Author's Note: Well, this is totally not what I intended to write when I started... But somehow my morbid mind thought this was much more fun to write than what I'd originally planned. Maybe I'll come back to the original idea some other time, but for now, this is what came out. And in case anyone is interested, this is the picture I had in my head the whole time I was writing this: petite-madamedottumblrdotcom/post/50690882185/

Disclaimer: Supernatural is not mine; it's just my current inspiration.

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends

"The angels - they're falling..."

He isn't sure how long they sit there in the darkness, watching the heavens rip apart, the only noise the sound of Sam's labored breathing and the impacts of a thousand angels falling to the earth. Eventually, in one final streak of light blazing across the sky and down to the ground, the last angel falls and the sky goes dark.

And in that moment, Sam gives a shuddering sigh, and his body goes limp in Dean's arms.

Dean's attention is instantly focused on his brother, his hands flying frantically to Sammy's shoulders, as he quickly notes how shallow his breathing is, with each breath slower and smaller than the one before. He's losing Sam, and that wasn't supposed to happen, not since they gave up the trials, and not on his watch, ever. With shaking hands, he tries to rouse his brother, pleads with him to live, because he can't face losing Sam, not now, not ever...

"Don't you dare die on me... Sammy, don't do this to me... please, not again. I can't lose you, you know that, so breathe, Sammy, just breathe, please..."

There are tears streaming unheeded down his cheeks now, as he lifts his face to the sky and calls out to his angel.

"Cas, he's dying... Where the hell are you?"

But there is no reply, only darkness and silence.

Dean knows then that there will be no answer, no miracle from heaven, so he does the only thing he can do - pulls his brother close against his chest, holds him as he used to when Sammy was little and scared of the dark. He doesn't even know if Sam can hear him, but as he feels his brother slipping away, as Sam draws one last breath, Dean chokes out his final goodbye.

"It's gonna be okay, little brother... Just rest now... You did good."

This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
- The Hollow Men - T.S. Eliot