AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you for the reviews, I've been feeling down because I can't write as much as I'm used to and I can't do everything I usually can, and I hate asking for help. Charlie's story now has 155 followers, so welcome newbs! Seeing the numbers increase and the reviews helps me feel better so please keep them coming!
CONTENT WARNING: Charlie gets paddled in this chapter, DO NOT READ if this will bother or offend you.
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I waited in my room, fully expecting Uncle Sam or Daddy to come in and swat me, or at the very least, scold me. Nobody came in. I laid in bed for a while, sulking, and then my tummy growled with hunger.
I got down off of the bunkbed and walked out to the main room. There were weapons spread out over every flat surface, different types of guns, long and short knives, and other things that were metal and sharp that I had no idea what they were. There were bottles of dried herbs and liquids grouped on an end table.
"Freeze," Daddy said, turning from the kitchen island.
I stood still and looked at him questioningly.
"Dont—touch-anything-" he said sternly.
"I know, Daddy," I grumped.
He put the gun down that he was holding and beckoned me. I walked over to him and stood in front of him.
"You need to cool it with the mouth, little girl. Sam told me about what you said earlier. I know you already got a spanking today, but I have no problem adjusting your attitude over my knee if you don't change how you're acting. You got me?"
I looked down at the floor. "Yes, Daddy."
"Go apologize to your uncle."
I walked over to Uncle Sam, who was standing at the kitchen counter. "Sorry about before, Uncle Sam."
He leaned down to hug me. "We're just trying to keep you safe, honey."
"I'm hungry, when's dinner?" I asked.
He straightened and turned. "Oh, yeah, it is after 6 PM. Guess we should eat," He turned to the sink and started to wash his hands, "I'll get out some paper plates, will you set the table, Charlie?"
"After I go pee," I said, hurrying off to the bathroom.
As I opened the bathroom door, I heard a gravelly voice speaking. "Where is the Winchester spawn?"
I ran up the hall and over to Castiel, who was standing near Daddy. I threw my arms around Castiel and hugged him.
"Why are you squeezing me with your body?" he asked, looking down at me.
"It's a hug," I told him, "People do it to greet each other."
"Charlie, that's enough," Daddy said, and I let go of the angel.
"How about next time, you use the front door and knock instead of just showing up in the middle of the room, y'know?" Daddy said to Castiel.
"I am sorry, I am still not familiar with all the subtleties of human etiquette," Castiel replied.
"Well, what do you want?" Daddy asked.
"I must tell you that you should not attempt this," Castiel said, "I know you want to capture Azazel but what is happening now is not-"
"I know the signs, I've been following things for over 20 years," Grandpa John said abruptly, bristling at Castiel.
"He has many working under him, and there are more amassing in the West. There is talk of different factions fighti-" Castiel looked unaffected by Grandpa John's stern-ness.
"Well, I don't care about that, I just want him," Grandpa John was dismissive.
"Yes, but this could be a trap, designed to lure you away from the child."
Daddy sighed. "Damn, I didn't even think of that. We're going to need to do something about Charlie."
He gestured to Grandpa John and they walked over to Uncle Sam, and the three of them stood there talking quietly. Every once in a while they would look over at Castiel.
"Hey, Mr. Angel, do you have a harp and a halo?" I asked Castiel.
He looked down at me- he was tall, although not as tall as Daddy or Uncle Sam. "I do not. I am not...musically inclined. The halo was used in artworks throughout the ages to signify holy personages, but does not exist in real life."
"What's it like in Heaven?" I asked.
"It can be...busy. Depending on where you are and who you are with," Castiel replied.
"Busy?" I laughed, "I thought Heaven was where whatever you wanted came true."
"For humans who have moved on into the afterlife, yes, it can be like that. For angels, it is different."
"If I went to Heaven, could I have ice cream whenever I wanted it?"
"Yes, you could, although many humans forgo earthly concerns once they are there."
"All right," Daddy walked around the island and came over to us, "So, uh, Castiel, could you, uhh...could you watch Charlie while we're off dealing with...this demon business?"
I looked at Daddy and then at Castiel. "You mean like a babysitter? I'm going to be babysat by a angel?" I jumped up and down and clapped my hands, laughing, "This will be so cool!"
"Okay, don't get too excited," Daddy said, "It's not going to be for too long...hopefully."
Castiel looked aghast. "Wouldn't sitting on a baby harm the infant? Why would we do that?"
I laughed, "You're so funny! It's just called babysitting, it means you're taking care of me!"
"Oh," he frowned slightly, "I think I can manage to do that."
"We'll move out at first light tomorrow, I want to be on the road by oh-seven-hundred," Grandpa John said.
"What's oh-seven-hundred?" I asked.
"Seven AM in military-speak," Uncle Sam explained.
"Then I will stay here overnight and watch over you," Castiel said.
