Sam exhaled through a sob, his body finally coming still against the wooden floor. He looked up, blinking slowly as the room swam back into view. It felt as if he were being held down and he struggled to free himself, the remainder of his energy quickly fading his body. He coughed, turning his head to the side, expelling more blood onto the floor. Shuddering, he felt his body go completely limp, leaving him stranded there on the floor.

A glance from the corner of his eye showed him that he was now alone in the room. Dean and Bobby were gone. They wouldn't have left him alone to die.

"I'm sorry," he groaned, "Dean, I'm sorry. I…I said I'd f-fix this. I c-c-can't." Pain coursed through him, causing him to clamp his eyes shut, grunting in discomfort. He balled his fists by his side.

It wasn't long before he was passing in and out of consciousness, his body no longer having the energy to fight. In the brief moments of clarity he was allowed, he tried to muster enough will power to sit up, but could do little more than rock slightly from side. Soon, he was no longer able to do even that. It was then that he began preparing himself for the high possibility that he wouldn't be making it out of this one alive.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he could feel himself being pushed toward the inevitable. His breath had started to catch in his chest and he wheezed, the blood threatening to choke him. Each moment of consciousness seemed darker than the last, sending him slowly into the grey. He had no idea what waited for him on the other side. Mercy was too much to hope for. After all, he had been Lucifer's vessel. He had turned himself into a monster and he had started the Apocalypse, even if he'd sacrificed himself to end it.

His eyes widened and he arched up off the floor, feeling as if something had gripped his heart tight. He couldn't breathe. Frantically, he cried out before he felt the breath crushed out of his chest. The pain was intense and everything started to fade completely. This was it. He was dying.

"D'n," he sputtered through clenched teeth, desperately wishing for his brother.

"Sam."

He looked up into the calculating eyes of Castiel, who was now kneeling just beside him. He reached out, grasping the front of his trench coat, trying to ask him where he'd been, trying to ask him for help.

"This…will not be pleasant for you, Sam. It was not safe for me to visit you in your reality. I can only hope Dean will understand." He offered Sam as much of a sympathetic look he could offer. "You must understand, I do not consider either of you disposable. We have work to do." He grasped Sam's wrist. "Hold on."

He looked down, feeling a sharp pain start in his chest and spread through his body. It was the worst pain he'd felt through the whole ordeal, feeling as if his skin were being flayed from his body.

"Dean!" he cried out, his heart pounding as a white, blinding light engulfed his body.

"There is a great deal of damage here, Sam," Castiel murmured, his voice somehow sounding above the sounds of Sam's struggling. "I am sorry I cannot spare you the pain." His eyes narrowed as he let his energy flow through the young Winchester, healing the damage that had been done.

It took several long moments before Sam finally laid still, the light slowly fading from his body. Castiel sighed, releasing Sam's wrist and bring his fingertips to his forehead, closing his eyes. Carefully, he forced Sam's body from the floor, looking out into the room through Sam's eyes.He could see the two men kneeling near the door. He saw Dean nursing his new wounds and frowned deeply, reaching down to heal the seared skin.

"Sammy?" Dean whispered in awe, looking up at his brother. "Are you…are you…what's goin' on?"

"I…did not mean to make you worry, Dean," Castiel offered, speaking through Sam. "It…is over now. You should both rest. We have work to do."

"Cas?" Dean managed.

Instead of answering, he slowly released his hold on Sam, only catching a glance of Dean and Bobby looking away from the light before he disappeared.

~8675309~

Sam stretched fitfully, throwing his legs over the side of the bed. It was dark outside now, no light besides the moonlight filtering into the room. He reached to the bedside table, flicking on the lamp, letting the dim light into the room. It brought the now-dried blood on the sheets into view and he raised his hand to his mouth with the memory.

"Sammy?" he heard the groggy question sound from the chair at the foot of the bed.

"Dean." He made his way to the chair, kneeling down beside his brother. "You look like hell, man."

Dean smirked, looking down at his little brother. "Yeah, well…it was hard earned." He placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, sitting forward. "You wanna tell me what the hell happened?"

Sam ran his hand through his hair, his brow furrowed as he looked up into Dean's exhausted eyes. "It's weird…like a really trippy dream…except I could feel everything. Cas was there…for my last breaths. It was close."

"Cas? He showed up?"

"In the dream, yeah. He said it wasn't safe here…said he was sorry." Carefully, he relayed what he remembered of Cas' message. They weren't expendable.

"He musta used you to reach out and touch me." Dean held up his arms. "I tried to grab you when…the glowin' started. Damn near ruined me. Then you were there and I was healed…and Cas was talkin'…through you."

"I was…I was out for that," Sam offered, a slightly concerned look crossing his face. He wasn't sure how that had even been possible. "Look, Dean…it wasn't your fault…"

"Dude," Dean interjected, a little more gently than usual, "no chick flick moments." He stood, Sam standing beside him. "I get it. I know what happened was…stupid chance. We couldn't've known one was so close to the damned bag when I threw it down." He offered a small half-smile, that quickly faded and was replaced by a look of deep sorrow. "I'm sorry, Sammy," he choked.

Sam pulled his brother into a tight hug, wrapping his fists tightly in the fabric of Dean's shirt, hoping he understood that he didn't blame him.

It was a long moment before they stepped apart, Dean taking lead as they made their way down the stairs, moving to the kitchen for a beer. They sat down at the table, clinking their long necks together as Bobby joined them, clapping Sam on the shoulder. The single gesture seemed to convey all he needed it to. Sam nodded gratefully, waiting for Bobby to join them before taking an appreciative drink of the amber liquid.

"Good to see you up and about, boy," Bobby said quietly, retrieving them each another beer. "Mind tellin' us what the hell that last bit was all about there?" He leaned back in his chair as they started in on their second drink.

Sam leaned forward, staring at the bottle for a long moment before he looked up at the two men. He told them what he knew, which wasn't a lot, mainly recounting what Cas had said to him before he'd began healing him. "He said…to rest. He has work for us to do."

"Wonder what that is," Bobby grumbled, taking another swig.

Dean shrugged, finishing off his second bottle before responding. "Guess we'll find out soon enough."

Fin!

A/N: Love it or hate it, it's done. Kinda left it open for a sequel or a follow up or whatever. Many special thanks for the adds and reviews. Ya'll got me to finish up a few days before schedule. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

If you liked this, be sure to follow me for more. Also, find me on facebook under my penname (link on my profile). I'll be happy to see you there!