Author's Note:

*Spoilers, angst, and character death ahead*

This last episode has officially confirmed my worst fears. They're going to kill Cas. Some rookie random angel almost killed him, and so help me Castiel's Dad I think Raphael is going to kill him. *sobs* The episode was hilarious, but the Cas scenes put me in a very angst-y mood, and this is what happened. Title is from Beautiful Girl by Broken Iris. This is pretty much just a "What if the wound from Rachel had been fatal and Dean had been there instead of Bobby?" thing. So yeah. Here goes.

All was peaceful in the world of Dean Winchester…until Castiel arrived, dying. Then it all shattered into fragmented pieces he had no idea if he could ever hope to reassemble. Before that moment, life had been hectic, but nothing could compare to the horror he felt when he saw Castiel. Later he would wish he'd said so many things before it was too late. But then again, later, his thoughts would be so muddled by the blissful numbness of whiskey that he wouldn't be able to remember anything but blinding white light and three fateful words: Don't forget me.

The older Winchester was sitting in an armchair, reading one of the books on lore while Sam and Bobby went on a supply run. A loud thud came from the kitchen. He looked up to see Cas on his knees, gasping for breath and clutching his chest. Dean felt his eyes widen as he raced to the angel's side, hauling him to his feet.

"Cas, what the hell happened to you?" he demanded.

"Rachel…stabbed me."

Dean laid Cas on the couch, seeing a ragged wound on his chest, emitting white light. It was a light only seen right before or when an angel dies. The realization hit him with a painful force. Castiel, Cas, their ally and friend…was dying. He swallowed hard, telling himself to keep it together, knowing he wouldn't be of any use to Cas if he was panicking.

"What can I do?"

Slightly glazed blue eyes peered up at him, and Cas took Dean's hand, holding it tightly as he whispered his final, broken words. Even as the angel spoke, Dean felt his heart breaking. After all they'd went through, from the fateful night they'd met to the time he'd taken his virgin friend to a whorehouse…it was all coming to an end. Right here, right now. Castiel was dying and there didn't seem to be a damn thing he could do about it.

"Dean, I need you to know…"

Dean shook his head vehemently. "No, don't give me that crap. We'll find a way to help you. You'll heal."

"It is too severe…perhaps your soul could have healed me had it been a lesser wound…" he gasped.

"You can't be dying." Against his will, tears sprung to Dean's eyes. It couldn't end like this. It just couldn't.

The grip on his hand tightened, the white light grew brighter, and he again focused on his dying friend, who whispered, "Dean…you are the purest soul I have ever touched…from the moment I rescued from Hell…I knew I was changed. Try as I might to obey my orders…it was you that I placed my faith in. Always you…" His body convulsed and he used his free hand to again grip his chest before continuing in weak pieces of sentences. "Once, you told me 'don't ever change'…you placed your hand on my shoulder and said those three words…I'm so sorry, Dean…"

"Sorry?" Dean repeated confusedly, his voice breaking.

Cas, much like Dean, looked on the verge of tears. "I tried…I did. For so long I tried not to change…but I had to defeat Raphael…"

The lump in Dean's throat was making it harder and harder to speak. "C-Cas, what are you talking about?"

"The souls…they made me stronger…I needed them…" Castiel gasped out. "But it no longer matters. You must hate me…for changing…I'm sorry…"

"Don't say you're sorry. When we get you better, you can make it up to me," Dean argued.

No matter how obvious the evidence, he couldn't accept it. Couldn't accept that Cas was on borrowed time.

Castiel's grip on his chest and on Dean's hand was becoming weaker. Dean felt a tear slide down his face as he held on to Cas' mostly limp hand for dear life. He could hear the angel's voice, alive and well, like it was yesterday. "…You don't think you deserve to be saved. I was getting too close to the humans in my charge: You. This isn't funny Dean, the voice says I'm almost out of minutes. Dean and I do share a more profound bound…" Thinking of the times he'd spent with Cas only made it worse.

After stopping the Apocalypse together, not to mention the countless other adventures along the way, you would think the scene of Castiel's death would be more epic, more awe inspiring. But no. He was lying on Bobby's couch, mustering the last of his energy to tell Dean the few words that could never compare to the tradegy of what was happening. Yet even though he could be in Heaven, dying amongst his brethren, he chose to spend his final moments in the company of Dean Winchester.

His last words were such a low whisper that the hunter had to strain to hear them.

"Kill the Mother…tell Sam and Bobby I said goodbye…don't forget me…"

Their eyes locked, and then Castiel's fell shut. Dean watched him take one last breath.

And with those final, broken words…Castiel, Angel of the Lord, ally and friend to the Winchesters...died.

The words "don't forget me" seemed to echo throughout the room as white light exploded from the angel's body. Dean squeezed his eyes shut against the brightness, feeling tears steadily fall down his face. No. No. No. Castiel couldn't be…but he was. He was dead and he was never coming back. Dean's pride and dignity succumbing to grief he hadn't felt since he'd held Sam's dead body in his arms, he buried his face in Castiel's chest and cried, shaking the limp body for all it was worth, begging him to just please come back.

"Don't leave me, Cas. We need you…I need you…"

But the words made no difference…

…Castiel was gone.