A reasonable update. Who knew? :) This one is a little shorter, but that's just how it went.

I want to thank everyone who's followed this story. This is the last 'chapter' but there will be an epilogue to wrap up just like the prologue introduced.

Ch. 25

No matter how many times they've died, or even just come close to dying, it's always like it's happening for the first time. The grip of panic, the shortness of breath when it feels like a hand is clenched around his heart, and the pure determination to make it all better. This time? They're screwed. But at least they're screwed together.

"Hey. Open your eyes. Look at me." Sam pulls Dean's head into his lap, wiping dirt and blood from his face to see the damage. He grimaces at the long slash down the side of his brother's face. It's so deep, so very deep, but it still managed to miss reaching his eye. Thank god. "Dean. Can you hear me?" He gently pats Dean's good cheek. "Wake up."

It's not like there's a guarantee they're going to make it out of here, but it's still like the world is lifted from his shoulders when Dean finally blinks open his eyes, the left one more than the right because of the swelling of the gash. "Sam."

"Right here, Dean. Don't move, 'kay? I'm still trying to see what else is wrong." He runs his hands over Dean's shoulders and arms, gently moving to prod his chest after.

Dean lets his eyes fall closed again. "What happened to m' face? It hurts," he slurs, trying not to move his face much.

"Cut pretty deep, man." He shrugs off his shirt, taking a knife and cutting it into a sizable chunk before folding it and gently resting it over the right side of his brother's upside down face before pressing a little.

Dean groans deep in his chest.

"Sorry, bro," Sam murmurs.

"You 'kay Sammy?"

Sam smiles a little. "I'm fine, Dean. But it looks like we might be trapped." He lifts his shirt away, using a clean corner to dab around the gash before throwing it to the floor somewhere after seeing the bleeding is already slowing.

Dean lets out a breath through his lips. "Great." He opens his good eye, looking up at the upside down view he has of Sam. "Any plans?"

Sam bites his lip, looking away.

Dean waits.

After a few seconds, Sam looks back down, eyes apologetic. "We give them the go ahead?" he suggests.

Dean looks up at his brother, not so little anymore, pride in both of his eyes as he opens the other one. "Go out in a blaze of glory?"

Sam smiles a little. "Why not? We'll go together."

It's kind of fitting in a way, Dean thinks. They started this life together, little Dean and little Sammy pulled into this life of monsters and fire. Seems like the only perfect way to end it. Together, fighting monsters, taken out by fire. "Radio it in, Sammy."

Sam reaches over to the bag that's laying a few feet away where it had landed on the floor after the collapse, pulling it to him and digging out the extra radio. He turns it on. "Winchesters to base. Winchesters to base, do you copy?"

After a second, they get a barrage of answers from the four leaders, asking what happened and where they've been. Mark has opened the radio waves to all of the radios. No doubt to make sure they don't miss any critical information. After it quiets, Sam looks to Dean. When he gets the nod, he takes a deep breath. Then signs their death warrant.

"Light her up boys."

There's a pause. Then Mark's voice. "Where are you guys? You never radioed the clear. All the other groups radioed when they got clear of the danger zone. Are you on your way?"

Sam looks down to Dean, taking his brother's hand when it's lifted towards him. All bets are off. Chick-flick moments be damned. "It looks like we won't be making it out of this one."

More silence. Then, "What happened?" Crow this time.

"Had a little problem. We're trapped in a part of the basement I think. But we aren't getting out of here." The lights flicker above them. When it's silent for a while again, Sam knows they're arguing with each other about what to do. "Hey. Guys? Don't worry about us. We had a good run. Just light her up."

"Sam…" Mark sounds torn. Defeated.

"You don't have much time. They'll put themselves together soon. You have our permission. Do it when you've made your decision." He sets the radio down, not noticing when the button gets stuck. He never hears Mark's answer. He looks down to Dean, eyes watering at the squeeze Dean offers with his hand. "This isn't going to be a quick death."

Dean smirks a little with the good side of his mouth. "I know."

Sam nods. He knows too.

"You sure you can't get out?"

Sam glares down at him. "I wouldn't leave you even if I could."

Dean looks up at him. "Idiot brother."

Sam grins. "I know."

Dean nods, smiling softly. He knows too.

Sam wipes the sweat from Dean's temple with the rest of his shirt that wasn't thrown across the room, looking down at his brother. "When I left for Stanford, the hardest part was leaving you."

Dean sighs. "Sam…"

Sam gives him a look, silencing him. "When I had to jump into the cage to defeat Lucifer, the hardest part was leaving you, hurt and broken against the impala. Especially knowing I did that to you."

