Chapter 35:

Bye, Sam

Danielle was bobbing her head up and down, clapping her hands. Her body swayed from left to right, throwing her arms above her head. There was quiet chuckle as the phone shook. The music was so loud it was nearly impossible to hear anything, but Danielle's – horrible – singing couldn't be missed.

"Save a horse, ride a cowboy!" She clapped her hands over her head, waving her hips and shaking her butt.

Dean couldn't help the loud snort that slipped from his mouth, the phone shaking as he threw his head back and laughed. Sam, next to the phone, shot Danielle a grimace which quickly turned into a grin.

She spun around, eyes huge as she clutched her heart. Her face turned beet red, and she buried her face in her hands. "Stoooooop!" she whined, picking up a pillow and throwing it at the phone. The screen turned black as Dean swatted away the pillow. The image came back, focused on Dean as he walked away, hands raised in the air while he shook his hips and mimicked Danielle.

Sam let out a loud laugh, and Danielle snorted, pushing his shoulder. Dean stumbled away, eyes crinkled at the corners as he grinned. Danielle turned the music off, turning to face Sam.

"Can you stop?" she demanded, staring over the phone at the man.

"This is gold," Sam shot back. "I'll send it in to AFV."

"We'll make millions!" Dean added from the motel's kitchen, cracking open a beer and raising it to the camera in salute.

Danielle, still red, let out a loud laugh. "I don't think so!" she cried before jumping forward. The screen shook around, turning from black to brown to green before thudding on the floor.

There was the sound of a loud grunt as Dean picked up the cell phone, aiming the camera at Sam, who was sprawled on top of Danielle. He pretended like he was dead, and Danielle pushed against his back, struggling to lift the man.

"Ge' … off o' me!" she grumbled, struggling to breathe. She dropped her arms, giving up and panting at the ceiling. She got an idea, reaching around and digging her fingers into his sides. Sam shot up, only giving her a second to move away. However, she was too slow, and Sam flipped over.

"Oh, we're gonna play like that now?" he demanded as his fingers ran up and down her stomach. She threw her head back, screaming and fighting against his hands.

"Noooo!" she wailed, tears dripping down her red cheeks.

The camera shook as Dean chuckled. "Get her armpits!" Dean urged.

"No!" she cried as Sam mercilessly attacked her armpits. "Help, Dean!"

Dean was laughing too hard to say anything. The camera clicked off.

The video had ended, but Danielle knew what came next. Dean had run over and held her arms while Sam relentlessly continued to tickle her.

Why did she watch that? The pain in her chest threatened to rip her in half, and the hot tears were soaking her jeans.

How could he just be gone? Just like that? One second, he was here, and now… Gone. Just… gone. She wouldn't have to argue over who gets the second bed in the motel room, nor would she have anyone to tell Dean to lay off when he was getting a little too heated.

There was a rap on the window, and Danielle jumped, glancing up to see Dean's face. She looked down, rubbing at her cheeks as the man slid into the backseat beside her.

He shut the door, and she sniffed, staring down at his phone's black screen. She handed it back to Dean, who tossed it onto the Impala floor. Her lip trembled, and she pushed her hair behind her ear.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Dean's nostrils flare. She looked up, noticing the tears swimming in his green orbs. Fear jerked in her chest; in almost two years, she'd never seen him cry. She knew he had, he just never had around her.

He took a ragged breath, looking down at his feet. His lips were trembling, too, and his breathing was labored.

He'd come to her. Cas and Bobby were just outside, lingering near the wall not twenty feet away. He could've stayed with them but, no, he'd come to her.

What happened between them? Where was the Dean and Danielle in the video? When, exactly, had they been lost? When had this impassable ocean parted the two of them?

Danielle, unable to bear the distance between them, scooted over. She wrapped her arms around Dean's broad shoulders, pulling him against her chest. Any other time he'd hate this; he would never let this happen. This little show of weakness in front of Danielle? No.

But Sam was gone. Sam was gone, and both of their hearts were shattered.

