Small Cuts (Supernatural Dark!fic)

e i g h t y - s e v e n

"We were standing at the foot of the path
I had to go back, I had to go back"
Paint - The Paper Kites

The air in the bunker felt charged, the weight of their impending mission hanging heavily over the group as they gathered around the table. Castiel had just finished explaining the components they needed for the ritual, and now, the reality of the task was beginning to sink in.

Dean leaned against the table, his jaw clenched in thought as he considered the next steps. "Alright, first thing's first—we get Jack. Cas, you think you can get in touch with him?"

Castiel nodded, his expression serious. "I'll need to return to Heaven to speak with him directly. Jack's blood will be vital, but it has to be freely given."

Sam leaned forward, his eyes scanning the list of components they'd need. "We trust Jack. He'll come through for us. The bigger question is finding the rift. Most of them were sealed when the alternate worlds were closed off."

Castiel's gaze shifted to Sam. "There are still traces of rifts that were opened and closed by Jack's power. I'll need to locate one that hasn't fully healed. It will take time."

Dean's voice was sharp but laced with determination. "We don't have a lot of that. If this thing is already making moves, we need to act fast."

Amara stood quietly near the edge of the room, absorbing the weight of the conversation. Her mind raced with the enormity of what they were about to do. Gathering the components would be hard enough, but performing the ritual and confronting the entity head-on—it felt almost impossible.

But as she looked around the room, at Sam and Dean, at Castiel's unwavering presence, she felt a flicker of hope. They had faced impossible odds before. They could do it again.

"Cas," she said softly, stepping forward. "I know this is dangerous, and I know we're asking a lot of you. I just... thank you."

Castiel turned to her, his usual stoic expression softening slightly. "Amara, you're important to us. This entity... it's not just a threat to you, but to everything. We'll stop it. Together."

Without thinking, Amara stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Castiel, pulling him into a hug. For a moment, Castiel stiffened, his body not used to this kind of physical gesture. But then, slowly, he brought his arms up and hugged her back, his movements careful but sincere.

Sam and Dean exchanged a glance, a small smile creeping onto their faces at the sight of their usually emotionally distant friend embracing Amara. It was a rare, heartwarming moment in the midst of all the tension.

Amara pulled back slightly, her eyes glistening with emotion. "Thank you, Cas. For everything."

Castiel gave her a soft nod, his voice steady but filled with quiet sincerity. "You're not alone in this, Amara. We'll protect you."

Dean cleared his throat, breaking the moment with his usual gruffness. "Alright, enough with the chick flick moments. Let's focus. Cas, you get to Jack. Sam and I can start figuring out where we might find this anchor for Amara."

Sam nodded, his face thoughtful. "I'll look into residual rifts too, see if there's any trace left of the ones Jack closed."

Amara looked around the room, feeling the weight of their support around her. For a moment, she allowed herself to believe that they could do this—that they could gather the components, perform the ritual, and bind the entity before it destroyed everything.

"We can do this," she said, her voice more certain now. "We'll get everything we need, and we'll stop this thing."

Dean smirked, the familiar fire back in his eyes. "Damn right we will. And if this thing even thinks about coming for you, it'll have to go through us first."