Chapter 16: Touched By An Angel

The bullet hit Dean in the chest and he grunted on impact. He collapsed onto the ground and clutched his chest. Sam's eyes widened and he rushed to Dean's side.

"No…Dean.." He muttered and put his hands on Dean's shoulders. Dean looked up at his Sammy with fear in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Just a short choking sound.

Zack lowered the gun and looked stunned, he took a few steps back as his hands started to shake.

Sam looked at Zack and became enraged. A fire lit inside of him and with a cry, he lunged at Zack with his arms outstretched. He tackled him to the ground and wrestled the gun from his hand. At Sam's weight sitting on top of him Zack's face winced as his cracked rib dug into his side.

"You son of a bitch!" Sam yelled.

He cocked the gun and got up. He pointed it at Zack's head.

"Don't'.." he pleaded.

Sam shot Zack in the face, killing him. He then dropped the gun and hurried back to Dean. Blood was coming out of the bullet hole in his chest. Tears formed in Sam's eyes and streamed down his cheeks. He shook as he held his brother's trembling body in his arms.

He couldn't lose Dean again. Not after the pain and suffering he went through those four months without him. If Dean died Sam could not go on living. Dean was his heart and soul. He was his breath of air and his beating heart. He loved him with every fiber of his being.

"Someone call 911!" Sam screamed, his voice full of emotion. The three surviving people were now standing around him. One of them pulled out their cell phone and started to dial.

Dean struggled to say a word, he raised his hand slowly, reaching for Sam's face.

"S..Sa..Sam.." he moaned.

Sam grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers together "I'm right here Dean…it's okay, everything is going to be alright you'll see…"

"No" Dean mumbled and his eyes went blank. He took his final breath and died.

Sam's dark pupils searched Dean's empty stare. "No..n-n-n-no" He shook Dean desperately "Dean please! You can't leave me!" Sam embraced his lifeless body "…DEAN!".

Sam cried for several long and agonizing moments. The man that called 911 tried to inform Sam that he did so but Sam didn't hear him. He couldn't hear anything except the pounding of his heart. He finally released Dean and dug his fingers into the dirt.

These were the last moments of Sam Winchester's life. He knew he could never move on without Dean. He remembered that night months ago when he was sitting in the Impala with a gun barrel pointed to his temple. When Sam was finally forced to accept the fact that Dean was dead, he wanted to die. As a steady finger balanced on the trigger Sam closed his eyes and waited to pull it. But he never did, because of the promise he made to Dean. That he would remember what his older brother taught him and to keep fighting and saving people.

None of that mattered now, Sam stared at Dean's body as the sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance.

Suddenly a brilliant light flashed and it blinded everyone. Sam saw the three survivors blown back by the force. Sam, however, didn't budge an inch. He shielded his eyes to the glare and looked up to see a figure step out of that light.

Castiel.

The angel walked over to Dean and knelt down slowly beside him. Sam watched in stunned amazement as Castiel pressed his fingers on Dean's forehead.

Dean's eyes flew open and he gasped. Castiel placed his hand on his chest and a white light shot out from his fingers. The bullet hole closed and Dean was healed.

Castiel stood up and stared down at Dean. Sam scrambled over and quickly wrapped his arms around Dean and pulled him close. He felt solid, he felt real.

Dean looked at Sam mystified "What happened?" he asked.

Sam cupped his face in his hands "you were gone, I thought I lost you".

Sam quickly rose to his feet and faced Castiel, tears of happiness formed in his eyes and he extended his hands to the angel "Thank you, thank you so much, you'll never know how much this means to me".

Castiel stared back at Sam expressionless "I didn't do it for you Sam, it's not Dean's time yet and we need him, he's important to us".

He vanished then and Sam blinked a few times befuddled. He looked around and saw that they were back on the street in front of the abandoned building. Except the people were gone and so was Zack's body.

Dean got up and rubbed the back of his head "what the hell just happened to me?"

Sam turned around and hugged Dean and clung onto him for dear life. Dean raised his eyebrows and placed his hands on Sam's back.

"Sam, I have to breathe at some point you know"

Sam let go and clutched the front Dean's jacket "I'm sorry I just can't believe you're okay, you were dead only a few minutes ago, you don't remember any of that?"

Dean frowned "I remember…" His face changed as the realization hit "Yes, Zack had a gun and he took a shot at me, the last thing I saw was your face" He shifted his gaze and looked Sam in the eyes "Castiel, he brought me back".

Sam nodded, then with an absolute desperation he pulled Dean to him and kissed him passionately. Dean responded slowly to the kiss but desire overcame him and he returned the passion. He reached up and put his hands on Sam's warm neck.

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Later on Sam and Dean returned back to their motel. Sam closed the door behind them and helped Dean sit on the bed.

"You feel okay?" he asked.

Dean swatted Sam's hands away "stop it I'm fine".

Sam took off his coat and then sat down next to Dean. He gently rubbed his hand up and down his back.

"So let me get this straight" Dean started to say "Zack shot and killed me, then Castiel came walking out of this white light and healed me".

"Yeah, that's the gist of it" Sam replied.

"But why?" Dean demanded "why do I keep getting saved like this while there are poor suckers much more deserving than me dying every day? Why doesn't God intervene and save them? Can't I die in peace?".

Sam stopped rubbing his back and looked at Dean slack jawed "can't you die in peace? Are you serious? Do you have any idea what it did to me?" He stood up and faced Dean angrily "I had to hold you as you died Dean! I watched the light go out in your eyes, I heard my heart shatter into a thousand pieces at the thought of living life without you again and I can't.." Sam shook his head "I can't do it again Dean…if you die…I have to die".

Dean reached for Sam's arm "Come on, don't talk like that".

Sam grabbed Dean's hands startling him "Then stop talking like you don't deserve to live!" He encircled his arms around him "what if I died Dean? What would you do? Can you imagine your life without me?"

Dean leaned into Sam slightly "No I can't" he said and slid his hands gently up Sam's arms "I don't think I could live without you either Sammy".

"Then it's settled, I love you"

Sam brushed his lips over Dean's and started to kiss him. Dean pushed him back into the wall as the kiss got more intense and rough. Soon they were both stripped down to their jockey shorts and throwing themselves on the bed.

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The brothers laid together naked and underneath the covers. Sam was on his side with Dean behind him. Dean's arms were around Sam's muscular torso and he rested his chin on his bare shoulder.

"I feel like I should be smoking a cigarette" Sam joked.

Dean chuckled "Yeah me too".

Sam let out a soft breath and nuzzled his face into the pillow. Dean bit his bottom lip as he drew circles on Sam's back.

"What happened to Zack?"

Sam opened his eyes at the sudden question. He stared at the wall and cringed at the mention of Zack's name. He remembered the rage he felt when he attacked him. The wild look in his eyes as he shot Zack to death.

"He's dead" he said.

"How'd he die?" Dean asked but he had a feeling he already knew the answer to the question.

Sam rolled onto his back so he could look Dean in the eye "I'm not going to lie to you Dean, I killed him".

"Sam.."

"He shot you and I don't care what you're going to say, I would do anything for you and I mean anything, Zack brought it on himself and he got what he deserved".

Dean didn't answer right away, maybe Sam was right but it was kind of scaring him that Sam seemed to show no remorse for killing another human being. But Dean knew if it were the other way around, he would do the same thing.

He laid his head down on the pillow. He and Sam faced each other and Dean ran his fingers through Sam's shaggy hair. His eyes were growing heavy with sleep. Sam leaned in and kissed Dean's forehead softly.

It was moments like this that he wished could last forever. The final thought Dean had before falling asleep.