"It's okay," Danielle whispered, her chin resting on the top of his head. Her voice shook, and she felt Dean's hand grab onto her arm. He buried his face in her arm, and Danielle pressed her cheek against his head, feeling his tears drop on her leg.

"It's not okay," Dean said back, and his voice shook her to her very core. He sounded so hollow, so tired, so empty.

"I know," she said.

It was a long, long time before either of them said anything else. They just sat there, both of them crying, taking comfort in the fact that they, at least, had each other. They hadn't lost all of their family.

Danielle kissed the top of Dean's head before he pulled back, rubbing the back of his hand across his cheeks. Danielle copied him, letting him wrap his arm around her shoulders and tug her to him. The open act of affection was so strange, especially considering the way they'd been for the past few months, but she didn't mind it.

"We gotta find him, Dan," Dean said, his voice coarse and strained.

"I know," she whispered.

"Cas doesn't know where the battle is goin' down at," Dean pointed out after clearing his throat. "A graveyard, but that's all he knows."

Danielle frowned. That wasn't any help. There were graveyards freaking everywhere.

Maybe something more significant than a cemetery? Maybe someplace where some huge event, some huge battle had gone down.

Where was the first place Michael threw Lucifer into Hell? Maybe that was where it would be; kind of an end-it-where-it-began thing. Or it could be where some huge battle had taken place, and it was a graveyard for all the lost sou-

Danielle gasped, jerking away from Dean and sitting up straight.

No way.

"Dan?" Dean demanded in alarm, leaning forwards.

There was not a chance in hell. She wasn't a prophet! The angels wouldn't just let her see the battle place; that was top-secret information!

"Danielle!" Dean barked, grabbing her arm and giving her a solid shake.

They were just dreams, right? They had to be! Even though in all twenty-three years of her life, she'd never had a dream more than once, the recurring nightmare could not be a sign… Right?

"Dan!" Dean repeated, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"OttatalktoCas," she mumbled, her sentence coming out as one long, undistinguishable breath before she scrambled out of the car. Dean followed, watching as she stumbled and staggered towards the two men lounging against the wall.

Castiel, at the sight of the woman, snapped away from the building, his hands jumping out of his pockets. "What's wrong?"

"Stull… Cemetery," she panted, out of breath from falling out of the vehicle. She kept coming towards him, and he grabbed onto her arms to hold her still.

"What?"

"I've been having dreams!" she exclaimed, her eyes glancing around at all three of the men. "About Stull Cemetery! I didn't realize the name until now, but Stull Cemetery!"

Cas's eyes narrowed, and his face blanked, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Danielle reached up, grabbing onto the edges of his trench coat. A little worried, she tugged on his coat. "Cas?"

"Stull Cemetery's in Lawrence," Dean said, eyes trained on the ground.

"It's a possibility," Castiel stated, turning to look at Dean. "It makes sense."

That was all Dean needed. He turned, pulling his keys from his pocket and heading to the driver's seat.

"Where are you going?" Danielle asked, turning to face him. She let go of Cas's coat, and he dropped away from her arms.

"You're gonna do something stupid, aren't you?" Bobby said, the three of them closing in on the last Winchester.

Dean sighed, turning. "I'm gonna go talk to Sam."

"You just don't give up, do you?" Bobby demanded, shaking his head.

"Dean…" Danielle started, hopeless. She wasn't about to lie; she wanted a crack at Sam, too. But she wasn't going to delude herself. She knew what it was like to be a vessel. She didn't even know where to start trying to take back the reins.

"If you couldn't reach him here you certainly won't be able to reach him on the battlefield," Castiel pointed out.

"Well, I got nothing to lose, so."

"I just want you to understand," Castiel stated. "The only thing you're going to see is Michael killing your brother."

"Let's just go back to Bobby's house," Danielle begged. She didn't want to watch that. She just wanted to go home, drink away the sorrow, and sleep through the vaporization of the planet.

Dean was quiet for a moment, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Well, then, I ain't gonna let him die alone."

He opened the car door, hesitating for just a second. He glanced over his shoulder, green eyes fixed on Danielle. "Comin'?" he asked, and the way he asked tore her broken heart to shreds. His voice was so gentle, and he had asked in such a way like he was scared that she would say no. He didn't want to be alone, that much was apparent.

