Hadrian slowly closed the lid to the piano and stood before the paintings of Heaven. Paintings of when his family were alive.

Memorizing the face of his mother and father before he closed his eyes and allowed a single tear to burn a trail down his cheek as he felt the presence behind him, feeling the cold blade at his back.
________________________

Micheal, Lucifer, Balthazar and Gabriel all shed a tear as the song came to a close and all of Heaven wept at the lose of the last of the Ancient Ones.

The lower garrisons all felt the empty, gutted feeling that swept through Heaven at the loss. Each of the angels weeping as they too felt the connection with the Ancients die.
________________________

Castiel felt the tears roll down his cheeks as the song slowed to a stop and the connection died. He turned to his startled companions with a deeply pained expression.

"Cas?" Dean asks, seeing the tears.

"The last of the Ancients has just been silenced after calling for a stop to the apocalypse."

"Ancients?" Sam asks gently.

"In the beginning, when Heaven was still young, there were a race if angels before the Archangels. They were called the Ancient Ones. These angels were beings of pure love and taught the other angels to love one another.
"They were basically the Angels of Peace, Tranquility, Music and Family. They would sing amongst Heaven's gardens, bringing peace and love wherever they went. When they sang, all of Heaven herd them. Every angel, no matter where they were, would stop to listen. But, like all the other angels, they were also fierce warriors.
"One day, a rogue angel trying to take control, massacred the Ancient Ones. Ambushed them when they were caring for a garrison of cherubs...Until just recently, all were thought to be dead."

Sam gasped, eyes wet as he looked to Dean and Bobby. "Hadrian."

Cas nodded solemnly. "Yes. Hadrian was the last living Ancient Ones, now I fear we have lost him too. The only good that comes from his death is a ceasefire in Heaven and a permanent stop on the apocalypse."

"What, just like that?" Dean demands, bewildered.

Cas gives a sharp nod.

"Why?"

"Because Lucifer has repented for his sins and Micheal has allowed it. Ancients are sacred amongst the angels for favoring nothing above family. By sacrificing himself, Hadrian had spared thousands."

The three hunters shared shocked looks that did nothing to hide the grief they felt at Hadrian's death. Castiel gave Dean a searching look before his eyes softened.

"As his last gift to angels, Hadrian gave us a song of the Ancients. As his last gift to humanity, Hadrian stopped the apocalypse...As his last act as an Ancient One and an angel, Hadrian blessed Dean with the mark of his people." He says softly. "A mark that will keep monsters away from the light of humanity so long as the Winchester bloodline survives. No harm shall come to you or your brother ever again."

Dean closed his eyes in relief and in agony as tears fell from his eyes.

Sam clung to Dean, openly sobbing.

Bobby silently cried for different reasons.

And Cas...Cas went home, to Heaven and his reunited family.

No one will forget the sacrifice the last Ancient One made protecting his family from themselves. And no one was willing to ever allow it to happen again.

THE END

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