Thanks so much Ktoon for beta'ing for me and Themegalosaurus for doing the final edits, and thank you VegasGranny and Ncsupnatfan for pre-reading. You were all invaluable in getting this story written and ready to post, and I am so grateful to you for sharing your skills and your time.

This was a strange story for me. Though I loved writing it and personally feel it's one of my better stories, I didn't expect it to be popular as it's obviously dealing with a character death and comes with the Gencest tag that I know worried some and put them off. The fact you've come this far with me means so much. Thank you all xxx

Chapter Sixteen

Dean and Sam were sitting together in the library. Castiel and Crowley were still not back, and Rowena was flipping through the Book of the Damned at another table. Chuck had dragged himself up the stairs and outside to see Lucifer.

Dean didn't care what was happening out there between them. He was drinking his last beer, enjoying the last moments he would even had with his brother, in the last hours of his life.

Sam was quiet, staring down at the tabletop. Dean wondered if he was thinking of what was coming for him, or if, like Dean, he was thinking what would happen to his brother. Dying would be easier for Dean, he was doing it to save the world, and it wouldn't end for him completely. Sam would have nothing at all.

"Are you sure about this?" Dean asked, hoping Sam might change his mind and allow Castiel to take him to Zericel after all.

Sam looked at him, his eyes sad. "Are you?"

"I have to be, Sammy," Dean said gently.

"Then I am, too."

Dean heard the door opening, and he looked out to the war room as Castiel and Crowley came in, followed by Chuck and Lucifer.

Dean thought Lucifer had gotten his apology as he looked smug, and Chuck was smiling slightly. As they entered, Lucifer cast Rowena an appraising look, and she flinched. Dean turned away from Lucifer and saw Sam glaring at the archangel. It seemed, now that there was no fear for Dean's life, he was just angry. Lucifer's hold over him had finally passed, just in time for everything else to pass, too, including the half-life that was all that was left for him.

Dean winced and said, "Did you get them?"

"No," Crowley said, pointing at Lucifer. "After he took over, my stash was raided. I have none to take."

"Cas?" Dean asked, feeling the hope that had kept him functioning fading.

Castiel shook his head. "The angels are aware that Chuck is dying and they're not willing to commit souls to what they see as a pointless mission. They are going to allow them to die with dignity."

"Chuck!" Sam said desperately. "You've got to go there. Make them change their minds."

Chuck sighed, "I don't have the strength to go to Heaven now. I don't have much time left."

"Neither does the world," Dean pointed out. "So what do we do?"

Sam sucked in a breath. "Billie! She owes us that favor still, and she can get souls. Call her."

Hating that he had to go to the person that had mocked his loss, but knowing he had no other choice, Dean raised his voice and said, "Billie. We need you."

There was a soft laugh and Billie walked from the war room into the library. "I wondered when it would occur to you to call me. I've been listening to your plotting. Souls are my business, after all."

She looked around the room, her eyes passing the place Sam stood twice. "I assume Sam's here listening, too."

"He is," Dean said.

"I would say it's nice to see you, but, obviously, I can't," she said. "It's good to know you're still here though. I am guessing some of this was your idea."

"Billie," Chuck said in a warning tone. "We're almost out of time. Will you give us the souls?"

"Sure. There are a few thousand in the veil we can spare." She looked at Rowena. "Are you ready for them?"

Rowena held out the crystal and said, "Whenever you are, dear."

Billie smiled and took the offered crystal from Rowena. For a moment nothing happened, and then bright light streamed from the air into the crystal that blazed. It seemed to go on forever, and Dean heard Sam's fast breaths beside him as he watched. Dean wondered if he was scared now it was almost the moment for him to go.

The last soul disappeared into the crystal that glowed and Billie handed it back to Rowena who looked around the room. "I think we're one short."

Sam cleared his throat and said, "Tell her I'm ready."

Dean swallowed hard. "Not yet."

"We don't have any more time, Dean," Chuck said quietly.

Dean shook his head jerkily. He knew it had to happen, he had to say goodbye, and they might run out of time at any moment, but he wasn't ready.

"It's okay, Dean," Sam said softly.