Danielle only stared at him for a second, pressing her lips together. As much as she did not want to go; as much as she wanted to stay with Cas, she knew she couldn't let him be alone. She couldn't just say no, not after him asking her like that.

She started towards the passenger side, Castiel reaching out and grabbing her arm. She met his gaze, offering the tiniest of smiles before she wrestled him into a hug.

Too many goodbyes.

Somehow, she found she still had a few tears to shed. They slipped down her cheeks as she hugged away her angel.

She pulled back, glancing up at his face and almost dropped her jaw in surprise.

There were tears in his eyes.

His clear, aquamarine eyes were clouded over with a shiny film, the edges of his eyes turning pink. His lips were pressed together, and his jaw was clenched, and he glanced down at his feet.

"Cas," Danielle breathed. Was he so torn up about her? No way. Not possible. Maybe it was the fact that Sam had died, and now Danielle and Dean were about to die as well. Not just the fact that she was leaving with Dean, leaving him alone with Bobby.

He reached into his coat, pressing something into her hands. She recognized the heavy object, not even having to look as she tucked it into her belt.

He raised his gaze, and Danielle's chest fell apart at the anguish in it.

"I'll be right back," she promised, though it was a lie. She just couldn't stand to see his face take on that expression and then turn around and leave. She needed to comfort him in some way. Had to.

She stood up on her tip-toes, pressing a kiss to his stubbly cheek. She felt his hand fist into her hair, and she found herself hugging him again, face burrowed into his neck.

God, she loved him.

Danielle was taken aback at her own thoughts. In all her twenty-three years, she had thought some crazy things, but this had to be the craziest of them all. She'd never had a boyfriend, never been kissed, and now she thought she was in love with an emotionless angel?

No. She wasn't in love with an emotionless angel; she was in love with a very emotional human, who was crushing her to him. She could feel it; not even Sam had hugged her like this. It was different, and it was strange, but it was familiar, almost… Like she'd done this before, with him. Or someone like him, at least.

But that wasn't true. She'd never been in love with anybody.

Her revelation made it that much harder to let go, that much harder to leave. She pulled away, his face nothing but a blur because of the tears swimming in her eyes.

"I wish I could say don't go," Castiel muttered, and Danielle sniffed, looking down at the ground. She wished it too. Half of her wanted him to say it, to put the way he was feeling into words. But another part of her didn't want him to say it, because if he did, she wouldn't be able to go.

She felt his lips press against her forehead, and she squeezed her eyes shut, her stomach jerking.

God, she loved him a lot.

She turned away, not even risking another glance as she clambered into the passenger seat. Dean threw the car into drive, and they shot down the road, leaving the two humans alone in the street.

The Next Day

Danielle wasn't even afraid. They were driving to their deaths, but she didn't really care. She knew what waited for her when she died. The dark room and the crushing feeling of loneliness… It wasn't exactly cherry pie, but at least it had T.V. She could spend the rest of eternity watching Doctor Who.

"What are you doing?" Danielle asked as Dean slowed to a stop right in front of the gate. He couldn't possibly be getting cold feet now.

Dean pulled out a cassette, waving it up for just a second before pushing it into the Impala. Def Leopard started to blast as he cranked down his window. Danielle whispered a quiet, "Oh my God," of disbelief as Dean drove right up through the cemetery.

And there was Sam and Adam. Both alive, both well. Danielle's heart nearly leapt out of her chest at the sight of Sam. He looked like Sam. There were no horns, no pitchforks. Just Sam.

Dean opened the door, standing up and leaning against the frame of his car. "Howdy boys. Am I interrupting something?"

Danielle closed her eyes, letting out a slow breath before clambering out of the car as well.

"I need to talk to you," Dean stated, walking to the front of the car and turning to Sam.

"Dean. Even for you, this is a whole new mountain of stupid."

Danielle's blood curdled, and she felt herself take an involuntary step closer to Dean. She slipped in behind him, reaching out and fisting the back of Dean's jacket. That was not Sam. That was the devil, possessing the body of their brother.

