Forest of the Angels

I'm (not) sorry

Ellie found the silent crawling incredibly demeaning. She shuffled on her hands and knees at about two miles an hour. It took her two minutes just to reach the sofa. In the meantime, she listened intently to what was going on below, she could just about make out every word. She frowned at Rachel plan, but her thought was interrupted when she heard a blood curdling shriek from below. Her blood froze. Leonard stopped nattering and stalked towards the door.

Ellie took the opportunity to speed-crawl to the bookshelf. She made it to the railing and pulled out a neon blue bobby pin that she tucked in her hair for safeguards. She felt Dean flinch as she grabbed the handcuffs, only for him to relax when he realized it was her. Ellie's nimble fingers made quick work of the cuffs, releasing Dean. They both made their way to the sword, which Leonard had foolishly left on the windowsill.

Dean grabbed the blade and snuck forwards to Leonard. The demon turned around. He saw Ellie and snarled, his dark eyes flashing Ellie.

"I knew I should have killed you."

~~~

Rachel had never felt pain like it. Her very being convulsed, she could feel her soul twitching inside of her. Her innards turned to mush as she yelled. She felt Cas' hands jerk back out of her. She opened her scrunched eyes to see the room filled with light, and the shadows of two broken wings cast against the wall. Cas cried out in agony, his eyes glowing blue. He placed his hands on Sam's leg and he in turn yelled.

When the light faded, Cas fell backwards, coughing. Rachel clutched at her chest and Sam leapt up off the floor, knocking Jess backwards.

Rachel's eyes widened and she jumped up. "Ellie!" She cried, breaking into a run.

~~~

"You idiots have ruined everything" Leonard spat. He raised his blade slowly, drawing it back.

Sam slammed the door open and ran into the room. Rachel, Jess and Cas burst in seconds later as Leonard threw the gleaming metal straight towards Ellie.

"NO"

The blade shot through the air, burying deep into the top of Ellie's chest. The blood gushed out of her, flowing down her front.

"ELLIE" Rachel screamed, running to catch her as her knees buckled. "It's ok, you're fine, you're going to be fine."

Cas raced forwards, grabbing Leonard's hair and jerking him back. Dean drove the sword deep into his chest. Leonard shrieked as his skin sizzled. Black veins swarmed across his face and his eyes burst in their sockets.

The blood continued to seep from Ellie, splattering on the dented floorboards. Jess backed into the wall, her hands shielding her eyes from the scene before her – she could only take so much.

Ellie feebly tried to push away from Rachel; her arms were weak and shaking.

"No, what are you doing, please, Ellie." Rachel watched as her cousin's life ebbed away. Her eyes began to glaze as her skin paled. "PLEASE" She shrieked. "You're all I have left, please, you can't die, I won't let you die"

Broken, Rachel raised her eyes to Cas. "Fix her"

"Rachel-"

"I GAVE YOU MY SOUL. YOU'RE AN ANGEL, NOW FIX HER." She slammed her hands onto the floor and screamed in frustration. Ellie's warm blood glistened on her fingertips. Her heart wrenched, she felt it straining in her throat. Each breath she took choked her. "YOU ARE NOT DYING" she cried. "This is my fault, I am so sorry, I love you, please..." she broke off, their final goodbye had come too soon, each word to say seemed wrong. Every sentence suffocated her, the weight of them sinking in the pit of her stomach.

Jess curled into a ball in the corner, her hands pressed hard against her ears. Tears streamed from her big brown eyes. "Ellie please don't go, you promised" she begged. Sam hugged her tiny body tightly.

Ellie laughed, though it was a weak, hacking sound, the effort was draining her "You're right, I'll be fine." She choked, pulling herself away.

"What do you mean? Let me help you, please." Rachel whispered, her voice broken.

"Rachel." She snapped, the fire in her eyes still burning strong, her final spark of life. "I'm fine, you can leave me here."

Rachel cried harder. Her fingers curled around Ellie's own, bloody hands. She looked, devastated, up to Ellie's eyes. Ocean blue met forest green as Rachel brushed wispy strands of purple hair from her youthful face. The natural pink glow was fading fast from her cheeks, a gaunt yellowness was spreading.

"I can't let you die alone." Rachel whispered, as though not saying it out loud would make it seem less real. "You saved the world, you don't deserve this."

A tear slipped down Ellie's cheek. "I don't want to go..." She muttered. She glanced away, but didn't look back. Rachel felt her limbs go limp in her arms.

"No" She half-shouted in shock. Her hand shot to Ellie's head, tilting her face towards her, only for it to roll lifelessly back and rest on the hard ground. "No no no no NO" Rachel started panicking, each desperate plea getting louder, the denial growing as she begged with Ellie's ominously still form.

"Rachel" Dean placed his hand timidly on Rachel's shoulder.

"NO" She screamed suddenly. "NO. She is not dead. S-She's not. She's still warm – f-feel her she's... She's still wa-warm." Rachel's wracking sobs were deafening in the silent room as she pushed Ellie's soft arm into Dean's. He could feel the heat still radiating off her, a cruel illusion of life, pouring hope into the despairing teenager before him.

"Please." She begged, gripping Dean's arm, his shirt sleeve bunching up in her fist. "You save people, it's what you do." Her helpless blue eyes scoured Dean's face. He couldn't look at her. He watched her hands slide off him and back to the girl on the floor.

Rachel gagged, pulling the knife from her chest, hearing the squelch of blood as it slid from the wound. She hugged the body tighter to her chest. The blood no longer flowed, but the sticky warmth still spread down her front. She clung onto her, her tears spreading on Ellie's bloodstained shirt.

Gently, Sam picked up Jess, who had not said a word, and carried the shivering young girl out of the house. Cas leant forwards and prized Ellie out of Rachel's grip.

Rachel only screamed, clinging harder to the girl. Cas and Dean shared a look.

Eventually Rachel's hope faded away. She leant Ellie down onto her lap and, with trembling fingers, brushed her glassy eyes closed. She savoured the memory of Ellie's warm eyes in her mind, the way how the kindness still broke through the wall of passive aggressive sarcasm, or how the green glowed with flecks of gold and blue in the sunlight, the colours you would find in the Garden of Eden. Rachel's hands ran through Ellie's hair. She took in every shade, the way it was layered with every blue from a deep midnight to a metallic icy shimmer. All the strands of purple and lilac flowed through it like a river, with the occasional hint of pure white; Rachel noticed how the roots were showing her natural shade of a rich coppery auburn. If her eyes were a planet then her hair was a galaxy, with her soul – sensitive, brave but, if anything else, loving – glowing like a supernova.

Rachel shifted to wrap her arms around Ellie and pick her up. Blood dripped off them onto the floor. Dean flinched, instinctively moving to help, but restrained himself upon seeing Rachel's broken face.

"We're burying her before we leave." She said, devoid of any emotion other than pain, before she carried her out the door.