"Are you sure?" he asked, giving his brother one last chance to choose heaven.

Sam nodded. "Yes."

Dean didn't want to cry in front of the gathered people, only one of them that he cared for, but the tears burned his eyes and slipped down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice choked with emotion.

Sam reached out as if to touch him, and then dropped his hand to his side again with a sigh. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I have so much to be grateful to you for." He shrugged and smiled sadly. "But we're out of time." He walked to Rowena and said. "Goodbye, Dean."

"Now, Rowena," Chuck said.

Rowena murmured an incantation and Dean breathed his brother's name as he became white light and was siphoned into the crystal.

"Sam?" Castiel said wonderingly. "I can see him."

Rowena, Crowley and Billie were watching the light as it disappeared, too, and Dean felt yet another shock of pain as he realized Castiel was finally seeing his friend in time to say goodbye.

The last of Sam disappeared into the crystal, leaving it glowing.

Rowena looked at Dean and asked gently, "Are you ready?"

Dean nodded and wiped away the tears on his face. "Do it," he said resolutely.

Rowena held out the crystal and spoke words in a language he didn't recognize. For a moment Dean watched, waiting for something to happen, and then his eyes squeezed closed as the light rushed at him. His chest burned like it was on fire, and he bit back scream. The pain seemed to go on forever, and when it finally ended, he realized he was being held upright by Castiel. He straightened up, and thanked him before stepping away from him, unable to bear the comforting touch.

"What next?" he asked Chuck.

"Rowena?" Chuck prompted, his voice weak with exhaustion.

"You have about an hour before you're a ticking time bomb," she said. "Get close to her and do this." She raised her hand and pressed her index finger to her thumb. "That's all it takes."

Dean nodded. "Right. We need to find Amara."

"I know where she is," Chuck said. "She's not warding herself from me anymore."

"Why not?" Castiel asked.

"Because she's won. I can send you to her."

"Okay," Dean said taking a deep breath. "Let's get this done. Cas, there's a lake in Greenville, Illinois. Crowley knows where it is. If there's anything left of me to burn, take my ashes there."

"Is that where Sam is?" Castiel asked.

Dean nodded, though he knew now that it wasn't true. As Sam had been trying to tell him all along, that was just a body. The part that made Sam who he was really was now in Dean's chest, burning and waiting for the end.

"Dean…" Castiel started.

Dean could tell Castiel wanted him to talk, to say goodbye maybe, but he couldn't bear to add another goodbye to Sam's. "Thanks, Cas," he said, forcing a smile.

Castiel looked sad but he nodded, seeming to understand what Dean couldn't say or do for him.

"I'm ready," Dean said to Chuck."

Chuck hesitated a moment as if gathering strength and then held up his hand, and Dean felt the disconcerting sensation of movement before he arrived in a well-tended park.

Dean looked up at the weak glow of the dying sun above him and grimaced. They really were out of time.

"Dean?"

His eyes snapped down and he saw Amara walking through an arch and into the garden. She stopped at the end of a stone path that lay between two lush lawns and looked him up and down.

"You came," she said, sounding pleased.

Dean met her eye unflinchingly. "I had to."

"Did you have to bring a bomb?"

"Yes," Dean said, seeing her disappointment. "You've given us no choice." He held his hand at his side, his fingers poised to touch and end it.

"You can't kill me, Dean" she said almost sympathetically. "You won't be able to do it."

"I have to. Unless you can fix Chuck, you have to stop what you're doing, or it's all going to end."

"I can fix him," she said. "But why would I? You know what he did to me, what he was going to do again."

"He had no choice either," Dean said sadly. "You were going to destroy everything. You don't have to though." He sucked in a shaky breath. "I just said goodbye to my brother for the last time. He's in here now." He touched his chest. "And I am never going to see him again. I would give anything to be in your place right now. Chuck is still alive, for now, and you're wasting your last chance to fix things between you."

"You love your brother," she stated. "I could see that."

"More than anything," Dean said, his voice catching. "And I'm letting him go to save the world."

"Because you don't know what it feels like to be betrayed, to hate."

