Silver Stars ➣ j. kline

nine

➣ [ THE LAST DREAM ] ➣

— ➣ —

THEN, IT SNAPPED.

Arya gasped in pain, clutching the cloth over her chest as Jack stumbled backward, coughing.

"Jack?" Dean asked as Jack's coughing worsened. "Did you say the words right?" He shouted at Rowena.

"I did!" She defended.

Arya could barely hear them, it felt like her chest was imploding. It hurt to breathe. She could feel someone holding her shoulder as she shuddered, slowly getting over the ache.

Her head snapped up to Jack who was staring at her with wide eyes. Time stopped. It hadn't worked and now he was in pain again.

His eyes fluttered closed and he collapsed.

"Jack!" She cried, falling to her knees beside him. She picked his head up off the stone, making sure he wasn't bleeding. He wasn't. Tears pooled in her eyes as Sam checked his pulse.

"He's alive," Sam said. "Help me get him on the bed!"

Dean came forward and they lifted him away from her.

Arya watched, utterly helpless as the brothers began talking with Rowena, trying to figure out what might've gone wrong. Her gaze fell to the floor. How had it come to this? They were so close. Castiel sat next to her, pulling her to his side. She leaned against him, silent tears falling down her cheeks.

How could they be so powerless?

➣

Arya sat on the steps, watching silently as Rowena cast one final spell over Jack that she promised would ease his suffering. Thelsiel stood at the bottom of the stairs in front of her. He glanced down at her every once and a while, but didn't say anything. She could faintly hear Castiel, Dean, and Sam talking behind her but it didn't matter, they were out of time.

Finally, Rowena finished and squeezed Arya's shoulder as she walked up the stairs. "I'm so sorry, dear," she whispered in sympathy as if she understood. She didn't.

Arya didn't respond and stood with Thelsiel's help then walked to Jack's bedside, alone. She picked up his hand, holding it gingerly. She saw his face contort every now and again when his breathing halted. A dull ache in her chest that had been ignored since she'd gotten there was back and growing by the second. It's going to happen soon. Though their bond had snapped now that his powers were gone again, she was the Angel of Dreams, she knew human souls and knew what it felt like when they passed on. Now, she can feel his soul leaving her and Arya knows she'll feel it when he leaves for good.

➣

Arya clutched Jack's hand tightly in her own. It was getting colder by the minute as his body failed him. She stared at it, remembering how she'd held it in the past. It was slightly calloused from their months Apocalypse world like her own hands. There were small scars scattered across the skin that she hadn't noticed before. She traced over them, trying to remember the smallest details.