Thank you so much SamGirlDeanCurious for beta'ing and VegasGranny and Ncsupnatfan for pre-reading.

Chapter Sixteen

Castiel set them down in the library of the bunker where Jack and Dean's Castiel were standing a little away from the table talking quietly. Dean and Jessica were at a table, an empty glass in front of each of them and a half-full bottle of whiskey between them. They all looked around at the sound of their arrival, and Dean and Jessica jumped to their feet, a brief scream of surprise coming from Jessica and a groan of his brother's name from the Dean of this world.

They ran at John and he took a step back, half turning to shield Sam from them. "Easy," he cautioned.

Neither of the intended objects of his warning seemed to even notice his words. They both crowded the figure in his arms, hands reaching for him and tears painting their faces.

"Baby," Jessica said, her fingers tracing the curve of Sam's cheek. "I'm here."

Dean smoothed back his brother's hair and said, "Why isn't he awake?"

"He's in shock," the Castiel of this world said. "And his body has undergone tremendous trauma of having the soul put back in."

"The soul?" the other Dean asked. "What the hell do you mean soul?"

"Not now," John growled, stepping back and holding his son closer in his arms. "Let's get him comfortable then we'll explain. We need him healed."

Dean's own Castiel nodded and said, "I can do that. We should settle him somewhere first. If he wakes, he's going to need space."

John walked away, still holding Sam close, and they all followed in what Dean tried not to think of as a funeral cortege. They came to the bedrooms, and Dean opened the door to the room that was Sam's in their own world. John went in and laid him on the bed.

Despite Castiel's softly spoken words about giving him space, Jessica climbed onto the bed beside him and stroked his hair, her eyes streaming tears and her mouth pressed into a line to conceal the sobs that made her chest heave. The Dean of this world positioned himself on his other side and John stood by the head of the bed, the only one who seemed to have heard Castiel's advice.

"Go on," the other Castiel urged his counterpart. "Heal him."

Dean's Castiel pressed his fingers to Sam's forehead and a light glowed for a moment before he pulled back. Sam's face flushed with color and the shadows under his eyes disappeared as they began to roll under their lids.

Castiel moved back and the Dean of this world and Jessica began to touch him again, smoothing his hair and stroking his cheek as they whispered his name.

"You really do need to give him space," Dean's Castiel warned.

Dean moved to stand beside Jack and nudged his arm. "You okay?"

Jack started to nod and then sighed and shook his head. "I know it's not Sam, not our Sam, but it looks just like him. I don't like seeing him like that. It feels wrong. I want to help him."

Dean had the experience of seeing Sam like this before, and in worse states; he'd carried his dead body before. It never got any easier. He had to remind himself that this wasn't his brother. His Sam was in Maryland, taking care of the cover story for this Sam's disappearance, and giving himself the time and space he needed from what was happening here.

"It is hard," Castiel agreed, coming to stand with them as his counterpart of this world moved to stand beside John who looked like he was fighting some internal struggle, his hands reaching toward his son and then falling back to his sides.

Jack nodded. "I need to help."

"You have helped as much as you can," Dean said. "You made this possible by bringing us here. Now it's down to John to finish it. And Sam. He's going to need to be strong for this."

He was referring to both versions of Sam: the one that was his, with his heart breaking, and the one that was lying on the bed with who knew what kind of trauma spiraling around in his head.

As if to add emphasis to what Dean was thinking, Sam began to moan and toss his head from side to side.

"Baby?" Jessica said, her hand falling from his cheek to clench on her lap.

"Come away," John said. "Give him his space."

It looked as though they were considering it, but before they could move, Sam's eyes flew open and a scream of pain ripped from him that chilled Dean's heart. The scream trailed off and Jessica and Dean both rushed into speech, speaking his name and comforting words.

"Stop," John commanded. "Dean, give him space. Jess, talk to him, let him hear you."

The Dean of this world made slow and reluctant movements to get from the bed and stand up, his eyes fixed on his brother and his need obvious in his eyes.

Dean understood how he felt. If he'd been told to be away from his brother and allow someone else to take care of him, it would be hell. He'd never been in a situation where there was someone as important to Sam as Jessica was, and he supposed that Dean had time to get used to it before Sam was taken, but it was still obviously a struggle for him.

"You're okay, baby," Jessica said softly, her hand tentatively reaching to touch his cheek as his eyes squeezed closed and he panted. "You not in Hell anymore. We got you back. We're going to take care of you. Look at me."

With what looked like a supreme effort, Sam's eyes opened and fixed on her. His lips parted with shock and Dean could see the confusion and doubt as he had seen it before in his brother when he'd been struggling to differentiate between what he was seeing and what Lucifer was telling him about being in the Cage still.

"Tell him it's real, Jess," he murmured. "He's not sure."

"You're really out, baby," she said. "John got you out. He saved you. He's here." She glanced at John and gestured him closer. "Look, he's here, and Dean."

Dean and John approached the bed slowly and Sam looked at them, his eyes wide and disbelieving.

"It's real, Sammy," the other Dean said in the tone Dean himself used to sooth his brother when he needed it. "You're out. She doesn't have you anymore."

