The End Of Days

Chapter 30 ~ Dead to the World

THEN:

"Yeah, baby boy. - Not goin' anywhere." Dean swallowed hard, tears streaming down his face and dropping on Sam's. "Promise. - I'll stay. I'll stay with you."

He bowed down over his lover. His friend. His mate. And laid his lips over Sam's, letting them linger there. Saying Hi and Goodbye at once. Saying so much more with that gesture than either of them could capture into words in that little time they had left.

Sam's lips curled up into a warm smile, while his body went lax ... and his eyes fluttered shut.

NOW:

It was cold.

Though, the fire of the pyre warmed the small group of men a bit ...

It wasn't much they could do. Nothing that would make their lost ones whole again ...

Castiel, Garth, Kevin and Dean stood just two yards away from it, as they watched the flames lick over the bandaged body, claiming him slowly.

It wasn't the sight before them, nor the scent of burning flesh, that let tears well up in the men's eyes.

It was because of their loss. The fact that whatever they might have tried, or might have made different, it wouldn't have changed a bit ... Fate was a bitch.

Dean stood there. His face pale and covered in scruff. His green eyes empty, red-rimmed and dull. His expression blank.

They were just half a mile away from the bunker, somewhere in the woods. He had walked out there long after his friends had prepared the funeral. And now ... now that he saw the body burn ...

No, Dean Winchester couldn't.

He couldn't stand there, when he was needed elsewhere.

THIS wasn't his place to be. He had said his Goodbyes hours ago ... on the cemetery. Wouldn't it have been for Cas, he wouldn't stand there, wouldn't watch the body burn ... the hunter wouldn't have gone with them ...

He couldn't do this all over again. Couldn't watch the definite end, where there shouldn't be one.

So he tilted his head down, staring at his – still muddy – boots and turned around on his heels. Neither one of the men said a word. They just let the hunter be, let him return to the bunker, where he'd be save. Where his purpose was waiting for him.

Dean didn't bother to pull off his shoes, when he entered the bunker. Hell, he hadn't even noticed yet, that he hadn't changed his clothes. There was still dried blood – Sam's blood. Smeared all over his jeans, shirt and leather-jacket. He'd never get that stains out of them. Ever.

He high likely would get rid of them ... burn them or whatever.

Maybe all of this would be worth it at the end. Maybe the angels would keep their word and would help humanity out of their misery like they had been supposed to ever since. Maybe – for once – the deaths wouldn't have been for nothing ...

Dean entered Sam's former room and looked around thoughtfully, before he pulled off his boots and socks. The hunter then tore the dirty and still damp fabric from himself, letting it fall in a heap on the floor beside the bed.

Naked as he was, he patted through the room, sore and too done to think about anything else of getting the shower over with and dressed again. He couldn't get into HIS room just yet. And this one? Sam's room held so many memories. Good and bad ones.

Though he wouldn't like to change a simple thing. Because this was, what made them who they were.

So he took a fast hot shower and got dressed in the clothes he had prepared before he had headed outdoors.

Dean didn't take his time to shave, nor to pull on socks or his slippers.

He needed to get into his bed, the only place he truly belonged to right now. Nonetheless he hesitated before opening the door to his bedroom. Afraid of what he might find.

When he finally found the balls to push the handle down and open the door, he was greeted with the same picture as he had left the room two hours ago.

Gadreel sat in the chair beside the bed. One angel sitting on the cupboard on the wall furthest from the bed, one directly beside the door and one leaned against the bathroom-door. The four of them looked at the tired hunter and shared short glances with him.

The Winchester sniffed and rubbed over his face tiredly, before his gaze landed on the bed.

There was the slow rise and fall of the blankets, under wich a long form was buried and who was completely unaware of what had happened the past hours ever since they were back from Stull Cemetery.

For the first time in his live he thanked the angels, was grateful that they had been there. Because without them, this day would've gotten a lot worse. If they hadn't been there when they were, Sam would've died out there. In his arms. - just like that.

And the hunter would have ended his life right then. Because there wouldn't have been a single reason left for him to live. Not like that.

He gave the angels a thankful nod for having a watch over his chunk of heaven. Gadreel nodded back at him and rose from the chair.

In the very next beat of his heart, they were gone. The noise of fluttering wings was heard and the room was empty again.

Just him and Sam.

He was thankful that they came out of it like that.

Dean exhaled audibly. The angels had done what they had been able to, to save Sam.

Now he lay there, on his side, still unconscious ... or simply asleep. The wound in Sam's stomach was gone, his skin had its color back – mostly.

Even if the angels seemed stronger now, there was still the fact that they hadn't all their mojo back yet.

So the hunter went to the bed and pulled the covers back ... just enough for him to sneak under them and settle under the thick layers. He inched closer to the prone form beside him – ever so carefully. Dean took exquisite care to be gentle and careful, as he wrapped his arms around Sam and pulled him closer. Pulled him so close, so that Sam's back was flush against his chest.

"You're going to be fine, baby boy.", Dean whispered, nuzzling his nose into the soft mop of hair. - Or at least so the angels had said. That he'd come around. That he'd wake up as soon as he was ready.

The hunter laid his hand over Sam's chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest, the strong heartbeat beneath his palm.

"You're all I have, Sammy. - I thought I've lost you ..." Dean still couldn't believe that Sam was still with him. That he was – in fact – alive and breathing and WITH HIM.

For long minutes he had thought he had lost him for good.

Dean inhaled Sam's scent deeply, trying to memorize every nuance of it. "I'm never again letting you do something stupid like that. - Not by a long shot, baby. Not by a long shot."