"Wasn't you."

Sam ignores him. "Today? Staying is the easiest decision I've ever made."

Dean sighs. "You always have to ruin everything. You big girl."

Sam smiles down at him.

Every man on the mission is arguing over what to do about the Winchesters. It's not just the leaders. Not just the main four. Everyone. All one hundred ninety seven men hear Sam's command. No one can agree on what to do. The group all gathered by the water tower are close enough to hear the whole thing with the way the three leaders are spread out and have their radios turned up full blast to keep everyone updated.

Then Sam's voice sounds over Crow, Sky, and Drake's radios. "Hey. Guys? Don't worry about us. We had a good run. Just light her up."

"Sam…" Mark answers. Everyone can hear the defeat in his voice.

"You don't have much time. They'll put themselves together soon. You have our permission. Do it when you've made your decision."

All of the men are silent now. They hear the sound of the radio shuffling and a click hinting at being set on the ground. A lot of them share glances. They all know how the buttons on these stupid radios stick sometimes.

Mark gets out one word, "But…" before he realizes what happened too. He sighs. "What do we do, boys?" he asks the other three leaders. "We only have another couple minutes before the leviathans can pull themselves together. Not enough time to get them out."

Crow, Sky, and Drake gather in the middle of the rest of the men, hissing under their breath about what to do when they hear Sam's voice. It's quiet, but still clear. The air is still. The night is quiet. All of the mean are close enough to hear Sam over the three radios gathered in the middle with the leaders. "This isn't going to be a quick death."

It's quiet for a second. Then Dean's, "I know."

The leaders stop arguing then, listening too. The men around them all listen in shock. Sam's voice is softer than they've ever heard it. The most emotional. Sam has never let his guard down around anyone like this. It's fascinating.

"You sure you can't get out?"

"I wouldn't leave you even if I could."

"Idiot brother."

"I know."

It's silent air for a few seconds. Then Sam's voice again. "When I left for Stanford, the hardest part was leaving you."

Dean sighs. "Sam…"

"When I had to jump into the cage to defeat Lucifer, the hardest part was leaving you, hurt and broken against the impala. Especially knowing I did that to you."

"Wasn't you."

"We should turn these off," Sky radios to Mark.

A few men around him nod. This isn't supposed to be for them.

"Today? Staying is the easiest decision I've ever made."

They hear Dean sigh. "You always have to ruin everything. You big girl."

There's a quiet murmur through the group as some of the men chuckle.

There's the sound of fabric before a quiet, "C'mere."

It's quiet then. They figure the brothers had just got comfy to sit out the wait. Some believe there might be more to it. Even the ones who don't think that have heard something tonight that have finally made all of the other stories make sense. These two brothers? There's something about them that's special. That no one else has ever had. If there were any way for them to die, it'd be together. Defeating the evil they set out to destroy.

Drake sighs before lifting his radio to address Mark. "Do it. There's no other way. And they want us to."

Back at base in the hospital, Mark runs a hand through his hair. He looks at the radio. His breath catches at the next sound, heart clenching before he reaches to turn off the transmitter to the Winchesters' radio. He cuts off Dean's voice when he realizes what he's hearing. This isn't for them to hear.

He reaches for the detonator, the entire barricade in complete silence now that the radio is off. Everyone with Mark at the base watches. No one out by the water tower protests. Some are still too touched by what they heard before the radio was cut off.

Mark takes a breath, closes his eyes, and pushes the button.

Dean looks up at Sam, an indescribable look on his face. He raises his other arm, the one not still holding Sam's hand. "C'mere." When Sam leans down, he rests his hand on the back of his brother's neck, pulling him down until Sam's forehead touches his. He sighs.

Sam squeezes his eyes closed, this intimate position of his brother's head in his lap and his arm anchoring them together by the small point of their foreheads hits him in the gut. His body starts to shake. This is it.

Dean's fingers move a little in Sam's hair, just feeling the strands between them. He lets out another sigh before closing his eyes. When he feels Sam shaking, he does what his mom always used to do to put him and Sammy to bed. What she still did the night Sam's nursery went up in flames. Something Dean has only done a handful of times since he was six and trying to put little Sammy to bed himself two years after their mom was gone. And, as always for this, his pitch is perfect.

At the first two words, Sam grips his brother's hand tighter. He knows Dean's voice will be the last thing he hears before the explosion.

"Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song, and make it better…"

So I hope you enjoyed it. Even if you didn't like it. Don't hate me?