Cas was already halfway there, reaching out again towards the other dimming light, and Dean had jolted at the contact before allowing Cas to cup him in hand. Grabbing onto the fingers and a few tendrils reached over for Sam as well. Cas would have laughed at that if he weren't struggling to hold in his mouthful of stale air. Dean had to check up on Sam, like he always had. Both souls connecting in front of Cas for just a second before coating his forearms again. Assured that each one was still there through the touch.

Cas was out of breath, lungs burned hot and he resisted the urge to let it out and suck in water. He swam up to the surface, kicking his legs more then using his hands. Glad the souls caught on quickly and grabbed onto his upper arms so his hands were now free to swim. Pushing himself up. Finally, he made it. Gasping in fresh air and coughing out the small amount of water that made it into his lungs. Sputtering and thrashing to stay afloat as he rid himself of the liquid in his nose and throat.

He tread water for a few minutes. Using his feet more then arms so as not to disturb the weary souls wrapped tight on them.

He spoke for the first time since they'd touched him. "Are you both alright?"

The souls pulsed weak light for a few seconds. As if trying to figure out what that sound was and the meaning behind it. He felt warmth leak out again, not as hot or intense as before and grinned widely. They were trying to reassure him when he's the one that owes them for his life. They saved him by giving up some of their energy, their very life force to give him his wings back. Even for that short trip. It was amazing.

Cas turned around in place, bobbing in the small waves when he located the nearest shoreline and started to swim towards it. Conserving energy by back floating most of the way there so he wouldn't have to struggle to keep his mouth above water so much. Breathing had become a necessity now that his grace is so thin. There wasn't a big rush. The night was peaceful here, wherever they landed.

Dean clung tight to his left arm, while Sam started to experiment. Now that they were no longer in immediate danger, Sam drifted up from Cas's forearm and hovered a few inches over his chest. Moving right along above him like he was scoping out the area. He might be. So many things were coming to Castiel's mind. How it always seemed to be the Winchester's to discover unprecedented things, and try everything supernatural out by themselves. Usually in detriment to their own health, yet, this seemed like it was for the better.

If they had done nothing, remained inert and mindless like most souls still on Earth without their bodies, they would have been thrown into the void and Castiel would have been killed. There was no question. They saved all of their lives. So to speak. Castiel had to repay them. Help them.

Their old bodies were likely burned or atomized already by those Reapers. Returning the souls to their old bodies would be impossible for him. Impossible for any angel that wasn't an Archangel. And those are basically extinct, or in the cage. Cas vowed to himself that he will find a way to get them back into the physical world again. These light souls might turn to ghosts and then loose themselves faster. No telling how long their sanity will last. Their lives and afterlives were freakin' textbook examples for creating vengeful spirits. Castiel paused in his swim. Pushing down the sadness that they'd gone through so much. When will they find rest?

Sam pulsed light for a slow minute. Hovering overhead then lifted himself up and over to Castiel's right side. Urging him onward again, so the angel continued on. Dean slowly started unwrapping himself from Castiel's arm and hovered up as well. Cas watched as they circled each other, bare tips of their tendrils sparking as they touched and he realized that in their own way, they were talking. Going for a physical connection first then as he kept on swimming, they appeared to be conversing without needing the contact. A hum in the air that he wasn't sure he heard from the sounds of the water and the bats in the sky.

Cas's arms and legs were already worn and tired before, now he was getting exhausted. His movements were sluggish and jerky, and that made both souls dart down to his face quickly. Nearly blinding him as they frantically spun around his body, touching it here and there. His muscled buzzed with new energy and he watched the two of them grow dimmer and dimmer.

"No!" He shouted, realizing they were giving him their all. Castiel waved his hands to shoo them off, nearly sinking from trying to move upright to address them as they spun around him. Dean just dove down into the water and buzzed his legs and feet and had to attach to his leg again to keep from dissipating in the water like before. Skirting his black pants until he breached the surface again. Cas cupped Dean's soul and the water around it up and out. The soul slid out of the cupped hands back into the air just above them. Castiel frowned before addressing the light directly. "Dean. I am fine. Please do not give me any more of your life force."

Dean sparked at him in defiance and buzzed his fingertips. That earned a surprised chuckle from Cas and he stroked his thumb along a thicker part of the white mist. Dean sparked again and flew up next to Sam who circled around, checking out his brother, and Castiel could practically hear the chiding. Probably something along the lines of how dim Dean is. A double entendre. Sam sparked teasingly at Dean who sparked right back. Each spark no bigger then a single twinkle from a child's sparkler. Bare millimeters in diameter but still there and amusing to behold.

Both flew around and around in strange paths before butting up against each other like two rams on a cliff. Each one seemed to pause before letting themselves drift back down to Cas. Remembering that they had someone watching.

Watching the play fight, it was almost easy to think that they didn't care that they were both dead. That they were reduced to simple impulses and energy. The break in the dire mood was welcomed and Castiel grinned at his friends. The souls send out a single pulse of light and seemed to be recharged a little from the levity.

He felt the water currents shift and change and turned to see the shore not far away. He had to push to avoid any rip tide or undertow if there was one present that he didn't see. Cas tried not to use too much of the borrowed energy to reach the shore and collapsed on the half rock/half sandy ground.

The souls were hovering around him for at least a few minutes before deciding to check out the area. Satisfied that he was in no danger of slipping back into the waters. Castiel was worried they would forget, and leave him there while some Reaper finds them and takes them away, but they returned again, swapping sides to explore, or investigate. The motives for their movements was hard to sparse for his exhausted mind.

Cas watched the lights pulse sometimes. He started to drift off, right there on the beach. Shifting his body to lay on his back in a slightly more comfortable position. His eyesight and awareness was fading so he couldn't tell which one it was, but one of the bundles of smoky light stood guard while the other kept circling around. He wanted to tell whoever it was to lay lower to the ground, but he was asleep before he could get the words out.