(Book 5 Arrow/Spn xover) Family Is Who You'll Kill For

Healing

"So about the cuffs?" Dean asked as they tried to recuperate.

"You...your arm...what? You guys almost killed each other..." Roy stammered. "What did I just see?"

He looked at the young man who hours ago was completely unfazed by using blood as fingerpaint. All the color had drained from his face, which the completely black attire highlighted even more, he was shaking and his eyes were wide with fear.

Dig put his arm around Roy's shoulder, "Let's get some air. They'll explain later I'm sure."

Roy nodded although his eyes stayed fixed onto Dean until Dig physically turned him around and guided him out of the basement.

"I think I'll join them," Felicity added. She looked slightly better off then Roy but not by much.

Oliver watched her go, then looked back at he and Dean.

"Oh, just go Oliver," he said, "One day you'll get around to accepting what's right in front of you. We're fine. Make sure she's all right."

"I can't do what..."

"Oliver," Dean snapped. "She doesn't seem to care, she's in danger anyway but she's stuck it out this long. She's come this far, maybe you should go the rest of the way. She called us to come save your ass, not Dig, not Roy. She did. She wasn't about to let you go die somewhere. Think maybe she deserves something for that? We do. Look, I'm just as stubborn as you. We both know that, and I'm the one telling you to try to have something normal in your life. Take that as a hint."

Oliver didn't reply, but he did follow Felicity.

"God, it's like high school!" Dean grumbled. "All right Cas, fill us in on how bad things got while Sam and I were off having really awkward family moments. Which we are never, ever telling anyone about. Got that Sam."

He tried to keep the smile off his face but couldn't quite manage it, "Of course, my lips are sealed."

Dean glared at him, rolled his eyes and focused back on Cas's face.

Cas settled on the ground next to them, pulled his coat closer to him and eyed the iron box as if waiting for the Blade to jump out of it somehow. "Well, after you stabbed yourself in your stomach and Sam made the connection about the spell fragments, excellent job by the way Sam, you both went into convulsions for about a minute then went completely still. The others panicked but I knew you were still alive so I restrained them from interfering. It wasn't until we saw the Mark glow not only on your arm Dean but also on Sam's that I became concerned. Well that along with the large amount of violent words that started coming from each of you right around that moment. When I was researching the spell I realized that there might come a time where I would have to restrain one or both of you so I had Diggle procure restraints and modified them into a rough version of the demon suppressing cuffs you have in the Bunker. We cuffed you to each other as a way of slowing your movements, took your weapons and wished for the best. You then started jerking and moving around, I would imagine that was during whatever final conflict you were having occurred then Sam was back.

My question for you Dean is how did you know the ritual I used at the end to pull the rest of the curse from you? Sam and I purposely hid that from you as a safety precaution and it wasn't in the ritual Felicity printed out. It was something Sam and I came up with when I pointed out that it was entirely likely the energy for the Mark would look for some new host upon being expelled from you. We took a, pardon the pun, leap of faith and hoped that the link between the First Blade and the Mark would be such that we could use the Blade as a holding vessel for the Mark."

"I'm not sure," Dean said as he pondered Cas's words, "I was, where ever Sam and I had just been, somewhere in my head and the pain of that damn thing leaving me was making me wish I was back on Alastair's rack. I didn't have anything left to give anymore, it was close guys, it really was." He shuddered and took a deep breath, "Then all that went away and I heard your voice Cas, I heard what you said, how if it was the last thing you'd do you'd save my ass and the words just came to me. I knew what I had to do. Maybe it was because Sam and I were sharing brains for awhile, I don't know." He slowly sat up and grabbed Cas's arm, "Thanks by the way."