"I do," Dean said sadly. "Sam betrayed me before, and I betrayed him. I have hated him, and he has hated me, but that doesn't cancel love. You can only hate if you already loved them. I will never see my brother again, but you could. If you stop this, help Chuck, you can start all over again. I can't do that."

She frowned. "But what he did to me…"

"Was awful," Dean said. "I know. He knows that, too. He made a mistake. But you have a chance. Let him apologize. Rebuild what you had. Be angry, but don't give him up because of anger."

Amara considered his words for a long time, and Dean stood with his muscles tensed to act. If this didn't work, if he couldn't reach her, he would get as close as he could and blow the bomb, lose his brother, but he could see in her eyes that there was the smallest chance it could work.

She lifted a hand and said, "Brother," and Chuck appeared beside her. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, and then she seemed to force herself to calm as she asked, "Do you think you made a mistake trapping me?"

"Yes," Chuck said solemnly. "I thought the world needed to happen, and I let that overpower my love for you. I regret what I did, but I don't regret creation. It's the most incredible thing."

Amara smiled slightly. "It is, but you shouldn't have locked me away."

"I shouldn't've," he agreed. "I'm sorry."

Amara looked at him for a long moment and then she nodded. Dean watched, tensed as a coiled spring, as she laid a hand on Chuck's chest and light glowed and rippled over him.

For a moment, Dean was scared, thinking she was finishing the job early, and he was on the point of allowing his fingers to touch, but then the light faded and Chuck was revealed to be standing tall again, his face flushed with color.

"Thank you, Sister," he said with warmth.

Amara smiled. It was the first time Dean had seen her looking like this, as if all the cares and pain of an eternity in captivity were lifted, and it made her even more beautiful.

"It's okay, Dean." Chuck said, walking towards him and placing his hand on Dean's chest. He felt a drawing sensation and then a strange emptiness.

"They're gone," Chuck said.

Dean took a deep breath and rubbed at his sternum, his racing heart starting to calm.

"What about Sammy?"

"I released him, too," Chuck said. "It may take a moment, but he will come."

"Thank you," Dean said fervently, his heart seeming to swell with the overwhelming relief and happiness he felt.

"We need to go," Chuck said. "There are things we need to say, and we'll need space to do that."

"Sure," Dean said vaguely, his eyes still scanning the area for a sign of his brother.

"Dean," Amara said, her voice happier than he'd ever heard.

Dean forced himself to look at her and saw that she was smiling widely. "Yeah?"

"You gave me what I needed when I needed it most," she said. "I want to do the same for you."

Dean was at the point of asking what she meant when the outline of her and Chuck faded and were replaced with streams of black smoke and white light. They twisted and coiled, reaching for the sky and disappearing.

Dean stared at the place they had been, awed, until what he was missing returned to him and he looked around again. "Sam! Sammy!" he called. "Where the hell are you?"

He started to panic when there was no response, thinking that perhaps Chuck had been wrong, but then he heard a voice calling back, "I'm coming," and he relaxed.

Sam appeared through the arch Amara had stood in front of, a wide smile on his face. Dean stood motionless for a moment, just absorbing the fact he was there, and then he noticed what was wrong. The sun that was now burgeoning overhead was streaming down on Sam, casting a shadow on the stone path.

"Are you really…?" He couldn't finish the question, scared to hope.

Sam nodded and walked toward him, a wide smile on his face. "I'm really."

He stopped in front of Dean, and Dean reached out a shaking hand to Sam's chest. With an ache of longing, he moved it an inch closer and touched the point above Sam's heart. The fact he could feel it, that his hand was being moved by Sam's breaths, made him feel weak with relief and happiness.

Sam pulled him into a hug and Dean gripped him back as hard as he could.

"You're really here?" he asked, blinking tears out of his eyes.

Sam patted his back and then pulled away to look into his eyes. Dean saw that Sam's were wet, too."

"Yeah, Dean, I'm really here." He laughed. "I'm really back."

So… That's where it ends… Or does it? If you want it, I can probably come back at this story with an epilogue. Let me know if you feel it needs it and also if there is anything you would like to see addressed in one — I have a couple ideas of things that need to be tied up neatly.

Thank again for joining me on this journey.

Until the next story…

Clowns or Midgets xxx