legoline | And Hell Followed With Him

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And Hell Followed With Him - Part V

Lately, he couldn't even take a shower properly without someone popping their head in to ask him for a favour or keep him up-to-date with news. He didn't care that people saw him naked anymore. Although the shower wasn't really a shower--more a box with a roof and a bucket with cold water to pour over your head--it qualified as private time. Private time that Sam barely got.

It was Angela who ignored his privacy that morning. He half suspected that she had chosen this time when Sam was defenceless to talk about Dean, to urge Sam to send him away, to threaten that she’d take matters into her own hands otherwise, and that she had the support of the camp. Yet, as Sam grabbed the towel from the hook and turned to look at her, he realised something was wrong. He could tell by the way there was no defiance in her eyes, no condescending twitch of her lip, and she didn't say “I told you so either.” In fact, she looked like she'd just witnessed another apocalypse. Her face was white. Her eyes wide like plates. Her hands were shaking.

“Sam,” she said. “You better come. Quick.”

The tone of her voice scared him, and he didn’t ask for details, judging by her tone it had to be big and very bad. He nodded, she stepped outside, and Sam put his clothes on as fast as he could. When he went outside, daylight hit him. He put his hand to his forehead like a shield so he could see better. The camp was suspiciously quiet, but it wasn't empty. In fact, everyone was outside, standing in small crowds in front of their tents. Daughters were pressed against mothers. Fathers had their arms wrapped around their sons. All faces were seemingly carved into stone.

Sam looked up to the skies, which had turned darker than ever, almost black. The smell of sulphur had intensified, like all of a sudden the camp had been moved to the opening gates of Hell. A lightning bolt shook the sky. The darkness wasn’t complete though. It seemed to be announcing that this was it, that the time had come. With the sky adapting such a colour, it could only mean one thing.

His stomach doing an unpleasant turn, Sam attempted to see past the campgrounds. But he couldn't see much, as the distance was too great. He started walking. Refugees turned towards him, their eyes eating up their faces. Some people were crying. Some shielded their children's eyes. Sam swallowed past a lump in his throat and ignored the fearful bumping of his heart. Where was Dean anyway?

Finally, he saw what had caused the darkness and lightning, and as he did, he stopped frozen.

Lilith. Lilith had come.

She was standing in front of the area the bridge would have led over the moat with an army of at least hundred demons at her side. Now that Hell was seeping into this world, she didn't need to possess a body anymore either. Unlike the lower demons, she took a form that was more than black smoke. She was a woman of terrifying beauty. Coal black hair floated freely around her hips. Blood red lips and white skin. Eyes dark like the nights of the apocalypse. She was dressed in a blue dress, and her fingernails were claws. As Sam drew closer, he realised that she was taller them him. Her hands were placed at her hips, and she grinned at Sam almost cockily.

As far as he could tell, the demons hadn’t yet harmed the people that lived outside the campgrounds. Some of the refugees seemed to have reacted quickly enough to make it through the moat on safer ground. A group of forty or maybe fifty people were huddled up close to Lilith though, guarded by demons. Children were sobbing. Someone begged. The hostages appeared okay from what Sam could see, but he knew it wasn’t going to stay that way. All he could do was buy them time.

Then he spotted Dean.

He was kneeling before her on the ground. His head was bowed, and his face was focused at her feet in a gesture of utmost devotion. Sam briefly wondered how Dean had gotten there, on the other side of the moat into Lilith’s hold, until fear hit him and the realisation that Dean was in danger. His heart skipped a beat; his breath got stuck in his throat.

From the Sam’s side, Michael approached him. He looked shocked, like Angela had, but there was a different quality about his expression. His jaw was set tight. His face was that of grave determination.

As if some other mind was taking control over him and deciding in his interest, Sam handed Michael the key to the safe in the armoury, not taking his eyes off Lilith and Dean. “Go get the Colt,” Sam said. Michael took the key with a short nod, and Sam moved closer.

A crowd had gathered down by the moat. Everyone kept their heads low, bowed as if to a queen. A single word rushed through Sam’s mind: cowards.

He halted again as he reached the edge of the moat and raised his chin ever so little. He tried to find Bobby in the crowd but couldn't. Angela had to be somewhere here too.

Someone had possessed the readiness of mind to pull the bridge in. At least all the training had been useful for something.

“Sam Winchester,” Lilith greeted him, and the demons around her mockingly bowed their heads. “How very fortunate we meet again.”

“Spare me the speech,” Sam snarled. “What do you want?”

The grin faded from her face. “I'm giving you one last chance to surrender.” She raised her voice so that everyone could hear her. “I'm giving you all one last chance to surrender. If you pass this chance by, I will have no mercy when I take over your silly little camp.”

Behind Sam, some people muttered. They were discussing Lilith's offer.

