Chapter 10

If anything Sarah's cries were only getting louder and louder; Sam didn't understand how even an Angel at this point could go through so much torment. Still standing against the wall, Sam had to be honest the sight in front of him wasn't pleasant; even without a soul he could feel himself turning his nose up occasionally.

He had watched Forcas pull out a total of nine tags so far...amazingly blood covered different areas of the floor – to the human eye this was definitely an illusion because Sam wasn't able to see where the blood was coming from; all he could see was it spurt and drip to the ground depending on how hard the fallen Angel tugged. It wasn't a small amount of blood either...for a pair of Angel Wings they certainly were spewing; tiles that had become loosened by the tremors she was causing now had her blood seeping beneath them.

Give him his due Forcas wasn't quitting, the sweat clearly dripping from his forehead but he never stopped; just continued on with making her invisible – just the way she liked, the way she remembered...Sam's eyes found Sarah, leaning down against the rest she barely seemed to be holding on; but she was – she just couldn't hold herself up anymore...all of her remaining strength was now focusing on pulling her through the final three. Having any wing de-tagged was undeniably painful but to finish the procedure off, Forcas was now focusing on her top right wing; already he had pulled one and still needed to do the left but all Angels knew that their upper wings were the most sensitive – these were the ones that assisted them in successfully taking off of the ground, catching the air beneath them first so that they could balance – this making them lighter than her other four.

Her adrenaline still pumping hard within, Sarah's heart beat fast within her...even having nine done so far, she couldn't just get used to the feeling...she wished she was numb from having it done before but sadly she wasn't...if anything the pain was intensifying the closer he got to finishing the procedure.

Tightening the tool on the tag on her root, Forcas now knowing how much force to use; wrenched it out but by no fault of his own caught a blood line running through her wing with the tip of one of the stubborn spines. Sarah felt that, lifting her head slightly off the padded surface she let out an agonising cry – the floor now starting to shake more violently than before...

Pulling himself from the wall, Sam watched a worried look cover Forcas's face as he tried desperately to put pressure on the exit of the wound that was now shooting blood in all directions; lowering his eyes to Sarah he watched her try and bravely deal with what she was enduring but after what seemed like an hour the tears still streamed her cheeks...

Clenching his jaw angrily together Sam watched...he felt helpless – what could he do? What should he do?

Sam watched as she closed her eyes - in the moment of them closing he could feel the overwhelming power radiate from her...the room instantly becoming coated in an insanely bright white light as the walls of the room started to shudder. Taking a few seconds for the light to disappear; Sam opened his eyes to find the room had returned to normal and the mysterious woman gone. Sitting upright, Sam took the time to analyse his body to feel his craving gone completely and his violent urges calmed to a halt...She had helped him... Her distressing cries pulled him from a memory that he remembered from a very long time ago...She had helped him, she sacrificed everything, even herself for the two brothers...whether he could feel grateful or not, he knew that for certain.

Shaking the memory from his mind, Sam moved from the wall and walked over to where she was leaning, feeling pressure on her shoulder; Sarah's tearful eyes looked up to see Sam. She watched him extend his arm towards her, allowing her to grip onto him for some support...shaking from the adrenaline and pain she was feeling, Sarah wasn't in a position to turn the gesture down. Moving her arm out from under her, she rested her hand in his and she felt his grip tighten...

Glancing up and over, Sam watched Forcas now carefully grabbing something with a much smaller tool

"What the hell are you doing?" Sam had to ask.

Forcas looked up and passed him an infuriated look "I am trying to stop the blood from clotting..." Turning his attention back to the wound, he managed to snip some part of her wing away and smiled "There...How you doing Sahariel?"

Trying to focus her attention on finding support from Sam's grip, Sarah swore if she still didn't have two tags in her wing she would have obliterated him there and then for asking such a ridiculous question...

"Okay..." Forcas smiled nervously subtly sensing her anger for him growing "Last two, almost there!"

Taking a deep breath, Sarah tried to breathe through it – feeling him attach the pliers to the upper tag, Sarah couldn't help but tighten her grip on Sam's hand...in return he was gripping just as tight.

In that second Forcas ripped the tag from the tip of the wing, feeling the pain surge right through her; Sarah ground her teeth together feeling one of the spines get stuck on another one of the blood lines – being able to feel herself completely it was as if in slow motion she felt the blood line rip... "Ah! Sam!" Sarah cried suddenly starting to dry heave.

"Crap..." Forcas cursed seeing another blood line broken, dropping the tag to the ground he began using the other tools to try and stop the blood from gushing out and clotting.

