I Will Fight For You

Chapter 24 - "You're about to tell me what went wrong, aren't you?"

[Recap] 

                                               Here lies 

                                     Cameron Jacob Winters 

                          ( 7 November 2003 - 9 February 2011) 

                                  Loving Brother and Son. 

      Without you, my sunshine, my world is naught but darkness. - C.L.W 

"I broke my promise," Cass whispered weakly. 

                                                      --------------------------------------- 

[Dean's P.O.V] 

The moment those words fell from her lips, I pulled her in for a proper hug. Ignoring the pain flaring up my side, I wrapped one arm around her back and the other around her shoulder.  

As Cass sobbed silently into my sweatshirt, I gently rubbed her back, reassuring her that I wasn't going anywhere. She wrapped her arms around my waist.  

Her entire family was gone. No wonder she was so defensive when it came to them. I mean, I knew that she didn’t have any family but I was never sure if they were dead or simply estranged, and of course I was never welcome to ask. 

If my math was correct, Cass's parents died when she was - wait a second, I could've sworn her birthday was the 26th of July. That meant she lost her parents when she was nine, and her brother, three years ago today.  

A couple of minutes later, Cass's hold on me loosened and she stepped back a little, wiping her wet cheeks with the sleeve of her hoodie. 

"Your ribs, Dean," She started but I waved her words away.  

"Not important. Do you want some time or are you okay to continue?"  

She hesitated before sinking into the grass at the foot of her brother’s grave. Resting her arms on her knees, she glanced at me, "If you don't find it too creepy, we'll sit here and I'll tell you." 

I nodded and joined her. Cass stared at at the headstones for a few seconds and then spoke, 

"On my ninth birthday, my dad decided that he'd leave early from work so we could celebrate together. I was home and was baby-sitting Cammie. By then, I'd learned all the ins and outs of taking care of a toddler. Mom used to gush about me being the perfect older sister," she spat out the word 'perfect' bitterly before continuing. 

"That day, Dad had to pick her up from school on his way home. The neighborhood we lived in was alright but they had to drive through an area known for gang violence. Of course, as luck would have it, there was a drive-by shooting that day. They both died instantly," Cass's breath hitched and she shuddered.  

"I remember the weather was actually pretty nice that day and I couldn't wait for my parents to get home. I mean, only one more year and I'd be in double digits... The big one-o. So when the bell rang, I left Cammie in his crib and sprinted to the front door all excited. I opened the door to two police officers and you can guess what they told me."  

[Cass's P.O.V]  

Dean shuffled over and threw an arm around me but this time I didn't push him away. I sucked in a deep breath, thankful for his silence and kept talking, "What happened next was inevitable. Cammie and I were taken to the children's home. Did you see that large building next to the church earlier?"