“Your promises mean nothing,” Sam replied. Dean was still kneeling before her, unmoving. Blood rushed through Sam’s ears. “You wouldn't let anyone go. Ever.”

Lilith nodded then granted him a smirk. She lifted her left leg, and softly nudged Dean's body with her foot. Dean flinched under the touch, but he did not protest, didn't do anything really but allow it. The anger inside Sam spiked.

“I suppose you're talking about this one here.” She paused, giving everyone the chance to take the words in. “Yes. He was very useful indeed.”

Finally, Sam understood, and his whole body went numb. Dean was the traitor, after all. He was with his queen again now, bowing to her, and she’d used him and he’d played them all. Sold them out to Lilith. Sam had imagined a million times what the moment would feel like when he would be confronted with the certainty that Dean had betrayed. He'd gone over all possible scenarios. He'd expected to be angry, to be furious. Now that it was happening, Sam felt nothing but empty. Like the only thing that had kept him upright had been ripped away from him, and he didn’t know how to go on, what to say or do.

Lilith nudged Dean with her foot again, this time with more brutal force. She kicked him, and Dean fell over with a groan. And despite everything, despite the treason that Dean had committed, Sam's first urge still was to throw all care aside and jump into the moat, march through the water and check on him. Instead, he remained where he was.

“So you turned him into a traitor?” Sam asked coldly. He felt like he heard himself ask the question, like it was someone else’s voice and words.

“Did you actually believe that Hell wouldn't break your brother?” Lilith sighed. “You really have no idea what is down there, do you? You'd be surprised at the extent of the things that I can do. And each and every one of you miserable souls will end up there. Children first.”

The murmur grew louder. A wave of icy cold ran down Sam's spine. They were considering taking up the offer. The people had seen what Hell had done to Dean, and Sam couldn't really blame them. Still, if Lilith could have crossed the moat she would have done so by now. Most likely, she was going to provoke Sam into leaving the safe grounds. Maybe kill some of her hostages or…Sam’s throat closed up at the thought.

Sam raised his chin. “Is this all you got, Lilith? The same threats you were already tossing around four years ago? I’m getting tired of them. Play a different record, will you?”

Behind him, the people held their breaths. Sam knew right then that he shouldn’t have challenged her, should not have provoked her into harming the refugees or Dean, but he was so tired of all this, of uttering threats and promises that never meant anything. If it was going to end, he wanted it to end now.

But Lilith only laughed. “You naïve, pathetic, little idiot.”

From the corner of his eye, Sam saw Michael approach, holding the Colt in both his hands.
“I still can kill you,” Sam said. Michael stopped next to him. He was pale and kept staring at Dean's figure on the ground. His hands shook, his fingers curled around the barrel tightly. His face was a mask, deprived of all emotion.

“Ah yes, the Colt.” Lilith made a broad gesture. “That has actually been taken care of.”

So it really had been Dean. Dean in the armoury. Dean had done something. It still made no sense.

“Give me the Colt, Michael,” Sam said, feeling numb.

Michael looked at him first then at Lilith. His lip trembling, he shook his head slowly. He stood, back straight, like a tin soldier. “I'm sorry,” he said. His voice was hollow. There were tears in his eyes and suddenly Sam realised.

“Michael, no--” Sam began, but it was already too late. Michael tossed the Colt right before Lilith's feet.

She didn't bother to pick it up. It was a gesture of her power. She didn't have to fear that anyone else would shoot her. Sam glanced at Dean, but he was still curled up on the ground and made no attempts of reaching for the gun.

“It was you, then,” Sam said. He heard his own voice, and it sounded nothing like him at all. In fact, he was. He should've felt anger, but instead a strange calmness overtook his body. Everything fell into place that moment. Even though the world had shifted completely, everything made sense. Sam wasn't going to kill Lilith. Ever. The refugees would join her, too afraid for their lives. The battle had been lost before it had begun.

Michael did not dare to look at Sam. His eyes were focused on the muddy ground, and Sam could see his cheeks were flushed in shame. Michael. Michael of all people. He'd trusted him with his life; he'd trusted him almost as much as he'd trusted Bobby.

“Michael found my deals were hard to resist,” Lilith said.

Still Michael did not look up. Only when Sam addressed him by his name did the boy reluctantly lifted his chin.

“She promised no more children would have to die,” Michael said, sounding like a child himself. Like a small, frightened boy. “Children like Asher. She said...if there was no more war, then she would harm no more children. She promised me, Sam. She said she would send someone. I didn’t think it was going to be Dean.” His eyes were a question, begging for forgiveness that he knew he would not receive, knowing that his life was forfeit. “She said she was bound to her word,” Michael added more pleadingly. “I didn't want any more children to die. Or anyone to die. This here...it's only killing people. And we're losing anyway. Better to stop it now.”