Sam knew in that moment she had broke his hand...he felt the bones literally bend but he didn't care...Hearing a low but deep grumbling sound both Sam and Forcas paused to see the lights in the room start to flicker on and off as the walls like the floor started to shake...knowing she could bring the whole warehouse down any minute, Forcas cursed another time before hurrying to close the line.

He couldn't feel it but he could see how much pain she was in...Clenching his jaw together, Sam moved forward letting her rest her head against him – still holding her hand tight, he used the other arm to wrap around her and hold her tightly against him...right or wrong, feeling or no feeling - he assumed this was the best solution right now...

Turning his attention to Forcas who was now quickly tightening onto the final tag, Sam passed him an angered look watching him slowly move it backwards and forward "Fancy hurrying this up a bit?" Sam asked sarcastically. Forcas glared at him but Sam never moved his emotionless eyes...instead he just watched him attempt and complete the procedure...

Sitting on the sofa Dean glanced up at the clock on the opposite wall...it was getting late and they still weren't back. It wouldn't be so bad but Bobby said they left after Dean and Laylah did; tapping his hand impatiently down on the arm of the chair Dean just watched the hand on the clock tick round slowly...

Laylah however had been in the kitchen for well over an hour with Bobby, helping in cooking dinner for the four of them seems as Laylah ate and Sarah didn't...Occasionally throughout the afternoon he would go in to get another beer and see Laylah either stirring the concoction on the stove or cutting various vegetables to go in it...this was Bobby after all, double bacon cheeseburgers weren't exactly on the menu at his house...

In the moment of Dean huffing, the front door to Bobby's house burst open; knocking against the wall behind. Sitting up in the chair Dean's eyes widened to see Sam hurry through the hallway and into the lounge; supporting Sarah as they walked. Compared to earlier she looked pale...weakened by what she had done. Every step was hurting and Sarah couldn't help but curse and moan at the throbbing feeling she was now feeling – her grip on Sam's jacket tight, she was sure if he released the strong arm he was holding her up with she would just fall to the ground.

"Okay, almost there..." Sam said

Hearing the commotion from the kitchen, both Laylah and Bobby appeared in the doorway to see Sam guide her over to the arm chair that sat opposite where Dean was sitting upright. Nodding Sarah felt Sam lower into the chair, feeling her back touch the material she gritted her teeth tightly together.

Standing upright, Sam straightened his back out and took a deep breath, standing from the sofa Dean appeared behind his brother and pulled him back across the room "So, how did it go...oh and thanks for letting me know by the way!"

"Mum?" Laylah asked moving slowly towards the chair; Sarah couldn't lean back so for now she was sitting forward. Sensing the upset in Laylah's voice, Sarah raised her head and looked at her little girl; the tears clearly visible – if truth be told she couldn't handle seeing her mum in that much pain, which was obvious to every eye in the room.

Sarah passed her a sympathetic look and opened her arms to her "I am okay..." She said softly feeling Laylah wrap her arms around her, suppressing the need to curse at the sudden pressure – Sarah kept it in and just hugged her daughter.

From behind Dean watched the two of them over his brother's shoulder "Well?"

Sam sneered at his question and glanced behind "How d'u think it went?" He asked rhetorically turning his head back.

Dean nodded; that was a fair point – she wasn't exactly going to be ecstatic "So she's been de-tagged?"

Sam nodded "That and tormented..." He explained casually; seeing Dean raise his eye brow at him, knowing this was a sign for him to explain Sam huffed "There were some complications..."

No matter what he was feeling at the moment, nothing stopped Dean from glancing over worriedly at her "Complications?"

"Yeah the guy that did it, screwed up – severed two of the blood lines in her upper wings..." Sam explained seeing Dean for a second close his eyes, he hated hearing of her being hurt "Man you should have seen it, the amount of blood she lost from her wings alone...I mean all I could see was blood dropping from the air..."

Dean's eyes snapped open and he passed Sam an angered look "Yeah Sam, sounds freakin fascinating! " He retorted sarcastically before taking a deep breath, trying to calm his irritation "She gonna be okay?"

Sam nodded "She's gonna be fine Dean" He replied picking up on the concern in his brother's tone...glancing back both Sam and Dean looked at her – she was now explaining not only to Laylah but Bobby to who remained concerned for her wellbeing "She's still the fighter we used to know...you used to know..." Sam corrected, with that he side stepped away and headed for the lounge door...

"Sam!" Dean called instantly halting him in his step; he turned and looked at his older brother "Thanks..."

Sam smirked "Don't mention it...still family right?"

Dean watched him turn and head out into the hallway, taking a deep breath he pulled his attention back to Sarah...the fighter he used to know – he never even doubted that.

