Summary: He can't remember being this terrified in a long time – because his brother is slowly dying in his arms and there is nothing he can do to help him.

Note: So I decided to do a second chapter from Dean's point of view, thought it might be nice to see this through his eyes as well. Hopefully you enjoy the added chapter!

HUGE thanks to Twinny (aka twinchaosblade) who looked over this for me practically as soon as she returned from her vacation! You are totally awesome darling! (hugs)

Saved

Part Two

He shivers against the wind, fresh wounds stinging as he sits cross-legged on the flattened grass. Sweat, grime and blood cover his face, but tears clear some of it away as they wind a path down his cheeks. His green eyes are wide and flickering with emotion as he ignores the wind and rolling clouds, his gaze focused on the center of his world.

His brother's head rests in his lap, and he runs a hand through wavy, dark brown hair that is currently limp – laden down with sweat and blood from a battle that is finally, finally over. He swallows past the lump in his throat and slowly rocks his sibling, hoping that the motion soothes the injured man like it did when they were kids.

He can tell that his brother is trying to relax, but the obvious agony he is in prevents him from loosening his tense muscles. He offers his wounded brother a smile, albeit a weak one, when he sees that the kid is looking up at him and blinking sluggishly.

He speaks, surprising himself when he realizes just how rough his voice sounds. His vocal cords itch and he figures it's due to all the yelling he's done throughout the last hour. "You're going to be okay." He hides a grimace when he hears the fear in his voice, knowing that his brother heard it too when the younger man attempts a crooked, reassuring smile.

His brother's body is broken beyond repair – there are too many injuries to count, and he feels sick at the sheer amount of blood the man has already lost. It is astounding that his brother has lasted as long as this. His eyes squeeze shut for a moment, flashes of the recent battle playing like a god damn montage through his head.

He remembers everything, every gory, bloody detail like he watched it a million times in high def. The demons, Ruby, walking into the battle with his brother standing tall and grim and so grown up right beside him. He can recall every single injury he was on the receiving end of, can count the number of painful cries that had torn past his brothers lips.

He remembers Lilith and her high pitched giggle before it turned into a scream of surprise and terror…because his brother, in the truest sense of the word, had exploded. A white light had blinded everyone in the clearing, killing every single demon and hell spawn that had been too close.

A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold wind traveled down his spine as he recalled his brother collapsing onto the grass, where he had remained unmoving. He'd thought that his brother was dead.

Again.

Forcing the memory away and swiping at the tears that threaten to fall, he bites his lip and continues to rock his brother, whispering to him and trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. "Just stay with me, alright? Just stay with me…"

Terror squeezes his heart when his brother's only response is to cough up blood. The liquid sprays past pale lips and dribbles down chalk white skin, and still his brother stares up at him, trust and love, and a million other emotions in his fading eyes.

His brother is dying in him arms, bleeding uncontrollably in a meadow and hours away from any hospital. I've got to do something, shit, shit, shit. Don't die on me, you can't die on me. We just won the god damn war – this isn't fair. Stay with me, staywithme staywithmestaywithme…He continues the silent mantra in his head before shouting as loudly as his exhausted body will let him.

"CASTIEL!"

He looks around the meadow desperately, searching for any sign of the angel. Castiel is his brother's only hope at this point, and they both know it. A stray tear makes it all the way down his face, dripping off of his chin and landing on his brothers pale face as his head whips back and forth, hoping, praying that Castiel is coming, because he isn't sure what he'll do if the angel doesn't.

He is barely aware that he's sobbing, clutching his brother as tightly as possible, his body is shaking as he cries for the whole world to see. He whispers reassurances to his brother, can hear the tremble in his voice as he screams for Castiel over and over again. The smooth, emotionless mask that he is so accustomed to wearing is gone completely, and he can't bring himself to care – because his baby brother is dying and he's supposed to make it all better but he can't.

He almost misses it, his breath hitching mid sob when his injured sibling's voice filters through.

"…Ddd-n."

The word is garbled and barely intelligible, but he hears his name plain as day. A small swell of hope bubbles in his chest, and he is quick to respond, smiling and running a hand through the dirty, long hair. "I'm gonna get Castiel, okay? Just stay awake, he'll make you all better."

The younger man doesn't respond, just blinks sluggishly with a thoughtful look on his pained face.

"Can you hear me kiddo? Look at me Sammy." He persists, desperate to get another verbal response from his brother – wanting, needing to hear his voice again. He can see that the kid is struggling to focus, lids fluttering as they struggle to stay open, mouth slightly agape as he fights grimly to pull air into his injured, starving lungs.