“Did she also promise none of her demons would hurt the children?” Sam asked.

Michael paled. His lips parted in a silent gasp. From across the moat, Lilith laughed. “You humans!” she cried. “You're so easily tempted into promises!”

Sam nodded, focusing his attention back on the demon queen. Behind him, the murmurs had quieted in shock of the turn of events. “What about Dean? How did you make him agree to your terms?”

“Oh, but I didn't.” She squatted and grabbed Dean's chin with thumb and index finger, forcing Dean to look up. “I released him from Hell for fun. No strings attached. The joke was on you, Sam. I knew you'd be too preoccupied with angsting over your brother that you wouldn't focus enough on finding the spy in the camp. Of course, Michael did his best to make everybody think Dean was the spy. And it only seemed the natural choice, didn't it? So no, Dean wasn't in on any ploy. In fact, I didn't even tell him I was going to set him free from Hell. It was just more fun that way. Except of course that he is broken, and still listens to my voice when I call him. Since I released him from Hell, his soul still technically belongs to me, you might say.”

That moment Dean turned his head just a little, his eyes searching for something. When they found Sam, Dean looked at him for a heartbeat, looked at him as if he was willing Sam to do something. A memory of the old Dean, the Dean he used to know flared up then, and Sam remembered the times when they'd been able to communicate without words, could guess the other's thoughts just by catching a glimpse of their faces. As he remembered this, he understood. Dean was trying to tell him to keep it cool. That things were being taken care of. And then the strangest thing happened: Sam trusted him.

“You can prance around all you want, Lilith,” Sam said. He cleared his throat and hoped that everybody heard him. “I'm still not going to let you take these people. You won't win this war, Lilith. I won't let it happen.”

“I beg to differ,” Lilith said with a smile.

Then everything happened very fast.

Within a split-second, the Colt that had been lying idly on the ground flew into her hands. The smile on her face widened, and she aimed. Sam stood frozen, his mind telling him to throw himself aside, to run for cover. His mind told him to, but his body refused to obey. He was too stunned, thought that it couldn’t happen. After all, Dean had told him that it would be fine. She pulled the trigger, and Sam waited for the shot that never came.

Lilith stood there, pulling the trigger again and again. Nothing happened. A shot should have shattered the air, but the only sound that the wind carried was the clicking of the trigger as it snapped back into its old position.

Lilith's eyes darkened. “You,” she hissed, looking down at Dean.

And then a shot did shatter the air. But it didn't come from Lilith's Colt, and as all heads whipped around to find out where the shot had originated, they saw Angela. Her hair was wild, her lips thin. She stood like a statue, glaring at a spot next to Sam. A beat later, Michael collapsed. He fell to the ground with a moan, panting. On his chest a red spot was spreading and soaking the shirt. Colour was rapidly receding from his face.

Sam wanted to say something, wanted to yell, “No!” and get the crowd around him to help Michael, even though he wasn't sure they would have—after all Michael was a traitor, beyond any doubt. But it never got that far, because in the next moment, Lilith was standing bent over Dean and grabbing his collar.

“You filthy bastard,” she said. “I wonder how you'll like being back in Hell.”

Dean whimpered then screamed. Sam had never heard his brother scream like that. His hands jerked up to grab her wrists, to free himself from her grip. He struggled, attempted to wriggle himself out of his shirt, but it wouldn’t help. Sam heard himself scream that she should stop it, that he’d fucking kill her if she harmed Dean. He surged forward, but Monica and another woman whose name Sam didn’t know held him back. Lilith laughed, and from her hands, a white stream floated into Dean's mouth, like a hand reaching in. Dean convulsed as the stream forced itself into his body, wailed as if his body was being ripped apart.

She was taking his soul. She couldn’t take the body she’d given him or maybe she had no use for it in Hell. All the same, she wanted his soul.

Sam, fighting the women’s hold, stumbled forward to wade through the water and reach his brother, but someone beat him to it. Chris, who had saved Dean from the angry mob, jumped into the knee-high water and climbed out on the other side. He yelled something, and Lilith’s face went blank then hardened in terror, as he hastened forward and flung himself on the ground, his hand reaching for Dean's arm. The moment he touched Dean's skin, two things happened simultaneously: Lilith screamed—an outraged, furious cry—and a pair of black wings, like shadows, appeared on the man's back.

Sam felt the world around him spin as he realised that Chris was one of the few remaining angels. He was an angel, and he was fighting for Dean's soul. On the ground beside Sam, Michael's moans were growing fainter. Dean was still screaming in agony. Lilith was still screaming in fury.

Then, a hand touched Sam's shoulder. Sam turned around and looked into Bobby's face. Sam's hand closed around the wooden handle of a rifle. Sam glanced down and recognised the Colt.

“Do it, Sam,” Bobby said. “Now's the time.”

