Sam couldn't help but be unnerved. Bright Falls was empty, abandoned, deserted. A ghost town, almost. The Dark Presence was almost dormant; it was almost as if it knew of his suicide mission and knew he didn't intend to survive. Cauldron Lake was just up ahead. It would be over soon. He drew his cell phone; there were five voicemails, all of them from Dean. His throat closed with tears. You have to do this. It doesn't matter how you feel, how Dean feels. Just end this. He dialed his brother. "Dean?"

"Sam? Sammy?" Dean sounded so relieved that Sam's heart clenched. I shouldn't have called. But, despite his anguish, Sam couldn't bring himself to cut the connection. "Jesus Christ. Where are you?"

"You can't stop me from doing this, Dean," Sam told him. "I'm going to go through with it or die trying. It's my choice, and my choice alone." His voice shook, and he bit his lip to contain the sob that had risen in his chest. He'd always known it would be hard to leave his brother behind, but now that Dean was fighting for him to live? "I need you to understand that. I-I'm ready to die. Let me go, brother."

Silence. It was several moments until Dean spoke again. "Is this really what you want, Sam?" he asked quietly. "To die?"

"Yes," was all he could say. Tears were now falling freely from his eyes, and he made no effort to stop them. "We both know I'm not going to make it out of Cauldron Lake alive, Dean. Promise me you aren't going to do anything stupid. Promise me you aren't going to try to bring me back."

"Sam –"

"How many times have we died, Dean?" he countered. "Too many to count, and every time it happens – every fucking time we've come back – nothing good has come out of it, ever! This shit has to end! Not just this war, but this goddamned cycle! Haven't we fucking learned our lesson by now?" His voice was slowly rising with every word. He fought to keep his emotions under control, but was losing the battle. "You said it yourself. We're each other's Achilles Heel."

"…Why are you really doing this, Sammy?" Dean's voice was soft, but shaking with tears. "Sam, talk to me. Please."

Sam couldn't bring himself to respond. He didn't have to. "Goodbye, Dean." He cut the connection and climbed out of the car. Slowly, he walked towards the edge of the cliff. The black waters of Cauldron Lake rested below him, calm but menacing. He took a deep breath, and jumped.

Dean was frantic. Sam had to have made it to Cauldron Lake; why else would he have ended the call? He didn't even want to fathom the fact that his baby brother wanted to end his life and that he had embarked on this suicide mission.

You said it yourself. We're each other's Achilles Heel. Sam's words echoed throughout his head, only spurring him on. He was close to Cauldron Lake now. Within a short matter of time, he would find his brother, dead or alive. Dean knew his brother was his weak spot, and vice versa. Too many goddamned times they had been used against each other. Too many goddamned times they had sacrificed themselves for one another – and Dean would give himself for his brother once again in a heartbeat if it ever came to that. He loved him too much to merely let him go. And he sure as hell was not going to let Sam kill himself for the greater good. If it meant saving Sam, he would let the world burn. These thoughts swirled about in his mind ceaselessly, and when he found Sam's car abandoned on the side of the road, he knew. Sam was in the Dark Place now.

"Sam?" he called out, vainly hoping he was wrong. No answer. "Sammy? SAM!" Screw destiny. Again. Dean shrugged himself out of his jacket and layers before running to the edge of the cliff and diving into oblivion.

Sam's eyes flew open, and he jolted upright. Where the hell was he? He rose to his feet, drinking in his surroundings. Smoky shadows surrounded him, clinging to the walls. There was nothing but darkness in the –

Oh my god. Oh my god. This can't be possible. St. Mary's Convent. He was standing in the very church – in the same room – where he had freed Lucifer. Lilith lay dead on the altar steps, her blood eerily moving to form a spiral. "The Cage," he realized. "I'm reliving the night I killed Lilith."

"Not quite," a voice said from behind him. The young hunter whirled around to see –

"Ruby?" he exclaimed. "Y-You're supposed to be dead! Dean and I killed you!" The brunette demon smiled, and her eyes briefly turned black. The shadows embraced her. "What the hell is going on?"

"It's amazing what can happen here, Sammy," she purred. "You freed Lucifer and brought upon the Apocalypse. Demons could have roamed the earth freely. It'd be Heaven on earth…or Hell, depending on how you see it. You could've had it all. You and your brother." Something stirred inside of Sam, and he lunged for Ruby, slamming her against the wall. He reached inside his jacket for his knife, only to find nothing. Ruby laughed coldly.

