Strings Attached

Chapter 63

The enter family is waiting around the family at quarter of twelve that night. Gabriel had announced that he was calling their father at midnight on speaker, and no one wanted to miss it. They wait in silence, watching the clock as the second hand ticks agonizingly slowly. Finally, it's midnight, and Gabriel hits Call. He's had the screen up for a long time, just waiting.

The phone rings and rings and rings until finally...

"Hello?"

Suddenly, the silence that had filled the room is lost. Everyone says something to express their worry, from "Oh my god, Dad, where are you? Are you okay?" from Samandriel to "Why the hell did you leave us here alone? You know I can't take care of myself!" from Lucifer.

"Guys, I'm fine," Chuck interrupts.

"Where are you?" Michael asks, more a demand than a question.

"I'll tell you everything when I see you next," Chuck replies. "But I'm fine. I'm alive and kicking. I'll come home soon, I swear."

"And until then?" Michael prompts. "What do we do?"

"You can take better care of your siblings than I did," Chuck replies, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"What? No! No, I can't — I'm not a parent! Or a guardian at all!"

"Besides, he can barely take care of me!" Lucifer adds, only partially joking.

"He shouldn't have to," Chuck replies. "I'm sure you guys have been filling up on junk food and getting your work done and all that on your own. I'll bet things are going just as well, if not better than when I was there."

"That's not true," Anna replies, even though it's basically the same as usual and they all know it.

"It is," Chuck replies. "I have to go, but I'm alive, I'm not kidnapped or anything, and you guys seems to be doing well, just as I expected. That's all that matters. Now, I'm pretty busy, so don't bother calling me again. I'm sorry. I'll be back when I'm back, and until then, you guys can manage in your own. Bye, guys. Love you."

"No, Dad —" Michael says quickly, but the click of the phone signals the end of the call. Michael sighs.

"Well, at least he's still alive and not kidnapped," Lucifer says with a smile, trying to brighten the mood. It doesn't work.

There was a small part of Castiel that hoped, no matter how bad of a person it may make him seem, that his father had been kidnapped. It was almost comforting in a way to think that maybe he was taken from him, and he never wanted to leave. It's disheartening to know that he left them of his own free will, and now Castiel is stuck wondering for however long it takes Chuck to come home, why?

~~

The Winchesters and Adam come up to the Novak house around noon the next day. Gabriel makes them buy pizza for lunch, and though Dean complains on the phone about it, he likes the idea as much as the rest of them. Pizza is the best, and they all know it. Actually, Castiel is more of a burger person, but pizza is still pretty good.

"Pizza!" Anna yells excitedly, bounding to the front door to greet them — the pizzas, not the boys.

"Yes, pizza," Dean confirms, looking at her from over the boxes as he walks in the house, his younger brothers trying to hide their laughter because they made him take all the food. He drops them all on the counter, the loud bang drawing everyone else's attention. "I brought food."

"I like food!" Lucifer announces excitedly.

"I like the people coming in with the food!" Gabriel adds, running up to Sam and giving him a hug.