And Sam nodded.

Lilith didn't pay attention to him; she seemed to have forgotten about him completely. She was battling with the angel and trying to claim Dean's soul.

Only when the trigger clicked and the shot exploded did she glance up. Her eyes widened in surprise as for a brief moment she saw Sam standing there with the Colt aimed at her and she heard the bullet whistling through the air.

Then the bullet hit her, and everything collapsed.

Her scream reached another level as the bullet hit her heart, as it was burning her up alive. She had no real physical body to leave behind, and so she was burning, burning in white flames and black smoke. Her screams drilled themselves in Sam’s mind, and still years later he would wake up in the night and hear them ringing in his ears. Lilith stumbled backwards, and the demons parted, watching in terror as they saw their queen burn. Finally she collapsed to the ground, a shivering form still screaming until she grew smaller, and then she was gone, leaving nothing but a pitch black spot on the earth. It was over at last. Lilith was dead.

As Lilith’s hold on him vanished, Dean gasped and rolled over to his side, clutching his chest. The angel was breathing heavily, his wings fading away into thin air. Almost timidly, he let go of Dean’s arm.

Among Lilith's army of demons, panic rose. Their queen, the one they’d thought to be invincible was dead. Without her strength, their forms dissolved into black clouds, clouds too weak to even possess a human. The clouds whirled through the air, hundreds of them, rushing into each other, without any sense of orientation, panicking, until at last they formed one big entity and rose into the sky.

A sound as if something exploded thundered down on the people below. Then the demons were gone.
Before the people there was nothing but burned earth and an endless cloud-hung sky. No demons. No demons at all.

Sam saw the angel helping Dean into a sitting position and noticed Bobby kneeling down beside him. Michael's lids were drooping. His breath was coming out in shallow rasps. His shirt was entirely red now, and his skin was so white that each and every vein stood out against the pale skin. He'd lost too much blood. In another time in another world, a transfusion might have saved him. Not here.

Sam dropped to his knees.

“I'm sorry,” Michael whispered. His lips were blue. Each scratch that he had received over the past few weeks stood out unnaturally red. His fingers fumbled for Sam's shirt, but the grip was without force. “I'm sorry.” He coughed up a gush of blood.

Ignoring the blood, Sam put his hand on Michael's arm. “I know.” Around them a crowd had gathered. Nobody spoke. Michael was struggling for air, his lungs not giving what his body needed.

“She’s not going to harm any more children,” Sam added with a lump in his throat.

Michael nodded, his features relaxing at last. He closed his eyes, and he never opened them again.

Later, once the dust had settled, they learned the angel's real name was Castiel. He wouldn't have mentioned it if Bobby had not asked.

Dean was propped up against the wall with a pillow and a blanket, and Sam was seated next to him, unable to stop asking questions. What had just happened? How had they known about the Colt?
Dean, still shaken up and still of few words, let Bobby explain. Following Lilith’s death, they'd helped Dean back into Sam's quarters and were now gathered around him in half a circle, except for Sam who was sitting next to his brother. All of them being Bobby, Castiel and Layla. They'd carried Michael's body back to his old tent and would burn his body in the morning. Angela wasn't around.

“It just occurred to me that Lilith never would have sent Dean to spy on you,” Bobby explained. “She hated you, but she knew you would be suspicious. So I gathered that it was all just a ploy of hers, something to distract you from the real matter at hand. The spy had to be someone else, and I didn't know who it was gonna be until Michael stepped forward and refused to turn over the Colt to you. For the longest time my bet was on Angela, given how hard she tried to blame Dean.” He paused, adjusting his cap. “I figured Lilith would want the Colt. Not that she actually needed it, but she was proud that way. She needed it to be taken away from you. So I asked Dean to snatch your keys.”

Sam whipped his head around to look at Dean. “You?”

And then he remembered. The look on Dean's face as Sam had asked whether he really knew nothing about Lilith's plans. Dean had known then, if only it had been because of Bobby's assumption, and he'd felt bad for lying to Sam.

Dean nodded. “Yes.” He paused, fumbled for more words. “I'm sorry, Sam.”

“Why couldn't you guys tell me?”

“Because I didn't know who the mole was,” Bobby explained. “I knew it had to be someone close to you and chances were you would have told them. The fewer people that knew, the better. So I made Dean steal the keys, and I switched the Colts.”

“But...” Sam glanced at Dean again, his mind spinning. “Lilith's voice...she said she'd called you...”

Dean nodded slowly. “She did.” He paused for a brief moment, as if to collect his thoughts and put his words in order. It was still an effort to him, but slowly, he was making progress and his speech was becoming more fluent. “Her voice was in my head. But I wasn't as scared anymore as she thought I was. I had to pretend that I was, so she wouldn't notice.”