"Doesn't work like that down here," she said. "Don't you know what this place is?" She held Sam's face in her hands and ran them across his arms, down his chest.

"St. Mary's Convent," Sam said angrily. "You tricked me into freeing Lucifer here!"

"Think again, dumbass." Ruby shoved him off her and began to circle him. "I'm dead, remember? Your brother stabbed me with my own fucking knife." She chuckled. "Speaking of Dean-o. You let him down, Sammy. Too many fucking times to count on my own two hands. The first time? When you chose me over him."

"Shut up."

"Oh no. I'm just getting started," she said enthusiastically. "You chose me – a demon – over your own brother. Your own flesh and blood brother. Oh, you were in way over your head, Sammy. It started with a night of hot sex, and then it just grew into something more. I gave you my blood, and holy hell, you were worse than a fucking meth addict! I heard the entire fight between you and your brother in the honeymoon suite. Dean detests you, Sam. He doesn't love you, not anymore. He wants to fucking hunt you down like all the monsters you two have killed and kill you. You're a monster, Sammy."

"SHUT UP!" Sam shouted. Tears pooled in his eyes, and he blocked his ears. "SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Fast forward to the year after you swan dived into Hell. You lost your soul, and neglected to tell Dean. You let him become a vampire. You didn't give a single fuck about him, now did you? That was why when the faeries abducted him, you spent the entire time fucking some slut instead of searching for him. I've never met such a poor piece of shit in my lifetime. Hell, after he went to Purgatory after killing Dick, what did you do? You shacked up with some lowlife bitch and spent the entire year fucking when your brother was fighting for his life, and Kevin was in danger. Kevin was your responsibility, remember?" She paused. "Oh, look who we've here! Dean-o!" Sam looked up to see his brother enter the room. The darkness too shielded him. Had the Dark Presence taken him?

"Oh, Sammy," Dean said cruelly. "How I've been looking forward to this moment. Ruby here, she's right, you do know that right? About how I fucking hate you and how you've let me down in every possible way?"

"Dean…" Sam's tears were falling freely now. Hearing this from Ruby was one thing, but hearing it from Dean was a knife through his heart. "Please. I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" his brother echoed. "After all you've done to me, 'sorry' is all you have to say to me?" He struck Sam across the jaw hard. "You've fucked up plenty, but freeing Lucifer and leaving me to die in Purgatory?" Another blow, but to the face. "I've made my mistakes, but I never left you to die. That's the difference between us. You destroy everything you touch, Sam. It's because of you Mom is dead!" A blow to the chest. Sam keeled over, struggling to breathe as Dean assaulted him. "It's because of you Jess is dead! You kill everyone you love." Another strike. There was a sickening crack. A broken rib. Sam was blinded by tears, and he was biting back his sobs. He would not cry in front of Dean nor Ruby. "You sick little fuck. The moment Mom first gave you to me, I hated you. Why did I stick around and take care of you? Because I was forced to!" With every word, his hits became more brutal. "I just didn't have the guts to kill a little baby!" He hit Sam in the face and in the chest. There was another audible crack, and Sam tasted blood. Dean was going to kill him. Right here, right now.

"Do it," Sam choked. "Kill me. You know you want to." Dean was red with hatred and anger. He slammed him against the wall, restraining him with one hand and clapping his other hand over his mouth firmly.

"I'll kill you," he snarled. "Ruby, you have a knife, right?" Sam's eyes widened in horror as she brandished a dagger, some cords, and duct tape.

"I do, in fact," she answered. Dean smirked, before throwing Sam to the ground. Ruby tossed him the duct tape, and Dean tore off a strip, placing it over Sam's mouth, muffling his choked sobbing. He bound his wrists together behind his back, before kicking him in the face, knocking him to the ground. Sam cried out in pain, but made no effort to fight back. Ruby grabbed his ankles and tied them together tautly. The cords bit into his skin, and he swore he felt something warm trickling down his arms and down his ankles.

"This is going to be so much fun," said Dean gleefully. Sam struggled against his bonds, but his efforts were fruitless. He stepped towards the youngest Winchester and struck a crushing blow to his chest. And he did it again. And again. And again. And again. Blood was pooling beneath Sam, both from the ropes and his brother's attacks. Dean kicked him in the face, laughing. Ruby looked onward in satisfaction.

