Rescue:

For Sapphire: The beautiful child whose homicide I reported this week. Because you deserved to be rescued, and I wish I could have saved you.

Castiel cried as Sam's head bowed. Dean cleared his throat, looking down into the well where his little brother was chained up. "Hey, hey, Sammy! We told you we would save you, buddy. Look up." Dean shook himself, trying to ignore Castiel.

"Raphael! You will pay for this!" Cas dug his fists into the snow, lighting it on fire with his grace. Dean didn't even try to figure that out.

Dean felt a cry bubble to his throat. A cry of love for the kid brother who had saved him from so much.

"Sam?" Dean wondered if the poor kid even remembered him. Beautiful Sam whose whole life had been grave trouble reduced now to stupor.

Dean got on his belly, and crawled closer to well's mouth, despising the smell of the curse down in it. Hell yawned beneath it. Dean knew that the Cage was also down there and that's where the chain led to. That Sam had to endure Lucifer and Michael's torments still, along with Raphael's. That he'd known all this when he'd made this deal to save Dean and Cas and he'd done it anyway. If that wasn't love, then Dean didn't know what.

Dean got down to where he was close enough he could, at last, touch him.

"Sammy…"He reached down a shaking palm, cupping the boy's cold and wet chin, like holding a blossom after a spring shower. Sam flinched and gnashed his teeth, frightened by touch. Dean's other hand came up.

"Dean!" Cas was terrified that they'd both fall in and down to Lucifer. He grabbed Dean's shoulder in the same place he'd saved him from Perdition before.

Sam wrenched alert at the sound of his brother's name. His eyes dawned looking at Dean's eyes that were as green as the first spring in Eden.

"Dee?"

"Heya, Sammy…"Dean licked the tears off of his lips, wanting to scrub them away but loathe to take his hands off Sam's frigid face. Sam blinked, stunned.

"How-how did you?"

"I'll explain later, okay. We gotta get outta here. Before he comes back."

"Or before you both fall in!" Cas wailed in desperation.

"Yeah-no, no! Don't fall in!" Sam wrenched in his chains. Dean reached down further and grabbed him under his arms.

Cas let out a gasp. Then, he tied his trench coat's tails to Dean's waist. If he couldn't haul him back up with him, he'd just fall in too, so they three brothers would be together in Eternity torment or none. Dean closed his eyes picking up on this without asking. Sam's eyes were wide with fear, wondering what they were even doing here. The whole point was to save them, wasn't it?

Hands shaking, Cas reached up and gingerly melted Sam's chains. It was a breath and a moment of sheer, gut-dropping terror as Sam was hauled up and out and into the snow.

Sam fell on Dean's chest. He looked down at him mesmerized by his eyes for a moment. Then he was being bear-hugged by both Dean and Cas. Both were crying. Sam was too stunned yet to be emotional. He just pressed his face into Dean's chest and twisted his hands in Cas' coattails.

"Oh, Oh crap! Cas! We gotta get a move on. He's...He'll know we sprung him out any second." Dean sat up with a chirp. Sam studied Dean's face and then turned to Cas in terror. To Sam's amazement, Cas seized his face and firmly kissed his cheek.

"Oh goodness...I'm so glad you're mostly okay at the moment…"Cas shook his head. Dean put his hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, you're right. Sam...I'm going to heal your legs so you can run, but I won't be able to heal the rest of these wounds right away. If you're in pain, take my hand and my grace will pass through my palm and down your arm." Cas frowned. Sam wasn't paying any attention. He flinched and looked back as Hell demanded he come back to its never-ending broil.

"You're gonna have to do it on the fly, buddy. We're losing contact with him." Dean snapped his fingers under Sam's nose but he didn't make any gesture of response.

Cas laid a hand on Sam's forehead. The boy groaned as his legs lit up with grace, but it only lasted a minute.

"Okay, get him up. I'll scout ahead." Cas leaped to his feet, a tangle of wings and flames. Dean was still getting used to being able to see his grace in this place.

"D-Dean…?"

Dean stood Sam up and hugged him.

"Shh...I'm here now, kiddo...It's okay."

Believing that was all Heracles trials. Dean closed his eyes and pressed his face to Sam's shoulder, trying to actualize the solid shape in his grip.