And then Dean smiled, and it didn’t matter that his words were still too fast and too abrupt when he spoke. A cheeky grin emerged on his face, and Sam's heart leaped into his mouth. He couldn't help but smile as well.

He turned to Castiel, who'd remained quiet during the conversation.

“Thank you,” Sam said. He'd spoken to a few angels before, but it never felt any less strange. “I know you took a great risk by exposing your true self. Thank you for saving him.”

The angel offered a slight bow as a response.

“I hope you know that you'll be safe here now if you wish to stay,” Sam continued. Damn angels. Talking to them was like pulling teeth. “Nobody will be a threat to you now. You've saved Dean's life. Everyone will remember that. And Lilith's dead. There'll be no more fear of harbouring an angel.”

“I would like that.”

Castiel shot Dean a glance, as if he wanted to say something else, but remained quiet in the end. Sam wondered if he would ever find out what Castiel had been meaning to say.

Before Lilith’s death, nobody in the camp had paid attention to him or even bothered to greet him, and Castiel had welcomed it. Now, as he walked past, everyone turned their heads and all eyes were on him. Castiel attempted to ignore it, to not be irritated by it too much, but in the end he sought out the cross in the church for solace. Nobody came here. Not even after what had just happened.

He sat down on the small step that led up to where the altar once had been, and glanced at the cross. He tried to process the events in his head, but it wouldn’t quite work. Sam had killed Lilith, and Dean, who’d been to Hell and back, had not bowed under her hold. Perhaps not everything was lost just yet, perhaps there still was something bigger at work here, something so much bigger than Castiel would ever be able to fathom. The thought filled him with hope.

Still, as he looked around and saw the people sitting together and talking about what just had happened, some of them looking over to him every once in a while, Castiel felt out of place like he seldom had before. He had no business here anymore. He wasn’t one of them, never would be. He’d be alone for the rest of his immortal life. He wished to stay, he really did. But he was quite certain that the people of the camp weren’t quite as welcoming as Sam thought they’d be. Prejudices lasted beyond rhyme or reason.

Suddenly, Layla stood beside him. Too lost in thought, he had not noticed her approaching. He looked up and she granted him a warm smile, before she sat down on the stairs beside him.

“I thought I might find you here,” she said.

Castiel did not answer.

For a while, neither of them spoke until Layla said, “What you did was very brave.”

That surprised him. He turned his head to face her, to see if he could detect falsehood in her eyes. He couldn’t.

“I’m quite the opposite. I’m anything but brave,” Castiel replied calmly. If only she knew. If any of them knew.

She shook her head as if that could make his words not true. “It was a brave thing, still. If things had turned out the other way, if Lilith had lived—you’d be dead by now. Or worse.” She said it with such sincerity that Castiel almost believed her, almost dared to think of himself as she did. He averted his eyes.

“Can I ask you a question?” she asked.

Castiel shrugged, a smile tugging at his lips as he recognised the human gesture. Angels did not shrug. There had never been any uncertainties or things that didn’t matter.

“Why…” she paused and cleared her throat before she picked the sentence up again. “Why did you come to this camp in the first place?”

Castiel glanced up, looked straight into her eyes. He decided that she deserved to know the truth.

“I came here for redemption. And for someone’s forgiveness.”

She nodded, seemed to consider the answer. “Did you get it?”

“I did not have the heart to ask for it. No one could ever forgive me for what I’ve done.”

“I think you’d be surprised at the strength to forgive that people find in themselves sometimes.” She offered him another smile.

Castiel expected her to ask more questions, about what he had done that was so unspeakable it could not be forgiven, but she didn’t. He gave her a weak smile, realising too late that it probably looked sad rather than encouraging.

“So, you’ll be staying in the camp with us?” Layla asked suddenly.

“For a while,” Castiel answered vaguely.

“Do you think you’ll ever be able to ask for that forgiveness?”

He did not reply at once but let the question sink in for a moment, considering it.

“I don’t know,” he finally said. “I might.”

And that, at least, was the truth.

“Where do you think the demons are?” Sam asked.

It was dark, the camp quiet. He was spread on the ground, using the blankets as a mattress. Tomorrow they would try to find a second bed, and then Dean would have a proper place to sleep. Right now he was occupying Sam's bed again. After all, he was the one who'd almost had his soul ripped away by Lilith.

“Hell,” Dean answered.

He was still using too short sentences, but Sam didn't mind. Eventually, things would get better. They only needed time. Now, at long last, they had plenty of that.

“They're still going to try and come after us. They're still wanting to fight us. They still want to wipe us out and rule over this world.”

“Yes.” A moment passed before Dean added, “But we're gonna win.”

The statement made Sam smile. Dean sounded so certain that it allowed no doubt. It felt good. It felt good to listen to Dean's words and believe and know that everything would turn out fine.

“Why's that?”

