The Promise

EHHHHH, EHHHHH, EHHHHH, the fire alarm rang.

“Up and at um boys and girls, big apartment fire all units needed” rang Bobby’s voice over the intercom. Dean jumped up from his bunk and joined his crew down by the trucks getting their gear together.

“Let’s go everyone” he yelled, “the faster we’re there the better the outcome.” They all hopped into truck 49, Dean flipped on the sirens and sped to the burning apartment building. Just a normal day in the life of Dean Winchester, there was no reason to believe this fire, this day would be different. The apartment building was three stories; it was engulfed in huge flames. Dean’s quick assessment was that the building would not last long; already it was starting to crumble and fall into itself. He and his crew started working on trying to diminish the flames while another crew assessed if everyone was out of the building. Suddenly, a young woman ran into the crowd that had started to build with tenants of the building.

“Tyler!!! Sara!!!” She shrieked and tried to run into the building. Jo grabbed her before she could reach the entrance.

“My kids! They are still in there!! Please help!!!” she cried.

“Benny, let’s go, we need to get those kids out” Dean said.

“Where is your apartment ma’am?”

“First floor apartment 10 on the right. Please get my babies out! Please!” Dean and Benny went into the flames. Every time Dean stepped into a burning building he was reminded of the fire that took his mother and a trickle of fear shot up him. Shut up Dean, this is no time for fear he said to himself and the fear disappeared.

“Hello! NYFD, yell if you can hear us.” The smoke was thick and the flames were creeping up to the ceiling. Suddenly, Dean saw three figures through the smoke.

“NYFD, we are here to help get you out.” A man yelled through the smoke and flames

“Yes! Help us please!” As Dean and Benny moved closer to the three figures the ceiling fell and flames burned between them and the man and children. Shit, Dean needed to get them out of there as soon as possible before the whole building fell on top of them.

“It’s going to be O.K.” Dean said as calmly as he could.

“Here’s what I want you to do, I need you to throw the kids to us so we can get them out, then we will get you out O.K.”

“Alright,” the man croaked out, “I can do that; I can do this.”
Dean counted down for the man, “one, two three”, the young boy was thrown into Benny’s arms.

“Get him out of her Benny,” Dean told his comrade. Dean could see the ceiling starting to crumble more; they all needed to get out of here now. Unfortunately, the girl started to fight the man. Understandable as this was a terrifying situation, but couldn’t the panic attack wait till they were all outside?

“Alright Sara, your turn”, “Noooo, Castiel I can’t I don’t want to!”

“Sara, it’s going to be O.K., I promise the fireman will catch you.”

Dean tried to help calm the girl, “It’s going to be O.K., I promise I will catch you.” At that moment more debris started to fall, the man threw his body on top of the girl protecting her from the flames and wreckage. Dean felt flaming debris hit him, but there was no time to feel the pain as the man got a grip on the girl and flung her towards him. Dean caught her with ease as another part of the ceiling fell on the already injured man.

Dean knew he had to get the girl out, but before he ran he yelled back at the man, “I’ll save you; I’ll come back for you, I promise.” Dean covered the screaming girl’s head and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

“Sara!!!!” screamed the women as he exited the building. He brought her to the ambulance and started to rush back to the building. Benny grabbed him.

“No, Dean, it’s too dangerous. The building is going to fall.” Dean pushed Benny off of him,

“I’m going back in for the man, I promised” and he sprinted back into the flames. Dean could barely see through his mask. The smoke was engulfing the hallway where the man lay, the walls crumbling around him. The fire between them was so hot, the flames so large, but Dean knew what he had to do. This man saved two children; he wasn’t going to die on Dean’s watch. Dean ran/jumped through the flames. He could feel his skin burning, but he didn’t care. He needed to get to the man.

“NYFD, hello, can you speak?” Dean tried to wake the man, but he did not move.

“Don’t worry, I will get you out of this, I promised.” There was a large piece of burning ceiling on the man. Dean grabbed it and shoved, the flames flicking through his gloves.

“Come on, son of a bitch, move!” and with one last shove, the ceiling shifted off of the man. Dean grabbed him in his arms and ran back into the flames that separated them and the door. As he ran the building gave one last final creak and started crashing down on top of them. Dean didn’t look back; he just ran as fast as he could, his only thought was that he promised he would save this man. With one final leap, he collided out of the building, out into safety as the apartments crashed to the ground. The medical crew ran to them and Dean placed the man on the gurney. Please be alive Dean thought, please don’t be dead. Just as he thought those words the man opened his eyes and stared directly into Dean’s. They were the bluest eyes Dean had ever seen, they were so beautiful, and then they disappeared behind closed lids. He is alive. He is alive.

“Winchester! What the hell did you think you were doing! You could have died, that building almost crushed your idjit brain!” the Chief Bobby Singer yelled.

