A Reality Worth Living

Sam awoke, searching the room, his body and muscles were weak. Doctors and nurses began to come in, surprised, apparently, that he was awake.

"Sam? You alright?" a nurse asked. "It's good to finally see you awake."

"F-finally? I-How long was I out?"

"Sam, you've been in a coma for three years. Your family didn't have the heart to pull the plug, good thing too."

"Th-three years?"

"Yes."

Dean burst in, a look of surprise and joy in his eyes. "You're awake."

"I faced Lucifer, didn't I? I could handle a little coma."

Dean looked confused, and the nurse looked worried.

"Where is the angel?" Sam asked.

"Angel? What angel?"

"Your angel, Dean!" For some reason, Sam couldn't remember the name.

"Sam, we've never met an angel."

"Yes we have! He's an angel of the lord, he ruined the plans, while you and me, we started the apocalypse. Lucifer and Michael fought, one of the angels Molotov'd Michael, and I dived into Lucifer's cage, he rode me down, and I dragged Michael with me." Nothing seemed to have registered with Dean, and the nurse had called in to the psychiatrist. Dean sat in the corner, listening to Sam and the psychiatrist.

"What's the story Sam?"

"Um… Well, when I was six months old my mom died in a fire, in my room. My dad raised my brother and I to be hunters, of demons and the paranormal. He died doing a deal with the demon named Azazel, saving Dean from his death bed at an early age. Um, I died on my birthday, then Dean made a deal. A year later he died and went to hell. Then he was raised from hell by an angel. The angel was a complete dick until he finally took his stand with Dean and myself. Then we all worked and messed up gods apocalypse, let out fucked up creatures from Purgatory. Oh and I lost my head for a bit, because hell isn't fun, and Lucifer was singing Stairway to Heaven on repeat."

"Sam, you do know that was a dream right?" Dean asked, interrupting.

"No, no it wasn't. It couldn't have been."

"Sam, mom's alive. Dad's alive. I never died." Dean seemed younger than Sam had seen him. Yesterday he'd been sitting in the impala..today he looked about 17 years old.

Sam was struggling and fighting himself in the bed. They called in a few nurses to help. Dean was tearing up because Sam was in pain and he couldn't help. He had to leave the room to get some air.

"Dean? Dean what is it?" Dean looked up at his mother who was standing in front of him.

"Sam..He…he woke up." Dean was still upset, and his parents looked happy, yet confused.

"That's great-"

"He thinks you and dad are dead, that he and I are some sort of hunters ghosts and crap and that the devil was riding him around. Oh, and I was best friends with an angel."

Mary nodded, now hearing that his son had been in his own world while in a coma. She grabbed Dean's arm and helped him up with John was waiting next to them. Dean would have led them in, but they stopped at the door first.

"Sammy?"

"Dean, I'm not making any of this up, I swear."

"I know Sam, you're not one for games."

Sam glanced up at Dean, as he took a seat at the edge of the bed. Two figures entered the room, together. Sam turned his head away before he could see them. Mary walked over, next to Dean, and laid a hand on Sam's shoulder. He looked up and tears formed in his eyes.

"Mom?" He asked, his voice quiet and childlike. He noticed the other figure in the room. "Dad?"

They nodded, seeming to have lost the ability to speak, both with tears growing in their eyes as they leaned onto the bed to hug their son. With this moment, Sam also noticed that he sounded younger. He was still just a kid. Someone knocked on the door.

"Dean? Is it true? Is your brother finally awake?" Sam had closed his eyes, but the voice…who's voice? It was hauntingly familiar. He opened his eyes slowly to look over at the newcomer to the room.

"Castiel?" Sam asked, Dean turned back to him, confused.

"Oh, you've told him about me already?" Castiel asked, looking at Dean with a smile then to Sam.

"No, not one word. He hasn't been up long more than two hours, Cas. He's only talked with me for a total of 20 minutes." Dean said, staring at Sam.

