ST. JUDE'S SANITARIUM, KENNEDY

Dean led the way as best he could through the destruction; all the while he called her name, lost in the madness which gripped him. Roman had never seen such haunted determination in his brother's eyes. He was dogged, possessed – this woman, she'd gripped Dean's very soul in a way he'd never seen before. It was like he was addicted, sniffing through the ruins, turning over every stone just for a glimpse of her. Roman followed, willing after it all, to sacrifice every single minute that they had for Dean. He'd taken so much, been through it all just to see his brother once again –it almost hurt that as soon as they'd been reunited, Dean had turned away from him, in favour of someone else. Who could mean as much to them...as each other? But he knew this was Dean's personal eternity; that hell selected just for him.

If, this AJ existed, if she lived, he would carry her from the rubble himself. Because if she'd kept Dean safe, if she'd kept him as sane as she could for the time he'd been there, Roman owed her everything. Dean was unstable, he was unsure, anything that could solidify him, make him unbreakable was more precious than any shining metal.

'AJ!'

It was near impossible to navigate. The hooded man's bombs had blown near all the walls on the eastern side...and Roman dreaded to think of what might have slept beneath the rubble. He'd seen people screaming and streaked with blood, blinded by the dust. He'd seen unmoving bodies half buried. Was it worth it? This couldn't have all been for them...there was too much malice, too much wanton decimation. Bryan hadn't told him everything; had just seen a desperate man, had plucked him from the darkness and flung him into this sin splattered world. He knew, that Bryan would tell him he owed him. And he did – he knew without his help in the Halls, he would have been found. He wouldn't have gotten to Dean in time. Without Daniel Bryan, the Shield would have been doomed to fail.

Roman clambered over rubble which Dean darted over with surprising ease; whether it was the effects of the drugs in his system, or just pure adrenaline, he didn't know. But he could hear the fear growing in his brother's voice each and every time he called out her name. Roman stopped, stared around him as best he could. Breathing was becoming as difficult as seeing, and he raised a hand to smudge away the thick dust which blocked an unbroken door. A golden name plate winked back at him, told him this had been the office of someone important.

He thought he knew the name.

Commissioner William Regal

Well where was the good commissioner now? Had he run away from his bewildered flock the instance the bombs hit? Roman couldn't see anyone now in a fancy suit. The white walls were speckled with dust and rock and brick. The shattered splinters of the wall painted everywhere, and it was hard to believe that there had been so much earth squashed between those white painted surfaces. There was little white to see now.

Dean's off grey blended well with the dust smoke.

'AJ! Where are you? It's me! AJ!'

It was the voice of a man who'd lost everything. The sound of a widower at a grave, the sound of a soldier holding his dying brother. It was the sound of Roman's too old heart. Every time he thought he was close enough to fixing it all, to gathering all the pieces and bringing them safely back together, something happened, his efforts thwarted. Behind he could still hear Bryan shouting for him – warning him that the Authority would be there soon, that they had to leave whilst they still had time, whilst they still had a chance. But his heart was breaking at the child in Dean's voice. That terrified little boy that was never far from Dean's eyes.

'Dean...we need to go,' he could see his brother in the distance, still as stone; a piece of slate jutting from the ground. 'Before they come Dean. Dean?'

But it was as if he'd become a ghost, unheard. There was no reaction in Dean's body; no sign he'd heard him. Roman moved slowly closer, and when there was nothing between them, his hand fell on Dean's shoulder. But nothing; no recognition.

'Dean?'

Roman had only seen him, but now, as he looked where his brother looked, he saw. Eyes squinted through the slowly settling clouds, someone stood. They were different to everything else – blue. The only colour in the whole of the building wasn't alone. He could see it now. Two bodies; grey painted against that suit. Dean stared, Roman could feel the cold coming off him in waves. Fear had reached its ultimate possibility, and you could see the icy sweat that ran down Dean's bone white face. His eyes were wide, mouth open, and when Roman could see for sure, he felt his own body turn to stone.

There stood a man, he held a woman so very tight. Too tight.

'So it comes to this Dean!' the man shouted. His face was bloody; strips of skin peeled from his cheeks...pieces of flesh fell away with every word. But he laughed, repetitive, cruel to the ear, a sound which made Roman's bones shake. 'I wonder what will you do now? Will you run? Will you run run run away from me again? Will you Dean? I never wanted you to leave, what do I have to do to make you stay in my fun house Dean? What do I have to do to make you all stay?' there was something held against the woman's throat, something sharp; glass from one of the windows. 'I never did anything wrong Dean, I just did as I was told.' He sounded so earnest, so confused as to why his good behaviour had such consequences. 'You can't leave me Dean. What will I do? Who will I talk to? What games can I play on my own? NONE.' his voice echoed. The woman...AJ...tensed. Her arms were by her sides, long hair trailed down, tears dripped over her cheeks, but her eyes saw only Dean.

'AJ...it's ok, I'm here.' Dean implored, hands reached out to her, he made to take a step forward, but Regal tightened the glass. AJ gasped as it nicked her throat.