With a smile still on his lips, Dean said, “You got me now.”

And Sam couldn't argue with that. He rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes. Tonight, he would sleep.

“You're right,” Sam replied, and to his surprise, he meant it.

Dean was back from Hell, and that meant everything. And like it had always been, Sam rested in the certainty that as long as Dean was with him, the impossible would be possible.

Then Sam remembered something. He reached for the necklace hidden under his shirt and pulled it over his head. Sitting up, he weighed the amulet in his hand one last time. When he turned to his brother, Dean’s eyes were closed and his breath was coming in steady, long draws. Gently, Sam reached over and put the necklace in Dean’s palm, curling his fingers around it.

-end-

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

OH.
That last moment!!!! *sobs*
You had me on the edge of my seat, here, especially when Dean gave the keys to someone, and then when he was with Lilith -- I was so confused, freaking out, certain that he had been the traitor.
But damn, girl, you twisted again! Michael, damn you! *shakes fist*
Seriously, that was a spectacular bit of Dean whumpage, not to mention a great plot.
I'm sure lots of people are going to ask you this, but... will there be more in this 'verse???
Great, great job!

Yeay, another Gen story!! And this is sooo good! The twist at the end, with Michael being the traitor, although i really can't blame him totally, and i just feel so sad for him. With Dean being so broken, i thought that it's so unfair for him to be among people that doesn't even trust him, but not having any other choice. With Sam and the weight of the world on his shoulders. With Castiel finding redemption and thinking he doesn't deserve it. With Layla and her helping everyone and her quiet calm. Wow. Powerful story.

Thank you for writing such a wonderful story and all. Love it.

It's so great to have a well-crafted plotty gen fic! I kinda like apocalyptic scenarios so this was most welcome! You put a lot of effort into it and it really shows!

when I first read the list of gen fics- yours was among those that I really wanted to read and you certainly didn't disappoint me! this is beyond brilliant and you totally got everyone as they are on the show! I can almost imagine this happening to an alternative Sam and Dean!

Oh wow! This is really one of the GREAT stories that will linger for years and will be recommended over and over and over again.
I was waiting for this one when I read author and summary - but I really didn't expect this!
What I liked most is how you managed to keep the reader in uncertainty, kind of like the show does. You threw hints so obvious that they seemed to be way too obvious to believe - and in the end, one gets exactly what was announced. But in the meantime....ANGST!
Thank you so very much for this story!

That was an amazingly beautiful story. Even though Michael had been my number one suspect ever since the armory thing, you still managed to make me doubt when Dean stole the keys. In the end, it was all part of a brilliant plan and I loved the way that Castiel eventually managed to find his redemption, not by saving Dean in Hell, but in Earth. Very well done!

You can see my comment through my illustrations so I guess I don't need to tell you how much I'm fond to this story!♥
What a painful intense and yet hopeful exploration of the brothers' hearts and souls!
Now can I go back blushing in the corner!?!!
Thank you for your ridiculous faith in me!If YOU and other people like my art is because of the words that inspired me!;D
P.s.I should change the diveders' background colour because IT'S NOT WHITE!Damn!What do you say?That depends on you,because then you'll have to edit again!:P

That was amazing, and despite how very broken Dean is, how much rebuilding he needs to do, tremendously satisfying.

wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!

Oh shit!!!! Great fic, OMG!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been eating my nails all the way... poor Dean (I fucking love hurting Dean xD)... you have a diabolic satanic mind and surely I love you for that...

I love all the world you have created so well... fantastic background... I would wanna more of this verse... but it has an AMAZING end...

I doubted about everyone... but Michael... I thought (when Michael told Dean that Bobby was in the armoury) "this is odd" ... and when noone is inside and the door is open... mmmmm... No way Bobby forgot to close it... so Michael...

But you put my attention in other facts and my good sense lost its way...

Incredible... amazing... just like animotus art...

*hugs*

Outstanding! I loved the plottiness and twists--Bobby's craftiness, having Dean steal the key and exchanging colts... and Sam, not giving into Angela's accusations, despite his own doubts about Dean. Layla trying to reach out to Castiel, and finally, Michael--that was a total surprise.

I truly enjoyed this. Brilliantly done!

Breathtaking.

The atmosphere is wonderful- dark and heavy- and the suspense you created was amazingly potent. Reading was uncomfortable in that I didn't know where you were taking it. I had no idea. So creative and unique, I like how you crafted the outer war and meshed it with the inner wars within the characters.

The final scene is perfect. I love how you looped it back to the amulet reference earlier in the story and how Dean, broken as he may be, manages to sound like Dean here. Sam too, broken and bruised, but at peace because he finally has his proof that this IS Dean.

Beautiful, beautiful job on this.

This was some really lovely hurt!Dean.

Thank you.

I wanted to come back and say I really liked all your descriptions/depictions of the various parts of hell. Like Black Hell, for instance.

