Chapter Text
It started with a hunt against one demon on a joy ride in Sioux Falls. One demon.
It ended with a group of at least seven demons, one bomb and one Dean Winchester holding the door shut as the timer ticks down.
Dean grunts, pushing all his weight onto his left arm which held the door, demons banging against it in panic.
"Dean! Come on!" Sam called from the stairs, everyone else already rushing down them.
Dean shook his head, pushing harder against the door. "If they get out of there, Sammy, we're screwed" he panted "we need them in the blast" he said.
Sam shook his head back and stepped forward to grab his brother. John reached up and grabbed Sam's arm.
"Dad!-".
"Move!" John demanded, pushing Sam towards the stairs.
Sam grunted and caught himself against the banister. Mary looked up from the last step.
John looked over at his eldest, meeting his eyes.
Dean nodded, a little teary but managing one of his classic pretty smiles.
"I got this" he whispered.
John licked his lips and slowly nodded "you ready to run?" He asked.
Dean chuckled "oh yeah" he smiled.
John nodded, backing up to block Sam as he started to push his other son down the stairs.
"Dad-Dad!" Sam protested, pushing his father back to try get past him, and even though Sam was taller, John was still a big man.
John finally turned away from Dean, shutting his eyes and taking hold of Sam's arms, forcing him down the steps behind him. "No!" Sam cried, fighting agaisnt his father's grasp "Dad! Dad he's gonna kill himself!"
"We need to go now Sammy" John order gruffly.
"Yes! Yes we do. All of us, Dad. All of us!" Sam snapped, gritting his teeth.
Dean pressed his body against the door and shut his eyes. Sam was right. It was a long shot that he could get out of the way in time if he stayed to wait out the blast. He was gonna die, and maybe he was ok with that.
"John you can't be serious" Mary argued, standing in the way of John getting Sam down the stairs.
"Dean's right. We need them in the blast" John retorted "he'll be alright. I know he will".
Sam grunted and pulled back from John, bracing for a moment before throwing a punch. John fell back against the banister, Mary reached out to support him.
"Sam!" She called, but Sam was already most of the way up the stairs.
His boot just hit the landing when it happened.
BOOM!
The door blew open with flames and Dean was thrown back. Clothes burning, flesh sizzling. Dean's head hit the wall behind him, blood sticking to it as he collapsed down onto the carpeted floor , hich started to go up in flames.
"No!" Sam cried, trying to rush into the flames, stopped again by his father's hand on his arm, this time effectively pulling him down the stairs and throwing him out of the house.
_______________
The house was doused in water by the fire brigade. Having Jody with them made it easy to get out of trouble since she did the talking to the cops about their bogus cover story.
Sam stood on the sidewalk with his arms crossed and watched the paramedics enter the house with the firefighters.
"If he's dead it's your fault" he growled, his father standing in front of him with his hands in his pockets.
John glanced back at his son and sighed. "I know" he whispered, looking back at the house "but he did the right thing. He chose to" he said.
"You let him die" Sam snarled, refusing to look at his dad.
Mary came jogging over. Saying nothing but gesturing for them to follow by taking John by the arm, her expression distressed.
John and Sam followed Mary over to the door as the stretcher came out; a body bag laid over it. Mary covered her mouth as they unzipped the bag, pulling back the material to reveal the now burnt face of Dean Winchester. Charred flesh ran up his neck and onto his left cheek, stopping just at his bottom eye lashes. John sighed, squeezing Mary's hand. Sam took a long look before he turned away and trekked back to the Impala, biting his lip as his eyes filled with tears.
_____________
John was driving the Impala. Sam was in the passenger seat. Mary was in John's truck behind them. Dean was wrapped up and laid in over the backseat.
Sam took a deep breath. Arms still crossed, pouting, his eyes red rimmed and watery. He cleared his throat and licked his lips.
"I don't want to burn him" he choked out, staring forward at the dark road ahead.
John nodded. "Ok" he said "we won't".
Sam blinked, brow furrowing as he finally turned to look at his father.
John glanced briefly at Sam before focusing back on the road.
John sighed, shoulders slumping and hands tightly gripping the familiar leather steering wheel.
"We'll bury him for now, and unless we have to, we won't burn him. We'll make a grave site outside the bunker" he explained.
Sam sniffled a little, swallowing the lump in his throat and trying to fight back tears. He nodded, turning back to face the road.
"Ok" he croaked.
______________
They had a funeral. Everything a regular hunter's one would be, just without the burning. Bobby, Rufus and John dug the grave the night before- Rufus mostly just watched.
They'd built a coffin, made it relatively comfy and then laid Dean inside.
It was unnecessary, but Sam had insisted on tending to his his wounds and changing his clothes, picking out articles that he knew Dean favoured.
Then the lid went on, the last time they would ever see him- unless they had to dig him up to burn him.
Sam stood with his hands in his pockets, watching his father nail the lid onto his brother's coffin. He took a deep breath and sighed, looking up at all the people gathered around the hole in the ground.
He could almost laugh. It was ridiculous really. He'd never thought he'd bury Dean the first time, let alone a second.
John grunted as he stood, stepping back to look at his handy work. He nodded "ok" he rasped "lets put him down then".
He put down his hammer and took his place at the top left corner. Sam breathed deep and stepped forward to take his place at the top right, Bobby and Rufus behind them respectively. They hoisted Dean onto their shoulders and slowly carried him to the grave. They struggled a little, but together they managed to lower him in gently enough. John and Bobby grabbed a shovel each, throwing in dirt until the hole was filled.
__________
****
__________
Multiple angels rushed to the source of sudden power. Nothing would have prepared them for what they saw.