"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Daddy scoffed, "Just be back here tomorrow morning, okay?"
"All right, until tomorrow then," Castiel looked at all of us and nodded, and then there was a sound of flapping wings, and he was gone.
"Geez, I'm never gonna get used to that," Daddy shook his head.
Uncle Sam made everyone turkey sandwiches for dinner. He got out a bag of potato chips and put some on my plate. "I know it's not a vegetable, per se, but I'm too busy with this to heat up the leftovers."
"I don't care, potato chips, yum!" I said, taking my plate.
I got a little annoyed, because the rest of the evening, they were busy with the weapons, and then after they had cleaned everything and put them all away, they spread out some huge paper maps and spent a long time poring over them. None of them were paying attention to me at all.
Daddy finally noticed that it was late and told me to go to bed. After I had changed into my pajamas and done my routine, I came back out to the living room.
"I'm ready," I said, trying to take Daddy's hand, "will you tuck me in and stay with me for a little while?"
He glanced at me, "I'll tuck you in, but I need to get back to this."
"Aww," I complained. I walked around the table. "Good night, Uncle Sam."
"Good night, honey," Uncle Sam leaned down to hug and kiss me.
"Good night, Grandpa John," I looked up at him.
"Night, kiddo," he said distractedly. He ruffled my hair and kissed the top of my head.
Daddy followed me to the bedroom. I climbed up the ladder and got under the covers. "It's good that you and Uncle Sam are tall, you can still tuck me in up here!" I grinned.
Daddy reached over the bed railing and pulled the covers up.
"Good night, sleep well," he said, patting my cheek. I sat up and leaned over to hug him. He kissed my cheek before he let me go. I laid down and he tucked the blankets around me.
I woke up when it was barely light out. Uncle Sam and Daddy were still asleep in their beds.
I padded out to the kitchen, and as I passed the front door I glanced out the window. There were a couple of deer in the front yard, eating the leaves on the bushes. I stood stock-still and held my breath, watching for a couple of moments. Then I slowly, slowly, eased the deadbolt over and unlocked the door. I smoothly opened the door and slipped out onto the porch. I made tiny, slow steps over to the edge of the porch, still watching. The tallest deer turned and walked near one of the other ones, and began to lick its side. The third deer shook its head and flicked its ears. They were so beautiful, their fur was a smooth brown color- I had never seen a wild animal this close. I tiptoed down a couple of steps, and one of the deer stopped and raised its head and seemed to look right at me. I raised my hand, wondering if it would let me pet it-
I heard a footstep behind me, and turned. Daddy was standing in the doorway.
"Daddy, look!" I whispered, and when I turned back, the deer startled and ran into the woods, tails twitching as they leapt over a fallen log.
I turned around again. "Aww, Daddy, they ran aw-"
The look on Daddy's face was thunderous. "Charlotte. Anne. Winchester. Get—your ass—inside. NOW!"
I hurried up the stairs and crossed the porch, and he grabbed my arm and pulled me inside, slamming the door. He took my upper arms and shook me. "What the hell were you thinking?"
I looked over at the counter, Uncle Sam stood at the sink with the coffeepot in his hands.
"I saw the-the deer—I wanted to go look at them-"
Uncle Sam shook his head disapprovingly.
"I told you not to go outside, didn't I? Didn't I?" Daddy's voice was angry.
"Uh, y-yeah-"
"Come on," he let go of one arm, and began to walk down the hallway, dragging me with him. Once we got into the bedroom, he closed the door and let go of me.
"I told you not to go outside because it's not safe. There is increased demon activity going on around here!"
I got mad. "Well I didn't know that, you didn't tell me!" I clenched my fists and stomped my foot.
"I shouldn't have to tell you!" Daddy yelled, "I already told you not to go outside, and that should be good enough for you! There are demons out there, do you understand what that means? Demons are evil, Charlie, they will hurt you. If they took you they would do things to you that would- hurt your body and your mind. It is imperative that you do everything you can to stay hidden right now," he sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his eyes looked upset, and they were wet. "Do you know how I would feel if I lost you again? Demons are bad sons of bitches, Charlie, and I wouldn't—" he sighed again, heavier, "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if—if demons got ahold of you."
His eyes looked different, and I realized that he was scared. My Daddy was scared. And that made me feel horrible and guilty. He told me these things to keep me safe, and I wasn't listening. Missouri had told him he needed to change and accept me, but I guess I really had to change too, and accept that life was different with Daddy. He and Uncle Sam and Grandpa John had been fighting supernatural creatures for a long time and they knew what they were talking about. I needed to do what they told me to do, not just because they were making rules, but for my safety.
I fought against my guilt, saying, "I was just—just looking at deer in the front yard, y'know, it wasn't like I was-was hiking through the woods-" I stumbled over the words.