You did a good job painting the picture of what horrors Dean had endured.

That was amazing! Very suspenseful and fantastic characterization of Dean.

Great job! A mute!Dean is one of my favorite flavors.

This was so well done. It hurt to see Dean so broken, but this was far more realistic than the show's handling of his return from hell, I thought. Years of torture are bound to have a horrendous effect, and I think you did a great job of registering that while still giving us the hope that Dean would someday heal (if not be exactly the same person he once was, of course).

I also loved how harsh, and yet non-judgmental this story was. Hard times do change people, and Michael's decision, though a betrayal, was also perfectly understandable. I was also glad you didn't make Angela the traitor -- she so would have been on the series, and it was good to see a flawed, damaged, but still not inherently evil female character in this story. Well done.

Overall, I loved this story! I really felt for both boys, and the twist at the end with Michael being the traitor and Bobby's most awesome powers of deduction were fabulous. The only criticism I have is there were a few really distracting typos along the way that derailed me a bit...

This was a great story, full of plottiness and traitors that kinda break my heart and angels in need of forgiveness. And Layla. I don't know why, but I love that you put her in his story, and that she still tries to have her faith! And Sam and Bobby, so weary but trying to hold things together. And of course Dean, who is as broken as he probably should've been on the show (but which wouldn't have been very feasible), but still helping to kick Lilith's ass and reassure his brother. :)

There were at least three or four sentences I had to read through again as there were errors, but they were minor distractions.

I liked your descriptions of Hell, how Dean was more realistically broken than he was on the show, Bobby!, how Sam had had to adapt and his struggles, and I couldn't be angry at Micheal.

Enjoyed Steffi, thank you :-)

I really, really enjoyed this!

You painted a truly believable post-apocalyptic world - and a bloody nasty one, too *shudders*. I loved what you did with Castiel, how he found a friend in Layla; that really warmed my cockles! I liked how they were the only two people in the camp who gathered before the cross, which was really sad, but also perfect.

Dean's memories of Hell were brilliantly realised: little hints given out here and there, and he was there for soooooo much longer than on the show, so he saw so much more of the place... urgh. Poor thing.

And I loved Sam most of all. You turned him into Christian Bale's John Connor, except that unlike Christian Bale's John Connor, I liked him. *grin*

Thank you so much for this!

Awesome fic. Painful to read in parts, the mistrust in sam just breaks the heart. So believable though. That last moment was wonderous! Thankyou

What a stunning piece of work! Truly spectacular! I loved this!

This was a great, very intense story.

It's my favorite sort of apocafic, where small communities of humans try to survive in a destroyed and hostile world, and you really nailed the atmosphere. I loved Sam as the leaders of the refugees.

I suspected Michael was the traitor when he told Dean Bobby was in the armoury, but in the last chapter you had me doubting! I'm so glad it ended up more or less okay.

Thank you for the fic!

This was absolutely awesome! Totally believable. Your post-apocalyptic world was bleak and dismal and yet... there was hope. Loved that Layla was still alive, and why. Your Reluctantleader!Sam and Hellbroken!Dean were so true to character. I was torn about the traitor (**couldn't** be Dean!), had considered Michael but was betting on Bobby just because it would be SO WRONG! But you made the more credible choice. Thanks for a terrific couple of hours in your world.

Great story! I love the AUs when the boys are fighting for their lives against the demons.

You gave us a very interesting and vivid picture of a shattered Dean who couldn't quite believe he was out of Hell. Sam's hesitancy to really believe that Dean was his brother and not something else was just heartbreaking. Actually, the whole story was 10+ on the angst scale.

Thanks for sharing this gen story with us. It was a real treat to read and enjoy.

OH OH I finally finally got a chance to sit and read this even though I'm tired and blurry eyed I kept going because I knew it was going to be worth it and I was so not disappointed AT ALL.

I figured out where you were going quite early enough in the story though you did manage to give me niggling doubts in regard to Dean being the traitor over the person I thought it was. I REALLY, REALLY, loved your ideas on the different parts of hell or the equivalent of. And I know you like to whump!Dean quite a bit in fic, but here it's so very well done (along with every other time) and the final scene made me wibble because it's so COMPLETE with everything they've had to endure that it seems any other ending wouldn't be right and OH just.. Steffi, this is brilliant.

This is fantastic! I love how all the different people are woven into the story, and how much pain and uncertainty there is. I had no idea how you were going to pull off the ending - I was just hoping it would be a happy one - but it worked really well. Excellent story.

I had a blast reading your story. The mystery really sucked me in and I could not figure it out but it really came together at the end. Wonderful imagery, character voices, and storytelling!

Excellent storytelling, thanks for writing this.

Very well done. I really enjoyed your AU and how all the parts came together.

