She finds Castiel sitting by the bonfire in the center of the camp. Mornings became colder and colder every day, and it seems like there will be a winter in this world too, eventually. Jack is nowhere to be seen.
"Castiel." - she says in a flat voice.
He doesn't look at her.
"Yes, Mary?"
"It has been three days. We have to do something."
Angel's expression is inscutable. After a moment of silence, he articulates:
"Like what, Mary? Talk to him? We've tried that, vainly. He just denied it all. What do you expect me to do? Go there, knock out Dean, take Sam and burn his body? I can't do that. No to him. He is my best friend."
"I didn't meant that." - she sags next to him by the fire. - "It's been three days. The body started decomposing. Dean is not seeing it. He feeds him, you know? With the spoon, and everything. Talks to him all the time. He never leaves his side. I think there's only one solution, really."
"What solution?" - gulps Castiel, distraught.
Mary's face is like a stone.
"I have to bring Dean back to our world" – she announces. "Find him help. You have to say there, fight his war, and lead this people to the victory they deserve. I never thought I would say that, but I'm a mother, and I would do anything for my children." (Child, she reminds herself).
Cass isn't considering it, even for a minute.
"You know that it would do everything I can to save this people here." - he assures her. "Do what you have to do. The world will understand."
That was their goodbye for now.
OOO
She is on her way to the cabin, thinking how the hell is she gonna convince Dean to leave Sam, to go with her towards the portal and to the real world. Her head is empty, she doesn't have any ideas. But she has to invent something, anything.
She stops in front of the cabin wooden door, gainig all the courage she has left to go inside. She knows what is waiting for her there.
Oh God, please, help me. You've taken enough from me.
She opens the door and steps in.
OOO
The cabin is filled up with the stench of death.
So much death everywhere.
"Mom! It's so good that you're here." - Dean is restless, disturbed. "Sammy's not well. He is feeling bad since he woke up this morning. He didn't eat any of his breakfast."
"Is he?" - Mary isn't sure if she wants to play that game. She just feels so tired, but she approaches the cot that Sam has been placed and lays a hand on his temple. His eyes are sunken and his skin is greenish. He has been dead for three days. This is no surprise.
"He is a little feverish, I think." – she supposes, even though his body is icy cold.
"I know" – agrees Dean, gaze returning to his brother. "But I don't know what to do. I don't have any Tylenol or anything like that."
"Just let him sleep." - advises Mary. "We can take a walk when he sleeps, breathe some fresh air, don't you think?"
"No, no, I have to stay here in case Sammy wakes up and needs me. He might be thirsty. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not leaving him." - every sentence is making Dean more and more nervous.
"Okay, son. I didn't mean it like that. It's okay." - says Mary, feeling another two hundred tons of sadness sunking at her heart.
What the heck I'm supposed to do?
OOO
She was trying not to, but eventually she falls asleep on an old, dusty armchair, bitten by mices here and there. It is odd, but she haven't slept so deep and so good like... never since she came back to life. Dean is still fussing around Sam. He is constantly fixing his pillows and wraping him tighter in the blanket. He is also singing songs for him, in a quiet, gentle voice.
Mary is a silent witness of it all, but she is quite sure that, somewhere in her mind, a special room has been created. A room where all of this tragedy, sadness and helplessness will be preserved to haunt her forever.
Her traumas are her own. She will handle this, somehow, someday. She just isn't sure if Dean will ever come back to be the same after this.
No. He'll never be the same without Sam.
Raised voices rouses her from her thoughts. Somebody is approaching the cabin, she hears two persons arguing. They are getting closer and Mary recognises the voices – it's Jack and Castiel.
"I can do it, Castiel! I'm strong enough. I've been practicing." - Jack states.
"Jack, reviving a few squirrels and a badger is nothing comparing to restoring a human soul!" - Cass argues.
"I don't care. I have to try. Sam and Dean are my family. They would do the same for me."
"Jack..."
"What are you talking about?" - interrupts Mary, who has gone outside the cabin.
They were so busy talking that they didn't notice her coming. Cass tries to say something, but Jack interjects him:
"I can bring Sam back. I have enough power, I can feel it."
