Sam woke with a start, shaking out of an intense dream, the details of which instantly melted away. He laid with his eyes shut for a moment, catching his breath and trying to recall what it was that had him so worked up to begin with. He groaned lightly, his body feeling the ache, and he acknowledged that while he was wrapped in a blanket with his head on a pillow, he was very much laying on cold hard tile.

Finally he pulled his eyes open. He blinked, having a hard time recognizing where he was, not yet sure why he had seemingly passed out on the ground. He pulled himself upright, looking around him. Dean's room. He had come in and passed out in Dean's room... because…

Sam lurched to his feet as if he had been shocked. He barely made it to the sink in time to lose whatever little was left in his stomach before shakily falling back to the floor. His body trembled as the events of the day before rushed back in on him like a tidal wave. He looked down and tears blurred his vision as he saw the dried and rusting blood on his sleeves, on his shirt, on his pants. His brother's blood.

He curled in on himself, forcing his body into as tight a ball as he could make it, trying to protect himself against the world. He felt hollow, as if he had been gutted. Dean was gone. One stupid case with some stupid vampires. A cult of mooks in masks. And his brother was gone.

He had already burned away.

The younger hunter didn't so much as shift, even as he lost feeling in his legs. The numbness was welcome. If he was so numb inside, his body should reflect it.

Dean would be disappointed in me. He shook his head. That wasn't quite true. He sighed bitterly. It isn't fair. If it had been me. If I had died, Dean wouldn't be moping. He'd be ignoring every single one of my wishes and dealing with anyone who would listen to bring me back. He'd be-

Sam straightened up slightly. He clasped his hands together in a new desperation. "Jack… Jack please… I need you… Dean he-" His voice faltered. "I don't know if you know, but Dean is-" He swallowed as tears picked up speed. "Please. It doesn't have to… he doesn't have to be… you can bring him back. Jack he deserves a life… he deserves something more… Jack. I need him."

He waited as minutes turned to an hour, fingers tangled, muttering echos, pleading for Jack to come to him. To bring him his brother. Or at least to reach out. But his prayers went unanswered, and he was alone.

He became aware of movement in the open door, and looked up to find Eileen standing there, looking unsure as she watched him falling to pieces completely. She made up her mind, leaning over and pulling on his arms gently, coaxing him to stand.

Sam allowed himself to be led from his brother's room, entirely unaware of their heading, his mind swimming in a whirlwind of conflicting feelings. The world felt far away, as if he were looking at it through a window, or walking beside himself as Eileen brought him into the kitchen and sat him at the kitchen table.

He accepted the glass of water, sipping at it absently, going through the motions without really registering what was happening.

"What can I do?"

Sam looked at her properly for the first time since they arrived at the bunker. Sorrow was written across her face, battling with the concern reflected in her eyes. Concern for him.

"Nothing. I um…" Sam cleared his throat. "I need to uh… Jodie should know at least."

"Do you want me to call her?"

He shook his head, pinching his fingers together in a "No." He looked up at the ceiling, trying to collect himself. "I should be the one."

"Do you want to wait a bit?"

"I don't uh… I don't think that will help."

Eileen nodded, reaching into her pocket and pulling out his phone. She had taken it after he passed out, after she brought the blanket and pillow to help make him as comfortable as possible.

He pulled his hand from his chin in a "Thank you." He swiped it open and pulled up the contact before he could think himself out of it. He held his breath as it rang.

"Sam!" The cheery voice sounded over the phone. "How you boys doing?"

Sam broke down entirely.

.

It wasn't until the next day that Sam managed to speak again. He almost smiled a bit at the thought of it. Almost. Dean was usually the one who went quiet if he was too overwhelmed. One step before that and he was loud as anything, yelling and raging until the problem sorted itself out. But one push too far, and Dean seemed to lose his words. The few times it happened, Sam always spent his time waiting to hear him again. He would find himself missing the reassuring sound of his voice. I guess I'll miss it for the rest of my life now...

Eileen brought breakfast from the diner in town, and Sam picked at it, more to be polite than out of any actual interest. Still, it was better than nothing he supposed.

"First Cas, then Jack… now Dean…" Sam looked at Eileen, but his eyes were somewhat unfocused. "I don't… um… It's like my whole family is… dead or gone…" He felt a flash of guilt at his words. "I know I have you… And Jodie and… but…"

"It's not the same." Eileen finished, squeezing his hands. She understood what he meant.

"It's not like we… uh… It's not like I haven't lost people. Hell, it's not even the first time I lost any of them." He squeezed his eyes shut, his face flushing. "It's just… they always came back. Always. Or- or I brought them back. Or Dean did. With deals, or witchcraft. Both. Just something, there was always something."

"Sam-"

"I know. I know I can't… I promised. But I always promise. And I always ignore that. The last time I didn't, I left him in Purgatory… for a whole year I left him to fend for himself, him and Cas."

