So...this is the first story in a Virtual Season 4 that I am writing. This story is already complete and if it is well received, i will probably post a new chappy everyday!! thanks so much for reading!! if you enjoyed, please let me know!! bambers;)

When Angels Close Their Eyes

At the end of all things we sit and wait

life and time does not matter here

as in the end, all that is or ever was will abate

A single beating heart will not matter

nor all the lives that lay in shatters

for at the end of all things

angels open their eyes

The sky, black as pitch and just as turbulent, perfectly matched Dean Winchester's current mood. Lightning punctuated the darkness, thunder keeping constant time with it. The Impala's windshield wipers slapped back and forth, driving the sheets of rain off the window, but still more came Endlessly it seemed, for days on end it rained, with no sign of reprieve.

To Dean it seemed as if the angels were weeping for him, knowing that his time had come. In a few short fleeting moments his life would be at an end, and no amount of tears shed from unseen beings would stop that from happening.

Veering off to the side of the road, Dean killed the engine for the very last time, and left the keys in the ignition, knowing Sam would come looking for him. Dean knew it was unfair to leave his brother tied up back the motel room, also knew it was wrong to inject a sedative into Sam's arm after trying him up, but he needed to be sure Sam didn't follow. He could do this only if his brother didn't have to bare witness to it.

Slowly he stepped from his car, shut the door behind him, and trudged to the crossroads to wait. Surprisingly, he did not hear the vicious growls of hell hounds, although he was almost positive that the demonic beasts would tear him apart limb by limb, before the gates of hell burst wide open to wrap him in their heated embrace. As he craned his neck to search into the darkness for any signs of the crossroads demon, a sudden realization struck Dean. There was really no noise. At least nothing that would usher in his impending death. No wind rustled through the trees. No demonic laughter, which was really odd as he was certain there would be some sort of merciless chuckling as he was ripped apart. The only sounds he heard was the steady rhythm of rain pelting against the ground.

The lack of noise is what really began to rub Dean's nerves raw. It would've been much easier just to get it over with, to feel his skin being ripped from his body as the hounds sunk their teeth into his flesh. But, he knew it wouldn't be that easy. The demon was toying with him, trying to break him before she called in her pets to finish him off. And as he stood there, shivering in the frigid rain, Dean vowed to himself that he would stand strong. He'd won. Sam was alive and that was all that mattered. He had won, and nothing the demon could do to him would change that.

From the shadows and the darkness, a tall figure approached. Confident in its stature, the demon strode toward Dean at a leisurely pace, a slight swagger in his gait. As the demon drew closer, Dean was somewhat surprised and more than a little confused that it wasn't the demon he'd struck the bargain with. Tilting his head to the side to look beyond the male, Dean saw no other demon was forthcoming. His brow raised in puzzlement as the demon with shoulder-length black hair came to a halt within a few feet of him and grinned.

"I take it, you're Dean Winchester," he asked as he looked Dean over as if appraising Dean's worth, "sold your soul to save your brother. Son to a father who sold his soul to save you."

"Yeah, sellin' our souls kinda runs in our family." Dean's cocky smirk faded as the man's penetrating blue-eyed gaze met and held his.

"Was it worth it, Dean?" The demon crossed his arms, the dark material of his shirt pulling taut over his muscular biceps. "Your soul for your brother's life, was it worth it?" he asked in a condemning manner.

"Do you mean, would I do it again?" Dean saw the dark-haired demon nod at his question. "Hell, yeah, it was worth it," he forcefully declared with more bravado than he actually felt.

"You do realize that you have now left your brother alone and unprotected? That it's what all the demons in Hell have been waiting for since the day you struck the bargain?" The demon hesitated for a moment as if waiting for Dean to respond, and then added, "Some might say you left your brother to the wolves."

Not liking how that one true statement caused his stomach to coil in thick knots, Dean squared his jaw and glared at the demon. "Sam knows how to take of himself." He glanced around again looking for the demon he'd made the deal with, not wanting to listen to the demon who stood before him any longer. "An' where the hell is the crossroads demon, I'm not about to deal with her freakin' lackey."

The demon chuckled hearing this. "She won't be coming any time soon, Dean. You see, I bought your contract."

"Bought?" Dean asked, now more confused than ever.

"Well, that's not exactly true." A self-satisfied smirk settled on the demon's finely chiseled features. "Told her that she was to give me your soul, and as you can see, I always get my way."

"An' who exactly are you?" Dean glared at the man, not liking the sounds of a demon who could demand a soul and get it without giving anything in the bargain.

