** Chapter 1 **
Dr. James Castiel lived every day exactly the same. Up at five sharp, 30 minute run, quick shower and breakfast, 18 minute drive to work at his Dad's private practice in Cincinnati. He'd get there early enough to do some paperwork, then it was 9 hours of screaming kids, high teenagers, and entitled adults who insisted their fatigue was caused by some serious illness they read about online and not just the natural result of their poor eating, sleeping and exercise habits. Then it was back home, dinner of fish or chicken with vegetables and rice, a couple hours of reading and then bed at 10. Rinse and repeat for the last 7 years. Today was shaping up to be just like all the others, down to the minute, but little did he know, Castiel's life was about to change in just about every way possible.
**000**
Dean Winchester groaned as he did his 18th pullup, then dropped to his feet, drenched in sweat.
Benny cheered and clapped him on the back. "Brother, you are gonna beat the House record, I swear it."
Dean laughed and grabbed a towel from the rack. "You gonna race me for it?"
"Man, you know I'm too old for that shit." Benny took his turn on the bar as Dean headed to the showers. He barely had his hair wet when the alarm sounded.
"Alarm Box 1321, St Jude & Down Street. Engines 1 2,4 Ladders 1&2 Salvage 1."
Dean toweled off and jumped into a suit. Within 45 seconds he was on the back of the truck with Benny as it pulled out.
**000**
Dr. Castiel sighed as he came to a stop at the train tracks five minutes out from work. The train was passing at approximately 5 miles per hour and showed no signs of ending or speeding up. He hated being late. It threw the whole day off, especially if Dad was there before him. That guy really knew how to rub Castiel's face in his own inadequacies. Glancing around, he decided to take the long way since he would probably still make it faster than if he waited for the train.
Throwing his BMW in gear, he turned around and headed south. He didn't mind this route, really. It was more scenic. Just added precious minutes to his perfectly timed commute. He hit the gas to make time, but of course that's when he caught a red light. He sighed again. I guess God just wants me to be late today. Looking around, he noticed smoke in the distance. He frowned. It didn't seem to be coming from an industrial part of town where smoke is commonplace, it looked more like…
Castiel's stomach dropped. It looked like it was coming from right about where his brother Luke lived with a 2 yr old baby daughter. Without checking whether the light had turned, Castiel sped off toward the smoke.
**000**
"I need another line out here!" Dean yelled back at the truck. There were two trucks on scene so far throwing everything they had at it, but the fire was still spreading fast because the apartment building was pretty old and probably not up to code. It looked like the fire had started on the ground floor. Someone probably left the coffee pot on and that's all it takes in a building like that.
"Dean, on your left!" Benny ran out of the building carrying a tiny screaming bundle. "Take her, her dad's still inside!" Benny thrust the bundle at Dean and ran back into the building.
"Benny, wait!" The structural integrity of the building was failing; no one should be running in there alone. He looked down at the bundle, which he now saw was a toddler in pigtails covered in soot. "Hey kid, we're gonna get you somewhere safe then I'm gonna go get your Dad, ok?" Dean ran the girl to the nearest ambulance, left her with an EMT, and then ran to the truck for a gas mask. He was already in the building before he realized he didn't know where in the building Benny was. He started checking room by room, calling Benny's name and searching through the smoke for any other survivors. On the second floor he finally heard his name in reply. It was weak, but close by.
"Benny!" Dean found him at the end of the hall dragging a body toward the stairs. He looked like shit. "Jesus Benny, you've been in here too long, why didn't you take me with you?" The body on the floor was a man in his 30's, black with soot, but possibly still alive. He started to pick the guy up, then noticed something moving in his shirt. It was a tiny white kitten. Dean grabbed the cat and put it in his coat, then threw the guy over his shoulder. Benny could barely stand from the heat and smoke inhalation. "Come on, we gotta go!" He grabbed Benny's arm with his free hand and pushed him toward the stairs. They were almost outside when Dean heard the floor above them groan loudly. "Shit." He sprinted the last few steps, tossed the unconscious man onto the lawn where paramedics were waiting, and turned around to grab Benny. That's when the ceiling collapsed.