"I'm not talking to you; I'm talking to Sam," Dean growled.

"You're no longer the vessel," Adam – Michael – spoke up. "You got no right to be here."

Both human's gazes swung to the young boy. "Adam, if you're in there, I am so sorry," Dean said.

"Adam's not home right now," Michael shot back, and Danielle's chest filled with hatred.

These stupid angels. So arrogant, so sure of themselves. They were the sinful ones. Slaughtering each other, torturing humans, doing whatever they wanted. This was the angel that was top-notch. The boss was staring them down.

"Well, then, you're next on my list buttercup. But right now I need five minutes with him."

Dean, Danielle inwardly scolded.

"You little maggot," Michael seethed, taking an aggressive step forwards. Danielle clenched tighter on Dean's jacket, eyes widening. "You are no longer a part of this story-"

"Hey, ass-butt!"

Danielle spun around, barely daring to believe it. But there he was, throwing some flaming object at Michael, Bobby right behind him. The object hit Michael, and he went up in flames, letting out a loud scream. Dean spun around, pinning Danielle to the hood of the Impala as a high-pitched whistle split through the air. A blast of heat washed over them before the archangel disappeared.

Dean straightened back up, and Danielle followed suit, her eyes falling on Cas's. A smile spread across her face, and he mirrored her expression, his lips tugging up at the corners.

"He'll be back, and upset, but you got your five minutes," Castiel stated. Danielle let go of Dean's jacket, taking a step towards Castiel.

"Castiel."

Everybody froze. Danielle had heard Sam angry plenty of times, but there were no words for the barely contained fury in his voice now.

"Did you just Molotov my brother … with holy fire?"

"Uh…" Castiel began to realize the predicament he was in, inching away. "No?"

Oh God.

"No one dicks with Michael, but me."

"No, no, no," Danielle breathed, eyes huge. Her chest heaved in panic; she could hardly breathe. Oh God, what was going to ha-

There was a simple snap of the fingers, and Castiel was gone.

He exploded.

Literally.

Blood and chunks of flesh splashed everywhere, and Danielle screamed, lunging for him. She felt arms wrap around her waist, holding her back. "No!" she shrieked, clawing at the air. No, no, no, he could not be dead; not like that, not just like that! A snap of the fingers was not enough to totally wipe him off the planet, not Castiel! He was too complex, too tangled, too difficult. He was too much of a goddamn person to just be gone with a snap of the fingers!

"Oh, shut up," she heard someone say, and she found her lips clamped together. She tried to scream, but her lips wouldn't come apart.

Dean pulled her back up, pushing her towards Bobby, who held her up. Blood covered the side of his face and smeared onto wherever he touched her, and Danielle just stared in numb disbelief at the spot soaked in blood.

That was Castiel.

A pool of blood.

That was it.

Bobby let go of her, and she dropped to her knees, her hands splashing in the small lake forming on the ground. That couldn't be it. Where did he go? Where was Castiel?!

A gunshot cracked through the air, and Danielle jumped, jerking her gaze up. She was reminded of her situation, of exactly where she was. Sam turned around slowly, a bullet hole trickling blood onto his jacket. He raised a hand, turning his fingers, and Bobby fell down in front of Danielle.

Danielle jerked backwards, away from Bobby's corpse, unable to scream.

"What about you?" Lucifer demanded, and she looked the devil in the eyes. Gone was the fear; it had been replaced by hatred, nothing but pure, unbridled fury. He was a murderer. He'd killed hundreds, thousands of innocents; he'd killed Bobby and Cas and Sam. Now, he dared to look her in the eye and speak to her? "Ah, right, Danielle. The coward."

That was it. The devil turned to Dean, slamming his knuckles across the man's face.

That couldn't be it. She was so much more than that. She was worth more than that. She wasn't a coward. She'd lost her family, her faith, her friends, and yet she still lived and fought tooth and nail. How was that cowardly?! She just looked Lucifer in the eyes, without flinching.

She glanced back down at the lake of blood and Bobby's corpse, and she suddenly felt livid.