Dean cradled the unconscious form in his arms closer. Whispering tender words of gentleness into his ear, stroking his head and face ever so softly. The hunter held onto HIS man the entire time. He wouldn't let go. Until he fell asleep.

A couple of hours later, Sam awoke slowly. It was some time during the night. The generators were out and the air was chilly. Though he felt the warmth surrounding him under the covers, felt another body behind him, arms around him.

It wasn't much longer than that, that Sam drifted off to sleep, not able to hold onto conciousness any longer. Not able to let Dean know that he had woken up, that he was practically back from the dead.

The very next morning, the both of them lay as Dean had fallen asleep at Sam's side. The hunter was groaning silently, on the borders of awakening.

As the hunter shifted and pulled back a bit from his lover, Sam shifted too. First the hunter didn't notice it. But then it hit him like lightning.

"Sammy?" He was awake with one big stride.

A low sleepy moan was heard from the younger man.

"Sammy, you with me?" Dean turned Sam around in his arms on his back, laying a hand on Sam's cheek. "Sweetheart?"

The younger man's lips parted and his eyelids fluttered, as if he was going to say something.

It was a short fight, but though, for Dean it felt like eternity.

"Hey." Sam's eyes fluttered open lazily. A small smile tugging on his lips.

Dean didn't respond. At least not verbally. Instead he leaned forward over Sam and brushed with his lips over Sam's tentatively, testing if he wanted to ... if he was up to kissing.

And Sam was. Hell. Sam so was up for kissing. He instantly responded, tilted his head to the side, so that Dean had better access and their noses wouldn't come in the way.

The hunter's hand found its way over Sam's belly where he had been stabbed, cradling the flannel in his hand.

Sam muttered something into the kiss.

"What?", Dean said, muffled by Sam's lips.

Again, Sam muttered something.

Dean pulled off. "What'd you say, baby boy?" A tender smile on his lips.

"Always wanted to see the grand Canyon, Dean." He blinked big dazed hazel-eyes up at him. "Can we do that? - Some time soon?"

Dean looked down at him surprised. "Grand Canyon.", he repeated, as if he was thinking about it. "Grand Canyon?" His voice high-pitched. "You just came back to me. - You gotta rest, stay in bed. There are still walkers out there ... other monsters ..."

Sam chuckled. "Not now, Dean." He sounded tired. "When we're better ... When ..."

"Shush." The hunter laid his pointing finger over Sam's lips. "Shut up, Sammy.", he whispered.

Stull Cemetery ... the night before ...

The rain had subside. The earth was still mushy and there were water-puddles all over. The human remains, that looked like chicken-wings that looked like they had been too long in boiling oil, had cooled down.

They were nothing more but crusty black meat-sticks.

All except one ... one that seemed to shiver and tremble. A body that was meant to rot, twitched and jolted on the wet ground. Meat was growing back together, burnt flesh was falling off and was renewed through red strands of muscles and pink skin.

Dark brown-green eyes stared at the full moon above him.

The man's lips parted slightly and there were white teeth and black-red lips that let the first inhale of oxygen return into the human's vessel. His eyes rolled back in the sockets and they flashed red, as he cried out an agonized yell. Calling out to the entourage of hell.

One Year Later ...

Dean popped the trunk open and threw two duffels in it.

Sam had already taken his place in the passenger's seat of the Impala, waiting for Dean to get in.

When he did, Sam beamed at him brightly.

They had said their good-byes upstairs already ... since none of them was very good at it. They'd be back in a month or two anyway. So no reason to say giant good byes.

Dean slid behind the steering-wheel and shot Sam a mug grin. "Ready to hit the road, Baby?"

Sam chuckled, turning away to hide his flushed cheeks. It was adorable how Sam reacted to pet-names. - Dean could do that all day – even after a whole year.

So many things had changed. The walkers were gone. The gates of heaven were back open again. Castiel and all the other angels had their mojo back. And though ... The little time-out upstairs hadn't brought anything.

Except that the balance between good and bad had been fully re-constituted again.

"So ... Grand Canyon it is?", Dean asked, as he turned the ignition and the Impala's engine roared to life.

"Grand Canyon." Sam smiled at his hunter softly.

Dean laid his hand on Sam's thigh and squeezed gently, before he pulled the car out of the garage.

One year, three days, two hours and thirty-two minutes earlier ...

The fire of the pyre had long died, but the ashes and remains were still blazing.

There stood a man in a black coat, his eyes gleaming in the darkest of reds, as he stared at the ashes, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his black coat.

Single flakes of the blazing remains and ashes lifted from the pyre into the darkness of the night, slowly but surely forming a shape.

Intestines and bones were building what looked like a human form.

Flesh and skin was growing over the petite skeleton of a female body.

Blonde hair was growing.

As she stepped from the remains of the fire, the red-eyed crossroads-demon with green-brown eyes smiled satisfied.

Big brown eyes smiled up at the demon as she stood there before him.

"I'm home, daddy.", Jo said warmly, her eyes filling with dark red and light blue strands of energy ...

~ THE END ~

that's it, folks. I hope you enjoyed the story & had fun reading it.

I'd be very grateful for some BACON, you know?

THANK YOU TO ALL THE REVIEWERS, FAVORITES & FOLLOWERS

here we go with the teaser for my next story:

STORM'S LAST SEASON

AU, unrelated!wincest, alpha!beta!omega!dynamics, hunter!alpha!dean, broken!omega!sam, alpha!sonny, beta!bobby, mentions!of!abuse!(maybe)rape!torture, rated!M!for!a!reason, salvage!fic, graphic!sexual!content!ahead, top!dean, bottom!sam, love!story, porn!with!plot