The lake was still besides a slight breeze that sent a ripple of water up to the pier where Dean sat. The wind ruffled his hair and he squinted his closed eyes as he woke to the bright sun. Strange, he didn't remember coming to this lake. It looked familiar, but he couldn't place it completely. A kid laughed from somewhere on the shore. He cracked open his eyes and looked around.
"Sam?" Dean called and sat up in the low wooden chair. There was no sign of anyone, much less his brother. "Sammy?" Dean stood, surprised when he became suddenly dizzy. He grabbed the back of the chair. "Bobby?" His chest hurt and he pressed a hand to it. "Sam! Bobby! Where are you?"
The sky was slowing getting darker, the breeze turning into more of a wind. The once placid lake rocked with heavier waves.
"Anybody!" Dean fell to one knee, still clinging to the chair. In desperation, he called out the only other name that came to his head. "Cas? CAS!" The same strange wrenching feeling in his brain from before. It made him nauseous. He groaned and bent over, his forehead pressing onto the wooden planks.
A whoosh. "Dean." Hands on his shoulders, pushing him back upright. Their touch made pain and dizziness immediately disappear. Cas's bright blue eyes considered him from under dark eyebrows. "Dean," he repeated. "It's time."
Dean forced himself to stand, the angel rising from his squatted position as well. "What?"
"It's time." Cas gave a sad half-smile, one hand still resting on the hunter's shoulder. Behind the angel was the Impala. Dean could feel the pull. He wanted to go to the car. To get in and drive away to where ever he needed to go to be free. He started walking forward with Castiel. With every step he felt stronger. But a sudden thought of Sam made him stop suddenly.
"No." Dean shook his head. "No, it's not. I still have. . ." He tried to remember how long the doctor had given him, how long it'd been since they had talked.
"Please, Dean. Don't make this any harder."
Dean backed away, out of the angel's reach. "No, I have to say goodbye to Sam."
"Dean-."
"I need to make sure he'll be okay." Dean looked around for an exit. Only the once again still lake surrounded him. The exit to land was blocked by Cas's trenchcoated form.
"Dean there isn't time."
"No." Dean set his jaw. "There's always a bit more time."
"You're in a lot of pain. You can't take this."
"I feel fine."
"You've shut down. I'm blocking what you should be feeling."
"Then keep blocking it."
"I can't once you wake up."
"I'll deal, dammit." Dean clenched his fists. "You can't stop me."
Cas opened his mouth to say something, but Dean turned away, running straight for the lake waters.
..
The pain hit first. The sharp stabs throughout his body. His breath caught, what little he could get only seeming to amplify the feeling. Tears sprung to his eyes. It would have been so much easier to go with Cas. He forced himself to sit up. Then he forced himself to stand. The nausea hit him like a truck and he couldn't stop himself from dry heaving where he stood. It was a good thing he'd already emptied his stomach. He coughed long and harshly into his arm, spraying his shirt with blood.
Dean made himself walk, one small agonizing step after another, the room tilting to the right. He somehow made it to the stairs, steeling himself for the trek down. One step, then he was falling, tumbling, down the flight to the bottom, slamming into the wall with a groan. His hearing was muffled behind his pounding head but he could feel Bobby's footsteps coming toward him.
A mumbling accompanied hands on his shoulders, pulling him up to lean against the wall. They started to let go, but when he slumped, they caught and held him up. More mumbling that he couldn't understand. The darkness was so much better than this. . .
No. He had to stay awake. His eyes flew back open, searching around landing on Bobby. He started to say something, but the nausea struck him again and he dry heaved over the steps. It quickly dissolved into more coughing, blood speckling the ground.
"Come on, Dean." Bobby pulled the taller man up and supported him to the couch.
"Sam," Dean managed to croak out.
"I'll get him, I'll get him. Just calm down." Bobby moved out of Dean's line of sight, the screen door opening.
Dean squeezed his eyes shut against the pain that washed over him again, turning toward the back of the couch and wrapping his arms around his clenching chest.
"Dean?" He heard Sam's voice and felt his presence next to the couch.
