Dean pulled up to the Batcave and heaved a sigh of relief. He almost threw himself out of the car.
"Hey, Kevin!"
The small prophet scrambled through the doors and his eyes widened when he saw Sam. "What happened to him?"
"He stopped the Trials. Help me get him inside." Dean lifted half of Sam out of the Impala and Kevin hurriedly took his other arm.
They manoeuvred Sam into the bunker and laid him on a couch.
"There's a first aid kit under the kitchen sink. Get it." Dean smoothed his hand through Sam's hair. "Come on, Sammy. You gotta wake up for me."
Sam stirred, pressing himself closer to Dean's hand. "D'n…"
Dean felt worry settle in him. Not an unfamiliar feeling when it came to Sam. "Sammy? Hey, open your eyes, little brother. You need to stay awake."
"'M tired, Dean."
"I know, but you gotta stay awake, Sammy. I need you to do that." Taking the kit from Kevin, Dean pulled out the thermometer and placed it under Sam's tongue. "104 degrees. Shit."
"I can get some ice."
Dean nodded, anxiously placing his hand on Sam's forehead. His brother's skin was burning him, but Dean didn't care. He had to touch Sam, had to feel the skin under his fingertips, had to have proof that his little brother was still here.
"Here." Kevin held out the towel-wrapped ice, and Dean placed it on Sam's forehead underneath his hand.
"Wha-What did you mean when you said he stopped the Trials?"
Looking up at Kevin, Dean sighed. "Metatron lied. If Sam finished curing Crowley, he'd have died. I wasn't gonna let that happen. I'm sorry –"
Kevin shook his head. "No, it's ok. I understand. I'd do the same for both you and Sam, I just…why did Metatron lie?"
Dean shrugged. Another thing he didn't know. He didn't know if Sam was going to live, he didn't know what was happening outside. Hell, the only person who would know was dead for all Dean knew.
"Stay awake, Sammy. Don't you dare go to sleep. Not yet."
….
Sam was tired. His head was pounding and he felt like his body was on fire. The pain had stopped, but that didn't mean it couldn't start again anytime soon.
There was light, Sam knew that much, and he could hear Dean's voice, and Kevin's. He didn't know where he was, but there was someone touching him and it felt like Dean.
He tried calling for Dean, but all that came out of his mouth was garbled mush.
Dean told him to open his eyes, and he tried. He really did try, but he was just so tired. His head was suddenly a little colder, and he opened his eyes a little more. Dean looked worried, and Sam felt sad. He'd let Dean down again, made Dean worry about him, when there was so much more to worry about. More important things that Sam.
"Stay awake, Sammy."
Sam wanted to say that he'd try, that he was going to do his best, but the words wouldn't come out. He wanted to stay awake for Dean, he knew he had to stay awake for Dean, but he was so tired…
….
Stumbling through fields was nothing new to Cas. He remembered stumbling through fields and forests in Purgatory.
Exhaustion, however, was new.
Angels didn't sleep. Cas didn't know how to sleep. All he knew was that he had to keep going, he had to find Dean.
"Father, please." Cas prayed. "If you hear me, help me find him. I beg of you."
There was no answer. There never was.
Cas heaved a weary sigh and forced himself to carry on walking. His head was pounding, and there was an emptiness inside him that almost brought him to tears. He was graceless. A wingless disappointment. He was the cause of all this; his brothers and sisters feel through the sky to oblivion because of him.
Dropping to his knees, Cas felt fresh tears pour from his eyes as he remembered his last sensations as an angel.
"Castiel!"
Dean's voice, crying his name. Dean's desperation searing though their bond. The slow burn as his grace was leeched from him by a traitorous angel.
"Dean." Cas whispered the name like a prayer, as if Dean would come and lift him from the ground and help him walk.
That wasn't going to happen. Cas knew he would have to do it himself. Stay awake, and get to Dean.