I really enjoyed this. It was so bleak and hopeless, but then ended with the boys together, healing and hopeful. I loved both Bobby's and Layla's steadfastness toward Dean - and Sam - through it all. Wonderful.

Oh, what a relief! That moment of silent communication and trust, Bobby's faith in Dean, Castiel's bravery, all of it coming together to defeat Lillith.

Have to say, I assumed Michael was the traitor when he didn't come forward to tell anyone that he'd sent Dean to the armoury to find Bobby. But he seemed so surprised when his rifle didn't work, I wondered. Nicely done!

OMG! that was awesome I mean like freakin WOW! awesome. I was like holding my breath till the end..just..GUH! I.LOVED.THIS.STORY!!

~Much Luv Delight~

This was amazing! I don't think my heart rate has settled down from the finale.

Your imagery of hell and a post apocalyptic hell were intense and very vivid. Well done, and thank you!

This is a wonderful story, and I was on the edge of my seat reading. You dealt with the OCs well, and I love how you brought back Layla. And Bobby was wonderful as always. Michael struck me as the mole as soon as he sent Dean to the armoury, but I didn't expect the twist when Dean took Sam's keys. Oh, and Castiel, poor angel whose fear was a catalyst to all of Dean's suffering. Nice use of him here. I like how Sam was so conflicted about Dean/not!Dean and the slow recovery. The ending was fantastic too.

Wow! *speechless*

I can't tell you how great I think this story is... *is speechless*

I liked the way you handled broken!Dean and how Sam reacted to Dean. Very well done!

I would like to say more, but I can't but my thoughts into words... *sorry*

Thank you so much for this story!

Saphira

this was wonderful!!!

I really enjoyed this.

I really enjoyed this. I'm a sucker for apocafics, especially well written ones, and this one is going into my reread folder. Dean's slow progress, Castiel's guilt and attempt at redemption, Bobby's surety and Sam's confusion were all well in character with your world. Although I have to admit Castiel's small scenes were probably my favorites. It was also great to see Layla again. Your reasons for having her there were both believable and heartwarming.

Thanks for such a long, good read. Keep writing!
Eleri

This was really well done. All the characters were great, but I especially loved Sam's and Castiel's struggles. And especially especially Sam's. What a horrible hard place to be in. And Dean back and just being so fundamentally still Dean, even if it was hard to see. And Bobby, all *there* for both of them. Le sigh.

Wow, this was amazing, I know this because, even though you've finished it off beautifully, I still want to hear more from these versions of the characters.

Your Dean is so very wounded and confused but your writing still shows glimpses of the old Dean underneath. Sam, poor Sam just seems so weary and old.

I really do love what you've done here, in hindsight its quite similar to the future of 'The End' but yours, naturally, has a magnificent scope far above that of a TV show. A++

Absolutely amazing, I've been meaning to read this for so long!! And today I did :)

Wonderfully written, I enjoyed every bit of it.

xxx

Awesome! Really, truly awesome. Wonderful plot, dark, creepy atmosphere (a hint of "Reign of fire" here?), sadness in heaps and very believable Sam and Dean. Oh, and Michael was perfect. I suspected when he didn't tell anyone that he was the one to point Dean to the armoury, where Bobby hadn't been. But you had me wondering in between, so perfect!
Nice, dark and yet unfailingly uplifting story. Thank you.

Awesome! So glad I read this!

That was amazing, and compelling. On the edge of your seat kinda stuff, my mind tumbled from suspect to suspect at who the mole could have possibly been...and maybe its my undying faith in the guy, but I never once thought it could have been Dean. I kinda thought when the voice asked him for the key that it was the mole who'd convinced Dean to get the key....you played Dean beautifully, I loved how you had past and pften unused characters in the fore ground, and I really loved that fact. I wanted to smack Angela, even if I understood where she was coming from.

The fact the mole was Michael, was a fantastic little twist, the way he set Dean up, but felt guilt and shame over doing so was wonderful. I take it that Sam killed Ruby, tat part wasn't very clear, but in my world he killed the bitch, then fed her to hell hounds!! (Ihave a deep pathological hatred of the character). I am so commiting this to my memories and if you don't mind will friend you as I'm sure your other stories are equally as amazing. Well done dude, you deserve one hellua reward for writing such a different but fascinating fic. Good on ya xxxxxx

That was really tensely plotted and suspenseful. I enjoyed it very much.

I'm still working my way through 2009 Big Bangs (haven't started 2010 yet!) and finally came to yours. This is definitely one of my very favourites. You wrote it so well and kept me on my toes the whole way through, desperately hoping Dean wasn't the traitor, but fearing he was when he took the keys. I loved it all!

gosh, I totally love you. That was perfect.
Emotional, painful, scary but perfect!

Thanks *hugs*

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And Hell Followed With Him - Part V

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