Two weeks later, Dean was having lunch at his desk when Ollie passed him at speed, throwing his jacket on.
"Let's move, man. Issue over at the social work offices."
Dean took a massive bite out of the pathetic excuse for a sandwich that he had bought that morning in a gas station, swallowing thickly and grabbing his keys. A call like this would mean something was up, something serious if the social workers couldn't handle it themselves. Sometimes it was angry parents, sometimes it was crazed people and sometimes it was just a complete psycho. Dean had only been called to an incident like this once before, and it was just an angry dad threatening to smash up the reception.
Fifteen minutes later, Dean was adjusting his cap and pushing his way through the glass doors of the social work offices. There was a couple of people waiting at the reception, each with an expression of complete indifference. The receptionist, however, was a little old lady and sat ensconced in a glass cage behind the gigantic reception desk. The phone was cradled under her chin as she spoke quickly into it, a stray grey curl covering her eye. A man stood beside her, looking tense and gazing down at a small television, a bunch of keys hanging loosely at his hip. As Dean approached him, he snapped his attention to him, and with a visible sigh of relief came out to meet him.
"Eddie." said Ollie, shaking the man's hand, "What's going on?"
The man nodded at Dean, and beckoned the two officers towards the fire stairs. "I'll explain on the way. Come on." Eddie began to climb the stairs, two steps at a time, the officers following behind him.
"They were interviewing the chap of the Riordans', and he suddenly just snapped. He clocked Sharon in the face, and started beating on the new guy. And then, well, just look." Eddie stopped short in front of a non-descript door. Silence from inside. He looked pointedly at Dean, and then to the door handle. Dean pressed down on the handle, feeling the lock resist him. He knocked. No answer.
"Who's inside?" he asked, frowning at Eddie.
"Sharon, but she was unconscious when I saw her on the monitor, and the American guy with the strange name, Castiel."
Dean glanced back at Ollie, who had moved Eddie back a couple of feet, and now was standing, baton at the ready. He nodded.
"Castiel? It's Dean Winchester. The cop. You ok in there?" Dean was leaning on the door now. No answer.
"That's it. I'm going in." Dean took a step back, and in one swift movement, brought all his weight down on the door. It swung open easily.
Inside, Dean saw Castiel, now sporting a bloody lip, his tie almost completely undone, and shirt collar covered in blood. He was standing over a man, who was wailing underneath the window, his arms drawn up over his face, and his feet tucked underneath him. He seemed to be begging Castiel for something, he would reach out and tug at Cas' suit trousers every so often. Castiel seemed to be murmuring something to the man, who nodded periodically. Dean cast his eyes around the room, and saw the other social worker lying on the floor, her head on a suit jacket, still out cold.
"Castiel, you ok?" Dean crossed the room swiftly, as Ollie went to Sharon.
"I am fine, Dean. A little blood never hurt anyone." Castiel touched his bleeding lip, his fingers coming away bloody.
"More than a little blood, man. Your shirt is covered in it." Dean said, pointing at the bright red stain on Castiel's chest. "You sure you're ok? The paramedics will be here in a moment. Have them check you out."
"I am more concerned about Sharon, and Mr. Riordan." Castiel bent down, his eyes trained on the wreck of a man under the window ledge. "It's ok, Don. We can work past this, ok? You are going to have to go with the police now, and we will have to follow procedure, but we can work past this." Castiel reached out and placed his hand on the shaking man's knee. Don nodded, gulping in huge gasps of air. Castiel stood abruptly, turned and left the room. Dean wasn't far behind.
"Hey, man, wait up. Cas! Slow down!"
Castiel stopped suddenly, and turned to face Dean. "What did you call me?"
"Um.. Cas? I'm sorry, it just sort of slipped out." Dean grinned sheepishly.
"It's fine. Just something I'm not overly familiar with." Cas leaned against the wall, head lolling back.
"You alright?" asked Dean, his eyes resting on the bloodied lip.
"Fine, I guess. People always surprise me. I think that I have the make of someone, and then something like this happens." Cas rubbed at his lip with the back of his hand and winced.
"What happened?"
"We were just having a chat about what the department needed him to do in order to start up visitation with his kids again. He took exception at something Sharon said, and he hit her hard. By the time I could intervene, and after he gave me the bloody lip, it was like the fight had gone out of hin. He just sagged under the window and thats when you arrived." Cas and Dean pressed tightly to the walls to make room for the paramedics as they passed. Dean had just finished writing all of what Cas had said down, when they passed by again, this time carrying a stretcher bearing the unconscious Sharon. Ollie brought up the rear, walking out a docile Don who was now in handcuffs.
"Look, we'll need you to come into the station to give the official statement later on." said Dean, closing his notebook.
"Not a problem, Dean." Cas sighed heavily.
"You sure you're ok?"
Cas didn't say anything. "It'l be fine."
A small smile crept onto Dean's face. He could recognise himself in Cas' reaction. The "I'm totally fine" face, the stance with his arms crossed over his body, the resigned sigh. He knew exactly what Cas was going to do when he left work today.
"Hey, I have an idea. I'm going to take you home. You are going to change, and shower. Then I'm going to take you back to the station to get the official thing over and done with. Then we are going for a drink. Sound ok?"
Cas meet Dean's gaze. "I suppose."
"Listen, Cas, I've had a lot of shitty days in work. I know that look you have. It's the "I'm going to get absolutely blasted drunk when I get home." Because I do it, go home, get drunk and then talk shit with my friends at a ridiculous hour. I figured.. " Dean swallowed, he was about to make a big assumption. "that because you're so new here, you may not have that safety net just yet."
Cas was silent for a moment, then he smiled. "You're right. This whole thing is rather new to me. It might be nice to have some company for once."
"Sounds like a plan." Dean clapped his hand on Cas' shoulder. "Let's get that lip checked out first though."