The silence that filled that old church was deafening. Sam passed a hand over his face as his gaze drifted down to Dean's lifeless body on the dust covered floor. He swallowed hard, thinking of all the times his brother had been there for him and everything he'd given up along the way. Dean had spent his entire life just fighting to survive, it had been one sacrifice after another and this last one was one Sam would never forget. Dean's fight might have been over, but the job was far from being done and now it was up to him to carry on. There was a time where he would have given anything to just walk away from it all, to turn his back on the life of a hunter and all that came with it, but things had changed. He'd changed. He took a deep breath as he unfolded the sheet of paper Meg had handed him, a note his brother had no doubt prepared in the midst of his current situation. His heart was in his throat and his stomach was in knots as he read what Dean had written.

Sammy, don't be mad at me for going through with this. This is the way it should have been right from the start. You were right about what you said, about me not wanting to end up alone but that's not why I decided to go through with the trials. I need you to understand that none of this is your fault. I can't change who I am and you know how hard I've tried. I stopped you from going through with it because I couldn't deal with you dying. I still can't and I don't think I ever will, you're my little brother and whether you wanted my help or not, I spent my life trying to do the best I could for you. So while you love me to the point that you're willing to let me go, I love you too much to be able to. Sorry but I just can't help it. I know things have changed between us and now that you're all grown up, I realize that I can't save you from everything. This won't make up for all the shit I've done or put you through, but I hope you forgive me anyway. Now with the gates of Hell closed and the demons locked away, here's your chance to kill off Abaddon. For Henry, for dad, for us. When you're done with the bitch, go after Crowley and Metatron. I know you can fix this Sammy. See you on the other side but don't you dare show up until you're as old and grumpy as Bobby was...

Take care of yourself Sammy.
Dean

He wiped the tears from his eyes as he folded his brother's note and tucked it away. "Damn it Dean." He growled to himself, his voice echoing in the rundown church. Deep down he always knew things would end like this, but he had never really prepared himself for when that moment would inevitably come.

"Dean, it's time for you to go." Tessa said softly, her voice doing little to get the young hunter's attention. He was sitting on the bench next to his brother, unseen and unable to do anything to comfort the other man. The longer they stayed, the harder she knew it would be for him to let go and leave everything behind. "Dean." She repeated, finally getting him to look at her. "It's time for you to go."

Though he offered her a nod, he didn't move from his seat next to Sam on the pew. It was too late for words now, but even if they could speak just one last time, he didn't have a clue what he would say. That he'd done it to save him? That this was just the way it was meant to be? That he'd gone through with the trials so he wouldn't live to see his little brother die? Writing the note was hard enough and it had barely even scratched the surface. Dean's gaze drifted down to his body on the floor as he wrestled with his reasoning all over again. Seeing himself laying there dead was surreal, but watching Sam mourn over him was heartbreaking. "Is he going to be alright?" He asked, turning his attention back to the waiting reaper.

"You already know the answer to that." Tessa replied softly as she made her way towards the pair.

Dean choked back the tears as he got to his feet, he'd accomplished what he'd set out to do and now it was time to go. "I'll watch over you Sammy." He whispered, placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Always have and always will."

Sam straightened out as he felt what he thought was a hand fall upon his shoulder. He took a quick glance at the empty seat beside him, his breath catching in the back of his throat as the chill went down his spine. Though there was no one there with him he knew he wasn't there alone, years spent hunting the supernatural had left him with a sixth sense he just couldn't ignore. He wiped the tears from his eyes, first glancing down at his brother's lifeless body on the floor before looking up at the rose window. "Thank you Dean." He whispered, smiling through the pain and grief of it all. "Thanks for always being there."

The sound of Castiel's footsteps echoed in the empty church as he made his way down the aisle, Meg trailing him closely. He paused as they reached the front and Sam turned towards the pair, getting up from his seat. "Are you going to be alright?" The angel asked softly, his eyes catching those of the younger man as he approached them. Though he was caught by surprise when Sam pulled him into a hug, Castiel was quick to return the gesture.

"Yeah, I think so." Sam replied as he pulled away. He swallowed hard as he again wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Are you?" He asked, knowing this loss had not only been a devastating blow to him, but also to the angel they'd taken in as part of their family.

Castiel offered a nod. "In time, I suppose." He quietly started. "Your brother might be gone, but he will never truly leave us. He's done remarkable things and he'll always live on in memory."