'No closer Dean! Don't come any closer! I won't lose all of you Dean! She's my very favourite Dean! You can't have her!' he held the girl closer, as if he were hugging her from behind, like a child would a doll. His nose buried itself in her hair. 'She's mine.' His voice almost seemed husky, eyes closed as he took in her scent. Roman felt physically sick. Dean tried to step again but the man's eyes shot open once again. He started to pull her backward. 'Stay away Dean!'

'Dean -,' she whimpered.

'AJ -,'

'I want you both. We can play together Dean...just the three of us. Like old times. We don't need this house. We can find somewhere new. We can all be together if you come along. We'll be one big happy family again.'

Another attempted step, the glass was held threateningly forward. 'Don't you dare move Dean!'

'AJ it's ok, we're going to get out of this,' Dean whispered. 'I'll get you away from here, like I promised.'

But AJ shook her head. The tears fell a thousand feet.

'Go Dean,'

'No.'

'Please, don't worry about me. Just go.'

'I'm not leaving you!'

'Go Dean. Please Dean. Leave me here Dean, shut up!' Regal roared in her ear, brought the glass back. 'Keep quiet AJ. Shush. Let the men talk.' A dribble of blood ran down her neck.

Dean jolted forward, but AJ's cry stopped him in his tracks. They were so close. He could almost reach out and touch her. Roman felt like he was suspended in time watching this entire scene with no control over the outcome. It was as if he didn't exist – like Dean had forgotten him completely. Was it these broken walls? Everything screamed isolation – even the screams and cries of the other humans was lost. In this piece of time, it was their short fragment.

'Regal, give her to me...to Roman. You can have me. Let her go,' Dean pleaded. 'I'll do whatever you want, we'll play every single game. You can cut my hair and you can take my pieces and give me new ones. Please. Please just let her go. You've had her long enough.'

Regal seemed to brighten, his mouth tugged into a smile, but half his lip fell away. He was burning to pieces as he stood. But he didn't seem to know. He was burned beyond life, but he continued to breathe, to beat, to cause such misery. 'You'll play with me Dean? Like we did before?'

'Just like before.' Dean's voice was breaking. 'Just let her go.'

'Come here.' Regal moved forward, 'you come here, close, close, close enough to cut you.'

Dean moved with obedience.

'Dean don't -,'

But Dean only hesitated a second, looked over his shoulder toward his brother. 'You look after her for me Roman. You understand? You'll do everything in the world to keep her safe. To make her happy.'

'Dean.'

'Promise me Rome.'

'I – I promise.'

It seemed to be enough for Dean. He took those cruel steps forward. His scrubs were ripped, his feet were bloody. But he didn't falter.

'Dean,'

'It's alright AJ. Everything is going to be alright.' He was so close. Regal in his excitement released AJ, who threw herself at Dean; the momentum turned them round, Dean's eyes to Roman. Her arms wrapped around him, so tight. She clung to him, moulded to him as if she were a physical part of him. Her sobs hurt. Her tears stung. 'It's ok, don't cry, you're going outside AJ. You're going to see the stars.'

'I don't need the stars, I don't need them, I always saw them in your eyes. Dean don't let him have you, don't do this for me.'

'I've run away long enough.' He whispered; his forehead on hers. 'It's time I repaid you for everything you did. Roman will look after you.'

'I love you Dean.' She gripped hold of his scrubs. 'You're my last piece and I don't want to lose you. You're my everything. I love you. I love you so much.'

Dean kissed her forehead. She couldn't see the tears that ran.

'You love him? You loved him and not me? After all I did for you? After all we've done? AJ, AJ what are you saying?' Regal's flesh tore away as he scrapped his nails down it in confusion and despair, eyelid came free as he stared. 'How can you say that? How can you...you love him? He left you! I NEVER LEFT YOU.'

He moved. But so did AJ. She seemed to know. She turned him once again. Gasped.

'AJ?' Dean's eyes widened in panic. 'What...what have you done?'

Regal stepped back, hands bloody. Fear tattooed the bloody tatters of his face.

'I didn't leave. Won't leave. Got to leave. I've got to leave.' The coward, the rotten corpse struggled away, limped into dust as AJ's legs gave way.

'AJ...what's happening?' Dean's hands refused to let go, figures explored the blood which swelled through her scrubs, found the glass that punctured through. 'AJ why did you...you can't. Don't do this. Come on girl, we have to go, we really have to go.'

She looked at him, her hand on his face, 'I see the stars Dean. I always saw them with you.'

'I'll take you to see the real stars AJ, we'll see the sky and the moon, I'll take you so far away you'll see the sun.'

'The sun...I remember the sun.' she smiled at him. Happiness in those eyes as they died.

'No...AJ. AJ, come on.' Dean tried to shake her. 'AJ COME ON.'

'Dean...' Roman moved closer, tried to put a hand on his shoulder.

'STAY AWAY.' Dean roared. He clutched her so close, like he was scared to let go. Like he was trying to force her through him straight into his body; like he was trying to push her into his heart. There were no words. Nothing could be said. The remnants of St. Jude's halls echoed with the sound of Dean's broken heart. 'You'll see stars; I promise you'll see those fucking stars.'