Daddy's face got hard. "Oh no, that's not gonna fly with me. I told you not to go outside. We told you about demons and how unsafe it is. And you decided to do your own thing, as usual. Well, you are going to learn to obey me, little girl!"
He walked over to his duffle and I heard a zipper being undone. When he turned back, my mouth went dry, because he was holding the paddle.
"I—I'm sorry, Daddy-" I said quickly.
He walked over to the end of the bed. "Get over here, Charlie," he pointed at the floor in front of him.
"Uh—Daddy-"
"If I have to come get you, that's more swats with the paddle added on," he said tightly.
I dragged my feet as I walked over to him, tears already in my eyes.
He sat down and set the paddle on the bed next to him, then took my wrist. "Let's go," he said, pulling on my arm after I hesitated.
I took a deep breath and leaned forward on his thigh, whimpering, "Daddy, I'm sorry-"
He lifted me over his lap, "I don't think you are," he said in a hard voice, "I think you're only sorry because you're in trouble and I'm about to blister your butt. You spend far too much time thinking you can get away with things- well, not anymore."
I yelped as he started to spank me, and I wriggled and started to kick almost right away. "Please, Daddy, I am sorry!" I cried out, "I will listen, I will!"
"I'm going to make sure of it," he growled, putting his arm over my back to hold me still. I wailed as the swats continued to fall and grabbed ahold of the blanket on the bed. I wanted to tell him that I realized I needed to listen to him, that I would be a good girl from now on, but all I could do was whine in the back of my throat as his hand peppered my butt with hard spanks.
Then he stopped, and I felt him tugging my pajama pants down. He pulled them down to my knees and then my panties came down right after, and I whimpered.
I felt him lean over slightly and tensed, and then he said, "You will obey me when I tell you what to do," and the paddle landed on my bottom the first time.
I tried to jerk away from him and howled as the stinging of my butt turned into a fire.
"You will not put yourself in danger," he said sternly, and the paddle smacked me again. I shrieked as I tried to kick my feet, but only succeeded in getting my pj pants tangled around my ankles.
"You will not go outside AGAIN," and the paddle came down quickly, one, two, three swats in a row, right where my butt meets my thighs, and I howled again. My whole bottom was throbbing and tears were pouring down my face.
After my sobbing had calmed a little bit, Daddy lifted me up and cuddled me in his arms. I put my arms around him and bawled into his pajama shirt. "Da—daddy, m' s-sorry, I wuh-won't be b-bad any muh-more," I heaved out.
"I didn't want to punish you right before I leave," he murmured against my hair, "But you need to understand how serious I am about this."
I moved my head and looked up at him. "I d-do, Daddy," I sniffled, "I do, an' m'sorry I didn't listen."
"Good girl," he leaned down and kissed my head.
"Are you gonna go an' fight demons?" I whispered.
He shifted me in his arms. "Well...yes, we are," he told me.
"I'm scared," I said.
"We've got the best arsenal of weapons that I know of, and Grandpa John has been doing this for a long time, he knows what he's doing."
"Okay...but I'm still gonna be scared," I snuggled into his chest.
"I'll come back to you. I'll always come back, all right?" I felt his hand in my hair as he held me tightly.
There was a knock on the door. Uncle Sam leaned into the room. "Coffee's ready, and Dad wants to get on the road."
Daddy sighed. "Is Castiel here?"
"Uh, yeah, he just showed up," Uncle Sam left.
Daddy shifted on the bed. "Get up, Charlie."
I grabbed ahold of him. "Carry me!"
"All right," he moved me onto his hip and stood up.
Castiel was standing by the front door. Uncle Sam was pouring coffee into metal travel mugs.
Daddy set me down, and I ran over to Uncle Sam and threw my arms around his waist. He picked me up, hugging me tightly, and kissed my cheek. I walked over to Grandpa John, who was fiddling with a gun. He set it on the table and looked at me. I hugged him, and he hugged me back.
"Be careful," I said softly.
"We will," he replied, dropping a kiss on the top of my head. I went back over to Daddy and put my arms around his waist again.
"We ready?" Uncle Sam brought over two travel mugs and handed one to Daddy.
"Yeah," Daddy said, "All right, Charlie, let go."
"One more hug!" I protested. He leaned down and hugged me again. "You behave yourself," he said.
"I will, Daddy. I love you."
"Love you too, sweetheart," he kissed me again and let me go.
I followed them to the door and stood at the window watching them get into their vehicles.
Castiel stood beside me. He looked down at me. "Your face is leaking," he said.
"It's called crying," I told him.
"Crying occurs when a human is injured or in pain. Are you in pain? How did you sustain an injury in such a short amount of time?" he looked concerned.
"No, I'm not hurt, I just- I'm sad that they had to leave, and scared," I swiped my hand across my face.
"They will return, I am certain of it," he looked out the window again, "What does one do when one is babysitting?"