I was going to post this this morning, but then the website crashed and I lost it but then I found it again this evening so I was able to fix and finish it :D

Enjoy...

- Diana's POV -

My eyes fluttered open and I immediately cried out. I could feel thousands of tiny razor sharp edges slicing into my belly each time I took a breath. Glancing down, keeping as still as possible, my eyes found the source of the pain, the handle of a blade protruding from my abdomen. I gasped, then cried again with the pain. I suddenly realized that my limbs were freezing, but that I was sweating and my whole body was trembling uncontrollably, each small movement allowing the blade to slice more of my flesh. My head swam and I struggled to maintain consciousness as my vision went in and out.

I gingerly grasped the handle of the blade with two shaking hands and tore it out of my body, screaming with the agonizing pain. I had to suppress my sobs as I tried to hold my wound closed with my hands, now soaked with blood. I moaned with the draining effort it took from my ever weakening body. I knew that I would bleed out faster this way, but I would also suffer less damage without the constant threat of the blade continuously shredding my insides with each final breath. Final. Oh God, this was it. I felt salty, blinding tears begin to leak out of the corner of my eyes, down my temples, as I came to the realization that I was dying.

In all of my pain and the strange sensation of cold limbs, but a burning wound, only faces were able to present themselves through the haze that was my fading consciousness. I wanted to see that my kids were happy. They knew that I loved them, I had told them incessantly before we left, in case something like this happened, but I just wanted to know that they were all happy with their lives. I wanted to thank Bobby for all that he's done for me, the boys, and countless others and to express my condolences about his wife. I wanted to thank Charlie for being there for me when I needed a friend, despite having only known her about a week, for helping me to find the courage to go after what I wanted, be it control or a kiss, and for warmly offering all the help she could to me and the boys, but being smart enough to take care of herself. I wanted to see Dean so that I could tell him that, even though he'd initially had trouble trusting me and I frustrated him, I loved him like a brother and I wished him only the best in life, wished for him as much love and happiness as he could possibly find. I wanted to tell him that he should go after Ben and Lisa, despite what had happened in the past, because they all loved each other and would somehow find a way if they tried. I wanted Sam there with me, so that I could kiss him once more, so that I could smile at his beautifully kind hazel-green eyes, but more than anything, so that I could tell him how much he had helped me and how much I wished for that white picket fence life he wanted, with a wife and kids, a happy life that he deserved. I just needed him to know how proud I was of him, how much I appreciated him. How much I loved him.

"You may tell them when they wake," whispered a voice in the back of my head. I furrowed my brow, confused at the familiarity of the voice and slowly rolled my head to the side. Castiel was standing above me, holding the blade I had torn out of myself. "They will wake a few minutes before you die, but no sooner. I apologize for the pain you are in. I wish I could ease it." He disappeared before my eyes, leaving only the sound of heavy fabric flapping in the wind.

It was then that I saw the Winchesters unconscious on the floor. I felt more tears slowly leak out, grieving for the pain they would feel at knowing that Castiel, their friend, had betrayed them in such a way. I resolved to hold on long enough to tell them that it wasn't Cas' fault, that he was only trying to spare them a hopeless and unnecessary fight that would only result in their defeat. But even as I made this decision, it was becoming harder and harder to hold my wound closed and keep my eyes open.

- Sam's POV -

When my eyes opened again, there was a dull ache in my head and I couldn't remember why I was lying on the floor. It suddenly hit me and I jumped to my feet. Dean was sitting beside Diana, who was still lying in bed, holding his hand. I gasped at what I saw beneath their bloody hands. I almost screamed, but instead rushed to her other side.

"Oh God! Oh God, Diana! Oh God, I'm so sorry!"

It took her a moment to focus her eyes on my face, then she smiled weakly.

"Oh, shut up, skyscraper," she croaked softly. "It's not your fault."

I felt burning tears threaten to well up and overwhelm me as I replaced Dean's hands over hers with mine. "Yes it is. I promised you I would keep you safe."

"Sam, please don't," she begged softly, rubbing her thumb across my knuckles slowly. She pulled on my little finger gently and I leaned down closer to her face. She pulled again so that I would get closer, stretching her lips up towards my ear. I lowered it for her and she whispered something, making my heart swell and shatter at the same time. I felt the tears overcome me, rushing down my cheeks like little waterfalls as she whispered to me. I kissed her gently, deeply. I felt helpless in that moment, without any idea as to how to make anything better or how I was ever going to be able to move from that spot. She spoke again when I pulled away.

"Please don't blame yourself, or Castiel," she murmured. "You both had good intentions."

"Good intentions pave the road to hell," I sniffed.