He looks at his brother's face, his gut twisting when he realizes that the younger man is looking up at the stormy sky with barely focused eyes. He murmurs his name worriedly, gently swiping away the blood that streaks clammy cheeks and squeezing the back of his neck – something he had done when they were kids.

It starts raining, the thunder rolling in louder as large droplets soak through his tattered t-shirt and into his skin. He swallows, panic blooming when his little brother's eyes flutter and close…and don't reopen. "Please Sam, open your eyes. Castiel will be here soon." He cries out, heart dropping to his toes when the body beneath him relaxes.

A wild sense of terror and anger grips him as he struggles not to completely lose his composure, unable to stop himself from crying out another choked, "please" when he receives no immediate answer.

"L've y-ou, D-De…"

That was not the response he had wanted to hear, because there was resignation and defeat in his brother's whispered words, and the coldness that had started small in his chest grows wider. He tries to deny the statement, not ready to accept the fact that this was it – because even though Castiel hadn't shown his face yet there was still hope. God, there was still hope.

And so, he rejects the words, not ready to hear his brother's dying thoughts just yet. There was still time, god damn it! "What? Oh, no. Nononono, you don't get to bust out the goodbye speech on me now, not after all we've been through. You're going to be fine, we'll be on the road again in no time – and we'll do whatever the Hell it is we want."

He's rambling and he knows it, but he doesn't care s'long as his brother keeps on listening. "…I swear we're going to the Grand Canyon, Sammy. If Castiel would just hurry the fuck up, 'cause if he pulled me outta Hell, then he can heal ya, kiddo…and if saving the world from Lucifer doesn't buy ya a free pass, then I don't know what will. So just hold on a little bit longer, okay? For me, Sammy."

As he speaks, his hand snakes its way into his brother's, and he feels for the reassuring thump in the cool wrist. It's weak – barely there at all, but he can feel it, and right now he'll take what he can get. Please don't leave me dude, I won't be able to take it. "Hang in there." He finishes softly.

His brother is beyond the ability to respond, his whole body has started to twitch and spasm, and he can see the pain lines in his exhausted face. He grips a broad shoulder in an attempt to ground him, exaggerating his breathing when he sees that the kid is struggling even worse now. "Breathe with me Sammy." He encourages desperately, but his brother doesn't hear him.

A final shudder runs through his little brothers long, lean frame, and suddenly he can't find a pulse, and his brother isn't struggling to breathe anymore, and his mind is screaming DO SOMETHING even as he just sits there with a shocked look on his face.

"No, nonononono! Don't…don't do this to me. Sammy, Sam…SAM!" He finally utters, shaking the body in his arms roughly. It's pointless and he knows it, but it doesn't stop his heart from breaking all over again when his little brothers head simply rolls limply with the movement, grimy bangs falling in front of closed, dark-ringed eyes.

And for one ridiculous moment all he can think about is how the taller man really needs a haircut.

The thought is fleeting and gone the next moment, and then he is left alone with the harsh reality – his brother is dead, and this time there will be no demons to barter with. The loss he feels is tremendous and crushing and he is so consumed by it that he barely feels the warmth of the sun on his back.

He doesn't see that the clouds are parting; that the sun is peaking through, that the wind has died down or that the rain has completely stopped. The angel that he had been calling so desperately for is barely 15 meters away, and yet he does not see him.

He doesn't notice a thing until he feels his brother breathe. He stares in shock, noting that the grievous wounds that had marred his sibling's body are now non-existent, he can see the color returning to his pale cheeks and his breathing is deep and even. It's almost like the past god-awful ten minutes had been nothing more than an illusion – but he knows better than to believe that.

His voice is rough and gravelly when his throat finally unclenches enough to speak, "Sammy? Can you hear me?" it's all he can manage to say without his voice breaking right then and there. He waits a couple of seconds, studying the younger face, holding his breath as he waits for a response.

Blue-green eyes flutter open, clear and aware as they look up at him, confusion evident on his still slightly pale face. "Dean."

Dean barks out a choked laugh and drags his brother up so that he can wrap his arms around the kid's broad chest. He hugs his brother tightly and squeezes his eyes shut to stop himself from crying. "You scared me, bitch." He finally manages to growl out, lips twitching into a smile when he hears the typical Sam-like reply.

"Jerk."

End

Well, there it is. I hope it wasn't too repetitive for any of you. I tried to challenge myself by not using the brother's names until the end (in both chapters). Hopefully this chapter was not too similar to the first one.

Thanks for reading!