“I know, I’m sorry, I had to save him. He saved those kids he didn’t deserve to burn to death.” Dean fired back.

“Idjit. Are you hurt?”

“Nah, just a few scraps Bobby, I’m fine.”

“You are going with the ambulance to get checked out…”

“Oh come on Bobby, I’m fine.” Dean hated hospitals.

“Now boy” Bobby said sternly. Dean sighed and got into the ambulance with the unconscious man. At least he could make sure the man is alright, even if it did mean going to the hospital.

Dean waited patiently for Charlie to be done helping the man from the fire. He knew another doctor could help him, but he preferred to have his best friend tend to his wounds instead of some new, unsupervised resident newbie sticking needles in him. Plus, this way he can get full details on the man’s condition. Dean always felt a pull to make entirely sure the people he saved were O.K., but this man seemed different. For some reason, Dean wanted to not only know if he was going to live but how he would be in the future. Would he recover? Will he have lasting damage? He had saved those two kids without a seconds thought. By now Dean had found out that the man was the kids’ neighbor, not their father. He was a hero in the kids’ eyes, their mother’s, his neighbors’, and Dean’s.

“Dean Winchester! Why have you not had your burns looked at yet!” Charlie scolded Dean.

“Don’t yell, you’re the only one I trust with my injuries. You wouldn’t want a 1st grader restoring the Sistine Chapel would you?”

“Ha, Sistine Chapel my ass, more like Sam’s poor attempt at Harry Potter fan art.”

“You’re just saying that because I’m not your type doc. Now fix me up, Michelangelo.” Charlie rolled her eyes and started treating Dean’s burns.

“Are you in a lot of pain Dean?”

“It’s not too bad Charlie, you know me, I’m used to a little pain.” Charlie didn’t look amused anymore.

“Dean, you need to be more careful, I know you have a saving people complex, but you need to think about yourself every once in a while.”

“I do Charlie, it’s just… I couldn’t leave him there… he saved those kids, I just couldn’t let him burn… not like…” Dean trailed off into his thoughts. Charlie didn’t say anything; she knew the general idea of what had happened to Dean’s mother and now didn’t seem like a good time to go into the details.

A few minutes later Dean asked softly, “how is he? Will he be O.K.?”

“Yes, Dean. He’s going to be fine. He’s going to be in a lot of pain, but that will fade. He will survive because of you Dean.”

Dean nodded, “can I see him?”

“We put him in a coma; he won’t wake up for a few days.”

“I know, I just, I’d like to see him if I can.”

Charlie looked at him with sympathy, “O.K. Dean, but only for a few minutes, then you are going to take the couch in my office and sleep. You need rest and I don’t want you going home yet.”

“Charlie, I’m fine, I swear!” Charlie gave him a look that told him not to argue anymore and he sighed in defeat. When his wounds were cleaned and bandaged Charlie let him sit next to the man for a few minutes.

“He looks peaceful like he’s just taking a nap. Did you ever figure out his name?”

Charlie nodded, “yeah, the girl Sara, the one you guys saved; she said his name is Castiel Novak. Weird name huh.” Dean shook his head in agreement, but as he nodded off to sleep in Charlie’s office he thought the name Castiel fit the man perfectly. The last thing he saw before he fell asleep was a sky full of blue.

When Castiel woke up again the sun was shining in through the blinds. He could see through his squinting, a man sitting in the chair with his eyes closed next to his bed.

“Gabe... Gabriel wake up.” A loud, obnoxious snore answered him.

“Gabriel, I know you are awake, don’t be an assbutt.”

“Assbutt Castiel, really that’s the best you can come up with?” Gabriel mocked.

“Hey, I’ve been seriously injured; I get a pass on my insult abilities, which are great by the way. Assbutt is the correct term to describe you.”

“Ah Castiel, my brother from another mother, I am glad you are awake, even if your insults are sub-par. How are you feeling?”

“Actually, I don’t feel that bad, I gotta say these drugs are fantastic even if they do make me feel like a sloth”

“Don’t get too comfy being drugged, I can’t support your drug habit and you staying at my house rent free.” Castiel’s heart dropped. He hadn’t realized that his apartment and all his things were probably destroyed. His paintings, his books, his DVD collection; all gone.

“Gabe you don’t need to support me at all, I’ll find a new apartment, it's fine.”

“No, no, you are my favorite brother and you will be staying with me when you get out of here. That’s an order soldier.”

“Fine, but only until I find a new place and I can walk again.”

“Have it your way, you look like you are going to pass out again so I’m going to leave, but I’ll be back later tonight.”
Castiel nodded and added, ”I’m not living there for free either.”

“We shall see Castiel, we shall see.”

“Assbutt” Castiel mumbled as he drifted off to sleep once more, dreaming of green eyes.