There was a moment of silence and when Meg caught the young hunter's eyes, she couldn't help but feel her heart hit the pit of her stomach all over again. She was with Dean when he took that final breath, she owed him her mortal soul. The guilt was overwhelming but these feelings were all new to her again, and she would have to learn to deal with them. "Sam, I've said it to him but you need to hear it too." She said, her tone of voice dropping as their eyes met and the bitter past between them came to mind. "I'm sorry, for everything I've done to you and your family, your friends." She paused for only a moment as the breath caught in the back of her throat. After everything she'd done, it was a miracle Dean had given her a chance at all. Now face to face with Sam, she wondered if he would offer her the same. "When I was demon, I just couldn't help it. Everything I did to you, what I've put you through was..."

"I forgive you." Sam cut in, silencing her mid sentence. "We've all made mistakes, done things we regret or wish we could just take back. Trust me I know, but all the shit you've done, it's all in the past now." He said as he offered her what he could of a smile. "So just let it go."

"Thank you." She whispered as she leaned into him for a hug. Hearing those words from Sam was a weight lifted from her shoulders. Thought it had been years since she'd possessed him, she could still remember it so well.

Dean could have cured any demon but he had chosen to cure Meg, even after everything she'd put them through. What had led to his brother's decision was something Sam couldn't be sure of, but when he pulled away from the hug and watched Meg turn to Castiel, he knew Dean had made the right choice. Separating the memories he had of her as a demon would be hard, but he could already see that the woman standing there in front of him in the angel's arms had changed. "Cas, can you take Dean back to the bunker?" Sam asked quietly, catching the angel's eyes over Meg's shoulder.

Castiel offered the younger man a nod. "I can do that, yes." He replied, pausing for only a moment as he watched Sam turn to look down at Dean's body once again. "Are you sure you don't want one of us to ride along with you?" He asked quietly.

Sam hesitated as their eyes met. "No, I'll be fine." He replied. "I just need some time to myself, you know?" He swallowed the lump caught in his throat as the situation hit him all over again.

The setting sun was long gone by the time Castiel and Meg pulled out of the old church's parking lot with Dean's body laid out carefully across the backseat of angel's car. Watching as the tail lights disappeared down the road and the sound of the car faded off into the distance, Sam couldn't help but feel his breath catch in his throat. This was real, Dean was dead and there was no coming back from this, that much he could tell by the look on Castiel's face when the angel had draped his trench coat over the fallen hunter. He stood alone in the silent night for a moment before turning to the Impala that was still parked by the gate, right where his brother had left it.

Sam took a deep breath as he made his way towards the car, his eyes instantly drawn to the silver light of the moon reflecting off its chrome trim. As he approached, his fingers closed around the car keys in his hand and his mind flooded with memories of life on the road with his brother. He'd spent years in that old car with Dean, they'd driven it across America countless times and had racked up the miles to prove it. Passed down to him from their father, the Impala had never been just a car to his older brother, it was a sanctuary and hunting wasn't just a job, it was a life. Growing up way too fast, they had left their youth behind them all over the map, in rundown cheap motels, dive bars, and dirty gas stations. Life on the road wasn't always easy, there were good times and bad but that was all just part of the ride and in the end, it was all the lives they'd saved along the way that made it worthwhile. Climbing in behind the wheel and sinking down into the well worn leather seat, Sam couldn't help but feel as if he were taking over a legacy.

He turned the key in the ignition and when the engine roared to life, Sam's grip on the steering wheel tightened. His gaze drifted over to the empty seat beside him as his mind started to wander again. He'd lost Dean twice before; once to the depths of Hell and then to the horrors of Purgatory, but neither had felt quite as final as this did. Maybe it was the note Dean had written or the circumstances surrounding his sacrifice that made it all so real, then again maybe it was the fact that he himself had traveled that very same road right up to the edge. He sucked in a breath as he shifted out of park and pulled out onto the dirt road, leaving that old abandoned church in the dust behind him. Moving on without the brother who'd always been there would be hard and learning to live without him would take time, but he'd somehow managed to accomplish both the last time he was faced with such a devastating loss.

With his eyes now focused on the dark road ahead, Sam couldn't help but let a smile slowly creep up to the corner of his lips. Though stricken by a sense of guilt, grief and loss, somewhere in the back of his mind he could still hear Dean's voice, singing along to some old 70's tune blaring from the Impala's radio. Castiel was right, even if Dean was gone he would always be with them.