"Do names really matter, Dean? I mean, you went your whole life calling the demon that killed your mother, the Yellow-Eyed Demon." The demon paused to draw in a breath, and slowly released it, and Dean could tell he enjoyed taunting him just by the look in his blue eyes. "Didn't really care much what his name was, all you knew is that you wanted him dead . . . so why should my name be any different?"

"So what are you, some sort of upper-level demon, being able to demand a soul belonging to another?"

The demon was quiet for a moment as he apparently contemplated what Dean had just said to him, and then heaved an aggravated sigh. "You want the truth, Dean?"

"Wouldn't of asked if I didn't."

After a few moments, the demon gave a curt nod of his head, and replied, "As for Hell, there is no one higher than me. Your Yellow-Eyed Demon would be considered no more than a foot soldier in the army I lead. Not even worthy of my attention had it not been for you and your brother."

Okay, so definitely not good. If the demon who managed to open Hell's gates is considered insignificant to him, I'm so totally freakin' screwed. "An' what do you want with me?"

"You are going to do something for me. Something no one else can do." The demon turned on its heel, and began to walk away, gesturing for Dean to follow, but when Dean made no effort to move, it swung back to stare into Dean's eyes. "Think I made it very clear that you were to follow, and you will obey me on this."

With legs spread slightly apart, arms fold defiantly across his chest, Dean tilted his head to glare at the man who was at least a few inches taller than Sam. Stubbornly, he held his ground, not about to do anything the demon wanted him to do until he knew what it was, and even then he was certain he would still refuse. "Not going anywhere with you until you tell me what you want with me."

The demon was silent for the longest time as he met and held Dean's steady gaze. A slight smirk settled on his features as he laughed. "Six months, Dean. I want six months of your life, no more no less."

"What the hell for?"

"Told you there is something I need you to do for me," the demon stated simply as if that was answer enough.

"An' what if choose not to do it?"

"Well, then that would be most unfortunate for you." The demon once again pivoted and strode off down the dirt road, not waiting to see if Dean followed. He'd only gone a few feet when he hesitated, and called back over his shoulder, "Come, Dean, you have work to do."

Curious as to what the demon wanted, and more than a little confused as to why he wasn't already on his one way journey to Hell, Dean reluctantly strode to join the demon. "What do you want me to do?"

"As I already stated, I want six months of your life," the demon cast a sidelong glance in Dean's direction as he picked up his pace, "give it freely and without reservation, and when that time is done, you are free to go back to your life," here he paused to let the full impact of his words to sink in, and then added, "back to your brother."

"Six months?" Dean could hardly believe what he was hearing. If the demon was being truthful, which he highly doubted, he could be back with his brother. It sounded too good to be true. "An' my soul?"

"Yours. As I said, I want no more from you than what I have stated."

There had to be something Dean was missing, demon's just give back souls as it was there business to take them in the first place, and this demon certainly could be no different. "What, you so high up on the food chain you don't have need for souls?"

The demon chuckled. "No, I don't need souls, Dean. That is what my brethren desire. I like to think that I have a higher purpose to serve."

Dean tried to decipher what the demon meant by his cryptic words, but found he was at a complete loss. Although, he found he could not refuse what it had asked of him. After all, six months was not a lot of time at all, and then he would have his soul back.

"Can I see my brother . . . tell him I'm gonna be okay?"

Shaking its head, the demon replied, "No, you can not make any contact with your brother. To Sam, you must remain dead until you have completed what I have asked of you to do." The demon halted in his steps, and turned to look Dean squarely in the eyes. "On this, there is no room for stipulation. You try to make contact with your brother in any way, talk to him, write to him, try to see him at all in the six months, and you'll go straight to Hell. Your soul forfeited. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Dean nodded, not liking the idea of allowing his brother to think he was dead, but what other choice did he have. "Perfectly."

"Good. And you agree to the terms?"

"Well, I'm not gonna kiss ya, if that's what your askin', but yeah, I agree."

The demon extended his hand, and Dean gripped hold and shook it, sealing the bargain. Giving a curt nod, the demon once again picked up his pace. "Very well, your six months starts now. We have a long way to go, so let's get moving."

Dean glanced back in the direction of his car, and then called out to the demon who was swiftly moving away from him. "Why not just take my car?" he asked, hoping that if Sam couldn't find the car, he would somehow figure that Dean wasn't gone. And even if Dean could make no contact with him, Sam would still know that he was all right, and that would have to be enough for the time being.

"We walk, Dean. Your car stays where it is."