Chapter 15

The furies of heaven and hell had tangled in a ariel dance of utter chaos - drifts of blood coated shades of gray raining down in the form of feathers as bursts of light illuminated the lone figure plummeting earth bound. Dean's breath came ragged in his ears as he locked onto the figure, trying to cast aside the images that blocked his view. "Sam "

Tender mercies were hard to come by. The swell of power was anything but tender, peaceful, it was edged in rage and terror...soaked in battle and waning hope. The bursting dam - forced Dean's eyes shut as the pain felt as if it slowly chiseling his skull apart...one hand to his forehead - scream a growl on his lips - leaning so far over the roofs edge - he cursed inwardly. 'Come on Come on ' what the hell - why did he have all this power if he couldn't save Sam? Who the hell was cursed with something like that?

Dean slammed his hand into the concrete partition that served as the shallow barrier to the blood rain skies from the rooftop and felt his hand crush through the gray stone to the black top roof below. He opened his eyes - narrow slits against the overwhelming pain as blood ran from his nose. Dean didn't know where to start his thoughts on the new found strength...that accompanied the pain...but he'd need a lot more than strength to help Sam.

Of course when in the world had Dean ever actually waited for fate to intervene on Sam's behalf? When had he made sure he had a well formed plan? Or hell a plan at all? When had he relied on more than hope and luck and fast thinking? When had fate allowed him the luxury of planning? And even then when had a plan even worked? Dean relied on ways of old as he shoved himself backwards on the roof - to his feet.

"You two better think fast...or we're all gonna be dead." Dean whispered over the disembodied sound of unearthly creatures tearing each other apart in the skies. He suddenly broke into a run for the edge of the roof and jumped, immediately slamming into a black winged monster. The creatures claws ripped into Dean's back both lodging center and lashing outward tearing him open from the middle. Dean gave a growl as the creatures black eyes widened in terror - feeling it's essence drain in order to heal the wound it had inflicted. Dean was whole by the time he held fast to the winged creature - as they began their descent downward - the wings providing some resistance to the drop.

Dean looked around the wingspan to see Sam approaching the second story - nearing the ground entirely too fast.

Nessa felt crushed stone tear into her back as she busted bricks from the building front with a slam that had rendered her weaponless. She snarled as her elbow connected with the devil's head - snapping it backwards just long enough for her to shove the knife into it's middle and twist. It began to fall away in deathly pallor as Nessa suddenly witnessed Dean sailing past her headed earth bound - riding a dead devil...

She pushed off the wall and lined up next to him - immediately seeing his goal far below. She broke into a dive- swiftly gaining ground on Sam but not fast enough. Dammit She told Sugar to stay his ass inside Dammit

Nessa gasped.

In the spreading darkness of approaching night, the tufts of bloodied feathers falling through the skies began to still...Nessa hit several masses of them on her way toward the ground...and then she too began to still. She fought it like holy hell. Limbs freezing in place...unable to move downward - upward - to reposition her arm...her wings frozen...her body unmoving in space and time. She managed to angle her head upwards toward Dean before she could no longer fight the growing paralyzation. It was more than that though...bodies didn't suspend themselves in an unmoving state in midair...

He alone kept moving. Using the live bodies as leaping stones to get him safely to Sam - he jumped from one to the other - as the celestial bodies became of mural of etched battle - frozen in time in the skies over Washington. She didn't know how he had done it? How in the hell - but it was becoming apparent that the dormant power inside him wasn't so dormant any more...and Nessa swore as she felt him jump to her own body - pausing only for a fraction to take in her eyes before continuing on - that she would fight...him or all hell - to keep the balance in check - to preserve the world that she had been born to protect.

Dean didn't know how he'd done it. Stopped an entire battle - frozen all the participants. He remembered thinking that if Sam would simple wait a moment longer that he could reach him...and that's when things began to change...to shift. Dean didn't stop to think about it - to question it...he paused only to take in the horror in Nessa's eyes before he jumped downward and landed on the sidewalk eye level with Sam's semi unconscious form. The same form now frozen like everyone else...just a fraction of a slip away from his own death.