They were heroes. All of them. And he was treating them like sacks of dirt. There was no chance she was going to sit back and let that happen.

She rose to her feet, pulling the angel blade from her waistband. While Lucifer way-laid on Dean's face, Danielle snuck up behind him, tears of rage brimming in her eyes.

She slammed the blade up through his chest, feeling it crack one of Sam's ribs. Lucifer's skin flashed dimly red, then a silvery blue.

Danielle held her breath, barely able to breathe. Had she just killed the devil?!

Lucifer turned very slowly, eyes narrowed in agitation. His chest heaved in fury, having finally lost his cool demeanor.

Danielle didn't see it happened. She heard Dean shout, and she felt a pinch in her chest.

Her back was on the ground, and she could see something silver sticking out from her chest.

And her vision went black.

Danielle's eyes snapped open, and she saw a ceiling. She could hear cars driving by, and the moonlight slanted across the bed in narrow stripes.

Sucking in a deep breath, her chest pitched and heaved as she clutched at her stomach.

Nothing.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes, relaxing under the comforter. She didn't have to look around. She knew exactly where she was.

"Really?" she mumbled to no one in particular, agitation rising swiftly in her chest. "Freaking again?"

"Danielle?"

She shot up like a rocket, throwing the blankets aside as she snapped up to her feet with a speed that surprised even herself. Her eyes locked on the angel in front of her.

"Cas?" she asked in disbelief. "You're alive! Well, kind of."

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, taking a step forward. He shared none of her enthusiasm, eyebrows furrowed in intent.

"What am I…?" she repeated, shaking her head in confusion. "What are you doing in my heaven?"

Castiel looked like he'd been stabbed. He straightened up like a board, eyes snapping wide as plates. He turned pale, his muscles tensing under his coat.

Danielle, taken aback, furrowed her brow. Her eyes slid past him, landing on the picture of Dean and the unnamed woman on her dresser.

Dean.

Dean.

Danielle turned her gaze back on Castiel, who was still staring at something just over her shoulder. "We have to get back," she stated. No response. Danielle ignored the angel; she had to get back to earth and save Dean. If she could find Joshua… She went to the front door, wrenching it open.

There was a wall.

Danielle felt panic blossom in her chest, and she slowly shut the door again. No, no, no, no, no. She opened it again, carefully this time, eyes squeezed closed. When she dared open her eyes, she felt like she had been punched in the gut.

The wall was still there.

"Cas…" she started, walking away from the door. This could not be happening.

The fallen angel cleared his throat, his voice sounding distracted as he spoke: "Um… I believe Joshua is dead."

Danielle turned around, eyes wide in panic. "So, what, we can't…?"

Castiel just met her gaze, and she dropped her head in her hands.

They were trapped.

When Danielle opened her eyes again, the room was flooded with light. She furrowed her brow, seeing the Christmas lights strung across the ceiling for the first time. Not even bothering to wonder what exactly was going on, she just ran her gaze around the room. Her eyes fell on the deck of cards on the table, and she gestured a stiff arm towards it.

"Hey, at least we can play cards for the rest of eternity," she said, her voice off-pitch and hollow-sounding.

"This is your heaven…" Castiel mumbled.

Danielle glanced at him, wondering why he looked so stricken. What was wrong with her heaven? Feeling a seed of worry make itself known in her stomach, she stepped over to him.

He stiffened as she got close, and she didn't miss him rocking to the back of his heels, away from her. She froze, ignoring the pang in her chest at the simple movement.

"What's wrong, Cas?" she whispered.

He wouldn't look at her. Why wouldn't he look at her? He turned his back to her, facing the dresser. Danielle licked her lips, nervous as he picked up a picture.

It was the picture of him and her.

She closed her eyes, letting out a long, steady breath. There were no excuses. Castiel, though a little behind on human feelings, would know exactly what a picture of them two, looking at each other like that, in her heaven, meant.

The tension in the air was crushing. If she had lit a match, Danielle felt like the whole room would explode. She could only see his back, his shoulders drawn up. He put the frame back down, and Danielle bit her lip to keep herself from trying to come up with some dumb excuse.

