It'd been a year since they'd ended up in Purgatory, he and Castiel having to fight by themselves. Of course it was only a year topside, for them time no longer existed. There were no days, no nights, no seasons, everything blurred together and it made Dean sick. He missed the sunlight, he missed the stars and the clouds and the rain, but more than anything he missed Sam. He worried constantly about his brother, the only thing putting any ease of on the feeling was Cas. He and Dean had grown closer over the time they'd spent together, they kind of had to, it was a do-or-die situation after all and even after all the fighting, the betrayal, Dean was smart enough to realize that he wouldn't be anywhere close to getting out if Cas wasn't there with him. Hell he'd probably have been dead a thousand times over already. But the angel kept the things away. The monster the three of them had gotten rid of and boy were they happy to see Dean down in Purgatory. Trapped in the same jail as the person who'd put you there, there'd definitely been revenge planned. But no, Castiel never backed down, he was always at Dean's side had he needed him and even though he popped off every now and then(the hunter had learned Cas was trying to find a way out) If Dean prayed for him, called out for him at all he was instantly by his side. It was the one shred of hope Dean had to getting out. To returning to his brother.
It was 6 moths topside when Sam finally found the alternative spell to opening Purgatory. He didn't understand how he'd gotten lucky enough to find it but he had and it wasn't as complicated as he thought it would be. It would take awhile to collect enough of the ingredients but at least it was a step in the right direction. He just hoped Castiel found out about it too. Of course the damn thing happened every full moon, of course it couldn't have been that easy. He didn't know what it was like in the halfway between Heaven and Hell but he didn't think there were going to be moons and calenders to help his brother and the angel. But never the less, when month 8 rolled around he'd had everything he needed. On the day of the full moon he made the proper insignias, muttered the right phrases and waited. Waited for anything to happen but the only thing that did was it started to fucking snow. Snow...in the middle of April, the fact wasn't that unheard of but seeing as it had been 80 that entire week and snow had been no where on the radar, and hadn't been for weeks, he figured it was the insignia. Amazingly though he wasn't discouraged, it at least meant that he'd done something right, just that the returning sign hadn't been made. He'd keep trying, on every full moon. Until the day he died if he had to.
Cas and Dean had found another. They'd found Gabriel walking around Purgatory, they didn't know how they'd gotten that lucky but they had. Now there were two angels...(kind of) to help at least figure things out. Dean wouldn't admit it out loud, at least not right now but he was glad to see the trickster. He didn't even care about the things that had happened before. With the fact that Gabriel had given his life to save Dean and Sam, well, that was enough to clear anybodies slate. Especially when he got killed by his brother. Cas found the news more encouraging then Dean it seemed. Despite everything the two met in a tight embrace and started talking almost instantly. It wouldn't have freaked the hunter out so much had it been in English but the fact that it was Enochian had his skin crawling. He wanted to know what was going on and after much prodding and pouting Cas finally broke away from his older brother long enough to explain what they were talking about. A way to get out. Dean didn't need anything past that for the moment. He let the two discuss long into the unending nights, falling asleep curled around himself and Cas' trenchcoat, his head in the angel's lap. Finally after a long time passed they were speaking English again and Dean found out that they knew a way out. It was old, and the hope wasn't high but it was there. They would have a harder time collecting the needed things but between Cas and Gabriel they eventually got it done. The only problem now was the worry about whether or not their timing was right. They had about a week's gap in guessing. They couldn't narrow it down because after so long cut off from their brothers and Earth they only had a vague memory as to what rotation the planet was on, what moon would be setting and rising and when. After another long session of taking and a bit of shouting, they at least cut it down to a days or so gap. They would repeat the sign ever few hours over two days time. They'd get it eventually. Though, they continuously had to go out and resupply themselves.
Finally it happened. Sam hadn't given up hope, would never completely but he'd grown tired of making the same trips to collect what he needed but he did it. Just to get Dean and Castiel back. It was a year and a few days after Dean and Cas had first disappeared that it did something more then just snow, of course it did that too, right on queue like always. but this time. This time the sigil melted the snow, it grew bright red from the blood Sam had, had to use he was sure. But he watched the difference. The snow melted in the insignia and a bright light burst from the ground, filling the small field and the sky with the color. Sam had no idea what was going on but in the back of his mind his hope grew, he'd finally get to see his brother again. It felt like a long time he stared at the light, the wind wiping his hair back and forth and the snow wetting his clothes but he didn't care, nothing mattered but for the fact that he saw a familiar tan trenchcoat and a leather jacket...and a military green army jacket? His eyes grew impossibly wider at the sight, Castiel, Gabriel, and finally Dean stumbled from the light and before he could stop himself Sam was running at them, launching himself at his brother and tackling him to the ground in a hug. He didn't care if it was 'chick-flick-y' It had been a year since he'd seen Dean. No one was around, nothing mattered except for his brother. And Dean seemed to think the same with the way he was hugging Sam back. They laid there on the ground for a long time, both of them trying to find out if this was a dream but when neither of them woke Sam pushed himself up, pulling his brother after him before turning to the two angels. He smiled wide, ignoring the heat of a tear sliding down his cheek, and pulled Cas and then even Gabriel into their own tight embraces. There was nothing better then the feeling of having the three of them return. He, like his brother, had forgiven the archangel after everything had happened. After he'd lost his life to Lucifer. Things were back to normal, he and Dean shared a quiet, 'Bitch, Jerk' moment like old times and they all knew, in their own minds that their hells were over.