"He isn't in purgatory."

"Yeah." Sam muttered bitterly. "I know."

"He isn't in purgatory. He isn't in hell. He isn't a demon. Sam… you know where he is. He is at peace."

"I know that too… It just doesn't-" He trailed off.

"Make it any easier?"

"Yeah."

She rubbed her thumbs over his knuckles, taking a moment before speaking again. "He asked you to move on?"

"Yeah… he told me… to-" His voice faltered and broke again. It took him a moment to gather himself again. "When we lost Bobby… It hurt like this. Family, you know? And then… when we lost Mom… but this is different. Dean and me… we've had each other our entire lives, only each other a lot of times. Even when I went to Stanford… I knew that if I called, if I ever reached out, he would come running."

"Jack?"

"I tried… either he isn't listening, or he can't do anything." Sam's eyes darkened. "It's just us…"

Eileen nodded silently, letting Sam sit. Letting him process. Letting him mourn.

.

Meanwhile, Jack hadn't allowed himself to hear Sam's prayers since his heart had cried out when Dean died. The shock wave of grief had nearly blinded him, and it was only the ability to find Dean that had anchored him against that despair. He knew he had nothing he could give Sam. He wasn't fully sure what Dean's position as Death meant for the long term, and he could do nothing to return him to his brother.

He knew for now Sam would feel better left with the thought at least Dean was in heaven. He knew one day he would tell him what happened, but for now at least, while the grief was so raw, he thought it better to keep his distance. They couldn't afford to stray now. They needed to act quickly if they were to have any chance to get Cas out before the empty could do her worst. Before Dean was subject to whatever whims the universe had for him in his new position.

He looked up at Dean as they walked down the winding dirt road.

"If it's heaven, and you're god, can't we just zap wherever we're going?"

Jack gave a small smile. "Ash has a strict no flying policy."

Dean looked up, his expression twisting into one of shock before a small smile formed on his lips. He hadn't let himself process yet what Jack had meant by familiar faces, but as they rounded the corner and the roadhouse came into view, he suddenly realized the implications.

It took self control to keep from quickening his pace to a run, and he felt a little silly, like a little kid excited for Christmas. He could feel the pull in the promise of family already, and he was ready to greet whoever was inside.

"Well look who finally decided to join us." A voice sounded, a familiar blonde stepping out onto the deck.

"Jo." Dean managed to keep his voice even, if just barely.

"Took you long enough. Thought you would have bit it ages ago." She teased.

"Too stubborn."

"Well good." She said sincerely. "And well… sorry for your loss."

Dean swept her into a hug, feeling a sliver of closure seeing the warmth in her face.

"Come on, everyone's waiting on you."

He wasn't sure exactly what to expect when he crossed into the building, but he was far from disappointed by the crowd that surrounded him.

Jo stepped aside, and Dean made the rounds of heartfelt hellos for all those closest he had lost over the years. Ellen, Ash, Pamela, Charlie, and Kevin stood by, excitement he was finally there with them mixing with sorrow it was so soon. Bobby clapped him on the shoulder, slipping a beer into his hand and gesturing towards the bar where everyone had started to settle.

"So you guys all know each other now?" The reunion still felt like a dream, just a little unreal, like maybe it would all fade away if he wasn't careful.

"Ash has been gathering your family as we hit heaven for a while now." Charlie offered. "Even before Jack started to break down the walls."

"His roadhouse is the template I'm trying to use to unite the souls in their personal heavens." Jack explained. "He and Charlie have been helping me work around the laws of the universe that make up the entire structure of heaven. In the hopes to unite them all as one."

"It's all just code, man." Ash beamed. He turned to Dean. "It's been a while. You two used to dance up here all the time." He pulled his laptop up onto the bar. "So I hear you guys are trying to gate crash the empty."

Dean nodded, his head swimming with the new information. "Uh… yeah… Cas is there..."

"Jack told us." Ellen assured him, sensing his reluctance to talk about it.

Ash continued typing away. "The empty is a harder nut to crack than your average sky sandbox."

"Yeah, didn't figure it'd be an easy place to get to." Dean replied.

"It's not a place at all." Ash corrected.

"Come again?"

"Heaven, it's a place. Well, places for now. Hell, that's a place. Earth. But the empty. It's nothing and something all at once. And more than that, it's alive. The empty it… he… she... is a living part of the void. She controls it, is a part of it. You not only have to get inside, but you need some way to dodge her while she knows exactly where you are."

"Any ideas?"

Charlie looked up from a laptop Dean hadn't noticed her pull onto the bar as well. "Not on that yet. We've been running a few programs, trying to pinpoint the exact spot where the wall is weakest between here and there."

"Let us handle the entry point. You guys work on the rest."

Dean turned back to the group as it erupted in voices, all talking at once, to and over each other, clearly continuing a conversation about the problem they had been having before he and Jack arrived.