Sometimes being an Angel wasn't without its perks, already Sarah could feel herself healing from the procedure; leaning her whole body up against the side of the chair – she used her arm to rest her head on. She hadn't moved since her and Sam got back, the throbbing wasn't entirely gone; just subsided. Turning her head she looked up at the clock behind her, it was well past midnight and Sam still wasn't back from the 'drink' he needed...Even without a soul she was grateful for the way in which he supported her through it, who knew he actually had the ability within him?

Hearing footsteps quietly walk down the stairs and across the hall, Sarah looked round to see Dean walk in to the lounge; for the first time since she had returned he neither looked angry or confused...

"Laylah's finally settled..." Dean said positioning himself on the sofa opposite.

Sarah passed him a appreciative smile "Thank you...How is she?"

"Worried about you but other than that fine" Dean replied; stealthily taking the time to look at her...like really look at her – even in the dim light of the den she was still so beautiful...that smile of hers was the first thing he noticed – he hadn't given her a reason to smile since getting back but seeing even a glimpse pulled on his heartstrings; he remembered it well...

Sarah nodded "It is amazing what a mother would put herself through for her child..." She tried to joke but remembered that things between them were still undeniably awkward. Even after a day or so of being back in his life, she still couldn't sense or even determine what Dean may or may not be feeling about the whole situation right now; he was holding it very tightly to himself making it extremely difficult for Sarah to read and sense him like she used to.

Dean smirked and looked at the ground "It's amazing what you do, period." Dean couldn't believe how easy it was to fall back to what he used to feel being around her when his guard wasn't up...lifting his eyes; his gaze met hers who appeared to be confused by his compliment "Look, I'm sor..." He started but was cut off by her lifting her hand in the air.

"Dean...can we not? I get it, I do" Truth be told, his words hurt her and for the time being she'd rather not remember that conversation in too much detail.

Dean nodded; pleased that he didn't have to step in to that uncomfortable area of vulnerability. His eyes remained on her, he watched her move round but this only resulted in her cursing "How you doing?"

Sarah just smiled, gently resting her back against the material; he knew as much as she how stupid of a question that was.

Dean smirked "Yeah I'm an idiot..." He joked seeing that smile of hers widen; he wasn't just an idiot for asking her that but also for how he treated her the day before – in way some way, this was him attempting to subtly make amends.

"How was shopping?" Sarah asked curiously; she had been wondering all day how it had gone.

Dean raised his eyebrow "Well I'm broke but yeah, it was...it was good" And that wasn't a lie, putting shopping aside; spending time with Laylah wasn't as daunting as he thought it would be.

Sarah nodded "Thanks again for taking her..."

Dean nodded "Don't mention it, it was insightful shall we say..." Feeling the silence fall between them, Dean couldn't help but smirk...never had things been so tense between them – occasionally she would look up at him but then look away and vice versa...Dean just didn't know how to feel or act right now "Can I ask ya something?"

Sarah looked up at him and nodded hesitantly; just like old times except this time things were much more complicated.

"Why doesn't Laylah know you two were locked away, surely she would have realised?"

Remembering their last argument, Sarah was a little uncertain in replying but she owed him answers and trying to dodge them brought nothing but more drama that both of them didn't need right now "Dean, Laylah did not know about being locked away because I tried my hardest to give her a good life...I had been experiencing the downside to being imprisoned for ten years and that is not including the time carrying her, knowing I could do nothing – telling her and seeing the light disappear surely would have killed me..." Her eyes dropped to the ground, she could remember the best part of being locked away feeling that light and happiness gone within her...

Seeing the sadness in her eyes, Dean nodded "So it wasn't just grey bars and striped pyjamas then?" He attempted to joke.

Always trying to make a sad atmosphere lighter, one of the reasons why Sarah still loved him – it was nice to see him acting a little like he used to with her, she couldn't describe how much she missed it.

Shaking her head, Sarah smiled "No, it was not just grey bars and striped pyjamas..."

"So what was it like?" Dean asked; surprised that he was even intrigued by where she had been for the past year and a bit.

Even Sarah was confused, she couldn't help but pass him a questioning look "My prison was like Earth...we had a house, we had clothes, we had changes in the weather, we had it all..." Sarah replied; the tone in her voice unenthusiastic.

Dean nodded "Sounds...nice"

Sarah lifted her eyes and passed him a defensive look "Trust me Dean it was not, without you..." She started but paused; her heart beginning to ache from the memories...with her head bowed he couldn't see the tear that rolled down her cheek.

"Dean?" Sarah's voice suddenly very serious as she lifted her head and looked at him "The reason that the Angel you fought the other night will return is because he was assigned to be Laylah's warden...her breaking out means his job is to find her and I quote my father 'destroy her'..."

Dean clenched his jaw listening to her, honesty was a cruel thing but at least she was opening up to him; no way was he about to let that happen to 'his' daughter "Not that I want to know the answer, but what about you?"

