Moving Out

Charlie packed her clothes into her backpack one handed. In her other hand was her cellphone. She was talking to Lila, bringing up an old conversation they once had a while ago. Charlie wanted to move in with the other girl. She was hesitant, worrying about leaving her new family behind. They were really all she had, but then Lila came along.

"It'll be fine, Charlie," Lila reassured on the other end. "Just tell them you have to do what's best for you. It's not like you're never going to see them again." Charlie nodded, flopping down on her bed and heaving out a long sigh. She knew that. She honestly did, but she couldn't help but wonder if it was too soon. The house had gone up in flames only a few days ago. Everyone was still recovering from it little by little. What if someone would need her?

Charlie tried to shake the thought away. The boys lived with Jody and her dynamic duo now. If anything, they'd have at least three new faces to seek help from. That brought up another problem Charlie was feeling. Jody's house was very cramped now. It had seemed big enough with just her, Lucifer, and Alex living in it, but now that five humans and three extra angels moved in everything got a bit tightly squeezed. It was hard, but everyone was trying to manage through it. At least when she left there'd be more room.

"Charlie?" Lila called from the other end. "Charlie, you there?" Charlie sat up a little in her bed.

"Yeah, I'm here. Sorry. I was just thinking." Lila let out a sigh on the other end.

"Woman up, Bradbury," Lila stated at last, causing a small smile to itch over Charlie's face. "I don't know much about your family, but you clearly love them more than anything. If they love you as much as you do them, they'll let you go, Char."

"I know that, Lila, but –"

"Please tell me this is the part where you tell me you and your family actually work for the mob or CIA or something and that you're in witness protection?" Charlie barked out a laugh.

"Shut up."

"So I'm right?" Lila mused.

"No, no you're not," Charlie chuckled. "I'll tell you, Lila, when things calm down around here again, okay?"

"Fine." Charlie could practically see the pout on her girlfriend's face.

"I'm just worried that if I leave something…something bad will happen and I won't be there to help," Charlie admitted.

"You could purchase life alert for them."

"Lila, I'm serious."

"Sorry." Silence took over the line for a while then as the two girls just sat silently with their thoughts. "I'm not sure there's much else I can tell you, Char. Just talk to your family about it, okay?"

"Okay," Charlie whispered, dropping slightly. "I gotta go. Love you."

"I know," Lila chuckled playfully before hanging up. Charlie tossed her phone to the side and looked around her bedroom. Her posters were all rolled up and ready to go, her little nick knacks and fan merch were stuffed into a separate backpack, and her pictures of the last year were folded up carefully in her album by her feet. She stared at it for a moment, reaching out hesitantly and opening it up. There were old ones of course from when the angels were smaller. One picture was of Dean cuddled up with all three angels on his chest. Another was of the angels zooming over Bobby and Sam's heads. Charlie turned the page, laughing at the next picture. Balthazar had taken it on the day they made the scrap book. Gabriel and Castiel were wet and dripping with soap in Dean's arms. The three were laughing, all toothy smiles and crinkled eyes. The photo was centered in the page and surrounding it were several other pictures of the adventures of bath time.

She kept on turning the page, laughing at the pictures pasted on each one. There were some of the other angels and a big one from the Christmas party of the entire family all together on the snow covered front steps of their house.

"Charlie, we've got an issue with the Nintendo –" Kevin stopped in his tracks on entering Charlie's practically empty room. His eyes skimmed around, falling on the back packs piled on her bed. "What's going on?"

"Can you get everyone together for me, Kev?" Charlie asked. "I…have something I want to tell them." Kevin bothered at his lip, but nodded, stepping silently out of the room and down the hall again. Charlie sighed, closing the album and her eyes. This was going to be hard.

"What's up, Charlie?" Kevin asked as Charlie entered the room with her backpacks swung over her shoulders and a few bags in her hands. Charlie set them down and strolled farther into the living room so she was standing in front of everyone.

"I, uh…" Charlie trailed off, shaking her head slowly. "It's been crowded around here lately and I just thought that…that I'd take Lila up on her invitation to move in."

She was met with silence and Charlie's anxiety grew worse than before. She wanted to laugh and take it all back, but it was too late for all that.

"Lila asked me a while ago, but I told her no. I didn't want to leave you guys, but I…I really want to…I…"

"Charlie, that's great!" Sam shouted, jumping up and giving her a tight bear hug. Charlie's eyes widened. Before she knew it she was incased in the arms of everyone in the living room.

"What?" she gasped, pulling back from the hug a little. "I thought you'd be mad."

"Mad?" Bobby questioned. "We're happy for you, kiddo."

"But…I'm leaving. You guys are my family. What if something happens when I'm not here? I –"

"Lila's your family too," Balthazar interrupted, flapping into her arms and hugging her neck.

"Yeah, and you know us. We'll be fine. We always are," Gabriel hummed, hugging her right leg as Castiel hugged the other.

"And you can visit," Castiel added. "We'll still get to see each other, right?" Charlie nodded and she was pulled again back into the Winchester, Singer, and Mills bear hug. When they finally pulled away, Charlie picked up the bags she dropped and walked towards' the front door, Dean following her with one of her bags. She stopped before stepping over the threshold of the front door, turning around and smiling at her large family. She held up her hands, fingers pressed together in a typical spock hold.

"See ya, Bitches." She walked through the door then and Dean closed it behind them before leading Charlie to the Impala. They threw her bags into the back and Charlie hopped into shot gun. Dean slid in beside her behind the wheel and slowly pulled out to the edge of the driveway.

"You'll take care of them?" Charlie asked, looking at the hunter with round eyes. Dean pulled his eyes away from the road waiting for them. He smiled at her.

"Always do," he hummed. Charlie nodded and pulled the photo album from her bag, pushing it into the hunter's lap. His face lit up at the sight of it, fingers running over the picture on the cover. It was one from the angels' very first convention. They were all dressed in doctor who cosplay and holding up their giant trophy.

"I expect that to be full the next time I come over," Charlie said, wiping at her eyes as a few tears broke free. Dean wrapped an arm around her, rubbing up and down her arm in comfort.

"You got it, kiddo," Dean murmured softly before pulling back and pulling out of the driveway. Charlie turned her head to look out the window, watching as Jody's house slowly disappeared. The angels each tumbled out of the doorway, the grownups right behind them. They waved, hooting and hollering their goodbyes. Gabriel and Balthazar shot off fireworks, sending Charlie off with a bang.