The Angel of Anxiety [A Supernatural FanFiction]

Chapter I - Open Arms

"Dean, you alright up there?" Sam called, frowning as he leaned forward to see if his brother was still there. It didn't take people that long to grab newspapers—Sam would know, he was the one that usually did it in the mornings.

"Y-Yeah," Dean stuttered as he replied, still trying to will himself not to sob. "Sam, there's something... one you need to see."

Sam shot Charlie a questioning look, getting a similar one in return. Slowly, he rose from where he was sitting and began to walk towards the staircase. Sam knew his brother's about to cry voice, and that was it. Weary as he walked up the stairs, Sam couldn't seem to shake the frown from his face—whatever Dean had opened to the door to had nearly made him cry. The younger Winchester prayed it wasn't that a missing seventeen-year-old's body had washed up on a shore somewhere.

Sam froze when he saw her. No, it wasn't that a missing seventeen-year-old's body had washed up on a shore somewhere. It was that the missing seventeen-year-old's body was standing right in front of him. Charlie jogged up the steps, coming out from behind Sam. Frowning for only the slightest second, Charlie threw a smile on her face and extended her hand.

"You must be Leila," Charlie said, "I'm Charlie, I've heard a lot about you."

"Uh, hi," Leila replied quietly, shaking Charlie's hand while looking between the Winchesters. "Talk of the town around here, am I?"

"It's not that—" Sam paused, "How are you even here? We watched you die, we couldn't find your body."

"She said it was a long story," Dean looked at his feet, the coffee staining the boots he was wearing. "And I have the feeling I'm gonna need something stronger to listen to it. 'Scuse me."

Dean pushed past Sam as Leila hugged him tightly. Wrapping his arms around Leila, Sam watched as his brother damn near ran down the stairs and into the hallway. Forehead creased, Sam didn't dare let Leila go for fear of letting her see the worry on his face.

Not having to focus on walking, because his feet moved like they had a mind of their own, Dean could let his mind move as frantically as his feet took him to where he needed to go. The older Winchester wanted to wake up—he needed to wake up. Leila couldn't be there, she was dead. Castiel had told them that she was dead, whatever Connie Fairborough said had been a lie, because Castiel wouldn't lie to Dean... would he?

Dean's breaths as he entered the kitchen were short and panicked, the air sucked from his lungs like a balloon left to fly freely around the room. Fists slammed into the small table, because his knees were buckling, and he the ground was fated to be his final destination. Sobs built up in his chest, coming out as heaved breaths that didn't dare turn to tears. Attempting to steady himself, physically and breathing-wise, Dean counted slowly—in his head, because if he managed another word, he would break. Head leaned on the edge of the table, the elder Winchester tried to get himself back. To make his breathing normal, get his mind to stop racing. But he couldn't.

"Dean?" a soft voice asked from behind him.

Dean sniffed, trying to find his way to his feet. Disoriented only began to describe the way he felt. She couldn't be back. It wasn't possible. But she'd stood right in front of him, he felt her arms around him. Sobs built up in his chest as he tried to choke them down.

"Dean?" the voice asked again, equally as soft footsteps moving closer to him.

"I—I'm fine," Dean managed, finally pulling himself up to his feet and leaning against the table—he knew it was the only way to keep his knees from buckling once again.

"Dean," Charlie said a third time, a concerned look dressing her face. "What can I do?"

"Nothing, nothing," Dean swatted his hand towards Charlie, "I mean..." he tried to find his words as he still internally begged for his tears not to spill. "She's back and I should be thankful, right? Connie... Connie was right, and now the kid is here. She found us, even though we could find her... And—and that's great."