The elder Winchester forced himself to unwind, pulling his eyes open. "Hey. . . Sammy." Dean winced as he moved to look at his brother.
Sam was speechless for a moment. He seemed to know what was coming.
"Need to. . . tell. . ."
"Dean, stop."
Dean shook his head weakly. "Time."
"No." Sam shook his head vehemently. "We still have time."
Another bout of coughing shook Dean and Sam helped move him so he didn't choke.
Bobby hovered in the background, a hand over the lower half of his face.
Dean grimaced. His vision was beginning to blur. "Please." He took a moment to recover. "Just need to say. . . 's okay." His green eyes met his brother's hazel ones. "'S okay."
Tears started leaking out of Sam's eyes. He grabbed onto his brother's hand, calloused from years of rough work, and bent his head to it.
"I'm not. . . scared. . . anymore."
"I am," Sam murmured.
Dean's lips twitched a bit. "I know." He squeezed his brother's hand as best he could. "Don't be." His eyes drifted past his brother to the back of the room. "We're. . . gonna be okay." His eyes began to slide shut, his breathing shallow and ragged.
Bobby stepped up and put a hand on Sam's shoulder.
"Dean!" Sam shook Dean's shoulder desperately, dragging him back from unconsciousness.
His eyes searched for a moment, but ended up back on the far side of the room. "I can't. . . stay, Sammy." A cocky grin spread across his face in a sad shadow of what it once was. "The angel of death has come for me."
"I am not the angel of death," a deep voice said from back in the room. Instantly, Bobby and Sam were up and on edge. Sam pulled the demon blade out and had it at the ready.
"Who the Hell are you?" Bobby demanded.
"You can see him?" Dean asked breathlessly from the couch.
"'Course I can. I ain't blind. Now who are you?" Bobby asked again.
"My name is Castiel." The dark haired man moved forward and Sam moved to stop him. A tug on his hand that was still holding onto Dean gave him pause.
"He's good." Dean managed before going into another coughing fit.
Sam frowned. "Castiel?" A memory surfaced. "Cas." He turned back to the strange man. "You're the one who stopped me."
"Your brother stopped you, I simply helped." The man moved forward again, this time Sam moved aside a bit.
"What the Hell is this?" Bobby looked between the boys and the stranger.
"He's been watching out for Dean."
"I'm an angel of the Lord." Cas seemed ignorant of the unbelieving looks on Bobby and Sam's faces. The two turned to watch as Cas put a hand on the now unconscious Dean's arm. His blue eyes didn't blink as he stared intently at the prone form, his brow furrowed.
Suddenly the green eyes flicked open and Dean focused on the figure leaning over him. "Cas, 'bout time you showed up."
"It's time, Dean."
Dean hesitated, glancing at Sam and Bobby.
"Dean?" Sam stared at his brother with a tear stained face.
"Cas will take care of me, Sammy," Dean managed in one rush. "Bobby." Dean looked at the older man with pleading eyes.
"I'll watch out for him. I always have," Bobby assured.
Sam knelt next to his brother again, tears running down his face. "I'm sorry, Dean."
"No." Dean smiled slightly. "I'm proud of you Sam." Then nodded at Cas. "Ready."
The angel nodded back, placing two fingers against Dean's forehead like he always did. Dean closed his eyes as a warm darkness took over.
Castiel slowly stood straight, his hand falling back to his side. Sam didn't move from his brother's side. Bobby moved and put his hands on Sam's shoulders, tears flowing down his own face.
After a few moments, Castiel looked at the other Winchester. "I'm sorry."
"Are you really-." Sam hesitated. "Will he be okay?"
Cas's blue eyes didn't blink or hesitate. "Yes."
..
It was the lake again. The pier and the clam water. Dean stood from the chair and looked without hesitation toward the shore where he knew the Impala would be waiting.
This was the hardest chapter to write.
I hope everyone enjoyed the story, even though it was sad. This started out as a very short one shot and now it's this! Thank you all for the reviews and follows and favorites. I love you all!
~abrokencastiel