"Castiel…." Sam said quietly, everyone was looking at him, but he closed his eyes to avoid the glances. "Your the angel that saved Dean. And me. Showing up here and there, saving our asses. Rebelling for humanity-rebelling for Dean."

The last part got everyone's attention.

"Sam?" Dean asked, bringing Sam back to them. Sam looked at Castiel, he was wearing plaid, but still wore the trench-coat. He began laughing, confusing his family.

"Hey Dean, did he remember the pie?" Sam couldn't stop laughing, and Dean was wondering curious as to why it was so hilarious.

Castiel chuckled, he picked a bag off the ground and nodded. "Of course I've got the pie. Dean would pout if I didn't."

"Sam, how did you-"

"What ever I was-wherever I was. You still liked pie, and the angel had a thing for you. The trench-coated angel. He brought the pie after you two fought at one point." Sam laughed again. "I always forgot the pie."

"No, Sam, how did you know about Castiel?"

"The angel from wherever I was. It's him. I'd recognize him and his voice anywhere. He came just after you died. Saved you, raised you away from hell. He's helped ever since."

Dean was no longer just teary-eyed, he was actually crying a bit and Sam was grew silent and confused. Castiel sat on the other side of the bed.

"It's nice to finally meet you Sam." He spoke gently. "I can explain a little. You see, you were in a coma for a little less than a year before I'd met Dean. I'd found him in the woods, with a gun up to his head. I talked him out of it, and ever since, I haven't left him."

Sam took his brother's hand, tearing up at the thought that he might've lost his brother. He could now imagine what Dean might've been thinking when he went into a coma. "You weren't really going to do it, were you Dean?" Dean held his brother's hand tightly.

"I don't know. I went to a psychiatric facility for a month before they let me out. Don't worry Sammy, I haven't thought once about doing it since."

Sam smiled slightly, whispering something quietly to Cas and laughing quietly as he slowly became less coherant before slipping under and falling back asleep. The nurses had told them he wouldn't be up too long, as he wasn't fully stable yet. But he wasn't going back in a coma.

"What'd he say, Cas?" Dean asked.

"He said 'you're Dean's guardian angel: he loves you, you love him. Kiss already'." Cas was still looking at Sam. "How did he know if you didn't tell him?"

"Well, I told him about you while he was under, about things that were going on. I guess you were the only thing that made it through." John tapped his son on the sholder

"Dean, your mother and I are going home. Are you coming?" John asked.

"No, not now." Dean replied.

"Alright, Your mother and I need to go in to work in the morning, but we've already made sure we have the afternoon off. You can stay here, I'll call the school and let them know of the circumstances."

"I've got a test-"

"Your teacher will let you make it up, don't worry. Get some rest, okay? You'll have plenty of time to get your brother caught up on gossip, but even he's exhausted for someone that slept for three years."

"Love you dad." Dean said, giving his father a hug. "Love you mom. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Dean." Mary gave her son a hug, and a kiss, bent over and kissed Sam's forehead, and went over to Cas and hugged him, and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight Cas."

"Goodnight!" Cas responded cheerily. After they left Dean looked at Cas.

"You can go home, if you want."

"Nah, Dean, when I got your text I told my dad that Sam woke up. He said you might need someone and said it's alright if I stay with you."

"You're amazing, Cas." Dean hugged his best friend before going back over to the cot that was in the room for Dean on weekends. He sat down and Cas came over, throwing his arm over Dean's shoulders.

"It's going to be okay now." Cas said quietly. Dean nodded, happy and confused and tired. "You've got to be exhausted, Dean." Dean shook his head, and Cas slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Come on, you big lug, you need rest."

Castiel pulled the blanket and pillows from the end of the cot, and threw them around until it was perfec. Dean sat down, looking to Sam. Cas had made a bed of blankets on the floor, he made Dean lay down, and covered him, before hitting the lights and laying on the floor.

"Cas?"

"Yea?"

"Sleep with me?"

Cas smiled a little, sighed, and pulled himself onto the bed beside Dean.