Not While I'm Around

Wake Me Up When September Ends

            By the time Sam finally made his way back to the room, Dean had cried himself to sleep. He lay slumped over in his chair, his head resting on Castiel’s shoulder and his hand on his chest. Sam grabbed a blanket from the other chair and draped it over his brother’s sleeping form. He was shocked that Dean had fallen asleep, though it didn’t surprise him. Dean hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep since Castiel had been transferred to Harborview, and exhaustion had finally caught up with the hunter.

            Sam watched over his family for a few hours, the caffeine he’d ingested keeping him from nodding off, when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Sam fished it out and checked the caller ID. Brow furrowed when he didn’t recognize the number, he answered.

            “Hello?” Sam answered, wondering who could possibly have gotten his personal cell number.

            “Hey Sam,” A female voice replied.

            “Charlie? Is that you?” Sam couldn’t believe he was hearing from Charlie over a year since they’d said goodbye and parted ways.

            “Yeah, it’s me. When were you going to tell me?” Charlie interrogated.

            “Tell you what?”

            “When were you going to tell me that Castiel was attacked? I mean, I know we haven’t talked in a year, but you know how much I care about you three knuckleheads!” Sam could hear Charlie’s anger rising and needed to calm her down before he went deaf.

            “Charlie, calm down,” Sam stood and went into the hallway. “How did you know that Castiel was attacked?”

            “I was running a nationwide facial recognition for the three of you, making sure you were staying out of trouble, when the program matched Castiel to surveillance footage from a house in Eastern Washington. The footage shows him being jumped by a group of people; two men did the dirty work while another man and a woman stood off to the side and watched. I think they were giving orders,” Charlie explained.

            Sam was utterly speechless. Just when things seemed their most hopeless, fate turned around and handed them the Holy Grail. This was exactly what they needed; faces to put with their mystery assailants. Now they just had to put names to those faces.

            “We need that footage. Where are you now Charlie?” Sam questioned after a long pause.

            Charlie chuckled under her breath. “I’m in Washington actually. I work for Microsoft’s corporate office. What motel are you squatting in?”

            “We’re at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Castiel was transferred here from a hospital in Wenatchee,” Sam said. The pregnant pause that hung between them told Sam that the news had startled Charlie.

            “B-but he’s an Angel. Why hasn’t he just healed himself?” Sam could tell that Charlie was inching closer to a breakdown, and he needed to derail it fast.

            “Whoever these people were that attacked him, stole his Grace. Right now he’s as human as you and me. Things aren’t looking good for Cass, so I suggest you get over here as soon as you can. You might not get another chance to say goodbye.”

            “I’ll be there in half an hour!” Charlie said and hung up the phone. Sam shoved the phone back into his pocket and made his way down to the front entrance to meet Charlie.

            “Sam!” Charlie shouted as she jumped from the taxi and raced towards him. She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Tears soaked into Sam’s shirt as Charlie sobbed openly.