Forever Winter // Benjen Stark

16. Purgatory

''I do have a plan... Attack.'' Katie said confidently

''my girl!'' Dean exclaimed ''all right let's take this fucker down. ''

They dove the blade through his chest but he stared at them pulling it out seemingly unfazed the sibling shared a look before Katie turned to Benjen.

''Plan B?'' Katie offered. She kicked his legs out from under him as benjen leapt forward spreading him through the neck. He wasnt the king. He wasnt a lower level walker either though. Power radiated off of him in waves they all felt it before he exploded little icy crystals exploded everywhere. Sam shielded his eyes when he looked back Dean, Cas, Katie and Benjen were gone.

"FUUUUC-" Katie hissed as she felt her shoulder pop out as they landed.

"What happened?" Dean demanded rubbing at his head. "KATIE?"

'I'm fine." She grumbled. "Help me set it." She looked to Benjen and Castiel, dazed but alright it seemed. "You okay Benjen?" he nodded getting up, they were no longer in the snow but a forest.

"Actually Katie..." benjen looked at the blade in his chest. 

"Oh my God." Katie rasped. "Cas-" Castiel moved to him and pulled it out, Benjen stared as Castiel kept a hand over the wound healing him.

"Thanks..." Benjen said in a daze as he looked at the skin, unbroken, healed, not even a scar.

"On three." Dean said taking Katie's arm and shoulder. She nodded. "Three." He declared and her jaw dropped in pain but she felt it set.

"Thanks jerk." Katie hissed.

"Anytime." Dean agreed looking around. "Castiel, where are we?"

"Oh no..." Castiel said looking around.

"Monsters." Katie remarked.

"What?" Benjen spun around.

"I can't be here." Castiel said nervously.

"Where is here?" Katie countered as a vampire charged at them.

"Purgatory."

"What?" Dean gripped his blade slicing his head clean off, the vamp lay dead before them.

"Purgatory?" Katie repeated.

"That's real?" Benjen asked, gripping tight to his dragon glass blade Castiel had pulled free of his chest.

"I sent them here..." Castiel said nervously "I can't be here. I can't be here. Its not safe..."

"Cas?" Katie said stepping towards him.

"It's for your safety." Castiel said as he disappeared.

"CAS!" Katie shouted reaching for him but he was gone. "Castiel?"

"What the fuck was that?" Dean spat.

"Purgatory? Why are you two not freaking out more?" Benjen asked looking between them.

"Castiel! Get your feathered ass back down here!" Katie demanded shouting at the sky.

"Where did he go?" Dean asked.

"I don't know, he said it wasn't safe, he couldn't be here, if was for our safety." Katie repeated. "As though him being away from us if better." She griped.

"How do you get out of purgatory?" Benjen asked.

"I didn't know it really existed." Katie admitted softly.

"What do we do?" Benjen asked and the Winchesters shared a knowing look.

"Survive."

+

"They are just gone..." Sam said softly. He dug in the snow, looking for any sign of them but there was nothing left.

They had always said if any of them died that they would live a normal life. They would move on and try living like the other side did. But standing in the snow he didn't want a normal life, he wanted Katie and Dean back.

+

"What do you mean?" Jon asked.

"They just..." Sam didn't know how to say it.

"Their horses came running back, what of the other two crows that went with you?" Commander Mormont asked.

"They were attacked but the white walker." Sam told them.

"How did you escape?"

"When Katie and Dean killed it... all the others around fell but they were gone, Benjen too." Sam told them. "I couldn't save them. I couldn't save them."

+

"I'm starting to miss the snow." Katie remarked. They had lost their layers and started making new weapons, stealing off of corpses and crafting branches and sticks into spears.  They took turns sleeping and were moving constantly. There was no sign of Castiel and they lost track of time, it could have been days or moons. Their bodies were in a constant state of panic, hearts constantly pounding and stomachs begging for food.

Katie wiped the blood and dirt from her face as they cooked a rabbit over a small fire. She leaned back into Benjen exhausted.

"Eat." Dean said but Katie's eyes were closed as she fell into a restless nap, Benjen could still feel her heart pounding, but her eyes, her body, her mind too exhausted to move, to open her eyes at all. Benjen took the leg, ripping at the flesh with his teeth.

"I know this hunt wasn't what you expected." Dean remarked as Benjen looked over at him. "But, I'm glad you are here." Dean admitted. "I'm glad I have another set of eyes on Katie."

Benjen nodded a hand trailing up and down her gently. Dean watched him. Had Benjen known that falling for a Winchester was going to be this much of an adventure he could honestly say it was the most interesting, exhilarating time of his life being with Katie.

"You think there is a way out of purgatory?" Benjen questioned.

"I don't know man." Dean remarked stomping out the fire. "But we gotta keep moving, the smoke will have drawn more to  us." Dean reminded him. "Wake her up and make sure she eats." Dean instructed.

"Katie." Benjen whispered kissing her cheek. "Katie, time to go." She moaned squinting her eyes shut even more. "Katie, come on gorgeous, eat something before we are mobbed." Benjen requested kissing her neck and she smiled tilting her head to him. "Come on..." he whispered.

The energy it took to open her eyes made her want to go back to bed.

"There's those pretty eyes I love." Benjen said as he handed over the rabbit but she kissed him instead.

"Eat and stop with the grab wing." Dean called back to them and Katie smirked over her shoulder at him. "Come on." Dean said gripping his blade tight as Benjen offered her a hand up.

"Another day in hell." Katie remarked. "Actually I have been to hell, classy joint, Crowley really gave it that sparkle... compared to purgatory at least."

"You really have been everywhere." Benjen remarked, Katie leaned on him as they walked.

"Best place by far-" Katie began but Dean spoke up.

"Bravvos."

"Fuck Bravvos." Katie corrected. "Volantis was beautiful."

"I've never been across the narrow sea." Benjen remarked.

"Well now you're in purgatory, so I would say you have traveled farther then the narrow sea. What an adventure if we survive." Katie offered.

"Love the optimism." Dean remarked.