"Oh? Well, then I'll see you there," she smirked. I sniffed and tried to smile for her, but shook my head, remembering the immortality clause. I planted a gentle kiss on her forehead with trembling lips. She squeezed my fingers weakly, her eyelids falling closed.

"Sam," Dean called softly. I tore my eyes away from Diana to see Castiel standing beside Dean. I had to resist the urge to snap his neck.

"I am sorry for your pain," he said. I only glared at him. He pulled out an instrument that looked like a scalpel and approached us. Dean rose from his knees, standing between Castiel and the bed.

"Not so fast, feathers," came another gruff voice. We all looked up to see Crowley standing a few feet away. "That power is mine."

"Get out of here, Crowley," Castiel growled. Crowley rolled his eyes, turning towards me.

"I have a proposition for you, Moose," he smirked. "I'll restore Moosette over there to full health, if you'll protect the power for me until she dies and I can collect it."

"Why would I agree to that?" I snapped. "You'll only kill her again in two days time." Crowley opened his mouth to protest, then smirked and shrugged.

"Sam," Dean whispered.

"I told you to get out of here!" Castiel barked at Crowley, brandishing his angel blade.

"Sam."

"Don't even try, partner," Crowley chuckled darkly.

"Sam."

"We are not partners!" Castiel hissed through gritted teeth.

"Sam!" Dean yelled, finally grabbing my attention. He pointed down behind me and I turned again to Diana, whose eyes and mouth were open wide, a silvery blue light emanating from within her. I removed her hands to find the same light spilling from the wound in her abdomen.

"What's happening?" I demanded. Everyone just stood staring, dumbstruck.

The light from within Diana grew brighter and brighter until it hurt to continue to try to look at her. The light surrounded us all, wrapping around us like silk, seeming to enter our very bodies and course through us like it belonged there, bringing us to new life, as though we had always been on autopilot, never fully awake and alert. Somewhere, I could hear screams, but when they reached my ears, I smiled contentedly, for they sounded sweet to me, like gently lulling music. Finally, the light ebbed and began to pull back until it had retreated completely into Diana and lay dormant once more.

Looking around, Castiel and Crowley were gone and Diana's wound had vanished. Eyes wide, Dean and I exchanged glances, then gasped when Diana's eyes fluttered open again. She tried to sit up, but I forced her back down again. She didn't fight me.

"What happened?" she asked groggily.

"You don't remember?"

"I remember voices arguing, then I submitted to my pain, stopped fighting it, and I saw this light and then the voices stopped. I thought I'd died. But, I can open my eyes again. Is everyone okay?"

"Jesus Christ," Dean laughed, leaning down to kiss her forehead. Diana peered up at him, confused.

"What was that for?" she asked. Dean and I exchanged looks, then laughed again, pulling Diana into our arms and hugging her tightly. "I appreciate the hugs, but I'm still confused."

I took her face in my hands and kissed her deeply, happily. I felt her relax in my arms as I pulled her against me and I grinned at her when our lips parted. She grinned back.

"I'll no longer question it," she smiled. I laughed and kissed her again quickly.

"C'mon," I helped her to her feet. "We need to go."

Dean and I grabbed all of our bags and helped Diana out to the car so we could get on the road again. Packing the trunk and getting Diana settled in the back seat was exhilarating, an extremely strange feeling when I thought about it. We jumped into the car and peeled out of the motel parking lot quickly, headed for the highway. I had never been so excited to be on the run.

"Where did Cas and Crowley go?" Diana asked quietly from her makeshift bed in the back.

"We have no idea," I confessed, grinning goofily back at her. She giggled softly, reaching out to tug gently on a lock of my hair. I kissed her fingers lightly, then glanced up at Dean.

"How are you feeling, shorty?" he asked, glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

"I resent that! Kara is even shorter than me!" Diana protested with a smile. "And much better, thank you. No blades in my gut, no rapidly bleeding wounds, I'm much better. I do think I'm weaker than I'd like to be, but I'm not complaining because there were no stitches or needles involved, which is always a plus."

"Agreed. Much faster."

"I want to apologize," Diana said a few moments later, "for what I said to each of you. It wasn't my place to say some of those things, but I felt that I really wanted you both to know. All of it was true, it just wasn't all appropriate."

"Don't worry," Dean said, their eyes locking in the rearview mirror. "I appreciated it. And, I'd like you to know that I also told you the truth." They shared a private smile before Diana's eyes shifted to meet mine.

"I thoroughly appreciated what you said to me as well," I assured her softly. "And I know that there will be a lot we'll all have to get through, and a lot to talk about, but I'm afraid you won't be able to escape us so easily."

"That's right," Dean chimed in. "Enough of this dying so that you can get away from us crap. You're stuck with us."

Diana grinned. "Okay."

What did you guys think? What do you think she told the boys?