"SAM! SAMMY!" What the hell? Dean? Sam screamed through the gag, choke-sobbing. "SAM, IT'S DEAN! I'M HERE! IT'S OKAY, I'M HERE!" It was truly his brother, he realized. The images of his brother and Ruby he was facing now weren't real. His sobs turned into sobs of relief, as he tried to focus on his brother's voice. Ruby's doppelgänger slowly faded into nothingness, as did the shadow of Dean.

"Mmmmmph-mmmmph!" Sam tried calling for his brother through the strip of duct tape blocking his mouth. The doors burst open, and Dean rushed towards him, frantically untying the ropes but not before tearing off the duct tape on his mouth.

"Shhh, shhh, Sammy. You're okay. It's okay. I'm here," his brother assured him. "I'm getting you the hell out of here." He pulled the knot keeping the ropes on his ankles loose, and Sam kicked his ankles free to get the blood circulation going. It didn't take very long for Dean to untie his wrists. Hot tears streamed down his face, and he began to sob.

"Hey, hey. You're going to be okay," Dean said softly, pulling him into his arms. "It's okay. I don't know what the hell happened in here, but it's over. I'm here now." Sam held onto his brother as if he was his last lifeline as he wept into his shoulder. He felt Dean weave his hands through his hair as he whispered in his ear, "Shhh, shhh. You're okay, little bro. I'm here now." Dean kissed his hair, holding him close. "Sammy, what…what the hell happened? Whatever it is you saw, whatever it is that hurt you like this – it's the Dark Presence. We're in the Dark Place, below Cauldron Lake. None of this is real, okay?"

Sam nodded. He didn't know how long he cried, but his sobs gradually slowed to shudders. Slowly, he numbly broke apart from his brother and rose to his feet. "Why're you here, Dean?" he asked quietly. "Why didn't you let the Dark Presence just kill me?"

Dean was visibly stunned by his question. Distraught, even. "Sam, you're my brother! You were going to die down here!"

Sam scoffed. Stray tears leaked from his eyes. "So? Haven't I let you down enough?" he spat. "You made it clear that I'm a shitty brother to you. Cass and Benny, you've confided in them more than me this past year, Dean. Do you have any idea how it feels like to watch your brother just…just walk away from you?"

"Sam…"

The younger Winchester shook his head, feeling tears wash down his face anew. "I mean, who are you going to turn to next time instead of me? Another angel? Another vampire?" he choked. "They've never let you down, and I-I can't let you down yet again, Dean. Not again –"

"No, no, Sam, no!" Dean interrupted him. "You seriously think that? You think that I would just cut you out of my life?" His voice was shaking, and tears were steadily sliding down his cheeks. "I know I've said some shit to you, but I meant none of it, okay? None of it. Sammy, come on. I killed Benny to bring you back to me when you went to Purgatory. I'm willing to let the Dark Presence win this war because I love you too fucking much to let you kill yourself to put an end to all of this! Don't you dare think that there is anything – past or present – that I would put in front of you! It has never been like that, ever! I need you to see that! I'm begging you! You are my baby brother, Sammy. I love you."

Sam felt a sob escape his chest, and he felt Dean's arms envelop him once again. He returned the embrace, and silently cried into his brother's shoulder. "I love you too." For the longest time, it was just the two of them, holding each other in solace. It was peaceful, but brief. The shadows reached out, and grabbed Sam, violently tearing him from Dean's arms. Everything happened so fast. Sam felt a sharp, fiery pain – almost like ten thousand knives – pierce his body. He saw red decorate the walls, and the world went still.

The darkness dissipated, leaving Sam's bloody and battered body on the floor. Dean was frozen in shock, as he looked upon his little brother's lifeless form.

"SAM!" he shouted. His breaths ragged, he knelt by his brother's side, taking his face in his hands. Sam's blue eyes were unseeing, widened in surprise in his final moments. "Sammy, please. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, Sam! For the love of god, Sam, open your eyes! Wake up! Give me a sign you're still here!" Dean was screaming and choking on his sobs as he knelt over Sam's body. "SAM!"

When the darkness came again, he took no notice. As he lay beside his brother in his own blood, he turned his gaze so he was looking at him. All went white.