I may have some plans coming up regarding how Dean and Sam will impact the Marvel storyline. Be prepared, ya'll.

May 2nd, 2008

In the end, it was Ruby who betrayed them, just like Clint expected. Although, not quite. Lilith had, at one point, taken the 'friendly' demon's meat suit, and Sam and Clint were forced to watch as their brother was ripped apart by Lilith's hellhounds.

Clint had seen so, so many horrible things in his life, both supernatural and ordinary. He'd never seen something so gut-wrenching at the sight of Dean, unmoving and covered in blood. Lilith had gone, both from the body and from the house, and the sound of Sam's sobs, and his own gasping for breath between tears, was worse than when Clint could not hear at all.

He heard somebody's footsteps make their way into the room, but couldn't bring himself to look away from his brother. He'd failed his little brother, when he'd been so sure of a last minute miracle to occur.

"Clint-" Of course it was Natasha.

He didn't say anything, but felt himself shake as he leaned against Sam, the latter still holding Dean's head on his lap as if he were only sleeping. Natasha rested a hand on his shoulder and he could hear a cry from Singer.

He realized exactly how Dean had felt a year earlier, why he'd done what he did for Sam.

If only Clint could have done the same for him.

They buried him. It was not traditional for Hunters to be buried - salted and burned to keep ghosts from appearing - but Sam insisted on keeping Dean whole (more or less). He returned to the farm with Clint, where the two were greeted with their remaining family.

Cooper waddled to the edge of the porch steps excitedly, and Laura stood behind him while resting an arm on her expanded stomach. Her dark hair was shorter than Sam had seen it last. Under normal circumstances, he would have felt guilty at not visiting with his brother or family in months, but instead he just felt a hollow emptiness that weighed heavy in his gut.

Your fault, your fault, Dean made the deal for you.

"Clint!" Laura had seen the blood that still stained their hands and clothes, although the worst of it had been removed at some point before the dawn. "Clint, what the fuck!" She ushered their small son inside and made her way down the steps and onto the gravel drive, doing her best to rush towards them.

Adam peered out from the screen door, his eyes blowing wide as he took in their appearance, and the lack of the second eldest Winchester. He bolted towards them.

"Baby, no," his sister-in-law cupped his older brother's face, her eyes searching for the words he could not say. Clint closed his eyes and pulled her in tight, careful to avoid her belly.

Adam reached them by then, his lower lip trembling ever so slightly as he glanced towards the husband and wife and then towards Sam. Sam nodded and was yanked into Adam's grip. He realized with a jolt that their kid brother - who really was no longer a kid at the age of eighteen - was now only a few inches shorter than himself.

They all drank that night, and he was grateful for a momentary distraction from the pain and the guilt as he sat on a recliner in the corner of the living room. The lights were off, but the glow from the kitchen and the reflection of the moonlight illuminated the room enough for him to see a toddler enter the room. Cooper gripped his uncle's pant leg, giving it a small but forceful shake. He glanced down at his nephew, trying to smile as the toddler raised his arms and pouted.

"Uncle Sammy!" Sam pulled the boy onto his lap and hugged him. "Be my horsey," the little boy demanded.

"Not right now, bud, Uncle Sammy needs to go to bed," Clint said as he made his way from the kitchen. His gaze met his brothers. "Unless you want some bonding time."

"He can stay," he said, his voice hardly more than a croak. He cleared his throat. "I probably won't go to bed for a little while. Clint's expression was unreadable as he watched him, before he sighed.

"As long as you get some sleep, bud." Sam nodded back to him.

He ended up putting his nephew to bed himself, the rest of the family retiring long before him. The next morning, he woke up in Adam's bed with a beer can in his hand, and several more on the floor.

By the second week of his stay, Clint had locked all the heavy liquor away, and no longer kept beer in the fridge.

A day later Sam nearly lost his mind when the crossroads demon wouldn't let him make a deal. He left with Ruby not long after, without a word to anyone.

Clint smiled, a real genuine smile, for the first time since Dean's death when Lila Deanna Winchester-Barton was born on July 3rd, 2008. He cried as he held his little girl in his arms, and wished his brother could be here to see it. Not just Dean, but everyone that they'd lost over the years. His birth parents, Barney. Mary and John would have spoiled her rotten he just knew.

A month later, Adam shared that he'd been accepted into the University of Wisconsin, on a scholarship no less. It was bittersweet to watch the teenager become an adult and move out on his own, even though he knew the kid had demon-proofed his entire apartment. The weekly updates helped, though, and he wished for the umpteenth time that Sam had not ghosted them all.

It was difficult, knowing that his brother needed help and yet not even knowing if he was still alive. Bobby hadn't heard from him since that night, and S.H.I.E.L.D was so far unlucky in their pursuit.

In August, Dean's cell rang Clint's phone, and he answered, hoping that he had good news regarding his brother's wearabouts, although he was likely calling with more disappointments.

There was silence and heavy static as he answered with, "Yo."

"Clint?"

Although shaky and hoarse, the voice was unmistakably Dean's.

Word Count: 1,038 without A/N.