"Jack, you know that Sam died three days ago, right?" - Mary makes sure. "His body is not... fresh."
"I know." - affirms Jack. "That's why I revived that badger. It was pretty rotten too, but it worked. I healed it's carcass and then I revived it."
"You think... you think that'll work on Sam as well?" - questions Mary, feeling a tiny bit of hope appearing inside her.
"I believe so."
"Jack" - Castiel speaks again. "You know that it may go wrong. There is a possibility that Sam will turn into a zombie. I don't think that Dean would endure that."
"Do it, Jack." - decides Mary.
The nephilim nodds.
"Mary..." - Castiel tries, but she doesn't let him finish.
"Castiel." - Mary says calmly. "I know that you're trying to do the right thing, but I've spent the last three days in that cabin. I don't think Dean will get through this. If Jack says he can fix this, I say we should try."
"Okay." - Castiel's eyes are drilling right through her stubborn gaze, and he sighs. "I'm in."
OOO
"We didn't asked you to visit." - Dean notes when three of them step inside the cabin. "Sam is resting, this is not a good time." Dean is tensed, ready to jump and defend Sam against all harm.
"Dean, we are to help. Jack can heal Sam, make him feel better. Woudn't that be great?" - cajoles Mary, coming closer to the cot.
Dean shields Sam with his own body.
"Sam is safe with me." - he growls. "Nothing bad is gonna happen to him. You can leave."
"Of course he is safe." - Mary knows she treads on boggy ground. "You will be with him the whole time. Just let Jack take a look at him. He'll help."
"No."
"Dean..."
Castiel flies to him in a split second and touches Dean's forehead. Catches him when he falls forward.
"He wouldn't let us try." announces Cass to a stunned Mary. "I put him into a deep sleep."
"Oh" - huffs Mary. "Good. Jack, your turn."
Jack approaches to Sam's body and puts his two fingers on his forehead.
A light beams from Jack's fingers, his eyes are glowing, and soon Sam's body is enveloped in the radiance.
Mary watches with amaze how the manifestations of death are disappearing from her son's face, how his body regains its normal colour and tenderness, how horrifying wound in Sam's neck closes.
It is truly, utterly beautiful.
Then the radiance intensifies and closes in Sam's chest.
Sam sits upright and takes a rapid, deep breath, as if he was thirsty for air.
OOO
Cass wakes up Dean from his angelic coma and helps him stand. Jack is smiling, Mary puts her arm around him and grins too.
Sam is sitting on the cot with a cup of hot tea in his lap.
"Sammy?" - Dean asks in disbelief.
"Dean." - Sam's voice is croaky. He has not used his vocal cords for three days.
Dean just walks to Sam and grasps him into tight embrance. Sam hugs him back, cuddling.
Neither of them want to let go.
"Listen, I'm sorry about all of this." - starts Sam in wobbly voice.
"Are you good?" - inquires Dean, looking at him with worry.
"I'm alive, yeah."
"Well, then you got nothing to apologize for." - emphasizes Dean, holding him by his arms. "I thought I'd lost you, man."
Mary sends a signal to Castiel and Jack. They shouldn't disturb this special moment between two brothers, be a witnesses to their bond and love. Right now they need only each other.
All three of them leave.
OOO
Mary returns to the shack late in the evening. She is exhaused, the last three days really gave her a hard time, the hardest time of her life probably. She almost lost her sons.
They lie together on the cot, spooning. Dean is the big spoon, wrapping Sam in a close hug, face burried in his hair. Sam is the little spoon, body curled up into a ball, floating in Dean's warm and protectiveness.
"You feel warm now?" - Mary hears Dean speaking softly.
"Yeah." - assures Sam. "When was the last time we lay like this?"
"When you were just a wee jerk, not a giant jerk like now."
"Shut up, bitch."
They lie silently for a few moments, their breaths deep and steady, and Mary is convinced that they fell asleep.
"Never do that again." - it's Dean's gentle voice again. "Die on me like that."
"I know." - whispers Sam.
"Promise me."
"I promise."
Mary falls asleep, smiling to herself. As long as her boys have each other, they're gonna be okay.