Sam licked his lips and blinked up at his brother, some indefinable light in his eyes that was almost completely hidden by pain. "Dean… I… I'm really out?"

"Yes," John said, stepping closer and picking up Sam's hand. He cupped it between his own and said. "You're free, Sam. And we have a way to stop her. She's never going to hurt you again, I swear."

Sam blinked and tears slipped down his cheeks. "It hurts, Dad," he whispered. "It really hurts."

"I know," John said softly. "And we're going to find a way to help with that, too. Just rest a while."

Sam rolled to the side, burying his face in the pillow, and began to sob.

Dean touched Jack's arm and said, "Let's give them a little time. Come on, Cas. They don't need us right now."

They filed out of the room and Dean continued into the library. He picked up the bottle of whiskey and poured a measure into the glass Jessica had been using when they arrived. He took a sip, rolled it around in his mouth and then swallowed, feeling the heat warm his throat and then stomach. "Man, that was rough," he said.

"It was," Castiel agreed. "But that part is over."

"Where's Sam?" Jack asked. "Why didn't he come back?"

"He needed a little space," Dean said. "This whole… reunion… thing… Jess, is hard on him. He's covering the story of this Sam waking up. He was in a nursing home in Maryland. I guess he could have just disappeared, this world sees enough crazy to accept it, but Sam wanted to take care of it." He checked his watch. "I'll send the other Castiel back there to check on him when things are settled here, see if he wants a ride back here on Angel Air."

"I can go," Jack said.

"I think it's better you stay," Dean said. "Billie said you should. We got that Sam out far too easy. He only had one demon guard. I'm thinking he might be broken. If he is, you've got to be here to stop him from getting to Lilith and Lilith getting to him. You're the only one with a shot at it."

"But you can't kill her," Castiel said fervently. "We must leave this world with Lilith trapped but alive. Otherwise, it won't matter what happens to the demons; Lucifer will be free. I think…" He bit his lip.

"What, Cas?" Dean pressed. "What are you thinking?"

Castiel looked guilty. "If there's a possibility that Sam has broken, that he's ready to kill Lilith, I think we need to add more than Jack's protection."

Dean frowned. "How? Jack's the best we've got."

"I think we should allow Sam's own mind to slow him down. He is in no position to go anywhere and kill anyone the way he is. If we wait before creating the wall…"

Dean sucked in a breath. "Leave him suffering like that?"

Castiel nodded. "I think it's our best option. It's cruel, I know, and I don't want to do it to anyone, let alone a version of Sam, but it would negate the risk. Jack couldn't stop Lilith if she came for him without killing her, and she might find a way to take Sam. It's a huge risk…"

Dean raked a hand over his face. The idea was abhorrent. To leave anyone suffering like that was cruel, but this was Sam, maybe not his brother but a version of him, and he couldn't do that to him.

"No, Cas," he said. "I get what you're saying, but we can't do that to him or any of them. Imagine the kind of pain Sammy was in when you saw him in that mental hospital and add another dozen centuries worth of pain to it. We can't do it. You have to put the wall up."

Castiel looked at Jack, his eyes imploring him for agreement, "What do you think?"

Jack shook his head. "I didn't see what happened to our Sam or what came after, but I know it's not the right thing to do. I can stop him getting free and I can stop anyone that comes for him. You have to do it if Dean says."

Dean crossed his arms over his chest. "And Dean does say."

Castiel sighed but nodded and said, "I will do it. Or I will try. I've never done it successfully before. When I tried, the pieces of Sam were crushed to dust. I am not as powerful as Death."

"You'll be able to do it," Dean said. "You have to."

Castiel nodded and then they all turned to the door as John and the other Castiel entered. Dean poured John a whiskey and handed it to him. He took it, downed it in one and gasped, then said, "I need to finish the trial. It's not over without the Enochian, right?"

"Yeah," Dean said. "It takes the spell to complete them, but it's going to step up the symptoms. Sam said he felt the same until the next day, but after that, he got sick fast."

"The first wasn't so bad," John said. "I'll be fine."

"It will be different," Dean's Castiel said as the other nodded. "Your body is changing."

John shrugged. "As long as I've got enough left in me to finish the last trial, I don't care."

Having seen what the trials did to his brother, how bad it had been at the end, Dean thought John was underestimating what was coming for him, but there was no point trying to tell him. He wasn't going to hear what he didn't want to hear.

John took a scrap of paper from his pocket and glanced at it before clearing his throat and saying, "Kah Nah Om Dar."

He grunted with pain that became a cry and his knees buckled. The muscles of his arms stood out as he clenched his fists and light glowed from his wrists to elbows. As his breaths calmed, he straightened and flexed his arms.

"It's done," he said, looking up at Dean.

Dean saw the blood that crept from the corner of John's mouth and knew 'done' was the wrong word.

This wasn't something ending. It was close to done, but there was still the hardest part to do, and John's suffering was only going to get worse.

So… How was that reunion? I've written a lot of reunions in my stories, but I've never been able to freely give this much emotion from so many characters. I am usually working with Dean and Sam and the reticence they usually show. I was able to give so much more this time and it was so satisfying.

Until next time…

Clowns or Midgets xxx