He turned towards her, just a little bit. Enough for her to see the outline of his face, before he turned back towards the dresser.

"We have to save Dean," Danielle muttered, clenching her hands together. She had no clue what Castiel's reaction meant, nor what to make of his weird actions.

"He's already dead."

Danielle stared at his back in shock, eyebrows pinching up. What was wrong with him? He sounded apathetic, emotionless, like he didn't care at all that his best friend was dead/dying.

She wanted to go back. With every bone of her body, she wanted to go ba-

Cas was gone.

Danielle froze, wide eyes staring at the spot where he disappeared. Oh, God, no. "C-Cas?" she breathed. The lights snapped off, and Danielle stepped back, pressing her spine against the wall as the crushing feeling of loneliness and despair slammed down on her chest. It took her breath away, and she wanted to curl up on the bed in the fetal position.

Oh, God, was she alone?!

"Ca-"

Danielle's eyes snapped open, closing again at the bright light shining down. She threw an arm over her face, shielding her sensitive eyes from the sun.

"Danielle."

She dropped her arm, squinting up. Cas's face hovered over hers, holding no expression.

"Where are we?" she asked, nearly crushed by relief.

"Earth." He stood up, disappearing out of eyesight.

Danielle's eyes flitted up to the sky, ignoring the pain as she stared up at the clouds.

Dean.

Danielle scrambled up to her feet, her head giving a painful throb in protest. She stumbled, watching two Castiel's going over to two dead Bobby's. The Castiels touched Bobbys brows, and the human's eyes opened.

The Bobbys morphed into one person as he sat up. Castiel stood, and Danielle tilted her head in confusion. Bobby met her gaze, eyes widening in concern. "You okay, kid?" he asked.

Danielle glanced down at her chest. Her shirt was ripped and blood stained down the front of the blouse, but her skin was perfectly healed. She looked back up and gave a simple shrug.

She turned around, seeing Dean. He was sitting on the ground, back to her, staring down at the ground. Danielle glanced around but couldn't see Sam anywhere.

Oh, God, had Michael and Lucifer already battled it out? How long had she been dead?

Dean glanced up at Cas, giving Danielle a good look at the blood covering his face. "Cas, you're alive?"

"I'm better than that," the human retorted, touching Dean's brow. The blood, the cuts, the bruises, all disappeared.

Danielle's eyes widened, and she glanced at the angel. "You're an angel again?" she asked in disbelief.

Dean slowly stood up. "Cas, are you God?"

"That's a nice compliment," Castiel returned. "But no. But I do believe He brought me back."

God again? Wasn't he gone, for good? That's what Joshua had said!

Castiel turned away, and Danielle stepped up to Dean. He stared down at her, eyes wide in shock. She glanced down at his hands, which were clutching the four horsemen rings. "Where is he?" she asked.

Dean swallowed, hard, holding up the rings. He tried to give her a faint smile, but all he could muster was a twitch of the cheek. "He did it."

Danielle's blood ran cold, and she stared at the rings in shock. "Oh, my God," she breathed.

He did it. He actually did it. He somehow took over and saved the world. And now… Now, he was…

Danielle raised her gaze, wanting to cry but unable to summon tears. Her heart was already crushed to the point of no return, and she'd already cried herself dry.

She reached out and held onto his arm.

Wow. Crying guys... Season 5 is my all-time favorite season, and I still can't believe I've finished it. Thanks so so so much for sticking around and reading y'all!

This is the end of part one, so there will probably be a little hiatus until I start putting up part two. It'll still be in this story, so y'all don't have to worry about a brand new story.

TabKinesis: Haha thank you!

mamareadstomuch2: I know ): Dean!Angst is the worst kind of angst. Thanks for the review!

Guest: Thanks!

ixistargirl89ixi: I don't think this chapter helped much ))))): Thanks for the review!

Angela: I don't think it would've worked this time /: I wish! Thanks for reviewing!

Fonninlotsofsnow: And now you have even more Sam feels! Just wait; part two is already SOAKED in nothing but Sam feels...

NotCrazyJustWeird97: Same.

Regin: Thank you!