The pain spread like a flaming fire, blazing through Castiels middle as the blade pierced through him. Not long enough for the Angel to die, but perhaps more agonizing in the wait that was to come.
    As Deans head turned, he knew he wouldn't like what he saw... How the tears already stung his eyes, and when he saw Cas, fallen, bruised knees on the hard floor, beaten body from the blades and fists, Dean knew it was too late. Though deep down he knew, his heart would not accept the fate that was sooner than later to come. The Hunter lunged forth, abandoning his own fight to rescue his Angel.
    Swiftly the blade that buried itself deep inside Castiel, was wrenched forth and out as Deans body collided with the one attacking Cas. And quickly was the man put to rest. His own fight long forgotten, Dean rushed by Cas' side and took the bleeding Angels face in his hands.
    Light peeked out from the multiple wounds, the Angel inches from death, in the background were heard the cries of Deans family, Bobby and Sam as they struggled against their own enemies. When suddenly a deep, husky voice interrupted the gaze Dean had set into Cas' eyes. Though this voice was weaker... Much weaker than once it had been.
    "I... I can take them..." Dean knew exactly what the Angel meant when he spoke, which only made the Winchesters' eyes flame further with more tears.
    "Cas... No..." Deans voice was pained and strained as he shook his head.
    "But... You will all die... If... If I don't, do this..." The Angels sentence finished in a series of coughs and blood spurring from his mouth, his eyes widened as his throat seized and not even just barely, could he breath.
    "D-Dean!" It was a call of desperation, Castiels eyes were glowing, Deans strong arms were the only thing keeping Cas up, keeping Cas steady, keeping Cas alive for this long... Though he couldn't manage it physically, internally Cas was smiling, he was at peace with what he had done, and as he closed his eyes and tipped his head to the sky, body still twitching and glowing ever so bright, he warned Dean.
    "Look away..." Before light splattered the room, and shattered every unwelcome soul.
    When the light cleared... There lay Castiels body... His eyes were closed, face so pale, paler than Dean remembered. And the largest Angel wings Dean, or any of his family had ever seen! Scarring the floor, and painting it with the last act of Castiel.
    "Cas..." Deans face contorted in his mental agony. Heart tearing as his head disconnected from the world, unable to cope with the dying of his heart, as tears streamed down his dirt covered face, creating zebra stripes with his hearts way of speaking. The tone of Deans voice was past broken, the vocals that just managed to excel, quivered in fear. And then pelted forth the last straw, as Dean faced the heavens and his lungs launched such an agonized screech it chilled the very Devil to the core.
    Sam and Bobby stood in looming silence, they weren't as close with the Angel as Dean was, but Cas was more than just a friend to all of them... He had earned the title, Family. And nothing destroyed them more... Than losing their loved ones. Each time it was like a blazing dagger of inferno to the heart, multiplied by infinity to match how many times worse. And even then it didn't start to begin to explain such a pain. There were no words. Another hole that could not be filled, because the only thing that filled it was the one they had just lost... And at the moment, it was Castiel.
    As Dean exhaled and cradled Cas' ever growing silver corpse to him, he kissed Castiels head and rocked the Angels cold, limp body gently back and forth.
    "I'm so sorry... I'm sorry Cas!" The sobs uttering the Hunter from deep within his chest and soul were those his family had never heard before. Strange and only made the tears in both Bobbys and Sams eyes grow even more. It hurt them, beyond hurt them, to loose Castiel, but it only added to the hurt to see Dean so broken.
    That's how they stayed for the longest time. Shattered and still breaking, feeling abandoned and still loosing. Heads bowing in silence for the fallen as tears leaked forth to express a mere fraction of the torture they felt. The only sound heard, those of the almost silent weeps of Dean as he continued to hold the remainders of Castiel in his arms. He wasn't letting go... But somehow he knew, that though he would not let go, he had already lost what was so dear to him.
    "Goodbye Castiel..."
    And then a rough, deep, husky voice sounded.
    "Dean?"