**000**
"No no no no no…" Castiel turned onto Down street and saw the ambulances, fire trucks, and cop cars surrounding his brother's apartment building plus a crowd of gawkers. He felt sick. He drove up to the road block and parked. "This can't be happening." His brother worked nights and didn't get up until early afternoon. He was definitely home when the fire started.
Castiel ran toward the building. Cops tried to stop him when he got close. "My brother's in there, he has a kid!" He screamed, knowing it wouldn't make a difference. Then he remembered something that might. "I'm a doctor!" Castiel fumbled for his wallet and showed them his credentials. They let him through and he sprinted toward the far side of the building where his brother's apartment was. He reached the circle of Firefighters and EMTs gathered at the door just as someone came bursting through and tossed his brother on the ground.
"Luke!" Castiel pushed past the crowd and dropped to his knees by his brother. There was a huge crash as the building started to collapse. All of the firefighters around rushed towards where the man who'd brought his brother out had just gone back in. He checked Luke for breath and a pulse. They were there, but shallow. "Get a stretcher!" The EMTs were already on it. "Where's his daughter?" Castiel asked, looking around frantically. "Lily! Has anyone seen a little girl? She's two, blond hair, blue eyes." No one was paying attention, there was too much going on. He started searching ambulances as the paramedics loaded his brother into one.
"Unca J!" Lily was sitting in a stranger's lap on the edge of an ambulance, wrapped in a blanket.
"Lily, oh thank God." Castiel picked her up and hugged her fiercely. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?"
Lily started crying. "I want Daddy!"
"She's ok," the woman who had been holding her said. "No external injuries, apparently mild smoke inhalation. We were going to bring her with us when the ambulance is full to check her more thoroughly at the hospital ."
"Thank you." Castiel shushed Lily and headed back to the ambulance his brother was in. He held her against him so she wouldn't see. "Which hospital are you going to?" he asked the paramedics inside.
"U of C, you riding along?"
"I'll meet you there." He looked back at the building. They had pulled the fireman out and were bringing him to the ambulances. A second fireman was being strapped to a stretcher, apparently unconscious.
Castiel jogged over. The man's left leg looked like it was hanging on by a tendon.
"Hey," the man rasped out. "I've got something of yours."
"Huh?"
The firefighter unzipped his jacket and pulled out a tiny white fur ball.
"Elsa!" Lily exclaimed, and reached for the kitten.
The firefighter smiled as Cas took it and handed it to Lily.
"Um, thank you," Castiel said, but the man had passed out. He ran with Lily to his car and headed to the University of Cincinnati Hospital.
**000**
Dean tried to open his eyes. There was a blinding white light in his eyes and a loud buzzing in his ears. His head killed and his breath came out as a rasping cough.
"Mr. Winchester, you're awake," a voice said. A dark shape moved in front of the white light and formed into a man's face. He was about Dean's age or slightly older, dark hair and concerned eyes. His mouth was downright kissable. "I'm Dr. James Castiel. Don't try to move. You had a collapsed lung and your left leg was crushed. There's a compound fracture in the femur, so you're going to be off your feet for a while. Try to rest, Dean."
Dean tried to speak, but it started a coughing fit. The doctor pressed a button to raise the bed a little and picked up a bottle of water with a straw in it. After a drink that felt like scraping fingernails down an open wound, he cleared his throat and tried again.
"Benny?"
Castiel looked confused for a moment. "Benny… Lafitte? Who was with you at the fire?"
Dean nodded.
"He's in surgery. I'm going to be honest with you, Dean, it's not looking good." There was a pause. "Mr. Winchester, I want to thank you for what you did. The man you pulled out of there was my brother. It was incredibly brave, even for a man in your profession."
"He ok?" Every word felt like red hot poker in his throat.
The doctor looked away. "Don't worry about that right now. Try to sleep. I'll check in on you later."
Then Dean was alone, thinking about Benny.