Chapter 23

Sam stepped to Oree and raised the knife plunging it easily through her clothes, skin, and bone to pierce her heart. "Inferni detractos proieci te tenet vinctum pura et sancta!" he cried in Latin the words Oree had him memorize and drilled into him. He watched her body hover in the air by itself with the knife still sticking in her chest.

Oree's body began to shimmer and glow, growing brighter and brighter causing all of them to shield their faces from it. The light consumed her body until suddenly a shock wave shot out from her throwing Sam backwards into a rocky outcrop so hard bones broke. Dean and Castiel were flung backwards into the trees that were uprooted and tossed with them. As suddenly as the wave exploded out, it imploded pulling rocks, branches, trees anything loose back toward it with such force rocks embedded into the tree trunks. Suddenly a huge popping caused the light to disappear into the ground leaving behind debris piled in a huge mound.

Dean coughed and rolled over groaning in pain from a broken arm and probably broken ribs. He lay on his back looking up at the sky trying to understand what he just saw. He closed his eyes thinking he was imaging it all when he heard and then saw movement off to his left. Castiel stumbled over to him and collapsed beside him. Dean could see wounds already beginning to heal on his face.

"Dean are you hurt?" Castiel finally got out as he loomed over him.

"Feels like broken arm and ribs are the worse." he coughed groaning in pain from the exertion.

Castiel laid two finger on his forehead and used his grace to mend the broken bones. Dean took a deep breath and sat up surveying the destruction around them in disbelief. It looked like a small bomb went off in the clearing.

"Sam, what happened to him?" Dean asked looking around hunting his body. He saw him by the rocky outcrop and made his way to him. "Sam." he called to him carefully rolling his limp body over. Blood was running down his face from a head wound and Dean could tell he had numerous broken bones. He felt his neck searching for a pulse. He finally found one that was very weak and thready. "Cas, Sam's bad you gotta heal him, I can't loose anyone else tonight."

Castiel made his way to Sam's bleeding, broken body, but kept looking to the spot where Oree disappeared. He knelt by Sam and placed a hand on his chest feeling the broken bones and wounds. He felt a power that was working through his body slowly beginning to heal it. Castiel focused all his efforts to latching onto to this power and used it to help heal Sam. The power was a mixture of light and dark and he felt a thread of Aurora's essence intertwined in it. Castiel closed his eyes and pictured Aurora smiling up at him. She was so full of life, so giving, so willing to share, he couldn't imagine going on without her.

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Dean stood up and haughtily walked to the pile of debris looking for some sign of their sister. His mind was about to explode with pain and sorrow and anguish. This couldn't be happening, not this way. She had her whole life ahead of her, she couldn't be gone, not when they just found her and were actually becoming a family. He couldn't comprehend all that happened a few minutes ago, he still couldn't believe he saw his brother stab their sister in the chest. He shook his head trying to dislodge that image, thinking it was all some hallucination that played out in front of his eyes. Dean squeezed his eyes tightly shut as a stray tear trickled down his cheek.

Castiel watched as Sam began to heal, partly by his grace and partly by whatever power he possessed. Sam groaned and cried out as bones reset and became whole. His wounds healed leaving a thin line of a scar. After several minutes, Sam coughed and drew in a shaky breath before trying to sit up. Dean was beside him again taking a bandanna to wipe the blood from his face.

"Oree." he gasped as tears freely flowed down his face blurring his vision. "She said it was the only way." he sobbed letting his body sink back to the ground. He couldn't bear to face Dean or Castiel after what he had done. How was he going to live with himself? Numbness took over as the sobs subsided, but he didn't make any attempts to get up.

"Sam you need to get up." Dean told him trying to get him to focus on him. "Come on there's nothing we can do here. I think he may be going into shock Cas, let's get back to the cabin."

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Castiel and Dean pulled Sam to his feet and supported him since he couldn't support himself. With a blink of the eyes they were back at the cabin. They took Sam to his bedroom and laid him on the bed. He hadn't spoken or responded to them in any way. Dean gently slapped his cheeks trying to get him back to reality, but he didn't respond to him.

"Dean, let him be for now." Castiel told him taking a blanket and covering Sam up. "His mind has shut down, he can't accept what he had to do. The creature is gone, Oree destroyed it by giving her life." he said sadly a feeling of loss building in his chest like nothing he had felt before.

"He killed our sister, damnit, how do I deal with that?" Dean stormed racking his fingers through his hair. "Why, why would she do this?"

"I knew she was hiding something, but I never thought it would be this. I could sense a deep sadness in her last night when we were together."

"I want some answers." he said looking at his younger brother's trembling body. "I need to know." his voice quivered slightly as tears wet his cheeks. Sam had curled into a ball as soft sobs still escaped his lips.

"I'll make us some tea." Castiel said heading out of the room. He needed time to absorb all that happened.

Dean pulled his cell from his jacket and dialed Bobby. He needed to let them know what had happened.

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"Bobby." Dean managed to get out before his voice cracked and a soft sob escaped his lips.

"We already know son, she sent her aunt an email." Bobby said quietly. "Are you and yer brother okay?"

"Sam's far from okay." Dean laughed sadly.

"Do you want us to come over?"

"No, we'll be okay, you take care of Asteria. I'll take care of my brother."

"Call if you need me." Bobby said hanging up.

Dean flipped the phone shut and threw it across the room. Grief ate away at his soul as he breathed hard trying to get it under control. He walked out of Sam's room and toward the kitchen, stopping when he heard noises at the front door.

He barely had the door open when it was knocked from his hand by the driving force of Ellie's body. He stumbled backwards as she raced through the house from one room to the next. He heard her howl mournfully when Oree couldn't be found. One more long howl echoed through the cabin before it became quiet again. Dean looked and saw Ellie curled at the foot of Oree's bed whining and crying for the lose of her charge.

"I know girl, I know." Dean whispered to her rubbing a shaking hand over her head.

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She couldn't be gone, he never got the chance to tell her he loved her too. His vision blurred as tears welled in his eyes. He had felt such passion and love last night and such heartbroken agony right now. He didn't know how humans dealt with these feelings. Such highs and lows, all jumbled together, he didn't know what he should be feeling. Castiel stood at the sink looking out the window holding a cup, making tea forgotten. He didn't hear Dean come up behind him until he spoke.

"I gave Sam a sedative, he should sleep for a few hours. Don't know if he can deal with what happened."

"Tea, let me get it started." Castiel said coming out of his trance.

"I think we need something stronger than tea." Dean told him taking out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet. He poured double shots in each glass and handed one to Castiel. Dean looked at the amber liquid and sighed gulping it down in two swallows. Castiel watched him and did the same thing coughing slightly from the burn as it coursed down his throat. Dean poured himself another one and did the same for Castiel when he sat the glass in front of him. Both drank the liquor letting the alcohol numb their bodies and minds.

"This is suppose to help?" Castiel asked as he accepted another shot.

"No, but it makes the hurt not as bad." Dean answered watching the liquid swirl in his glass before drinking it.

"I don't think its working." he said looking down into his empty glass.