Dean's breath hitched at the thought before he carefully reached up and took hold of Sam's body bringing him down into his arms as the battle over head suddenly went back into full swing in a mere fraction of a second. He pulled Sam close feeling him stir slightly in his arms as Dean began to walk back into the building...his heart still lost in the time of the paralyzed battle - unable to even think on what he'd done - what he had been forced to do - looking over the dead that lined the halls - not thinking - just moving - feeling Sam's gentle pain laced movement as he kept going.

Dean cradled Sam's body against his chest feeling the taint of coppery life force fall across his lips. He ignored his own pain - the pounding that was ripping his skull apart as he clung to his brother's limp form. Alturoc was a bastard...but dammit so was Vanashi...and the Foci. Playing with people's lives. They had never been in so much trouble...Dean fought his way through the compound and into the cafeteria...looking for familiar faces...seeking solace in people who no longer knew what lay deep in his soul...

Dean met Ambre's eyes as she rose to her feet and felt the ache in his head intensify...felt his muscles tighten in anger, frustration, jealousy, saw Shay rise beside her...and Bobby next to them...saw the dead being piled in the South corner - Ben among them...

He closed his eyes tightly - feeling Sam's weight shift in his arms...ducked his head in shame and trembling horror. "Dean." Bobby nearly whispered it, but it was Sam's near muted voice that broke through the haze in his mind - getting a gasp that bore the remnants of a half sob from Dean's throat. "Sam, it's going to be alright." Dean whispered. He nodded to the half empty table then to Bobby who immediately cleared the table enough for him to lay Sam down. "Help him." Dean hissed to Ambre...feeling betrayed even though he tried to convince himself not to be - tried to remind himself that that was a world away.

"I'll...I..." Ambre looked half dazed in the flickering light of the cafeteria as she fumbled over the words - wide eyed.

"You're a trauma nurse...you've seen a stab wound before...patch him as best you can...Shay find the medics...I'll be right back...and I want him alive when I get back." Dean cut her off as he grabbed Bobby by the arm and moved toward the corridor.

"Bobby, round up the elders for another meet and greet in the council chambers...I don't care what you have to do."

Bobby shook his arm from Dean and looked him over as if he'd lost his mind. "Dean, what the hell is..."

"I've got one more thing to take care of." Dean whispered moving - his back now to Bobby as he made his way toward the exit...toward the battle. "Then I need to have a talk with the Foci."

"Dean, what about Sam...what are you..."

"Bobby just do it!" Dean turned long enough for a flash of blood molten to flash across his eyes. "Now! I'll explain later!"

Bobby watched as Dean ascended the steps to the violent world above - his heart hammering his throat - his breath heaving in his chest - Jesus Christ - what the hell was going on? He'd heard enough so far, but not the whole story...and things were swiftly spiraling out of control.

Dean stepped onto the concrete slab of sidewalk outside the command center allowing his gaze to drift heavenward to the blanketed blackening sky.

He embraced the pain tearing his brain apart and immediately doubled over with a scream...Inside a furry of unimaginable rage swept outward...The reverberation of the scream caused a chain reaction of gurgling cries in the heavens...as the vile midnight enemies screeched, their bodies suddenly convulsing as if having in an epileptic seizure in mid air...in mid battle...the whole of their numbers afflicted, save one lone terrified beast that fell to Dean's feet.

The guardians gave pause as they kept their eyes trained on the creatures that they had been battling only moments before...readying for the fight that was sure to come - should this mysterious affliction pass...some of them didn't wait, but instead put the devil's out of their misery.

A cacophony of sound grew with the escalation of shuddering screams until all at once the whole of the massive dark army exploded in a wave of bloodied feathers that fluttered down in torrents over the parking lot.

Dean grabbed the devil at his feet by the neck and pulled him to eye level. "Tell your master, I'm coming for him...Tell him to leave us alone!" Dean growled his visage hard and cold - lathed in hatred - He gave another growl of frustration as he threw the abomination back into the air to watch it fly away as if Alturoc himself were on his heels. Dean didn't pay the white muddle of feathers above him any mind as he made his way back into the building - wiping a stream of blood from his nose with the back of his hand. He had had enough...enough of playing by everyone else's rules...enough of trying to cushion the fall, sugar coat the little skeletons that kept coming back to bite him in the ass.