Sarah smiled, obviously saddened and angered by the whole situation "The warden assigned to me will follow suit, finding me will be harder without the tags on my wings but he will find me...sooner or later"

Shaking his head Dean looked to the side – now he wanted to gank her father more than anything...he couldn't believe that after surprisingly getting her back after all this time, her head was officially back on the chopping board...but this time, she wasn't going to divert him, this time she wasn't going to go all lone ranger again, this time he 'will' save her – even through all of the anger, disappointment and conflicting emotions, Dean knew he'd made that promise to himself the moment she had appeared back in his life...he will save her.

"Everything's gonna be alright..." Dean simply said catching her eyes with his "We'll figure something out..."

Sarah nodded seeing a slight hint of him wanting to protect her like he used to...feeling the tension between them grow, Sarah decided that some distance to think might be a good idea, especially when they weren't at each other's throats...

"I think I am going to go and sit with Laylah for a while..." Sarah said softly, using the arm on the chair for support; Sarah began pulling herself up off the chair.

Straightening herself up she cringed, Dean already on his feet from seeing her waver; hurried over and stood in front ready to support her. Standing completely straight, Sarah felt an almighty painful throb surge right through her making her head spin instantly "Dean..." She whispered; falling forward he caught her...needing to balance herself, she rested her head gently against his chest; closing her eyes - Sarah could smell his aftershave; that scent of his that she could never forget. She could hear his heart beating so fast with her being leant against him and feel his muscles tightening beneath her fingertips that gripped onto his lower stomach for support.

Explaining how much she missed and yearned for him was impossible, leaning against him Sarah knew it was going to take some will power to pull herself from him; at the end of the day she didn't leave and stay away because she wanted to...

Dean however remained still, his arms holding her gently to him; his own mind spinning from what was happening...just like it used to, he could feel her senses emitting through to him, this alone causing his heart to race. Pulling his head back slightly he glanced down at her, having her this close to him after all this time was driving him insane...he couldn't just be doing this after everything but he wanted to...so what was the problem? Lifting his head he looked in the direction of the kitchen, closing his eyes he tried to calm his heart beat "Come on, I'll help you..." He offered wrapping his arm around her waist - he turned them and carefully guided her up the stairs.

Quietly Dean pushed open the bedroom door and helped Sarah across the room; always making sure that they wouldn't wake Laylah from the deep sleep she had fallen in to. The girl could sleep; she went off as quickly as he did...

Approaching the chair, Dean gently rested Sarah into it hearing her moan almost silently through gritted teeth feeling her back touch the material behind her...surprisingly to her, she felt him tighten his hold on her. Releasing his grip on her Dean straightened himself up and through the dim light of the bedroom watched her mime the words 'Thank you'

He nodded and couldn't help but smile – he wasn't going to deny it felt good to hold her after all this time.

Pulling away, Sarah smiled as she looked up at him. Dean's eyes remained locked with hers as he watched her lean up and kiss him again – this time softer than before.

Feeling her step back from his embrace, Dean smirked "Yeah, I'll miss you to..."

Sarah smiled "I love you Dean"

Not giving him a chance to respond, Sarah instantly disappeared from his sight.

Losing himself in yet another memory of her, Dean didn't realise that subconsciously he was still touching her – noticing her pass him a surprised look, he glanced down and realised his hand still rested down against her arm...even with so much tension between them, for that minute he couldn't let her go or walk away from her. His body remained still at her side but he looked deeply down into her eyes that sparkled perfectly in the light whilst he glided his fingertip along her arm, instantly feeling the goosebumps on her skin and his own excitement and desire for her consuming him...

Sarah remained still, she didn't want to confuse him in anyway but unlike earlier she could now sense his conflicting emotions...no matter how gentle, his touch was overwhelming; her stomach twisted up inside watching him slowly start to lean down in her direction, that same look he used to give her but something halted him because he suddenly paused and pulled back. Sarah couldn't blame him, they weren't just going to be able to jump right back in to what they used to be and she understood that – more than that no matter how much hurt it caused her, she wasn't the only woman in his life...

Passing her an awkward smile he finally managed to pull his arm away and step back from her...feeling her confused and disappointed eyes looking at him, Dean huffed under his breath – almost angered by his own actions; turning he walked across and out of the room closing the door quietly behind him.

Hey guys, so sorry about the wait – had some stuff going on but I've finally updated! Woohoo =)

Thank you sooo much for the reviews and reading this, you guys are awesome!

I've also started a new story for the film Death Sentence, if your fans of the film or Garrett Hedlund you may feel like checking it out at some point...up to you! So back to business what did you guys think? Please hit that review button and let me know, even if you say yeah I like it! LOL show me some FF luv =)