He tried to keep up, but everyone seemed to have their own ideas about what to do. He jumped slightly as a hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked up at Bobby.

"Hey kid, can I borrow you for a second?"

Dean nodded, slipping off his stool and following Bobby towards the back of the roadhouse. They slipped through one of the doors and Dean had to stop, looking around him as his heart clenched. The living room of Bobby's old house, perfectly messy. It even smelled the same.

"Figured you could use a break from all that chatter." Bobby offered. He pulled Dean into an abrupt and hearty hug, and Dean found himself at a loss for words. They held like that for a moment before the gruff older hunter pulled back. He sank down in his chair, gesturing towards the worn out familiar couch.

Dean sat down slowly, feeling his weight settle on the cushion. He was surprised by the tears that built behind his eyes and tried to hold them back. "Hey Bobby." He finally managed to choke.

"Was hoping not to see you up here until you'd gone grey."

Dean gave a weak smile. "Yeah well. Tried telling the monsters that, but you know how they are."

Bobby nodded, looking over Dean, a glint of pride in his eyes, as well as his own battle with tears. "You look good, son."

"Yeah…" Dean said absently, barely registering the conversation. "Yeah, thanks."

"How's that brother of yours?"

"Good… last time I saw him, he was good. Well… I guess not the last time I saw him." He said, his expression darkening slightly.

"You'll see him again."

"Yeah…"

"That kid of yours seems nice." Bobby offered. "He's Lucifer's son?"

"Technically." Dean nodded, relaxing slightly, allowing himself to at least rest against the back of the couch. "Sam, Cas and I raised him though."

"Well he managed to turn out alright in spite of you three." Bobby said, his tone still gentle but teasing.

Dean could tell Bobby was holding back, trying not to overwhelm him and he appreciated it. So much had happened, nothing had sunk in. They were just eating pie. Some pie festival in some cow town, and they caught wind of a case. Supposed to be a quick little nest, then back to the bunker. Now he was dead. Now he was Death. And everyone was here but it was all too much. A few tears managed to slip down his face in spite of his best efforts.

"It's been a while."

"Yeah." Dean croaked. Sam had gotten to see him in Purgatory, and then talk with him in heaven. Dean hadn't seen him since they burned that flask.

"I've been catching bits of your story here and there. People you know been catching me up."

"Guess you know all the shit we kicked up."

"Seems you got a handle on it. Raising the new God and all."

Dean gave a weak laugh. "Yeah, I guess we did alright." He looked back at his surrogate father. "Jack spring you out of jail?"

"Oh Ash busted me out maybe a month after I got there."

"Of course he did."

Bobby leaned back in his chair, staring at Dean like he was trying to take in every detail. He really had missed him. "Was worth it to go though."

"I guess."

"Got you out of the fire." He shrugged. "Eventually."

Dean nodded thoughtfully. "You seen Dad?"

"Not yet. Jack asked if he should fold your parents into this whole mess. Didn't think John would play nice with others."

"Yeah, probably right."

"They'll be along soon enough."

"If I get to see them. Did Jack-"

"I know what you are now." Bobby confirmed. "Not quite sure how that all works, being we knew Death."

Dean coughed, looking away. "Yeah uh… I sort of killed him."

"Mmhmm." Bobby said slowly, leveling his gaze. He waited for him to elaborate.

"He was coming for Sam. Sort of." He wasn't willing to go into too many details. "When Death dies, I guess for a while the next reaper to die became Death."

"Right."

"But um… I sort of killed her too."

"I see."

Dean flashed a smile that was mostly just a front. "Guess the universe got tired of my shit after all."

"Easy to see why."

The younger hunter pulled a face, but the jab was enough to break the last bit of tension and he relaxed fully. "Man it's good to see you." He breathed.

"You too, son."

"Bobby, I don't know what to do with all this. Last few months. I mean our whole life has been one hit after the next. But we got into a fight with God. Then losing Cas… dying… now I'm supposed to be Death? I don't even know what that means. And we're supposed to fight the empty? I don't know if I got it in me."

"You've always been stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"Not this strong."

"Bull."

Dean looked up on him, pain written across his face. "What do we do if we can't get him out?"

"Who, Cas? You'll find a way."

"Bobby… he… it's my fault he's in there."

"Yeah, right." The older hunter crossed his arms. "Let me guess. He made a deal with it to save someone." He spoke again before Dean could interject. "That's what you all do to get yourself in trouble. Demons, devils. Self sacrifice is just about the only thing you kids know how to do."

Dean threw a dark look at him. "Yeah. He traded his happiness for Jack. If he let himself experience true happiness it came for him. And he let it, to save me."

"Sounds about right."

"What if we can't get him out?" He repeated, a touch of desperation building in his voice.

"God, Death, a room full of geniuses in the next room? I wouldn't bet against you."

Dean gave another reluctant smile. "Yeah, I guess."

The two hunters looked up as Charlie bounded into the room.

"We've got it."